"Spouting rhymes at every turn, are you prepping for an exam?"
Hu Ma listened to Er Guotou’s words, He’s quite the talker, he thought, and hurriedly asked for an explanation.
"This is a nursery rhyme from Mingzhou Prefecture, referring to the three evils of Mingzhou over the past few decades."
Upon hearing this, Er Guotou sighed softly and explained to Hu Ma in detail, "The Tan’er Sect refers to those people you just mentioned. They once caused a great uproar, accepting all sorts of bad seeds as their disciples from the nearby villages. They didn’t teach proper skills, instead indulging in various evil skills. Especially that Aunt Tan, who specifically targeted innocent girls, subjecting them to horrors like swallowing needles, peeling skin, and the Five Punishments and Three Techniques, cultivating resentment in them. They nurtured this resentment in their altars to harm others, making them incredibly hard to defend against. The Insect Sect was also a group of sinister folks, skilled in using insect gu to harm people. It was really hard to guard against them. As for the ’beggar at the door,’ that refers to a blind beggar back then who was highly malevolent. Whichever house he took a liking to, he would go and demand good food and drink, and even a young maiden. Naturally, the homeowners wouldn’t agree and would surely drive him away. But he knew the soul-calling demon technique. After singing a piece of Lotus Fall at the gate, the family would either suffer financial loss or someone would die, causing great fear among the villagers. During the height of the trouble, townspeople rose up and killed many beggars, and they were all buried outside the city."
Full of eerie aura... Hu Ma thought as he followed Er Guotou’s description, then couldn’t help but ask, "What about these three evils now?"
"Gone," Er Guotou said. "When our Red Lantern Society came together, the former three evils vanished, leaving only our Red Lantern Lady as the remaining threat."
Hu Ma was taken aback. That description is a bit strange, he thought.
He then heard Er Guotou say, "However, listening to you, the strange thing is also this: The Tan’er Sect was powerful, dabbling daily in sinister evil skills; they weren’t simple. But a couple of years ago, their influence waned, and some say they’ve disbanded and fled to various places. Yet when trouble arose at your Manor earlier, Shopkeeper Wu claimed it was the work of the Tan’er Sect. We went to investigate, but we couldn’t tell truth from falsehood. After all, your Manor is too close to Old Yin Mountain. When demon people or evil spirits commit crimes, they flee into the eight-hundred-mile Old Yin Mountain. Where could we find them then?"
What has our Old Yin Mountain become? Listening, Hu Ma felt a bit troubled. Having been here a while, he subconsciously treated Old Yin Mountain as his home. I don’t want these bad people going there, he thought.
"Anyway, whether it’s true or not, you keep an eye out for now." Er Guotou didn’t elaborate. After the two exchanged some information, he said, "Shopkeeper Wu never mentioned the possibility of the Tan’er Sect returning to those above. Suddenly bringing it up now leaves people scratching their heads... If it truly is remnants of the Tan’er Sect causing trouble, with the skills you have from just entering the Path, it might not be easy to deal with..."
Hu Ma agreed, assuring him that he wouldn’t act recklessly.
However, as he exited the Lifebound Spirit Temple, he silently pondered the Tan’er Sect’s return and Shopkeeper Wu’s refusal to mention it to his superiors. This way, the pressure has suddenly shifted onto me, he mused. I could have spoken up and directly sought Er Guotou’s help, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it. If there were indeed some benefits involved, it would be fine to call Er Guotou over, or even more people; there would be no issue. Yet, if it were merely a personal vendetta of Shopkeeper Wu’s, I owe Shopkeeper Wu a favor, making it hard to avoid. Calling Er Guotou to intervene would seem a bit out of line... It wasn’t that I’m unwilling to owe Er Guotou a favor for Shopkeeper Wu and Sister Wu He. The main issue is that in such indirect matters, even if Er Guotou agreed, he would probably feel uncomfortable. I can only take it one step at a time for now, he concluded.
He now focused more intently on studying the Shousui man’s skills, but the Tan’er Sect’s people still hadn’t actually appeared. He wasn’t just having his attendants patrol at night; even during the day, he had them occasionally stroll around the villages near the town. If they encountered any suspicious individuals, they were to report to him immediately.
Now, with deep winter approaching and fewer traders, the attendants, having stayed for a long time, had blended in with the locals, making it easy to spot any unfamiliar faces that appeared.
But strangely, after more than a month passed, nothing was discovered.
Just as Hu Ma began to suspect that the old shopkeeper might be overly paranoid and that it was all a false alarm, Zhou Datong returned from outside with a mysterious air. He found Hu Ma and said excitedly, "I’ve got something, Brother Ma Zi! I discovered a household that’s very suspicious..."
When did he start calling me Brother Ma Zi? Hu Ma was momentarily taken aback but didn’t have time for questions, quickly asking, "Where?"
"Shiyazi Village..." Zhou Datong lowered his voice. "That Widow Zhao who sells tofu..."
Why is it another widow? Hu Ma found this strange. He knew Datong liked widows, but this is serious business...
"I’m serious..." Zhou Datong said mysteriously. "You told us to watch out for unfamiliar faces, and indeed we didn’t see any. But the night before last, at that tofu-seller Widow Zhao’s house, a man whose face couldn’t be seen climbed over the wall and went in... Can this be normal?"
"This is quite normal, isn’t it?" Hu Ma gave Zhou Datong a peculiar look. "Just because you’re not getting any, you won’t let others get any?"
"No..." Zhou Datong quickly said. "The key is that after he went in, he didn’t come out the whole night! And Widow Zhao didn’t open her door the next day, only saying she was sick. That man is most likely still hiding in her house now!"
This indeed seems strange. Sneaking into a widow’s house and not coming out by morning isn’t professional at all; quite unlike the behavior of village folk. Moreover, the saying ’much gossip in front of a widow’s gate’ isn’t without reason. A woman living alone could easily attract the attention of demon people or evil spirits, Hu Ma thought. Quickly thinking, he suddenly realized and asked Zhou Datong, "How do you know all this in such detail?"
"The old ladies at the village entrance told me..." Zhou Datong replied. "I chat with them every day. What don’t I know about what goes on in the villages for ten miles around?"
Impressive! Hu Ma thought. Hu Ma didn’t quite know how to respond. Zhou Datong isn’t the honest type, always engaging in unexpectedly cunning deeds, but this particular skill of his is actually quite useful, he mused.
After Hu Ma entered the inner courtyard and told the old shopkeeper, the latter’s usual lazy demeanor turned serious. He got dressed and went out with Hu Ma.
The old shopkeeper, feeling anxious, wanted to get horses and ride over immediately. But Hu Ma thought, Storming in like that might alert them. If they get spooked and flee straight into Old Yin Mountain, no one will be able to catch them.
So, he had the attendants prepare a large cart. They loaded it with a few sacks of grain and two rolls of cloth, hiding clubs and Zhao Zhu’s dung fork inside. Under the guise of going to Shiya Village to trade for some sheep, they set off.
Grain was delivered to their Manor every so often, sometimes with Blood Food too, as part of their provisions. For other items, they often traded with the surrounding villages, which was very common.
Because Hu Ma had a "limping leg," he sat in the cart. Zhou Datong pulled it, Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu pushed from the sides, and the old shopkeeper walked alongside.
The treatment is quite nice, Hu Ma thought.
They set out during the hour of Shen (3-5 p.m.) and traveled for about an hour. As the sky began to darken, they reached Shiya Village. Hu Ma first had Zhou Datong confirm the location, then sent him into the village with the grain to trade for sheep, while he and the old shopkeeper hid in the shadows.
Shortly thereafter, they furtively approached a tile-roofed house at the edge of the village.
It was just nightfall. Many homes in the village had lit their oil lamps, and people were busy with winter needlework. But the Zhao family’s house, where tofu was sold, was eerily quiet. Looking from the outside, it was pitch-black inside, not a glimmer of light to be seen.
Hu Ma glanced at the old shopkeeper and saw him pondering with his head down. Then, the old shopkeeper gestured for Hu Ma to step back. He himself approached the door directly, knocked gently, and called out, "Is anyone home? A passerby asking for a bowl of water."
Listening, Hu Ma was speechless. In this bitter winter, who would be out and about? Besides, coming to ask for water so late at night—no sane household would dare open their door, right? he thought.
But after calling out, the old shopkeeper stood waiting at the door with his hands behind his back, in silence.
After a short while, a weak woman’s voice suddenly sounded from within the courtyard, "There’s no man at home, and I’m sick, so it’s inconvenient to open the door. Please go to another house and ask!"
Hu Ma had been to Shiya Village before and had seen the tofu-selling woman from the Zhao family. It sounds like her voice, he thought.
But upon hearing this, the old shopkeeper unexpectedly sneered. "Sick?" he said. "Very well, I happen to know how to treat illnesses. Let me come in and take a look at you!"
Inside the yard, there was no response for a long while. Sensing something was amiss, Hu Ma, supporting himself with his crutch, prepared to kick the door open.
Yet, just as he was about to lift his foot, the door suddenly swung open.
In the dark courtyard, a woman who seemed somewhat frail stood just inside the doorway, holding a bowl of water. Startled at the sight of two men at the entrance, she appeared frightened. She slowly placed the water by the door and was about to close it again, saying, "It’s inconvenient to invite people inside at night. Sirs, please drink the water and leave..."
Well, this is unexpected, Hu Ma thought.
But just as Widow Zhao was about to shut the door, the old shopkeeper suddenly reached out, pressing his hand against the door panel and staring intently at her.
The widow jumped in fright, staggering back several steps and exclaiming in alarm, "You... what are you doing?"
Hu Ma felt a flicker of unease. If the widow starts shouting and the villagers rush over, this will look very bad. Breaking into a widow’s house at night is a major village taboo; decent folks always climb the wall... he thought wryly.
But the old shopkeeper, still barring the door, said nothing more. Instead, he suddenly blew out a sharp breath.
Even more unexpectedly, Widow Zhao, a full-grown woman standing four or five steps away, was lifted by this single breath as if she were weightless. She drifted back two or three zhang—a good twenty to thirty feet—before lightly settling on the ground.
The next moment, the old shopkeeper strode into the courtyard, heading straight for the main room of the house.
Hu Ma followed closely behind. Entering the yard, he approached the "widow" and looked. To his astonishment, there was no living person there—just a thin sheet of human skin propped up with bamboo sticks and rattan.
To think I was just talking to that...thing! A chill involuntarily ran down his spine.