Chapter 45: The Method of Suppressing Demons
Chapter 45: The Method of Suppressing Demons
That day, Hu Ma stayed in the village, ate dinner with Second Sir, and returned to the village before dusk. He lit an oil lamp, read a bit, and went to bed early.
Thanks to his friend Second Brother's help, the guardians now had a way forward. The rest was just a matter of carefully planning each step.
But Hu Ma, who slept soundly and dreamlessly, was unaware that in the main house of the Cui family, Cui's eldest brother, his brothers, Cui's mother, and the sisters-in-law were gathered around the Eight Immortals table.
A single oil lamp on the table cast flickering shadows on their faces. Cui's eldest brother, with a cold expression, pounded the table.
"The clan leader sent his own grandson in, and now he wants to play the good guy."
"Replacing that Hu boy with our Cui would have been a simple favor, but he stubbornly refused."
"..."
The others were also indignant.
The Cui family had already agreed to make a significant sacrifice, but the old and confused clan leader had refused at the last moment.
"Heh, the Zhou family is also afraid of us..."
At this, the white-haired and disheveled Cui grandmother, sitting on the bed, suddenly sneered. "Our Cui is a sensible child. If he joins the Red Lantern Society, he will surely perform better than his grandson. He could at least become a manager, or even a shopkeeper in the future."
"The Zhou family only became clan leaders because of their second son's abilities and their large number of clan members. The Cui family is no less capable."
"He's worried that we might surpass the Zhou family in the future!"
At first, the Cui brothers were puzzled, wondering why the old clan leader, who seemed interested, had ultimately refused.
But after hearing the Cui grandmother's words, they suddenly understood. "The old man is still playing games. How shameless..."
After cursing, they looked at each other, feeling the situation was difficult. "What should we do now?"
"A bunch of useless good-for-nothings, you still need me to take charge."
The Cui grandmother, seeing their indecision, grew angry and pounded the bed. "Eldest, stop standing there like a fool. Come over and help me bring out the black-wrapped chest from under the bed."
"Ah?"
Cui's eldest brother was initially stunned but then understood, feeling a mix of excitement.
He was the oldest and remembered clearly that his mother had some knowledge and had once been quite influential. But after the Hu family came to the village, something happened, and she stopped using her skills.
When Cui E had her incident, it was the grandmother who decided to keep the small gold nugget, saying it would be useful for Cui's future marriage.
Unfortunately, the Hu family's misdeeds later led to the death of the girl.
The chest was pulled out, and the Cui grandmother retrieved a key from under the bed and opened it.
Inside were red papers, white talismans, and strange objects, some resembling bones and others hair.
Seeing these items, the Cui grandmother's eyes grew deep, and she scanned the contents with a commanding presence.
After a long moment, she took out a black, dried piece of flesh and said to Cui's mother, "Second wife, you're pregnant again, right? Tomorrow, go to the old fire pit and burn some paper to thank the ancestors... and burn this thing too."
The second wife, unsure but trembling, took it and agreed.
"Eldest, Third..."
The Cui grandmother then took out paper figures and hair. "You two, bury these under the twisted tree behind the Hu family's house. Do it after the second wife burns the paper and make sure no one in the village sees you."
The eldest and third brothers quickly agreed.
The Cui grandmother then turned to the fourth brother. "And you, don't just stand there. Don't you like drinking and gambling? Go and do that. The more commotion, the better."
The fourth brother, unexpectedly pleased, nodded excitedly.
After giving all the instructions, the family felt a bit nervous. "Will this work? Will Cui be able to go?"
The Cui grandmother glared at them. "If you had a better plan, would you need me?"
No one dared to speak.
...
...
...
Hu Ma tidied up his house, packed his belongings, and prepared to leave for the city. Everything was fine except for the pouch containing the ashes from the old fire pit, which he kept close to his body.
After a simple and thorough cleanup, he was ready to leave at any moment. However, on this particular morning, he suddenly felt dizzy and parched.
His throat felt like it was on fire, dry and painful. Touching his forehead, he found it scorching.
"Am I running a fever?"
He was surprised and almost speechless.
When he didn't eat enough of the evil deity's flesh, his body was cold and lifeless, unable to generate any warmth.
Now, with sufficient blood food, he was actually running a fever...
Feeling dazed, he struggled to get up to fetch a cup of water to soothe his throat. His body felt heavy, and he could barely walk.
It seemed his condition was not just a minor illness but a serious one.
After drinking the water, he tried to make some porridge but had no appetite. He lay down on the bed to rest.
By noon, Zhou Datong had arrived, pushing the door open and saying, "Brother Hu Ma, Grandpa said to come over for dinner at our place tonight."
"He wants to talk to us about the rules after we move to the manor..."
"Hey, why are you still in bed at this hour?"
"..."
Hu Ma weakly waved his hand. "I think I’m sick."
"You really picked a bad time. We’re heading to the manor in a few days."
Zhou Datong felt Hu Ma’s forehead and found it warm. He quickly left to get help. Soon, the clan leader and the second uncle came over, looking genuinely concerned. After checking on Hu Ma, they didn’t detect any evil presence and concluded it was just a cold.
"Your grandmother has joined the old hearth. There’s probably nothing evil around here that would dare to bother you," they said, sighing and offering comfort.
"You’re all alone now, a half-grown boy. You really don’t know how to take care of yourself."
"We’ll get you some herbs to drink. That should help."
"..."
Zhou Datong ran to fetch the herbs and brought over a couple of steamed buns for Hu Ma. After drinking the herbs, Hu Ma felt a bit better and decided to go to the clan leader’s house to learn the rules. However, as he was about to step out, he suddenly felt dizzy and his vision blurred.
For some reason, the air he exhaled felt scorching hot, and his vision was filled with flashes of light. He barely managed to stay upright but stumbled after a few steps.
Looking around, night had fallen, and the trees in the village loomed like menacing shadows. Eerie laughter echoed in his ears, and a bone-chilling cold swept through him.
In a daze, he saw Little Hongtang jump in front of him, baring her teeth at the dark night.
Hu Ma felt a sense of unease and asked, "Who are you baring your teeth at? Is there something over there?"
"I don’t know," Little Hongtang replied, shaking her head. "But Little Hongtang feels... there’s something."
"But I don’t know what it is."
"..."
"There’s something?"
Hu Ma’s heart raced. "Am I really sick, or is this... something else?"
He tried to stand up, but his body felt weak, and he collapsed, losing consciousness.
Little Hongtang became anxious, dragging Hu Ma back into the house. The village was quiet, the night deep and unsettling, with unknown things lurking in the shadows.
The villagers had long retired for the night, and no one noticed the unconscious Hu Ma in the small house. Near the old hearth, where the Cui family had burned paper for their ancestors earlier, a black mist lingered, swirling as if hiding something.
After the grandmother’s departure, the old clan leader had arranged for able-bodied men to patrol the village, but today they were distracted by a gambling dispute.
No one realized that Hu Ma was unconscious in his small house.
"Quick, go to the clan leader’s house and learn the rules."
At the Cui family’s home, the grandmother was scolding Cui Xieer. "If you don’t learn the rules, how will you know who to avoid in the city?"
Cui Xieer, sulking, replied, "They didn’t even choose me. Why should I go listen?"
"You still have to go," the grandmother said coldly. "What if one of the chosen ones can’t go? You might have to replace them."
"Fine, I’ll go," Cui Xieer grumbled, kicked by his father.
Seeing his grandmother’s anger, Cui Xieer reluctantly went to the clan leader’s house. The second uncle and Zhou Datong were already there with a few other children. When they saw Cui Xieer, the second uncle’s expression changed.
The Cui family’s second son hurriedly smiled. "He should learn the rules too. What if he gets a chance to go to the city?"
The second uncle frowned, a sense of unease creeping in.
At the Cui family’s home, the eldest son was also worried. When no one was around, he cautiously asked, "Mother, will it be okay? Don’t let the second uncle find out..."
"..."
"Even a mouse has more courage than you."
The grandmother, furious, coldly snorted. "With your constant fear, how will you accomplish anything?"
"Rest assured, I’ve taken strong measures. By the time they figure it out, it’ll be too late."
"..."
"..."
Meanwhile, as Hu Ma lay unconscious, he felt as if his body was a burning coal, the fire inside him raging and making him delirious.
But then, he felt a cool sensation in his chest.
In a daze, he saw his grandmother’s figure appear beside him, looking at him with concern. "My dear grandson, don’t sleep."
"Get up, go to the back of the house, and find the crooked-wristed Phoenix tree. Cut it three times."
"Get up!"
"Cut it three times, and you’ll be better."
(End of Chapter)
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