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Chapter 88: Soul Punishment Technique
Chapter 88: Soul Punishment Technique
As Hu Ma was stunned by the bizarre scene before him, the Old Shopkeeper moved swiftly and decisively, not even glancing at the human skin. He crossed the room and entered the main hall.
Now, in the pitch darkness, Hu Ma couldn’t see what was happening inside. With his cane, he dared not rush in recklessly.
All he could hear was a commotion inside, mixed with cries of pain and the sound of jars breaking.
But in just a few breaths, the Old Shopkeeper had already dragged someone out, whispering, "Light the lamp!"
"Yes!"
Hu Ma's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly agreed and pulled out a flint from his pocket to find the oil lamp inside the main hall.
The faint light from the flint illuminated the room, and Hu Ma was so shocked that he momentarily forgot to breathe.
It was too bizarre.
He saw the floor was covered in blood, some of it already dried, some still fresh.
The furniture and tables were mostly broken, as if they had just been smashed.
Following the faint light of the flint, he noticed a jar on a wooden table against the wall, similar to the one he had seen from the hawker, only slightly larger.
The jar was already broken, and a white, ghastly object had spilled out, resembling an embryo but much larger. It vaguely looked like a deformed infant, which was chilling to behold. The thing had been crushed, but some of its flesh was still trembling slightly.
In front of the jar, incense was burning, and there were three offerings on the table.
The first offering was a skull, with bits of dried blood and flesh still clinging to it, the hollow eye sockets staring at the ceiling.
The second dish held a heart and liver.
The third dish was filled with five steamed buns—these were indeed real buns.
Zhou Datong’s information was indeed correct. The figure that had sneaked into the Zhao Family’s house that night was indeed from the Vat Sect. They had secretly harmed the Zhao Widow, extracting her blood and flesh as offerings, and used a demonic technique to process her skin to deceive the neighbors.
The skin could move and speak, nearly deceiving Hu Ma himself, let alone the surrounding villagers.
Thinking of their vicious cruelty, he felt a chill. But he held his composure, found the oil lamp that had fallen to the side, and was glad it wasn’t broken. He lit it with the flint and carried it out.
The Old Shopkeeper was already sitting on a stone mill in the courtyard, the man he had dragged out kneeling straight in front of him, hands and feet apparently unbound, but clearly restrained by some method of the Old Shopkeeper. His face was one of despair, eyes closed.
"Speak!"
The Old Shopkeeper pulled a dry shirt from the courtyard, wiped the blood from his hands, and threw it aside.
Then, with a low, solemn gaze, he looked at the man kneeling before him and sneered, "Sun Laojiu, where has he gone to hide?"
"When will he return?"
"..."
The man seemed to realize he wouldn’t survive, closed his eyes, and after a moment, opened them, gritting his teeth and sneering, "I wondered where Huasaozi had gone. I guess he’s in your hands, huh?"
"Heh heh, I advise you not to waste time. Give us a quick death. I won’t talk..."
"..."
"Still so tough?"
Hu Ma was slightly surprised, sizing up the man. He was a common sight in the village, his face bloodied and looking somewhat sinister, but without the blood, he seemed like a kind, smiling man.
"Playing the tough guy, are you?"
The Old Shopkeeper looked at him coldly and said calmly, "The hawker who came earlier, his name was Huasaozi, right?"
"He was just like you, unwilling to talk. But I killed him with one throw and then questioned him in detail, and he talked."
"..."
"Ha ha, he said..."
Upon hearing this, the man was about to sneer but suddenly sensed something was off, his heart racing.
Looking at the Old Shopkeeper, he seemed incredulous, his voice trembling, "Questioned the dead?"
"You..."
"When did you Age Keepers learn the techniques of the Soul Punishment Sect?"
"..."
"To protect you."
The Old Shopkeeper said calmly, "I spent three pounds of Blood Food to learn this technique."
"But it was worth it."
"Without learning this technique, how could I properly welcome you old friends when you return?"
"..."
The Old Shopkeeper’s demeanor was now eerily calm, as if chatting with an old friend.
In a state of turmoil, the man’s voice was hoarse, "You... How did you know we would return?"
"Ha ha..."
The Old Shopkeeper looked at the two large carts parked in the courtyard. The Zhao Family made tofu, so having a cart was normal, whether for collecting soybeans from the countryside or selling tofu in the city.
But for a mere tofu shop to have two carts made the courtyard seem cramped.
The Old Shopkeeper looked at the man, his face twisted with a sinister smile, "Do you really think I can’t see through your Vat Sect’s tricks?"
"Talking about deceiving the heavens and earth, perhaps there are people in this world who can do such a thing, transporting such a large amount of Blood Food."
"But it definitely won't be you scum!"
"So no matter how elaborate your schemes are, I knew you would come back, so I've been waiting for you here all along!"
"……"
Upon hearing these words, not only was the man taken aback, but Hu Ma's early suspicions were also instantly confirmed.
That batch of Blood Food was indeed still around this town. Elder Brother Second Pot's earlier guess was right; although the Blood Food had attracted Evil Spirits at the time, it was never actually transported away.
It wasn't that the Old Shopkeeper had hidden it, but the Vat Sect.
This was clearly kept secret from the Old Shopkeeper. They had made it look like the Blood Food had been transported away, waiting for the fuss to die down before returning to secretly take it away. However, the Old Shopkeeper had seen through it and deduced that they would surely return.
But if the Shopkeeper had guessed it, why didn't he tell the people above?
"Ha, ha……"
Caught off guard by the Shopkeeper's revelation of his secret, the man was greatly surprised. But in the end, he seemed to think of something and suddenly burst into laughter: "Unlike your daughter, you are indeed clever."
"Unfortunately, you're wrong. You think you can ask us about the whereabouts of that batch of Blood Food? Let me tell you, you're thinking too much, because Grandpa Nine never told us……"
"I was just ordered to come and check if the showman is dead or alive, and to prepare two large carts."
"I don't know anything else. Even if you kill me and try to ask the spirits, you won't get anything……"
"……"
The Old Shopkeeper stared at him intently. The man, though anxious, deliberately puffed out his chest and looked at the Old Shopkeeper, his eyes not dodging, seemingly to prove that he was telling the truth.
The Old Shopkeeper, after a brief silence, sighed softly and said to Hu Ma, "Prepare three incense sticks, a pair of candles, and get a basin to catch the blood."
"You……you……"
The man finally couldn't hold it in and showed his panic: "I told you, I really don't know……"
"Yes."
The Old Shopkeeper said, "But I still have to ask. Not just to find out about that batch of Blood Food, but mainly to make you suffer a bit!"
The man, upon hearing this, turned pale, a chill gripping his heart.
Hu Ma didn’t dare to be negligent and hurriedly searched inside the house, indeed finding the incense and candles the Shopkeeper needed.
Amusingly, they were found in a black bundle, which clearly didn’t belong to the Tofu Zhao Family but seemed to be carried by this Vat Sect man.
After handing them to the Shopkeeper, the Shopkeeper also dragged this man and strode into the Main Hall.
No one knew what happened inside, but the Shopkeeper must have used some method to seal this man’s mouth and nose to prevent his screams from alarming the neighbors.
However, Hu Ma could feel the coldness invading his body, the surroundings becoming eerily uncomfortable, as if some non-human entities had entered the courtyard. He mobilized the Alchemical Furnace and barely managed to hold on.
.
"This Main Hall……"
He glanced at the Main Hall but quickly averted his gaze.
He didn't know what kind of bizarre and cruel punishment was taking place in the Main Hall, but Hu Ma understood that it must be quite a spectacle.
After a full incense stick, the Shopkeeper finally came out.
Hu Ma saw that he was covered in blood from head to toe, his face dark as if he had returned from hell.
Silently, he pulled down the drying cloth and handed it to the Shopkeeper.
After the Shopkeeper wiped his hands and face, he casually threw it and sat on the millstone, silently smoking his pipe.
"Are you not curious?"
After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly asked Hu Ma.
"Not curious."
Hu Ma said, "That's not something a mere incense-burner Apprentice can worry about. I just came to repay the Shopkeeper for his teachings."
"I don't want to hear about other things."
"……"
The Shopkeeper looked at him, seemingly seeing that he wasn't lying, and softly sighed, "You are indeed smart."
"Actually, I don't care about the stolen Blood Food either. After all, I've already taken the blame. Now, I just want to wait for this bunch of scum from the Vat Sect to return, and I will kill them all."
"……"
The courtyard fell into a long silence once again.
Hu Ma suddenly said, "But if I have one question, I do care……"
"Wu He Sister, can she still be cured? Maybe those people have the antidote or the counter-technique?"
"……"
In the dim light, the oil Smoke flickered, but it was clear that Shopkeeper's eyes seemed to dim.
After a long time, he said softly, "It's difficult, too difficult……"
"That Livestock Creation Technique, using boiling oil to scald her skin, then peeling the skin off a vicious dog, and using secret methods to refine and refine it, pasting it onto her, making it grow together, inseparable……"
"……It's all part of her life!"
"But I am her Elder Brother, I can't just ignore it. I have to try my luck with her."
"……"
Hu Ma didn’t ask more, and said softly, "We should go back, Shopkeeper, the other side should have prepared the items."
."
(End of Chapter)
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