"What are the flames on the ground for? Why does it smell like sulfur and white phosphorus?"
Hu Ma and Aunt Zhang returned, noticed the peculiar smell, saw the slightly smug look on Housekeeper Zhou's face, and the reverent eyes of the cart driver and the attendants directed at him. They were immediately curious.
Housekeeper Zhou chuckled. "Forgive my poor skills," he said, "but I've entered the Path before. It's just that I've been at Li Residence for so many years, it's been a bit neglected. Given the dangers on this road, I thought I'd use the little shopkeeper's silver to prepare a few things to lend a hand if needed."
Hu Ma now understood that the Ghost Walkers had many tricks up their sleeves, and those from the trick door even more, each seeming incredibly mystical. However, it was hard to say how many of these tricks were real. It didn't really matter, so he just glanced at him, smiling as he asked, "So, what are you good at?"
Housekeeper Zhou appeared a bit embarrassed. "Specific skills are hard to describe," he said, "but I have some understanding of disguise and ventriloquism. If I prepare sufficiently, I could even use the legendary immortal rope. But the preparation time wasn't enough, so I can't really use it now."
Hu Ma nodded. "Sounds impressive... Teach me these tricks sometime?"
Housekeeper Zhou's expression froze. This little shopkeeper from the Blood Food Gang, who saved the young lady, is good-hearted, but... very eager to learn!
That Walking Ghost Aunt was straightforward and didn't mind Hu Ma digging for all her secrets.
But our trick door is different. Every skill is worth its weight in gold and silver. Some people worked for free for three years just to learn one skill, and he's directly asking me for it. Should I give it to him or not?
Luckily, although he worried, Hu Ma didn't really press him for the skills.
After all, the Shousui man only valued real things. The few tricks of the trick door might not even catch Shopkeeper Hu's eye!
In any case, after dealing with the wild dogs among the beggar corpses, they hurried on their way. Looking around, they saw desolation everywhere: overgrown weeds, red-eyed crows, scattered white bones, and distant winds that seemed to carry the sound of ghostly cries. Even if they didn't encounter the wild dogs of the beggar corpses, there was no telling what else they might run into. In such a ghostly place, it was better to move on quickly.
Of course, the cart driver and two attendants now felt braver. With such an old immortal following them, what was there to fear? Immediately, they urged the donkey forward, the wheels rattling over the gravel as they pressed on.
That night, they didn't reach a village or town, so they rested in the wild. It was a quiet night—except for an ashen-faced old lady who crawled out of a grave, glanced at them, and then crawled back in—nothing else happened.
「The next day」
Around midday, they skirted a distant mountain. A strong, putrid odor emanated from it, spreading for miles. Its yin qi soared into the sky, and even in broad daylight, they could vaguely see flags waving, as if sentries were patrolling. But upon closer inspection, there was nothing there.
The only things visible by the roadside were scattered white bones, pieces of broken cart frames, and shattered spears. They began to suspect that this might be the infamous Eggs Mountain, where a formidable expert had wiped out an entire bandit village overnight. The thought chilled them, prompting them to urge the donkey cart faster, not daring to linger.
Even Aunt Zhang, after passing by, couldn't help but look back and sigh. "I imagine those slaughtered bandits had grievances, wishing to claim the mountain as kings even in death," she said. "But if such an expert could annihilate them overnight, how could they not know that merely killing them would leave such strong resentment, possibly leading to greater disasters? The locals moved away before; now it seems nearly impossible for them to return. Another Evil Land..."
Hu Ma observed Aunt Zhang's actions and words throughout, promptly asking, "Aunt, what is an Evil Land?"
"An Evil Land is a place rife with evil spirits, deeply entrenched, where the living cannot stay," Aunt Zhang explained. "In the past, our Mingzhou Prefecture faced similar issues with green-clad spirits causing trouble. But at least we had living people, Ghost Walkers, and warm-hearted shopkeepers like yourself working for the people's safety, which is how we survived that disaster. But some places have barely any living people, let alone anyone to handle the evil spirits. Look at that Ghost Village—fierce energy overflowing, ghost qi soaring—it's a veritable ghost's nest. I'm afraid soon no living soul will dare to come here."
"Quite impressive indeed..." Hu Ma also took a glance back. The mountain was already out of sight, yet ominous clouds still loomed above where it had been, unsettling to behold. Vaguely, it reminded him of Juehu Village in the Old Yin Mountain. He just couldn't quite understand if it was the expert who could slay bandits but not deal with ghosts, or if it was... intentional?
To investigate might yield unknown answers, but everyone was focused on escorting the spirit back to their homeland, merely sighing as they pressed on urgently.
It was now midday, and they were intent on moving as fast as possible. Whatever happened, they were determined not to rest within fifty miles of the Ghost Village. After all, these men had been vicious bandits when alive; who knew how fierce they'd be in death?
Thus, hurrying along without a break at noon, progress became increasingly difficult. The area was overgrown with thick grass, the road rugged, with scattered blockages of logs and stones. Several wooden bridges showed signs of being hacked at with axes and blades, presumably the handiwork of those bandits before they died.
Their anxiety grew, and at that precise moment, inexplicably, the donkey cart's journey became bumpier and more obstructed. If it wasn't a wheel getting stuck, it was a donkey's hoof tripping. One or two incidents they could handle; when the cart's wheel got stuck in a muddy pit, Hu Ma just lifted it out with one hand and they continued on. But as it happened repeatedly, his expression grew peculiar. He looked at the donkey. "Are you being unruly?"
The donkey, having been beaten once before, looked back at him with big, pitiful eyes.
"It's not the donkey's fault." Aunt Zhang had been observing coldly all along. She subtly tugged Hu Ma's sleeve and whispered, "Something doesn't want us to leave. It's pulling the donkey's hooves!"
Hu Ma was startled. He quickly looked down and caught sight of a greenish hand flashing out from under the cart wheel. It yanked at the donkey's hoof, nearly tripping the animal again. Its large, bewildered head looked sorrowfully back at Hu Ma.
"Is it the village?" A jolt went through Hu Ma's heart as he glanced backward. Could it be the ghosts from that village trying to keep them until nightfall?
"There's heavy malevolent energy here." Aunt Zhang sighed softly. They stopped, and she took out the incense acquired from the merchant caravan from her bundle. She lit bunches and placed them around the cart, even sticking one on the donkey's head. The others were each given a stick to hold. Only then did they resume their journey, picking up the pace, moving forward with wisps of fragrant smoke trailing behind them.
Aunt Zhang's incense array had kept the forest's malevolent spirits from noticing them, and it seemed effective here too. Now, as they hurried on, they indeed no longer encountered little ghosts pulling at the donkey's hooves. A sense of oppression weighed on their hearts, and they quickened their pace even more.
Traveling further, they encountered a small river where the wooden bridge had been chopped down. They opted not to search for a longer, alternate path. Hu Ma had the cart driver lead the donkey across first. He then made two trips himself: first, he and Housekeeper Zhou carried the coffin over the river. Next, he called upon the other two attendants to help. He lifted one end of the cart, while the two young, strong attendants lifted the other, and together they managed to carry the cart to the other side of the river.
This was the benefit of having strong laborers and a Shousui man along; otherwise, even a knee-deep river could pose a significant challenge. Seeing Hu Ma's incredible strength, everyone felt greatly relieved.
They hurried on, unaware of how long they had traveled, until they noticed it had turned dark. Rugged, rocky terrain still surrounded them.
"Oh no..."
Just then, a low exclamation caught their attention. Turning, they saw Housekeeper Zhou, looking as if he had seen a ghost. Before anyone could inquire, he pointed shakily ahead, his voice trembling as he said, "How did we end up back here again?"
Peering closer, everyone was astonished to find a charred circle up ahead.
"Is this from when he chased away the wild dogs?" This was no small shock to Hu Ma. He immediately looked around at the desolate land in all directions. In the dim evening light, visibility was poor, but as he strained to see through the shadowy surroundings, it increasingly resembled the spot where they had dealt with the beggar corpse evil dogs earlier.
"No, it can't be..." Even the cart driver and attendants recognized it. Their voices trembled as one asked, "Old Master... could you have made a mistake?"
Another chimed in, "Right, right! Country folk make a circle of ash when burning paper money to prevent it from being picked up by others."
"This... this must be from villagers around here burning paper, right?"
Hearing their attempts at self-comfort, Housekeeper Zhou felt both exasperated and terrified. "Wouldn't I recognize a circle I drew myself?" he retorted. "Talking about villagers burning paper—where have you seen any villagers on this entire journey?" As he spoke, he looked pleadingly towards Hu Ma and Aunt Zhang. Normally, as a steward of the Ghost Cave Li Residence, he wouldn't be so easily frightened. However, the surroundings were too ominous, with even the wind carrying an eerie, piercing chill that weakened his resolve. "We've been traveling for the better part of the day," he lamented, "I never expected we'd end up right back here..."
Hu Ma stood there, momentarily stunned. After mulling it over for a long moment, he murmured, "The Ghost Village... isn't it just ahead then?"
Hearing this, everyone present felt a rush of concern. They had hurried along nonstop, precisely to distance themselves from that ghostly area. How could they end up back at the starting point after so much effort? If they proceeded further, wouldn't they walk directly into the Ghost Village? Or should they stop here and rest? But this spot was only a few miles from the Ghost Village. Resting here, what peace could they find in the middle of the night?
Amidst the rising apprehension, Aunt Zhang sighed softly. "It seems our adversaries are insisting we pay their village a visit..."