As Hu Ma was startled by the eerie scene before him, the old shopkeeper acted swiftly.
Without even glancing at the human skin, he stepped forward and barged into the main hall.
It was pitch dark, and Hu Ma couldn’t see what was happening inside.
With his crutch in hand, he didn’t dare to rush in recklessly.
All he could hear was chaos—cries of pain and the sound of jars breaking.
But within moments, the old shopkeeper dragged a man out and said in a low voice, “Light the lamp!”
“Yes!” Hu Ma replied, startled.
He quickly took out a fire starter from his pocket and went inside to find the oil lamp.
The faint light from the fire starter illuminated the room, and with a single glance, Hu Ma was so shocked he forgot to breathe.
It was too eerie.
The floor was covered in blood—some dried, some fresh.
The furniture and utensils were shattered, as if a fierce fight had just taken place.
Following the light, Hu Ma saw a jar on a wooden table against the wall.
It looked similar to the one he had seen with the peddler, but slightly larger.
The jar was broken, and a strange, pale object had spilled out.
It resembled some kind of embryo, but larger, almost like a deformed baby girl.
The sight was chilling.
The thing had been crushed, but parts of its flesh were still trembling.
In front of the jar, incense was burning, and there were three offerings.
The first offering was a skull, still clinging to bits of flesh and blood, its hollow eye sockets staring at the ceiling.
The second plate held a set of heart and liver.
The third plate was filled with five white steamed buns—real buns.
Zhou Datong’s information was indeed accurate.
The shadowy figure that had sneaked into the Zhao family that night was indeed from the Jar Sect.
They had secretly murdered Widow Zhao, used her flesh and blood for sacrifice, and processed her skin with dark arts to deceive the neighbors.
The human skin could move and speak.
Even Hu Ma had almost been fooled, let alone the neighbors.
Thinking of the man’s cruelty, Hu Ma shuddered.
But he forced himself to stay calm, found the oil lamp that had fallen to the side, and lit it with the fire starter.
He then brought it out.
The old shopkeeper was sitting on the stone mill in the yard, while the man he had dragged out knelt stiffly in front of him.
Though his hands and feet weren’t tied, it seemed the shopkeeper had used some method to restrain him.
The man looked utterly hopeless, his eyes closed.
“Speak!” the old shopkeeper said coldly.
He grabbed a dried shirt from the yard, wiped the blood off his hands, and tossed it aside.
Then, with a dark gaze, he looked at the kneeling man and sneered, “Where has Sun Lao Jiu been hiding? When will he return?”
The man seemed to know he was doomed.
He kept his eyes closed for a long time before finally opening them.
With a bitter smile, he said, “So Hua Saozi is missing. I guess he’s in your hands too, huh? Heh, old man, don’t waste your time. Just give me a quick death. I won’t talk.”
“Still playing tough?” Hu Ma was slightly surprised.
He glanced at the man, who looked like a typical villager.
The blood on his face made him seem sinister, but without it, he actually looked kind and cheerful.
“Trying to act like a tough guy, huh?” the old shopkeeper sneered. “That peddler earlier, Hua Saozi, was just like you. He refused to talk, but after I killed him, I asked him again, and he spilled everything.”
The man’s expression changed.
He looked at the shopkeeper with disbelief, his voice trembling. “You… you questioned him after he was dead? Since when do you, the Night Watchers, know the art of torturing souls?”
“I learned it just for you,” the old shopkeeper said calmly. “Cost me three pounds of blood food to trade for this skill. But it was worth it. If I hadn’t learned it, how could I properly welcome you old friends when you returned?”
The man’s mind was in turmoil.
His voice grew hoarse. “How… how did you know we’d come back?”
The shopkeeper glanced at the two large carts parked in the yard.
The Zhao family made tofu, so having a cart was normal—useful for collecting soybeans or selling tofu.
But a tofu shop with two carts made the yard feel cramped.
The shopkeeper looked at the man with a cold smile. “You think your Jar Sect tricks can fool me? You talk about deceiving the heavens and crossing the seas, but there’s no way a bunch of lowlifes like you could move such a large amount of blood food. No matter how fancy your tricks are, I knew you’d come back. That’s why I’ve been waiting here for you.”
Hearing this, not only was the man shocked, but Hu Ma also confirmed his earlier suspicions.
The blood food was indeed still around the town.
Erguotou had guessed right—the blood food hadn’t been taken away, despite attracting evil spirits.
It wasn’t hidden by the old shopkeeper, but by the Jar Sect.
They had created the illusion that the blood food had been taken, waiting for the heat to die down before secretly moving it.
But the old shopkeeper had seen through their plan and knew they’d return.
However, if the shopkeeper had figured it out, why hadn’t he reported it to his superiors?
The man suddenly burst into laughter. “Haha, you’re smart, old man, unlike your daughter. But you’re wrong. You think you can get the location of the blood food from me? Dream on. Ninth Grandpa never told me anything. I was just sent here to check if Hua Saozi was alive or dead and to prepare these two carts. That’s all I know. Even if you kill me and try to question my soul, you won’t get anything.”
The old shopkeeper stared at him intently.
The man, though nervous, met his gaze without flinching, as if proving he was telling the truth.
After a moment of silence, the shopkeeper sighed and said to Hu Ma, “Get me three sticks of incense, a pair of candles, and a basin to catch the blood.”
The man finally panicked. “I told you, I don’t know anything!”
“I know,” the shopkeeper said. “But I still need to ask. Not just for the blood food, but to make you suffer.”
The man’s face turned pale, a chill gripping his heart.
Hu Ma didn’t dare delay.
He quickly searched the house and found the incense and candles the shopkeeper needed.
Ironically, they were in a black bundle that clearly didn’t belong to the Zhao family but seemed to be the Jar Sect man’s personal belongings.
When Hu Ma handed them over, the shopkeeper grabbed the man and strode back into the main hall.
Hu Ma didn’t know what was happening inside, but he could feel a chilling aura spreading through the yard, as if something inhuman had entered.
He had to focus his inner fire to resist the cold.
He glanced at the main hall but quickly looked away.
Whatever cruel and bizarre punishment was happening inside, Hu Ma knew it must be horrifying.
After what felt like an eternity, the shopkeeper finally emerged, covered in blood, his face dark as if he had just returned from hell.
Hu Ma silently handed him a cloth to wipe his hands and face.
The shopkeeper sat down on the millstone and lit his pipe, smoking in silence.
After a long while, he suddenly asked Hu Ma, “Aren’t you curious?”
“No,” Hu Ma replied. “That’s not something a lowly incense burner like me should meddle with. I’m just here to repay your kindness in teaching me. I don’t want to know anything else.”
The shopkeeper looked at him, seemingly satisfied that Hu Ma wasn’t lying, and sighed. “You’re smart. Truth is, I don’t care about the stolen blood food either. I’ve already taken the blame for it. All I want now is to wait for these Jar Sect scum to return and kill every last one of them.”
The yard fell into silence again.
After a while, Hu Ma spoke up. “But there is one thing I do care about… Can He Meizi be cured? Maybe those people have an antidote or a way to reverse it?”
In the dim light of the oil lamp, the shopkeeper’s eyes seemed to darken.
After a long pause, he said softly, “It’s hard… too hard. The Beast-Crafting Technique burned her skin with boiling oil, then skinned a vicious dog and fused its hide to her body using dark arts. It’s grown into her now, inseparable… It’s her fate. But I’m her father. I can’t just give up. I have to try.”
Hu Ma didn’t ask further.
He simply said, “We should head back, shopkeeper. The exchange should be ready by now.”
(End of Chapter)