Chapter 263: The Heavenly Nether Scroll
Chapter 263: The Heavenly Nether Scroll
Zhou, the manager, was so preoccupied that he hastily swallowed the snake remedy and croaked to Hu Ma, "Junior Overseer, you're always so curious..."
"You're a good and righteous person, and you went through all the trouble of bringing our young mistress back from afar."
"But you never considered that perhaps, from the moment our young mistress was born with the Heavenly Yin Scroll, her fate was to wander the world."
"..."
Hu Ma seemed to become more serious, slowly furrowing his brows as he said, "The Heavenly Yin Scroll..."
"So that's the real reason Fragrant Girl was kidnapped?"
"..."
"Yes."
The manager, his voice still hoarse from the snake remedy, whispered, "When the Nether Scroll appears, it recreates the Underworld. The moment the Nether Scroll manifested on the young mistress, many of the Li family members saw her as an enemy rather than their precious young lady."
"She's the enemy of the Li family!"
"Enemy?"
Hearing the manager's words, Hu Ma also slightly furrowed his brows, asking, "What do you mean by that?"
The manager's expression was filled with sorrow and injustice. With a heavy sigh, he said, "The Li family has suffered so much..."
"When the old emperor was still useful in court, he ordered these families to guard the Ghost Cavern. The other families could no longer endure it, as the grudges and debts within the cavern had taken their toll. Their incense offerings had long ceased, and the few remaining members were desperately trying to escape."
"Only the Li family continued to guard the cavern."
"Even when the emperor was stripped of his power in court, no one took his earlier decree seriously. But the old master refused to die, insisting that even if only one Li family member remained, they must continue guarding the Ghost Cavern."
"But his loyalty doesn't mean that all Li family members are willing to endure the same suffering."
"Especially for us, who entered their service. It's a good thing for a daughter to marry her master, but who could have imagined that by marrying my daughter to him, I was pushing her into a pit of fire and even dragging myself into the Ghost Cavern?"
"Who would willingly choose such a life, generation after generation, living neither as humans nor ghosts?"
"Who would want to live a lifetime only to end up in the Ghost Cavern, without a proper death?"
"..."
Hu Ma could sense the sorrow in his words and responded with a faint sigh, "You make this Nether Scroll sound more terrifying than any curse."
The manager glanced at Hu Ma and said indifferently, "Junior Overseer, you're still so curious. But since you ask, I'll tell you everything!"
"The Nether Scroll is not meant for the living."
"It's a token used by soul reapers to capture souls, take lives, and lead people to the Netherworld."
"With the Nether Scroll on her, the young mistress is no longer a person of the living. As soon as she reaches maturity, she will have to take over from the old master and enter the Ghost Cavern. In fact, she has an even more legitimate reason to do so, and she will be responsible for all the caverns."
"But if it were only her, it wouldn't matter..."
"..."
The manager sighed softly, "But according to the rules, the Li family is responsible for guarding the Ghost Cavern. Those who were originally tasked with this duty were promised seven generations. They are almost at the end of their term, but who from a good family would willingly marry their daughter into such a family?"
"But with the Nether Scroll, it's as if she has taken on this duty herself. Not just for seven generations, but for countless lifetimes."
"Who would willingly accept such a fate?"
A bitter smile appeared on his face, "What kind of era is this?"
"A chaotic and cruel era, but also one where capable individuals can rise to power."
"With skills, one can rule over a territory and live as a carefree local tyrant. With a few tricks, one can command respect on the path, even controlling evil spirits to form a Blood Feast Guild, building temples, and burning incense in broad daylight, claiming to be some sort of deity."
"The Li family members have skills, and after generations of guarding the Ghost Cavern, they have earned merit. Why should they suffer while others live in freedom and joy?"
"..."
"Your words seem disrespectful towards our mistress..."
Hu Ma's thoughts turned inward, and he slowly said, "So the Li family couldn't tolerate this young mistress with the Nether Scroll..."
"But why not just kill her?"
"..."
"If only it were that simple..."
The manager gave a bitter laugh, "But the Nether Scroll carries great consequences, consequences that can affect future generations. No one can bear such a heavy responsibility."
"That's why no one dares to kill the young mistress, and we don't even dare to harm her directly or do anything to desecrate the Nether Scroll."
"We discussed it for a long time and came up with only one solution."
"The young mistress is almost grown up. According to custom, before entering the Ghost Cavern, she needs to go out, relax, and have some fun. Hehe, that's the fate of the Ghost Cavern Li family, even worse than being imprisoned."
"And this is our only chance to get rid of the Nether Scroll."
"I didn't do anything. I just looked away when the young mistress was being kidnapped. But I didn't harm her."
"Old Lady Cui was also being manipulated, and at first, she didn't know that the young mistress was from the Ghost Cavern Li family. She was just following the rules of her trade, selling the young mistress from a distance so she wouldn't remember anything."
"If the young mistress dies or loses her purity outside, it's the consequence of those in the outside world, not ours.
"..."
It's like throwing a piece of plague-infested gold or cloth outside, whoever picks it up will be cursed.
But...
Hu Ma couldn't help but furrow his brows, curious. "They say that ghosts and gods cannot be deceived. Can you really escape the consequences by doing this?"
"What else can we do? Wait for her to grow up and officially hold the Nether Scroll to enter the Ghost Cavern, letting the entire Li Clan suffer generation after generation?"
The manager glanced coldly at Hu Ma, "Moreover, we have already succeeded. The young miss has been kidnapped, and the Li family has breathed a sigh of relief. Even the master of the cavern hasn't made an appearance."
"But who could have thought that in this world, there would be such a kind person like the Junior Overseer?"
Zhou, the manager, gave a bitter smile. "Not only did you save the young miss, but you treated her with respect and protected her. You even kindly offered to deliver a message for her, intending to bring her back..."
"Everything seems like a coincidence, as if it were arranged by fate. In this era, for a kidnapped person to return unharmed, who would believe such a story?"
"Perhaps the young miss truly has the protection of ghosts and gods beyond the veil..."
"..."
What does it mean to have the protection of ghosts and gods beyond the veil?
Hu Ma was at a loss for words, unsure how to respond to the old manager or the person behind him.
He had saved the Fragrant Girl on a whim. If she had been just a little further from his boat, perhaps he wouldn't have reached out to her in the water.
She would have drowned...
Or, if Yang Gong hadn't had the sudden idea to go after that batch of blood feast, he wouldn't have ventured dozens of li to Niujiawan. As for sending the Fragrant Girl back, at that time, he was focused on cultivation and didn't want any distractions. He believed that this was the right thing to do, without any other considerations.
But who would have thought that these coincidences, when put together, would make the Li Clan believe in some kind of karmic retribution...
...After all, in this era, could there really be some unseen force watching over everything?
Damn!
The sudden thought of this possibility made his heart skip a beat. Instinctively, he looked around, but didn't see anything unusual.
It's best not to dwell on such thoughts; they can be unsettling. Hu Ma composed himself and asked Zhou, the manager, "So, when you asked me to escort you in Mingzhou, you were already planning to silence me?"
"Why go to all this trouble? Just show the token to prove you're from the Li family, bring the young miss back, and there's no need for any dirty tricks along the way."
"..."
"How would you pull off such a trick?"
Zhou sighed softly. "Kidnap the young miss again?"
"Hmph, if the young miss truly has the protection of ghosts and gods beyond the veil, then even if she's kidnapped again, she might still return safely to the Li family..."
"It's better to be more thorough..."
As he spoke, he glanced at Hu Ma. Having consumed the snake venom remedy, he was slowly waiting for the poison to wear off and regain his strength. But he wasn't in a hurry, speaking calmly, "Since the young miss wants to go home, let's bring her back..."
"But the Junior Overseer, who knows no bounds, took the young miss's body and defiled the Nether Scroll. What can we do about that?"
"There are plenty of vagrants in this city; let them have her, of course. But after it's done, they'll have to accompany the young miss to her grave!"
"The Kidnappers' Guild was eliminated by your own hands, and you died at the hands of the Kidnappers' Guild. Perhaps the Li Clan won't hate you, and they might even begrudgingly accept you as their son-in-law..."
"Sigh, there might be some trouble, but I've done my best."
"Ever since you sent the message to the Li family, things have gotten complicated. All we can do now is try to cover it up as best as we can..."
"..."
His voice grew softer, and a sinister light began to flicker in his eyes. The silver needle in his hand glinted.
Sensing the murderous intent emanating from him, Hu Ma thought about what else he wanted to ask. In the end, he could only sigh. Carrying the sword casually, without any further preparation, he looked at the old manager and said, "Are you about to show your skills?"
Zhou stared at him and smiled faintly. "I've been chatting with you because I'm waiting for the antidote to take effect..."
"Junior Overseer, what are you waiting for?"
"..."
"You've got plenty of tricks up your sleeve from the Puppetry Guild, and I'd like to see them for myself. However..."
As Hu Ma listened, he smiled at Zhou. After a pause, he reached into his pocket and slowly pulled out a white porcelain bottle. "Your Puppetry Guild sure is quick, but I think I made a mistake earlier."
"This bottle is from the snake charmer."
"What you just ate was taken from Old Lady Cui..."
"..."
"You..."
Zhou's eyes widened, his face darkening.
Hu Ma, gripping the sword, cautiously approached him and smiled. "So, I'm also waiting for the poison to take effect..."
The last time, the symptoms hadn't fully subsided, and now the severe coughing and blood in the sputum have returned, making it difficult to sleep. Sigh, let's get this over with.
(End of Chapter)
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