https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-191-A-Living-Soul-Second-Update-/12899829/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-193-Shut-the-Door-to-Avoid-Calamity-Fourth-Update-/12899834/
Chapter 192: Kowtowing to the Coffin (Third Update)
Chapter 192: Kowtowing to the Coffin (Third Update)
"It's just... one sentence can't explain it clearly..."
Zhou Datong hurriedly helped Hu Ma pick up the red wooden sword and his own knife, following him out while saying, "At first, it was Old Man Zhao from Bamboo Pole Village celebrating his sixtieth birthday."
"This was a good thing, and they decided to slaughter a pig, even inviting us over."
"But no one expected that the pig couldn't be killed, and it suddenly jumped up, running around wildly, knocking Old Man Zhao down."
"Unfortunately, this collision killed the Old Man Zhao who was watching the pig slaughter at the door, turning a joyful event into a funeral."
"Still, the funeral had to be arranged. It took four or five strong men to finally kill the pig. They set up a funeral hall and bought a coffin, but Old Man Zhao, lying in the coffin, refused to close his eyes. The funeral master bravely reached out and closed his eyes for him."
"But then... while the filial son was crying, Old Man Zhao suddenly sat up."
"This scared everyone in the courtyard, and they rushed over to call us to take a look."
"..."
While listening, Hu Ma dressed himself, his expression becoming slightly more serious. "You went to see it?"
"Didn't I tell you to be careful?"
"..."
Zhou Datong replied, "We waited until dawn to go. Who would dare go out at night now..."
Hu Ma nodded, saying no more.
He had observed for some time that Zhou Datong and the others had become increasingly proficient in handling matters. Ordinary evil spirits were no longer a concern, and even if they encountered an evil spirit, they could use various tactics to handle it effectively.
During this period, although he had been worried, he had only instructed Zhou Datong and the others not to go out at night and to gather more people when going out during the day.
If the villagers from the surrounding manors sought help, they still had to assist.
He thought that the Meng Family's matters would not affect these villagers.
"This matter is truly hard to explain..."
Zhou Datong also felt a headache, carefully saying, "But, sigh... Brother Pockmarked, you should go and see for yourself!"
Hu Ma became more serious upon hearing this.
As Zhou Datong and the others solved a few problems, their courage grew, and they were not so easily frightened.
There were not many things that could scare them to this extent...
He didn't even bother to wash up, just splashed his face with cold water, and followed Zhou Datong out of the manor, whistling to call Little Red Apricot.
The more places he, as an Age Keeper, refined, the more he resembled a normal person, making it harder to detect certain evil spirits. Bringing Little Red Apricot could help him see and gather information on these things.
Outside the manor, Zhou Datong and the others had already hitched up a cart, with a few buckets on it.
Hu Ma got into the cart, and Zhou Datong cracked the whip, driving them to Bamboo Pole Village, about seven or eight li away.
From a distance, before even entering the village, Hu Ma suddenly became alert, feeling the hairs on his body stand up.
He frowned slightly, looking at the village, and felt a vague distortion in his vision.
Now, the sun was rising, illuminating everything brightly, except for that village, which remained dark and gloomy, as if the sunlight could not penetrate it.
"Can you see anything?"
He quickly turned to look at Little Red Apricot, who was also alert, but shook her head.
"Let's go in and take a look!"
Hu Ma took a deep breath, and the cart continued forward. From afar, he saw Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and two apprentices from the manor, along with some villagers, squatting at the edge of the village.
Seeing Hu Ma on the cart, they all breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly welcomed him.
"Why did you come out?"
Zhou Datong said, "Didn't I tell you to stay inside and watch, while I went to get Brother Pockmarked?"
"We couldn't stay... inside."
Zhao Zhu said, "It was too eerie."
The others nodded in agreement, their faces showing their discomfort.
"Then let's go in, and the rest of you wait outside!"
Hu Ma got off the cart. If there was something inside, the animals might get scared and go wild, making it difficult to control them, causing more trouble. The same applied to the villagers outside. It was better for him to go in alone.
He held the red wooden sword in his hand, silently inserted the three incense sticks into the furnace, and then stepped into the village, one foot after another, feeling the ground beneath him.
He had been to this village before and was familiar with it.
But now, as he entered, he felt an overwhelming discomfort and an unusual pressure.
"Woof woof woof..."
After just a few steps, he heard a fierce growling and biting sound from a corner.
Everyone's hearts sank as they turned to look, seeing two dogs, one spotted and one yellow, fighting.
They were really fighting, not just biting.
They stood on their hind legs like humans, their front paws locked together, roaring and tearing at each other, their teeth gleaming and their claws covered in blood and fur, one of them with a blind eye.
"This..."
Hu Ma stopped in his tracks, suddenly raising his foot and sending a small stone flying. It struck the two creatures, causing them to turn their heads and fix their gaze on him and the others. Their eyes seemed to burn with a hatred akin to that of humans.
However, they did not charge forward. Instead, they slowly backed away, turning the corner.
Not long after, the sounds of barking and whimpering echoed again, as if they had resumed their fight.
"Where is the funeral hall of Old Man Zhao?"
Hu Ma watched as they disappeared, taking a deep breath, and then turned to ask Zhou Datong.
Zhou Datong quickly pointed in the direction, and the group slightly quickened their pace, heading towards the funeral hall. As they walked, the sense of unease grew heavier.
It felt as if every breath they took was accompanied by a chill. They saw a little girl in a green dress, crying and wiping her eyes, walking towards them from the other end of the street, calling out for her mother.
Zhao Zhu was about to go up to her but was pulled back by Zhou Liang, who whispered, "Look at her feet."
Only then did the group look down and notice that the little girl was floating, crying and slipping into a courtyard.
When they followed, she was already gone.
Hu Ma, puzzled by the village's eerie atmosphere, quickened his pace towards Old Man Zhao's funeral hall. Since the events began with Old Man Zhao, these strange occurrences were likely related to him.
However, as they walked, it seemed as if the village path was getting longer and longer, with no end in sight.
The more anxious they became, the more they felt they could never reach their destination. They walked in a daze, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.
"Could we really be encountering a ghost wall even when we're all together?"
Hu Ma found this strange, frowning and suddenly spitting out a "True Yang Arrow."
"Whoosh!"
Using his refined lungs, the True Yang Arrow shot out like a flying sword. The surrounding Yin Qi was pushed back by his alchemical furnace, and in a flash, they could see the funeral hall draped in white cloth, along with the temporary stoves, cut pork, and tables and chairs set up for the funeral.
"Here it is..."
Zhou Datong hurriedly said, "We were called over early this morning, but the coffin was already empty, and we couldn't find Old Man Zhao."
"If Old Man Zhao had risen from the dead and fled, it wouldn't be strange..."
Hu Ma muttered to himself, "But what about the villagers? Why can't we see a single one?"
"Right..."
Hearing this, Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu were also alarmed, "When we left earlier, they were all still here."
"Be careful."
Hu Ma could only warn them, slowly approaching the funeral hall.
"Chui'er..."
Just as they took a step, a cold, eerie breeze hit them. They were already on high alert when a shrill, piercing scream rang out, causing them to break out in cold sweat. They quickly turned around and saw a bloody pig's head hanging from an iron hook on a butcher's block, now screaming at the top of its lungs.
Its dim eyes seemed to hold a deep resentment, staring at them.
"Earlier, the villagers said that the pigs couldn't be killed, which led to Old Man Zhao's death..."
Zhou Datong's voice trembled, "But why now, even the pig's head is hanging and hasn't been killed?"
Hu Ma remained silent, only staring at the pig's head to ensure it wasn't under a spell similar to the one used by Diguashao to keep pigs alive while slaughtering them. Instead, the pig itself seemed to carry an eerie aura.
He gripped his red wooden sword and approached step by step. Suddenly, the tables, chairs, and bowls around them began to collide and crash, but there was no one in sight.
The eggs in a basket suddenly cracked, black sticky liquid seeping out.
On the stove, which was still burning, steam began to rise from the steamer, and the sound of a child's cries echoed from inside.
The eerie occurrences made the apprentices' hearts race with fear.
Hu Ma furrowed his brow and whispered, "Don't move, increase the fire in the stove!"
With that, he stepped forward, drew his knife, and lifted the steamer lid. Inside, there were no children, only steamed buns with cracks, emitting the sounds of a child's cries.
But as the steam rose, the buns seemed to transform into the heads of crying children.
Hu Ma, ignoring the bizarre scene, rushed into the funeral hall, which was set up in front of the Zhao family's gate, connected to the main door.
Once inside the funeral hall, they entered the Zhao family's courtyard. Hu Ma immediately saw Old Man Zhao's coffin and the villagers who had been missing. However, the silent scene before him sent a chill down his spine.
(End of Chapter)
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