"Ah, where is this?"
"Quick, quick, let's get back to the village..."
"My hand... why does it hurt so much? Where is my hand?"
"..."
These workers had been bewitched by the Yellow Immortals, their minds clouded.
It was only when Hu Ma used his redwood sword to stir their vitality and dispel the lingering yin energy left by the Yellow Immortals that they finally woke up.
In the midst of their panic, they suddenly regained consciousness, their courage shattered, and intense pain surged through them.
They clutched their fingers, howling in agony.
"Master Xu Ji, where is Master Xu Ji?"
Some thought of Xu Ji, shouting hoarsely, "You've ruined us! You have to protect us..."
"Look carefully before you shout!"
Hu Ma stood in the shadows, holding a knife in his left hand and the redwood sword in his right, coldly watching them.
"It's you?"
When the workers saw Hu Ma, they were startled but also calmed down a bit.
If they had seen Xu Ji, their panic would have continued, the cold and fearful energy lingering.
But seeing Hu Ma, though surprising, their fear dissipated.
They asked in confusion, "You... why are you here?"
"I've been following you all along..."
Hu Ma said gravely, "I thought it was unreliable for you to come out in the middle of the night to deal with evil spirits. From a distance, I saw your torches go out and heard screams, so I rushed over. What happened? Why are there so many evil spirits around?"
"Where's that Master Xu Ji? Wasn't he so confident? How come you all got bewitched, and he ran off?"
"... I just found his redwood sword!"
"..."
"I... I don't know..."
The workers, scolded by Hu Ma, became more alert, some even crying as they spoke.
Even his two followers trembled, "Master Xu... Master Xu said nothing would happen, but then it did."
"Enough!"
Seeing they had nothing useful to say, and his goal achieved, Hu Ma barked, "Right now, saving lives is the priority."
"Seven or eight of you came out, but only a few are left. The others must be trapped in the village. Now, follow me. Light the torches, and we'll head back to the village to check..."
"Ah..."
The workers were terrified.
They had just encountered disaster in that village.
Who would dare go back?
But Hu Ma had anticipated their reaction and snorted coldly, "I'm going, no matter what."
"If you don't want to, go back to the village on your own!"
"..."
With that, he gripped the redwood sword and strode towards the village.
The remaining workers exchanged glances, then quickly followed him.
None of them dared to return to the village alone.
Earlier, even together, they had fallen victim.
Now, with their fingers nearly gone and their courage shattered, they had no confidence to make the ten-mile journey back to the village alone or even in pairs.
Their only choice was to follow the still-calm Hu Ma.
Even those reluctant had no choice but to follow when they saw the others doing so.
"As long as they follow, this plan is half successful..."
Hu Ma thought calmly, knowing these workers were just scared out of their wits.
But in terms of foundation, none of them were simple.
It seemed like he was leading them to safety, but in reality, he needed their help to dispel the evil.
In terms of cultivation, he was stronger than any of them, but together, their combined strength was something he couldn't match alone.
Without them, in this chaotic night filled with demons, whatever he tried to do would be ten times harder.
With the workers following, their presence alone boosted morale.
Though they couldn't light torches, the sheer number of them made the surroundings seem brighter.
Guided by Little Red Tang, they soon found two more workers who had gotten separated.
One of them was circling a graveyard, walking in endless loops.
Hu Ma approached and woke him with a tap of the redwood sword.
Seeing so many people around, the man screamed in fright.
When questioned, he said he had been running, following someone ahead, feeling like he had run dozens of miles.
But when he opened his eyes, he realized he had been circling the graveyard.
"It's nighttime. If you encounter something, it's not their fault. You're the one who disturbed them!"
Hu Ma said softly, "Apologize to them!"
This worker, who usually didn't respect Hu Ma much (otherwise he wouldn't have followed Xu Ji), now had no objections.
He knelt and kowtowed repeatedly to the grave.
Hu Ma tightened his grip on the redwood sword, coldly watching the grave.
He thought, "Tonight, all sorts of evil spirits are active. If you're powerful, fine, but you, hiding in a grave, causing trouble? If this apology works, fine. If not, I'll stab you with this sword."
Fortunately, after a few kowtows, a faint sigh seemed to come from the grave, and then all was quiet.
"Good."
Hu Ma led the man who had been circling the graveyard away and continued towards the village.
After this incident, the workers' trust in Hu Ma grew.
Their courage returned, and the earlier panic faded.
They followed Hu Ma, stumbling through the dark, and soon found another missing worker.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
The man was hanging from a tree, swaying gently.
"We'll settle this at dawn. Let's leave now and find the others in the village..."
Hu Ma glanced at the hanging man.
The surroundings were dark, with a chilling wind, but he couldn't see anything.
Yet, his instincts told him something was wrong.
These workers, after all, had lit their furnaces and had considerable cultivation.
It was understandable that they could be bewitched in the middle of the night, but to be driven to hang themselves? That required a deeper level of evil power.
Of course, this judgment was also influenced by Little Red Tang.
Little Red Tang, watching the hanging man from a distance, had all her fur standing on end, baring her teeth at him.
Only a fool would provoke such a thing in the middle of the night, so Hu Ma made a quick decision.
Let's go!
This decision to retreat didn't make the workers doubt him.
Instead, it made them feel more secure.
They were already scared out of their wits, and having someone take charge gave them a sense of stability.
Whether Hu Ma was helping or ordering a retreat, it showed he was in control.
They didn't scatter in fear but stuck close to him.
Soon, after circling around, they approached the village.
Returning to this place, everyone turned pale and shivered.
Hu Ma carefully observed the village.
It wasn't large, just about a hundred households.
From a distance, it looked like a dried-up scar.
Under the heavy night, it seemed to have a flowing quality, the entire village gently undulating.
"What is that..."
When Hu Ma focused, his heart trembled: "Hair?"
The entire surface of the village was covered in strands of black hair, floating gently in the night breeze.
From afar, it felt lifeless, only a bone-chilling cold.
Accompanied by the night wind, faint sobbing and crying sounds drifted over.
This yin energy...
Hu Ma couldn't help but get goosebumps.
Just this terrifying yin energy alone was more powerful than what had driven the workers to hang themselves earlier...
"We can't charge in recklessly. Light the torches first!"
Hu Ma became cautious, gripping the wooden sword and staring towards the village, quietly instructing the workers.
The workers obeyed without question, quickly scattering to find materials.
Around the village, there were plenty of branches, and the workers usually carried oil or black ointment refined from black fungus, both of which could help ignite a fire.
A few branches tied together, smeared with the oil, and a simple torch was ready.
Soon, seven or eight torches were lit, brightening the surroundings and restoring the workers' courage.
"Let's go!"
Hu Ma gave the order, and the group, holding the torches, slowly approached the village.
As the light drew closer, surprisingly, the black hair that seemed to cover the entire village in the night disappeared.
They entered the village smoothly, though in the unseen corners, strands of hair still seemed to float.
"Xu Ji wasn't reckless earlier; he must have had a plan..."
Hu Ma thought, "Now that the evil spirits Little Red Tang lured are gradually leaving, it's the perfect time for me to make a move!"
With this in mind, he used the torchlight to carefully advance, seeing the low, dilapidated houses and the stone well in the center of the village road, its rim wet and smooth, the water deep and dark.
As they approached, the yin wind around them suddenly grew stronger.
Faint sobbing sounds seemed to come from the well, intermittent and growing clearer as they got closer.
The workers' faces turned paler, their legs trembling, their bodies stiffening.
The evil spirits were growing more ferocious.
Xu Ji's failure had only made them stronger, and with the night deepening, approaching midnight—the most terrifying time for evil spirits—how could they not be afraid after their earlier ordeal?
"All of you, stop here!"
At that moment, Hu Ma's voice rang out.
His face was stern as he barked, "Keep the torches bright. I'll go deal with her myself!"
Tonight at midnight, there will be more updates.
(End of Chapter)