CHAPTER 83: CHAPTER 82 AUNT TAN

"Aunt Tan, Aunt Tan, eat heartily, drink heartily..."

The peddler freed his right hand, grabbed a rattling drum, and shook it, glaring at Hu Ma with an intense, venomous gaze.

Yet his voice was unusually low and slow, as if trying to curry favor, softly saying, "Eat and drink your fill. Once you’re done with this fellow..."

"He is a Shousui man; his flesh and blood are very nourishing..."

He was perceptive. Upon seeing Hu Ma’s belt on the first day, he knew Hu Ma was a disciple of the Red Lantern Lady’s Club. However, since Hu Ma wore a green waist belt without patterns, the peddler didn’t give it much thought.

What he didn’t know was that although Hu Ma appeared as a disciple of Green Incense, he had actually been promoted to manager. The corresponding belt just hadn’t been sent to the Manor yet, so Hu Ma made do with the one he had.

As for the villagers’ terms of address, they called everyone "young manager," regardless of whether the individuals were actually managers or not.

Moreover, he never imagined that Hu Ma, so young, had already learned the Shousui Path.

Of course, he hadn’t considered this before, but now, seeing that Hu Ma was poisoned yet hadn’t fallen, he guessed it.

As the peddler muttered on and on, the sound of gulping blood from the jar became clearer.

The rattling drum sounded incessantly. The surrounding night grew increasingly chilly, and even the drowsy children nearby seemed affected, each following his lead, chanting, "Aunt Tan, Aunt Tan..."

Their childish voices were especially eerie in the night.

Aunt Tan? What kind of Path is this?

A wave of ferocity surged in my heart, wanting to slash over with my blade.

Yet, an instinctual sense of danger warned me.

That jar seemed to be about twenty pounds in size; putting a dog inside would take effort. For some unknown reason, the contents of the jar made his hair stand on end. A strong sense of danger gripped me...

His right hand still grasped his blade, while his left hand had quietly untied the Wooden Sword, hiding it behind his back as he cautiously advanced.

A killing blade in his right hand, a ghost-slaying sword in his left. Both hands needed to be strong, both needed to be ready.

"HISS!"

Just as he was thinking about how to approach, and before he could get close, something suddenly extended from the jar as the peddler mumbled.

It looked like a tiny hand. It seized the peddler’s dangling arm, pulling it into the jar and gnawing fiercely.

The peddler screamed in pain, appearing frantic, yet he still did not stop shaking the drum in his other hand.

"SWISH!"

Hu Ma seized the opportunity, not daring to delay any longer.

Facing this sinister peddler, the longer he delayed, the less he knew what evil magic the other party might complete.

He took a lunging step forward, closing the distance, his steel blade ready to strike.

But unexpectedly, at that precise moment, a sharp pain shot through his leg, causing him to stagger. Halting in haste, he looked down and found that an unknown force had ripped a chunk of flesh from his left leg, which was now bloody and dripping.

In the pitch-black night, something unseen terrified Hu Ma. Enduring the pain, he charged forward with his blade once more.

But before his arm could lift, he suddenly felt a numbing sensation in his right arm; another unseen force had bitten away a chunk of flesh.

The wound stung with a cold, sharp pain, and the coldness seemed to be burrowing deeper into it.

"What the hell is this?"

Startled, Hu Ma struggled to remain calm, forcefully swinging the Wooden Sword in his left hand.

"HISS! HISS!" As the Wooden Sword swung, it seemed as if something invisible dodged away from him.

However, it hadn’t retreated but was lurking nearby, eyeing him intently.

I couldn’t see what it was, but it would unexpectedly nip me out of nowhere.

The eerie situation almost scared me out of my wits, but I gritted my teeth and held my ground.

In the face of evil spirits, one couldn’t afford to be afraid. Fear would weaken one by thirty percent. If the adversary then gained an advantage, one would be weakened by another thirty percent.

If he couldn’t even maintain his calm, he was as good as ninety percent dead.

At that moment, he had to summon his stove fire. With the red Wooden Sword guarding his body, he stared firmly ahead. He saw the peddler notice the wounds on his body and reveal a ferocious smile. The peddler shook the rattling drum more fervently, its rhythm almost dizzying.

From the jar, bizarre, shrill laughter arose, accompanied by gusts of eerie wind swirling around it, making him shiver.

The strangeness is inside that jar...

Hu Ma gripped the red Wooden Sword tightly in his left hand, his eyes fixed on the jar. Taking a deep breath, he then thrust forward with determination.

This time I have no choice but to gamble everything. Either I break the jar with one strike of my sword, killing whatever is inside, or I might be gnawed to death by these sinister things in this pitch-black night.

"HEE-HEE..."

As Hu Ma thrust his sword straight forward, empowered by the stove fire, the thing inside the jar seemed to sense the danger. It emitted a faint laugh, a sound so eerie it felt like it was trying to drill into his ears.

At the same time, as Hu Ma stabbed forward, his defense was inadequate. Unseen assailants relentlessly tore three or four more pieces of flesh from his waist and shoulders.

But Hu Ma, his resolve hardening, kept his left hand steady, thrusting unwaveringly toward the jar.

"BANG!"

Just as he saw his sword about to succeed, a small, pale, seemingly boneless hand suddenly stretched out from the jar.

It clutched the Wooden Sword tightly, and white smoke immediately rose where it was seared by the sword’s heat.

But the Wooden Sword was seized. Hu Ma knew how dire the situation was. The fire in his eyes burned fiercely as he prepared to push forward with all his strength, stepping in to force the Wooden Sword deeper.

"Brother Huma..."

At that very instant, a clear voice called out by his ear, and a flash of red came from the side.

Little Hongtang rushed over, planting both feet on the jar. She then used it as a springboard to leap towards Hu Ma, knocking him to the ground.

The jar rolled over a dozen feet away, yet astonishingly, it wobbled and then righted itself.

Outside his vision, something sinister seemed to be wailing eerily, swarming towards Hu Ma to bite him.

"AWOOOO!"

Yet, at the same time, a foul wind suddenly reached his ears. From the dark fields on either side of the path, a stout black dog abruptly emerged. It was only a few breaths slower than Little Hongtang as it charged into the scene.

In one leap, it tackled the jar, slamming it to the ground. Its force was so overwhelming that it cracked the jar in half. Something inside shrieked miserably.

Aunt Tan seemed to be in extreme pain. It crawled halfway out of the jar and began to wrestle fiercely with the black dog.

But the black dog was exceptionally ferocious, biting and tearing with extreme brutality.

"That’s... that’s..."

Suddenly witnessing this scene, the peddler’s face instantly changed color. He struggled to stand, intending to flee into the distance.

Unexpectedly, he saw a slightly chubby, grim-faced elderly man appear on the road ahead. The old man was angered and reprimanded sharply, "Tan’er Sect fiends! You actually dare to come back!"

The peddler was shocked. He wanted to turn and escape in another direction, but his injured thigh rendered him unable to run.

In desperation, he lifted the doll in his hands and aimed it. The doll suddenly opened its mouth, spitting out a barrage of flying needles.

"HUFF!"

The old man exhaled forcefully, scattering the needles. His anger intensified, and he swiftly reached out to grab the peddler’s face.

"Old Shopkeeper?"

Seeing Little Hongtang appear, Hu Ma had felt somewhat excited.

Upon seeing the Old Shopkeeper, his worries vanished. Lucky the Old Shopkeeper arrived just in time...

Otherwise, I would have had to reveal my true strength!

That Aunt Tan, whatever it is, is immensely powerful in Mana.

I usually conceal my cultivation, employing only the power of One Incense. This means in my Lifebound Spirit Temple, the incense burner always has only One Incense burning; the other two are just placed aside.

But this recent fight clearly showed that the power of One Incense was no match for Aunt Tan. If Little Hongtang had been even slightly slower, I would have had to put all Three Incense into the incense burner to deal with it.

The operation itself is simple; with a thought, my Three Column Tao would be fully unleashed.

The only problem is, if I did that, the Old Shopkeeper, who’s surely watching, would have noticed I’ve been concealing my cultivation...

Thanks to Little Hongtang...

Feeling relieved, he suddenly grew curious. What is that black dog?

The Old Shopkeeper’s inner courtyard never seemed to have a dog before, did it?

But seeing how fiercely the two sides were engaged, Hu Ma quickly got up. Looking around, he saw his help wasn’t needed. He hurriedly gathered the children, who were still standing dazedly nearby, into one place and signaled Little Hongtang with his eyes to watch them.

Then he returned his gaze to the battle. He witnessed the black dog wreaking havoc, by now having torn the jar’s contents to shreds.

On the Old Shopkeeper’s side, things were even more straightforward.

The peddler was already severely injured by Hu Ma’s hand. Now, facing the Old Shopkeeper, his suffering intensified.

His flying needles and the poisonous powders hidden up his sleeves were neutralized one by one by the cold-faced Old Shopkeeper. The peddler cried out to Aunt Tan, but there was no response, which only made the Old Shopkeeper’s eyes blaze with more fury.

The Old Shopkeeper Hu Ma knew rarely interfered in affairs and showed little empathy.

Even when Xu Ji and the attendant in the outer courtyard lost their lives, he hadn’t sought revenge; his heart was as hard as stone, leaving one speechless.

Yet now, facing the peddler, he seemed completely transformed.

Not only did he crush the peddler’s right arm and the rattling drum, but he also lifted him by the neck.

After asking a few questions and getting no response, the Old Shopkeeper saw the peddler try to bite off his own tongue. With a swift move, he slammed the peddler headfirst into the ground, driving his head into his chest cavity.

"Kidnapping! A crime punishable by ten thousand deaths!"

Seeing the Old Shopkeeper’s fury, Hu Ma was somewhat shocked. He steadied himself and then stepped forward.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard a woman’s call from not far away, "Father, they really are back..."

Hu Ma instinctively turned his head, and suddenly his scalp tingled.

The one speaking was the black dog.

Or rather, it was the Shopkeeper’s daughter, Sister Wu He.

Below her neck, she was entirely in the form of a large black dog. Only her head protruded from the dog’s body, appearing especially bizarre in the chilling night.