Chapter 157: Bravery in Battling the Evil Donkey
Chapter 157: Bravery in Battling the Evil Donkey
"I..."
No matter how experienced a person might be, once their throat is cut, it's all over.
The old monkey stared at Hu Ma with wide eyes, his withered hands struggling to stem the blood gushing from his neck, but it was futile. Blood flowed out from between his fingers in a steady stream.
One of his eyes was clear, the other cloudy, both straining to look at Hu Ma, as if he wanted to say something, but the gale of wind through his throat prevented him. He finally collapsed, slowly and helplessly.
The former Three Plagues of Mingzhou Prefecture, the soul-calling beggar who had made a name for himself, died a powerless and miserable death.
No matter how many tricks he had up his sleeve, facing a close-range confrontation with a Year Guardian, he was as helpless as a chicken or a duck about to be slaughtered.
"Ah?"
Young Master Lu was so startled by the sudden appearance of his junior sister that he nearly lost his mind. Then, seeing Hu Ma burst out of the ancestral hall, killing people as if slicing melons and slicing the old monkey's throat, he was completely panicked.
Year Guardians were renowned for their close-combat skills.
The reason he had singled out Hu Ma among so many martial artists was because, if he could control this person and keep him close, he would have a bodyguard, and no one would dare to challenge him.
But now, not only had he failed to find a bodyguard, he had made an enemy who was already closing in.
Fortunately, the instability of his spirit caused by Hu Ma's long-distance bow had finally subsided. He hastily turned around, swinging the white lantern up and down.
The martial artists he controlled all brandished their weapons, forming a protective barrier in front of him, while he turned back to chant a spell over the paper figures.
But just as he was distracted, a wisp of Yin Qi touched his body.
His junior sister's laughter rang out beside him, "Senior Brother, it's my fault. I didn't know he was a Year Guardian, our Soul-Severing Finger didn't work on him..."
"You didn't work on him? Why didn't you pick someone else, like the one with the flying knives?"
Young Master Lu was both shocked and furious, now understanding the situation. His junior sister had hidden in the ancestral hall, waiting for the right moment to point the Soul-Severing Finger at the Year Guardian, stealing his bamboo hat and raincoat, and then coming out to ambush him.
But the Year Guardian was impervious to the Soul-Severing Finger, and he was now suffering from a severe headache.
He was frustrated on two counts: first, his junior sister had picked the Year Guardian, and second, now the Year Guardian was charging at him, and she should have teamed up with him to fight him off...
As for whether his junior sister and the Year Guardian were in cahoots, he never even considered it. It never crossed his mind that they were on the same side.
What puzzled him most was...
...why, if his junior sister had a chance to enter the old tomb, did she leave to come after him? Was she willing to risk missing out on valuable treasures just to harm him?
Could she hate him that much?
While thinking, he rolled awkwardly to avoid the Yin Finger, simultaneously grabbing the lantern and tearing it open.
Whoosh...
The moths inside the lantern flew out, and in the dim light, six human-shaped shadows could be seen fleeing in terror around him. But immediately, a gust of Yin Qi swept towards Hu Ma's face.
It only slowed him down slightly, but he pushed through, determined to charge forward.
In a face-to-face fight, a Year Guardian was more terrifying than a ghost.
"Hero, spare my life..."
Young Master Lu shouted and fled, reaching the door of the ancestral hall in a few steps.
He did something, and the two paper figures by the door suddenly moved, floating towards Hu Ma.
But Hu Ma had been thoroughly briefed by Diguashao about Young Master Lu's specialties, especially his life-saving tricks in emergencies. Knowing the details, he was not afraid.
He simply held his waist knife in his mouth, freeing both hands. He then transformed his movements into the Rebirth as Death technique, thrusting forward with both hands, piercing through the two paper figures. Without stopping, he grabbed the fleeing Young Master Lu by the shoulders, his fingers digging into the flesh and crushing his shoulder bones.
Young Master Lu screamed in agony, but before he could make a sound, a figure flashed in front of him, and his junior sister's pretty yet sinister face appeared.
She quickly took out a stack of paper money and slapped it heavily on his head.
Feeling the heavy and cold aura of the paper money, Young Master Lu's scream was stifled, and he let out a desperate moan.
In the next moment, the yellow paper mask on his face was peeled off, revealing his pale, frightened expression.
Despite his immense regret and despair, the paper money on his head took effect, his eyes quickly losing their light, and the intense expression on his face fading rapidly.
"Swish!"
At that moment, Hu Ma kicked the dazed Young Master Lu away, drew his knife, and charged towards his junior sister.
Seeing his murderous intent, the junior sister seemed terrified, shouting, "Big Brother, this is between you and him, it has nothing to do with me. In fact, I saved you..."
But Hu Ma ignored her, continuing to swing his knife, and even slashed her arm. A long strip of sleeve was cut off, revealing tender skin and a horrific wound, with blood gushing out, a sight that was quite shocking.
... This strike must be made, otherwise it won't look professional.
Hu Ma had already discussed everything with Diguashao in his dreams. Everything was negotiable in the dream, but in reality, the act must be convincing.
To outsiders, Hu Ma appeared to be a wandering martial artist who had almost been harmed by this pair of senior and junior siblings. Not knowing this so-called junior sister, it made no sense not to take action.
Even if no one was watching, the act still had to be performed. Of course, the injury-inflicting strike was also pre-arranged. Diguashao said, "If you're going to strike, aim for the left hand. I still need my right hand to fetch the treasures and draw paper money!"
"But you must control your strength. Don't dislocate my shoulder. I don't have the skills of an Age Keeper to detach limbs."
"..."
"Ah!"
The junior sister, wounded, screamed and turned to run, scattering a handful of paper money as she went.
Hu Ma knew the paper money was dangerous and quickly reined himself in. Age Keepers moved like ghosts, so he wouldn't be hit by the paper money.
But this delay widened the distance.
The junior sister rushed to the donkey cart, drew a small knife, and cut the reins. She then slapped the donkey's buttocks, muttered something, and moved to the front of the cart, removing the black cloth covering the donkey's head.
Instantly, the donkey's mouth foamed, and its hooves furiously pawed the ground, looking like it had gone mad.
Hu Ma was just about to chase after her when the donkey, breathing heavily, charged at him head-on. Such a large animal, now in a frenzy, was a force to be reckoned with. Hu Ma quickly stepped back, holding his knife and engaging the donkey in combat.
He twisted his body to avoid the donkey's bite, extended his arm, and wrapped it around the donkey's neck.
First, he punched the donkey's face twice, then used all his strength to knock it down, pinning it to the ground so it couldn't stand up. The struggle between man and donkey lasted for a while, and the donkey's frenzied energy gradually waned, its strength weakening.
Only then did Hu Ma turn, pull a needle from the donkey's buttocks, and the donkey finally calmed down.
"Phew..."
He took a few deep breaths, looked up, and saw Little Red Apricot, chin in hand, squatting nearby and staring at him with wide eyes.
A monkey, half-dead, lay nearby, apparently beaten badly by Little Red Apricot.
Hu Ma asked, "What's wrong?"
Little Red Apricot's face was full of admiration. "Elder Brother Hu Ma, you're so amazing, you can beat a donkey..."
"?"
Hu Ma was momentarily at a loss for words. Logically, Little Red Apricot was genuinely praising him, but it sounded like mockery.
"Just stay put!"
Hu Ma patted the donkey's head and got up to check the situation. He saw that while he was struggling with the donkey, Diguashao had already sneaked away with the restrained Young Master Lu. When the yellow paper mask was removed from Young Master Lu's face, the wandering martial artists with yellow paper on their faces stopped their actions.
Hu Ma removed the yellow paper from their faces, and they stood there, unresponsive, even when he waved his fingers in front of their eyes.
"They're done for."
Hu Ma sighed softly. These wandering martial artists had fallen victim to the Soul Punishment Sect's techniques, their souls already in disarray.
Even if the person who cast the spell was dealt with, they would become idiots.
For the rest of their lives, they wouldn't even be able to eat or sleep, but Hu Ma had no way to help them.
As for Young Master Lu's departure, this was something Hu Ma and Diguashao had agreed on long ago.
For Diguashao, she had no choice but to turn back. If she didn't subdue this Senior Brother Lu, she wouldn't be able to obtain the treasures left by her master.
"My senior brother is ruthless and evil, but very simple-minded..."
When Diguashao explained this, Hu Ma was somewhat surprised. "He only believed that my master favored me, giving me two of the three unique skills and the news of the treasure here, as well as the bones and birth time of the Ma family's descendants, designating me as the successor."
"But he didn't know that only one person can inherit our sect. Without all three unique skills, it's impossible to obtain the treasure."
"Although my master favored me, he didn't show favoritism in this matter. Essentially, between my senior brother and me, only one of us can fully inherit my master's skills and obtain the treasure."
"I didn't understand this at first, but as soon as we entered the old tomb, I realized it. That's why I had to turn back and ask for your help to subdue him."
"..."
Diguashao's intelligence lay in her ability to understand her master's thoughts and know the true key to obtaining the treasure from the beginning.
But if she were to take action, subduing her senior brother was the best strategy.
She couldn't kill him; if she did, she would only have two of the three unique skills and still wouldn't be able to obtain the treasure. Besides, if she really killed him, Young Master Lu's family business would also be lost.
"I've already faced many risks while learning skills at the Red Lantern Association's manor. I didn't expect that inside the Soul Punishment Sect, they would scheme against each other, harming each other, with only one of the two disciples surviving. The risk is even greater..."
Hu Ma silently thought about it, feeling a chill run down his spine. He sighed softly and prepared to clean up the scene and leave.
Suddenly, he looked up and was startled.
He saw a wooden-faced man outside the ancestral hall, holding a half-broken knife, tilting his head to observe him.
(End of Chapter)
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