Chapter 26: The Meng Family's Malevolent Spirits
Chapter 26: The Meng Family’s Malevolent Spirits
Hu Ma immediately perked up, listening intently as Second Master spoke in a serious tone.
Second Master whispered, "This dilapidated village may seem insignificant to people, but it’s not a place that any malevolent spirit dares to enter. Even Little Red Tang, who usually brings you meals, never dares to come inside. Do you know why?"
"The fire here is too strong. Malevolent spirits can’t even get close without feeling the heat."
"I chose to live outside the village, teaching my apprentices here, precisely because our fire is too intense, and we don’t want to offend the ancestors..."
Hu Ma was slightly startled. "So, this means the malevolent spirit is very powerful?"
Little Red Tang indeed rarely ventured into the village, only sneaking in when Second Master wasn’t around. But she could still force herself to enter if she had to.
Could the white-faced mountain spirit be the same?
"It’s not that simple," Second Master waved his hand. "When we talk about malevolent spirits, it’s a general term. There are several types: wandering spirits, malevolent spirits, evil entities, and fierce demons..."
"The spirits that usually cause trouble in our village are wandering spirits—little ghosts who died unjustly. They act on instinct and run away as soon as they see our village."
"But the white-faced mountain spirit is a true malevolent spirit, and a powerful one at that."
"Even so, with the current strength of your fire, it should be afraid of you. At the very least, it wouldn’t want to provoke you."
"But here’s the problem: this spirit has developed intelligence and knows how to seek good and avoid evil. It knows your fire is strong and that I’m in the village. So why would it deliberately send someone to harm you?"
Hu Ma had a hunch and felt a chill. "Second Master, you mean to say..."
"Exactly."
Second Master nodded and lowered his voice. "This goes against its nature. I suspect something is driving it."
"Tomorrow, you need to tell Grandma about this. I’m worried it’s related to the family that harmed you."
"The family that harmed me?"
Hu Ma felt a shiver of dread, remembering the tragic fate of his predecessor.
Despite having such a powerful grandmother, he was still killed, giving Hu Ma the chance to be reborn.
He lifted his head and whispered, "Second Master, do you know who that family is? How did I end up like this?"
Second Master shook his head, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening. "I asked Grandma, but she never told me..."
"All I know is that this is likely a grudge your Hu family made outside. Considering how long your family has been in Big Sheep Village, this must have happened at least twenty years ago. But that family was ruthless, leaving only the old and young alive, and even then, they didn’t stop."
"They were determined to wipe out your Hu family..."
Second Master’s voice carried a hint of anger.
He paused, then softened his tone. "As for your case, it happened about a month and a half ago. That night, there was a strange wind all night, and you went missing."
"Grandma was out performing rituals for the villagers, so she wasn’t in the village. The villagers didn’t dare go out at night, so they only started searching the next day. I heard the news the next day and joined the search."
"We searched the forest for two days but found no trace of you. We were in a hurry to pray to the ancestors, but they didn’t respond, as if they were powerless."
"Later, no one knows what happened, but Grandma seemed to use some kind of magic to find you. On the third day, she carried you back herself..."
Second Master’s eyes took on a strange look as he spoke.
Hu Ma asked cautiously, "What’s wrong?"
Second Master shook his head. "Nothing."
He vaguely remembered how everyone in the village thought Hu Ma was beyond saving. Those who found him were adamant that he was already dead, his appearance terrifying. Grandma insisted he was still alive and brought him back to the village.
No one could have imagined that Hu Ma would actually come back to life. It was only because of Grandma’s immense power.
Thinking about it, Second Master felt a chill, but the story was too horrifying to tell Hu Ma now.
He continued, "At first, everyone thought you were bewitched by a forest spirit. Grandma didn’t tell anyone much, but she confided in me that ordinary spirits couldn’t enter the village and kidnap someone, especially without the old fire pit responding. She suspected it was an old enemy of the Hu family."
"She brought you back to the village first, then left again that night. The whole village was restless, and we heard eerie wails and howls from the forest, with the wind howling all night long."
"None of the animals in the village dared to make a sound that night."
"No one dared to light a lamp because the flames were green and looked terrifyingly eerie."
”
“But finally, Grandma came back. She looked very tired and lay in bed for a whole day.”
Second Uncle paused, tapping his pipe, and then slowly continued, “After a few days, Grandma managed to save you. Everyone thought everything was fine.”
“However, a few days ago, Grandma came to me privately and told me that the thing that harmed you was only injured. It’s still out there, and once it realizes you’re back, it will come after you again.”
“To be honest, Grandma sent you here not just to learn from me but also to have me protect you. Only with my protection can she focus on finding and dealing with that thing in the forest.”
“That’s what I’m worried about. The White-Faced Mountain Spirit is after you, and it might have something to do with it.”
“...”
Hu Ma listened to Second Uncle’s words, speechless.
He suddenly turned his head and looked out the window, seeing only a thin crescent moon slowly disappearing behind the dark clouds.
The darkness around was oppressive, heavy and suffocating.
In this vast, seemingly endless forest, there was a ghost watching, waiting to take his life...
Little Hongtang said that Grandma was searching for something in the forest—was she looking for that thing?
But logically, Grandma should have the upper hand. If that were true, how could the thing still manage to send the White-Faced Mountain Spirit to harm him?
Unless...
Hu Ma’s heart skipped a beat: Could it be that Grandma isn’t winning?
The thought sent a chill down his spine. He didn’t dare to think further.
Grandma’s skills were real, and he knew it well. But she was old, already in her seventies or eighties, her back bent with age.
She had just gone through so much to bring him back to life.
To ward off evil spirits for him, she stayed up all night chanting and brought him so many rare Blood Toadstools to sustain his life...
Hu Ma felt a pang of sorrow. What kind of resolve must a grandmother have to do so much?
Even with her great skills, how much longer could she keep this up?
Hu Ma’s expression was composed, but Second Uncle noticed the subtle changes in his demeanor. The straightforward man could sense Hu Ma’s emotional turmoil and felt a bit of relief:
“Back in the village, everyone used to say that little Hu Ma was ungrateful. He grew up relying on Grandma’s care and never showed any gratitude. It was hard to feel sorry for him.”
“But people grow up...”
“Elders don’t fear their children’s naivety; they just hope for the day when their children understand. When that day comes, they can finally rest easy.”
“...”
“...”
“Second Uncle, I want to go into the forest to help Grandma.”
After a long moment of contemplation, Hu Ma looked up and said seriously.
“Saying that means Grandma didn’t raise you in vain.”
Second Uncle replied earnestly, “Your skills are indeed advanced, but don’t rush into a decision.”
“Grandma’s skills are greater than ours. Ask her opinion first.”
“...”
Hu Ma agreed and returned to the side room to pack, but his mind was troubled, and he couldn’t sleep all night.
The other children, shaken by the White-Faced Mountain Spirit incident, were also on edge, staying quiet.
The next day, Second Uncle didn’t let the children go into the mountains, fearing they might run into something. Instead, they practiced martial arts within the compound.
Hu Ma was also preoccupied, waiting for Little Hongtang to come. To his surprise, she didn’t show up until well past noon. He couldn’t wait any longer and went outside the compound, where he suddenly saw a flash of red.
“Big Brother Hu Ma, why did you come out so late?”
Not far away, Little Hongtang pouted, holding a basket. “I’ve been calling you for a while...”
“Huh?”
Hu Ma was surprised and wondered why he hadn’t heard her. Looking around, he noticed a faint circle of ash around the compound, and it all made sense.
After the White-Faced Mountain Spirit incident, Second Uncle had spread ancestral ashes around the compound to keep evil spirits at bay. It had also blocked Little Hongtang.
He quickly walked over, took the basket, and said, “Go back early today and tell Grandma something for me...”
He wanted her to leave quickly after eating, but when he opened the basket, he found it empty.
“No food...”
Little Hongtang said blankly, “The food in the basket was all eaten by you yesterday!”
Hu Ma was taken aback. “What about today’s?”
“I don’t know...”
Little Hongtang looked pitiful. “I can’t find Grandma...”
(End of Chapter)
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