"The other party..." Housekeeper Zhou, who had been silently following the group with the donkey cart, tensed noticeably upon hearing Hu Ma's words. He slowly said, "They aren't blocking the bridge, nor are they after just a few offerings. It seems to me, they're more like they're trying to block specific people."
Hu Ma heard this and slowly nodded. "That's a good point."
If the other party was merely after the offering money, they had already collected it and had no need to continue blocking people at the bridge. If their aim was to harm someone, it wouldn't make sense to let them go in the end. After considering all possibilities, only one reason remained: they specifically wanted to see the person inside the coffin. Of course, it wasn't just about seeing their group. They had tampered with the bridge to create an excuse to inspect anyone suspicious who tried to cross. Hearing those people talk about the bride who fell into the river yesterday, he surmised it was likely a ploy to force the person in the sedan chair out for a good look.
Who exactly are they looking for?
Or perhaps, who are they worried might quietly cross the bridge?
While he was pondering these questions, the donkey cart continued onwards. Housekeeper Zhou nervously climbed onto the cart, opened the coffin lid, wiped Xiang's face clean with a towel, and took out a foul-smelling package, tossing it aside. He was from the trick door, whose members were versed in a miscellany of skills; disguise, makeup, and even pilfering were all part of their repertoire. Hu Ma had seen Housekeeper Zhou use his disguise skills before. So, before crossing the river, feeling something was amiss, Hu Ma had asked Housekeeper Zhou to alter Xiang's appearance while he went to buy offerings.
With Housekeeper Zhou's abilities, making the sleeping Xiang appear convincingly dead was not a problem. There were vendors selling river fish by the bank, and he had collected some rotten fish and shrimp to create an authentic stench. It was precisely this skill that had allowed them to pass the checkpoint safely.
"No matter what, having crossed the bridge is a big relief. Let's hurry on our journey!" Hu Ma said, looking at Xiang sleeping in the coffin. He spoke in a low voice, "We've encountered quite a bit of trouble on this journey. I can't shake the feeling that the closer we get to Anzhou, the more uneasy I feel."
"Aunt Zhang, what Method did those guarding the bridge use?"
Aunt Zhang had been listening on the side, not fully understanding the conversation between Hu Ma and Housekeeper Zhou. Upon hearing Hu Ma's question, she thought for a moment and said, "It should be the nightmare Method of the Haishou Path. Such skills are often employed by unscrupulous carpenters, stonemasons, and well-diggers. They tie old shoes on the bridge, making it difficult for travelers to cross smoothly. They bury paper men under beds, causing nightmares for those sleeping above. If a beam isn't aligned properly during construction, the occupants of the house will live uncomfortably. These methods aren't evil spirits, but their effects can be worse. We should have tried to find a ferry to cross the river!"
"Aunt Zhang, don't think that way," Hu Ma said, silently repeating the name 'Haishou' in his heart. He then chuckled. "The other party made so many preparations on the bridge. If we had tried to cross the river, it would certainly have been more troublesome. We don't need to overthink it now. Let's just wait and see what happens."
Everyone was filled with anxiety and immediately quickened their pace.
Not long after they left, just as expected, the men who had been on the bridge with knives began to reconsider. Suddenly, they realized something was amiss. One of the more astute among them pondered for a long time and suddenly said, "Boss Mang, something's not right with those people escorting the spirit we just saw..."
"If the corpse in the coffin was so decomposed, why did the coffin look so new?"
Upon hearing this, the others also realized. "Yes! And that old man was crying and wailing that the person in the coffin was his seventy-year-old wife."
"But looking at the clothes on the person in the coffin, she looked like a young girl..."
The leader, who had just picked up a bowl to drink, was stunned. After careful thought, his expression changed drastically. He forcefully slammed the bowl down and stood up. "Damn it! We hunt geese all day, only to have them slip right under our noses! Nine times out of ten, it's the girl Godmother Cui is looking for. Godmother Cui said the person she's looking for is a young girl, and she'd definitely be unconscious. It has to be the one in that coffin!" As he spoke, he hurriedly grabbed his saber and a cudgel, shouting, "Let's go! Catch up with them quickly!"
「Meanwhile, Hu Ma and the others who had crossed the river were urgently making their way toward Dongchang Prefecture.」
Dongchang Prefecture was a large city. They had initially planned to enter before dark, but the delay crossing the river meant they only arrived now, well into the night. Aunt Zhang had escorted spirits here before and was relatively familiar with the area. Upon reaching the city's edge, she didn't lead them in—it was already dark. Instead, knowing the way, she led the group around the city outskirts to a mountainous area to the west.
Following the mountain road upwards, they spotted a small house in the woods from a distance. A pole stood by it, with a white lantern hanging from a crosspiece. However, the lantern had long been extinguished and was swaying in the night wind.
"Light up the lantern. We'll be resting here for the night," Aunt Zhang instructed the group. She lit the lantern and then entered the house.
Upon inquiry, they learned it was a Corpse Chasing Shop, a resting place for Ghost Walkers. There used to be many such places across the land in earlier times, but with the world now in chaos, there were fewer Ghost Walkers, and many shops like this had fallen into disuse. The lantern outside wasn't for ordinary guests; it was a signal to outsiders. If lit, it meant Ghost Walkers were staying, warning others not to approach and cause a disturbance.
The shop was empty, but there was an oil lamp with a bit of oil remaining on the counter. They lit the oil lamp and looked around, surprisingly finding some dust-covered firewood under the stove.
"Everything here can be used," Aunt Zhang said. "Just remember to restock what we use when we leave tomorrow. We can also leave some of our rice and grain here for other travelers in our profession."
"Yes, yes," the others agreed, preparing to light a fire and cook.
But Hu Ma, who had worn a worried expression all along the way, suddenly said, "Wait a minute. Aunt Zhang, I need you all to go a little further ahead, find a safe place, and wait for us."
Aunt Zhang paused for a moment, then quickly understood. "You mean those vicious men from the bridge might still pursue us?"
Hu Ma nodded. "Things happened too quickly earlier. Although we fooled them for a moment, there were too many flaws. The other party isn't necessarily stupid; they might figure it out. Besides, if they do catch up, it'll be a good opportunity to ask them some questions."
Even Housekeeper Zhou paused, silently wondering if he had left any obvious flaws in his hasty work. But it had all been done in such a rush; if he had, there was little to be done about it now.
Aunt Zhang said worriedly, "There are many of them. Can you two handle it? You're the employer; I should stay and help."
"I invited Aunt Zhang to help with escorting the spirit and Evil-Expelling," Hu Ma said with a smile. "Since this trouble seems to be man-made, there's no need to trouble Aunt Zhang with it!"
Seeing his earnestness, Aunt Zhang nodded. She decided not to cook and instead took the carter and the assistant to drive the donkey cart ahead to wait.
Hu Ma and Housekeeper Zhou stayed behind. They exchanged a glance, then simply went outside the shop to wait in the woods.
Night had deepened. The surroundings remained quiet, save for the dim light from the white lantern swaying on the post outside the fence. It was hard to tell how long they waited when suddenly, faint footsteps sounded from the path in the distance. A group of seven or eight men, armed with knives and cudgels, cautiously approached. They were the same vicious men they had encountered at the bridge earlier; even the ferryman was among them. Upon seeing the white lantern at the inn's entrance, they grew even warier, inching closer bit by bit.
"Boss Mang, there's a white lantern hanging! I knew they'd be staying here," one of them said proudly. The others crouched nearby, whispering among themselves.
Hu Ma was in a tree directly above them, using his 'refine life into death' technique to conceal any trace of his presence, listening to their words clearly. Housekeeper Zhou was hidden somewhere unknown; people from the trick door were even better at hiding than Shousui men.
"Everyone be careful. Nine times out of ten, this is the person Godmother Cui is looking for," Boss Mang said. "If we capture them, a fortune in Silver will be ours…"
Someone nearby cautiously asked, "Boss Mang, when will Godmother Cui arrive?"
Boss Mang replied, "Godmother Cui is waiting at Duzi Port, seventy li away. Once we confirm it's them, we'll send for her. If we're wrong and she comes for nothing, she'll be furious."
"Then we must be cautious..." Among them, some were more astute. "Old Master Qiao didn't come with us. Remember, there's a Ghost Walker among them. Such people are eerie and often have little ghosts with them!"
Boss Mang spat quietly. "Did you all bring the lime I told you to get? Once inside, whoever it is, first throw lime in her face. Then, cover her head and go at her with everything you've got. Ghost Walker or not, she'll die all the same when a blade hits her."
Lime? Isn't this supposed to be a trick of us Reincarnators? Hu Ma thought helplessly. He sighed softly. Seeing them finalize their plans, they spread out to encircle the inn. Then, with a shout, they rushed inside, and a clamor erupted.
He gently leaped down from the tree and took a few steps toward the inn. Hearing the commotion inside, he lightly raised his hands. Since they used lime, I might as well use skills more in line with this world's nature…
He cupped his hands and bowed towards the house. Instantly, an eerie wind gusted through, causing the white lantern at the entrance to flutter wildly. Inside the house, the noisy chaos suddenly fell silent, followed by the sounds of many people collapsing.
After the bow, Hu Ma straightened up, drew his saber, and charged inside. He immediately saw the ruffians standing stock-still, like wooden statues, their Divine Souls yet to return to their bodies. His Four Ghosts Salute attack was potent enough that even those versed in the Path would need a long moment to recover if struck by it. Let alone these common jianghu ruffians?
Hu Ma looked at their steel sabers, hooks, and the bags of lime they clutched—they truly looked like hardened murderers and thieves. His expression immediately darkened. He had originally planned to question them, but now he abruptly changed his mind.
I'll kill a few first before anything else!