Chapter 111 Juehu Village

Chapter 111: Chapter 111 Juehu Village "Who?" A sudden shout instantly dispersed the mysterious and somber atmosphere. The people from Dayang Village quickly turned around to see a group of men, both old and young, dressed in simple clothing and wielding sticks and hoes, storming over aggressively. Leading them was an old man wearing a sheepskin hat and holding a Blade Pu. His dark face flushed with anger as he cursed, "Without a word, without a greeting, you just come here to perform a forest ritual? What is the meaning of this?" "Does your Dayang Village intend to snatch all the good fortune from the surrounding villages?" "Or are you trying to attract some malicious entity and bring harm to all of us who scrape a living in this old forest?" Seeing their hostile approach, the Dayang villagers who had come along also jumped up, hastily grabbing their tools as weapons. Even the elderly Old Clan Chief immediately snatched up the carrying pole they had just used for the offerings, craning his neck and shouting at the other group, "Old Yangpi, what do you think you’re doing?" "We haven’t gone to your village entrance to burn incense, yet you bring your men here. Are you looking for a fight?" "And what if we are?" Old Yangpi retorted, extending his hand. The men around him raised their weapons, shouting, "It was your Dayang Village that broke the rules first!" "If you don’t leave us a way to live, we’ll fight you to the death!" This is bad... Seeing the tension between the two sides escalate to the brink of violence over a mere disagreement, Hu Ma felt a surge of worry. Among villages, some valued rules and etiquette, while others would erupt into brawls at the slightest provocation. There were even those who would draw weapons for the most absurd reasons. If individuals met, one might swallow their pride and try to talk things over. But when a village’s interests were involved, things became unpredictable. One wrong word, and a fight would break out. Moreover, these kinds of village brawls could turn deadly. In the past, villages fought over legitimate reasons like water sources, land, or the rightful claim to Master Tai Sui. But there were also fights sparked by foolishness, such as suspecting children from another village of stealing their cattle. With no clear way to resolve the accusation, they would simply start fighting. After a chaotic melee, with several dead on each side, they might discover the cattle had merely wandered into a mountain hollow to graze. Then, the village wrongly accused of theft, still fuming, would go seeking retribution. But the other village, finding themselves in a bind, couldn’t admit fault, so another fight would erupt. More people would die. A simple misunderstanding could escalate into a generations-long feud. Villages valued personal connections. Reason played a part, but honestly, not a large one. The principle of siding with justice over kinship was something only achievable at a certain level; within a village, it would only breed resentment. Hu Ma didn’t even fully grasp the situation, but he certainly didn’t want to see people die over this. Anxious, he glanced at Second Master, only to see that Second Master had already stepped forward, positioning himself between the two tense groups. Second Master was tall and long-limbed. With the stove fire burning fiercely nearby, he cut an imposing figure as he stood there. Yet, his tone wasn’t overbearing. He addressed the old man in the sheepskin hat, "Don’t be hasty, don’t be hasty, Old brother Yangpi. What’s all this about? Can’t we talk things through calmly first?" "Calmly? If we’d arrived any later, you’d have finished your ritual!" Old Yangpi huffed indignantly. "Your Dayang Village already enjoys good fortune, and now you’re here performing a forest ritual! If all the blessings in the forest are snatched by Dayang Village, what are we supposed to live on? If someone hadn’t told me beforehand, I wouldn’t have known about you sneaky lot!" "Who was so loose-tongued as to run to you and sow discord?" Second Master frowned. "Isn’t this utter nonsense?" "Look who this is." As he spoke, he beckoned to Hu Ma, who walked over to stand beside him. Second Master said to Old Yangpi, "This is Hu Ma, Walking Ghost Granny’s grandson. He got lost in the forest some time ago, and your Python Village even helped search for him." "He’s well now and has made something of himself. He hasn’t been with the Red Lantern Lady’s Club for long, yet he has already learned some skills. He was even noticed by an important person and promoted to manager!" "But no matter how well he does, he can’t forget his roots when he returns to the village." "He previously took on a godmother in relation to lighting his furnace. Today, he has simply come to make offerings to his godmother." "Surely, that’s not unacceptable?" Old Yangpi was momentarily rendered speechless by Second Master’s words. The Old Clan Chief of Dayang Village was a cunning man; he knew that performing a forest ritual could easily stir up trouble. Regardless of whether Dayang Village had the right to conduct such a ritual, their initiating it was bound to displease other villages. But he had anticipated this and prepared an explanation beforehand precisely to silence any objections. If Old Yangpi tried to argue against this reasoning, he wouldn’t stand a chance. However, he was an obstinate man and chose to ignore that line of argument. Instead, he turned to Hu Ma and said, "Boy, do you still recognize your Grandpa Yangpi?" "When your Granny passed away, I was there to pay my respects. I’ve seen you. Your Granny was a good person; our Python Village acknowledges her. But business is business. Did you think we wouldn’t know what you’re up to?" "You want to perform a forest ritual, to be in the limelight? Fine." "But you can’t just come and perform it by the willow tree first. If you insist on performing a ritual, then go perform your rites for Juehu Village!" "Juehu Village?" The unexpected mention of this name seemed to conjure a chilling wind that swept through the area. The light itself appeared to dim, and the wind carried an unnerving coldness, making everyone present feel a shiver down their spines. Even Second Master’s tone changed abruptly. "Old brother Yangpi, that’s going too far, isn’t it?" he said in a low voice. "He’s just a lad. You want him to go to Juehu Village?" Old Yangpi didn’t look at Hu Ma, keeping his gaze fixed on Second Master. "You’ve all come to perform a forest ritual, so why can’t he go to Juehu Village?" "He’s Walking Ghost Granny’s grandson. Isn’t it expected that he should go to Juehu Village?" Second Master hesitated, at a loss for words. Even the Old Clan Chief behind him looked troubled, his earlier assertiveness diminished. Hu Ma, observing their reactions and hearing this strange name, felt a knot of curiosity and unease tighten in his chest. He cast a questioning glance at Second Master. If not for the tense standoff, he would have asked directly. Second Master understood Hu Ma’s curiosity. He also saw that Old Yangpi was unwilling to back down. Moreover, their group had rushed here upon receiving news; they were merely the vanguard. More people might arrive soon, and if a crowd gathered and tempers flared, a mishandled situation could easily erupt into a full-blown conflict between the villages. After a brief pause, he said to Old Yangpi, "Old brother, don’t be anxious just yet. I have a few things to explain." Seeing Old Yangpi nod, Second Master pulled Hu Ma aside. "You were sick before, your mind confused, so you don’t remember things from the past," he whispered. "This Juehu Village that man mentioned is a major incident your Granny dealt with before. It’s a very sinister place. "They call it Juehu, but it’s actually a dead village, a ghost village. "The village was originally named Stone Box Village, right next to Python Village. During those years of famine, all the villages and settlements were short on food. But the people of Stone Box Village discovered a type of Tai Sui. It looked like a White Tai Sui, so they cut it up and took it home to eat. "As it turned out, that wasn’t a White Tai Sui but something malevolent. That thing ended up killing everyone in the village. After their deaths, their spirits were unreconciled and became Yin Ghosts, tormenting the neighboring villages and giving them no peace. "It was your Granny who went there, helped suppress the evil spirits, and sealed off the village. "But your Granny also said at the time that the people in that village were pitiable souls. She didn’t want to scatter them. So, she only sealed the village to prevent them from coming out and causing trouble, thinking that after some years, once their resentment had dissipated, she could then find a way to help them move on... "But unexpectedly, before that time came, your Granny..." "Sigh..." he trailed off, then continued, "Python Village is the closest to that Juehu Village, and they’ve always been terrified that those things would come out and cause trouble again. Old brother Yangpi isn’t skilled enough to figure out a solution, so this has been a constant, gnawing worry for their village..." "Something Granny left unfinished?" Hu Ma murmured, understanding now why Old Yangpi had brought his men to cause a scene. The Shopkeeper had said before that Ghost Walkers were deeply entangled with karma. It was no exaggeration. His Granny originally had no connection to that village, but because she stepped in to help, she became tied to its fate. After a moment of reflection, he said to Second Master, "I am Granny’s grandson. If I hadn’t learned any skills, it would be one thing. But now that I have, and I’ve even gained some recognition, they’re afraid I won’t acknowledge this outstanding matter. That’s why they’re making trouble. But it’s alright. The loose ends Granny left behind are naturally for me to help resolve." "Second Master, I’m thinking, perhaps we should go with him and take a look at that village first?" Second Master listened, a worried expression on his face. "You’ve only been learning for a few days. Can you handle something like this?" "We’ll just take a look," Hu Ma said. "Technically, what Granny left unresolved should indeed be handled by me. But I certainly won’t make them any promises." Second Master processed this, a look of approval dawning in his eyes as he praised, "You lad, truly worthy of your cunning lineage! Your mind is sharp!" His willingness to go and see showed that Hu Ma wasn’t shirking responsibility and had the courage to face it. But making a promise would mean incurring a debt. Hu Ma wouldn’t casually incur such debts. Even Second Master needed a moment to process the nuances of the situation. Returning with Second Master, Hu Ma addressed Old Yangpi, "Grandpa Yangpi, the matter of Juehu Village concerns everyone in the Old Yin Mountain vicinity." "My Granny was kind-hearted and helped seal the evil spirits of that village. Now that Granny is gone, I am also willing to go and see if I can be of any assistance. However, my skills are far inferior to Granny’s, so I daren’t make any guarantees!" "Good child, good child! Just being willing to go and take a look is enough..." Hearing Hu Ma’s words, Old Yangpi seemed to transform, a grateful smile spreading across his face. Going to see meant that Walking Ghost Granny’s descendant acknowledged the obligation. As long as he was someone who acknowledged old debts, they wouldn’t need to fear him trying to hog the limelight in this forest. Truth be told, when they had last come to offer condolences, this very issue had weighed on their minds. After all, only Walking Ghost Granny had been capable of dealing with Juehu Village. With her gone, what were they to do? But seeing how young Hu Ma was at the time, they hadn’t dared to voice their concerns. Now, seeing he had become capable, a sliver of hope rekindled within them.