Chapter 12 Bewitched

"Hmm?"

Leng Ding saw the dark mass of crows take flight, and even Hu Ma was startled. He hadn't expected the gu to invade the valley the moment the red lantern was taken down.

He hurriedly retreated, not forgetting to reach out and pull Zhou Datong, who had just jumped off the paifang, fearing he wouldn't escape in time. But he grabbed empty air. Zhou Datong jumped from the paifang and darted straight into the valley, not even looking back. No need for reminders, he was running faster than anyone.

"Truly worry-free..."

Hu Ma sighed, but also focused his attention, becoming vigilant and daring not to relax.

His current skills in shousui were not weak, but since these evil things could poison even Zhuang Kuangshou, a seasoned wuzang shousui, to such an extent, he had no intention of testing them out on himself.

"Rotten Crow Gu."

As they retreated, seeing the dark mass of shadows about to flutter into the valley, a low voice rang out from inside the shack:

"Neng Neng, you go!"

With the voice from the shack, Wu Ya and Neng Neng originally moved towards the flock of crows at the same time, but Wu Ya immediately retreated, while the wizard boy named Neng Neng pulled a waist drum from his side, stood in front of the crow flock, and suddenly began to beat it.

"Pu," "Pu," "Pu."

The drum sound was dull, strange. Each beat was accompanied by a heavy, deep tune.

The flock of crows fluttered in the air, about to rush into the valley, but upon hearing the drum sound, they suddenly became chaotic, bumping into each other, wet feathers flying everywhere.

It seemed that as soon as the drum sounded, they could not find the path into the valley and could only circle haphazardly outside the valley. With their constant collisions, one by one, they fell to the ground.

The more they failed to enter, the faster and more frantically the crow flock flew outside. The more forcefully Neng Neng in the valley beat his waist drum, his pale face flushed with blood.

Everyone in the valley had been guarding the edge of the valley, but now they all retreated. However, seeing this magical scene, it seemed that the crow flock was blocked, and there was no immediate danger. They did not directly run back to their houses, but stood three or four zhang from the edge of the valley, staring blankly.

They saw the crow flock being blocked. After flying for a long time, more and more began to fall to the ground, as if they were originally dead objects that could occasionally jump up and hurt people, or fly as if they had come alive, like they were now.

But their strength was ultimately limited. The longer the time dragged on, the less they could fly.

This wizard boy, Neng Neng, was using this method to block the crow flock. As long as they were prevented from rushing in and held back for a certain amount of time, this gu could be resolved.

Unexpectedly, as the crows outside fell one after another, suddenly, the drum sound became slightly hoarse, but there were still two or three crows that took advantage of the gap and fluttered into the valley. Their rotten claws gleaming, they grabbed towards Zhao Zhu's face.

This was not Zhao Zhu's fault. Although he usually seemed honest, he always quietly rushed to the front with a pitchfork in hand when it came to action.

Seeing the abnormality in the valley, he directly guarded Hu Ma's side, his position even more forward than Hu Ma's. He was staring with wide eyes, eager to help, but he did not expect the crows to fly towards him.

He was not afraid. He grabbed the pitchfork and was about to stab it over.

But Hu Ma frowned, seeing that Zhao Zhu's movements were already too slow. Even if he could stab one crow to death, he would still be hit. He immediately stepped forward and suddenly reached out, pulling Zhao Zhu behind him.

Then, he turned around, placing his single palm on his ribs, and then unleashed a thunderous roar, resonating with his three viscera.

"Ha!"

The flock of crows that had rushed in, as if meeting a wall of qi head-on, were shattered at the same time.

Even the flesh and blood and scattered feathers after the explosion were blown out of the valley by the airflow caused by Hu Ma's roar, scattering all over the ground.

"Shua!"

Upon seeing this, the surrounding people showed expressions of surprise and doubt, looking at Hu Ma. Especially Neng Neng, who had just been drumming with a flushed face, almost bleeding from his seven orifices, looked at Hu Ma with a somewhat dazed expression.

He had worked so hard to control the gu, but the man had shattered it with a single roar?

He vaguely felt that this manager from the Red Lantern Society seemed to have more skills than he had imagined.

No wonder Qing Yi Ye and Red Lantern Niangniang lost so easily when they faced off, and all their industries were swallowed up. Look at how many talented people they have under their command...

"The art of wizardry and gu is indeed strange and terrifying."

Hu Ma, meeting the gazes of the crowd, patted the wrinkles he had grabbed on Zhao Zhu's shoulder and smiled. "But perhaps our shousui skills are somewhat useful when facing wizardry and gu?"

"It's not just useful, it's very powerful..."

The surrounding crowd surged, and the gazes of the butchers were very complicated, daring only to echo in their hearts, but no one dared to say it out loud.

In this valley, the first person to be convinced by Hu Ma was originally Zhuang Erchang. After all, he had exchanged blows with Hu Ma and knew that the other party was full of unique skills. Even in his prime, he could not beat Hu Ma.

And because he could not beat such a young Hu Ma, he also had great awe for the mysterious "Old Yin Mountain Master Zhou Er" behind him. After all, if the disciple was so powerful, how strong would the master be?

At least he had to be a shousui who had entered the fu, right?

Shousui people valued inheritance, and the master and inheritance behind them were also part of their influence that could not be ignored.

On the other hand, Zhuang Erchang's disciples and the butchers only thought that Zhuang Erchang suffered a loss because he was poisoned by the gu, so they were not very awed by Hu Ma. But now, seeing this scene, they were indeed shocked, and their hearts were slowly changing involuntarily.

You say, Old Zhuang, a single rotten crow turned you into this.

Facing three rotten crows, the man dissolved them into nothing with a single roar, blood and bones. It makes you seem a bit weak...

"The shousui path is a resounding name in the martial world, with true skills. We wizard people have always admired it, and no one dares to underestimate it..."

The Wugong patriarch in the shack also said in a low voice: "But what Wu Song used to seal the valley is the Twelve Pai Zi Formation, which can drive twelve kinds of gu. You must be careful..."

"There are still eleven kinds?"

The crowd had just felt a little relieved, but upon hearing this, their hearts could not help but sink again. But at this moment, they suddenly heard the sound of scales rubbing against withered leaves outside the valley. At the same time, they smelled a fishy stench, which made them feel a little dizzy.

"Hmm?"

The crowd, who had just been about to turn back to the valley, were shocked and hurriedly turned their heads to look.

They saw the grass swaying outside the valley, as if something was swimming over. Wherever it passed, the lush green grass was actually curling up and withering, showing signs of grayness. It was getting closer and closer to the valley.

"Life-Eating Gu!"

The Wugong patriarch in the shack said with a slight shock in his voice, "Wu Ya."

Wu Ya, who had been guarding next to the shack, had been vigilant. Upon hearing this, she hurriedly stepped forward and took down the bamboo basket behind her. Opening the lid, a green snake swam out from inside.

Hu Ma had seen it in the forest before. Wu Ya had used it to collect herbs. It seemed that this snake was a little afraid of heights.

Now released from the basket, the green snake raised its head and swam out of the village with high fighting spirit. It instantly came to the side of the large withered grass, hissing, and entangled with something. Only then did the crowd see clearly that it was a white snake as thick as a wrist.

The two snakes intertwined, entangled, tore, and rolled back and forth outside the valley, fighting non-stop. Just watching, the crowd swayed non-stop.

When the white snake had the upper hand, they felt a fishy smell in their mouths and noses, and their heads were dizzy, as if their bodies were out of control and they were about to faint. When the green snake had the upper hand, the fishy smell subsided slightly.

It seemed that as long as the white snake approached the valley, everyone would be affected.

Hu Ma was, after all, a shousui, so he was fine. He frowned slightly and suppressed the discomfort. Some of the butchers beside him were already pale and their bodies were shaking.

They did not know the cause and did not dare to speak at this time, fearing that the fishy smell would pour into their mouths. They could only stare blankly at the two snakes fighting.

Finally, after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the white snake's body suddenly softened during the fight. The green snake took the opportunity to bite its head, and then little by little, swallowed the white snake directly into its belly.

It was also until this time that the crowd felt the overwhelming fishy smell suddenly disappear completely. Confused, it was as if they had just woken up from a big dream, not knowing what had just happened.

On that side, Wu Ya squatted down and took the green snake, which was obviously more than twice as fat, back into the basket. Her snake had won, but looking at her face, there did not seem to be much joy.

"Wu Ya won against Wu Song's Life-Eating Gu. He shouldn't attack so quickly."

The Wugong patriarch in the shack said in a low voice, "But Wu Ya won by luck. Her green snake and Wu Song's white snake were originally twins from the same egg, both good materials for refining gu. Wu Song yielded to his sister and took the weaker one, letting the green snake be given to Wu Ya."

"Otherwise, Wu Ya would not be able to win against him."

"..."

The crowd listened, even more surprised, and looked at Wu Ya, but that made the girl even more depressed, lowering her head.

Now, she looked nothing like the clever and cute girl they had first met.

"I'm afraid it's not just giving up a snake. When they were fighting just now, the white snake originally had the upper hand, but suddenly stopped. Perhaps it sensed something and took the initiative to admit defeat..."

The others listened, unable to help but think, vaguely feeling that it seemed that the older brother really loved his sister.

"But, afterwards, in order to refine these two snakes well, he did not hesitate to kill a pair of twin sisters in the village, using their lives to cultivate the gu nature."

The Wugong patriarch sighed softly and said: "This is Wu Song. Not only did he commit sins himself, but he also wanted to drag Wu Ya along. It was also because of this that we decided to expel him from the village."

(End of Chapter)