"Is this the place?" Hu Ma stood still, his eyes darting around cautiously as he looked at the large locust tree.
Half of the tree was charred black, and the ground was littered with scattered bells.
The branches and leaves hung limply, as if withered.
"Was it here that Granny fought with it?" Hu Ma wondered silently.
"This is the famous Locust Granny of Old Yin Mountain," Second Uncle said softly as he approached the tree, slowing his steps.
"In the past, when a family lost a child, they would throw the body into the pigpen, grind it up, and use it as fertilizer. But ever since Locust Granny appeared, people started bringing the bodies here to bury them. And if a family couldn't conceive, they would come here to pray, and soon they would have a child."
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Hu Ma thought, recalling the black orbs on the branches during the fight between Granny and the locust tree.
They had looked like infant forms, and the memory sent a shiver down his spine.
He looked up nervously.
"Why did it fight with Granny?"
"That's the strange part," Second Uncle said, his voice filled with bewilderment.
"Locust Granny is known as a benevolent deity in these parts. She helps the souls of deceased children reincarnate. Granny even advised families who couldn't conceive to come here and pray. If they were sincere and offered sacrifices, they would bow three times, and if the bells rang, it meant a child was willing to follow them. The more bells that rang, the more children would follow. How could such a kind spirit fight with Granny?"
"Reincarnating infants?" Hu Ma's mind raced with strange thoughts, but he was too anxious to dwell on them.
"It wasn't them fighting," a voice interrupted.
Hu Ma turned to see the old shopkeeper and the sedan carriers arriving.
The old shopkeeper stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the chaotic scene with a cold smile.
"The locust tree's spirit has been corrupted. Something powerful must have possessed it, turning it into a puppet. That's why it fought with your Granny."
"Then what?" Hu Ma asked, immediately thinking of the white-faced mountain demon that had been sent to find him.
It seemed the Meng family's creatures were skilled in such dark arts.
He grew worried about Granny's condition.
The old shopkeeper glanced around, as if piecing together the scene.
He sighed softly.
"Your Granny has a kind heart. She knew the locust tree and the little spirits inhabiting it were innocent. That's why she summoned the yin lightning but only struck half of the tree, sparing its life."
Hu Ma and Second Uncle exchanged glances, understanding that this was indeed Granny's way of doing things.
"But," the old shopkeeper continued, "in a battle between spirit summoners, showing mercy is a fatal mistake. By sparing the tree, she must have suffered greatly."
"What?" Hu Ma's heart sank.
"Where is Granny now?"
The old shopkeeper frowned, scanning the area as if calculating something.
Just then, Little Hong Tang, who had followed Hu Ma, suddenly perked up.
She sniffed the air and cried out joyfully, "Granny!" Without waiting, she darted into the nearby woods.
Hu Ma immediately followed, with Second Uncle close behind, gripping his machete tightly.
The old shopkeeper watched them go, stopping the curious sedan carriers from following.
"Don't meddle. There's still something dangerous here."
Hu Ma hurried after Little Hong Tang, pushing through overgrown paths until he saw a cliff ahead.
Behind sparse trees, he spotted a cave with faint smoke drifting out.
"Is Granny there?" he thought, quickening his pace.
But suddenly, Little Hong Tang was pounced on by a dark figure.
The two tumbled together, snarling and biting like wild animals.
Hu Ma saw it was a small, blackened figure, radiating a cold, twisted aura.
Before he could react, a chilling laugh echoed.
Hu Ma froze, turning to see four or five similar creatures crouching on the ground and in the trees, their pale eyes fixed on him.
But the laugh came from a goat that emerged from behind a tree.
Its horizontal pupils sent a shiver down his spine.
The laugh was its cry, cold and menacing.
An upright goat! Hu Ma recognized it as one of the monsters he had seen before.
It looked normal but was the most unsettling.
"It's controlling the spirits on the locust tree," Second Uncle said, stepping forward.
"These infants weren't evil, but they've been corrupted. They can no longer reincarnate."
Second Uncle handed his machete to Hu Ma.
"You can't handle this, Little Hu Ma. Let me deal with it. Go check on Granny."
Reassured by Second Uncle's presence, Hu Ma nodded and took the machete, charging forward.
The twisted infant spirits lunged at him, their cries filling his ears, making him dizzy and nauseous.
But his inner furnace ignited, fueling his movements.
He pressed on, while Second Uncle stepped in, letting out a roar that sent the spirits reeling.
Second Uncle's decades of martial arts training imbued his voice with a yang energy that repelled evil.
But the spirits, now fully corrupted, attacked again.
Second Uncle blocked with a defensive stance, but the sharp teeth of the spirits sank into his arm, drawing blood.
Yet, as his blood touched them, they writhed in pain, smoke rising from their bodies.
With a swing of his arm, he flung them away, and several dissipated mid-air.
At the same time, the goat let out another eerie laugh.
It bent its front knees, lowering its head as if to bow.
"The old goat is bowing!" Second Uncle's expression turned grave.
In the villages, livestock that lived too long sometimes became strange, learning to stand and even bow like humans.
But a bow from such a creature could knock the soul out of a person.
There were tales of shepherds losing their souls and walking off cliffs after such a bow.
Second Uncle didn't dare take chances.
As the goat bowed, he dropped to his knees and bowed back, their heads colliding with a loud thud.
Both staggered, dazed.
The goat's eyes narrowed, and it lunged again, headbutting fiercely.
Second Uncle met it head-on, the two locked in a brutal clash.
Meanwhile, Hu Ma dashed forward, grabbing Little Hong Tang and flinging the attacking spirit away.
With a shout, he expelled a burst of yang energy from his inner furnace, piercing the spirit and causing it to vanish.
Holding Little Hong Tang in one hand and the machete in the other, Hu Ma charged toward the cave.
(End of Chapter)