Walking on a rural path at night is always nerve-wracking, especially when the surroundings are eerily silent, with no one in sight.
The fields are dotted with overgrown graves, and the willow branches sway gently in the breeze.
In his previous life, Hu Ma was a timid person, and in this life, he had been constantly plagued by evil spirits, so much so that he rarely dared to step outside.
Now, even though he had learned some cultivation techniques, he had never experienced anything like this before.
Even during his usual night patrols, he was always accompanied by a group of people, carrying the lantern of the Red Lantern Lady.
This was the first time he was walking alone in the pitch-dark night, but his heart was surprisingly calm... after all, he had Little Ghost with him!
Summoning his courage, he tightened his grip on the knife, hoisted Little Hongtang onto his back, and strode forward.
He was quite familiar with the rural paths from his usual patrols, and soon he rounded a hillside.
After walking another three or four miles along the narrow path, he saw a dimly lit village at the foot of the mountain in the distance.
The flickering light suggested that Xu Ji and his group had already arrived.
The village wasn’t the kind of place that would light up for no reason at night.
Hu Ma stopped outside the village, frowning.
This area was beyond their usual patrol route, and he had no idea what might be lurking there.
In fact, although he had accepted this difficult task, he knew nothing about what it entailed.
The old shopkeeper had mentioned that there was an evil spirit lingering there for quite some time, but what exactly was it?
"Ah..."
Just as Hu Ma was pondering this, Little Hongtang suddenly spoke up in her crisp voice: "They went to Sister Well."
Hu Ma was taken aback.
"Huh? What Sister Well?"
"There's a pitiful sister who hides in the well and cries every day," Little Hongtang said, looking up at Hu Ma.
"I tried talking to her, but she ignored me."
Hu Ma was even more surprised.
"When did you go there?"
"I go often..."
Little Hongtang replied.
"Brother Hu Ma usually ignores me, so I go out to play. But there's no one around to play with, so I have to find friends nearby..."
She sounded a bit aggrieved.
"But I don’t know anyone around here. The sister in the well to the west won’t talk to me, the Stone Lord to the south gets angry when he sees people, and the family to the north loves to bully others..."
Hu Ma was a bit stunned.
Little Hongtang had quite the adventurous streak! But there was no helping it.
Within a ten-mile radius of the village, no evil spirits were allowed to linger, as they had all been driven away in the name of the Red Lantern Lady.
Recently, Little Hongtang had been spending her days playing outside, so she had become quite familiar with the area.
Hu Ma’s heart stirred.
He sat down, still holding his knife, and said to Little Hongtang, "Go and take a look, but stay far away. Don’t get too close. See if those people are bullying your Sister Well."
Little Hongtang, who had already been promised a treat by Hu Ma, nodded vigorously and darted off into the night, her red figure quickly disappearing into the darkness.
Now alone, Hu Ma felt the chill of the night air as the wind swirled around him.
He tightened his grip on the knife and spoke firmly into the darkness, "I’m just passing through. Let’s not interfere with each other, and no one should provoke anyone else!"
With that, he drew his knife halfway and laid it across his knees.
He wasn’t sure if it would work or if anything was even listening, but the wind seemed to die down a bit.
If anyone heard him, he hoped his words would have some effect.
He didn’t want any unnecessary trouble.
If no one heard him, well, talking to himself wasn’t so bad.
After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Little Hongtang came running back from the village, looking anxious.
"Brother Hu Ma, they’re really bullying Sister Well! They’re pouring something smelly into the well, hitting her hair with old tools, and chopping at the edge of the well with knives. They’ve even formed a circle and are spitting fire at her, trying to burn her!"
Hearing this, Hu Ma was certain that the evil spirit the old shopkeeper had mentioned was indeed the one in the well.
He didn’t know if it was someone who had drowned in the well or something that had grown there, but it was clearly the core of this challenge.
It seemed Xu Ji had already found a way to deal with her, and it wouldn’t be long before he succeeded.
So, what should he do now? Hu Ma glanced down at the knife in his hands.
He had already thought of two options before he left.
Either he could use his cultivation to go and snatch the victory from Xu Ji, or...
He quickly made up his mind and pulled out a small paper package from his pocket, slowly unwrapping it.
Little Hongtang didn’t know what it was at first, but as the package opened, her eyes lit up, and she stared intently at it.
Not just her, but even the surrounding darkness seemed to grow more lively.
Inside the package were a few pieces of blackened meat.
This was cut from the piece of Green Tai Sui that Second Master had left for him.
However, while the Green Tai Sui was tempting, it wasn’t enough.
So, Hu Ma had also taken out a Blood Food Pill given to him by Granny and squeezed its blood onto the Green Tai Sui.
This made the Green Tai Sui smell like Blood Tai Sui.
There was a term for this: "fooling ghosts."
This was what Hu Ma had hastily prepared before leaving the village.
If he went over with his knife to fight, Xu Ji had old tools, and it wasn’t certain that Hu Ma could overpower him.
Plus, it might reveal his true cultivation level.
Moreover, if he wanted to win, he had to win decisively, so that the old shopkeeper would have no choice but to pass on the cultivation method to him.
"Little Hongtang, take these and run around the area," Hu Ma said, handing the package to her.
"Don’t eat any of it."
Little Hongtang hesitated, swallowing hard and shaking her head.
"I can’t do that. Someone will snatch it from me. In the village, I can deliver food to you because Granny watches over me, and no one dares to take it. But out here, they’ll all try to steal it from me..."
Hu Ma reassured her, "It’s fine. Let them take it. Just run fast, and if someone catches up to you, throw a piece away."
He gave her careful instructions, then looked toward the village, where the light still flickered.
"Preferably, throw it near the village."
...
Meanwhile, in the village at the foot of the mountain, Xu Ji had his men set up several torches around the area.
The wind was blowing fiercely, making the flames flicker wildly.
Xu Ji himself held a red wooden sword, his eyes fixed on the damp well opening as he shouted, "Keep going! Don’t be afraid!"
The men around him were terrified, their hearts pounding as they closed their eyes and fumbled around.
Some were frantically scraping the walls with their knives, creating a metallic clanging sound.
Others were holding their breath, ready to exhale toward the well at any moment.
Xu Ji’s two lackeys were yelling at a terrified Li Wa, forcing him to pour a jar of blood into the well.
The villagers, hiding in their homes, watched in fear.
They had no idea why these Blood Food Society members had gone mad.
Earlier, the villagers had asked them to deal with the evil spirit in the well, but they had refused, saying it was too troublesome.
Now, they had come in the middle of the night to stir up trouble.
But who in their right mind would provoke the thing in the well at night? Some villagers had tried to stop them, but seeing how fierce and armed they were, the timid villagers had retreated to their homes, trembling.
"It’s going to work, it has to work..."
Xu Ji muttered to himself, gritting his teeth to bolster his courage.
Every step he took was carefully calculated.
Having the men scrape the well’s edge with knives and pour things into it was meant to force the thing inside to come out.
They had already succeeded once—a strand of wet hair had reached out and tried to drag someone into the well.
But Xu Ji’s old tool was powerful.
With a single slash of his sword, the thing had let out a shrill scream and retreated back into the well.
To be safe, Xu Ji had his men form a circle around the well.
These men weren’t skilled in cultivation and didn’t know techniques like the True Yang Arrow, but as long as they held their breath and exhaled at the right moment, they could use the fiery energy in their bodies to repel the evil spirit.
This way, Xu Ji had set up a trap, ensuring the thing couldn’t escape.
This trial was his to win, and the old shopkeeper’s cultivation method would undoubtedly be his.
"Keep it up!" Xu Ji shouted at Li Wa.
"If you keep dawdling, I’ll throw you in!"
Li Wa, pale with fear, closed his eyes and stumbled to the edge of the well, ready to pour the blood in.
Xu Ji tensed, knowing that this would surely force the thing out.
He just had to time it right—one slash of his sword, and it would be over.
But just as success seemed within reach, a sudden, bone-chilling wind swept through the village.
The torches around the well, already flickering in the eerie breeze, were instantly extinguished, plunging the area into darkness.
The men shivered, their ears filled with strange, otherworldly sounds.
The cold seeped into their bones, making their vision blur.
Unseen by them, a little girl in red was running for her life, pursued by a horde of dark, grotesque figures.
(End of Chapter)