Chapter 141 - 140 Midnight Corpse Vigil (First Update)

Chapter 141: Chapter 140 Midnight Corpse Vigil (First Update) This creature wasn’t exactly a dear friend or family member, but a simple situation had been made complicated, increasing the difficulty and risk accordingly. So, if you want me to continue helping with this matter, that’s fine, but the corresponding reward must also increase. Hu Ma wasn’t using the opportunity to ask for a higher price. He was genuinely stating the fact. Even Old Master Zhao understood this principle, but hearing about an increase in the price made him feel uneasy. He had already agreed with the wealthy families of the surrounding villages that no matter which village the thing was traced back to, they’d all chip in for the 300 taels reward. But now, it was confirmed that the creature originated from their own village, and asking for extra money might make the rich families of the neighboring villages unwilling to contribute. Does that mean the money has to come from him? In theory, he should demand it from the master’s family, but he knew they couldn’t afford it. Hu Ma didn’t pressure him, simply saying to Old Master Zhao, "The grievances that crawl out of the ground harm people, starting from their own house. The more people it harms, the stronger it becomes. On the first day, it eats livestock; the second day, it wants to harm its own family. What do you think it will do on the third day?" Old Master Zhao was startled. "Harm... harm the villagers?" "It’s not just about harming the villagers." Hu Ma, combining contents from the Age Suppressing Book and tales told by Second Master, said, "It will also spread corpse poison and cause a plague. In early times, they said there’d be a big epidemic after a drought, and this is the reason." "As for me, it’s no big deal if I don’t earn this Silver. As you’ve seen, I didn’t sleep all night for this matter, but I can’t stand the bad situation in the village." "As for you, you really need to think this through." Old Master Zhao, listening to this, was filled with shame, his face turning red. Being told by an outsider that matters in his village weren’t looking good was hard to swallow. But because of the situation, he couldn’t say much, just responded stubbornly, "Master, please put in more effort. I’ll figure something out for the reward." At this moment, a sudden cold laugh came from within the crowd. Hu Ma turned his head and saw a ragged old man with a monkey on his shoulder, smoking a pipe and looking inside. He ignored him, instead saying to Old Master Zhao, "Handle it as you see fit; I’m just telling it like it is." "Now that it’s daylight, it’s best to send someone to look for it. If it can be found and burned, then this matter is settled." "If you can’t find it, tonight will be busy again." "I kept vigil all night last night. If I stay up again tonight, I’m afraid I won’t make it, so I’m going back to rest for a bit." "Yes, yes, yes..." Old Master Zhao responded repeatedly, ordering people to escort Master and several junior masters back to rest. But Hu Ma also made some arrangements. Zhou Datong and Zhao Zhu would rest with him, getting some sleep, but Zhou Liang had to work a bit harder. Zhou Liang was steady in his work. During the day, he was to accompany the men Old Master Zhao had arranged to search for the creature. If they couldn’t find it, then Hu Ma, Zhou Datong, and Zhao Zhu would deal with the creature that night, while Zhou Liang would rest in the evening. This was also to ensure that matters were handled prudently. If they found it during the day and burned it without his team’s involvement, the village might refuse to pay. Returning to his room, he wiped his face with a hot towel and then fell asleep. When he opened his eyes, it was already afternoon. In the Zhao Family’s large house, they were starting to steam buns and prepare meals for them. Everyone knew there was work to be done that night, so they ate early. After a full meal, they had to go to the location and prepare for an all-night vigil. Hu Ma wiped his face and stepped outside. Before the meal was even ready, he could hear a commotion at the gate. "What’s going on?" Curious, he asked Zhou Liang, who approached with a frown. "They searched for that creature all day but didn’t see any trace of it," Zhou Liang said. "On the way back to the village, they encountered that old man with the monkey." "He said he had heard the news from a traveling merchant and came to solve the problem. But we had already taken the job, and no one in the village paid him any mind. So, he wanted to tag along to get a free meal, but the family here only wanted to give him a couple of coarse buns." "He wouldn’t agree and insisted on joining for the banquet." "So, a fellow practitioner showed up?" Hu Ma was a bit curious. After thinking for a moment, he said, "We’re all wandering the jianghu. Why make a fuss over a meal?" "Let him in!" Zhou Liang listened and went over to tell the house servants to let the old man in. Hu Ma looked him over. He was an old man dressed like a beggar, with a clearly trained monkey perched on his shoulder. His hair was wild, one eye cloudy and white, and when he smiled, he revealed gaps from two missing teeth. With one glance, it was hard to discern much about him. Not wanting to easily offend people but also not wanting to cause more issues, Hu Ma just sat down with him. Old Master Zhao first whispered with Hu Ma for a while. He explained that he’d had a hard time convincing the villagers to chip in but had managed to get them to agree. They would give Hu Ma an additional 100 taels of Silver after the matter was resolved. He then asked Hu Ma if he was satisfied. The 200 taels of Silver job, once trouble arose, had become 300 taels. That was acceptable. Hu Ma nodded in agreement and took his chopsticks to start eating. "Young brother, are you really planning to confront that thing tonight?" the old man with the monkey asked, looking cheerfully at Hu Ma and the other guys, initiating the conversation. "I took their money, so I relieve their disaster. What’s there to say?" Hu Ma answered while eating. "Does the old sir have a better idea?" "Hey, I’m just here for a meal. What ideas could I have?" The old man laughed, almost admitting he was a fraud, and asked, "What Path do you follow, young brother?" "Are you probing me?" Hu Ma knew that fellow practitioners often became rivals. Since everyone was eyeing this job, he couldn’t be careless. Inviting this old man in was intended for appearances and not to offend. But since the old man was probing him, he laughed. "I’m young; how would I know any Paths? It seems the old sir is quite capable. Do you have a better Method?" The old man chuckled. "I’m just trying to earn a living in the jianghu; how could I have any Methods?" Seeing that he wouldn’t speak, Hu Ma didn’t press further but remained quietly on guard. In the matters of the jianghu, one demonstrated courtesy first; the rest depended on the other party. Since he had already completed half the job, he needed to carry it through. If anything happened, the real test would show. After finishing the meal, he had Zhou Datong and the others pack up the necessary items. They gathered waist-thick wooden stakes. Although it was hard to find a fishing net, they improvised one using thick ropes. Then, they all headed to the house where the trouble had started. Zhou Liang was supposed to rest that night, but he claimed he wasn’t tired and joined them. Upon arrival, the place was packed with people. The woman of the house was wailing, "Don’t hold me back, I’m going back to my mother’s house!" "If you’re scared, I’ll go back to my mother’s house! They have lots of people there; they aren’t afraid of that thing!" Hu Ma listened helplessly, noting that the woman was too scared to cooperate. He was unwilling to deal with this, so he glanced at Zhou Datong, signaling him to handle it. Zhou Datong, already eager to act, stepped in front of the rather pretty woman, saying seriously, "Big sister, you’re wrong about this." "If it were daytime, of course, you wouldn’t be afraid. With a few strong men, you could just burn it. But the creature only comes out at night; what good are your mother’s people then?" "Even if you wanted to run, think about how far you could get in one night." "Do you really think that creature is like you, unable to see the road at night, unable to find you and your child?" The woman, frightened by his words, whimpered, "Then what should I do?" Zhou Datong patted his chest. "Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, you can sleep soundly on the kang tonight, and I’ll guard the door for you." The woman glanced at him and agreed tearfully. It seems that when Second Master sealed Zhou Datong’s stove back then, it was an act of eliminating a public menace... Hu Ma watched from the side, unable to help but reflect. Feeling reassured, he first had a large pit dug in the yard. One of the prepared wooden stakes was buried halfway in, and then the soil was filled back and compacted. He then found a worn-out quilt and covered the stake with it. Next, he squeezed a bit of fresh blood from the fingertips of the woman’s child onto a piece of red paper. After quietly asking for the child’s birth information, he wrote it on the back of the red paper and pasted it onto the wooden stake. With all these tasks completed, there was nothing to do but wait. During the day, the villagers had crowded around, everyone eager to watch the spectacle, gesticulating about how tragically the sheep had died. But as dusk fell, they became scared, retreating to their homes and locking their doors tightly. Even Old Master Zhao was at a loss. He had wanted to arrange for a few strong men from the village to stay and help, but they were also scared. In the end, he had to offer one string of coins to each man to persuade a few of them to hide inside the house and wait. Hu Ma knew this would be a hard battle. He had the gate opened wide and set up a small table. He asked someone to brew strong, thick tea to keep himself alert. Beside him lay a steel knife and a Wooden Sword. Little Hongtang was on the roof, watching. Zhou Datong and Zhao Zhu hid on either side, each holding a rope connected to a net stretched between them. That day, the night seemed to fall particularly early, quickly enveloping everything in silence. Two lanterns hung in the yard, one on each side, casting the surrounding scenery into a dim, blurry light. Although they had steeled themselves for the wait, nothing appeared, no matter how long they lingered. The men grew increasingly bored. Even the strongmen hiding in the house were dozing off, beginning to feel as if there was no danger after all. Yet, at the darkest hour of the night, suddenly, a swirling gust of wind blew violently in through the open gate. The wind carried a stench of decay. It swept through the yard, blowing one lantern out and sending it flying, while the other suddenly flared up, burning fiercely. Amidst the flickering light, Hu Ma’s heart jolted. He looked up. A humanoid figure was crawling in through the open gate. It was covered in white fur about a foot long, and the flesh on its face had peeled away, exposing jagged, sharp fangs. It charged into the yard and immediately targeted the wooden stake standing there. It made strange wailing sounds, as if crying, but its actions were ruthless, pouncing on the stake and tearing at it.