https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-260-The-Little-Ghost-Rides-the-Head/12917079/
Chapter 261: The Oil Lamp Goes Out
Chapter 261: The Oil Lamp Goes Out
"How could this be?"
On the hillside, Zhang Agu had no idea what was happening in the woods, but she could sense the shrill cries that had just emerged from within, which were utterly chilling.
Standing on the slope, she could even faintly smell the bloody aura emanating from the woods, and just imagining it, she could picture how dangerous and bloody the fight inside the woods must be.
"The young master is still the junior manager of the Blood Feast Guild..."
Zhang Agu needed a moment to realize that although Hu Ma's constitution was unsuitable when he learned her ghost-walking skills, his understanding and reflexes were exceptionally quick, causing her to mistakenly believe he was one of her own.
But even if he resembled a ghost-walker, he was still a Shou Sui, and it would be reasonable for him to enter the woods with a knife.
However, while the Shou Sui's close-combat skills were indeed formidable, the people from the woods were also not ordinary. Zhang Agu could sense their prowess, and each one had real skills, enough to walk boldly in the underworld.
The young master, being inexperienced, might not have the skills to fight against those demons.
This worry persisted until the oil lamp on the altar suddenly brightened, and the woods fell into complete silence, making her suddenly realize the situation.
She abruptly raised her head and looked towards the woods, only to see that there was no movement at all. In the air, the red lantern had already eliminated all the evil spirits and slowly descended, leaving her wondering about the identity of the goddess the young master had summoned. She was truly terrifying.
Using only half an incense stick's worth of time, and only partially coming to the altar, she had eliminated all the powerful evil spirits summoned by the other party. Most importantly, after finishing, she left without making any demands...
But...
Zhang Agu's heart suddenly tightened, "Why hasn't the young master returned yet?"
The evil aura from the two-headed snake on the altar had been absorbed by her, but the snake was still there...
If he, severely injured, encountered it again and was bitten...
"Zhou Manager, Zhou Manager..."
She hurriedly called out behind her, wanting to ask Zhou Manager to go and check. If the young master was injured, she wanted him brought to the altar immediately.
However, after calling out several times, there was no response, and she didn't know what had happened to Zhou Manager.
As she was worrying, she suddenly witnessed a terrifying scene. The oil lamp in front of her had just reached its brightest point, which was almost unreasonable. But just as it shone brightly for a moment, it gradually dimmed, eventually...
...going out!
Zhang Agu stared at the extinguished oil lamp, her expression changing dramatically, finding it hard to believe her eyes.
How could the oil lamp suddenly go out for someone who had initiated a ritual?
Unless he had already...
At this moment, she was shocked, almost unable to imagine such a terrifying event.
But when she looked towards the woods, there was no movement at all. Not only was the young master nowhere to be seen, but even his ghostly assistant had not shown up.
"So, the young master is already dead?"
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded beside Zhang Agu, causing her to turn around abruptly and see Zhou Manager.
He was standing right behind her, looking at the extinguished oil lamp in front of him, and muttering to himself, "This must mean he's dead. Only when someone truly dies and loses their last breath of life will the oil lamp on the altar go out, right?"
"A person can fake death, but a lamp cannot."
"..."
These words hit the mark of Zhang Agu's worries. As a ghost-walker, how could she not understand this principle? In her panic, she wanted to speak, but suddenly felt something was amiss, and silently looked at Zhou Manager.
"It's about time."
Zhou Manager slowly said, "This young master seems to have hidden his skills, making it difficult to gauge his abilities. We can only be more careful."
"But even if he hides his skills, he's still young, and his abilities, learned from birth, are limited. When facing people like Old Lady Cui, who practice crooked ways that even those in the government offices dare not approach, if he wants to fight them, he will inevitably have to use that copper coin."
"Once he uses that copper coin, those demons won't stand a chance against him in close combat."
"But his life will be at stake."
"..."
"You..."
Zhang Agu's heart raced with concern, and she looked at Zhou Manager in shock. It wasn't until then that she trembled and spoke, "What do you mean, sir?"
"Because that's not a life-saving coin, but a life-taking coin."
Zhou Manager looked towards the dark wilderness ahead and sighed softly, saying, "Once used, it will burn one's lifespan, and their Dao virtue will suddenly rise, but immediately after, their skills will be depleted."
"The sudden brightness of the oil lamp on the altar just now must be because of this."
"In the past, the Li Clan of the Cavern wanted to capture souls, so they would send such a coin ahead of time, representing that the person's lifespan was about to end, and a soul-taking ghost would soon come to take them away."
"In Ling Shou Prefecture, there's still a tradition where elders who receive this coin will start making their coffin, inform their family, and then hold the coin in their mouth, lying in bed, waiting to die."
"..."
As he spoke, he lightly sighed and looked at Zhang Agu, who was staring at him, "The method isn't particularly clever, but it's an unavoidable matter."
"Let's stop here... It's not good for everyone to go any further."
"..."
He spoke slowly, raising his palm, and between his fingers, he held three slender and sharp silver needles.
At such close range, as a ghost walker, there was no room for resistance.
Zhang Agu was almost in despair, and she struggled to lift her head to look. Under the starry sky, she couldn't see Zhou Manager's face clearly at all.
"What... What do you want?"
Cornered at such close proximity, Zhang Agu had no choice but to submit. Her voice trembled, filled with confusion, "Manager, you've traveled so far to bring your family back... How can you..."
"Instead of being grateful, you want to harm me?"
"..."
Hearing Zhang Agu's bewildered words, the old manager heaved a soft sigh. "Agu is a good person, and the young manager is also a good person. But it's your fault for meddling in the affairs of the Li family in the cavern."
"I'm not unaware of the weight of favors, and I remember the kindness you both have shown. But letting the young miss be taken by kidnappers is something everyone would be happy to see..."
"Her departure is beneficial for the Li family and the entire Ghost Cavern community."
"But..."
He paused, letting out a soft sigh, "The young miss is truly blessed with good fortune. She actually encountered a good person."
"Not only did you not take advantage of the young miss, you didn't take her life. Instead, you nurtured her and even sent a message for her to return home..."
"..."
"Hehe..."
His face was unreadable, but she could sense a bitter smile on it. "Do you know how I felt when I heard about this?"
"By letting the young miss be taken by those kidnappers, I've already taken a huge risk. I don't know when the master will come looking for me, or if there will be any karmic retribution..."
"But I never expected that, just a few months after I escaped, the third young master would find me first..."
"Because I failed in my task, he broke my leg. He told me that the young miss is in Mingzhou, and she has remembered her home. She even sent a message back, waiting for someone to come and get her..."
"What could I do?"
"..."
His voice grew increasingly somber, "There was nothing else I could do. I had to go and bring the young miss back."
"Not only did I have to bring her back, but I also had to eliminate that meddlesome person, and one by one, eradicate Cui Ganniang and the others who were involved in this matter, before I could report back to the third young master."
"Once the young miss returns to the Li family in the cavern, I don't know if it will be possible to cover it up..."
"It's up to fate..."
"..."
As he sighed softly, the silver needles in his hand slowly descended.
Zhang Agu didn't know what to say. She sighed softly, seemingly unafraid of death, but feeling sorry for the young manager.
"Then I'm sure you won't be able to cover it up."
But just at that moment, a voice suddenly echoed from below the slope.
The old manager was startled by the sound, and he quickly looked up. Unexpectedly, behind him, there was a loud rustling sound, and something was thrown at him.
He was shocked and, without thinking, quickly turned around, wielding the silver needle. But his hand slipped, and he hurriedly reached forward, grabbing a snake head. It almost bit him, and he was already covered in cold sweat.
But just as he grabbed the snake head, he suddenly felt the snake's tail flip up and bite his neck.
This sudden scare made him cry out in pain, and he frantically tore it off and threw it away.
On the ground, a wriggling object turned out to be a two-headed snake.
He touched his neck and brought his fingertips close to his eyes, only to see that they were stained with black blood.
"How is this possible?"
His heart was filled with surprise, but he was even more flustered by the voice he had just heard. He quickly turned around but only saw Hu Ma walking up the slope.
Hu Ma was enveloped in the cold night, covered in blood, looking like a dead man. There was no sign of life, but as he slowly climbed the slope, his body gradually came back to life. He raised his head towards the manager and smiled brightly.
Behind the manager, a small ghost emerged from the night. The ghost had two small braids, and in his hand, he held a torn cloth bag, seemingly used to catch the snake.
"You..."
He stared at Hu Ma in disbelief, feeling like his worldview was shattered.
"You didn't disappoint. Those few demons have been taken care of."
Hu Ma walked up the slope, first giving Little Red Tang an appreciative glance. She had just gone to catch the two-headed snake, and she had once again proven her bravery.
He was afraid of snakes, so he could only pick up a dead snake as a decoy. Fortunately, Little Red Tang was brave and pressed down on the snake, fighting for three hundred rounds before putting it in the cloth bag.
Facing Zhang Agu, who had her eyes wide open in shock, and Zhou Manager, who looked terrified, Hu Ma was in high spirits. He held something in his palm, and it turned out to be the "Life-Saving Coin" that Zhou Manager had given him earlier.
He spoke softly, "But I didn't use this, so I saved it for you."
(End of Chapter)
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