https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-192-Kowtowing-to-the-Coffin-Third-Update-/12899832/
Chapter 193: Shut the Door to Avoid Calamity (Fourth Update)
Chapter 193: Shut the Door to Avoid Calamity (Fourth Update)
Everyone was there, the adults and children of the village, and the Zhao family members dressed in mourning clothes.
They were all gathered around a black lacquered coffin, filling the entire courtyard. There was complete silence as they continuously bowed their heads to the coffin, but there was no other movement.
Hu Ma saw that some of their foreheads were covered in dirt, while others were already bloodied, having hit stones or steps beneath their heads. They didn’t even try to avoid the hard surfaces, knocking their heads until they were broken.
"What’s going on here?"
Witnessing this eerie and silent scene, Hu Ma felt somewhat at a loss.
He couldn’t even approach to check, as the entire courtyard was packed with people bowing their heads, leaving no space to step in.
"Snap out of it!"
He clenched his teeth, raised his red wooden sword, and infused it with alchemical furnace fire. The red wooden sword sliced through the air, creating an invisible line of fire that swept across the courtyard, dispelling the Yin Qi.
Under the cover of the fire line, a few villagers slightly regained consciousness, looking up in a daze.
But their eyes quickly turned blank again, and they continued to bow their heads to the coffin, following the others.
"The force of my strike was already comparable to three-tenths of the True Yang Arrow’s power, yet it didn’t affect them at all?"
Hu Ma found this quite peculiar. Confirming that the coffin in the courtyard was the source of the problem, he clenched his teeth and suddenly used the Ghost Ascends technique.
He stepped on the earthen walls around him, rushed into the courtyard, and with a powerful leap, jumped over the people bowing in the yard, landing directly on the coffin. He looked down and saw that the coffin was not yet closed. Inside, a kind-faced old man lay in his funeral clothes, a smile still on his lips.
At a glance, Hu Ma recognized him as Old Man Zhao. He had heard from Zhou Datong and others that the old man had already risen from the dead and run away, but after playing around, he had returned to the coffin.
He had prepared to celebrate his birthday and was watching others slaughter a pig when he died, his face still smiling. The pig had bumped him, and he had fallen, dying with the smile still on his face.
Now, that smile seemed unnervingly eerie.
"The strange events in this village started with him, and the people in the courtyard are bowing their heads to him..."
Hu Ma had an idea: "Should I try stabbing him with the red wooden sword, or carry him out and burn him?"
Although he had this thought, he was still hesitant.
Dealing with evil spirits required the right approach. If the method was correct, it would save effort and time. If not, even the most intelligent actions could lead to chaos.
"Ouch..."
Just as he was in a dilemma, he suddenly heard Zhou Datong and the others shouting in panic from outside.
Hu Ma was startled and, using the Ghost Ascends technique, quickly jumped to the wall and leaped out of the courtyard. From a distance, he saw Zhou Datong and the others surrounding someone.
Thinking it might be an evil spirit, he rushed over with his sword, only to see that it was Li Wa Zi, who had just been cooking in the village. He was still wearing an apron, his face pale, and he was pinching his fingers and twisting his waist, scolding: "Looking at your dad, are you?"
"Never seen Seventh Aunt before, huh?"
"Not even a greeting, you’re really a bunch of disrespectful brats..."
"..."
"How did he get here?"
Hu Ma landed softly on the ground. His voice drew the attention of Zhou Datong and the others, who hurriedly said, "We don’t know. He just appeared, giving us a scare..."
"Don’t panic, keep an eye on the surroundings."
Hu Ma instructed them and then walked into the crowd. Seeing Li Wa Zi’s appearance, he knew his good neighbor had arrived.
He politely bowed and said, "Seventh Aunt, greetings."
"I was just thinking of asking someone about the state of this village, it’s so strange..."
"..."
"I can’t make sense of it..."
Li Wa Zi liked Hu Ma’s polite demeanor. She gave him a sideways glance and said in a soft voice, "Didn’t you ask us to keep an eye on things around here? I remember that!"
"Last night, it seemed like someone blew a breath here. I knew something was up. I wanted to help you find out who did it, but I couldn’t see anyone. I came to tell you, it’s very eerie here..."
"Even Seventh Aunt finds it eerie?"
Hu Ma couldn’t help but frown. If even an evil spirit found it eerie, what could it be? She said someone had blown a breath here...
...Just a breath, and it turned the village into this mess?
But how did this happen, and how could it be resolved?
As his mind was in turmoil, Li Wa Zi said, "Anyway, I’ve kept an eye on things and told you."
"You go ahead, I have to get busy..."
"..."
Hu Ma, urgently needing information, quickly said, "What does Seventh Aunt need to do?"
"Pack up."
Li Wa Zi said, "This place feels too eerie. We need to move out as soon as possible..."
"Even the Yellow Immortals are moving out?"
Hu Ma was even more shocked. He knew exactly what kind of people they were.
They had a grudge with the village and didn’t even fear the Red Lantern Lady, still bullying others around. They even had the opportunity to bite and kill Xu Ji. Now, just because someone blew a breath here, they were so scared they wanted to move out.
Could it be that the thing that blew the breath here was even more terrifying than the Red Lantern Lady... or even more vicious?
In reality, there were many more questions Li Wa Zi wanted to ask, but he had already rolled his eyes and fallen to the ground.
He woke up quickly and, upon seeing himself in a strange place, he asked in confusion, "Did Seventh Aunt leave?"
"Before, she always put me in a soft and cozy spot, afraid I might fall. Why is it on broken stones today?"
"..."
"It's really fast..."
From the reaction of Seventh Aunt, Hu Ma realized something and let out a low sigh.
Turning his head, he saw Zhou Datong and the others staring at him with wide eyes. Around him, the pig that couldn't be killed, the crying steamed bun, and the chairs and tables that occasionally moved, making noise.
Wandering around, crying and looking for her mother, a little girl had somehow drifted over and was now pushing open the door to peek inside.
In the courtyard, the villagers of this village were still continuously Kowtowing to the coffin...
Hu Ma hesitated several times, then steeled his heart and said in a low voice, "Go, everyone, exit!"
"Huh?"
Zhou Datong and the others also saw the urgency of the situation. They thought Hu Ma would come up with a plan to save the people, but they didn't expect him to make this decision.
Stunned for a moment, they finally reacted and hurriedly gathered together, quickly exiting the village.
Outside the village, some villagers who had managed to escape were already rushing over, eager to ask what happened, but Hu Ma found it difficult to answer them at the moment. He only told them to wait patiently, not to return to the village, and that he needed to go back to the village to ask a few questions.
He couldn't avoid making this decision.
There were too many strange things happening in the village. Although he could try to solve them, he realized that the surface disturbances were secondary. Behind these events, there were more sinister things at play.
"This matter is too big, we need to invite the Red Lantern Lady to take a look..."
He led the people back to the village and had them prepare the incense altar. Then, he lit the red lantern inside the house.
Invoke the Red Lantern Lady! When such things happen, acting on your own is foolish. The Red Lantern Lady must be summoned to see what should be done.
After all, he was the one appointed by the Red Lantern Lady to watch over this village, ensuring that within ten li no evil spirits would cause trouble. This was a rule set by the Red Lantern Lady. If there were problems beyond his capabilities, inviting the Red Lantern Lady to help solve them would be most appropriate.
Of course, in this situation, although he had an incense stick to directly summon the Red Lantern Lady, using the proper method to invite her was more suitable.
He set up the incense altar and lit the red lantern.
In front of the altar, Hu Ma held three incense sticks and bowed to the red lantern, saying, "Red Lantern Lady, please come and bring your power. I summon you to descend with the red lantern, illuminating the four directions..."
"... Red Lantern Association, Green Stone Town Branch, I respectfully invite the Lady to descend!"
"..."
He repeated the incense three times. Then, in front of the altar, a faint eerie red light appeared in the red lantern.
But before Hu Ma could state the purpose of inviting the Red Lantern Lady, the red lantern seemed to circle around four times, as if measuring the situation, and then emitted a puzzled sound:
"Huh?"
Then, as if it had discovered something, it seemed to be startled: "Ah!"
Immediately after, that eerie red light suddenly disappeared, leaving only the lantern hanging alone.
"Gone... Gone?"
Hu Ma was also startled: "What's going on?"
He already had some suspicions, realizing that the disturbances in the village were not simple.
No matter how he thought about it, he never expected that after he summoned the Red Lantern Lady, she would only take a glance and leave without a word.
"Too much, isn't it?"
He felt incredibly strange. After all, he had just built a temple...
Looking at the apprentices around him, none of them dared to speak. They all stared at him with wide eyes, and Hu Ma didn't know what to do for a moment.
The three incense sticks in his hand had already gone out long ago, as if the Red Lantern Lady was using this method to tell him that for this matter, he shouldn't try to summon her, but should make his own decision and handle it himself.
"Close the main gate!"
Hu Ma was silent for a while before speaking in a low voice.
Zhou Datong and the others were already somewhat panicky, looking at him at a loss.
"Close the main gate, and let no one leave the village."
Hu Ma paused for a moment and then explained to them, "The matter is serious, it's no longer something we can handle."
"But the villagers in that village..."
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but Speak, but quickly silenced himself.
"The matter this time is not as simple as it seems."
Hu Ma glanced outside the village and spoke in a low voice, "The surface disturbances are small, the things behind them are the most terrifying. In front of those things, we and the villagers are not muchdifferent."
Hearing Hu Ma's Arrangement, all the apprenticesFell Silent.
Meanwhile, outside the village gate, the anxious villagers waiting impatiently began to ask, "Has the Master prepared everything?"
"Our villagers are waiting for rescue..."
Suddenly realizing the mistake, he decided to add another chapter to correct it. It's already the 21st, and the votes have been cast. Everyone can give this old ghost some comfort, can't they?
(End of Chapter)
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