https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-747-The-Calamity-Entity-s-Possession/12919934/
Chapter 748: The Ballad of the Vegetable Person
Chapter 748: The Ballad of the Vegetable Person
"Our founding ancestor often feigned ignorance, but speaking so frankly is indeed a first for him..."
Facing Hu Ma's seemingly indifferent gaze, Old Abacus even grew anxious, and he spoke gravely, "Moreover, even without considering the divination results, it's clear that those demons won't let you off easily."
"Actually, even without Master's detailed explanation, I can sense something. Twenty years ago, Master and the Hu family suffered a significant loss at the hands of those demons."
"Now, with the evil spirits appearing on the bridge and resurfacing, the world is in turmoil."
"Since Master has agreed to show up in the capital, you'll be going there too. It's obvious that the State Preceptor will collaborate with the Hu family again. How can those evil spirits possibly stay put?"
"The principle of roaming the world is to avoid making enemies. If you must make enemies, then you should thoroughly understand your opponent before taking action. Those evil spirits are even more ruthless. If they want to strike, they won't just gather information; they'll dig up the secrets of eighteen generations of ancestors."
"Do you not know how the old master of the Yan family in Guazhou died?"
"They've already come to trouble you twice, and I believe they were testing the waters. This third time, they might be serious."
"..."
Hu Ma could tell that this was the time when his relationship with the Dalaofa Religion was at its worst. However, Old Abacus, being a disciple of the Dalaofa Religion, was the most forthright with him.
Knowing that what he said was true, Hu Ma merely smiled and said, "I'm going."
"In the past, I listened to others' advice too much. Looking back on the past three years, I hardly took a single step on my own."
"Now, this road to the capital is the one I should take."
"..."
As he thought about these words, he couldn't help but recall the Intermediate Realm, where his fingers had touched the ancient book held by the monster with eyes all over its body. His heart trembled as he recalled the information he had glimpsed, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
Old Abacus hesitated, then said, "You're not thinking of using this opportunity to break through the Life and Death Barrier and cultivate your Dao, are you?"
Hu Ma glanced at him and smiled, "Isn't it the perfect opportunity?"
"Perfect for a big-headed ghost!"
Old Abacus exclaimed, "It's extremely difficult for a person to pass through the Life and Death Barrier once, and you've done it twice in just a few days?"
"Playing house?"
"Entering the Life and Death Barrier to cultivate your Dao is to fight for your life with the heavens. Everything has its destiny, and you can't keep taking advantage. You've already seized two opportunities; do you still want to enter the Intermediate Realm a third time and reclaim another destiny?"
"..."
Listening to his words, Hu Ma indeed recalled that the second time he appeared in the Intermediate Realm, the monster had been very angry.
He needed to prepare himself; if he entered the third time, would the monster have taken precautions? Hu Ma looked at Old Abacus seriously, "What do you think will happen?"
"I don't know."
Old Abacus shook his head, "That's not something for someone like me with a light life force and low destiny to consider. All I know is that if we continue, those demons will likely strike a severe blow and won't give you another chance to turn things around."
"Additionally, if you attempt to break through the Life and Death Barrier again, it will undoubtedly cause great chaos. The mystical forces have their calculations, and you might not be able to return."
"..."
Facing Old Abacus's stern warning, Hu Ma fell silent for a moment. Just as Old Abacus thought he had finally listened to his advice, Hu Ma suddenly looked at him and said softly, "Can you only seize one pillar of destiny at a time?"
"Ah, this..."
This question was clearly beyond Old Abacus's scope, and he stared blankly, "Isn't it a matter of how much you can seize at once? Theoretically, you shouldn't be able to seize it..."
"You can seize it..."
Hu Ma recalled the strange information that flashed through his mind when he touched the Book of Life and Death, and slowly spoke, "But I do need a better opportunity..."
"Seizing just one pillar is indeed a bit disrespectful to that thing..."
"..."
After a few moments of contemplation, Hu Ma made an excuse that it was getting late and returned to the carriage to rest.
The next day, when he didn't mention turning back, Old Abacus was worried but couldn't say anything.
The group continued their journey in silence, but something was different. The day before, Si Zhou had helped Kindness Fairy capture the disaster, and afterward, Kindness Fairy had given Si Zhou a new pair of shoes.
The two had reconciled, and they sat together in the same carriage again. Si Zhou blushed and said, "You're actually a good person."
"How new is that?"
Kindness Fairy glared at her and said, "We're called the 'No Eating Bull' because we believe that common people are like cattle and horses, carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. They can carry others, but they can also crush them. We don't dare to eat them, but we could if we wanted to..."
"..."
Si Zhou listened, first nodding in understanding, then suddenly freezing in thought.
She realized these were fresh ideas, different from what her family taught, but these principles were so grand that they overshadowed all other thoughts.
After a long silence, she finally spoke again, filled with awe, "This is... something he could say?"
"Of course!"
Kindness Fairy became enthusiastic, sitting up straight and saying, "Sister, you don't understand. Our leader understands the three volumes of heavenly books and is filled with compassionate principles. Back when we were in Stone Horse Town..."
Once she started talking, she couldn't stop, speaking with great enthusiasm, sharing all her admiration for Hu Ma.
Brilliant and astute, his insights were astonishing, yet they were so far from the truth.
As Kindness Fairy spoke, her demeanor was uncharacteristically serious, and Thursday Miss, who was listening intently, gradually became captivated, her face unknowingly filled with admiration.
However, the little bean official who was following beside them became anxious, clenching her tiny fists, "My Kindness Fairy, do you know what you're doing...?"
...
"When the physician left, he did indeed leave a message, saying that the next time he comes, it will be their senior..."
"Who could it be? The previous generation still remains in this world, using tea as a code?"
"Or perhaps..."
"Iron Goddess?"
As they traveled further north, Hu Ma and the others inquired about the route and learned that they had already covered most of the journey. Along the way, there were frequent battles and few signs of human habitation, but after passing through a checkpoint, they could see the distant capital city.
However, for some unknown reason, the closer they got to the capital, the harder it became to obtain food. The scouts and those responsible for purchasing supplies had recently returned empty-handed.
Fortunately, they had saved half of the food from the carriage, so the group didn't have to worry about cooking without rice.
That night, the scouts were gone for a long time, and it wasn't until midnight that they heard the sound of horse hooves. Those who were resting hurried to greet them, only to find that their bags were empty, but they had brought an old man and his grandson, both dressed in tattered clothes.
The old man collapsed onto the carriage, gesturing frantically, "We can't go forward, we can't go forward."
"The food-seeking squad from Bullheart City is out there, we must avoid them..."
"The Grain-Seeking Army?"
Hu Ma, who was also from a city with a similar-sounding name, became curious and listened carefully.
Upon further inquiry, they learned that three grassroots warlords were besieging Bullheart City, and it had already been half a month. No one knew how many had died, and both inside and outside the city were running out of food, with people starving to the point of desperation.
The old abacus, who was sitting next to the carriage, noticed the little girl who was following the old man, staring longingly at the fire. He scooped out a bowl of porridge that had been kept for the scout and gave it to her, then asked someone to start another fire to cook more.
He asked curiously, "Old man, if they're running out of food, why are you fleeing? I see you don't have any money on you, how will you find food?"
"We've already traveled several hundred miles on this road, and it's not easy to buy food along the way."
"..."
"Why are you still looking for food? We're escaping, just trying to find a way to survive..."
The old man saw that his granddaughter had food, and tears fell from his eyes, "If we don't leave now, we might become their food."
"Both the food-seeking armies inside and outside the city are starving, and they've gone mad. There are two paths, one of which involves digging up graves, taking the burial items, and exchanging them for gold and silver to buy food. The other path involves capturing people, draining their blood, and drying it to eat!"
"We're not just fleeing famine, we're fleeing for our lives..."
"..."
Everyone listened, especially Thursday Miss, who suddenly realized the situation and exclaimed, "They're eating people?"
"Could it be another Starving Army?"
Hu Ma's heart also skipped a beat, but when he glanced at the old abacus, whose face was as dark as the abacus itself, he immediately understood.
It wasn't just another Starving Army, but it seemed that everywhere in the world, there were Starving Armies.
After feeding the old man and his granddaughter a satisfying meal and giving them some rice, they watched as the two of them headed south. The group fell silent for a moment, reflecting on how the distinction between the yin and yang realms at dusk had become deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Without any special abilities, no one dared to travel at night.
However, the old man and his grandson couldn't afford to worry about that. They just wanted to get as far away from the battlefield as possible, as if encountering any ghosts or evil spirits at night would be less frightening than the food-seeking squad.
"Since there's a town ahead, we won't have to sleep in the wilderness. Let's go!"
The group packed their bags, harnessed the carriage, and continued on their way, but the atmosphere became much quieter.
As they traveled through the night, the silence was eerie, and the sky was overcast without a moon in sight.
Beyond the roadside weeds, a cold wind blew, rustling the grass. Suddenly, a sharp and resentful voice sang out, its tone chilling and hoarse:
"A husband and wife starve together, but I'd rather sell myself at the Vegetable Person Market."
"With three thousand coins, my husband can return, and a piece of flesh can travel a mile."
"The delicate skin of a lotus is cooked into a fragrant dish, and the milk is made into dumplings that everyone craves."
"First, the arms are cut off and hung in a butcher shop, and the fatty meat is slowly sliced for soup."
"Fresh meat is demanded, even if it means not letting the person die, and piece by piece, it is fed into the hungry stomachs of others."
"Male flesh is too pungent to eat, but female skin is smooth and sweet."
"After three days, the flesh is gone, leaving only a soul, searching for her husband in the fading twilight."
"Women are born to be sold as food, so that their husbands can return and grow old together."
"How many can be filled by being buried in the stomach, but fortunately, the black-winged vulture doesn't peck too early."
"..."
The chilling voice sent shivers down everyone's spines, causing them to straighten their backs and break out in cold sweats.
Hu Ma and Thursday Miss stepped out of the carriage and walked past the weeds towards the source of the song. However, they only saw a woman covered in blood, with pieces of flesh missing, revealing terrifying wounds. She held a balalaika in her arms and sang softly.
After finishing her song, she sighed, and a gust of wind blew, leaving no trace of her.
All that remained were a few fragments of bone.
(End of Chapter)
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