Chapter 66: Leading the Masses to Expel Evil

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Leading the Masses to Expel Evil "Ah, where is this?" "Quick, go back to the manor..." "My hand... Why does my hand hurt so much? Where’s my hand?" "..." This group of servants had been bewitched by those Yellow Immortals. Hu Ma, however, used the Redwood Sword to stir up their vitality, dispelling the yin qi left by the Yellow Immortals, and that’s how they awoke. Just when they were full of fear, they suddenly woke up, feeling both discouraged and terrified. Simultaneously, intense pain struck. They immediately clutched their fingers, wailing in agony. "Where is Young Master Xu Ji?" Someone else thought of Xu Ji, shouting hoarsely, "We suffered because of you; you have to protect us..." "Look closely before you call out!" Hu Ma, cradling a saber in his left arm and holding the Redwood Sword in his right hand, stood in the shadows, looking at them coldly. "Is that you?" The group was taken aback upon seeing Hu Ma, but they also calmed down considerably. If they had seen Xu Ji, they would still be panicked, and that previous cold and fearful energy would linger. But seeing Hu Ma, though shocked, their panic was somewhat dispersed. Still, they were puzzled. "You... why are you here?" "I was following you..." Hu Ma replied in a deep voice, "I just felt it was unreliable for you all to come out in the middle of the night to exorcise an evil spirit. I was watching from afar when your torches went out and I heard screams, so I rushed over. Why are there so many evil spirits around here?" "What about that Eldest Young Master Xu Ji? Wasn’t he confident? How come you were all bewitched, but he himself ran away?" "...I just picked up his Redwood Sword!" "..." "I... I don’t know..." The surrounding servants, having been berated by Hu Ma, became somewhat more alert, their voices trembling as they cried out. Even his two attendants trembled as they said, "Young... Young Master Xu said nothing would happen, but then, something did." "Enough!" Seeing that they couldn’t offer any more information, and that his objective had been achieved, Hu Ma ordered sharply. At this moment, he was concealed by the pitch-black night, yet his figure stood tall. His tone was especially stern as he said gravely, "The most urgent task now is to save people." "Seven or eight of you came out, but now only you few are left. The others must have been trapped in that village. Now, all of you follow me. Light your torches, and we’ll go into that village to take a look..." "Aiyo..." Hearing this, the group of servants was scared out of their wits. They had just encountered trouble in that village; who would dare to go back now? But Hu Ma had anticipated their reaction and immediately snorted coldly. "I am definitely going." "If you don’t want to, go back to the manor by yourselves!" "..." Saying this, he held the Redwood Sword inverted and strode towards the direction of that village. The remaining servants exchanged glances, then suddenly reacted, running after him one by one. No one dared to speak of returning to that village. Just moments ago, despite being a large group, they had still fallen prey to the spirits. Now, with their fingers nearly gnawed off, their courage had been gnawed away too. The journey back to their own manor was nearly ten miles. They dared not walk alone. Even if they banded together, they lacked confidence. Therefore, their only option was to follow Hu Ma, who remained composed. Even those few who were reluctant in their hearts, seeing that everyone else had followed, quickly hurried to catch up. As long as they’re willing to follow, this matter is half-successful... Hu Ma thought calmly, knowing these servants had merely had their courage scared out of them for a moment. But in terms of their underlying capabilities, none of them were simple. It seemed like he was leading them to escape, but in reality, he needed to borrow their strength to exorcise the evil spirits. After all, though his own cultivation was higher than any of theirs individually, their combined strength, the ’heat in the furnace’ so to speak, was something he couldn’t match alone. Without them following, on a night like this, teeming with rampant demons, any task he undertook would likely be at least ten times more difficult. With the servants following Hu Ma, their presence unintentionally bolstered their collective morale. For now, lighting torches wasn’t feasible. However, with so many people walking together, the surroundings seemed to brighten considerably. Guided by Little Hongtang, they soon found two more servants. These two had just been separated from the others while fleeing. One of them, when found, was walking in endless circles around a grave mound. Hu Ma stepped forward and tapped him awake with the Redwood Sword. Seeing so many people around him, the man let out a terrified scream. When the others questioned him, he explained that he had been fleeing, following someone ahead of him, and felt as if he had run for dozens of miles. But when he opened his eyes, he discovered he had merely been running in circles around the grave mound. "It’s nighttime. Even if you bumped into something, it wouldn’t be their fault. On the contrary, you disturbed them!" Hu Ma said quietly, "Apologize to them!" Ordinarily, this servant wasn’t so obedient to Hu Ma; otherwise, he wouldn’t have followed Xu Ji out in the first place. But in this current situation, he didn’t voice any objection. With a THUD, he knelt and kowtowed repeatedly towards the grave mound. Hu Ma tightened his grip on the Redwood Sword, coldly observing the grave mound. The evil spirits are all stirred up tonight. The powerful ones are one thing, but for you, hiding in a grave, to join the commotion... You’ve received your kowtows. If this settles the matter, fine. If not, I’ll be using this Wooden Sword on you first. Fortunately, after he had kowtowed several times, a faint sigh seemed to emanate from within the grave mound, and then all was silent again. "Sensible!" Hu Ma took the man who had been running in circles around the grave and led him away from the area, continuing towards the village. After this incident, the companions around him trusted Hu Ma a little more. They plucked up their courage. The panic that had previously gripped their hearts gradually subsided. Trudging onward, they continued to search the vicinity and soon found the other missing servant from their group. Unfortunately, it was too late. He was already hanging from a tree, swaying gently. "We’ll settle this score at daylight. For now, let’s leave and find the others in the village..." Hu Ma glanced at the servant hanging from the tree. The surroundings were desolate and dark, with gusts of eerie wind, but nothing was visible. Yet, his intuition told him something was amiss. These servants, no matter what, had all ’lit their furnaces,’ and their ’fire’ wasn’t shallow. In the dead of night, it was understandable if their courage momentarily faltered and they were bewitched. But to be bewitched to the point of hanging themselves, costing him his life—the cultivation of whatever did this was rather profound. Of course, this judgment was also aided by Little Hongtang. Little Hongtang, watching the hanged man from afar, had all its fine hairs standing on end and was baring its teeth aggressively towards the figure. Only a fool would provoke such a thing in the middle of the night. So, he made an instant decision. "Go!" This midway retreat, far from raising any doubts among the servants following him, actually made them feel more secure. They were already scared out of their wits, desperate for someone to take charge. Whether Hu Ma was helping them or ordering a retreat, his actions provided that sense of leadership, that backbone they needed. Instead of scattering in terror, they stuck close to Hu Ma. Quickly, having made a wide detour, they approached the outskirts of the village. Returning to this place, everyone’s face was pale, and they trembled uncontrollably. Hu Ma also surveyed it carefully. The village wasn’t large, perhaps a hundred or so households. From a distance, it resembled a dried, crusted wound. Now, under the heavy night sky, it seemed to possess a strange fluidity; the entire village appeared to be gently undulating. "That is..." As Hu Ma focused his gaze, his heart trembled slightly. "Hair?" The entire surface of the village was covered with countless strands of black hair, gently lifting and falling with the night wind. Looking from afar, one couldn’t sense a trace of life, only a bone-chilling coldness that seemed to seep into the marrow. Carried by the night wind, faint sounds of whimpering and crying also seemed to drift over. This yin qi... Even Hu Ma felt a layer of goosebumps rise on his skin. Setting aside everything else, just this terrifying aura of yin qi was far more formidable than whatever had bewitched the servant from their group into hanging himself... "We can’t force our way in. First, light the torches!" Hu Ma urged caution, gripping his Wooden Sword tightly as he stared in the direction of the village, and softly instructed the servants around him. The group of servants complied without objection, hurriedly scattering to search for materials. There was no shortage of tree branches around the village. Moreover, these servants usually carried grease refined from Black Tai Sui, or black oil ointment, both of which were excellent accelerants. A few branches bundled together, smeared with this grease, and a simple torch was made. Soon, seven or eight torches were lit, instantly illuminating the surroundings. The servants’ courage also returned with the light. "Let’s go!" Only then did Hu Ma give the command. Holding their torches aloft, the group cautiously advanced towards the village, step by step. As the torchlight approached, surprisingly, the black hair that had seemed to blanket the entire village under the cover of night vanished. They entered the village smoothly. Only in areas beyond their direct line of sight did strands of hair still seem to drift slowly. Hu Ma thought to himself, Xu Ji wasn’t entirely reckless then; he must have had some sort of plan... Now that the evil spirit Little Hongtang lured over has gradually departed, it’s the perfect opportunity for me to make a show of my abilities! With this idea in mind, he used his torch to light the way, advancing slowly. He saw the low, dilapidated houses of the village, and also the well situated right in the middle of the village path. Its wellhead was constructed of bluestone, slick and glistening with moisture, and the well itself was forbiddingly deep. As they drew near, the eerie wind around them suddenly intensified. Faintly, they could hear what sounded like whimpering cries, intermittently drifting up from the depths of the well. The sounds were mournful and chilling. The closer they got, the clearer the cries became. The servants’ faces grew increasingly pale, their legs trembled, and their entire bodies stiffened in fear. The evil spirit was growing more rampant. Xu Ji had failed once, and now she had become even more powerful. Furthermore, the night was deepening, approaching midnight—the time when such entities were at their most terrifying. Having suffered a setback just recently, how could they not be afraid? "All of you, stop!" But just then, they heard Hu Ma’s voice. His face was grim as he commanded in a low tone, "Keep the lights steady! I will go and confront her myself!"