Chapter 113 - 112: Old Stump (Directly add two more - s)

Chapter 113: Chapter 112: Old Stump (Directly add two more Chapters) WOO... When Hu Ma came in, although the yin qi was eerie, it still seemed somewhat manageable. But now, trying to leave was much harder. At the moment he turned around, he felt a gust of cold wind hit his face. His vision blurred, and he witnessed a sight he would never forget. He saw the village, somehow alive, bathed in bright sunlight. People were wandering around, smiling. Some were placing pieces of white, flesh-like things on rooftops to dry, while others were grinding the last bit of millet with a stone mill. People were chopping wood, scolding children, and some were bringing out food to the men sitting at the door, chatting lazily. There was a vibrant life, with light and shadow dancing around him, as if with a turn, he was placed in another world. But it was just a glimpse. Hu Ma felt his eyes sting and, blinking slightly, he found that everyone in the village had suddenly turned to stare at him, and the vibrant expressions on their faces were rapidly fading. It was like objects having their colors stripped away by time, leaving only ghostly green eyes and withered faces. Hu Ma struggled to endure the impact this scene had on his heart. In this village, under the constant chill of yin qi, no matter how strong his cultivation was, the warmth of his body would slowly be blown away. But that was a process. If he got scared first, if his courage weakened, this process might speed up tenfold. "Dear villagers, I’m just here for a look." He slowly bowed forward. "Knowing how tough your lives are, once I’m out, I’ll surely soon find a way to help you all." At this moment, he wasn’t sure if speaking politely would work, but it was better to say something than nothing at all. He hoped to awaken the last bit of spiritual awareness in them, and also to bolster his own courage. People are always a bit more confident when dealing with things that can be reasoned with. Thus Hu Ma, bowing, began to walk towards the edge of the village. As his clasped hands were lowered, he gripped the red Wooden Sword again, poured some fire into it, and held it horizontally in front of his chest. The fire was to clear a path, not to kill. Firstly, the evil spirits in this village were trapped here, with few harming people outside. Killing them unjustly wasn’t right. Secondly, if you killed someone on their territory, wouldn’t that provoke everyone’s anger? Unfortunately, even though he didn’t want to hurt anyone, it seemed he had provoked their wrath. As Hu Ma took steps towards the outside of the village, suddenly the eerie wind in the village increased dramatically. The figures he could see a moment ago vanished, and amid the gloom, only dark shadows loomed, flying overwhelmingly towards Hu Ma. SWISH! Hu Ma, having anticipated this, swiftly dodged and dashed forward to escape. With this move, he employed the dharma method of the Shousui man: one hand refining life, holding the red Wooden Sword, while the other hand turned into a lifeless object to shield his face, using the dead object to counter the yin qi of the evil spirits and avoid being overwhelmed by them. Simultaneously, he pushed off the ground with his feet and leapt onto the roof of a nearby house enveloped by wild grasses, running along the eaves as if on flat ground, swiftly heading towards the village’s edge. This was the Ghost Ascending Stairs technique, more mysterious than the Wall-Crawling Lizard of the jianghu. Especially in this Ghost Village, if a living person used the Wall-Crawling Lizard technique, a gust of yin qi from the evil spirits would make their legs go weak. But the Ghost Ascending Stairs technique was unaffected. His body flickered as he sprinted outward, evading the assaults of ghostly shadows, but a chilling cold still seeped into his bones. Although he blocked his face with his left hand, preventing his mind from being directly assailed, his internal organs still felt hollow and icy, as if his torso wasn’t his own. But fortunately, the limb active in refining life was barely affected, and he persisted, catching sight of the Stele in the distance. Seeing that Hu Ma might break out of the village, the evil spirits within seemed anxious, flying densely towards him. He heard countless piercing cries, and it seemed as if the world around him plummeted into dark night. Hu Ma, knowing the critical moment had arrived, suddenly fueled his stove fire. Not only did his chilled organs revive with the vitality of the living, but he also blew out a True Yang Arrow ahead of him. He now possessed Three Column Tao. Even though his recent practice of refining life had cost him a bit, he still retained two and a half columns’ worth of power. This was equivalent to nearly sixty years of accumulated power for others, surpassing even the Shopkeeper. Ordinarily, he concealed two columns, using only thirty percent of his strength. The full extent of his power, if unleashed, was difficult for even him to imagine, and this was the true reason he had dared to enter the village. Now, a single True Yang Arrow was unleashed. It was like a burst of flame erupting in the dead of night, illuminating the surroundings and forcing back the evil spirits blocking his path. Taking this opportunity, Hu Ma stomped both feet, his body shooting like an arrow from a bow, leaping behind the Stele. Finally escaped... As Hu Ma left the village, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead. This Juehu Village was indeed formidable. If he hadn’t used his true cultivation in that final moment, it might not have been safe. "Where are Second Master and the others?" He took a breath and quickly looked for Second Master and the others, but suddenly realized there were no figures around. The people waiting for him outside the village had inexplicably disappeared... This shock was no small matter. But he forced himself to remain calm and observed carefully, only to suddenly understand, "This is the south of the village..." He had strictly followed the path he used to enter when trying to break out of the village, as it was the most direct route. But unexpectedly, despite being so cautious, he was still led astray. Though it seemed he was retracing his path, he had actually circled most of the village. He had clearly entered from the north, but upon exiting, he found himself beside the Stele on the south side. While his cultivation protected him from direct harm by the Yin Ghosts, it didn’t entirely shield him from the village’s disorienting influence. If not for his formidable last True Yang Arrow, perhaps he would still be wandering within the village, unaware. Thinking this, he hurriedly pulled the grass rope tied around his waist. It hung loosely; after pulling back several yards of it, he found its end was severed. At this end of the grass rope, four or five ghastly white shadows were gripping it tightly, as if trying to follow him out of the village. Not good. Hu Ma suddenly realized something, crying out silently in his heart. The powerful entities in the village were blocked by the Stele and couldn’t exit; they intended to climb out using his rope. He gripped the red Wooden Sword tighter, glancing at the sky. It seemed to be getting darker. He had chosen noontime for worshipping Lady Liu’er and had spent only about a two-hour period in Juehu Village, yet the sky grew increasingly dim, as if it were already past twilight and plunged into the depths of night—the time when ghosts roamed freely. Ghost eclipses the sun... He recalled some phenomena Sister Wu He had told him about. At the Twilight Boundary, yin and yang are divided; the daytime belongs to the living, while the night belongs to evil spirits. In Old Yin Mountain, though yin and yang were mixed, this pattern was somewhat adhered to. Daytime was always safer for the living, but certain powerful evil spirits and yin objects, with profound mana, could overshadow the sun even during the day, forcibly turning pre-twilight hours into post-twilight. If such a phenomenon occurred while I was in the village, it would be understandable. But they can achieve this even now that I’m outside? His heart turned cold with dread. Though he didn’t know the exact reason, he realized he was dealing with something formidable. Originally reluctant to resort to violence, he now hesitated no more. Gripping the red Wooden Sword, he summoned all his cultivation, ready to spring forward and strike back. But at that very moment, a strange wind gusted by. Having just escaped Juehu Village, Hu Ma was sharply attuned to the yin wind, his body still chilled. Yet now, he distinctly felt this gust of wind was different from those within Juehu Village. As it brushed against him, he felt a slight warmth, along with a curious sensation—fragrant yet not quite fragrant, a sound that was almost not there. Before he could react, the things clinging to his back were suddenly blown back into the village. He heard faint, indistinct cries, as if from afar; those entities had no chance to resist. Hu Ma felt his shoulders lighten slightly, but he dared not lower his guard. From the corner of his eye, he saw that the sun remained dark. He guessed internally, slowly turning towards the source of the warm wind, lowering his sword tip, and raised his hands in a respectful bow. "May I know which friend helped me? Please, may I see you?" "..." Speaking, he finished bowing and slowly looked up, only to be slightly startled. The scenery before him seemed to have transformed. The entire forest was submerged in the silence of the night. Only about thirty feet in front of him, an old tree stump quietly appeared. Vaguely, there was a silhouette on it, but strangely, when he tried to look intently, he couldn’t make out its features, or even if it truly existed. Only with his peripheral vision could he clearly see a person in loose, flowing robes, their face indistinct, yet seemingly wearing a faint smile, quietly watching him. It’s him? Hu Ma felt a faint chill in his heart and hurriedly bowed again, saying, "Elder." He had seen this old tree stump once before with Granny. Later, when Granny passed away, and when he himself left the village, it had appeared both times. To address it as "friend" was inappropriate; it had a connection with Granny and was his elder. "You haven’t yet learned what you should learn..." As Hu Ma bowed, he felt a gentle breeze around him, and a warm, masculine voice seemed to whisper in his ear, "These matters are something your Granny left for the descendants of the Hu Family to resolve. The thing in the Stone Box is also for the Hu Family’s descendants. "Although you now have abilities, what you’ve learned isn’t the Hu Family’s skills, so you don’t count as their descendant. The thing in that box won’t recognize you. "But if you ask me, your Granny went to the ancestral hall, bearing the pressure for you, buying you time. If you let her wait too long, it wouldn’t be proper. So, it’s better you learn what you need to learn sooner, and then come back!" "..." "Hmm?" Hu Ma felt a chill in his heart and quickly raised his head again. But within that tiny motion, the surroundings changed drastically. Daylight had returned. Sunlight trickled through the ancient trees, fragmented and mottled. Before him stood only a few large trees, each needing several people to encircle with their arms. Where was there any tree stump?