Chapter 149: Midnight Soul-Stealing
Chapter 149: Midnight Soul-Stealing
Of course, Hu Ma had no objections.
This meal was quite satisfying, and the master was generous, providing a sumptuous feast with chicken, duck, fish, and meat.
After everyone had their fill of food and drink, each person was given two hundred taels of silver to carry with them, a heavy bag that made everyone feel secure and at ease.
Young Master Lu then said, "Tonight, those who have nothing to do can go back and rest. Since you’ve agreed to help me, all your expenses in Wutong Town will be on my account."
"You can also take the silver back with you to manage as you see fit. However, the nearest large money exchange is seventy miles away in the city, so it’s best not to leave town. There is a security escort service, though."
"If you want to send it home in advance, that’s also possible."
"..."
Everyone nodded, each making their own plans, without needing Young Master Lu to worry.
To put it bluntly, the security escort service takes a ten percent cut, which means twenty taels are taken right away, and that’s a bit painful.
Besides, for those living nearby, sending it back with two people is enough. For those living far away, the travel and effort might make the two hundred taels seem insignificant to the security escort service.
Hu Ma, who had already been assigned a task, waited for the others to leave before sitting down with the old monkey to discuss the time and place for their meeting that night. He then took the two hundred taels of silver back to the inn and threw it on the table.
He quietly thought about the plan he had agreed upon with Diguashao and compared it with what Young Master Lu had said.
Although Diguashao had been forthcoming and had the assurance of Miss White Wine, it was still necessary to be cautious.
He waited patiently until it was almost time, then came out.
He still wore his bamboo hat and raincoat, and as he passed the counter, he threw a tael of silver in front of the innkeeper.
The innkeeper was initially stunned, then remembered what Hu Ma had said to him in the morning. He forced a smile and bowed, saying, "May you prosper."
After Hu Ma left, the innkeeper watched his back and sighed softly, sweeping the tael of silver into the drawer.
He shook his head and muttered, "He might not come back."
When Hu Ma arrived at the agreed spot at the town entrance, he saw the old man was already waiting, grinning with a monkey on his shoulder and a strange white lantern in his hand.
But the night had already fallen, and he hadn’t lit the lantern.
Hu Ma looked up at the dark sky and smiled, "It seems we’re going to work under the cover of darkness. Not lighting the lantern?"
"This isn’t for lighting the way," the Monkey Boss smiled, "Besides, you’re a Night Guardian, you’re not afraid of walking at night, are you?"
Hu Ma laughed, "I’m used to following the rules."
As he spoke, he followed the old monkey out of town and walked in the dark. The two of them chatted in low voices, and when the old monkey asked about certain techniques and lineages, Hu Ma was evasive and reluctant to answer.
Actually, he had already fabricated all the necessary lies, but he didn’t want to reveal them all at once. He would wait for the right moment to let slip a few details casually.
If he answered everything at once, others might see through his lies.
From the old monkey’s perspective, Hu Ma had revealed nothing except his name and that he was a Night Guardian, which the old monkey had already seen for himself. The name was something he had learned from their previous encounter, so Hu Ma had given away nothing.
But the old monkey didn’t mind. He kept joking with Hu Ma as they walked deeper into the wilderness.
After about half an hour, they stopped. Hu Ma looked up and saw several dark houses ahead; they had reached a village.
He was about to step in, but the old monkey held him back, smiling, "Wait a bit longer, it’s still early."
Seeing that the old man had already sat down outside the village, Hu Ma had no choice but to squat down with him.
They continued to chat sporadically, and as the night grew deeper, everything around them became silent.
Hu Ma suddenly sensed something.
He was a Night Guardian and had methods to ward off evil spirits, but how did the Monkey Boss manage to avoid them?
They had walked at night and wasted so much time, yet they hadn’t encountered any evil spirits.
"Let’s go!"
Just as he was considering whether to ask, the Monkey Boss, who had been calculating the time, stood up and patted the dirt off his pants.
Hu Ma followed him. As they approached the village, they suddenly heard a chorus of barking dogs, which seemed to echo throughout the village. The village dogs were highly alert, and even though their footsteps were light, they had already alarmed the guard dogs.
"Such a nuisance..."
The Monkey Boss frowned, then turned to the monkey on his shoulder, "Go!"
The monkey chirped and jumped off his shoulder, leaping and crawling into the village. In the darkness, it was impossible to see its shadow.
The dogs that had been barking wildly suddenly went mad, howling and barking in unison. Several families were awakened and came out with oil lamps, but seeing nothing, they kicked their dogs and went back to bed.
But as soon as the dogs quieted down, the monkey started causing chaos again, making the dogs bark and get kicked once more.
After a few more times, the Old Monkey finally chuckled softly, "That's enough."
He pulled out a small pouch from his chest. In the dark, the monkey leaped back onto his back. He opened the pouch, and inside were bright red beans.
He let the monkey take them and return to the village. Soon, a few whimpers from the dogs could be heard, but no one paid any attention.
After a moment, the Old Monkey took out a fire striker and lit a white lantern. It was strange how the lantern did not illuminate much, only casting a faint, hazy light that barely lit the path ahead. The Old Monkey held the lantern in his hand and, without explaining to Hu Ma, slowly and steadily entered the village.
First, he arrived at a courtyard with a wooden door. He examined it carefully, noting the mark on the door.
Holding the lantern, he swung it up and down.
The faint light flickered, like a white soul-calling banner in the dead of night. He called out to the courtyard, his voice echoing softly, "Heaven is dark, Earth is dark, the soul-calling banner is here, the impermanent lord is at the door..."
"Zhang Daquan, Zhang Daquan, your father has come to take you to the feast..."
"..."
His voice was very low, almost inaudible in the night wind. There were no more dog barks in the village.
Hu Ma was spooked by his strange behavior, his eyes wide with unease. He heard him call out three times, and the temperature around them dropped. Suddenly, he heard a fluttering sound coming from the white lantern in the Old Monkey's hand.
Upon closer inspection, he saw a moth inside the lantern, having flown in at some point. It darted around inside, casting restless shadows on the lantern's walls.
"Got it."
The Old Monkey glanced at the lantern with satisfaction and whispered, "Let's go!"
Soon, they arrived at another courtyard, this one surrounded only by a fence. He checked the mark again and called out to the courtyard:
"Heaven is dark, Earth is dark, the soul-calling banner is here, the impermanent lord is at the door..."
"Niu Zhangshi, Niu Zhangshi, your mother has come to take you to buy rouge..."
"..."
Just as before, he called out three times, and another moth appeared inside the lantern, fluttering around.
Hu Ma, following the Old Monkey, felt an eerie wind and a strange, indescribable sensation. When he saw the moth enter the lantern, he was so startled that his scalp tingled. Once they were a safe distance from the house, he couldn't help but ask:
"Sir, what kind of technique is this? It seems a bit scary..."
"..."
"Hehe..."
The Old Monkey chuckled softly, "You have your skills, and I have mine."
"This soul-calling trick, you've never seen it before, right?"
"..."
"Indeed, it's soul-calling..."
Hu Ma's heart tightened, and he whispered, "How do you know these people's names?"
"Ha, the work is done where you cannot see."
The Old Monkey chuckled softly, "I came during the day and put on a good monkey show for them. I talked with them, told their fortunes, and interpreted their dreams."
"I learned that Zhang Daquan once had a feast with his father as a child, which he never forgot. I also learned that Niu Zhangshi's only trip to the city to buy rouge was with her mother. When I call out at night, they naturally come out."
"..."
Hu Ma thought about it carefully, feeling a chill run down his spine. "What will happen to these people if their souls are called out?"
"Not much, they'll just be confused for a few days."
The Old Monkey said, "Don't worry, no one will die. Over time, it will grow back."
"Grow back my ass!"
Hu Ma didn't believe him at all.
Although he didn't understand the techniques of the Soul Punishment Sect, he knew that once a soul was called out, it couldn't grow back like flesh. In the world he understood from his past life, there were always mentions of the three souls and seven spirits. If any of them were missing, a person would no longer be whole.
You're just talking nonsense to me, saying that a person's soul can actually grow back?
"This is the best thing in the world..."
As Hu Ma grew more and more alarmed, the old monkey looked at the two moths fluttering in the lantern with increasing satisfaction. "When people talk about good things, they only think of Ta Sui, but they don't know there's something even better: people."
"In our eyes, people are better than Ta Sui. To get Ta Sui, you have to fight, compete, transport, and refine it, and you might even lose your life."
"But people are everywhere, each with flesh, soul, and life, useful in countless ways."
"..."
Listening to his low mutterings in the night, Hu Ma felt a chill run through his body.
Evil cultivator, evil cultivator!
When he first met the Old Monkey, although he was wary, he didn't feel any particular animosity. But now, seeing what he did and hearing his words, he felt a growing urge to kill.
But remembering the warning from the Diguashao, he forced himself to hold back, his gaze calmly scanning the darkness.
His guess was correct. Although it seemed only he and the old monkey had come out, not far from them, on the other end of a dirt road, two men with yellow paper stuck to their faces stood quietly.
Hu Ma and the old monkey couldn't see them through the darkness, but they seemed to see Hu Ma, silently observing.
(End of Chapter)
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