Chapter 1 The Spooky Ghost Festival

All around was cold and pitch black, the ghost festival playing out with gusto, but all tinged with a sense of eerie ghostliness.

A cold wind blew from who knows where, shadows seeming to flit about, indistinct and inexplicable, the biting chill like a night fog sweeping in, rustling the roadside weeds, making them sway back and forth.

All around was deathly still, the townspeople all with their doors bolted shut, only the manor, under its tall red lanterns, seemed a picture of boisterous festivity.

The aroma of wine and meat rose into the air, the shouts of the servants carrying far into the still night, even causing the strolling performers near the manor to frown, sensing an indescribable strangeness.

To them, it seemed as if a dozen furnaces had been lit inside the manor, hot enough to make one strip off their padded coat even in the dead of winter.

And so, the watchman's clapper outside the manor grew more urgent, as if urging something unseen in the darkness to squeeze into the manor, bit by bit.

But right now, Hu Ma was sharing jokes with the tipsy servants: "The Four Soft Things, have you heard of them?"

The servants' eyes widened: "What Four Soft Things?"

Hu Ma laughed: "This was told by the Second Master of our fortress: Cotton bales, willow branches, sun-dried persimmons, and a woman's waist…"

The servants roared with laughter, their faces red and excited.

Hearing this, Zhou Datong laughed and took up the thread: "That's nothing, there's also the Four Hard Things, the Four Tender Things, the Four Withered Things, have you heard of those?"

The servants didn't know what these were, but for some reason, just hearing about them made them excited, their faces flushed, their eyes practically on fire.

"With Datong here, we're safe…"

Hu Ma thought to himself, watching the servants' excited expressions.

He'd been thinking of running out of ideas, and had considered picking out a few crucial parts of that *Jin Ping Mei* (The Plum in the Golden Vase) to tell the servants.

Of course, that would definitely have an effect, but his usually calm and steady image as a minor manager would probably be instantly ruined.

Datong was a good brother, and very talented...

While drinking, he casually glanced towards the outside of the manor, only to see that the sky seemed even darker, far darker than before, the cold wind circling the manor, whistling as if something was desperately trying to get in.

But just now, the servants were eating well, drinking well, and listening to even better things, completely focused, completely absorbed, with no opening whatsoever.

Of course, it was fortunate that it was people from the Tan Er Sect (Altar Child Sect) who had come this time, if it had been the Beauty Spectre...

...then they would probably have been wiped out.

But seeing that this method had been effective for quite some time, and that the things outside seemed to be growing more and more anxious, Hu Ma heard the watchman's clapper outside, almost sounding like it was about to burst into flames.

He didn't know how much time had passed, when suddenly a gust of cold wind rose from nowhere, chilling the servants to the bone, and instantly snapping them out of their reverie and excitement.

Looking down, they saw that the bonfire for roasting the lamb was suddenly roaring.

The flames quickly weakened, as if they had shrunk back in fear, and the red lanterns above their heads were swayed by the gust of cold wind, causing the red shadows of the people below to flicker wildly.

"Eh?"

Someone reacted, turning their head to look at the wall in a daze: "Those strolling performers, they haven't left yet?"

"Smash!"

Hu Ma had been paying attention to this area for a long time, and seeing the servants distracted, he suddenly stood up and smashed his bowl on the ground, the noise immediately causing the servants to look over in a fluster.

Hu Ma's face was full of displeasure, as he cursed towards the outside of the manor: "What a damn buzzkill, we brothers in the manor, working ourselves to death every day, only get to have a meal of meat and a drink after months?"

"Could it be that some evil spirit has been tempted by us, and wants to come over and have a taste?"

"Simply outrageous, do they really think our brothers are easy to bully, don't they go out and ask around, which evil spirit within ten miles hasn't been driven away by us?"

"Anyone who dares to come and cause trouble again, do you believe I'll spit a mouthful of True Yang Arrow and kill you?"

"..."

By now, there wasn't much left of the roasted lamb, and the servants were seven or eight parts drunk.

The cold wind they had just felt had sobered them up a little, but hearing Hu Ma cursing so loudly, their emotions were also stirred up.

People were easily angered after drinking, especially since Hu Ma had spoken to their hearts, although they were all afraid of evil spirits, they patrolled every day, and hadn't met any who dared to offend Lady Red Lantern, so they naturally had some bravado.

In addition, Hu Ma, whom they had always trusted, took the lead in cursing, so they all followed suit, cursing loudly.

Filthy words came out of their mouths one after another, and some people even stood up, jumping and clapping their hands as they cursed.

The cold wind that had entered the courtyard was actually suppressed, the flames of the roasting lamb gradually rose, and the chilling wind disappeared.

"Good, don't stop!"

Hu Ma was very satisfied with their reaction.

The fire could fight against evil spirits, and polluted, foul language and anger could do the same. Second Master had said in Da Yang Fortress that meeting wandering ghosts at night, cursing loudly could prevent them from getting close.

What's more, now there were seven or eight furnaces cursing together?

Of course, he also understood that what they were facing now was not a wandering ghost. Although it was temporarily effective, it might also provoke the other party's anger.

So, while the servants were cursing loudly, he quickly got up, went to the kitchen, took out a few live roosters, a pot of brown sugar water that he had just asked Li Wa Zi to boil, and some boiled eggs.

He winked at Zhou Datong, asking him to continue helping to maintain the atmosphere, while he quickly went to the side of the manor.

He swung his knife and slit the roosters' throats, sprinkling the blood around the manor, and then came to the manor gate, threw the struggling rooster out, placed the pot of brown sugar eggs at the manor gate, lit a few incense sticks, and waited silently.

The night was deep, and outside the manor, one could not see one's hand in front of one's face.

He only heard his rooster flapping its wings a few times after being thrown out, before suddenly disappearing, as if it had been swallowed by something.

"Has it come?"

Hu Ma turned his head to look, and saw that Little Hong Tang was squatting beside him, her face full of worry, or rather, fear, staring straight outside.

As soon as night fell, she had come out of the house, occasionally climbing onto the roof, or the walls on both sides, and then running back as if frightened, but not daring to get close to the table where Hu Ma was drinking.

The servants were really scary just now.

Only now did she dare to come to Hu Ma's side, and seeing him ask, she shook her head.

"This…"

Hu Ma could only wait patiently, feeling that the cold air outside the manor seemed to be getting heavier and heavier, chilling one's bones.

He also noticed that the servants, who had been lively and noisy just now, had all fallen silent, only Zhou Datong was still trying to curse, but his voice was already very weak.

Just as the grass outside the courtyard swayed, suddenly a voice came from behind: "Little Manager, you have quite a few enemies coming…"

Hu Ma was startled, and quickly turned around, and saw Li Wa Zi twisting his body, his eyes rolling, his voice sharp, hoarse, looking at himself with a strange look.

"How did he get possessed so quickly?"

Hu Ma was taken aback, and then understood that Li Wa Zi was the easiest to be possessed in the entire manor, there was no one else.

"Don't eat…"

Seeing that Li Wa Zi was about to put his finger in his mouth as he spoke, Hu Ma quickly stopped him, and said: "Good neighbor, we're all our own people, it's okay to borrow his body to talk, just spare his finger, he's the one who boiled the brown sugar water…"

Li Wa Zi reluctantly put his finger down, and said: "What did you call us here for?"

"Isn't it obvious enough?"

Hu Ma glanced towards the outside of the manor, and said: "The ghost festival has already started, we have friendship, we see each other all the time, can your family help us?"

Li Wa Zi said: "Your Lady Red Lantern is so powerful, why do you need us to help?"

Hu Ma quickly said: "She's high and mighty, how can she have as deep a friendship with us as you do?"

"Even if good neighbor doesn't help me with this, at least help me take a look, what kind of things have come outside…"

"…"

This was also planned in advance, he knew from the beginning that this night would definitely be uneasy, and he didn't know what powerful things the Tan Er Sect could bring.

But he didn't dare to let Little Hong Tang go out to investigate, he was really worried that she would be eaten by that Tan Gu Gu (Altar Aunt).

The only ones he could ask for help were this family of Yellow Immortal (Weasel Spirits), they were very fierce, they had bitten Xu Ji to death back then, and even Old Manager had thought that they must be afraid and ran into Old Yin Mountain, but in fact they hadn't.

They were still wandering around here, but they didn't dare to clash with the night patrol, of course, Hu Ma often pretended not to know they existed.

Now that Hu Ma had prepared offerings, he just wanted to see if they would come, if they came, it meant that they were not very afraid of the things outside, and could help him investigate.

If they didn't come, it meant that they had also been scared away.

"There are a lot of things, their offerings are more than yours…"

Li Wa Zi blinked his eyes, looking greedily at the pot of brown sugar eggs outside the manor, and said: "Our family is righteous, we'll eat a few of your eggs and help you with a small favor, but we can't handle too much."

Hu Ma quickly said: "Thank you, thank you."

Li Wa Zi didn't listen to this thank you at all, and directly said: "Then what will you give me next time?"

Hu Ma said: "How about ten chickens?"

Li Wa Zi looked surprised and delighted, and suddenly fainted, but the thing on his body had already run away.

Hu Ma only heard a commotion outside, a yellow shadow seemed to flash in the night, and the small pot containing the brown sugar eggs had been snatched away.

He also breathed a sigh of relief, but still didn't dare to be careless, called Zhou Datong over, carried the unconscious Li Wa Zi back, turned his head to look at the servants who were looking terrified, their fear sobering them up, and said in a deep voice:

"Don't ask, all of you go back to your rooms, bolt the doors and windows, don't come out no matter what you hear!"

"…"

The servants were originally nervous and confused, and after being stunned for a while, they jumped up with a whoosh and ran back to their rooms one after another.

Hu Ma sighed softly, sat alone beside the table, swept the mess of cups and plates onto the ground, put his wooden sword and waist knife on top, and stared alone at the night.

He had borrowed too much power this evening, for the remaining half of the night, he had to rely on himself.