https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-743-The-Calamity-s-True-Form-Revealed/12919929/
Chapter 744: One Person, A Hundred Lives
Chapter 744: One Person, A Hundred Lives
It was supposed to be a sure thing, but after not taking action for several years, her skills had deteriorated.
Fairy Miao Shan suddenly forgot about her dignity and, in a panic, exclaimed, "Ah!" She hurriedly tried to catch the calamitous creature, but it was too fast and was about to escape.
"Where do you think you're going..."
Just as she was getting anxious, a figure suddenly darted out from the side. It was Thursday Miss, and her agility and reflexes were far superior to Fairy Miao Shan's.
From a distance of more than ten zhang, she quickly blocked the path of the Toothless Lord. With a swift kick, she sent the creature, which was mid-jump, flying back towards Fairy Miao Shan.
Fairy Miao Shan was startled and exclaimed, "What are you kicking? Quickly take off your shoe and burn it!"
"What?"
Thursday Miss was momentarily caught off guard and still felt proud of her well-executed kick.
Hu Ma quickly moved to Thursday Miss's side, removed the shoe that had kicked the Toothless Lord, and threw it into the bushes. Then, she took out a firelight from her embrace and tossed it inside.
The fire immediately rose, burning the shoe and the dry grass together. She turned to Thursday Miss and said, "Don't worry, I'll get you a new pair later."
Thursday Miss had no choice but to stand on one leg, with only white socks on her feet. Instinctively, she tried to hide her leg behind her, her face turning red with embarrassment.
Turning back, she saw Fairy Miao Shan wrapping the Toothless Lord. Miao Shan shouted, "Vat!"
"..."
The Little Bean Official beside her immediately threw down the gong and rushed back behind the tree. Then, he brought over a large water vat.
In the Robbing Calamity Sect, some used cloth bags to collect calamities, while Fairy Miao Shan preferred vats.
This vat was likely taken from someone's home by Little Douguan, but there was no time to worry about that. Fairy Miao Shan shook the silk thread, and the obviously rotten creature, which looked like it had been dead for who knows how many days, was thrown into the vat. She quickly put the lid on, wrapped the vat with the silk thread, and began chanting a spell rapidly.
As the calamity was sealed inside the vat, it gradually calmed down with the chanting, completing the sealing process.
Although Fairy Miao Shan's fundamentals seemed a bit shaky, she had once kept ten blessing corpses in the Bronze Coin Sect, which was quite an impressive feat.
While her technique for capturing calamities was a bit rusty, her experience was extensive.
As she chanted the spell, the effect was excellent, and the movement inside the vat gradually lessened.
However, just as the sealing of the calamity was about to be completed, a few cries suddenly rang out from the distant village.
The cries were sharp and abrupt, and they only sounded twice before abruptly stopping.
But immediately after, a gust of cold wind blew from the village towards the mountain.
Hu Ma had just helped Thursday Miss burn the shoe and was standing there like a one-legged chicken when her figure flashed again, and she appeared next to the physician.
He had been watching Fairy Miao Shan search for and capture the calamity without saying a word, but his eyes seemed to carry a smile that was neither a smile nor a frown.
Especially when the cries from the village sounded, his figure seemed to sway slightly, as if he wanted to leave.
Hu Ma reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, saying calmly, "Do you really want to kill me?"
"For this, you're willing to harm the entire village?"
"..."
The physician, upon seeing Hu Ma approach, showed no signs of panic. He allowed her to touch his shoulder and simply smiled, turning to face her.
"They were supposed to die. I forced them to continue living, keeping them alive by a thread. How can you say that I harmed them?"
Hu Ma narrowed her eyes and said softly, "Code name?"
She had already noticed something amiss in the village.
Physicians are naturally compassionate, healing and saving lives, but on the other hand, they also become accustomed to life and death, becoming indifferent.
Members of the Life Decree Sect can not only cure illnesses but also save lives. The initiation into this sect involves saving someone who is supposed to die.
Those who enter the Mansion understand the concept of longevity and can forcefully extend a person's life. With a word, they can grant life or take it away.
However, having this ability doesn't mean it should be misused.
People's lives are fragile, and this physician, unable to capture the calamity, had been keeping the villagers alive.
But if the calamity wasn't eliminated, these villagers would eventually die; they were just suffering unnecessarily for a few days.
His skills were not weak, yet he was doing this pointless task, which could only mean one thing: he was waiting for her here.
And as Fairy Miao Shan captured the calamity, he also retrieved the Life Decree Sect's technique.
At that moment, the villagers, who were supposed to die, suddenly had their lives snuffed out.
The calamity, which wasn't very powerful before being sealed, suddenly gained strength after taking a life, becoming instantly formidable.
The trouble had now shifted to Hu Ma.
"Code name Tonic Doctor, I yield..."
But as the physician listened to Hu Ma's words, he merely turned and smiled, "I bear no personal grudge against you. It's just that this village was indeed harmed by your Hu family."
"If I hadn't extended their lives, they would have died quietly. Clearly, your Hu family owes a debt, but your descendants may not even be aware of it."
"Now that I've made them wait for you, let's see if you're willing to let go..."
"..."
As he spoke, his shoulder lowered, and a white light suddenly flew out from his sleeve, forcing Hu Ma to retreat. At the same time, he laughed, "We doctors also wield knives to earn our meals..."
"..."
At this moment, if Hu Ma made a move, she could still capture him. But her eyes had already caught sight of the village in the distance, where shadows were drifting amidst the descending night.
Focusing his gaze, he realized that they were all villagers who had been severely ill.
After death, one should enter the Intermediate Realm, where the seven spirits disperse, and the three souls leave the body.
But these villagers were lured by calamitous objects, and their spirits had not yet completely dissipated, nor had their consciousness awakened, when they were drawn here.
As they approached the large vat, they would be devoured by the calamity within, suffering the most tragic fate in the human realm, and completely perishing.
Hu Ma narrowed his eyes, not wasting a moment, and reached into Little Red Tang's basket, pulling out a bell.
This was the same bell that White Wine Miss had lent him when they returned to Old Yin Mountain.
He shook the bell clockwise, which could extend the lifespan of those nearby, and as the bell chimed, the divine souls around slowed their approach.
An invisible force even pulled them back into their bodies.
"A group of people only thinking about becoming immortals, when did you ever care about the lives of the common folk?"
"Reincarnating into this world, we already knew that this place was beyond saving. It's better to cut our losses quickly."
"Since you've boarded the Dalaofa Religion's ship, why are you still pretending to care about the people?"
As Hu Ma rang the bell, forcibly extending the villagers' lives, the herbalist began to walk while slowly raising his hand.
With a sweep of his wide sleeves, countless sparks of light flew into his sleeves.
Each spark represented a hidden oil lamp in the village, set up by the herbalist to extend the villagers' lives.
As each lamp went out, more villagers lost their grip on life and died instantly.
In that moment, the calamity in the vat struggled more fiercely, while the bell in Hu Ma's hand became muted.
The Lifespan Adjustment Bell, after all, was not Hu Ma's possession; he could only borrow it and use it reluctantly.
Now, as he watched, he knew he couldn't prevent the villagers' souls from leaving their bodies and approaching the vat. One misstep, and the calamity would instantly become more ferocious.
Even Miao Shan Fairy and Si Zhou Miss might be affected by this powerful calamity.
The villagers would only become food for the calamity.
"Quickly, abandon the disaster and run..."
A distant voice shouted, as Old Abacus, sensing something amiss, called out loudly.
With Hu Ma's abilities, saving the lives of the entire village was beyond him, but escaping the disaster was still within his power. But should he flee?
At this moment, Hu Ma, as if seeing the herbalist's cold smile in the surrounding shadows, realized that this situation was his doing. If he hadn't rushed here, he wouldn't have known, and that would have been fine.
But now that he did know, how could he possibly hide?
He took a deep breath, his eyes and brows stern, and said in a low voice, "Miao Shan, Si Zhou Miss, quickly leave."
"Help me protect the law within a hundred zhang, don't let anyone disturb the formation."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Miao Shan Fairy and Si Zhou Miss nodded hurriedly and scattered in different directions. Si Zhou Miss turned back and said, "Call me Yingying from now on!"
"You big-headed ghost, what are you talking about at a time like this?"
Hu Ma was speechless. He quickly flew forward and saw the villagers' shadows being drawn towards the vat. So, he went straight to the large vat.
He swiftly pulled out an object from his sleeve—a bag with a golden silk thread tied around its mouth.
It was the same bag that the mad son-in-law of the Robbing Calamity Sect had given him in Old Yin Mountain.
Knowing that this place was related to the calamity, Hu Ma naturally brought the bag with him.
But he couldn't help but feel it was strange that the mad son-in-law had given him the bag, as if he had known that Hu Ma would encounter such a situation.
As he thought this, he didn't hesitate. With a precise strike, he smashed the vat, creating a fist-sized hole.
The calamity inside immediately crawled out, and Hu Ma held up the bag, capturing it directly.
The bag's mouth tightened, and the contents inside squirmed vigorously before quickly becoming still.
The item given by the Fortunate Sun Family's son-in-law was indeed more effective than Miao Shan's abilities, easily suppressing the calamity.
With the calamity contained, the souls that had drifted out of the village had nowhere to go, wandering aimlessly through the forest in a daze.
Hu Ma rang the bell again, and the villagers' souls returned to their bodies, waking up in a daze.
"Well done, Hu family descendant, well done, wielder of the evil-slaying weapon!"
But as he saved the lives of the entire village, the herbalist's laughter also rang out, "Your destiny is indeed heavy; you can even support the lives of an entire village and still have strength to spare!"
"But I want to see if you truly have the courage to take on the lives of this entire village..."
"..."
Amidst the shout, a fierce wind blew through the mountains, and a strangely shaped, blurry snake raised its head under someone's guidance.
In the wind, it seemed to have caught Hu Ma's scent, and its face lit up with joy. It shook its head and wagged its tail, swimming over as if it had found its nursing mother.
(End of Chapter)
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