In the pitch-black night, a ferocious and bloodthirsty dog bore a human face. Wu He’s delicate, fair face, now covered with fresh blood and white flesh fragments, formed a stark contrast with the body of the enormous black dog.
Hu Ma caught a mere glimpse of this scene and found herself even more shocked than when she had faced the strange Aunt Tan.
Meeting Hu Ma’s gaze, Sister Wu He also reacted, her face turning pale. Her expression revealed a despair born of shame and fear. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something.
But in the end, she couldn’t utter a word. With a sudden cry of sorrow, she covered herself with the dog skin and fled into the darkness beside the road.
"Shopkeeper, this..."
The frightening and unexpected scene left Hu Ma stunned. It took her a moment to react, suppressing the pounding heart within her chest. She turned to look at the old shopkeeper, who was also watching in the direction the black dog had run, his eyes full of pity and an unwillingness to intervene.
After a long while, he turned back to see Hu Ma’s shocked expression, slowly waved a hand, and said, "Don’t ask."
"And make sure not to tell anyone!"
"Take these children back to the village, and tidy up everything left here. Do not leave a single thing behind."
"Once everything is settled, come to my courtyard. I have something to tell you."
Hu Ma suppressed her questions and answered in a low voice.
The old shopkeeper picked up the peddler’s mutilated body and walked behind the trees by the roadside. He seemed worried about something, choosing to return through the fields, just like the black dog had.
Hu Ma watched the shopkeeper’s figure disappear before finally breathing a sigh of relief. She patted Little Hongtang’s head, praising her timely arrival, then went to check on the bewitched children.
The peddler was dead, and the rattle had been crushed by the shopkeeper, so the bewitching spell should have been broken.
But these children still seemed somewhat dazed, as if sleepwalking.
Perhaps they needed to go home, sleep, and have a soul-calling ritual performed for a full recovery. But at least they were saved without any real harm. It was quite fortunate.
She instructed Little Hongtang to watch them carefully and prevent any from wandering off in their daze. Then, Hu Ma turned to gather the toppled wagon and the scattered items: jars, and shards from the broken pot.
She was meticulous, worried about leaving anything harmful behind, and also concerned that the sinister peddler might have left some other dangerous items. One careless move, and she could fall victim to the dead man’s trap...
The shopkeeper had instructed her to collect everything and bring it back, precisely out of this concern.
Those who practiced evil skills could leave behind anything that might harm others. If villagers picked them up, it would surely cause trouble.
She hadn’t been tidying for long when she heard shouts nearby and saw Zhou Datong and the others approaching with torches.
Little Hongtang had gone back to report. She first slapped Zhou Datong awake and told him what happened, then went to inform the shopkeeper. Although Zhou Datong saw the shopkeeper emerge, he still felt uneasy, so he gathered others to help, but they were much slower.
"You came just in time; the matter has already been settled."
Hu Ma turned to see Zhou Datong carrying a stick and Zhao Zhu holding a dung fork, while others wielded brooms and kitchen knives.
She smiled wryly. If these men had arrived earlier, they might have only made things worse. The sinister tricks of the peddler were not something these ordinary workers could handle.
It was just as well they arrived now. Hu Ma had them take over tidying up, carefully instructing them not to make any mistakes or get cut by the shards. Then, she led the bewildered children back to the village.
As they neared the village, a cacophony of cries and footsteps greeted them. Someone had woken during the night, discovered the children were missing, and caused an uproar.
"It was the peddler who entered the village during the day. He’s been dealt with."
Hu Ma returned to the village with the children. From afar, people came to meet them. She spoke coldly to the Old Clan Chief, "Quickly, have every family come and check if their children are all here. Afterward, tell them to raise their doorsteps—to guard against threats from outside, and also from within."
The village families all had raised doorsteps to guard against the zombies that plagued them during famine years.
However, Hu Ma advised raising them even higher so that if such incidents occurred again, it would also prevent their own children from running out.
"Manager, your great kindness..."
Seeing their children safe, the families quickly hugged them. The village chief led the way, about to kneel before Hu Ma, and shouted over his shoulder, "Light the lamps! Prepare a feast! Hurry and prepare a feast..."
"There’s no need. I must get back."
Hu Ma directly declined, still thinking about seeing the old shopkeeper, and firmly helped the village chief and others to their feet.
Without further words, she turned and quickly left the village. Soon, she found Zhou Datong and the others and returned his waist knife. Its blade now had a few nicks, but fortunately, it was sheathed, so Zhou Datong couldn’t see them and wouldn’t be distressed yet.
Together, they pushed and pulled the cart back to the Manor. The broken pot, along with the eerie, fleshy contents, was completely incinerated.
Upon reaching the Manor, Hu Ma had them place the cart by the wall, instructing someone to watch it and ensure no one touched it. Only then did she quickly enter the inner courtyard.
The courtyard was empty. An oil lamp was lit in the main hall, its doors standing open.
Hu Ma entered and saw a hook hanging from the main hall’s beam, with the peddler’s corpse suspended from it.
Below the corpse were traces of burned incense and joss paper.
The shopkeeper sat beside the square table, drinking tea. His expression was gloomy, his mood evidently sour.
Seeing Hu Ma enter, he set down his teacup and spoke in a low voice, "How did you discover him?"
"During the day, I visited Ganzi Village to see the woodsman bewitched by peach blossoms. I saw him when I was leaving."
Hu Ma quickly explained, "He wouldn’t accept money and gave sweets to the children. He also seemed to be secretly pulling strands of their hair, so I became wary."
"But at that time, I wasn’t certain and dared not disturb you, Shopkeeper. So, I went out at night to take a look. I saw him luring the children out with a rattle, and only then did I confirm something was wrong. Fearing I might not be his match, I sent the little ghost to report back..."
She deliberately brought up Little Hongtang. Having been here for a while, she understood that a little ghost wasn’t considered particularly outrageous in this world; even keeping one nearby wasn’t an offense to the Red Lantern Lady. Moreover, hers was merely an ancestral inheritance. Mentioning it now was akin to getting Little Hongtang officially recognized.
The shopkeeper, indeed, showed no particular concern about Little Hongtang. His voice was heavy, his countenance somewhat sinister as he said, "Those vermin of the Tan’er Sect—every last one of them deserves to be hunted down and killed."
Hu Ma’s heart stirred slightly. "Tan’er Sect?"
The shopkeeper snorted coldly. "They excel at swindling, abducting, and all sorts of deception, and use sorcery to harm people. The ’traveling peddler’ act is just a cover for them to scout locations; their real business is trafficking children."
"That Aunt Tan he was raising is a signature trick of the Tan’er Sect. It’s fortunate you didn’t try to handle him alone; otherwise, with your current abilities, you truly might not have been a match for that malevolent practitioner."
Hu Ma found it rather strange. How did the shopkeeper know so much? There hadn’t seemed to be any time to ask during the confrontation.
As if sensing Hu Ma’s curiosity, the shopkeeper sneered, glancing at the corpse hanging from the beam. "I tortured it out of him just now."
"He wouldn’t talk while alive, but dead, he still had to confess everything to me."
"Strictly speaking, this isn’t a righteous method, but against scum like these, no means are excessive!"
Hu Ma was inwardly startled. It seemed the shopkeeper, having returned earlier, had already done something to the peddler. The traces of incense and candles on the ground were likely from that.
"Heaven has not forsaken me..."
After spitting out these fierce words as if to vent, the shopkeeper sighed deeply. "I’ve finally caught up with them."
Hu Ma looked up at him. "Shopkeeper, do you have a grudge against them?"
She clearly remembered how ruthlessly the shopkeeper had beaten the peddler just moments before. Considering the shopkeeper’s usual detached demeanor, this couldn’t be just righteous indignation; there had to be another reason.
"I have no personal enmity with this peddler, but as for the people of the Tan’er Sect..."
The shopkeeper slowly raised his head. His voice was icy, and his eyes seemed to burn with a fire of rage. "I wish I could grind their bones to dust and scatter their ashes."
The malice in the shopkeeper’s voice was palpable, causing Hu Ma’s heart to sink.
She wanted to ask but hesitated, remaining silent instead, waiting for the shopkeeper to speak his mind.
But the shopkeeper also seemed hesitant, and a dead silence fell upon the main hall for a moment.
"Father, tell him..."
Just then, a voice came from the side room. It was Sister Wu He, her tone tinged with sorrow.
Hu Ma immediately thought of the large dog and wondered about Sister Wu He’s condition.
The shopkeeper’s face showed a look of profound pain. After a long, long moment, he slowly raised a hand and said to Hu Ma, "Go in and see your Junior Sister!"
It wasn’t that Hu Ma wasn’t curious; she had simply restrained herself from asking.
Now that the old shopkeeper had spoken, she hesitated for a moment before slowly walking to the entrance of the side room and lifting the curtain.
Upon entering, she saw a massive dog skin hanging on the wall.
The side room was unlit, borrowing only a little light from the main hall. Hu Ma could barely make out Sister Wu He sitting in a large vat in the corner. The air was thick with the smell of blood, herbal medicine, and the same faint, putrid stench Hu Ma had noticed before.
"Sister Hu Ma..." Sister Wu He’s voice was tearful. Accompanied by the sound of splashing water, she slowly stood up from the vat.
"Please... don’t laugh at me..."
Hu Ma felt she shouldn’t look. Yet, as her eyes inadvertently glanced over, they widened in shock. By the dim light filtering from the main hall’s oil lamp, she saw Sister Wu He’s body—a sight that made her scalp tingle.
"This..." Hu Ma’s voice was hoarse as she finally spoke. "What is this?"
The old shopkeeper’s voice came from behind her, low and slow, yet filled with an uncontainable rage, "Beast Creation."