Chapter 2 A Sinister Plan

Hu Ma naturally had no objections.

It was a satisfying meal, as the Dongjia (proprietor) was willing to spend money. The banquet was lavish, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they were each given two hundred taels of silver. The heavy bundle felt reassuring and provided a sense of security.

The young master Lu then said, "Tonight, those of you who have nothing to do should go back and rest. Since you've agreed to work for me, all your expenses in Wutong Town will be on my account."

"You can take this money and do as you please. However, the large banks are seventy *li* away in the city, so it's best if you don't leave town. There is a security escort agency here, though."

"If you want to send the money home early, you can."

"..."

The others nodded, each with their own plans, not needing young master Lu to worry.

Frankly, the security escort agency took ten percent for every hundred taels, which meant losing twenty taels at once, which stung.

Besides, those who lived nearby could just send a couple of people to deliver it. For those who lived far away, the travel expenses might be more than the security agency was willing to handle for just two hundred taels.

Hu Ma, having already been assigned a task, waited for the others to leave before sitting down with the old monkey and discussing the details, agreeing on a time and place to meet that night. Then, he took the two hundred taels of silver back to the inn and tossed it on the table.

He silently reviewed the plan he had agreed upon with Di Gua Shao, comparing it to what young master Lu had said.

Although Di Gua Shao was forthcoming and Miss White Wine had vouched for him, he still needed to be cautious.

He waited patiently until it was almost time before leaving.

He still wore his bamboo hat and raincoat. As he passed the counter, he tossed a tael of silver in front of the innkeeper.

The innkeeper was initially stunned, but then he remembered what Hu Ma had said to him that morning, forced a smile, and bowed, saying, "May you strike it rich."

After Hu Ma left, he watched his back as he sighed softly and swept the tael of silver into the drawer.

He shook his head and whispered, "Probably another one who won't be coming back."

When he arrived at the agreed-upon spot at the edge of town, he saw the old man was already waiting. He was grinning, with the monkey perched on his shoulder, holding a strange white lantern.

Night had already fallen, but he hadn't lit it.

Hu Ma looked up at the dark sky and laughed, "Looks like we're working under cover of darkness. Aren't you going to light the lantern?"

"This isn't for lighting the way."

Monkey Old Man laughed and said, "Besides, you're someone who can fight *hanba* (drought demons) at night. Are you afraid of walking in the dark?"

Hu Ma laughed, "Just used to following the rules."

As he spoke, he walked alongside the old monkey, leaving the town and heading into the darkness. They talked quietly as they walked. Hu Ma was evasive and reluctant to answer when the old monkey asked about his background and lineage.

In fact, he had already made up a whole story, but he didn't reveal it yet, waiting for the right moment to let slip a few casual remarks.

If he told everything when someone asked him directly, they would immediately see that he was lying.

From Monkey Old Man's perspective, Hu Ma had revealed nothing except his name and that he was a *shousui ren* (year-guardian).

Moreover, he had recognized Hu Ma's lineage with his own eyes, and he had only learned his name the last time they met. In other words, Hu Ma had revealed nothing at all.

However, he didn't mind. He joked with Hu Ma as they walked further and further into the wilderness.

After about half an hour, they stopped. Hu Ma looked up and saw a few dark buildings in front of them. They had arrived at a village.

He raised his foot to enter, but the old monkey stopped him and laughed, "Wait a little longer. It's still early."

Seeing that he had already sat down on the ground outside the village, Hu Ma could only squat down beside him.

They continued to chat idly, watching as the time grew later and later, and the surroundings became silent.

Hu Ma suddenly sensed something.

He was a *shousui ren*, and therefore had methods to ward off evil spirits, but how was it that Monkey Old Man didn't attract any evil spirits either?

They had walked in the dark and wasted so much time, yet they hadn't encountered any evil spirits.

"Let's go!"

Just as he was wondering if he should ask, Monkey Old Man suddenly stood up, brushing the dirt off his butt, having apparently calculated the time using some method.

Hu Ma had no choice but to follow him. As soon as they reached the edge of the village, they heard a burst of barking from inside, echoing back and forth. The dogs in the village were highly alert. Although their footsteps were light, they had still alerted the watchdogs.

"So annoying..."

Monkey Old Man frowned, then turned to the monkey on his shoulder and said, "Go!"

With a squeak, the monkey jumped off his shoulder and darted into the village, its shadow disappearing into the darkness.

The dogs, which had been barking madly, went even more berserk, howling and yelping. Several families were awakened and lit oil lamps to look outside. Seeing nothing, they kicked their dogs a few times and went back to sleep.

But as soon as the dogs quieted down, the monkey would climb around the village again, causing the dogs to bark and get kicked again.

After a few repetitions, Monkey Old Man chuckled softly, "Alright."

He took out a small pouch from his pocket. The monkey scurried back onto his back in the darkness. He opened the pouch, revealing red beans.

He had the monkey take them back into the village. After a while, several dogs whimpered, but no one paid any attention.

After waiting a little longer, Monkey Old Man took out a fire starter and lit the white lantern.

It was unclear how the lantern was made, but even when lit, it didn't provide much light. All that could be seen was a faint white glow that didn't illuminate the path ahead. Monkey Old Man held it in his hand, not explaining to Hu Ma, and slowly entered the village on his own.

He first came to a courtyard with a wooden door. He carefully examined it, as there was a mark on the door.

He held the lantern up and waved it back and forth.

The faint light flickered, like a white spirit banner in the deep night. He faced the courtyard and called out in a low, eerie voice, "When the heavens and earth are dark, the ghost-summoning banner appears, the impermanence lord arrives at your door..."

"Zhang Daquan, Zhang Daquan, your old man is here to take you to the banquet..."

"..."

His voice was very low, almost inaudible in the night breeze. The dogs in the village were no longer barking.

Hu Ma was unnerved by his bizarre behavior and stared wide-eyed. After he called out three times, the surrounding temperature dropped, and he suddenly heard a fluttering sound coming from the white lantern in his hand.

Looking closely, he saw that a moth had somehow flown into the lantern. It fluttered about, casting frantic shadows on the lantern wall.

"Got him."

Monkey Old Man looked at the lantern with satisfaction and said in a low voice, "Let's go!"

Soon, they came to a courtyard with only a fence around it. After checking the mark again, he called out to the yard:

"When the heavens and earth are dark, the ghost-summoning banner appears, the impermanence lord arrives at your door..."

"Niu Zhang, Niu Zhang, your mother is calling you, she wants to take you to see the rouge..."

"..."

As before, he called out three times, and another moth appeared in the lantern, fluttering about.

Hu Ma followed Monkey Old Man, feeling gusts of wind and an indescribable strangeness. When he saw the moth enter the lantern, he felt a tingling in his scalp. After they had moved away from the house, he couldn't help but ask:

"Old sir, what kind of method is this? It looks a little creepy."

"..."

"Hehe..."

Monkey Old Man laughed softly, "You have your skills, and I have my ways."

"You haven't seen this trick of soul-calling before, have you, young brother?"

"..."

"So it really is soul-calling..."

Hu Ma's heart tightened. He said in a low voice, "How do you know these people's names?"

"Hehe, skill lies where you can't see it."

Monkey Old Man laughed softly, "I came during the day and put on a good monkey show for them. I talked to them, told their fortunes, and interpreted their dreams."

"I learned that Zhang Daquan had eaten at a banquet with his father once when he was a child, which he never forgot, and that Niu Zhang only went to town to buy rouge once, and that was with her mother. When I call out like this at night, won't they come out?"

"..."

Hu Ma thought about it carefully and felt a chill run down his spine. "What will happen to these people after their souls are called out?"

"Nothing much, they'll just be confused for a few days."

Monkey Old Man said, "Don't worry, little brother, no one will die anyway. They can grow back after a long time."

"Grow back my ass!"

Hu Ma didn't believe a word of it.

Although he didn't understand the ways of soul-torture, how could a soul grow back like flesh?

Although he didn't fully understand this world, he had always believed in the concept of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits from his previous life. If any soul or spirit was missing, that person was no longer whole.

But here you are, spouting nonsense, saying that a person's soul can actually grow back?

"This is the best thing in the world..."

While Hu Ma was becoming increasingly alarmed, Monkey Old Man looked at the two moths fluttering in the lantern and became even more pleased. "When people talk about good things, they only know about the *taisui laoye* (Grand Duke of Jupiter), but they don't know that there's something even better, and that's people."

"In our eyes, people are even better than *taisui laoye*. To cut the *taisui*, you have to compete with others, fight for it, transport it, refine it, and you might even lose your life."

"But people are everywhere, each with flesh, soul, and life, and so many methods can be used on them."

"..."

Listening to him murmur to himself in the night, Hu Ma felt cold all over.

Evil cultivator, evil cultivator!

When he first met Monkey Old Man, he was wary but didn't feel any animosity. But now, having witnessed what he had done and heard what he had said, he felt an urge to kill him.

But remembering Di Gua Shao's warning, he could only force himself to endure and cast a discreet glance into the darkness.

He was right. Although it seemed like only he and Monkey Old Man had come out, not far from them, at the other end of a dirt road, two men with yellow paper talismans on their faces were standing silently.

Hu Ma and Monkey Old Man were separated by the darkness, so they couldn't see them, but they seemed to be able to see Hu Ma and were observing him silently.

(End of Chapter)