"The Red Lantern Lady sure is formidable..."
Those in the forest started cursing at each other in panic. Seated on the altar, Hu Ma also kept a close watch on the situation.
The Red Lantern Lady did not disappoint. When it came to fighting, she was truly fierce.
Under normal circumstances, Hu Ma might not have such a clear understanding of evil spirits at this level. But now, sitting atop the altar, he could sense a bit. The Red Lantern Lady had given him half a piece of life-saving incense, and by burning it, he could summon her.
However, what he summoned was not the essence of the Red Lantern Lady. It wasn't quite like the negative spirit people either, who could only borrow her Mana.
Strictly speaking, what he summoned should be a portion of her Mana, about thirty percent of her spiritual nature, essentially one-third of her.
In the forest, the Evil Ghost summoned by the opposing side was intimidatingly fierce.
In terms of overall ability, it seemed less formidable than the group of protective ghosts that Godmother Cui had summoned the day before. After all, that group of ghosts was summoned with great pomp and was not much different from an expert Entering the Mansion.
At that time, even Aunt Zhang, seeing the formidable opponent, had unhesitatingly summoned the Five Evil Gods to counter them.
But with that group of ghosts defeated, the four Evil Ghosts now were nonetheless formidable, each one as powerful as the breath exhaled by the green-clothed evil ghost in the past.
The Red Lantern Lady ascended into the sky with just thirty percent of her spirituality and Mana, engaging the Evil Ghosts and clearly gaining the upper hand, suppressing them thoroughly.
So, does this mean I'm sure to win this duel?
Of course, even as he thought this, Hu Ma dared not be careless. He steadfastly guarded the altar, wary of the other side pulling any more immoral tricks. After all, they couldn't be underestimated...
The demon people on Pingnan Road held quite a significant position in the jianghu.
In Mingzhou, theoretically, they were at the level of incense masters of both the Red Lantern and the green clothes gang. Because of their unscrupulous use of Magic, the things they concocted were even more powerful than the incense masters of the Red Lantern Society.
Theoretically, they should be compared to the protectors of the Red Lantern Lady's Club.
But Hu Ma knew the truth about these protectors and knew they were no match for Er Guotou.
In summary, he dared not underestimate the others. He wasn't sure if among these demon people there were any who had achieved Entering the Mansion, but presumably, even if there weren't, they weren't far off.
Sure enough, as the half-stick of life-saving incense on the Magic Altar burned away bit by bit, the Red Lantern Lady fought more and more fiercely. She had already eliminated one of the Evil Ghosts, with the remaining three barely holding on under her aggressive assault.
At this moment, Hu Ma suddenly noticed the oil lamp on the Magic Altar shaking violently, as if blown by a strong wind.
He was immediately alert and lifted his head, only to suddenly feel dizzy.
This startled him, and he looked down to see that the Mana on the altar was rapidly weakening, even affecting the Red Lantern Lady in the air.
"What's going on?"
This unseen method of harming people is most worrisome. Hu Ma frowned as he looked toward the forest.
At that time, the Carpenter was in the forest with disheveled hair, bowing and kowtowing vigorously towards the Magic Altar.
With each kowtow, the Mana on the Magic Altar dissipated slightly.
His own luck was also being reduced. By the time he kowtowed for the fourth time, events were unfolding far away. Outside Dongchang Prefecture, in a small town, lived the Carpenter's wife in a large, three-courtyard house. She had finished cooking, fed her three children, bolted the door, and gone to sleep.
Yet, half-asleep, the Carpenter's wife suddenly felt something tugging at her foot.
She woke up with a start and saw at the head of the bed, indistinctly, several little ghosts, grabbing her foot and laughing mischievously at her.
"Heavens!"
The Carpenter's wife screamed sharply, desperately scrambling off the bed and swinging a kitchen knife hidden under her pillow wildly.
The little ghosts grabbing her feet dispersed with eerie laughter, but the Carpenter's wife remained uneasy, feeling a vague sense of dread. Suddenly, she heard her children screaming in the next room.
She was so scared her soul nearly left her body. Rushing over, she saw her most beloved eldest son lying in bed, pale-faced, drenched in cold sweat, and clenching his jaws as if in a nightmare.
"Son, what's wrong..."
The Carpenter's wife hurriedly held him, swinging the kitchen knife in the air, hoping to repel whatever unseen thing was there.
She was the Carpenter's wife and had seen a bit of this before, but no matter how much she sliced, it was useless. Her eldest son's body tensed and grew colder until, suddenly, he unexpectedly opened his eyes.
Tearfully, he said, "Mother, I'm leaving..."
"Father has sinned, and people say I no longer have any luck. I can't stay with you anymore..."
"..."
After saying this, he let out a muffled gurgle, and his tense body suddenly went slack.
A gust of ominous wind blew past the window, as if something had departed. The Carpenter's wife cried bitterly, "Wretched Li, what have you done now that the retribution falls on your child..."
Her cries seemed to reach Carpenter Li in the forest, causing the corners of his mouth to twitch. Yet, he hardened his heart and kowtowed again.
"What on earth is this Magic, so cruel?"
Meanwhile, on the altar, Hu Ma felt the Mana slipping away. He was getting dizzy and frantic.
"Someone is using a spell that harms their yin virtue..."
Aunt Zhang was also anxious, saying, "Those people, they truly aren't afraid of retribution..."
Hu Ma understood Aunt Zhang's meaning; the people in the woods had likely concocted some shocking evil skill. In terms of skill, they might not be more advanced than himself, but their viciousness left him feeling helpless.
At the same time, the loss of Mana from the altar hadn't ceased, and it was clear the oil lamp on the Magic Altar was starting to flicker.
Vaguely, the flame seemed to split, forming two separate flames.
He could smell a certain stench in the air, and the night wind felt like being brushed by something slimy and scaly.
His heart shuddered, his soul feeling as if it were being torn apart.
"Benefactor, Benefactor, quick..."
Right then, Housekeeper Zhou began frantically spraying medicinal wine nearby, loudly urging,
"The Life Substitute Coin!"
"Quick, put the Life Substitute Coin in your mouth!"
"Only if you hold on and take care of those practitioners can you possibly pass this trial!"
"..."
That's right, the Life Substitute Coin...
Hu Ma shuddered, suddenly realizing. He fished it out from his pocket, glanced at his hand, hesitated slightly, but then stuffed it into his mouth.
His vigor renewed, he looked up and saw the Red Lantern shining brightly in the sky, suppressing the evil spirits below it.
With the Red Lantern Lady having the upper hand, she was sure to defeat the evil spirits. But taking another look, the Red Fragrance had already burned more than half. At her current speed of fighting those evil spirits, she might not be able to finish them off before it was completely burnt...
Moreover, the woods emanated a sinister aura that instinctively filled him with dread.
He had no idea what the other side might pull, but those demon people from Pingnan Road were exceedingly treacherous. If I let them continue, I'm surely done for.
So then...
He gritted his teeth lightly, turned to Aunt Zhang beside him, and whispered, "Aunt, can you hold on?"
"I... I'm fine!"
Aunt Zhang, at this moment, also appeared pale and unsteady, as if she might collapse.
Hu Ma was currently setting up the altar, and as the altar protector, she was also on the altar. The pressure Hu Ma was under affected her considerably, especially as the Magic Altar's Mana dissipated, which also impacted her.
Perhaps it was her higher cultivation, or maybe she had just taken a Blood Food Pill from Hu Ma; she was still holding on.
She even managed a weak, reassuring smile and said, "Shopkeeper, don't worry."
"I think I should summon that... that Evil Ghost to help."
"..."
"No need!" Hu Ma responded softly. He suddenly grabbed the Wooden Sword and the saw-toothed knife from the side, stood up, and fixed his gaze on the dark forest ahead. "For now," he said, "please take care of the altar and watch the front and back for me."
"As for me..." He gritted his teeth slightly, a sinister smile appearing on his face. "I'll let them taste the prowess of a Shousui man!"
"Huh?"
Aunt Zhang was taken by surprise.
She wasn't really supposed to take over the altar, as this was Hu Ma's first time setting one up; she was playing the role of Master, helping as a protector.
A Ghost Walker's first time setting up the altar usually required an adult companion, ready to take over if necessary.
But to leave the altar halfway to go fight? That's something I couldn't have imagined... Aunt Zhang thought.
By now, Hu Ma had no time to explain. Stepping aside to make way, he took up the Wooden Sword and saw-toothed knife, gritted his teeth, and instantly dashed into the dark night.
He didn't know how many helpers the enemy had, or how skilled they were in bizarre arts. As a newcomer in the ways of a Ghost Walker, even with the Red Lantern Lady on his side, it felt overwhelming.
These flashy tricks are hard to deal with.
But after all, I'm still a Shousui man!
My most profound skills lie in those abilities...
They say certain tricks counter the Punishment Soul, and Haishou counters walking ghosts. So, what do we Shousui men counter?
I don't even know what the Path teaches about this, but I believe the skills of a Shousui man are real and substantial.
Shousui men counter all flashy tricks!
As these thoughts raced through his mind, he charged into the darkness, placing a Blood Food Pill into his mouth. He then used the Ghost Ascending Stairs skill to silently approach the forest's edge, took a deep breath, and made a respectful bow towards the forest.
Four Ghosts Salute!