"BANG!" "BANG!" "BANG!"
In the forest, when the craftsman hammered a nail into the puppet's head, Hu Ma, even standing so far away, could actually hear the sound of that hammering.
Not only did he hear it, but it also seemed to echo right beside his ear. Or rather, he felt as if it were aimed at his own head, each hammer blow striking the nail deep into his skull.
He couldn't touch it, nor could he see it, but the sensation of the nail being driven into his head was terrifyingly real. The excruciating pain made his mind almost unable to function.
"Be careful, watch the lantern!"
At that moment, Aunt Zhang's warning suddenly echoed.
Hu Ma looked down and saw the oil lamp in front of him, almost extinguished. It was affected as the hammering of the nail resonated.
Each hammer blow dimmed the oil lamp a bit more. Now it flickered weakly, on the verge of going out, which startled him. What kind of strange Magic is this, that it aims to take a person's life right from the start?
He couldn't help but think of Xiang. Didn't she say earlier that a nail had been hammered into her head? Is this the same thing?
Aunt Zhang was not the altar raiser, but she was more anxious than Hu Ma, who was setting up the altar. Since Hu Ma was new and she feared he might not handle it, she was ready to take over at any time. Thus, she was considered half a member of the altar.
Upon seeing this, she vaguely guessed, "It's said Haishou suppresses Ghost Walkers, but we are setting up the main altar and are prepared for inviting spirits. We are not afraid of them!"
Actually, Hu Ma was in Shousui, but now that he was setting up the altar, she had spoken colloquially and included "us" as Ghost Walkers.
"Yes."
Hu Ma responded, enduring the sharp pain and steadying his mind. Looking into the bowl before him, he saw the water rippling. Vaguely, he could see a person holding a hammer, swinging it, and forcefully hammering a nail into a wooden puppet's head.
They shouldn't know my name and birth date, nor did they clearly see my appearance. How can hammering a nail into a wooden figure cause my head to hurt?
It was the first time he had heard of the Method where Haishou suppressed the Ghost Walker.
He faintly discerned that it seemed the other side had initially used some Method to turn his place for setting up the altar into an Evil Land, which was also a form of Magic within this Path.
Hu Ma's mind raced. Realizing it was good to know what Magic they were using, he urgently planned to counterattack.
He felt another wave of dull pain in his head. The nail, driven in from the middle of his brow, seemed to want to pierce deep into his brain, while the oil lamp in front of him grew extremely dim, on the verge of extinguishing.
It was hard to imagine what would happen if the nail were completely driven into his head.
He wanted to urgently ask Aunt Zhang how to handle such a situation, but suddenly, he saw an eerie chill rising from the forest ahead. A rolling black mist seemed to drift toward this very hillside.
Have powerful figures from the other side also made a move?
In a duel, both sides normally needed to be cautious. A single misstep could lead to a devastating defeat.
If the altar broke, it would mean either death or severe injury.
Yet now, who knew how many demon people had come from the other side? Once they started, it was one move after another, leaving no time to react.
Aunt Zhang, seeing Hu Ma struck by Magic, was anxiously thinking about how to cope with this Method. Yet unexpectedly, seeing the fierce momentum of the other side, Hu Ma suddenly gritted his teeth and hardened his resolve.
He originally had one Incense stick in his incense burner but now directly inserted two.
This sudden change made the nearly extinguished oil lamp flare brightly.
Even Aunt Zhang, who was helping with protecting the altar nearby, was taken aback. She thought she was hallucinating. How could the Shopkeeper's oil lamp suddenly brighten so much?
At this moment, Hu Ma secretly began practicing, focusing energy toward his own forehead. He felt the nail, which was about to be driven fully in, suddenly get expelled.
"SIZZLE!"
In the forest, the craftsman had just acquired this treasure and was basking in his success.
Their Haishou Path had a trump card, but dealing with people wasn't that straightforward. Using Magic could lead to severe backlash or troublesome preparations.
But now, it was different since he had the Seven Shackles Punishment Wood.
This was originally Godmother Cui's treasure, which he had coveted many times but dared not ask for.
Now, Godmother Cui had generously given him this treasure. Not only would the Ghost Walker be suppressed by him, but when he walked on Pingnan Road again, no one would dare underestimate his status.
The more he thought about it, the more delighted he became.
He was ready to completely drive a nail into the wooden puppet's head, yet suddenly felt as if the nail had hit a stone—no, something even harder, with a rebound force.
As he struck down, the force within suddenly doubled and rebounded. With a sizzle, the nail unexpectedly flew back from the wooden puppet's head like a hidden weapon.
He let out a scream, covering his eyes. When he removed his hand, he saw the nail lodged in his left eye, halfway in.
Blood dripped. It was an extremely horrifying sight.
His voice was filled with shock, anger, and resentment. "How did his cultivation suddenly rise? Godmother, are you trying to harm me…?"
On the other side, the man blowing a bamboo whistle felt increasingly uneasy. The whistle seemed broken, refusing to make a sound, while he felt slippery, as if entangled by countless unseen things. His expression turned to shock.
"Why can't I sense any of my kids…?"
These two unexpected incidents even slowed Godmother Cui's actions, who was striking the altar and performing Magic.
She had intended to disarray the opponent using the Haishou Path's Method before summoning the four altar soldiers to annihilate them in one sweep. Yet, before her Magic was complete, her side had suffered losses first.
After all, she had come hastily and had no time to scout the other party's background, making her inherently nervous.
Now, caught between a rock and a hard place, despite her unease, she had to make a move. She suddenly turned and glared at the scar-faced Master Shou, shouting, "The target is tricky! Don't hold back, or you'll suffer losses!"
"Old brother, we didn't invite you here merely to spectate!"
"Sigh, I treat and diagnose people. I usually don't involve myself in such harmful deeds…"
Her hair was wild, making her appear like an Evil Ghost, her eyes fixated on the scar-faced elder.
But the elder, leisurely and unperturbed, spoke slowly despite Godmother Cui's murderous gaze. "But who can blame our closeness with Godmother?"
"Helping you this time means I'll have to 'liberate' several poor girls afterward to make up for this loss of yin virtue…"
Godmother Cui sneered, "Yes, yes. Walk down the street later, see which family's girls live in hardship. I'll invite one over for your 'proper liberation'."
"Godmother, you're too kind…"
The scar-faced elder laughed smugly. He walked to the carriage, stroking the green mule's head, and addressed the snake-charmer, "Young Brother Wang, I didn't bring enough gear. I'll borrow your green mule for now!"
"After all, your treasures won't return. Let my 'kids' help haul this empty cart back later... Godmother will compensate you."
While speaking, he pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and placed it on the mule's head.
Vaguely visible, it was covered in writing. The paper was somewhat ancient and resembled a prescription.
Then, he quickly pressed and pinched the mule. He took out a strange porcelain bottle, covering his mouth and nose with one hand while shaking the bottle near the mule's nose. Then he rapidly chanted a spell and vigorously pointed towards the hillside.
"Go!"
The mule's eyes suddenly flared red, and white foam bubbled from its mouth.
It panted heavily, its breath carrying a dizzying, foul stench.
With tremendous energy, it broke its tether and charged madly towards the hillside.
Another one has joined the fray…
Hu Ma suddenly raised his head, sensing something in the air. Above the forest, black mist was gathering, faintly echoing with ghostly wails and laden with ominous energy, ready to pounce at any moment.
Now, the ominous energy continued to accumulate, pressing down slowly. No one knew what the consequences would be if it burst forward suddenly.
Though it was still distant, he couldn't clearly discern what it was. But having set up the altar, with it as his center, he was acutely sensitive to the changes in the yin and yang forces surrounding him.
The intangible, terrifying pressure already had his heart pounding in his throat.
Then, he heard a commotion, as if some large, crazed beast was charging.
Though its nature was undetermined, it was undoubtedly no ordinary thing.
Evidently, the opponents had waited, stirring their anxiety, before finally deciding they could not hold back any longer and unleashing all their skills!
"Aunt Zhang…"
He immediately turned to look at Aunt Zhang, who was aiding his protective ritual.
Aunt Zhang nodded. "It's time."
Hu Ma took a deep breath and pointed his Wooden Sword at the oil lamp before him.
The flame flared, jumping to the sword's tip.
Then, Hu Ma shifted his sword horizontally, pointing its tip at the half-burnt Red Fragrance, which immediately ignited, emitting spirals of smoke.
"Heavenly spirit, earthly spirit, I invite Red Lantern to descend its Magic body!"
"Red Lantern descends to exorcise the evil spirit; I offer money and rice to pay homage to Red Lantern!"
As he swiftly recited the spell taught by Aunt Zhang, the red ember on the Red Fragrance brightened increasingly.
"WHOOSH…"
The white lantern Hu Ma had set aside spontaneously lit. It gradually began to burn with a red glow, which grew increasingly red, eerily resembling the color of blood.
A faint, indistinct voice sounded, "Huh?"