Yang Jian and Lin Yunhui continued walking along Ghost Street until the shops on both sides vanished, leaving only the old bluestone path, when a solitary building came into view.
âWeâre almost there; the coffin shop is just ahead. The last time I accidentally came here, I didnât enter the coffin shop, but turned around and left, using it as a destination. So strictly speaking, this will be my first time dealing with this coffin shop.â
Yang Jian glanced at Lin Yunhui, âIf you have any important information, I suggest you disclose it in advance.â
âIâve been inside before and bought a coffin, but I didnât stay long. I quickly left without encountering any danger, so I canât provide any useful information. I only know that the coffin cost thirty-six Ghost Money back then. I donât know if itâs still the same price now,â Lin Yunhui replied.
Yang Jian said, âThe thirty-six you mentioned was a long time ago; itâs no longer that price. Last time I was here, a voice from the coffin shop said a coffin was eighteen, but time has passed and the price might have changed again.â
âIf youâre just buying a coffin, the money you have is already enough, and you wonât have any trouble unless⊠you have thoughts about this coffin shop,â Lin Yunhui said.
âI have the mind to rob the coffin shop,â Yang Jian said frankly without hiding it.
Lin Yunhui wasnât surprised, she just pondered slightly, âIn the past, some who controlled ghosts thought about robbing coffin shops, but it was very risky because during my time alive, Iâd never heard of anyone succeeding.â
âLetâs understand the situation first,â Yang Jian said.
Though he had thoughts, he wasnât impulsive, especially now when he could afford a coffin, he needed to weigh the pros and cons.
Quickly.
The two stood in front of this solitary coffin shop.
The door of the coffin shop was open, with a dim, yellowish oil lamp lit inside.
The oil lamp hung in mid-air, barely illuminating the whole shop.
Inside the shop were coffins of the same size and shape, the only difference being the color. Some had black paint with the word âmemorialâ written on them, appearing eerie and sinister. Some were painted red, bright as blood, equally creepy.
Others were the color of raw wood, seemingly unfinished, not yet painted.
Yang Jian stood at the door, observed for a while, confirmed the situation of the coffin shop, then walked in cautiously.
From earlier observation, the coffin shop seemed no different from other stores on Ghost Street, all open for business, selling different goods.
But intuition told Yang Jian that there must be something special about a coffin store; otherwise, why would it be alone in such a distant place?
Just as he reached the doorway of the coffin shop, a voice eerily drifted out from the originally deadly silent shop, âTake a look, fine coffins only ten yuan.â
Ten yuan?
Yang Jianâs expression shifted; this was even cheaper than the last time he came, and much cheaper, a sudden drop by eight yuan.
It seemed business at the coffin shop was getting harder, forcing them to drop prices.
But even with the price drop, ten yuan was not a small fee for Yang Jian at present.
To prevent any unexpected occurrences, Yang Jian took out Ghost Money while entering; this time he was smarter and only took out a seven-yuan and a three-yuan Ghost Money, just enough to buy a coffin, no more, no less.
Holding the Ghost Money, he walked into the coffin shop, feeling a bit more at ease.
The coffin shop, which originally looked eerie and creepy, seemed less frightening now.
âIf itâs to imprison a fierce ghost, youâd need a black coffin. If itâs like before when I dealt with a resurgent fierce ghost, youâd need a red coffin,â Lin Yunhui, beside him, reminded.
But even without her reminder, Yang Jian knew the different purposes of the coffins.
So this time, he intended to buy a red coffin.
Perhaps he might not necessarily need this red coffin, but itâs better to be prepared.
âI want to buy a red coffin,â Yang Jian raised his Ghost Money slightly and said.
He didnât want any trouble now, intending to buy a coffin by the book.
If all went well, heâd complete the transaction and leave Ghost Street, avoiding any additional complications.
The voice within the coffin shop, whose origin couldnât be located, spoke again eerily, âThe red coffins have sold out, choose another.â
Sold out?
Looking at the several red coffins in the shop, Yang Jianâs face showed an odd expression.
So many red coffins, and youâre saying theyâre sold out?
Isnât that just ghost talk?
âI want this coffin,â Yang Jian stepped aside, placing his hand on a red coffin lid.
âThat coffin is reserved, canât sell it to you,â the voice continued echoing within the shop.
âThen this one?â Yang Jian set his sights on another red coffin.
âAlso reserved.â
âAnd this one?â
âReserved.â
ââŠâ Yang Jian found that whichever red coffin he picked, the answer was it was reserved.
But ever since Ghost Lake flooded Taiping Ancient Town, no living person came to Ghost Street, so who would specifically reserve red coffins?
Even if someone did, itâs impossible for them to buy all the red coffins.
âWhat do I need to do to buy a red coffin?â Yang Jian asked with a steady face.
âIf the second customerâs deposit exceeds the first, you can buy the reserved coffin,â the voice explained.
âSo it means ten yuan canât buy a coffin, need to add more money, right?â Yang Jian realized the coffin shopâs intention.
Turns out, they wanted to raise the price on the spot.
Ten yuan for a coffin was just a shout to attract customers in; only when you intended to buy, you find ten yuan canât buy a coffin, each one reserved.
âHow much more do I need to add?â Yang Jian, holding back his annoyance, asked patiently.
The voice inside the coffin shop replied, âThe previous customer paid a seven-yuan deposit, you need to exceed this amount.â
Seven yuan?
Meaning Yang Jian would at least need to add one yuan, bringing the red coffinâs price back to eighteen yuan.
Wait a minute.
Yang Jian quickly spotted another issue.
The Ghost Money in his hand was of three and seven denominations; if he added one yuan, he couldnât pay it, only adding three yuan to pay twenty yuan, expecting the coffin shop to give two yuan in change.
But does Ghost Money have two-yuan denominations?
If not, does it mean the coffin shop doesnât intend to give change, pocketing the two extra yuan?
Itâs all a scheme.
Darn it, completely a scheme; this isnât a decent coffin shop but a downright shady place.
No wonder the owner of the herbal shop suggested, if capable, to rob this coffin shopâit seems even he knew this coffin shop wasnât good. If it were an earnest business like the paper folding shop, treating customers fairly, who would think of robbing it?
Yang Jian most hated deceitful and black-hearted merchants; now he had a burning desire to torch this coffin shop.
But thinking of the looming risk of a resurgent fierce ghost, he decided to hold back for now.
âIâll pay twenty yuan for this red coffin,â Yang Jian reluctantly dug out ten yuan more from his pocket.
âDealâŠâ the voice in the coffin shop promptly replied, seemingly eager.
Yang Jian darkened his face, feeling heâd been thoroughly cheated by the unscrupulous merchant, feeling the meat pain.
He could only console himself that after dealing with the fierce ghostâs resurgence, heâd come back to settle things with this coffin shop.
Just as he thought this, the voice inside the coffin shop sounded again, âA red coffin for twenty yuan, but you also need to pay an additional four yuan carrying fee.â
Carrying fee?
And four yuan at that?
This coffin shop planned to fleece Yang Jian another six yuan.
Because four yuan couldnât be paid either, only paying with two three-yuan Ghost Money notes.
After becoming one who controls ghosts, Yang Jianâs emotions had dulled, but at this moment, a surge of anger was still stirred within him.
He grimly remained silent, retrieving the twenty Ghost Money notes, then gripped the red spear in his hand tighter, and Ghost Flames began appearing around.
This shady shop couldnât be indulged any longer; today it must be taken down.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
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