Before long, all the sheep and big blue donkeys inside the cargo hold transformed back into living, breathing humans.
There were men and women, but the majority were young children.
Nan Zhi had not expected Ma San to be involved in human trafficking as well!
Recalling how Ma San referred to these people as “meat sheep” and boasted about taking them to the Ghost Market for resale, she began to put the pieces together.
So that was what Ma San meant when he claimed “meat sheep” were worth a hundred gold.
She jumped down into the cargo hold, where the pear seller, looking like he had just narrowly escaped death, tearfully related his ordeal.
It turned out that back at the Shouzhou docks, Ma San's loud cries about performing tricks were actually a way to scout out prospective “cargo.”
Once he selected a target, Ma San would have his trained hedgehog urinate on the victim's shoes.
In the dead of night, the person whose shoes had been marked by hedgehog urine would suffer a spell of glamour, wandering out of their home in a daze to follow Ma San, only to be transformed into a sheep or a big blue donkey through his sorcery.
The pear seller had given Ma San a severe beating that day, taken his fruit-selling money to stay in Shouzhou City, and intended to return home the following day.
Yet in the middle of the night, a large hedgehog had crawled into his room. Before he knew what was happening, the pear seller had wandered out the door in a stupor.
By the time he came to his senses, he had become a sleek, plump blue donkey.
Suddenly turning from a human into a beast naturally filled the pear seller with terror.
He had tried to cry out for help, but every time he opened his mouth, all that came out was a strange “hee-haw,” driving everyone away.
Whenever he brayed too loudly, Ma San would lash him viciously with a whip, not stopping until his flesh was raw and torn.
“Honestly,” Nan Zhi patted his shoulder after listening to his tale, unable to resist saying, “when you get a chance, you should really go to a temple and pray. Although I don't read fortunes, even I can tell you're offending the Grand Duke this year—your luck is abysmal.”
When she questioned the others, their stories were much the same; all of them had been abducted by Ma San using this beast-craft sorcery.
Perhaps seeing that Nan Zhi had saved them, a few plucked up their courage—unbothered by her appearance—and suggested nervously:
“That evil Taoist is still on the boat. If he discovers us, he certainly won't let us off easily. Benefactor, in my opinion, we ought to hurry up and run!”
This suggestion immediately drew consensus:
“Yes, yes, yes! We're on a boat, so we can slip away under cover of night and run to report this to the authorities! We can get the lords from the Demon Suppression Division to come and subdue this monster!”
“That's right! Boats don't sail at night anyway. We can creep off the vessel in the dark to report him. By the time that evil man wakes up tomorrow morning, he won't be able to catch up with us.”
“No, so many people disembarking at once will make a huge noise,” Nan Zhi shook her head and lowered her voice. “Besides, with so many young children in tow, you won't be able to run fast at all.”
“Furthermore, if we alert Ma San and he manages to escape, more innocent people will surely fall victim to him in the future. The only way to eliminate future troubles is to kill Ma San tonight. If you trust me, hide here in the cargo hold and stay completely quiet. Once I slay that villain tonight, I'll inform the boat owner tomorrow morning to take you all to Bianjing, where we can figure out our next steps. How about it?”
With so many people sneaking into the dark water, accidents were bound to happen.
What was more, none of them had eaten a single morsel in days; their stomachs were empty, making even walking a struggle, let alone running.
This place was out in the wilderness, with no villages or towns nearby and no sign of human habitation. If they fled off the boat and ran into mountain monsters, wild beasts, wolves, or jackals, wouldn't they just be throwing their lives away?
It was far better to solve the problem at its root:
Kill Ma San.
The crowd looked at one another with hesitant expressions, clearly having trouble believing Nan Zhi's words.
“If you don't trust me, you must at least trust the Demon Suppression Division!” Seeing their hesitation, Nan Zhi had no choice but to produce her Demon Suppression Division token for them to see. “I am Fourth-Class Arrest Demon Suppressor Nan Zhi under the Northwest Circuit Demon Suppression Monastery. I was originally on my way to Kaifeng Prefecture to handle a case when I happened upon this evil sorcerer abducting people.”
“Your vitality is severely depleted right now, making it unsuitable for travel,” she added. “Why not wait until I slay this villain Ma San? It won't be too late for you to leave then.”
Seeing the token with the words “Demon Suppression” clearly inscribed upon it, the crowd hurriedly agreed to stay hidden without making a sound.
Having secured their promise, Nan Zhi took out some fruits and pastries from her backpack, left them behind, and climbed back out of the hold the way she came, loosely replacing the wooden hatch cover.
As soon as she returned to the deck, she saw Ma San standing by her door, poking his head around to peek inside her room.
Ma San had evidently grown impatient from waiting.
“Hahaha, good sister! Why are you coming back from outside? I was just thinking of inviting you to come see the wonder of those meat sheep.”
Seeing her approach from outside, Ma San was startled at first, but quickly put on a familiar facade, reaching out a hand to clap her shoulder. “Since you're right here, why don't you come take a look with me?”
Nan Zhi felt immense disgust for him in her heart; there was no way she would let Ma San touch her.
She casually stepped back, looked around, and pointed toward the wider, empty expanse of the deck.
“What's there to see about a bunch of noisy sheep and big blue donkeys? To be honest with you, Brother, I also have a treasure that I plan to sell at the Ghost Market. I didn't mention it during the day because I was afraid of loose lips and leaking news with so many eyes around. Now that it's just the two of us, since you're being so generous, I shouldn't be stingy either. I'll take you to see the treasure I've prepared.”
“Is that true?”
A flash of greed crossed Ma San's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by caution. Knitting his brows, his large, bulging eyes peered at her as he asked suspiciously, “What kind of treasure could you possibly have? You're not tricking me, are you?”
“Of course it's a treasure,” Nan Zhi waved her hand nonchalantly. “It was a white tiger born after a wild mountain tiger devoured a spirit herb. I killed it later, retrieved its demon core, and skinned it. The most rare thing about that white tiger skin is that it's pure, snow-white, without a single stray hair, looking just like satin made of water under the moonlight. But it's too cramped here for me to display it properly. Why don't we step over to the deck so you can get a clear look, Brother?”
Ma San grew even more vigilant inside.
He didn't know why Nan Zhi had suddenly changed her attitude, but his mind kept dwelling on the white tiger pelt she mentioned. A streak of ruthless intent flashed through his eyes.
Heaven and Earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs.
Who told you to show off your wealth in public without any sect or backing? Don't blame me for being heartless when I kill you and claim your treasure!
Whatever you have to say, save it for Lord Yama when you get to the Yama Palace.
With those thoughts, Ma San chuckled cheerfully and followed Nan Zhi.
The two walked onto the deck, one behind the other. Nan Zhi counted silently in her heart:
One, two, three... eight!
As she counted to eight, a sudden, fierce gust of wind lunged toward her back, aiming straight for her vitals!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Nan Zhi was prepared. She sidestepped just in time, and hearing the sound of air breaking, she saw countless fine spines, thin as cow hair, flying at her. She summoned a Water Shield with one hand to block them, while her other hand pinched a spell seal and whipped out a length of withered vine!
“I didn't expect you to have some tricks up your sleeve!”
Caught off guard, Ma San was struck hard across the face by the wooden vine, leaving a swollen red welt beneath his eye.
“Take a look at my treasure!”
With a wave of his broad hand, his green Taoist robe flew off, carrying a gourd that hovered above his head. A stream of foul-smelling green liquid erupted, spraying straight toward Nan Zhi's face—
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
Rate on N.U.
