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Chapter 63: The Evil in the Well
Chapter 63: The Evil in the Well
Traversing the wild countryside at night is the most nerve-wracking experience. Especially when the surroundings are eerily silent, the path is empty, and the fields are dotted with desolate graves and willow branches swaying in the wind.
In his past life, Hu Ma was a timid soul. In this life, he had been plagued by evil spirits and rarely ventured out. Now, having learned the ways of the Dao, he still lacked the experience of such solitary night journeys. Even when he patrolled at night, he was always accompanied by many people, holding the lanterns of the Red Lantern Lady.
This was his first time traveling alone in the dark, but he felt a sense of calm...
...after all, he had his little ghost friend with him!
Gathering his courage, he hugged his sword tightly, picked up Little Red Tang, and strode forward confidently.
He was familiar with these countryside paths from his usual patrols. After rounding a mountain foot and walking along the path for a few miles, he could see the dark village nestled at the base of the mountain, with a few flickering lights inside.
He presumed Xu Ji and the others had already arrived.
The villagers didn’t have the luxury to keep the place well-lit at night.
Hu Ma stopped outside the village, frowning. This area was beyond their patrol range, and he had no idea what was happening there.
In fact, he had no idea about the details of this task, even though he had accepted it. The old shopkeeper had mentioned an evil spirit that had been lingering for quite some time, but what exactly was it?
“Ya...”
As Hu Ma pondered, Little Red Tang suddenly spoke up, her voice clear and crisp: “They went to Sister Well.”
Hu Ma was taken aback: “Eh? What Sister Well?”
“There’s a poor sister who cries in the well every day.”
Little Red Tang looked up at Hu Ma and said, “I tried talking to her, but she wouldn’t respond.”
Hu Ma was even more surprised: “When did you go there?”
“Often...”
Little Red Tang explained, “Big Brother Hu Ma doesn’t pay attention to Little Red Tang, so I go out to play. But there’s no one around to play with, so I had to find friends.”
She sounded a bit sad: “But I don’t know anyone around here. Sister Well in the west doesn’t talk to me, Old Man Stone in the south gets angry at everyone, and the family in the north loves to bully others.”
“Really...”
Hu Ma was a bit taken aback by Little Red Tang’s adventurous spirit. However, there was no way to stop her. Within ten miles of the village, no evil spirits were allowed to linger, all driven away in the name of the Red Lantern Lady.
Recently, Little Red Tang, unable to stay indoors, had been running around and had become familiar with the area.
Feeling a slight stir in his heart, Hu Ma hugged his sword and sat down. He told Little Red Tang, “Go and take a look, but stay far away and don’t get too close.”
“See if those people are bullying Sister Well.”
“...”
Little Red Tang, promised a treat by Hu Ma, nodded vigorously.
A red shadow darted forward and quickly disappeared into the night.
Suddenly, he was alone, surrounded by darkness, with only an inexplicable wind swirling around him.
Hu Ma felt a chill and hugged his sword tighter.
In a low voice, he said to the surrounding darkness, “I’m just passing through. We don’t want any trouble. Let’s not provoke each other!”
He drew his sword halfway and placed it on his knee.
He didn’t know if anyone was listening or if it would help, but the wind seemed to calm down a bit.
If someone heard, he hoped it would work; he didn’t want any unnecessary complications.
If no one heard, his muttering wouldn’t make him look foolish.
After waiting for a while, Little Red Tang quickly ran back from the direction of the village, her face anxious. “Big Brother Hu Ma, they are indeed bullying Sister Well...”
“They poured some foul-smelling substance into the well, hit Sister Well’s hair with old objects, and even chopped at the well’s edge with a knife. They also formed a circle around the well, spitting fire to burn her...”
Hu Ma immediately understood that the evil spirit the old shopkeeper mentioned was indeed the one in the well.
Whether it was the spirit of someone who had died by drowning or something that had grown in the well, it was undoubtedly the core of this challenge.
It seemed Xu Ji had found a way to deal with her and might succeed at any moment.
What should he do now?
He glanced at the sword in his arms. When he had set out alone, he had already planned two options.
Either he could use his Daoist skills to confront them and take the spirit for himself...
Or...
...he quickly made up his mind and pulled a paper packet from his pocket, slowly unwrapping it.
Little Red Tang, initially unsure what it was, suddenly brightened her eyes as the packet opened, staring intently.
Not only her, but even the surrounding darkness seemed to come alive with excitement.
Inside the paper packet were a few pieces of black, gooey meat.
These were cut from the green immortal flesh that Second Master had left him. While the green immortal flesh was tempting, it wasn’t enough. So, Hu Ma also took a blood food pill given by his grandmother, squeezed out the blood, and poured it over the green immortal flesh.
Now, the green immortal flesh smelled like blood immortal flesh.
There's a term for it: "Fooling the Ghosts."
This was exactly what Hu Ma was thinking of when he left the village and hastily prepared in his room.
If he were to confront Xu Ji with a knife, Xu Ji might have an ancient artifact that could overpower him, and it could expose his true level of cultivation.
Moreover, if he were to win, he had to win decisively, leaving the old shopkeeper with no choice but to teach him the technique.
"Xiao Hongtang, take these things and walk around the village!"
Hu Ma, having made up his mind, handed the items to Xiao Hongtang and said, "Don't eat any of it."
"That..."
Xiao Hongtang, seeing the items, hesitated, swallowed hard, and shook her little head. "I can't walk around. Someone will take them from Xiao Hongtang."
"Within the village, Xiao Hongtang, I can send you food because Grandma is watching, and no one will take it."
"Here, they will all come to take from Xiao Hongtang..."
"..."
"It's fine. Let them take it. Just run fast. When they catch up, throw a piece..."
Hu Ma instructed her seriously, then looked up at the village, where the fires were still burning. "Throw them near the village!"
...
...
"Keep going, don't be afraid!"
At that moment, at the foot of the mountain, in the village, Xu Ji had his helpers plant several torches around the area. The cold wind blew, making the flames flicker. He held a redwood sword, his eyes fixed on the wet well opening, shouting loudly.
The helpers were already terrified, their hearts almost leaping out of their chests, eyes closed, hands fumbling.
Some of them were using knives to scrape the walls, making metallic sounds.
Others were trying to build up their energy, ready to exhale it toward the well opening at any moment.
Xu Ji's two lackeys were yelling at Li Wa, who had a pained expression, to pour a jar of blood into the well.
In the surrounding houses, people moved about nervously, watching with fear. They didn't understand what these blood-eaters were up to.
Earlier, the villagers had wanted to invite them to deal with the evil spirit in the well, but they had refused, finding it too troublesome. Now, they had come in the middle of the night.
But who in their right mind would think of disturbing the well at night?
Some had already come out to scold and stop them, but seeing their young yet fierce faces and the weapons they carried, the honest villagers dared not provoke them. They huddled in their homes, trembling.
"It will work, it must work..."
Xu Ji, at this moment, gritted his teeth, mustering his courage.
Every step he took was well thought out.
Having people scrape the well with steel knives, now scraping the stone, and pouring things into it, was to force the thing in the well to come out.
He had already succeeded once, clearly seeing a damp strand of hair trying to pull someone into the well.
But his ancient artifact was powerful. One slash of his sword, and the thing screamed and retreated into the well.
For added insurance, Xu Ji had the other helpers surround the well.
These helpers hadn't mastered their techniques, such as the True Yang Arrow, but even without it, if they held their breath and exhaled at the right moment, they could use the strong fire from their stoves to repel the evil spirit.
This way, he had set up a trap, making it impossible for the thing to escape.
He would surely pass this test.
The technique for the New Year's Eve Guardian from the old shopkeeper would undoubtedly be his.
"Work harder!"
With this thought, his courage grew. He shouted at Li Wa, "If you keep dilly-dallying, I'll throw you in!"
Li Wa, pale with fear, closed his eyes, reached the well, and was about to pour the liquid in.
Xu Ji, tensed up, knew that this would force the thing in the well to come out.
He had to time it right, just one strike.
One strike to finish it off!
But at that moment, when success was within reach, a sudden cold wind swept through the village.
The area around the well was already filled with cold wind, caused by the thing in the well, but for some reason, the wind suddenly intensified several times over.
And it wasn't coming from the well but from outside the village. The wind rushed in, bone-chilling.
The torches they had planted were suddenly extinguished, and the area became dark and terrifying, filled with ghostly shadows.
Li Wa let out a piercing scream, fell to the ground, and the liquid in the jar spilled all over him.
The others didn't have time to scold him, feeling a chill all over their bodies and hearing endless strange noises.
The cold seeped into their bodies, making their vision blur.
They vaguely saw the outside of the village, where dark, eerie winds seemed to be blowing.
Of course, what they couldn't see was a little girl in a red dress running for her life, pursued by a large group of dark, grotesque creatures.
(End of Chapter)
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