Chapter 1 The Beginning

Hu Ma had sensed something was wrong with the peddler that afternoon. How could anyone be so kind in a business with such meager profits?

Besides, when he approached quietly, he vaguely saw the peddler's palm brushing over one of the children's heads as he gave them candy, as if pulling out a hair.

Although he was far away at the time and couldn't see clearly, Hu Ma had suffered from this kind of trick in the village before. One's body, hair, skin, and commonly used objects could all be used for sorcery, so how could he not be careful?

However, he hadn't seen it clearly, and the man might really just be a peddler.

If he rushed back to the village to call for people, causing a big commotion, the other party might realize something was wrong and stop, leaving him with all the blame. So, he quietly guarded here first to see if there was really a problem.

Once he confirmed there was a problem, he would quickly send Xiao Hongtang back to report.

He woke up Zhou Datong not because he expected him to help, but to have him quickly go to the inner courtyard and call the shopkeeper.

It was right to intervene when seeing injustice, but he didn't plan to do it himself.

Performing chivalrous deeds was a good thing, a merit, so this kind of merit should be earned together.

After confirming the peddler was suspicious, he didn't rush to make an announcement, but quietly followed the group of children. They staggered and swayed all the way out of the village, like clumsy little beasts in the dim moonlight.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they had reached the dirt road outside the village. In the distance, he saw a man-pulled two-wheeled wooden cart, with a person standing beside it, shaking a rattle drum.

It was the same peddler from the daytime, but his face was painted pale white, with a stiff smile.

In this quiet night, it had an unspeakable eeriness.

When he saw the children approaching, the smile on his face became even more enthusiastic, and the rattle drum in his hand shook even more joyfully.

But obviously, the rattle drum was shaking faster, but the sound was still subtle and imperceptible. He didn't know what the principle was.

Hu Ma stopped in the shadows under a tree by the roadside and watched as he shook the rattle drum and danced, circling the cart.

The little children seemed to imitate his appearance, reaching out their small hands and following him in circles.

After circling once, the peddler stood aside, smiling and watching the children climb onto the cart.

Hu Ma focused his eyes and vaguely noticed that what was on the cart seemed to be a dark coffin. The coffin lid was half open, revealing a dark hole. The children didn't seem to be afraid as they clumsily climbed onto the cart and crawled into the coffin.

"I heard Second Master talk about traveling the martial world. Some evil sorcerers would disguise themselves as peddlers or knife sharpeners, going from street to street, luring women and children, and then selling them to brothels or brokers to earn money."

"These kinds of sorcerers aren't very capable, but they are very good at evil and strange methods. They can use 'pai hua qu hun' (soul-capturing magic), the lowest of the low in the martial world..."

"It looks like the peddler I've met today is one of these."

"..."

He glanced in the direction of the village, but there was still no movement. Xiao Hongtang hadn't returned yet.

Logically, he shouldn't be in a hurry to act, but Hu Ma couldn't guess what was in the coffin, or what would happen to the children after they crawled inside.

"I'll test him first..."

After making his decision, he suddenly cleared his throat and said with a smile, "Business is so good, you're busy loading up goods late at night?"

"Shua!"

In this silent moment, Hu Ma's shout was extremely loud.

The peddler was also taken aback, and the rattle drum in his hand immediately stopped, and the children's movements also stopped.

After listening carefully for a while, the peddler suddenly looked in Hu Ma's direction and said, "Which friend from the martial world is there? Why not come out and meet?"

"He's got some skill!"

Hu Ma's heart skipped a beat. He could see him at a glance from so far away?

He became secretly vigilant and walked out of the shadows under the tree, walking forward slowly and smiling, "We just met during the day. Have you forgotten?"

The peddler had been keeping his body still, but when he saw Hu Ma getting closer, his eyes flashed, and he recognized him.

A smile appeared on his face, "So it's the little manager of the shop. You scared me."

"You're in high spirits late at night, still out wandering around? But we don't have any grudges. Your Red Lantern Niangniang (a local goddess) cuts your blood sacrifices, and I earn my children. We'll keep to ourselves, each going our own way, how about it?"

"..."

"Keep to ourselves?"

Hu Ma shook his head with a smile, "Friend, that's going too far."

"The villagers believe in my Red Lantern Niangniang, burning incense and worshiping her every day. How can we watch their children being abducted? That's not right."

"Listen to my advice, leave the people behind, undo the evil magic, and you can leave quickly!"

"..."

The peddler stared at Hu Ma without moving. After a moment, he laughed and said, "Taking someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Don't you understand that, brother? If your shopkeeper came, I'd give him face, but your words don't count..."

His expression seemed very relaxed. As he spoke, he reached into the two baskets on the front of the cart and took out a cloth doll, putting it on his hand.

Turning to Hu Ma, he smiled, "At worst, we'll share the spoils. I'll leave a small silver coin for you?"

As he spoke, he raised his left hand. On his left hand was the cloth doll, sewn raggedly, but with all the features, as if it could even make expressions.

He put his left hand inside the doll, and he didn't know what he did, but he waved at Hu Ma, and the doll actually seemed lifelike, giggling and winking at Hu Ma.

"A small silver coin?"

In the moonlight, the eerie doll was really a bit grim. Hu Ma's heart trembled slightly, but he smiled on his face and said, "How many taels?"

Before the words were finished, he suddenly drew his saber and took a step forward.

The reason he had immediately revealed himself after being discovered and walked forward was for this.

He didn't know what kind of evil magic these peddlers possessed, nor did he know if he had the ability to harm people invisibly like Granny Cui.

But Hu Ma knew what he could do. The shousuiren's (守岁人 - night watchman) true skills required real weapons and close combat, so he took advantage of the conversation to get closer little by little. Seeing that the distance was not far, he suddenly launched a fatal attack, giving the opponent no time to react.

"Hua..."

This step he took used the "Kaishan" (开山 - Mountain Opening) style that Second Master had taught him.

Although these three styles were simple, they were full of wit when used skillfully.

This step was originally intended to quickly close the distance between himself and his opponent, but as he closed in, the soles of his shoes plowed the ground, also stirring up a cloud of dust and sand.

As his figure followed, Hu Ma suddenly raised his foot and kicked the sand and dust towards the peddler's face, and then, taking advantage of the sand and dust blinding the peddler, he held his steel saber horizontally and swept it across.

"What's going on?"

The peddler was also taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

He had just been smiling, how could he turn hostile so quickly, and even attack with such force right from the start?

The doll he had picked up also had a mechanism, and he had originally planned to quietly give this blockhead a surprise.

He didn't expect this blockhead to be faster and more ruthless than him. Before he could even use a single move, the other party's knife was already at his face, making him seem like the blockhead instead.

In a hurry, he leaned back towards the cart, and at the same time, he raised the doll in his hand, as if spitting out something.

"Chi!"

Hu Ma held his saber and exchanged a single blow with the peddler, steadying his body.

In the dim moonlight, he could only see a trail of crimson on the blade, indicating that he had obviously succeeded just now.

But he didn't dare to be careless. He raised his left hand, frowning slightly. He had been hit by several imperceptible silver needles.

Although he had attacked quickly just now, the other party's reaction was obviously not slow either. Now that it was dark all around, he hadn't seen what the other party had launched at all, so he could only hurriedly raise his left hand to block it.

"Haha, haha, see if you die..."

The peddler leaned against the cart, but he was also sweating with pain. The sudden knife strike had solidly grazed his arm and chest. Fortunately, he had a lot of experience in the martial world and dodged quickly, otherwise he would have been disemboweled.

But although he was both surprised and frightened, he couldn't help but curse hatefully when he saw Hu Ma, "Even if you're fierce, you still have to lie down for me..."

Although he had been cut, the poison needles from the doll's mouth had already been spat out, and the other party had obviously been hit.

"Poison?"

Hu Ma could also feel a slight tingling in his arm. Hearing the peddler shout "lie down," he immediately staggered and swayed, as if he was about to faint.

Unexpectedly, taking advantage of this forward-leaning posture, he suddenly took another step forward and swung his saber down.

"Aiya..."

The peddler had thought that his poison had taken effect and was feeling relieved in his heart, but suddenly saw the blade coming at his face again.

He was shocked. He saw that Hu Ma's hand was now steady and his saber was fast, his facial muscles were slightly clenched, and his eyes seemed to be filled with murderous ruthlessness.

That fierce look made his scalp tingle, and he didn't look like he had been poisoned at all. The fear in his heart suddenly rose, and the blood made his scalp feel numb and swollen.

He didn't have time to think about it. Seeing the blade coming, he suddenly turned around, ignoring everything, and reached into the coffin.

"Tangu Gugu (aunt), save me..."

"..."

"The shousuiren's (night watchman) techniques are really good..."

And Hu Ma was indeed overjoyed in his heart. Although his left hand had only recently been cultivated, it already vaguely had the power to resist all poisons, to be unafraid of water and fire, and to be difficult to injure with weapons. Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, he took the advantage, and would not stop halfway.

He put all his strength into this saber strike, but suddenly felt a gust of yin wind in front of him.

Clearly, this saber was aimed at the peddler's neck, but the saber missed, and then he felt a bone-chilling cold around him. He seemed to hear an extremely strange and eerie laughter in his ears, and his heart suddenly felt hairy. No longer caring about anything, he hurriedly retreated.

When he looked closely, he saw that the peddler had reached out and taken out a round thing from the coffin.

It looked like a wine jar, the kind that holds thirty jin, covered with a red cloth.

The peddler had his left arm, which had been cut off halfway at the shoulder and was only connected to his body by a little skin.

He vigorously swung it up and placed it on the jar, and the gushing blood immediately dripped onto it.

Hu Ma watched as the yin energy emanating from the jar became heavier and heavier, and a strange swallowing sound rang out inside.

All the blood did not fall to the ground, but gathered at the mouth of the jar and seeped in.

You guys take it easy, yesterday a lot of comments were swallowed