Chapter 322: The Mortal Prays for Blessings, the Wraith Wields Malice
Chapter 322: The Mortal Prays for Blessings, the Wraith Wields Malice
"Yes, yes..."
Facing Hu Ma's smiling face, the thin and frail woman, who rarely encountered outsiders, instinctively shied away, her words stumbling as she spoke, "You're most welcome, sir. I don't know what happened, but my man can't seem to work anymore..."
"I've been taking care of him with the child, and my body has been feeling a bit strange these past few days..."
"..."
"No problem, I'll take a look at him."
Hu Ma smiled and politely bowed to the woman, maintaining proper etiquette towards the family.
But the rural folks had never witnessed such a grand display, and they became even more flustered. She vaguely remembered that she should return the greeting, but she was too shy to do so. She couldn't even speak properly and hurriedly helped Hu Ma open the door, inviting him inside.
By now, night had fallen, and the house was dark without any oil lamps, pitch-black inside.
But Hu Ma didn't mind. He took out a fire stick from his pocket, lit it, and stepped into the house. Immediately, he smelled a nauseating scent of incense mixed with a damp, salty odor.
Without showing any reaction, he first glanced at the table, where an oil lamp was placed. He lit it with the fire stick and then held the lamp, scanning the room. The warm light gradually filled the house.
The woman, still holding the child, remained outside, not daring to enter.
Hu Ma decided to take a look himself. The house didn't have an inner hall or side rooms. In the west, there was a mud bed with some tattered clothing and a blanket whose original color was indistinguishable. Under the blanket, a person was covered.
With the help of the oil lamp's glow, he could see that the man was tall and lean, lying against the wall. The blanket couldn't cover his entire body, and his two legs, exposed outside, were as thin as firewood, dark and withered.
The man's head, leaning against the wall, was illuminated by the lamp, revealing messy hair. He raised his hand to shield the lamp's light and showed a slight reaction, struggling to prop himself up, "Sir, where did you come from?"
"Are you looking for someone to work? I've got plenty of strength; I can do the work of four men..."
"..."
Despite his words, he couldn't even crawl.
Hu Ma didn't respond to his words. He held the oil lamp and approached the man, staring intently at his face. Then, he smiled at the man and grabbed his blanket, pulling it off in one swift motion. He fixed his gaze on the man.
The man was startled, and a few muffled groans escaped his mouth. His body seemed to shrink in embarrassment.
Even the woman outside, upon hearing the commotion, couldn't help but peek inside, feeling that the Ghost Walker they had invited this time seemed different from the ones they knew.
His actions were a bit rough...
Of course, she only thought this, but she didn't dare ask or stop him.
"Hehe, it's nothing, nothing. Just lie down, and I'll take a look."
After examining the man lying on the bed, Hu Ma covered him again, smiled, and turned around with the oil lamp, shining it towards the woman and child outside. At the same time, he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.
It seemed like his eyes were uncomfortable, and he rubbed them, but the scene he saw had already changed.
He had begun to use the Ghost Walker's method.
Earlier, Hu Ma had learned a few ways to see ghosts from Zhang Agou, but now that he had started refining his Seven Orifices, nourishing them day and night, this Shadow Gaze technique had become simpler. He only needed to rub his eyes, filling them with Yin Energy, to see things that ordinary people couldn't.
With this, he finally understood why this man couldn't work or even crawl.
He didn't see any flesh on the man's body. The man had robust bones and was clearly very strong, but his body was full of holes, revealing large patches of bones.
Layer upon layer of shriveled, thin skin hung loosely on his body, and not a single piece of intact skin could be found. He looked like a torn sack casually draped over him, with bite marks visible in the tears and holes.
Turning his head to look outside in the courtyard, he also saw the woman's appearance clearly. Like the man on the bed, her body was missing chunks of flesh and had holes in various places. Her empty pants revealed two thigh bones devoid of any meat.
Even the child, holding onto his mother's cotton pants with a hand that was nothing but white bones, stared into the room with fearful eyes.
Rather than a child, he looked more like a little ghost, covered in sagging skin and wounds where flesh had peeled away. Compared to him, Little Hong Tang was like a beauty from heaven.
Looking up, he gazed beyond the courtyard wall and realized that the village elder who had brought him here had disappeared.
"So..."
He calmly helped the man on the bed tuck in his blanket and turned towards the mother and child in the courtyard, not knowing if they were human or ghost, and asked, "What happened after he finished eating the meat that day?"
"He... he ate the meat..."
The woman didn't know if it was because Hu Ma had seen her current appearance or if she herself didn't know what she had become. She remained timid and hesitant, murmuring, "He... he went to sleep..."
"He was greedy. He ate all ten pounds of meat. My child and I only drank a few sips of the soup, and we were hungry..."
"The villagers wanted to borrow meat from us, but he ate all our meat. The child was crying for meat..."
"..."
"I understand..."
Hu Ma glanced at the bed, where the mighty man still stared blankly at the ceiling, showing no reaction. Yet, he occasionally moved, as if he wasn't dead.
He was emaciated, with barely any flesh left on his body, but the marks of axe chops and cuts were still visible.
Coincidentally, an axe was lying right in front of the bed.
"Huff..."
He vaguely guessed what had happened, just as he was about to speak, but suddenly heard a commotion of footsteps in the village. This was followed by the sound of numerous wooden doors being hastily pushed open.
A gust of night wind blew by, and in that breeze, he faintly smelled the aroma of meat.
"Oh dear..."
The woman who had just been blankly answering Hu Ma's questions suddenly lit up, hurriedly shouting, "Da Mao, go get a bowl quickly!"
"Someone's cooking meat, we should go and ask for a few pieces..."
"..."
Before she could finish, the child with only bones in one arm and an empty sleeve on the other, dashed into the kitchen, a bowl clenched in his teeth, and ran out, still murmuring,
"Let's go, let's go, Mama, we're late, they'll eat it all..."
"..."
The mother and child rushed out, and behind them, a clatter sounded as the big bull on the bed struggled desperately to slip under the bed, also wanting to follow them.
Hu Ma didn't stop them, but first calmed down Little Hong Tang, who was trembling beside him, having sensed something. Then, he picked her up and used his Ghost Ascension Stair skill.
His feet climbed up the wall, and he reached the rooftop, looking out in all directions.
From this vantage point, he felt a surge of Yin energy hitting his face, nearly freezing his entire body.
This was no ordinary Yin energy, but a dark and ominous force that instinctively made one feel uneasy, causing every hair on one's body to stand on end.
Or, to be more precise, Malevolent Aura.
The previously silent village, with only a few oil lamps lit, had suddenly come to life. Every household had opened their doors, and ghost-like figures emerged from within, holding bowls, basins, and even knives.
They rushed towards a house, which had no lights on, but a faint glow emanated from the kitchen. Two dark figures stood guard by the stove, staring intently at the pot.
The aroma of meat was indeed coming from this house, where they were secretly stewing meat in the middle of the night. The scent had been noticed by their neighbors, who now crowded outside. The man of the house frantically grabbed a hoe and rushed to the door, using all his strength to hold it shut, shouting for his wife to hide.
"Oh my, Zhang's family, give me a piece too, I helped you plow the fields before..."
"Big cousin, you're eating meat, why didn't you call your nephew?"
"Zhang, how could you do this? A couple cooking meat behind closed doors in the middle of the night, and not opening the door for neighbors?"
"..."
The man's strength was no match for the frenzied neighbors. They pushed him aside, and a swarm of people rushed in, some even climbing over the courtyard wall.
They all surged into the kitchen, seeing the woman just scooping up meat and devouring it. The others followed suit, frantically grabbing meat from the pot, bowls, and even her mouth.
Their greed was madness, their eyes glowing green, and the village seemed to have transformed into a ghostly den.
Some reached into bowls to grab meat, while others were pushed from behind, their heads nearly crushed. There were also those who squeezed through the crowd from below, and soon, a bloody piece was sliced off, and they ran while shoving it into their mouths.
A bloody piece was stuffed into their mouths, and they chewed vigorously, swallowing frantically as if afraid someone would take it away.
Hu Ma stood on the rooftop, surveying the village, taking in the scene. He let out a soft sigh, then leaped down from the rooftop.
"Mister Wraith, what do you think?"
Behind him, a voice pleaded, "Is there still hope for this person?"
Hu Ma looked closely and saw that these were the same elders who had led him into the village. Now, upon closer inspection, he realized they were wearing funeral robes and caps, their bodies indistinct, and their pale faces filled with pleading.
They were the most normal-looking people in the village, but Hu Ma could tell they weren't human.
When he had entered the village, the large house at the entrance was actually the village's ancestral hall.
These were the ancestors from the hall.
They had initially tried to stop him from entering, fearing he would be eaten. But upon learning he was a Ghost Walker, they eagerly invited him in, hoping he would help watch over their descendants.
It was said that mortals pray for blessings, while ghosts bring malice, but in this village, it seemed the opposite was true. The dead seemed more virtuous than the living.
(End of Chapter)
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