The sudden slap caught everyone present off guard.
Aunt Zhang didn't say a word, just brushed her hair aside and sat quietly with her head lowered.
The fierce Evil Spirit's shadow before her cursed vehemently, its voice transitioning from sharp to indistinct before finally vanishing, leaving an eerie chill lingering in everyone's hearts.
The people nearby saw it but dared not speak, even fearing to make a move lest they were noticed.
Aunt Zhang remained silent until the fierce shadow completely disappeared. Then she softly chanted an incantation, guiding back the souls of the coachman and his assistant, who had been scared out of their bodies. She returned them to their bodies and marked their foreheads with a bit of vermillion.
The coachman and assistant were unconscious and foaming at the mouth. They transitioned from a deep faint to a profound slumber, their faces gradually returning to normal.
Everyone knew these two had been saved, but because of the recent incident, no one dared relax.
"Don't just stand there, pack up your things."
Sensing Aunt Zhang's awkwardness, Hu Ma suddenly spoke softly, instructing the idle assistant.
Then he said to Housekeeper Zhou, "You should look around too, to see if there's anything suspicious."
"The old lady might have been casting magic near us, and she might be injured now. See if you can find her."
Housekeeper Zhou, after a moment of hesitation, snapped out of it and hurried away.
Hu Ma then took a few steps forward, squatting beside Aunt Zhang, who was quietly packing her things, and whispered, "What just happened?"
"The first setup of the altar and inviting spirits is the most crucial step for a Ghost Walker."
Aunt Zhang didn't look up at Hu Ma, speaking in a low voice, "I encountered a problem when inviting the spirit."
"The one I just invited is... the one I'm engaged to."
"I wasn't willing, but when I first invited him, he forced me to marry. It was my mother who traded her life for nine more years for me. Now, there's only one year left..."
Listening to her calm words, Hu Ma was stunned. He recalled the Evil Ghost's ferocity and then looked at the bruise on Aunt Zhang's cheek, and the sorrow she tried so hard to conceal. A sudden wave of pity washed over him, and he wanted to understand more about what had happened.
But Aunt Zhang sighed, stopping him. "Shopkeeper, don't ask anymore. This is my fate, and those from other Paths cannot intervene..."
Hu Ma pressed his lips together and gave Aunt Zhang a deep look. He temporarily held back from asking further, but he remembered her words.
"Found it..."
Just then, Housekeeper Zhou's sudden shout from the distance startled everyone, causing a flurry of activity.
They followed him and saw a shattered plaque on the slope outside the forest. Beside it was a crooked paper sedan of a peculiar shape, carried by paper men—exactly the one Godmother Cui had appeared in.
There were traces of incense-burning around.
Hu Ma confirmed his thoughts. Gazing around, he said softly, "Indeed, she was hiding nearby to cast her magic."
"This plaque counts as a Magical Treasure."
Aunt Zhang also squatted down. She took one look at the shattered plaque and said in a low voice, "Who knows which family or clan this belongs to? It was supposed to be for worshipping ancestors, yet she used malicious dharma methods to feed it, refining their ancestors into a fierce ghost."
"In the Path, this is called a Nursing Hall Ghost."
"It's a practice that severely damages yin virtue and harms heavenly principles, but it's particularly powerful."
"It seems the other party was in quite a hurry, rushing over and using such a powerful thing against us."
Hu Ma nodded in deep agreement. Encountering Godmother Cui has certainly convinced me that the Ghost Cave Li Family is formidable, he thought. Godmother Cui must have been terrified to chase us so urgently through the night and attack so harshly.
The confrontation seemed brief only because both sides had immediately used their most powerful techniques.
But her haste was a great taboo in the jianghu: acting without understanding the situation. Of course, it might also be that she truly believed in that nest of Nursing Hall Ghosts and underestimated the great Ghost Walker Aunt Zhang.
As he spoke, he glanced up at the dark night and whispered, "But I'm afraid she'll come again."
The more urgent the other party appeared, the clearer it became that this matter wouldn't be resolved easily. Godmother Cui would surely return, and when she did, she would be in earnest.
"But I..."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang's expression turned slightly uneasy. She lowered her head, holding a black bone in her hands, which she usually carried with her. Many of her dharma methods relied on this bone, but now there were obvious cracks in it.
"I invited it to deal with the Nursing Hall Ghost, and it got angry."
She said softly, "If I invite it again, I'm afraid it won't come. If that Godmother has such sinister methods, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle her..."
"Can't invite it again?"
Everyone recalled the scene where Aunt Zhang had invited the fierce ghost, which had broken Godmother Cui's spell like a hot knife through butter.
It was precisely because the spirit she invited was so powerful that Godmother Cui had suffered a setback.
And when Godmother Cui returned, she would undoubtedly be even more prepared, yet their most formidable ally could no longer be summoned.
This...
"It's alright."
But just then, noticing Aunt Zhang's difficulty, Hu Ma spoke softly, "Let me do it then."
"You..."
Aunt Zhang looked at Hu Ma in surprise and shook her head. "As a Shousui man, protecting yourself is easy. Shopkeeper, if you want to leave, she can't stop you. But to duel her and protect others, a Shousui man would easily be at a disadvantage."
"Then use the skills of a Ghost Walker."
Hu Ma smiled and said to Aunt Zhang, "We aren't really outsiders. As I told you before, my Granny was also a Ghost Walker."
"Actually, I've always been curious about Ghost Walker skills, so why don't you teach me, and I'll deal with her?"
Seeing Hu Ma's seriousness, Aunt Zhang was somewhat surprised. After a long pause, she slowly shook her head and said softly, "Shopkeeper, I've noticed that throughout our journey, you've been inquiring about the Ghost Walker's methods and rules. Those things you wish to know, I have told you."
"Ghost Walkers aren't secretive about these things. The more people who understand, the more there will be to help eliminate evil spirits."
"But when it comes to setting up the altar, that's out of the question. Especially when dealing with something this dangerous, it requires not only setting up the altar but also inviting spirits—it's far too perilous!"
"I..." she began, then trailed off, clearly intending to use herself as an example.
"I understand."
Hu Ma could discern Aunt Zhang's meaning. To outsiders, my words might sound somewhat naive, he thought.
Inviting spirits is one of the most crucial abilities for a Ghost Walker. It's like how I entered the Path of a Shousui man—I endured countless hardships and expended so much Blood Food. If inviting spirits were so easy, it would be a joke.
But he understood these things in his heart, so he didn't elaborate. Instead, he smiled at Aunt Zhang and said, "But what if I have confidence..."
"...that I can definitely call upon the spirit?"
As he spoke, he took out a short piece of Red Fragrance and said to Aunt Zhang, "And that I can invite a powerful, very fiery one."
"If so, would I be able to use the skills of a Ghost Walker?"
Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang's expression turned to one of astonishment.
Hu Ma wore a slight look of smugness. Our Red Lantern Lady still has some pull, after all... he thought.
As Hu Ma and the others realized the severity of the situation and began to prepare, elsewhere, in Dongchang Prefecture, a black sedan, sealed tightly and carried by two hefty women, turned into a narrow alley.
From inside the sedan came weak cries of "OUCH! OUCH!" now and then, until they arrived at a small black door in the alley.
After knocking on the door, the old woman inside the sedan cried out, "Oh, dear brother, come save my life!"
The black door suddenly opened by itself, though no one could be seen. Inside the courtyard, an old man sat at a stone table, sipping tea. He wore a loose silk shirt and looked like a well-off, pampered master.
However, a scar ran across his face from top to bottom, nearly splitting it in two and lending him a somewhat vicious air.
With a hint of surprise, he looked toward the black sedan and smirked, "Godmother Cui, what's happened? With your great skills, how did you end up in this sorry shape?"
"If you deploy that nest of Nursing Hall Ghosts of yours, how many on Pingnan Road could possibly give you trouble?"
"I used them..." Godmother Cui spoke feebly, "This matter was too important; I worried something might go wrong, so I didn't hold back. I used that plaque first, but unexpectedly, I capsized in calm waters. The whole nest of Nursing Hall Ghosts was lost with it."
"I'm out of options, here to ask for dear brother's aid..."
"Seeking my aid?" The scar-faced old man's expression changed slightly. "Who is it that you intend to deal with, sister?" he asked.
Godmother Cui replied weakly from the sedan, "It's just a young lad with a blade, a half-baked member of the trick door, and a Ghost Walker girl who's somewhat formidable. The girl herself isn't that skilled; I just didn't expect her to summon the Five Evil Gods."
"If you make a move, dear brother, they'll be captured easily."
"HEH HEH..." The scar-faced old man, however, was unmoved by her flattery. He sneered coldly, "If they truly had no skill, how could they have caused you to capsize in calm waters?"
"Dear brother, please don't ask any more..."
Godmother Cui didn't answer directly. Her tone sounded pitiful, yet it carried a hidden threat. "Don't you remember when you coveted Old Master Ren's daughter from the tea merchant family? Wasn't it I who 'prepared' her and sent her to your bed?"
"Now that you've tormented her to death, isn't she still locked in your cellar?"
"For your Taking Yin to Replenish Yang Skill, whatever you lacked, haven't I, your sister, always helped you acquire it? After so many years of friendship, can you truly bear to see me suffer like this?"
Hearing this, the scarred old man's eyes turned colder. But after a long pause, he suddenly laughed. "You have a point. When do you plan to act?"
"No rush..."
Godmother Cui also laughed. "I've already had my 'children' keep an eye on them. They won't escape."
"Once I've also invited Blackheart Carpenter Li and Snake-charmer Wang Lai, we'll go together and take care of those fellows..."