Chapter 139 - 138: The White-Haired Corpse

Chapter 139: Chapter 138: The White-Haired Corpse Although what Hu Ma said was strange and increasingly terrifying, Old Master Zhao exchanged glances with those around him and, with a bit of resolve, agreed. The longer they delayed, the more they feared the village would truly face a massive famine if the drought continued. Not only did they agree, but they also noticed that Hu Ma, unlike the previous Masters who just went through the motions, had genuinely spent an entire day searching. This subtly gave them some confidence in him. They gritted their teeth and accepted. The five hundred taels mentioned by Zhou Datong was, of course, impossible—they couldn’t afford it. But if the matter succeeded, they would provide the initial two hundred taels donation gathered by several villages and sent out by merchants to spread the news. If that’s the case, then I am willing to invest... Hu Ma thought. He then returned to the village to carefully instruct the villagers on what they should do. Not only that, but he also had Old Master Zhao organize people to go door-to-door and check. Those with livestock were to care for them, while those without were to borrow a couple from their neighbors. In short, every home needed to have living creatures besides people. The lime at the doorway had to be spread evenly, and the door itself properly repaired. The higher the threshold, the better. If a home’s threshold was truly dilapidated, they were to cut a thick tree branch, using the height of a person’s knee as a standard, and place it horizontally across their doorway. After bustling about and finishing all this, it was already evening. Hu Ma let Old Master Zhao and the others rest while he took Zhou Datong and a few other assistants outside. First, he had them kill the chickens and ducks gathered from Old Master Zhao’s village, collecting a full bucket of blood. Then, with some reluctance, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his breast pocket. It contained a Blood Food Pill. This Blood Food Pill was a tangible reward previously bestowed by the Red Lantern Society. Though it looked small, it was worth three taels of gold, which equated to thirty taels of silver. Using this method is indeed a costly investment for me, Hu Ma thought. He steeled himself before pouring the Blood Food Pill into his hand. The aroma of blood was overwhelming. The pill, the size of a longan, looked fresh and juicy. The scent drifted ten li downwind, and Little Hongtang poked its head out from under the eaves nearby. "Come here, Little Hongtang..." Hu Ma beckoned, and Little Hongtang obediently ran over. Hu Ma first squeezed the juice from the Blood Food Pill into the bucket of blood, then gave the remaining pulp to Little Hongtang. To solve this village’s drought, I’ve used the juice of a Blood Food Pill... Isn’t that a significant investment? Seeing Little Hongtang’s eyes curve with excitement, Hu Ma felt pleased as well. "Eat up!" He didn’t mind feeding Little Hongtang; in the future, he would rely on her for his Flying Sword trump card! After this, Hu Ma had Zhou Datong bring over a bottle of wine. This was also a reward from the Red Lantern Society: a bottle of Blood Wine. It contained a hint of Tai Sui essence, and being brewed into the wine, its qi and blood were even richer and more potent. He poured in about half the bottle, then had Zhou Datong seal it and put the rest away. After completing these tasks, he ordered his men to spread the blood around the village perimeter while it was still not entirely dark. The assistants didn’t quite understand but followed his orders. They each took a bucket, hurried to spread the blood, and then rushed back after finishing. By the time this was done, the sky was completely dark. Hu Ma and the others returned to Old Master Zhao’s house. Old Master Zhao, as usual, had a feast prepared with wine and dishes. However, the atmosphere was not as relaxed as the previous night. Including Zhou Datong and the others, everyone was heavy-hearted and didn’t dare to speak loudly while eating. The entire village was even more subdued. No one dared to venture out or even light their oil lamps. As soon as darkness fell, everyone urged their families to go to sleep quickly. AOOOO... An unknown amount of time passed before gusts of chilling wind swept through the area outside the village, carrying with them eerie wails and howls. Old Master Zhao, also awake, stayed by Hu Ma’s side, his face turning visibly pale as he listened. "It’s nothing. It’ll quiet down soon," Hu Ma said, shaking his head and signaling him to continue drinking without worry. The blood he had people sprinkle around the village was potent stuff, certain to attract some evil spirits. However, as he had only spread it outside the Manor, and only a limited amount at that, the scent would quickly dissipate. The lured entities would not enter the village proper; they would just drift around for a while before dispersing. Indeed, in less than an hour, silence returned to the area outside the village. It was an unnatural, deathly quiet; not even a sound came from the livestock within the village. It should be almost time, Hu Ma thought, waiting silently. By around midnight, everyone else was visibly exhausted but patiently kept Hu Ma company. "Good heavens!" Just as they were all feeling weary and drowsy, a sudden, terrifying scream echoed from not far from the Zhao Mansion. In the silent night, this startling and fearful voice, tinged with sobs, sent a shiver down everyone’s spine. SWISH! Zhou Datong and the others jolted up, drawing their knives. Old Master Zhao, who had been forcing himself to stay awake, nearly stumbled in fright, his face as white as paper. He looked at Hu Ma, trembling. Unlike the previous eerie cries, this shout was undoubtedly human. Moreover, the howling winds earlier had sounded distant, as if only outside the village. But this scream came from someone within the village, seemingly just a few houses away. The air had cooled significantly at some point. A faint layer of congealed fat had appeared on the food, and the flame of the oil lamp on the table, though there was no wind, gradually dimmed until only a bean-sized flicker remained. Everyone’s arm hairs stood on end like needles, and no one dared to breathe loudly. "No need to panic. Continue drinking," Hu Ma said softly. "Let’s wait until dawn to discuss it. Everything will be clear once it’s daylight." Hearing they didn’t need to go out, Zhou Datong and the others exchanged glances, slightly relieved. However, none dared to be careless. They had no appetite for food or drink, simply enduring. They persevered like this until, finally, around the fourth watch, the distant crow of a rooster was heard. Only then did Hu Ma stand up and say, "Let’s go!" The group, having not slept all night, quickly roused themselves. Although it wasn’t light out yet, they lit lanterns. Even Old Master Zhao, forcing himself, followed along as they headed towards the place where the scream had come from the previous night. As they made their way, doors creaked open, and villagers joined them. It seemed few in the village had slept well; everyone had apparently been listening intently to the night’s disturbances. Now that Hu Ma’s group was out, these villagers came along to offer help. Gradually, a group of dozens of able-bodied men gathered. When they reached the western end of the village, they heard trembling cries, filled with fear and terror, coming from inside a house. "Spread out and wait outside! Don’t step on the lime by the door!" Hu Ma loudly reminded everyone, then leaped over the lime himself to peer inside. He found that a sheep lay dead inside. Its head was nearly torn off, its belly ripped open, and half of its liver and entrails were missing. Clear claw and tooth marks were visible on the carcass. A woman, who was somewhat attractive, clutched a child and cowered sobbing just inside the doorway. Her husband stood trembling, holding a hoe. When he saw the door open, he swung the hoe down, yelling, "I’ll destroy you, fiend!" "..." "Make sure you see who you’re attacking before you strike!" Hu Ma said, catching the hoe and snatching it from the man’s grasp. He frowned. "Did that creature come last night?" "Y-yes... yes, it came..." The man was anxious and clearly not thinking straight. Cowed by Hu Ma’s glare, he stammered timidly, "It... it was terrifying..." "It had white fur all over its body... and its eyes... its eyes were like red eggs! It didn’t walk... it hopped. Once it got inside, it... it bit the sheep to death..." "Before it left, it even kowtowed towards the house! I was so scared, afraid it would rush in..." "..." "Found it," Hu Ma said upon hearing this, immediately breathing a sigh of relief and waving his hand with a smile. Confirming it was that creature meant the silver was as good as his. This drought ba is a corpse that was buried and transformed due to bad feng shui or lingering resentment. Once it begins to mature, the surrounding area will experience a great drought. This one hasn’t fully formed yet; once it fully matures, the creature will break out of the ground. When it emerges, it first targets those it holds grievances against or its closest relatives. It will go to the home of someone close to its original self. The first night, it eats the livestock; the second night, it eats people. I used the scent of blood to stimulate its ferocity and make it emerge prematurely. Because it doesn’t harm people on the first night, as long as a household has livestock, the people will be safe. By seeing whose livestock died tonight, we know which family is connected to it, and by following that lead, we can find its grave. Moreover, to be safe, I had them sprinkle lime at every doorway. Come dawn, we can follow the traces in the lime to find where it’s buried. Dig it up, expose it to the sun, and the problem will be solved. However, just as Hu Ma was beginning to relax, the neighbors who had followed them started discussing among themselves: "It’s the Wei Family’s house? That can’t be right. The Wei Family hasn’t buried anyone in recent years, have they? His parents died more than ten years ago!" "Huh?" Listening to their discussion, Hu Ma also found it strange. He suddenly turned his head and saw the man of the house, whose eyes flickered evasively. When the man saw Hu Ma looking at him, he quickly lowered his head. Hu Ma sensed something was amiss. He glanced towards the doorway and felt a surge of anger. When they had first arrived, it was still twilight, and things weren’t very clear. But now, as daylight grew, he could see plainly. This family’s door panel was broken; it seemed they hadn’t repaired it as instructed. More importantly, he had explicitly told them to sprinkle lime by the door to capture the creature’s footprints. But now, looking at it, the area in front of the door had been swept clean. Where was there even a speck of lime? Without the lime, how can I trace the creature to find it? Suspecting what had happened, he frowned at the man. "Where’s the lime I told you to spread?" "Ah..." The man was startled and shook his head repeatedly. "It... it was by the door. M-maybe... maybe the wind blew it away?" "Heh..." Hu Ma chuckled softly but said nothing more. What kind of fierce wind could blow a layer of lime away so thoroughly, as if it had been swept? I know there’s a problem here, he thought, but this isn’t my own village. I’m here to eliminate the evil spirit, not to meddle in their personal affairs. With that, he simply smiled, looked at Old Master Zhao, and said, "I’ve done my part. However, the people in your village didn’t listen to my advice. Now that this has complicated matters, how do you, Old Master, think this should be handled?"