Chapter Three: The Art Market

In the original story, Crown Prince Li Heng was ordered by the emperor to travel to Beihai to provide disaster relief. What began as a drought suddenly escalated into a plague of a century’s rarity, tragically claiming the prince’s life and shocking the entire nation.

The emperor, enraged, unleashed a purge that implicated nearly half the bureaucracy, plunging the realm into chaos. It was shortly after this that the bloody contest for the throne among the Eight Princes erupted.

Now, because of his rewriting of fate with the pen, the entire world’s framework had undergone a cataclysmic transformation. Would the main storyline change as well?

With the world’s background altered and spirits and gods intervening, how would the events in Beihai unfold? What was Master Tian, eager to rid himself of the imperial inspector assigned to monitor him, planning by heading to Beihai City? Was there a direct connection to these incidents?

If there was...

Zhang Rui’s mood plummeted to rock bottom. He regretted hastily expressing his opinion during the case review—now he was implicated in this matter.

He recalled that in his manuscript, after the crown prince’s death, the old emperor’s temperament changed drastically, turning into a tyrant who dealt harshly with anyone connected to the prince’s case: at best, they were stripped of their posts; at worst, their entire families were executed by dismemberment.

Master Tian looked like a desperate man on the run. If he was truly involved in the prince’s sudden demise, Zhang Rui would be inevitably implicated.

“Mother... I just remembered something urgent I must handle. I won’t eat; I have to go see Master Qian...” Zhang Rui said.

The elderly woman frowned deeply and turned around. “Son, what’s so urgent? You can’t even eat a bite?”

“It’s a very important matter. I just need to settle something with the master. Don’t worry about me.”

Before she could say more, Zhang Rui had already dashed off. She sighed: “This child...”

Turning back, she saw her troublesome daughter-in-law hastening over.

“Mother, where is my husband?”

“Why is he in such a flurry?”

“Mother, it’s really urgent. Where is my husband?” Luo’s face was filled with worry.

The elderly woman frowned slightly. Though she disliked this daughter-in-law’s status, she had to admit that she was reliable. Such a serious expression meant something truly was wrong.

“What is it?”

“It’s not convenient to tell you everything, but my husband has taken on a case he shouldn’t have,” Luo said anxiously. “Where is he?”

She had just sent her servants to prepare hot soup when she overheard that her husband had brought home the evil spirit from Master Tian’s possession. It terrified her. From childhood, her father had warned her about these sinister matters—ordinary people should avoid such things at all costs. This case was clearly far more dangerous than it appeared.

The Shen family was no ordinary household. Generations of martial prowess, with many talents and a former patriarch who was once a fourth-rank general. Such a family could be wiped out in an instant. Any county official with a shred of caution wouldn’t dare meddle in this case. Yet her husband had boldly taken it on himself—was he courting death?

The matriarch saw her daughter-in-law’s seriousness and didn’t press further. She said quickly, “He said he had urgent business at Master Qian’s. He probably just left. Lijun, what exactly is going on?”

“I’ll explain everything when I return. You should eat first,” Luo replied and hurried toward the county office gate.

The county office in Fuchun was small. A few steps from the back courtyard to the front hall, Luo soon spotted her husband’s back as he pushed open the county office door and strode outside. She wanted to call after him but froze when she saw the scene outside.

A look of terror spread across her face.

Without hesitation, Luo dashed forward and slammed the door shut.

Zhang Rui, still unaware, was watching the lively night market outside with interest.

According to the files, Fuchun was a small northern county. In his novel, northern cities were often impoverished due to constant barbarian invasions. Yet Fuchun was surprisingly prosperous—brightly lit before nightfall, filled with the clamor of commerce and street performances, its vibrancy rivaling many great ancient cities.

As Zhang Rui turned to close the door, he paused in confusion. When had he done so? Maybe he had done it absentmindedly. He shook his head and decided to leave, planning to ask a passerby about Master Qian’s residence. As the county’s legal adviser, Master Qian should be well known.

But he didn’t notice the terrified gaze of Luo peering through the door crack.

Inside, Luo watched helplessly as her husband walked away. She dared not open the door to call him back — because she clearly saw that outside was not Fuchun County at all.

It was the Painted Market.

She had heard countless tales from her father about this legend.

Whenever the Painted Market appeared, hundreds or thousands would perish. It was a terrifying evil spirit. Her father had once encountered it but was warned by an old man to close the door in time, avoiding the fate of his merchant companions. That event had caused nearly ten thousand households to vanish—one of the most panic-inducing spirit events in the history of the Great Jin dynasty.

By a cruel twist of fate, her father had profited by selling the abandoned goods of those lost merchants, which marked the beginning of the Luo family’s rise to wealth. He never spoke of it publicly but warned his wife and children repeatedly:

If one day you open the door and the street outside looks completely different, do not step out. Close the door tightly immediately—that might be your only chance at survival.

Even if you see your own parents outside, shut the door without hesitation!

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“Why are you so late?”

Neighboring Fuchun County was Heishui County, with a seaport leading directly to Beihai. Master Tian, cloaked in a black hood, was weary from travel and had arrived there that very night.

At the dock, his waiting contacts were ready. A modest-sized boat was moored at a somewhat desolate pier.

“I’ve been set up...” Master Tian dismounted, exhaustion etched on his face.

“I heard...” Inside the cabin, a pale-faced young man spoke weakly, “You’ve received the Painted Market’s paper!”

“I passed through a village, thought it was just ordinary painted-skin ghosts...” Master Tian shook his head bitterly. “But I didn’t expect it to come from the Painted Market. Those madmen actually dared to use this against me—treating human life like nothing!”

“How did you get rid of it?” a tall man asked.

“A foolish county magistrate took it over.”

“Ah?” The group was stunned.

“I originally planned to use the Shen family murder case as a pretext to sentence that scroll to the Yang Fire punishment, letting the Youzhou governor handle this hot potato. But the Fuchun magistrate was brainless—he took the scroll himself, saving me a lot of trouble.”

The others understood at last.

According to Great Jin law, Yang Fire could only be used on serious crimes or hard-to-manage spirits. Yang Fire was precious, maintained by several fire mages—never used lightly. Common spirits like painted-skin ghosts were usually confined and tamed by ordinary sorcerers. Stirring up Yang Fire was rare unless it involved killing an official or wiping out an entire family, cases that demanded absolute eradication and intimidation.

Their adversaries had feigned ignorance of the scroll to lure Master Tian into a trap. He played along, pretending not to recognize it. When trouble arose, both sides would have plausible claims since few sorcerers could identify the Painted Market’s paper.

“What of the crown prince?” Master Tian sipped ginger tea to warm himself before asking.

“Guarded by General Long.”

“And Lu Yuan?”

Master Tian’s brow furrowed.

“He’s dead...”

“What?” Master Tian was shocked, spilling his tea.

“That’s why you were urgently transferred from the south.”

“Lu Yuan’s dead, and you still aren’t escorting the prince back to the capital? What are you thinking?” Master Tian’s anger flared.

“We cannot retreat...” The pale man’s face darkened. “To save the prince’s life, forbidden magic has been used. Everyone in Beihai is dead. If the culprit isn’t found, the entire city’s deaths will be pinned on the prince. No matter how much the emperor favors him, he will be disinherited!”

“This...” Master Tian was stunned. “You used forbidden magic?”

That was a crime punishable by extermination of nine clans!

“If the prince dies, won’t we be wiped out too?” the other retorted angrily. “We have no choice but to take the risk!”

Master Tian took a deep breath. He was also a supporter of the prince. Having boarded this ship, he was now inseparable from the affair.

“It’s fortunate you weren’t held up by them. Upon receiving your message, I was planning to use the prince’s token to compel the Youzhou governor to take the scroll. That would have delayed things by at least three days. Luck was on your side to meet that magistrate.”

“How long to reach Beihai by boat?” Master Tian asked seriously.

This time, those targeting the prince had prepared thoroughly. General Long was one of Great Jin’s top warriors, but warriors were vulnerable to sorcerous attacks. The prince’s mansion had only two first-class sorcerers: himself and the deceased Lu Yuan. Even Lu Yuan couldn’t save his own life. The prince’s situation was dire.

“The boat has been enchanted; it rivals the Silver Dragon of Prince Qin and takes only three hours!”

Master Tian fell silent. With General Long’s caution and the sorcerers guarding the prince, lasting a few hours should be manageable.

He sighed. He had been betrayed by his colleagues. Had he known Lu Yuan was dead, he would never have stepped into this mess. But now, there was no turning back.

He reached for the teapot to pour himself another cup but suddenly flung it aside.

The others looked puzzled, then their expressions changed drastically when they saw the spilled tea.

Although it was supposed to be ordinary ginger tea, the liquid was a fine jade-green spring tea. Only sorcerous means could have swapped the tea right under their eyes.

Had their enemies already arrived?

Master Tian’s face darkened as he stared at the spilled tea. Suddenly, he dashed out of the cabin and froze when he saw the scene outside.

“What is it?”

Others followed, their pupils shrinking as they took in the sight.

The once desolate dock was now bustling with activity. Countless large ships were moored, and laborers carried goods back and forth. The scene rivaled that of a proper port city.

Looking around, the entire city was brightly lit—more lively than the capital itself.

“Didn’t you leave the scroll in Fuchun County?” everyone’s faces fell.

Master Tian’s expression was grave. “Two possibilities: either the woman in the scroll is far more powerful than I imagined, and I couldn’t shake her off; or the Painted Market’s area this time is just this huge!”

“Are you joking? The Painted Market spanning over a hundred miles, crossing two counties?”

“Could it be the one from twenty years ago?” The pale young man suddenly recalled something.

Twenty years prior, the Jiangnan region experienced the largest Painted Market event, engulfing an entire county and causing over ten thousand disappearances—the greatest spirit crisis in Great Jin’s history.

The emperor was furious, dispatching hundreds of great sorcerers to investigate, but no trace was found. Now it seemed something was amiss. How could such a massive Painted Market leave no evidence?

“Those lunatics!” The pale man slammed his fist on the cabin floor, bloodied.

It was now clear that someone had deliberately been nurturing this Painted Market all along.

“What do we do now?”

Master Tian gazed outside and sighed softly. He didn’t know what to do—few sorcerers could escape the Painted Market, let alone one of this scale.

This time... it was going to be difficult indeed...