Chapter 1
A splitting headache, parched throat, and a body so heavy his soul seemed unable to lift him.

It took Hu Ma a long time, accompanied by waves of dizziness, just to open his eyes.

He was half-leaning in a room resembling a hall. In the center of the room sat an Eight Immortals table covered in grime, along with several low square stools. Against the wall was a blackened stone stove. A few paper dolls leaned against the wall, their faces painted with eerie smiles. Yellow and red talismans, covered in twisted runes, were plastered all over the room.

"Clang."

He subconsciously tried to move, but his shoulders were both heavy and painful.

An iron chain extended from the roof beam, splitting into two ends, each connected to an iron hook.

Both iron hooks had pierced through Hu Ma's pipa bone (collarbone), the bloody spikes exposed on his chest.

He had been locked here for six or seven days.

Yet, he still didn't know why he was locked up.

He had just graduated from university and found a promising security job in what was then touted as a cutting-edge laboratory. Then, a sudden explosion sent him floating, dazed and drifting, for who knows how long, until seven days ago. He had been drawn by a strange sound and, following it, suddenly felt a rapid descent.

When he opened his eyes again, he was in this place, locked up.

In those six or seven days, his only memory was of an old woman sitting in front of him every night, silently chanting scriptures and spells, waving strange talisman papers, and sometimes feeding him strange meat and medicinal broth.

But no matter what he asked or did, she was deaf and blind to him.

In any case, he was hooked by these two iron hooks, and he would occasionally become dizzy and unconscious, so there was nothing he could do to resist her.

"Why is she locking me up?"

"What strange things is she chanting at me every day?"

"..."

Hu Ma had no answers to these questions.

Fortunately, after seven days, he was gradually regaining consciousness.

At first, he was constantly dizzy, feeling as if he was floating around, but now that feeling was gone.

Although his body was still weak and tired, he was at least a little more alert.

But escape was still nearly impossible.

When he was awake, he had tried to use his hands, but the iron hooks were sharp and heavy, and touching them almost made him faint.

He couldn't break free on his own, at least not with his current weak body.

And right now, he just wanted a drink of water…

…

…

The water vat was only three meters away, close to the earthen wall.

The iron chain on the roof was attached to the beam and could slide, so Hu Ma could theoretically move around the room.

But this movement would undoubtedly come at a great cost of pain.

It took him a good few dozen seconds to stand up, enduring the pain coming from both shoulder blades.

Then, he shakily supported himself against the wall, moving inch by inch towards the water vat.

The friction of the bone against the iron hooks in his shoulders produced a strange, cold sound.

Some blood slowly seeped out as he moved.

But not much, perhaps he had already bled dry.

Finally, he reached the water vat and saw the clear water inside, with half a gourd floating on top.

Hu Ma scooped up a small half-gourd of water, otherwise his arm wouldn't be able to hold it, brought it to his mouth, and gulped it down.

The heat and headache in his body seemed to have eased a lot.

But as one trouble was suppressed, another arose. Having quenched his thirst, his stomach began to growl.

Hu Ma subconsciously looked at the coarse porcelain bowl upturned on the Eight Immortals table.

After hesitating for a long time, he endured the pain and walked over.

He lifted the bowl and saw…

To his hungry self, it represented a very strong temptation, but he resisted.

Every day, besides chanting scriptures and spells, the strange old woman would feed him strange things from time to time: herbs, burnt talisman water, but most importantly, this unknown meat. Whether Hu Ma had an appetite or not, she would force it into him, forcing him to chew and swallow. Every time he ate it, it was an extremely painful experience.

This meant that even if he was hungry, he didn't want to touch the meat.

"Escaping while they're not here is the most important thing..."

Hu Ma secretly warned himself, realizing the most important issue.

Confirming that no one was around, he endured the vague, dull pain and raised his right hand, gripping the iron hook that pierced his left shoulder.

He strained, little by little, trying to push the hook out of his flesh.

Intense pain assaulted his brain, even his brain seemed to throb. The hook had already grown together with his flesh.

But Hu Ma gritted his teeth and tried little by little.

…

"Creak…"

Just as the pain was intensifying, a gust of wind suddenly blew open the door, and the light in the room dimmed slightly.

"Is that weird old woman back?"

Hu Ma was startled and turned his head, only to see a short, thin middle-aged man.

The sunlight shining in from behind made his face blurry.

"An outsider?"

Seeing the man, Hu Ma was immediately delighted.

In these few days, he had only seen the weird old woman and a little girl in red with red ribbons in her hair in this room.

This was the first time he had seen someone other than those two, and the desire for help immediately rose in his heart.

But before he could speak, he suddenly stopped:

If this person was an accomplice of that old woman, wouldn't his cry for help likely bring even greater torment?

Besides, even if he didn't ask for help, this person should have seen the iron hooks on his shoulders.

If he was an outsider, wouldn't he find it strange?

While Hu Ma stared at the man, trying to gauge from his reaction whether he was worth asking for help, he saw that the man was completely ignoring his appearance. He stiffly turned around, as if looking around, and still somewhat woodenly asked:

"Where's Grandma?"

"..."

"Damn, he looks like an acquaintance of that old woman…"

Hu Ma thought, the hope of rescue was slim, but perhaps he could try to ask him for some information?

"Grandma went out."

He tried to sound calm, saying, "What do you need Grandma for?"

The man's voice was wooden: "I'm looking for Grandma to settle a score."

"Settle a score?"

Hope suddenly arose in Hu Ma's heart: "Is this person an enemy of that weird old woman?"

"She went out. She often goes out during the day. Calculating the time, she should be back soon."

He suppressed his excitement and slowly said, "You..."

"Grandma will be back soon, so I have to hurry."

The wooden man suddenly turned to look at Hu Ma. He was no longer facing away from the sunlight outside the door, but his face was still unclear. He only heard his voice, thin and intermittent, as if lacking strength, saying, "I was fine in the forest, but Grandma suddenly found someone to chop me up and make me into a coffin for someone. Tell me..."

"...isn't that a big grudge?"

"..."

"?"

Hu Ma should have agreed with everything he said, but he suddenly heard that the meaning in his words was not right, and his whole body was stunned.

"I could have achieved enlightenment in another year or two."

The man continued, his voice seeming to carry a thin sob: "But Grandma had to cut off my future. I was wrapped in the soil with the corpse of that Master Cui, smelling him rot and stink little by little. Feeling maggots crawl in his body, feeling the rotten water from him flow onto me, seeping into my body. Tell me, aren't I and Grandma mortal enemies?"

Listening, Hu Ma suddenly felt his scalp tingle, and he staggered back a few steps.

Only then did he suddenly realize that the way this person walked was very strange.

His knees didn't seem to bend, and his movements were straight, as if a wooden board was sliding on the ground.

As his emotions grew more and more excited, and he slowly approached him, Hu Ma suddenly saw clearly that what he thought was a black robe and hat was not a face.

But a board, a dirty, black board.

He even began to smell the stench emanating from him at this moment.

A coffin board.

But this coffin board was now shouting at him in a thin, excited voice: "I'm here to settle the score with her."

"She ruined my cultivation, so I'll take away her grandson..."

"..."

Hu Ma subconsciously wanted to escape, but his body was too weak, and his legs were weak.

He felt a burst of dizziness, watching helplessly as the coffin board was about to press against his face.

The putrid smell and the sharp voice poured into his head from his ears and nostrils, almost making him faint.

"Cough!"

But at this moment, he suddenly heard a light cough coming from the direction of the door, followed by an old voice:

"You had a little cultivation and got lost in the forest, harming people, not even letting pregnant women go. I saw that your cultivation wasn't easy, so I thought I'd let you guard the corpse of Cui's Old Master for twenty years and spare your life. Not only are you ungrateful, but you're also running here to harm my grandson..."

"Then this time, let's just burn you!"

"..."

Immediately afterward, he only heard a terrified scream, and a gust of yin wind swept through the room. He could feel the wind brushing against his face.

When he could see clearly again, he saw a smooth coffin board lying on the ground.

A girl with two small pigtails was squatting on the board in some kind of animal posture, smiling at him.

And that sinister old woman was standing silently by the door, her back hunched.