CHAPTER 366: CHAPTER 363: GU ARRAY OUTSIDE THE VALLEY

The shouts carried into the forest. Leaves shook and withered grass swayed, but even after listening for a long while, there wasn’t the slightest response.

Hu Ma immediately furrowed his brows. The others around him also felt their hearts sink slightly. As they looked at the forest ahead, they found the stillness increasingly eerie, making them uneasy.

They had just entered the mountain and hadn’t even seen the people at the mine yet, let alone had any grudges to speak of. However, having encountered the harmful Gu Dog right away, calling out loudly this time was simply following proper jianghu etiquette. If the other party had been nearby, they would surely have heard it.

But now, there was complete silence. What did the other party mean by this? Were they unwilling even to talk?

Beside him, Calculation took out a map and spoke in a low voice, "Technically, we should have arrived by now. I just used small geomancy to calculate, and we haven’t gone in the wrong direction, nor are we caught in a ghost wall."

"Yet, strangely enough, there’s nothing to see here..."

Following his gaze, everyone looked ahead. Indeed, past the clearing, it was still a dense, lush forest with no sign of the blood food mine.

The surroundings were empty and uninhabited, as if they had come to a desolate wilderness.

"Perhaps, we have indeed arrived."

Hu Ma observed the surroundings, took a deep breath, and said, "This clearing here doesn’t look normal. I imagine it’s the mark left by logging to build houses at the mine."

"Maybe after passing through the forest ahead, we’ll reach the place we need to go."

Upon hearing this, they all observed for a moment, vaguely feeling he made sense. But looking further into the forest, it appeared no different from those they had passed through. Intertwining vines and towering trees filled the view, with no trace of a path to be seen!

Yet Hu Ma did not rush to speak. He said to Calculation, "Brother, we haven’t offended anyone, and we’ve followed the rules of jianghu by shouting. Whatever we do next isn’t considered impolite, right?"

Calculation immediately nodded and said, "Naturally. Wherever you go under the sky, can’t one still speak of reason?"

"That’s good."

Hu Ma took a deep breath and took down the eerie saw-toothed knife that belonged to Zhou Datong from the donkey’s back, tucking it under his arm. He walked forward slowly, soon reaching the end of the clearing, and looked at the large, peculiarly growing forest where vines intertwined like tentacles.

Then he suddenly took a deep breath and swung the knife. His vitality erupted with a faint power of yang exorcism as he fiercely chopped at the tangled roots of a towering tree in the forest.

"BOOM..."

As the knife struck down, everyone heard a piercing, reverberating wail that made their eardrums swell. Through their blurred vision, the whole forest seemed to shake in panic as eerie shadows darted away in all directions.

When the commotion finally passed, they looked on dumbfounded. Amidst the once tangled vines, a path had clearly appeared.

The path bore traces of wheel ruts, clearly well-trodden.

"So it’s true, the blood food mine is just ahead..."

Calculation couldn’t help but jump off the donkey cart and take a look, his face lighting up with joy. "I told you! My small geomancy skills, which I bought for two Blood Food Pills, must be genuine!"

"Did we really find the place?"

Zhou Datong and the others hurried over, filled with joy, but Hu Ma quickly stopped them. He picked up a small stone from the ground and tossed it forward.

Within the forest, a light mist floated among the trees. Branches and leaves swayed, making the woods look vast, lush, and ordinary. But when the stone hit a leaf and turned it over, they discovered a colorful poisonous insect concealed behind it, which then fell to the ground.

Everyone’s earlier excitement quickly dissipated. They looked at each other, wary of what might happen if they ventured inside.

"This forest is filled with traps..."

Hu Ma took a deep breath and said to Calculation, "It seems it’s not any Witch blocking the way. It’s that the people in the blood food mine don’t welcome us..."

"First the Gu Dog, and now this forest filled with gu insects..."

Calculation’s face turned a bit green as he watched, and he said quietly, "The people at this mine aren’t very scrupulous. Their attitude is extremely aggressive..."

Hu Ma carefully observed the forest and said, "Brother, do you know how to dispel gu?"

Calculation replied with a pained expression, "Years ago, a Witch invited me to be his son-in-law. If I had agreed, he would have taught me. But I was too proud then and refused the marriage..."

Not very capable, yet you have plenty to say.

Hu Ma silently ridiculed him, feeling a headache as well. He didn’t know what was hidden in the forest or how many strange things were concealed there. Even with his skills as a Shousui man, which made him unafraid of ordinary poisonous insects, he didn’t dare charge in recklessly...

But he came here full of enthusiasm to take over the blood food mine. Was he now to quit halfway and simply turn back?

As he pondered, he suddenly heard a snort. Unexpectedly, it came from the horse that had been following quietly all along. It now raised its head in excitement, looking toward the deep forest.

Then, without any warning, it silently started to pick up its hooves and walked leisurely forward.

Zhou Datong and the others were startled and hurriedly tried to stop it, but Hu Ma’s heart stirred, and he said, "Just follow it."

Calculation and the others were full of confusion. However, they saw Hu Ma already following behind the horse, prompting the rest to follow as well. Even the donkey, which had become wary, tucked its tail and quietly followed.

"HISS... HISS... HISS..."

Following the horse into the deep forest, everyone grew increasingly astonished. Although at first glance the forest appeared no different from the outside, it seemed to stir a wasp nest as the horse led the way, stepping through the grass and kicking aside vines.

Among the swinging branches and leaves, poisonous insects or strange sprays of powder intermittently shot out from both sides. Each landed on the horse’s back, biting and stinging.

In the dim light, they saw thumb-sized scorpions, spiders as big as Copper Coins, and thin, oddly colored snakes with black rings on white bodies.

At first glance, they were wholly oblivious to the presence of these creatures hiding on both sides. But now, they all jumped out, startling like a disturbed wasp nest. Each headed for the horse, leaving those following behind with numb scalps.

The horse was clearly in pain, its body shaking continuously. However, its steps grew lighter, and it even let out two joyous whinnies as if celebrating something.

"This horse..."

The poisonous insects on both sides were terrifying, but the horse’s behavior was even more frightening.

Both Calculation and Zhou Datong felt their scalps tingle. The horse was acting unusually mad.

This old fellow has finally found its release...

Though Hu Ma felt a shiver as he followed behind, he also couldn’t help but sigh lightly, as if fulfilling an entrusted task.

The horse had been handed to him by Miss Red Wine, its sole purpose being to die.

It longed for death but didn’t want to be killed by someone else’s hand. Hence, it had to wait for the calamity of death to arrive naturally. Miss Red Wine had handed it over because her manor couldn’t provide the danger it sought.

Now, it had forged a path through the Gu Array for them, dying from the malevolent toxins within, finally achieving its own perfect end.

Hu Ma would not kill it himself, nor would he deliberately send it into a death trap. But now that it had found its own opportunity, he naturally wouldn’t stop it...

Thus, leveraging the horse’s path-clearing, everyone followed it, bit by bit, through the forest and saw the lights ahead.

When they finally got through, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The poisonous insects on the horse all suddenly stiffened and fell away. The horse’s body was red, swollen, and turning blue-green; its hooves were unsteady, and then it suddenly collapsed heavily.

"Careful!"

Hu Ma stepped forward swiftly, his hands employing the Death Transformation technique to avoid poison contamination. He then supported the horse’s chest, allowing it to kneel slowly onto the ground.

Exchanging a glance with the horse’s hollow eyes, he could see its comfort. Hu Ma merely nodded back, having no intention of explaining its courage or its reasons for acting this way to others. It was enough that he alone knew.

But watching the horse kneel slowly, resting quietly to await death, Hu Ma turned with cold composure and looked back into the forest. Regardless of who had laid down this Gu Array or their intention, he would remember this incident.

Beside him stood a simple wooden gate, with a tattered red lantern hung upon it. Now it held no flame, just swayed helplessly in the wind.

Hu Ma glanced at it and understood in his heart the blood food mine’s attitude toward the Red Lantern Society.

The red lantern was the symbol of the Red Lantern Lady, signifying that this was her territory. Although one hung here, it was not fueled with oil or repaired. It was left to be battered by wind and sun, making it less a symbol and more like a joke hung up for display.

Further within, they saw a valley ahead, lit brightly with fire pits and torches, making it as bright as day.

In the valley, an unknown number of people holding knives and guns, their expressions fierce and courageous, sat around fires roasting meat. When they saw Hu Ma and the others approaching, they were all taken aback and quickly gathered forward.

Each cast hostile glances, shouting, "Who are you? This is the blood food mine! If you barge in recklessly, don’t you want your lives?"

"Miners?"

Hu Ma swept his gaze across the group of shabbily dressed, fierce-looking people but didn’t take them seriously. Instead, his eyes jumped past them towards the depths of the valley. He suddenly took a deep breath and shouted sternly,

"Where is the manager here?"

"I am a Disciple of Green Incense under the Red Lantern Lady, here to check the accounts! Mine Chief, come out and see me at once!"

This shout caused the faces of the miners in front of him to change dramatically. They involuntarily retreated, their weapons and tools clattering to the ground.

Beside him, the horse, filled with countless deadly poisons, slowly lowered its massive head. It was ready to embrace the arrival of death, its consciousness growing hazy, as if about to fall into endless darkness...

...then it was suddenly jolted awake. It cast a resentful glance at Hu Ma. You shattered the mood I was just cultivating with your shouting...