Chapter 1 The Beginning

While Hu Ma was shocked by the bizarre sight before him, the old shopkeeper acted swiftly and decisively. Without even glancing at the human skin, he moved with crisscrossing steps, already barging into the main room.

Now, with everything pitch black, Hu Ma couldn't see what was happening inside at all. Plus, he was still using a crutch and didn't dare to rashly rush in.

He only heard a burst of chaos inside, mixed with painful cries and the sound of jars shattering.

But in just a few breaths, the old shopkeeper had already dragged someone out, whispering, "Light the lamp!"

"Yes!"

Hu Ma was slightly startled and quickly agreed. He pulled out a fire starter from his pocket and went into the main room to find an oil lamp.

The dim light of the fire starter illuminated everything in the house, and a quick glance made Hu Ma forget to breathe for a moment.

It was too bizarre.

He saw that the floor was covered in blood, some of it already dried, and some of it seeming freshly spilled.

The cabinets, utensils, tables, and chairs were mostly broken, as if they had just been smashed.

Following the dim light of the fire starter, he shone it forward and saw a jar placed on a wooden table against the wall. It looked just like the one he had seen at the peddler's, only a little larger.

Now the jar was broken, and a white, eerie substance was flowing out of it. It looked like some kind of embryo, but much larger, vaguely resembling a deformed female infant. Just looking at it sent chills down one's spine. The thing had been crushed to death, but parts of its flesh were still trembling slightly.

And in front of the jar, incense was burned, and there were three offerings.

The first offering was a skull, with bits of blood and flesh still clinging to it, the empty eye sockets staring at the roof.

Zhou Datong's kid had indeed found out correctly. The shadowy figure who had sneaked into the Zhao family's house that night was indeed from the Altar Sect, secretly plotting to harm Widow Zhao, taking her flesh and blood for sacrifice, and using demonic arts to treat her skin to deceive the surrounding neighbors.

That human skin could move and talk; even he had almost been fooled, let alone the surrounding people?

Thinking of his viciousness and cruelty, he trembled inwardly for a moment.

But he endured it and found the oil lamp that had been knocked to the side. Thankfully, it wasn't broken. He lit it with the fire starter and carried it out.

The old shopkeeper was already sitting on the stone mill in the courtyard, and the person he had dragged out was kneeling upright in front of the old shopkeeper. It didn't look like his hands and feet were tied, but he must have been subdued by the old shopkeeper using some method. He was looking desperate, with his eyes closed.

"Speak."

The old shopkeeper grabbed a piece of clothing that was drying in the yard and wiped the blood off his hands, throwing it aside.

Then, he looked down at the man kneeling before him with a dark expression and sneered, "Sun Laojiu, where exactly are you hiding?"

"When will he be back?"

The man seemed to know that he wouldn't live, closed his eyes, and then opened them after a long while, gritting his teeth and sneering:

"So, that's why Hua Shaozi is missing. I figured you must have gotten your hands on him?"

"Heh heh, I advise you not to waste your time, just give us a quick death. I won't talk."

"Pretty tough, huh?"

Hu Ma was slightly surprised and sized up the man. He had the common appearance of someone from these villages.

Only the blood on his face made him look a little sinister. If you took that away, his eyebrows and eyes even gave him a kind and smiling appearance.

"Trying to be a tough guy, acting all stubborn, huh?"

The old shopkeeper glanced at him with a sneer and said calmly, "The peddler who came earlier, was he called Hua Shaozi?"

"He was like you, unwilling to speak, but I strangled him to death, then asked him in detail, and he still told me."

"Heh heh, he said…"

The man was about to sneer when he suddenly sensed that something was wrong and was immediately shocked.

The look in his eyes as he looked at the old shopkeeper was quite incredulous, and even his voice trembled, "You asked him after he was dead?"

"You…"

"When did you Tomb Guardians gain the ability to interrogate souls?"

"Learned it specifically for you."

The old shopkeeper said calmly, "It cost me three *jin* of blood offerings to find someone to trade for this skill."

"But it was worth it."

"If I hadn't learned this method, how could I properly entertain you old friends when you returned?"

The shopkeeper's current demeanor was so calm that it seemed as if he were truly chatting with acquaintances.

Greatly disturbed, his voice sounded somewhat hoarse, "You… how did you know we would come back?"

"Heh heh…"

The shopkeeper looked at the two large carts parked in the courtyard. The Zhao family made tofu, so having a cart was normal. Whether it was going to the countryside to collect soybeans or going to the city to sell tofu, it would be useful.

But for just one tofu shop, there were two carts, making the courtyard seem a little cramped.

The shopkeeper looked at the man, his face bearing a sinister smile, "You pretending-to-be-mysterious things, do you really think I can't see through your Altar Sect's tricks?"

"Saying something about deceiving the heavens, perhaps there are really people in this world who understand that skill and can transport such a large batch of blood offerings."

"But it will never be you bunch of lowlifes!"

"So, no matter how fancy you play it, I've always known that you would definitely come back, so I've been waiting here for you!"

Hearing these words, not only was the man shocked, but even Hu Ma suddenly confirmed his earlier guess.

That batch of blood offerings was indeed still around this town?

Brother Erguotou had guessed correctly early on. Although that batch of blood offerings had attracted evil, it hadn't been transported away at all.

However, it wasn't the old shopkeeper who had hidden it, but the Altar Sect.

This matter was obviously being kept from the old shopkeeper. They had created the illusion that the blood offerings had been transported away in order to wait for the situation to calm down before secretly transporting them away again. But the old shopkeeper had already seen through it and guessed that these people would definitely come back.

However, since the shopkeeper had guessed it, why didn't he tell the people above?

"Haha, haha…"

Suddenly having his secret revealed by the shopkeeper, the man was extremely shocked. But in the end, he didn't know what he thought of, and he suddenly burst out laughing, "Unlike your daughter, you are indeed a smart one."

"Unfortunately, you've also guessed wrong. You're thinking of getting the location of that batch of blood offerings from our mouths? Let me tell you, you're thinking too much, because Ninth Grandpa never told us…"

"We were just ordered to come and see if Hua Shaozi was dead or alive, and to prepare two large carts."

"We don't know anything else. Even if you kill me and want to ask my spirit, you won't be able to ask anything at all…"

The old shopkeeper stared at him intently. The man was flustered but deliberately puffed out his chest and looked at the old shopkeeper.

His eyes didn't dodge or flinch, seemingly confirming that he was telling the truth.

And the old shopkeeper only remained silent for a moment before sighing softly and saying to Hu Ma, "Prepare three sticks of incense, a pair of candles, and bring over a basin to catch the blood."

"You… you…"

The man finally couldn't hold back and revealed his panic, "I said, I really don't know…"

"Yes."

The old shopkeeper said, "But I still want to ask, not only to find out about that batch of blood offerings, but mainly to make you suffer a little!"

Hearing that, the man's face turned green, and a chill seized his heart.

Hu Ma didn't dare to delay and quickly searched the room. He did indeed find the incense and candles that the shopkeeper needed.

The funny thing was, they were found in a black package, and this package was clearly not from the Zhao family's tofu shop, but more like something that the Altar Sect's man carried with him.

When he handed it to the shopkeeper, the shopkeeper grabbed the man and strode into the main room.

No one knew what was happening inside. The shopkeeper must have used some method to seal the man's mouth and nose to prevent his screams from alarming the neighbors.

But Hu Ma could feel his body being invaded by a chill in waves, and everything around him was restless, as if some inhuman things had run into the courtyard. He activated the furnace fire to barely hold on.

"This main room…"

He turned his head to look at the main room but quickly averted his gaze.

He didn't know what kind of strange and cruel torture was being carried out in this main room, but Hu Ma understood that it must be very spectacular.

For the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the shopkeeper finally walked out.

Hu Ma watched as he was covered in blood, his face dark, as if he had returned from hell.

Silently, he tore off the cage cloth that was hanging to dry and handed it to him.

The shopkeeper wiped his hands and face, then casually threw it aside, sat down on the millstone, and silently picked up his pipe to smoke.

"Aren't you curious?"

After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly asked Hu Ma.

"Not curious."

Hu Ma said, "That's not something a incense burner like me should be concerned about. I'm just here to repay the shopkeeper's kindness in teaching me the craft."

"I don't want to hear anything else."

The shopkeeper glanced at him and seemed to see that his appearance was not feigned, so he sighed softly, "You're smart."

"Actually, I don't care about those stolen blood offerings. After all, I've already taken the blame. Now, I just want to wait for this bunch of Altar Sect scum to come back and kill them all."

The courtyard fell into a long silence again.

Hu Ma suddenly said, "But if there's one question, I'm still concerned about it…"

"He-meizi, can she still be cured? Perhaps those people have an antidote… or a solution?"

In the night, the oil lamp flickered uncertainly, but it could still be seen that the shopkeeper's eyes seemed to dim.

After a long while, he whispered, "Difficult, too difficult…"

"That animal-making technique, using boiling oil to scald her skin, and then skinning a vicious dog alive, using secret methods to refine its skin and paste it on her body, growing together in one place, inseparable…"

"It's all her fate!"

"But I am her *da*, I can't just ignore her, I always have to take her to try her luck."

Hu Ma didn't ask any more questions and whispered, "We should go back, shopkeeper. They should have exchanged the goods over there."