SQUELCH! SQUELCH!
Since many people rushed in, Hu Ma was unceremonious, chopping down two or three first.
And just as Hu Ma was striking, Housekeeper Zhou, only a step slower, also entered. He was startled to see Hu Ma killing people, then he hurried forward to help.
He held a handful of silver needles, his movements viciously quick as he pulled them out one by one, stabbing at those standing there in a daze.
Some of them were slowly regaining their senses, some were still daydreaming, and others had just come to their senses, only to be shocked by Hu Ma's killing. But whatever the case, once stabbed by a silver needle, they immediately collapsed to the ground, their eyes rolling wildly.
"Such brilliant tactics..."
Hu Ma praised with admiration, shook the blood off his knife, and said to Housekeeper Zhou, "What kind of trump card is this? Would you teach me?"
"Silver Needle Acupuncture."
Housekeeper Zhou had just subdued a few people and was feeling somewhat proud. However, seeing Hu Ma's fierce actions, a chill ran down his spine. He forced a smile, saying, "It's just a little gadget from the trick door. I'm not sure you Shousui men would find it of interest."
"But this skill is specifically for dealing with those less skilled or unable to move. If you encounter a tough one, it might not hit accurately."
"I originally had a specially made set of silver needles, but unfortunately, I lost them earlier. These ones here were bought in Mingzhou Prefecture using your silver; I'm using embroidery needles as a makeshift."
...
Hu Ma praised again, saying, "I think it's pretty impressive..."
Housekeeper Zhou was momentarily stunned. This little shopkeeper cleaned out Walking Ghost Aunt and is finally eyeing the few things I have!
Looking awkwardly at the bloodstains on Hu Ma's knife and the corpses on the ground, he said, "You still need to learn this?"
"Isn't your method more thorough?"
...
"Is there such a thing as learning too much?"
Hu Ma chuckled, then turned, scanning the crowd. Recognizing Boss Mang, he placed the saw-toothed knife against his neck.
This Boss Mang, subdued by Housekeeper Zhou, couldn't move or speak, but he could hear and see. Seeing Hu Ma having just chopped down several people, and now with the knife at his neck, he immediately closed his eyes, waiting for death.
But Hu Ma didn't chop down. Instead, he gestured for Housekeeper Zhou to pull out the needle and whispered, "Answer what I ask; otherwise, I'll kill you."
"If you don't believe me, I'll cut off one of your arms first, just to show my respect for your tough bones..."
...
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I'll answer whatever you ask..."
With the silver needle pulled out, Boss Mang spoke with a sob in his voice, "The bones aren't tough, not tough at all."
Hu Ma asked, "Then honestly explain, what did you come here for? And why block the bridge?"
"It's... it's none of our business..."
Boss Mang replied with a sob, "We were acting on our godmother's orders. She told us to guard the bridge and carefully check anyone coming from the south, looking for an unconscious girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old..."
"An unconscious girl?"
Hearing this, Hu Ma sighed softly and exchanged a glance with Housekeeper Zhou. So it's true, he thought.
Pressing the knife against his neck, he said, "Then tell me, who is this so-called Godmother?"
"J-just Godmother Cui..."
Boss Mang trembled. "Anyone who frequents the Pingnan Ancient Road knows Godmother Cui."
"She, that old woman, has vast Divine Skills, can raise little ghosts, wield Spells, and can... can even kill without showing her face. Everyone on the road knows that if she's involved, it's definitely a big job."
"She... she gave the order, and we could only comply. Otherwise, if we offended Godmother Cui, we wouldn't be able to make a living on the road anymore; not even the brothels would take us in..."
...
Hu Ma looked up at Housekeeper Zhou, seeing his gloomy face, and asked in a low voice, "Do you know her?"
Housekeeper Zhou shook his head slightly, saying quietly, "I've heard of her."
Seeing Hu Ma wasn't asking him anymore, Boss Mang immediately said, "Good man, spare me..."
Hu Ma looked at him. "Then let me ask you a question: which lives longer, someone with soft bones or hard ones?"
...
Boss Mang immediately replied, "Soft ones."
Hu Ma said, "I don't like hard-boned ones."
Saying this, he chopped him down, then finished off the remaining few. Sheathing his knife, he said to Housekeeper Zhou, "Earlier, Xiang also mentioned that the person who abducted her made her call them 'Godmother,' and the nail in her head was put there by this same Godmother."
Is this killing people or slaughtering chickens? Housekeeper Zhou was also startled by Hu Ma's ferocity. Members of the Mixed Blood Food Gang certainly act decisively, he thought silently.
Back in his jianghu days, he too had been ruthless, but seeing Hu Ma cut them down one after another without batting an eye made his heart quiver.
Of course, he didn't quite understand; Reincarnators have their own set of principles.
Trying to make them draw a blade to kill innocent people would shroud their hearts in shadow, making them hesitant and unable to act.
But if it was someone who already intended to take their life, they could kill without any burden.
Among Reincarnators, some even provoked their enemies into showing murderous intent first, then used it as an excuse to annihilate their entire families. Hu Ma, merely ensuring secrecy, was already considered soft-hearted by comparison.
If it had been Sweet Potato, perhaps not even a ghost would have remained.
With this newfound respect in his heart, Housekeeper Zhou quickly organized his thoughts. Listening to Hu Ma, he began to connect many of the details, sighing, "To have kidnapped the Young Miss right under my nose, it couldn't have been an ordinary person..."
"At first, I thought perhaps my age was affecting my judgment, but now I'm sure. This so-called Godmother Cui seems to be a well-known figure on the road."
"She can command so many vicious henchmen to die for her, even guard bridges and Duzi Port. She must have significant skills."
...
Hu Ma understood as well, vaguely guessing the reason.
Or rather, this had been his worry all along, and it finally came true just as he was more than halfway through the journey.
Hu Ma had initially sent a letter to the Li Family but hadn't waited for them to arrive before Xiang encountered trouble.
At that time, they already suspected that Xiang's troubles weren't that simple, possibly even that someone from the Li Family was scheming. And if someone from the Li Family truly didn't wish Xiang well, her initial abduction might even have been deliberately arranged.
In that case, would the other party be content to simply keep Xiang's soul from reuniting with her body?
If not, someone might have already set out for Mingzhou to permanently eliminate any future trouble.
But he had acted swiftly, taking Xiang to Lingshou Prefecture before those people could make their move.
If the other party realized this, they certainly wouldn't let him go easily.
However, his group had anticipated this, hiding their identities and using the cover of escorting a spirit, making it difficult for their pursuers to find them.
Could it be that the other party considered this and, instead of pursuing us, simply set up spies on the routes we'd have to take, just waiting for us to pass by? he wondered.
...
But as he thought further, his expression grew more puzzled. "Even with such capabilities, they should recognize the reputation of the Ghost Cave Li Family. Why bother kidnapping their Young Miss?"
"What's even more perplexing is why go through all this trouble? Why not just..."
...
At this, he gestured across his throat.
Listening, Housekeeper Zhou felt a chill of fear but immediately shook his head. "This is likely related to our Young Miss's Yin Talisman."
"Not just anyone dares to take her life, especially those familiar with the Ghost Cave Li Family; they would hesitate even more."
"Now that the Young Miss has been abducted, it has led to so many issues. If they had truly harbored murderous intent towards her from the start, perhaps the Old Master would have already taken action himself."
...
"Yin Talisman?"
Now, Housekeeper Zhou dared not hide things from him. Hu Ma, respecting confidentiality, didn't pry into the Li Family's secrets. However, from those few words, he surmised some things but didn't inquire further for the time being.
Time was of the essence, and they needed to leave quickly.
From the moment these people targeted them, leaking their location was almost unavoidable, whether they killed them or not. The only difference killing them made was slightly delaying Godmother Cui from getting the news, giving them a little more time to hurry on their way.
The old housekeeper gritted his teeth. "To Anzhou! The more they act like this, the more it shows they fear the Young Miss returning."
"Whether it's Godmother Cui or some god-grandson, once we reach Anzhou, I doubt she can stir up any trouble!"
...
As he spoke, he pulled out his silver needles again and stabbed the Yin Spirit Acupoint of each corpse on the ground. Only then did he stand up and put the needles away.
Seeing Hu Ma's curiosity, he explained, "By stabbing this spot, it prevents their souls from gathering, making it harder for them to become ghosts quickly."
"It won't be so easy for them to leak our news."
"This isn't a skill from my trick door; it's a technique of the Ghost Cave Li Family."
...
Good heavens, he's quite ruthless too... Hu Ma couldn't help but sigh. "In this jianghu, I truly lack experience..."
"Housekeeper Zhou, teaching me this skill wouldn't be too much, would it?"
...
The two of them discussed while extinguishing the lantern, wiping the blood from their knives on the dead, and quickly heading forward.
After traveling seven or eight miles, they saw Little Hongtang and the headless little ghost waiting by the roadside. Guided by them, they found Aunt Zhang and the donkey cart resting at the bottom of a slope.
Seeing the murderous aura about them, Aunt Zhang and the others knew what had just transpired. However, she never pried into her master's affairs. Seeing Hu Ma ready to leave, she prepared an incense array in the cart, and they swiftly moved forward under the cover of night.
「Seventy miles away, at Duzi Port.」
An old lady, her head adorned with flowers, wearing a blue wide-sleeved blouse and thick cotton pants, had just fallen asleep from exhaustion after another night of vigilance. Suddenly, the lampwick beside her crackled loudly, startling her awake.
She was dazed for a moment, then suddenly realized and slapped the table, shouting,
"Oh no, they slipped past..."
"Jin'er! Yin'er! Quickly bring the sedan chair! Follow your Godmother to pursue them!"