“Entering the Ghost Gate Pass, is this truly a place for the dead?”

Hu Ma stood at the crossroads, watching the group of people being pulled by chains toward the depths of the night, their bodies seeming to fade from reality into illusion. A strange feeling arose in his heart:

“I remember Xiang Yatou saying before that the dead from Lingshou Prefecture, and even the entire An Prefecture, were to be brought to the Ghost Cave. Could what she said be true?”

“Are these dead people part of that?”

As he pondered this, the two young men led Hu Ma onward, bypassing the burning incense piles in the middle of the crossroads, heading straight for the circular boulder that had already merged with the night sky.

He knew it was somewhere in the darkness ahead, but he couldn't see it clearly. He could only feel that the closer he got, the colder he felt, and fear began to grow.

Gradually, the lanterns carried by the two men illuminated a dark cave entrance, and they stopped.

The entrance resembled a gap left behind by the huge, circular stone cliff as it sat on the mountain. The entrance was covered in intertwined chains. Looking inside, it was mostly dark, with only a sliver of light visible.

At the mouth of the cave, the two young men took out several items and handed them to Hu Ma one by one. First, a lit candle, then a string, saying:

"The master and young lady are inside. Take the candle and go in. If the candle goes out, you must retreat immediately."

"This string is tied to your arm. When you return, follow the string. If the string breaks, you won't be able to get out."

"..."

"So complicated?"

Hu Ma looked at them and suddenly said, "How many strings did you bring?"

The two men were taken aback. Hu Ma peered into their hands by the lantern light and saw clearly: three strings.

He smiled and said, "Give me all three to tie on my arm!"

"Afraid?"

One of the young men said, "Tying three strings is the same as tying one string."

"I understand."

Hu Ma smiled at them and said, "But if I only tie one, and it breaks, it could be an accident, or something else. If all three break, then someone definitely wants to harm me."

"?"

The two young men were a little confused. Who would harm their benefactor in the Dongzi Li family's territory?

More importantly, even if someone would, wasn't it a bit inappropriate to say it out loud?

But Hu Ma simply smiled, took the seemingly specially made, lit candle, and had them tie all three red strings to his left arm. Then, he headed straight into the cave.

He remained cautious, not daring to relax in the slightest, but at this point, there was no need to appear timid, lest he become a laughingstock.

At first, it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for a person to pass. After walking dozens of steps, it suddenly opened up.

Hu Ma used the candle in his hand for light, turned a corner, and the space before him widened, and the light became brighter.

He looked ahead and saw four or five thick chains nailed to the surrounding stone walls, intertwined and connected to a man in the middle of the cave.

He wore a wide robe and a tall hat. Unlike the other Li family farmers Hu Ma had seen since arriving, he looked like an ancient figure from a painting, with an extraordinary temperament and the air of an official.

Hearing Hu Ma enter, the man turned his gentle eyes and smiled.

Xiang Yatou leaned against his side, also looked up at Hu Ma, and silently showed a sweet smile.

"Mr. Hu, you traveled thousands of miles to bring my daughter Yu'er back and protect her. I, Li Huaizhang, am deeply grateful for your kindness and will never forget it..."

The man with the chains stood up and bowed deeply to Hu Ma, speaking in a deep voice.

There were only two people in the cave, so Hu Ma naturally knew who this man was. He quickly returned the bow and said, "You are too kind."

"It was just a small effort, not worthy of such praise."

"I come from the village and don't understand much, but my grandmother taught me to be kind to others. What I did was just what I thought everyone should do..."

"..."

As he spoke, he looked over the man, then trailed off.

The Dongzi Li family was so mysterious, and this master of the Li family was a mysterious and prestigious figure in An Prefecture. Who would have thought that now, upon seeing him, he would be chained up, alone here, looking less like the head of a family and more like a prisoner.

Could this be the reason why his daughter was lost, and he couldn't do anything about it?

"Haha, this is why I can't go out to thank you and can only invite you in, Mr. Hu."

The Li family master smiled and patted the chains on his body, which rattled, saying, "I had myself locked up, otherwise I worry I wouldn't be able to endure it."

"Locked yourself up?"

Hu Ma was slightly taken aback. At his invitation, he sat down on a pile of straw nearby.

The Li family master smiled and looked Hu Ma up and down, nodding in satisfaction and sighing, "I had no choice!"

"Guarding the Ghost Cave is an imperial duty, but it's not necessarily a good one. Those who guard the Ghost Cave throughout the generations must suffer this hardship, along with the Li clan."

"I suppose Mr. Hu saw it on his way here. My Ghost Cave family has always been isolated from the world, living and farming here for generations, rarely interacting with outsiders. Even if clan members go out... well, they sneak out."

"..."

He didn't need to say it. Hu Ma had already noticed.

He had thought earlier that the Li family's reception for guests was quite ordinary, wondering if the Li family was stingy.

Now, it seemed not stinginess, but that they really didn't have much.

They had locked themselves on the edge of the mountain. It was difficult for outsiders to enter, and they themselves rarely went out. How rich could their diet be?

As for this Li family master, he was even worse off, locked in the cave, unable to go out at all.

No wonder his daughter was tricked and kidnapped...

As he spoke, the Ghost Cave Li family master looked at Xiang Yatou beside him and smiled, "So, when Mr. Hu sent a letter from Ming Prefecture, telling me that she was alive and being well taken care of, the stone in my heart was lifted."

"Since she has met good people, it would be good even if she didn't come back and spent her life washing clothes and cooking."

"..."

"What?"

Hu Ma, who had just been sighing inwardly, was suddenly startled and looked at him in disbelief.

In other words, he actually received the letter that he had sent back through the mule and horse transport company?

If that was the case, then he...

The Li family master looked at Hu Ma's surprised and suspicious eyes, smiled faintly, and said, "I also knew that they had schemed to have Yu'er kidnapped."

"They gambled that if Yu'er was kidnapped, the world would not allow a weak woman to live, or at least would taint her Yin Scroll (a record of one's life in the underworld), preventing her from returning to take over my position as the gatekeeper."

"But I hoped that Yu'er would go out, at least have the chance to live like a human being outside."

"..."

Hearing these words, Hu Ma was even more surprised.

Listening to this, the Li family master not only received the letter, but even knew about her kidnapping?

Then he wasn't afraid...

"Going out, suffering hardships, is inevitable."

The Li family master seemed to see through Hu Ma's thoughts and sighed softly, "Perhaps even life-or-death dangers will be encountered a few times."

"I don't know what Xiang Yu Yatou will encounter, but I know that she has the protection of Yin virtue, and she is definitely not destined to die young. Even if she encounters danger, she will surely turn misfortune into good fortune."

"Of course, I don't see it that clearly, but I don't have high hopes. Just being able to live is enough."

"She has been gentle and kind since she was a child. As long as she can live outside, even if she lives a hard life, eating simple meals and working in the fields every day, it would be a good way out."

"..."

Before sending Xiang Yatou back, Hu Ma never expected to hear such words.

He looked up at the Li family master and saw his gloomy expression, with deep helplessness in his eyes, making it impossible to understand.

The people represented by Butler Zhou did not want to be involved in karma, and also wanted to taint her Yin Scroll, so they chose to throw Xiang Yatou out, betting that such a lonely little girl would have no good outcome in the hands of kidnappers.

But this Li family master was betting that she could live, and as long as she could live, even if she suffered some hardships and endured some sins outside, it was an acceptable outcome?

He said that Xiang Yatou was not destined to die young, but who could say for sure? What if she really died?

For example, if he hadn't reached out on that ship?

Did he really dare to gamble like that? Or was it that he had actually prepared to accept the outcome that Xiang Yatou might really die outside?

A chill ran through his heart, and he looked at Xiang Yatou.

He saw that her eyes were slightly red, so these things, the father and daughter had already discussed.

However, why did she seem to have no resentment, but rather looked somewhat moved?

"The imperial decree is hard to defy, and ghosts and gods cannot be deceived..."

After calmly stating the truth, the Li family master sighed softly and said to Hu Ma, "The ancestors of the Li family were destined to die. They accepted the imperial decree and came to guard the Ghost Cave in order to live. And living here is to repay a debt."

"Originally, after seven generations, it shouldn't have been any more descendants in my generation. But unexpectedly, this girl was still born."

"The girl is already the eighth generation. She is innocent, but who would have thought that she would be born with a Yin Scroll?"

"As the seventh-generation gatekeeper, I was supposed to be the last generation to repay the debt, but if she enters the Ghost Cave, she will have to suffer this hardship for generations."

"I am, after all, somewhat unwilling..."

"..."

As he spoke, he lowered his head and looked at Xiang Yatou, his eyes showing some bitterness.

Listening to these words, Hu Ma had realized some problems. The whole matter was filled with enormous karma and traces of manipulation. The entire Li family, from top to bottom, seemed to be gambling?

His mind was in turmoil. The Li family master looked at him and said, "But in any case, this girl's fate is greater than I thought. After going in a circle, she finally came back. Now that things have come to this..."

He paused slightly and suddenly lowered his voice, "Mr. Hu, would you be willing to marry this girl and take her back to your village to live a peaceful life?"

"..."

Hu Ma was truly shocked: "Huh?"

(End of Chapter)