Chapter 146: The Sinister Coffin
Meng Canglang : ?
The young man hesitated.
If he didn't see it wrong just now, did senior Ma Huaizhen throw Taoist Friend Lu out?
Senior Ma Huaizhen... threw Taoist Friend Lu out?
Meng Canglangrepresenting Chongde Ancient Garden in the Three Teachings Law Meeting, was a righteous and honest young man. But in just a few days, his worldview was repeatedly shaken, and his heart was in turmoil.
Ouch, it hurts!
Qiao Wan, who had just climbed up from the ground, looked up and saw a cold muzzle pointed at her.
In this critical moment, Ma Huaizhen shouted, "Come here!"
Qiao Wan felt a sudden lightness all over her body, as if she was being jerked back by something. When she turned her head, she was met with the disfigured face of Ma Huaizhen.
Meeting Ma Huaizhen in the Ghost Market was just as horrifying as facing a centipede bodhisattva.
Qiao Wan's scalp exploded, and she stuttered, "Se-senior?"
The man raised an eyebrow and was about to say something when his gaze suddenly fell on something behind Qiao Wan. His expression changed abruptly, and he effortlessly hurled Qiao Wan away.
With just a few movements of his fingers, Qiao Wan flew with incredible agility.
Qiao Wan opened her eyes again and found herself soaring high in the air. In a flash, she descended towards the ground like a bolt of lightning, striking the enemy below.
Ma Huaizhen raised an eyelid and casually commented, "Not bad."
As the leader of Wenshi Hall, known as the Kunshan Death God, Ma Huaizhen showed no remorse for launching the younger generation like a meteor hammer. He sighed to himself, impressed by Lu Cixian's resilience and endurance as a physical cultivator.
Those who witnessed the entire process remained silent.
Fang Lingqing thought to himself, "Kunshan Wenshi Hall's Death God is truly terrifying."
Realizing that his companions had yet to move, Ma Huaizhen raised an eyebrow and urged, "Shouldn't you run now?!"
Xie Xingzhi took a step forward, intending to say something.
Ma Huaizhen smiled coldly, his eyes full of hostility: "I told you to leave, why? Don't trust me?" He didn't hold back just because Lone Sword was in front of him.
Xie Xingzhi frowned slightly in response.
But after all, Ma Huaizhen was an elder, and he was an elder who came specially to rescue them.
Xie Xingzhi solemnly bowed: "I have no intention of disrespecting my seniors. Thank you for saving our lives. We will leave now."
Fang Lingqing was stunned: "We... are we leaving just like that?"
What about Lu Cixian?
Fang Lingqing turned his head and glanced at Qiao Wan.
Are we just going to leave him?
Ma Huaizhen sneered: "Lu Cixian has me watching over him, what is there to be afraid of?"
Fang Lingqing said anxiously: "It's precisely because you're watching over him that I'm more worried!"
Ma Huaizhen raised his hand and skillfully maneuvered Qiao Wan to avoid the barrel of the gun, then turned and asked with a smile: "What? Still not at ease?"
Watching this scene, Bai Shanhu nodded slightly at Ma Huaizhen, then turned around and said to Little Fang, "Let's go."
Chongde Ancient Garden belonged to the Confucian school, which has always placed great importance on the concept of "rituals." They had never encountered the ferocious Fang Lingqing before, so when he gave them a chilling smile, it sent shivers down their spines.
How did the disciples from Kunshan manage to live under Ma Huaizhen's rule?!
Fang Lingqing and the others retreated.
Out of the corner of Ma Huaizhen's eye, he noticed Wang Ruyi.
Neither Wang Ruyi nor Yu Xingzhi made a move.
"Both of you?"
With indifference, he passed by Wang Ruyi and directed his question mainly to Yu Xingzhi. After all, the girl dressed in bridal attire did not look like a living person.
Yu Xingzhi silently bowed, "Junior hopes to accompany the senior."
His younger martial sister had died in vain, and at the very least, he couldn't just return without any clarity. After all, how could he face Senior Lu?
These two were unwilling to leave, and Ma Huaizhen didn't waste any more words. He withdrew his attention and focused all his energy on dealing with the Yin soldiers on the street in front of him.
And he would rely on Qiao Wan in his hands.
With a cold and fierce gaze, Ma Huaizhen scanned the Yin soldiers that filled the streets before him.
The soldiers in their bloody armor and worn-out jade pendants hanging from their waists, many of them missing limbs, were familiar to Ma Huaizhen. The armor was from a few hundred years ago when the world of cultivation and the demon realm were locked in a deadly battle. It was created by the Lu family, one of the three major clans, for use in various battlefield environments.
Before Ma Huaizhen stood an army from centuries past.
Back then, almost the entire world of cultivation was drawn into this great war, with countless casualties. Even someone like Ma Huaizhen couldn't tell which army it was just by looking at the uniform.
The pale-faced soldiers were filled with overwhelming grudge and bloodlust.
Kill!
To stop killing, one must kill!
The blaring horns from hundreds of years ago echoed, and the sounds of clashes between swords and blades filled the air. The entire street turned into a battlefield soaked in blood from a century ago. Yet this army continued to charge forward, bathed in blood.
In the midst of being repeatedly thrown by Ma Huaizhen, Qiao Wan struggled to turn around and decided to save herself. She wanted to be a strong "hammer" with dreams and goals. She used both her hands and feet to kick away the surrounding dark soldiers.
Behind her, an old and broken spear swung towards her back.
Seeing this, Ma Huaizhen quickly changed Qiao Wan's direction. She performed a 180-degree turn in midair, reaching out her hand and grabbing the old spear.
Ma Huaizhen's eyes narrowed slightly. With a slight movement of his fingertips, a powerful spiritual energy surged through Qiao Wan's body, starting from her feet. In the midst of this energy, Qiao Wan held the old spear and shot towards the dark army like an arrow.
They cooperated seamlessly, without a word.
Even Ma Huaizhen couldn't help but feel a bit surprised. Over the years, he had used many people as weapons, but Lu Cixian was the second person who genuinely touched his heart.
As for the first, that was Qiao Wan.
But even Qiao Wan only started to be remembered after being trained hundreds of times by him.
But Ma Huaizhen can't be blamed for being too unscrupulous.
After all, he is severely disabled, unable to walk without legs, and unable to use a knife or sword without arms. He can only make use of everything available around him.
Ma Huaizhen's gaze flickered slightly.
In the past, he used to use a knife.
Things were different back then. Hundreds of years ago, the battles were so fierce, and the cultivation realm suffered heavy casualties. They were used to seeing comrades with missing arms and legs. Even if Ma Huaizhen lost his face, arms, and legs, and looked like this, not many people had the time to care about him.
As long as he was still alive, it was enough. Everyone thought this way.
But most people didn't survive.
Often, one second, your comrade is standing in front of you talking, and the next second, they're bitten to pieces by a monster, blood splattering all over your face. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you can snatch a little bit back from the monster's mouth. But it's really just a tiny bit, not even a torn sleeve or a hand. Even being able to snatch back half of a broken body is considered lucky.
Anyone who came out of this kind of battlefield alive was considered pretty good already. As for being disfigured, missing limbs, or having broken legs, that's nothing.
Even in this state, Ma Huaizhen didn't give up. He gritted his teeth and cried out as he wrapped his arm and leg back together. After crawling out of the battlefield, he began to think about what he could do after abandoning his sword.
In the end, it only took him a short two months to master his current skill of "remote combat".
His gaze falls on the group of shadow soldiers in front of him.
A tattered battle flag stained with blood is fluttering in the wind. You can vaguely make out the character "Shu" on it.
Unless absolutely necessary, Ma Huaizhen really doesn't want to fight against these shadow soldiers in front of him.
He managed to survive, living in this way until now. Ma Huaizhen, he wasn't one to let his emotions get the best of him, not even when that troublemaker Qiao Wan jumped from Taixu Peak. It didn't make this cold and ruthless ghost shed a tear.
But these were all spirits of the fallen.
Once a person dies, their soul either becomes a lonely wandering ghost or enters the cycle of reincarnation. Only a small number of them have the opportunity to become a ghost cultivator. There must be someone behind these dark soldiers who is manipulating them!
They had a tragic death in life, and even in death, they didn't receive the respect they deserved.
Ma Huaizhen's gaze turned cold, and half of his ghostly face looked even more eerie and terrifying in the darkness.
"Let's go!"
Without warning, Ma Huaizhen once again grabbed Qiao Wan's arm and pulled her close. Qiao Wan poked her head out and asked, "Senior, aren't we going to fight?"
"Where... where are we going?"
Ma Huaizhen rolled his wheelchair, and the two wheels sped away like a gust of wind.
The man's cold voice carried through the night breeze, "We're going to find out what's really going on behind all of this."
In the quiet and lonely night, Wang Ruyi swiftly wrapped herself up and jumped onto the wheelchair beside Yu Xingzhi.
Being held in her hands felt really uncomfortable, especially when Ma Huaizhen almost sped the wheelchair up to two hundred meters.
Qiao Wan's stomach churned, and she raised her hand with difficulty: "S-senior... I want to go to the inn first and take a look."
Ma Huaizhen focused on "driving" and glanced at the corner of his eye.
After running for the other person's sake, Qiao Wan immediately understood Ma Huaizhen's meaning from his gaze - it meant to explain things clearly.
Qiao Wan said solemnly, "There might be clues at the inn."
Ma Huaizhen decisively turned the wheelchair around.
...
In front of the inn.
Qiao Wan tossed aside the wheelchair as she walked, and the man asked, "Is this the place?"
Wang Ruyi hurriedly arrived, dragging Yu Xingzhi and said, "This is it, no mistake."
The inn was empty and deserted, with the front door wide open and no one inside to be seen.
Ma Huaizhen furrowed his brow and said, "Did they run away?"
Wang Ruyi shook her head, "At this time, Boss Yan is probably in Denghuo Village."
"The Ghost Market is different from other places. It usually doesn't open until after noon. When it's time for the Tiger Hour, Boss Yan takes Little Shi out and doesn't come back until noon."
Ma Huaizhen quickly caught the point, "Little Shi?"
Wang Ruyi replied honestly, "He's one of the workers at the inn."
Ma Huaizhen frowned, "Does this inn only have two living people?"
Wang Ruyi answered, "I've been here for hundreds of years and have only seen Boss Yan and Little Shi."
"That's perfect," Ma Huaizhen didn't even blink, "We'll take this opportunity to go inside and take a look."
Searching someone's house without their permission is a bit rude, but after spending a long time with Ma Huaizhen, Qiao Wan knew that he would do whatever it takes to achieve his goals, especially during extraordinary times. Without asking any questions, she left.
Her movements were extremely skilled.
Ma Huaizhen leaned back in his wheelchair and casually glanced at the back of the young boy.
Lu Cixian did remind him of a little troublemaker, but now was not the time to dwell on that.
He didn't waste any more time and rolled his wheelchair around.
This inn only had two floors in total.
He reached out and touched it.
The tables, chairs, and armrests were all made of willow wood. In front of the stairs, there was a long willow wood table with a brass vase on top, which had a few flowers in it.
Ma Huaizhen stepped back a few steps behind the door frame, his eyes slightly darkening, and rolled the wheelchair out of the inn.
...
Meanwhile,
Qiao Wan climbed the stairs with her sword in hand. As soon as she reached the top of the stairs, she could see several willow wood boxes piled up at the corner.
She crouched down and took a look.
To her surprise, they weren't locked, but instead sealed with nails.
This particular willow wood box looked somewhat familiar. It was slightly longer than a regular box, with the lid showing a smooth curve and different heights on both ends.
Just then, Qiao Wan suddenly felt a strong tremor throughout her body, and her mind buzzed out of control once again.
She decided to open it and take a look.
Qiao Wan peaked inside.
She couldn't help but think of the eerie soldiers from before, and the same thought came rushing to her mind.
Qiao Wan gritted her teeth and resisted with all her might, but she knew deep down that she shouldn't give in.
At least not now.
But in the blink of an eye, the desire to "open" overwhelmed everything else.
Qiao Wan opened one of the wooden boxes in front of her.
As soon as she opened it, she was greeted by a box full of body parts.
On top of the pile was a tightly closed-eyed head, barely recognizable as that of a man. Apart from that, limbs and torso were neatly cut and packed inside the wooden box.
There was a bloodstained jade tablet placed on top of the body parts.
"Jing... Yongxin..."
"Qingyun Sect..."
"Twenty-four years..."
...
Outside the inn.
A man slapped the wheelchair and, dragging his injured leg, leaped into the air, reaching a height of more than three zhang.
As he landed back in the wheelchair, Ma Huaizhen's face suddenly changed. He sternly asked Yu Xingzhi beside him, "Where is Lu Cixian?!"
"Go and fetch Lu Cixian!"
From mid-air, overlooking the inn, the roof had a smooth curve, but it was uneven at both ends.
Within a glance, Ma Huaizhen immediately recognized what it was.
This is not an inn at all, it's a sinister coffin!
