https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-240-The-Ghost-Village-Second-Update-/12915669/
Chapter 239: Pest Extermination Spell (First Update)
Chapter 239: Pest Extermination Spell (First Update)
A sudden roar startled not only the surrounding wild dogs but also Zhang Agu. She turned her head in surprise and, without hesitation, swung the stick in her hand, aiming at the nearby wild dog.
Though her strength was not great, the blow from the stick, wrapped in red string, struck the wild dog with such force that it yelped in pain. She specifically targeted the larger, more ferocious dogs, aiming for their heads with her stick. Each strike elicited a howl from the wild dogs.
At that moment, Hu Ma didn't dare to waste any time and charged straight toward the wild dog leader in the tomb circle. The saw-toothed knife in his hand was fearsome, its blade lined with deep grooves.
The wild dog leader, which had a human-like, sinister and cunning expression, was momentarily stunned by Hu Ma's roar. It showed deep fear and tried to escape, but it was too late.
Panicking, the wild dog leader turned around and faced Hu Ma, raising its hindquarters and digging its front claws into the ground, letting out a fierce howl.
... But it was to no avail.
Just as it opened its mouth to howl, it filled its mouth with mud.
Hu Ma didn't dare to be careless. He treated the wild dog leader with the same caution as he would a human expert. Not knowing what might happen if the dog howled, he kicked up a cloud of mud and sand as he charged forward.
He then took a step forward and used the "Kai Shan" technique, bringing down the saw-toothed knife with great force.
Puff!
The wild dog was just shaking its head, trying to spit out the sand in its mouth, when a dull thud sounded. Its head burst open.
As it stumbled, Hu Ma dodged the spray of blood and followed up with another strike from the side, cleanly severing the dog's head.
This wild dog leader, a leader with many followers, was now headless, its eyes still showing a hint of reluctance and its mouth still full of sand.
Hu Ma pulled back his knife, flicking the blood off, and was about to look around when he suddenly realized that the matter wasn't over yet. His expression turned serious.
The dog's head had already fallen to the ground, but the wild dog leader's body didn't collapse. Instead, it was moving backward, and the human-faced sore on its back suddenly opened its eyes.
A mouth-like opening on the sore opened wide, emitting a wailing cry.
"So sinister?"
Hu Ma immediately swung his saw-toothed knife horizontally, aiming to chop off the human-faced sore.
"Stop, let me handle it!"
At that moment, Zhang Agu's voice rang in his ears. Hu Ma reacted quickly, changing the direction of his strike and making a feint in the air before planting his knife into the ground to dissipate the force.
Looking up, he saw Zhang Agu approaching with her stick wrapped in red string. She aimed at the human-faced sore on the decapitated dog's body and struck it.
The human-faced sore, which had been emitting a sharp and eerie wail, grew weaker with each strike. After a second strike, the wailing stopped. The mouth-like opening on the sore was sewn shut with red string, gasping a few times before gradually becoming still. The dog's body finally fell to the ground.
"Help me keep an eye out; don't let them bite me."
Zhang Agu sat in front of the wild dog's body, placing her stick beside her and quietly chanting a spell.
Hu Ma, without needing her reminder, looked around. However, his concern was unnecessary. The wild dogs had been so startled by his roar that they had scattered and run off.
Only four or five dogs remained, those that had been struck by Zhang Agu's stick. Their mouths were sewn shut with red string, and they whined, lying on the ground, too afraid to move.
But the red string didn't seem real; it appeared and then disappeared when he rubbed his eyes.
"Start with the green initiation seal, command the deep abyss, the golden halberd leads the way, and the thunder drum resounds."
"Billions of soldiers transform into true spirits, Jing Xiao's division expels disease and pestilence."
"..."
Turning to look at Zhang Agu, Hu Ma saw her chanting the spell over the dog's body, striking the human-faced sore on the dog's back with her stick. With each strike, the human-faced sore shrank, and after a dozen or so strikes, it had vanished completely.
Zhang Agu finally slowed down, picked up her stick, and stood up, turning to explain to Hu Ma:
"The human-faced sore on its back formed from consuming too many corpses and accumulating too much resentment. If it were cut open, it would cause a plague."
"I had to chant the pest extermination spell to dispel the evil energy."
"..."
"I understand."
Hu Ma looked at the remaining wild dogs and asked, "What about the rest of them?"
"You don't need to worry about them."
Zhang Agu glanced at the few wild dogs she had struck with her stick and said, "If we only kill the leader, another will eventually rise among the remaining dogs."
"They will continue to dig up graves and eat corpses, beg for corpses along the way, and cultivate evil energy, summoning evil spirits to harm people. But now that I've struck them with my stick, they are under my curse and won't eat humans anymore."
"And they are the stronger ones. If other wild dogs try to challenge them for leadership, they won't succeed."
With the bacon given to the wild dogs, the pack seemed to have lost their ferocity. They huddled together, almost as if they had developed a strange and solemn order.
"Huh, so that’s how it works."
Hu Ma felt his eyes opened wide, marveling at Aunt Zhang’s skills. He watched as she used the red string-wrapped stick to strike the dogs’ heads, preventing them from eating the dead.
On the other hand, he also noticed the eerie and strict order among the wild dogs. Looking around, he saw that the situation had calmed down, but the piece of cured pork on the ground was now stained with dog blood.
"Ordinary dog blood would be fine, but this is the blood of dogs that have been eating the dead. It’s not something we can take back and eat."
"Let’s give it to them!"
Aunt Zhang glanced at the few wild dogs lying on the ground and said, "In times of heavenly disaster and human misfortune, neither humans nor dogs can survive easily."
"They won’t be able to eat the dead anymore, and if they fight with other dogs, they won’t have an easy life either."
"..."
"Understood."
Even Aunt Zhang, who was known for her kindness, was willing to give up the cured pork. As a respected innkeeper of the Blood Food Gang, Hu Ma couldn’t be more generous.
Hu Ma nodded and followed Aunt Zhang out. Curiosity still lingered in his mind, and after a few steps, he asked, "Aunt Zhang, you’ve always been kind to people and even to demons and spirits. But why did you seem to have a sudden urge to kill after seeing the wild dog leader?"
Aunt Zhang walked silently for a moment before softly replying, "Because it’s beyond redemption."
"If it had just gained some Daoist power, it would be considered a spirit, but since it has eaten too many corpses, it has become a demon."
"In the eyes of Ghost Walkers, some things can be cured, while others cannot."
"Those that can be reasoned with should be treated with mercy, but those that cannot be reasoned with must be dealt with swiftly. This wild dog, having eaten so many corpses and turned into a demon, will eventually start eating the living."
"If it encounters us, it won’t be able to eat any of us, but if it encounters others, they won’t stand a chance."
"Of course, I could tell it has already eaten the living. If it had only eaten corpses, the resentment in those sores on its face wouldn’t be so intense..."
"..."
"So, you mean to say, anything that eats people must be eliminated?"
Hu Ma thought for a moment and laughed, "What about that evil spirit in the forest? It was clearly eating people too, right?"
Aunt Zhang turned to look at him and whispered, "No wonder Old Man Zhao says you like to test people..."
"That evil spirit in the forest did eat people, but I can’t match its power..."
"Anyway, as long as it continues to eat people and cause trouble, sooner or later, a powerful Ghost Walker will deal with it."
"..."
"I’m not testing you, I’m just curious..."
Hu Ma thought to himself and began to understand Aunt Zhang’s perspective.
Ghost Walkers are a special group of people, a whole sect dedicated to their craft.
Aunt Zhang’s thinking is quite simple: as long as all Ghost Walkers share this mindset, there will always be someone powerful enough to deal with the evil spirits.
Even if there isn’t someone powerful enough, they can team up with others in the same line of work to handle it.
However...
Hu Ma couldn’t help but sigh. This idea is good, but in the current turbulent times, when would anyone have the time or resources to deal with such issues? Everyone is just trying to survive!
When they returned to the coffin, they found the cart driver and the apprentices looking anxious. A circle of flames around the cart had not yet completely died out.
After Hu Ma and Aunt Zhang left with the cured pork, the cart driver and the apprentices, along with Zhou Manager, noticed the shadows of wild dogs darting around the road, making threatening growls.
The wild dog leader, unable to resist, wanted to attack Hu Ma and Aunt Zhang and also try to take the coffin.
But despite not being in the best shape for such tasks anymore, Zhou Manager still had keen eyes. He immediately picked up a stick, circled the donkey cart, and drew a large circle. He then clapped his hands and said to the cart driver and the apprentices:
"Don’t worry, these wild dogs won’t get in."
"..."
The cart driver and the apprentices looked at Zhou Manager with surprise and a mix of disbelief and admiration.
On their journey, they had clearly seen that Aunt Zhang had real skills, and Little Master Hu Ma was steady and reliable, carrying a knife.
Only this old, limping Zhou Manager seemed to be just a spectator.
Now, he picks up a stick, draws a circle around the cart, and says the wild dogs won’t get in...
...Is he some kind of deity?
But unexpectedly, after Hu Ma and Aunt Zhang left, the wild dogs, having received some signal, suddenly darted out from all sides, growling and ready to charge.
Before the wild dogs could actually attack, Zhou Manager muttered something and pointed forward. Suddenly, flames sprang up in front of the wild dogs, encircling the donkey cart and burning fiercely, forming a ring of fire.
The wild dogs were terrified and dared not come any closer.
Then, a sound like a croak or a thunderous roar echoed from a distance, and all the wild dogs fled in panic.
The cart driver and the apprentices were thoroughly shocked.
Just by drawing a circle, he could make it catch fire. Could this old manager really be some kind of deity?
The respect for him suddenly became greater than even when Hu Ma and Aunt Zhang returned. Zhou Manager, feeling a bit elated, finally felt like he was back in his old days as a Ghost Walker.
(End of Chapter)
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