https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-209-The-Feeling-of-Being-a-Hu-Clan-Member/12915471/
Chapter 208: Mischievous Demon
Chapter 208: Mischievous Demon
The Yin filth shivered and slowly lifted its head.
The face was ethereal, but it was clearly recognizable as the appearance of Chief Zheng from the Red Lantern Association.
When he saw Hu Ma's face, his expression instantly turned abnormally desperate.
The flame in the fire basin was extinguished, and he saw the surroundings clearly. In front of him was only a circle of rice, a few wicker dolls that hardly looked like people, an old tree stump, and several pieces of Yin Bone Jade... There were no offerings at all.
Of course, he also saw Hu Ma, the young and tender little shopkeeper, sitting on the slope, as if a single breath could knock him over.
But what should have surprised him did not. He seemed particularly afraid that an inconceivable idea might become true, but when it did, he felt numb inside.
"It's you..."
Hu Ma could hear him mutter, "It really is you..."
"But, how could it be you..."
"..."
"Am I the one who surprises you?"
Hu Ma looked at him coldly, feeling a complex mix of emotions towards this Chief Zheng. This incident had escalated too much, and two people who should not have been involved were drawn in because they were too far from this level.
One was himself, and the other was this Chief Zheng.
This damned man was quite a remarkable figure. How did he manage to gain the trust of the Meng family and take on this heavy burden?
For a moment, anger seemed meaningless, just a mix of absurdity and helplessness. He looked at him and said, "If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been drawn into this mess, right?"
"I just don't understand your thoughts. Your brother-in-law wasn't killed by me personally, so why are you targeting me?"
"..."
"Who else could I target besides you?"
Chief Zheng shivered, but knowing he had no escape, he seemed more composed than the Blue-robed Evil Spirit.
He trembled, almost as if muttering to himself, "When I fell into a stinking ditch and was waiting to die, I made a solemn vow that whoever saved me, I would repay with wealth. Then, this family saved me, gave me medicine, and even a bowl of hot soup to drink..."
"This great kindness made me swear to make them rich, even though they were stupid and greedy. I always felt that with my skills, I could protect them."
"But Niu Zi, because of a bit of greed, ended up being tortured to death in a vat of boiling oil. What a tragic fate..."
"If you say he was a bad person, in that family, he was far more innocent than my father-in-law and wife. Including me, he was the most innocent one in our family..."
"How can I not seek revenge?"
He seemed to think it was only natural, looking up at Hu Ma, "If I don't help him avenge his death, how will my wife and father-in-law see me? How will the people in the association see me?"
"But if I help him avenge his death, who else could I target besides you? The two guardians? The Red Lantern Goddess?"
"..."
Hu Ma couldn't help but laugh, saying sarcastically, "So, it's only because you can afford to provoke me?"
Zheng Zhi'en tried to laugh, but his laughter turned into a sob.
Yes, it was only this one person he could afford to provoke...
...But now, this reason seemed like the biggest joke in the world.
"The world is dangerous, and I almost fell into the hands of someone like you..."
Hu Ma listened, vaguely understanding his thoughts but not bothering to truly figure them out. He sighed and looked at him, "But this incident has escalated so much, you must know your fate, right?"
Zheng Zhi'en was stunned for a moment, then shook his head, "It's too big, I can't even imagine it."
Hu Ma said, "I can't imagine it either. It's indeed quite big, but it's also a good opportunity to see the limits of this world."
"But there's one thing you must be clear about: this is no longer something you can bear alone."
"..."
"Right..."
Zheng Zhi'en finally sighed softly after a long while, "There used to be a charge for a demon causing trouble in the imperial court, but I don't know if it still applies..."
"Indeed."
Hu Ma looked at him sympathetically, "I'm afraid your father-in-law's family will blame you for involving them..."
Chief Zheng seemed to want to smile bitterly but couldn't. He just looked up at Hu Ma.
Hu Ma, no longer interested in speaking with him, waved his hand and suddenly spat out a True Yang Arrow, shattering his soul.
At the same time, outside Zhu Gate Town on a barren hill, the wooden frame and yellow banners Chief Zheng had set up, the stone offerings, and the dried branches used as swords were scattered on the ground. He sat dazed in the disarrayed spell altar.
Hu Ma, in the Old Yin Mountain, had blown away his life soul with a single breath, and here, he suddenly became dazed, like a puppet.
This was the symptom of a spell backfiring.
It was more severe than what Hu Ma had encountered in the Ma Family Ancestral Hall, where the souls of those martial world people had left their bodies but were still present, not dead.
But due to his soul being scattered and the backlash of the spell, he instantly lost all signs of life.
The Blue-robed Boys had already been killed by the enraged villagers from all over, and the Meng family had left without a word. This place had become a forgotten existence. If no one came, Zheng Zhi'en would likely end up rotting on this mountain, exposed to the elements and ignored by all.
But if that were truly the case, it might have been better.
A small sedan chair and a donkey approached from the foot of the mountain. Inside the sedan was a woman nearly three hundred pounds, heavily made up, being carried by two skinny bearers. When they reached the base of the mountain, the bearers lay on the ground, refusing to carry her up, no matter how much they were beaten.
The woman kicked and shouted at the bearers, extremely vicious. The old man on the donkey tried to persuade her, "Stop hitting them. It's time to go up and take a look."
"I don't know what he's been up to, not coming home for days. I'll give him a good slap when I see him."
The woman felt wronged but could do nothing but get out of the sedan and carry the food box herself. She and the old man, both out of breath, climbed the mountain using their hands and feet.
The small, desolate hill was like climbing to heaven for her. It took them nearly half an hour to finally reach the top, drenched in sweat, and then they saw Zheng Zhi'en, sitting there with disheveled hair and a dazed look.
"Useless thing, you're still sitting here. Don't you know to come and greet us?"
As soon as she saw him, she seemed to regain her strength and rushed over to hit him, but then she noticed something was wrong with his expression.
She let out a wail and started shaking him, pounding and crying, "Zheng, don't scare me. Don't let anything happen to you. What will I do if something happens to you?"
The old man was also terrified and hurried over to check, then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Help! Help! Bearers at the foot of the mountain, come quickly and take my son-in-law to see a doctor!"
But the bearers at the foot of the mountain had already run away. They cried and panicked, only to find that several people had appeared by the side of the mountain.
They were people they never expected to see. They wore black clothes, carried knives, and wore hats, clearly constables from the government office.
People living in Mingzhou Prefecture had long forgotten about the existence of such a group.
The woman and the old man were surprised to see them and were about to shout for help when the leader of the group, with a cold face, looked at the broken spell altar and then at Zheng Zhi'en, sitting under the banner, his expression blank. His eyes turned cold.
He suddenly pointed forward and shouted, "Evil person causing chaos, driving away ghosts and harming people. With this spell altar as evidence, seize him."
The constables, who were trembling and whose skills were rusty, hurriedly took out their chains and tried to put them around Zheng Zhi'en's neck.
"Who dares?"
The fat woman, having lost her composure, started fighting with them, shouting, "Who dares touch my husband? Do you know who he is? He is the Incense Master of the Red Lantern Association..."
The constables were even more afraid after hearing this. Combined with the woman's ferocity and the old man's willingness to fight, they were temporarily pushed back.
But the leader, seeing this, gritted his teeth and shouted, "Evil person causing chaos, according to the law, must be executed by lingchi and his family executed. Where do you get the nerve to obstruct the constables in their duties?"
"Seize them all!"
This shout instantly terrified the woman and the old man. The constables, realizing this was different, quickly reacted, kicked the old man and the woman to the ground, and locked them up. Then they put the manacles around Zheng Zhi'en's neck.
But when their fingers touched Zheng Zhi'en's body, they were suddenly startled and exclaimed, "Chief, he's already dead..."
"Dead?"
The leader turned to look at Zheng Zhi'en, gritted his teeth, and whispered, "Even if he's dead, lock him up. Use wooden sticks to support his legs so he looks like he's walking."
"How can he be dead? How can he die now?"
"Having committed such a great crime, he doesn't have the right to be buried unless he has been executed by lingchi..."
"..."
The constables understood and quickly took out various bottles and jars, rubbing them on Zheng Zhi'en's body and legs to soften his stiff muscles. They made his already disheveled hair even messier, letting it fall to cover his iron-blue, lifeless face.
Iron rods were inserted into his pants and wrapped around his legs, and with the help of others, he was made to look like he was still alive and could walk.
"Let him go, I told you to let him go..."
The woman and the old man, seeing Zheng Zhi'en being tormented even in death, were heartbroken and began to wail, but the constables beat them until their mouths were full of broken teeth.
In the end, the entire family was locked in chains and taken down the mountain. The wooden frame and the broken yellow banner were also carried down as evidence.
As they paraded the captives through the streets and into Mingzhou Prefecture, many people came to watch, both hating and shocked. They hated the people affected by the evil spirits, who looked at this troublemaker and cursed and beat him.
They were shocked that these constables were still willing to enforce the law.
Yesterday, there were four updates, and today cannot be delayed. I wrote through the night until dawn. Here is the update!
(End of Chapter)
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