https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-157-Bravery-in-Battling-the-Evil-Donkey/12899745/
Chapter 158: The Wicked Chiang-shih
Chapter 158: The Wicked Chiang-shih
Is it the one who wiped out the family?
Hu Ma watched, his heart couldn't help but be startled.
Young Master Lu had gone to great lengths to gather these wanderers to refine treasures for two reasons. First, these wanderers had no background, so if anything happened, a few deaths or disappearances wouldn't cause any official trouble or public outcry.
Second, no matter how skilled these wanderers were, they were still stronger than ordinary people and, once controlled, were more useful.
However, Young Master Lu had underestimated this person. He looked honest and simple, but in reality, he was a vicious man. So, he decided on the spot not to use him, but only to borrow his malevolent aura to counter the evil spirits in the Ma Family Ancestral Hall, causing both sides to suffer.
He deliberately sealed the door, trapping him outside the ancestral hall, hoping he would fight to the death with the evil spirits.
But who would have thought that with just half a vicious knife, he could stand up against so many evil spirits in the Ma Family Ancestral Hall and actually hold his ground?
Now, it seemed he was completely unharmed, with only a shocking malevolent aura in his eyes.
The ancestral hall, which was previously teeming with evil spirits, was now eerily quiet, with no sign of ghostly wind, forming a stark contrast to his eerie and cold aura.
Hu Ma, lacking the Ghost Viewing Technique of the Soul Punishment Sect, didn't know how many wronged spirits were following him.
But just from this glance, he felt that the malevolent and cold aura around this man was several times stronger than when he first met him. Could it be that after this calculated incident, he had become even more terrifying?
For a moment, his breathing paused, and the Life Incense in the incense burner seemed to deepen.
Hu Ma couldn't quite describe it, but in theory, this man surnamed Wang was just an ordinary person.
Although he had killed people and had wronged spirits following him, he had never learned any skills, knew nothing about martial arts or weapons, and didn't know how to control the spirits following him.
And Hu Ma, being an Age Keeper, had a knife in his hand. If it came to a fight, he could theoretically kill him with one stroke. But now, standing face to face with him across a low wall, he still felt a chill, and in his dizziness, it seemed as if countless evil spirits were rushing towards him.
He caught a glimpse of Little Red Apricot, who had run away the moment this man appeared, quickly climbing over the wall and peeking at him with half her head.
"Calm down, calm down!"
"Old Brother Wang, we've all been tricked pretty badly..."
"The master has already run away, and we who earn silver are either dead or injured, and some have even lost their souls."
"..."
"It's not really a trick..."
The man surnamed Wang had a wooden expression, looking at Hu Ma through the wall without any particular emotion. When Hu Ma gave a helpless laugh, it seemed to confirm that they were on the same side, and a simple, honest smile gradually appeared on his face.
He glanced at the wanderer with a yellow paper on his face and then at the dead Old Monkey, before hesitantly saying to Hu Ma, "At least I got two hundred taels of silver."
"Too bad no one will pay the final amount."
"..."
Saying this, he slowly turned around, as if he was about to leave.
Hu Ma was a bit hesitant, looking at the man's back, and mustered his courage, suddenly saying, "Wait a moment."
The wooden man turned his head, still with that simple smile, looking at Hu Ma as if he didn't understand. Hu Ma took a deep breath, took out another half of the broken knife from the donkey cart, and threw it far away, saying, "Here, take it."
"This is a good thing Young Master Lu found, it should be useful to you. You can forge the two halves together, and the knife will be valuable, enough to cover the final payment."
"..."
The wooden man looked at the half of the broken knife that landed at his feet, then at his own knife, and understood what Hu Ma meant.
A stiff smile slowly appeared on his face, and he said to Hu Ma, "Thank you!"
"You spoke up for us earlier, and now you're thinking about the silver I should get. You're truly a good person..."
"..."
Saying this, he picked up the half of the broken knife from the ground, put it in his chest, and kept the other half in his hand, smiling at Hu Ma before leaving down the mountain.
Hu Ma, hearing his words, was also stunned, unable to recall when he had spoken up for him.
After a moment, he suddenly realized that when they first met Young Master Lu together, Lu had been very rude to everyone, and Hu Ma, in order to stand out, had confronted the young master, leaving a good impression on this man.
For a moment, he thought about calling him back to leave a name and make a connection, but after some hesitation, he held back.
This man was a mysterious figure, and he might be useful in the future.
But Hu Ma was also a bit afraid of him and thought it best not to have any further dealings.
Turning to look at the wooden man descending the mountain path, with ghostly shadows trailing behind him, he wondered how many evil spirits were following him, not unlike the Old Hearth in Dayang Village. Hu Ma took a deep breath, feeling a weight lift from his heart.
This world is far too unstable. You never know when you might run into a formidable figure. Although this world hasn't been exposed to an information explosion, it still exudes a seasoned ruthlessness and cunning.
Just like this Young Master Lu. If I hadn't known his true nature in advance, who knows who would have been the one to fall into a trap in the end!
And then there's this vicious man. He doesn't seem to have any skills, but who would have thought he could be so terrifying?
"Hu Ma brother..."
When that person was out of sight, Hu Ma was just about to turn back to his own business when he heard a timid voice beside him.
It was Little Red Apricot, the unrighteous one, who had returned. She was still staring at the path down the mountain with wide eyes, looking timid, and tugging at the hem of his clothes.
"What's the deal with that person?"
Hu Ma instinctively asked, not really expecting Little Red Apricot to know anything.
Little Red Apricot should have been able to see what was following that person, but he didn't really expect much. He was just feeling too much pressure and wanted to ask casually.
To his surprise, Little Red Apricot instinctively replied, "Chiang-shih."
"Huh?"
Hu Ma was taken aback and looked at Little Red Apricot, "What Chiang-shih?"
Little Red Apricot blinked her eyes, still staring at the path down the mountain, and said, "Just a Chiang-shih..."
"A Chiang-shih... the one that follows a tiger?"
Hu Ma suddenly remembered that when he was in the village, Second Uncle had mentioned that if a tiger ate a person, a Chiang-shih would follow it, leading new people to the tiger to be eaten.
So the man surnamed Wang has a Chiang-shih following him?
But he's clearly a human. How can a human have a Chiang-shih following them?
He became suspicious for a moment, but asking Little Red Apricot wouldn't clarify things further. He could only remember this question and ask someone knowledgeable in the future.
Confirming that the person had gone far away, he sighed inwardly, then led the already docile donkey over, re-harnessed it, and took the reins. He checked the items on the large cart before slowly leaving the ancestral hall and descending the mountain path.
He knew where the Diguashao had gone. At the other end of Ma Erwa, there was the place where their master had planted the treasure.
To be precise, their battle of magic between the two of them hadn't ended yet.
To obtain the treasure, they needed to break the magic left by their master. Currently, the Diguashao was still missing the final step, which required his senior brother to break it.
Only when the two of them reached the old tomb of the Ma family, broke the magic, and obtained the treasure, would it be truly complete for her.
But his responsibility was already fulfilled. He didn't need to meddle in what happened there.
Not only couldn't he help, but if he encountered them, he would have to fight.
Although he and the Diguashao had cooperated this time, on the surface, they had no connection, and might even be considered enemies.
Now, he could only pretend to be a wanderer who had been tricked, return with a belly full of resentment, and put on a good act for the rest of the show.
Of course, even without the act, logically, this matter was done in secret, and the risk of it leaking was low. But as the Diguashao's "senior," he naturally had to consider things more comprehensively.
Earlier, at the Ma family's ancestral hall, it was already late at night, and everything was blurry and indistinct. But now, descending the mountain, he realized that it wasn't completely dark yet, and a sliver of sunlight still lingered in the foothills.
Leaving that eerie place, feeling the warm rays of the setting sun, Hu Ma felt his body warm up a bit, and he let out a long sigh, feeling as if he had been reborn.
He sat on the donkey cart, counting the items while slowly making his way back to Wutong Town.
He had long been eyeing this large cart. There were many old relics on it. To others, they might not be valuable, or even dirty.
But for him, who wanted to perform the unique skills of the Year-Guarding Book, these were treasures that he might not be able to find even with silver.
For example, the fire basin that Young Master Lu had used to burn the paper figure. Such items were hard to find even if he made money, and he would have to search far and wide to find the right one and buy it at a high price. Now, he had obtained it directly, which was a small profit.
And on this donkey cart, there should be many similar items. After returning to the inn, he would carefully count them, and perhaps find other useful things.
Those that were unsuitable or unsafe could be burned later.
When he arrived at Wutong Town, it was already deep into the night. The inn had its doors closed, so Hu Ma had to knock hard to get the inn boy to open. When the inn boy, holding an oil lamp, saw Hu Ma, he was startled and quickly raised the lamp to shine on Hu Ma, checking if he had a shadow.
He was afraid that Hu Ma had died outside and the one who returned was a lonely ghost unwilling to part with his belongings.
"What are you looking at?"
Hu Ma glared at him, irritated, "Take my donkey and cart to the back courtyard and feed them."
"Bring me some hot water to wash my face, and bring up any food you have."
(End of Chapter)
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