When Hu Ma saw Second Master speaking so gravely, he immediately focused his attention.
Second Master said in a low voice, "This broken manor of Second Master’s might be nothing to human eyes, but to evil spirits, it’s not a place just anyone dares enter. Usually, Little Hongtang comes to deliver food to you, but she doesn’t dare to enter the manor. Do you know why?"
"The fire qi here is too strong. Evil spirits don’t just avoid entering; they feel scorched even approaching."
"I specifically chose to live in this manor outside the village and teach apprentices here precisely because our fire qi is too strong. I feared it would offend the ancestors..."
Hu Ma was slightly surprised. Does this mean the evil spirit that came is very powerful?
Little Hongtang indeed didn’t dare enter the manor lightly, only sneaking in when Second Master was away.
But even though she was hesitant, she could still come in if she braced herself.
Was the White-faced Mountain Demon the same way?
"It’s not that simple."
Second Master waved his hand and said, "Calling them evil spirits is actually a catch-all term. Those sinister things are categorized into several types, like Wandering spirits, evil spirits, evil objects, and Evil Spirits, among others."
"In our village, what typically disturbs the villagers are the Wandering spirits. Those little ghosts who died unjustly and linger also fall into this category. They act on instinct, and when they see our manor from afar, they’re scared and run away."
"But that White-faced Mountain Demon truly deserves to be called an evil spirit, and a formidable one at that."
"However, even with such a creature, considering the current strength of your ’hearth,’ it should be afraid of you. At the very least, neither of you should want to provoke the other."
"Yet that’s the problem. This kind of entity has already developed spiritual wisdom and knows how to seek fortune and avoid calamity. It knows your hearth’s fire is strong, and it knows I, Second Master, am in the manor. So why did it deliberately befuddle someone to come here and harm you?"
Hu Ma vaguely realized something, a subtle shock in his heart. Second Master, are you suggesting...
Second Master nodded and lowered his voice. "This goes against its nature. I suspect something is driving it."
"Tomorrow, you need to tell Granny about this. I worry it’s connected to the family that harmed you."
"The family that harmed me?"
Hu Ma felt a minor creeping horror in his heart as he thought of his previous self’s tragic fate.
Despite being under the protection of such a skilled Granny, he had been harmed to the point of his soul scattering, which gave the current Hu Ma the chance for reincarnation.
He suddenly raised his head and spoke in a low voice, "Second Master, do you know who that family is?"
"How did I end up in the first place?"
Second Master shook his head, the wrinkles on his forehead deepening. He replied softly, "I asked Granny, but she has always refused to tell me..."
"All I know is it likely stems from enmities your Hu Family made outside the village in the past. Considering when your Hu Family came to Dayang Village, this must have happened at least twenty years ago. But that family acted ruthlessly; they wouldn’t even spare the remaining old and young of your Hu Family."
"They are determined to eradicate your Hu Family..."
As Second Master spoke, there was a trace of anger in his voice.
He paused, his tone mellowing slightly, and then continued, "As for what happened to you, that was about a month and a half ago. I just remember a strange wind blew all night, and then we heard you’d gone missing."
"Granny was out of the village at the time, performing a ghost expulsion mission for other villagers, so she wasn’t here. The people in our village didn’t dare go out at night. By the time Granny returned the next day, everyone hurriedly went to look for you. I also heard the news the next day and went back to join the search."
"But after searching in the woods for two days, we found no trace of you. We anxiously went to pray to the ancestors, but they didn’t respond, as if their powers had failed."
"Later, no one knew what happened. We only know that Granny seemed to have used some dharma method and, with a few others, found you. Then, on the third day, she personally carried you back..."
At this point, Second Master’s expression seemed to turn somewhat eerie.
Hu Ma asked cautiously, "What’s wrong?"
Second Master shook his head slightly. "It’s nothing."
He vaguely recalled that everyone in the village had thought Hu Ma was beyond saving. Moreover, those who had just found Hu Ma privately swore that he was completely dead at the time, his appearance horrifying. Granny, however, insisted he wasn’t dead and brought him back to the village.
Who could have imagined that Hu Ma would actually come back to life? One could only say that Granny was immensely capable.
Whenever Second Master thought about this, he felt a chill, but the matter was too horrifying to tell the present Hu Ma.
He continued, "At first, everyone thought you were bewitched by an evil spirit in the woods. Granny didn’t say much to others. She only privately told me that an ordinary evil spirit wouldn’t have the ability to enter the village and abduct someone, nor could it prevent the old fire pit from reacting. It had to be an enemy of the Hu Family who had come."
"She first brought you back to the village and then left the village again. That night, no one in the entire village could sleep peacefully. We kept hearing what sounded like ghostly wails and wolf howls from the direction of the woods, and a fierce wind battered the forest all night without stopping."
"That night, not a single chicken, pig, or dog in the village dared to make a sound."
"No one in the village dared to light a lamp, because if they did, the flame would turn green, which was incredibly eerie and frightening to look at."
"But eventually, Granny returned. She looked exhausted and lay in bed for a whole day."
Second Master tapped his tobacco pipe, paused for a moment, and then slowly continued, "Afterward, Granny spent a few days and truly saved you. Everyone else thought the matter was settled."
"It was only recently that Granny secretly came to me. She told me that the thing that harmed you was only injured by her and is still lurking outside. She had a very hard time saving you, and if that thing senses you’re alive, it will definitely come back to harm you again..."
"To be frank, Granny sent you to me not only so you could learn my skills but also so I could protect you. Only if I protect you can she have the time to go into the forest and deal with that creature."
"What I’m worried about now is this: the White-faced Mountain Demon is targeting you, and it might be connected to that thing."
Hu Ma was silent for a long time after hearing Second Master’s words.
Suddenly turning his head, he looked out the window to see only a sliver of the crescent moon slowly hiding behind dark clouds.
The surroundings were dark and oppressive, creating an enormous sense of pressure.
In this vast forest that seemed boundless, a ghost was silently watching, wanting his life.
Little Hongtang said Granny was looking for something in the woods. Was she looking for it?
But logically, Granny should have the upper hand. Yet if this were truly the case, how could the other side spare the effort to send the White-faced Mountain Demon to harm him?
Hu Ma felt a jolt of fear in his heart. Granny actually doesn’t have the upper hand?
This thought alone made him feel increasingly horrified, to the point where he didn’t dare think any further.
Granny’s skills were indeed great; he had experienced them firsthand. But Granny was quite old, after all. She appeared to be a woman in her seventies or eighties, unable to even straighten her back.
And this old woman had just exerted so much effort to "revive" him.
To help him ward off evil spirits, she recited scriptures day and night without sleep and had found him so many precious Blood Tai Sui to extend his life...
Somehow, as Hu Ma thought about it, a certain sadness filled his heart. What kind of belief would it take to sustain an old granny in doing so much? In such a state, no matter how great her skills are, how much longer can she hold on?
Hu Ma’s expression was reserved, but Second Master, being a straightforward man, captured some details. He sensed Hu Ma’s psychological change—especially the clear emotional fluctuation at that moment—and felt a slight sense of relief. In the past, everyone in the village said Little Huma was an ingrate. He was taken care of by Granny all his life yet showed no gratitude. It made it hard for people to empathize with him. But people grow up eventually... Elders aren’t afraid of children being ungrateful. They always hope for the day their child understands. Once that day comes, they can be at peace.
After contemplating for a long time, Hu Ma finally raised his head and said earnestly to Second Master, "Second Master, I want to go into the forest to help Granny."
"Just being able to say that means Granny didn’t pamper you in vain," Second Master replied seriously. "Your skills are quite advanced now, but don’t rush to make a decision."
"Granny’s skills are greater than ours. Ask her opinion first before taking action."
Hu Ma agreed and went back to his room to pack. However, with so much on his mind, he couldn’t sleep the entire night.
And after the incident with the White-faced Mountain Demon, all his young companions were trembling in fear, silent and uneasy.
Second Master didn’t let the young companions go out to the mountains, as if fearing they might encounter something. Instead, he had them practice their forms and skills inside the manor.
Hu Ma was similarly preoccupied, waiting for Little Hongtang. Unexpectedly, he waited until past noon, but she still hadn’t appeared. Feeling impatient, he went outside the manor and suddenly saw a flash of red.
"Brother Huma, why are you only coming out now?"
Not far away, Little Hongtang was holding a basket, pouting. "I’ve been calling for you for a long time..."
Hu Ma was a bit surprised, wondering why he hadn’t heard her.
Turning his head, he saw a faint circle of ashes around the manor and suddenly understood.
After the ruckus with the Mountain Demon yesterday, Second Master, fearing further trouble, had scattered ancestral ashes in a circle outside the manor.
Unexpectedly, it not only kept out other evil spirits but also Little Hongtang.
He quickly walked over, took the basket, and said, "Go back early today and tell Granny something for me..."
He intended to finish eating quickly so Little Hongtang could leave, but unexpectedly, upon opening the basket, it was empty.
Little Hongtang said blankly, "The food in the basket... you ate it all yesterday!"
Hu Ma was a bit perplexed. "Then where’s today’s?"
"I don’t know about today’s..." Little Hongtang said pitifully. "I can’t find Granny..."