Chapter 244: Hell Has No Gate, But They Broke In
Chapter 244: Hell Has No Gate, But They Broke In
"Opponent..."
Zhou Manager followed the group silently, riding in the donkey cart. After hearing Hu Ma's words, he was clearly nervous and slowly spoke up, "They’re not just blocking the bridge or doing it for the offerings. I think they’re more interested in the people."
Hu Ma nodded slowly, "That’s right."
If they were only after the offerings, they would have taken the money and let them pass. If they were trying to harm someone, they wouldn’t have let them go at the end. The only reason left is that they wanted to see who was in the coffin.
Of course, it wasn't necessarily just about this group. They had set up the bridge to find any suspicious individuals, giving them an excuse to take a closer look.
Hu Ma thought about it and realized that the story about the bride falling into the river might have been a ruse to force the people in the sedan chair to reveal themselves.
Who were they looking for? Or were they worried that someone had quietly crossed the bridge?
While he was thinking, the donkey cart continued moving, and Zhou Manager, tense, climbed into the cart. He opened the coffin, wiped the incense girl's face clean with a clean towel, and then took out a bag of foul-smelling stuff, throwing it aside.
Zhou Manager was a skilled performer, familiar with various tricks, including makeup and sleight of hand.
Hu Ma had seen Zhou Manager apply makeup to the incense girl before crossing the river. He had a feeling something was off and asked Zhou Manager to buy some offerings. Zhou Manager then used his skills to make the incense girl, who appeared to be asleep, look as if she were dead. He also picked up some rotten fish and shrimp from the river vendors, making sure the smell was strong enough.
Thanks to his skills, they managed to pass the bridge smoothly.
"Regardless, we finally made it across the bridge. Let's hurry on the road!"
Hu Ma looked at the incense girl's sleeping coffin and whispered, "We've encountered many troubles on this journey. The closer we get to Anzhou, the more uneasy I feel."
"Aunt Zhang, what kind of technique did those people use at the bridge?"
"..."
Aunt Zhang had been listening all along but didn't quite understand the conversation between Hu Ma and Zhou Manager. She thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be a technique from the Harm Chief Sect, specifically a method to induce nightmares or discomfort. These techniques are often used by unscrupulous carpenters, masons, and well-diggers."
"They tied old shoes to the bridge, making it hard for people to cross. They buried paper figures under the bed, causing nightmares. They also made the ceiling beam slightly off, making life in the house uncomfortable."
"These techniques, though not evil spirits, are as troublesome as evil spirits. We should have thought of a way to cross the river earlier."
"..."
"Don't worry about it, Aunt Zhang."
Hu Ma thought about the name of the Harm Chief and laughed, "They made so many preparations on the bridge. If we had tried to cross the river, it would have been even more troublesome."
"We don't need to think too much about it now. We'll understand more as we go."
"..."
Everyone felt a sense of unease and immediately quickened their pace, hurrying along the road.
Meanwhile, not long after they left, the people who had held knives on the bridge began to feel uneasy and suddenly realized something was off.
One of them, who was clever, thought for a while and suddenly said, "That group of people carrying the coffin was suspicious...”
"If the person in the coffin was rotting that badly, why did the coffin look so new?"
The others began to realize the same thing: "That old man was crying and saying the person in the coffin was his 70-year-old wife."
"But look at the clothes the person in the coffin was wearing, they looked like a young girl's clothes..."
"..."
Hearing them, the leader, who was about to take a drink, froze, thought for a moment, and then his face changed. He slammed down the bowl and stood up, saying, "Damn it, we've been tricked!"
"It's probably the person the boss is looking for. The boss said she's looking for a young girl, and she's definitely unconscious, maybe it's the person in the coffin."
He quickly grabbed his knife and stick and shouted, "Let's go, we have to catch up to them!"
At the same time, Hu Ma and the others, who had crossed the river, were hurrying along the road, heading towards Dongchang Prefecture.
The shop was empty, but there was still a lantern on the counter with some remaining oil.
They lit the lantern, and upon looking around, they unexpectedly found some dusty firewood below the stove.
"Everything here can be used."
Zhang A'guo said, "Just remember to replace what you use when you leave tomorrow, and we can leave some rice and food for other travelers who may come after us."
"..."
"Yes, yes."
Everyone agreed and started preparing to cook, but Hu Ma had a worried expression and suddenly said, "Wait, A'guo, I think you should all go a bit further ahead and find a safe place to wait for us."
Zhang A'guo was taken aback, but quickly realized what Hu Ma meant. "You mean those violent people on the bridge might catch up to us?"
Hu Ma nodded. "We were too hasty earlier, and even if we fooled them for the time being, we may have left some clues behind."
"And even if they do catch up, we can ask them some questions."
"..."
Zhang A'guo was worried. "There are many of them, can you handle it? As the master, I should leave some men to help."
"We invited you to help with the spirit escort."
Hu Ma smiled. "It seems like this is a human problem, so you don't need to worry about it."
Zhang A'guo looked at Hu Ma and saw that he was serious, so she nodded and led the coachman and servant to leave first and wait ahead.
Hu Ma and Zhou Guan'jia stayed behind and went outside to guard.
The night was deep, and the surroundings were quiet, with only the faint light of the lanterns on the fence.
After a while, they heard footsteps coming from afar, and saw a group of 7-8 people with knives and sticks, sneaking towards the shop.
It was the same group of violent people they met on the bridge, including the boatman. They saw the lanterns outside the shop and became more cautious.
"Big Brother Ma, it's the white lantern, I knew they would be staying here."
Someone said with a smile, and the others hid nearby, whispering among themselves.
Hu Ma was hiding in the tree above them, using his skills to remain undetected, and listened to their conversation.
Zhou Guan'jia was hiding somewhere else, and Hu Ma couldn't see him.
"Everyone be careful, it's probably the people Old Lady Cui is looking for."
Big Brother Ma said, "If we catch them, we'll get the silver."
Someone asked, "When is Old Lady Cui coming?"
Big Brother Ma replied, "She's waiting at the ferry mouth 70 miles away, and we'll call her once we confirm it's them."
"What if it's not them, and she comes?"
"..."
Someone asked, "Did the Bridge Lord come with them?"
Big Brother Ma cursed and said, "Bring the lime we dug up, and we'll throw it at them first. Then we'll attack, and no matter who it is, they'll die from the injuries."
"..."
Hu Ma thought to himself, "This is our technique, why are they using it?"
He sighed and saw the group surround the shop, then charged inside.
Hu Ma jumped down from the tree, walked a few steps towards the shop, and listened to the commotion inside.
He raised his hands, and the wind blew, causing the lanterns to sway.
The shop fell silent, and there were sounds of people falling.
Hu Ma charged inside, saw the group of violent people, and his expression turned cold.
He saw their knives and hooks, and the lime they were holding, and knew they were a group of robbers.
He thought to himself, "I was going to ask them some questions, but now I've changed my mind."
"I'll kill a few of them first!"
[Thank you to Lin Mingde, Meng Dong Rumeng, and Da Lao for becoming new alliance leaders! Thank you to J Daren for supporting me every day, and I hope to become a golden alliance leader soon.]
(The chapter ends here.)
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