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Chapter 53: Evil Spirits Assault
Chapter 53: Evil Spirits Assault
"This is where the Red Lantern Society has set up its counter."
The manager knocked on the door and smiled as he introduced it to Hu Ma and the others. "Don't let its small size fool you; it's a crucial place. Every spring, countless goods pass through here."
The young boys around them nodded dumbly, not really understanding.
But Hu Ma had already grasped the significance of the setup. The Blood Food Gang's livelihood depended on blood food, whether it was mining, harvesting, or transporting. Every step was vital.
This place was likely a warehouse or a relay station for transporting blood food during the New Year's offerings.
Soon, the door opened, and a young man in fine clothing greeted them with a smile. "Master has been waiting for you all day, worried you wouldn't arrive before dark. Come in quickly, Master has already prepared food and drink for you..."
The boys, who had been walking for hours and were famished, hurried inside.
Inside the house, they saw a table already set with food and drink in the main hall. A slightly plump master stood far away, welcoming the manager who had brought them.
The boys were eager to sit down, but the young man in fine clothing suddenly shouted, "No manners! Who said you could barge in? Your food is in the kitchen, go there and eat!"
The boys realized the food and drink were for the manager, not for them.
They silently made their way to the kitchen, where they found black, crumbly cornbread in a basket, with not even a single pickle to go with it. It was worse than what they had in the Big Sheep Village.
In the main hall, the young man in fine clothing was already seated with the manager and the plump master. They were chatting and drinking, enjoying a lively atmosphere.
Hu Ma and his companions, either sitting or squatting, each ate two pieces of the rough, hard cornbread in the courtyard. The bread was so coarse that it left a mouthful of crumbs with each bite, making it hard to swallow.
After eating the cornbread, they fetched a bucket of cold water from the well and shared it. The boys then waited in the courtyard, not daring to disturb the lively conversation in the main hall.
After more than half an hour, the young man in fine clothing finally emerged with a smile. But when he reached the boys, his smile vanished, and he said sternly, "Follow me!"
"Remember to show respect in front of the master."
"..."
The boys, carrying their bedding rolls, hesitantly approached the door of the main hall. They looked at the spacious, well-lit room and felt a sense of awe. Before stepping inside, they rubbed the mud off their shoes and carefully entered.
"Boys, pay attention and remember this."
The manager, who had been drinking and was now flushed, smiled and said, "This is the old master of the Red Lantern Society, Master Wu Hong. He guards this estate for us, and he's very skilled."
"You'll be under his command from now on. Be diligent, and if he's pleased, he might teach you some skills that will last you a lifetime."
After saying this, he turned to Master Wu and added, "I've brought them to you. It's up to you to train them."
"Of course."
Master Wu smiled warmly, his gaze sweeping over Hu Ma and the others before settling on the young man in fine clothing sitting on a round stool next to him. "You, along with Xu Ji and his fellow villagers, are the ones the Red Lantern Society has sent over this time."
"Xu Ji arrived three days ago, and I've already taught him many rules. You should learn from him."
"I like peace and quiet, so don't disturb me unless necessary. But if you work hard, I'll teach you what you need to know."
"But if you're lazy or cause trouble, I'll send you back."
"..."
Hearing his name, the young man in fine clothing stood up quickly.
The boys now realized that this young man was just like them, only he had arrived earlier.
The manager interjected, "Why send them back?"
"If they don't obey or don't understand the rules, they might as well be killed. That's their fate."
"..."
"Ha, I'm just a manager. Their lives are not in my hands," Master Wu replied with a smile. He then waved his hand, intending to have the young man in fine clothing take Hu Ma and the others away. But before they could leave, a sudden frantic knocking on the door and cries of "Red Lantern Lady, save us! Master, save us..." broke the silence.
"Someone has been possessed by an evil spirit..."
"..."
"Hmm?"
Everyone was confused and turned to look at the main hall.
The master, who had just raised his cup, paused, glanced at the manager, and said, "Bring them in."
"..."
The young man in fine clothing unlocked the courtyard gate, and a group of disheveled, terrified villagers rushed in, holding torches. They carried a hard wooden board with a person on it, and brought him to the front of the main hall.
As the torchlight shone on the door, a man in his thirties or forties was seen lying on it, bound with grass ropes. His body was curled up, and he was shivering uncontrollably.
Most terrifying was his right index finger, which he had stuffed into his mouth, his front teeth exposed and gnawing at it. He had already gnawed it down to the bone.
The old shopkeeper left his seat and approached, looking down at the man. "What happened here?"
"We don't know..." one of the villagers, bolder than the rest, replied. "This man, Liu Dadi, went to the fields this afternoon. When he came back at dusk, he was like this."
"He's delirious and won't speak. He bites anyone who touches him. We tied him up, and he started gnawing on his own fingers. When we tried to bring him back, he bit us, so we tied him up and brought him here for the lord to see."
The old shopkeeper circled the door, seeming to have an idea. "Untie him, and let him down."
The villagers hesitated, none daring to approach.
But the young man in the brocade clothes suddenly drew his waist knife and slashed the grass ropes, severing them.
"Whoa!"
As soon as the ropes were cut, Liu Dadi sat up, causing the surrounding villagers to scatter in fear.
But the man, now sitting up, made no other move. He simply continued gnawing on his finger.
Or rather, he wasn't gnawing; he was cracking it. He made a series of clicking noises, savoring it like a rat gnawing on a corn cob.
Mr. Wu, the shopkeeper, raised his sleeve and motioned for the villagers to step back. He circled the man, noting that he gnawed on his fingers even faster once untied, now moving on to another finger.
He didn't rush, smiling gently. "Stop eating for a moment. Let's talk."
"Who are you? Where do you live?"
"..."
The man continued gnawing on his finger, ignoring everyone.
"Truly disrespectful..."
The old shopkeeper, seeing he was ignored, slowly squatted down in front of him. Some of the villagers wanted to warn him, but before they could, the man, who had been gnawing intently, suddenly looked up. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes, and he lunged at the shopkeeper, reaching out to grab his shoulder and bite him.
But the shopkeeper, unperturbed, suddenly extended his hand, holding a pair of chopsticks. He deftly clamped them around the man's finger.
No one had noticed that the shopkeeper had still been holding chopsticks from his meal.
Most importantly, he held the man's finger as if it were a carrot, not seeming to apply much force, yet the man, who had nearly bitten him, suddenly stiffened, his body immobilized as if struck by a paralyzing blow. He began to cry out, "Lord, spare my life! I'm from the village under the big rock at the west end of the town..."
"..."
The shopkeeper's smile was half-mocking, half-sympathetic. "Just moved in? Why did you harm people?"
"It wasn't me who wanted to harm him..."
The man's voice was high-pitched and eerie, filled with a chilling aura. "He flooded my house and set it on fire, filling it with smoke."
"If I didn't teach him a lesson, wouldn't everyone in the neighboring towns think they could treat me however they wanted?"
"..."
For some reason, hearing Liu Dadi's strained voice sent shivers down the spines of the villagers.
The shopkeeper's smile never wavered. "You have a point, but when did your family move here? Have you paid respects to the Red Lantern Lady?"
"We just moved in..."
Liu Dadi tilted his head, his eyes rolling. "We only pay respects to the old lady, not the Red Lantern Lady."
The shopkeeper's smile didn't fade. "Then your family doesn't understand the rules..."
As he spoke, his face suddenly turned serious. "East wall corner!"
At the same time, his other hand, which had been clenched, shot up and smacked the man's forehead.
"Whoosh!"
The slap seemed ordinary, but Hu Ma, who now had nearly two measures of Daoist power and was sensitive to yang energy, noticed that the shopkeeper's movement resembled the opening move of the old techniques taught by the Second Master, "Mountain Splitter," where the hand rises and the furnace fire ignites.
However, the shopkeeper's movements were too practiced and smooth, leaving no trace of the old technique.
After the slap, something seemed to be expelled from the man's body, a gust of cold wind swirling away.
The man, whose finger was still clamped by the chopsticks, suddenly relaxed his tense body.
But it wasn't over yet.
Hu Ma clearly felt that the evil energy expelled from the man's body suddenly blew in a specific direction.
It was heading exactly where the shopkeeper had pointed: the "east wall corner"!
A yellow shadow flashed, and something, startled, jumped out of the ditch, trying to climb over the wall.
Without hesitation, Hu Ma took a swift step, passing by Zhou Datong, and drew the knife from his waist, sheath and all, throwing it.
A piercing cry echoed as something quickly scaled the wall and vanished.
(End of Chapter)
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