Chapter 43 Spread false information

　　This wasn’t going to be easy; the problem lay in the sheer number of spirits, which made the whole thing a bit of a headache. After mulling it over, I figured the best plan was to call in some underworld agents. They’d handle this sort of thing with ease.

　　I took a look around. The flames still crackled, casting a crimson glow across the night sky. This definitely wasn’t the time to act. Turning to the spirits, I said, “Since you haven’t hurt anyone, I’ll send you on to the underworld.”

　　“Thank you, sir!” Zhang Cuicui blurted out, and the rest of the spirits bowed gratefully.

　　“But not today,” I added right away. “I’ll come back in a few days.”

　　“A few days?” Zhang Cuicui echoed, doubt creeping into her voice.

　　“What’s wrong? You don’t trust me?” I shot back.

　　“N-no… that’s not it,” she stammered.

　　“Relax. I keep my word. If I said I’d do it, I will,” I reassured her.

　　She finally seemed to settle down, and she gave another deep bow. Without another word, I stepped out of the formation.

　　I wasn’t bluffing. Since I’d promised to send them to the underworld, I would make sure it happened. I didn’t want to rack up any karmic debt.

　　The soul-summoning had served its purpose. Sure, there were a few hiccups along the way, and what started as a simple ritual had turned into a chase. But in the end, I found Ma Xiaodong’s soul.

　　With that thought, I had already walked out of Dead Man's Gulch. I took out the spiritual jade from my pocket, gave it a quick glance, and then tucked it back away.

　　As I exited the formation, I slowly made my way to Ma Daqiang's house. Along the way, I couldn’t help but wonder who had set up the barrier sealing Dead Man's Gulch. Judging by the formation's craftsmanship, the person who set it up was definitely no ordinary feng shui master; they had to possess a certain level of cultivation. Could the one who created the formation be a Taoist disciple as well?

　　I had no clues. There are countless skilled people in this world, and I wouldn’t dare to jump to conclusions.

　　Before I knew it, I had arrived at Ma Daqiang's house. By then, the sky was starting to lighten, and a reddish glow appeared in the east.

　　I pushed the door open and walked in. After taking just two steps, Ma Daqiang and his wife rushed out to meet me. "How did it go, sir? Did you deal with those filthy things?"

　　"Sir, did you find Xiaodong's soul?" Ma Daqiang's wife asked anxiously.I shot a glance at Ma Daqiang’s wife before locking eyes with Ma Daqiang himself. Without any warning, I drove my fist into his face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

　　“Sir, what are you doing?” his wife shouted, scrambling to help him up.

　　“Yeah, why the hell did you hit me?” Ma Daqiang groaned, rubbing his cheek.

　　I grabbed him by the collar and yanked him up, my voice low and furious. “Ma Daqiang, Zhang Cuicui wasn’t lying—you really are a damn fool! Do you have any idea that everything in Dead Man’s Gulch happened because of you?”

　　I glared at him, holding his gaze. He looked away, shrinking under my stare, too scared to put up any resistance.

　　“Please, sir!” his wife cried, trying to push me away.

　　I let out a sharp breath, releasing my grip on him with a snort of disgust, then turned and walked into the next room. There, lying on the bed, was Ma Xiaodong. I reached into my robe, pulled out the jade, and released his soul.

　　“Go on, back inside,” I said.

　　He nodded and slipped back into his body.

　　Just as I finished, Ma Daqiang and his wife rushed into the room. She immediately ran to her son’s side, sitting at the edge of the bed, while Ma Daqiang stood there, staring at me, unsure of what to say or do.“Sir, Xiaodong... is he alright?” Ma Daqiang's wife asked, her voice trembling with anxiety.

　　I sat down, took a breath to steady myself, then replied, “His soul’s back. He’s going to be fine.”

　　At last, relief spread across her face as she gently caressed Ma Xiaodong’s cheek.

　　“Sir, I…” Ma Daqiang was still holding his cheek, clearly wanting to say more.

　　“You knew what sealing that place would do, didn’t you?” I demanded, my tone sharp.

　　“I did,” he admitted quietly.

　　“And you still did it anyway?” I rose to my feet, anger building. “Do you have any idea how cruel that was? Those poor wandering spirits... you condemned them. What you did was a terrible sin.”

　　“But I didn’t have a choice! They would’ve killed me if I hadn’t!” Ma Daqiang cried out in desperation.

　　“You fool!” I snapped. “Zhang Cuicui would never have killed you unless you drove her to it. You trapped her and those lost souls, leaving them no chance for peace or rebirth!”

　　“I know I messed up, sir, I know!” Ma Daqiang suddenly fell to his knees. “Please, help me fix this!”

　　I turned away, unwilling to look at him groveling. “You made this mess, so you’re the one who has to clean it up.”

　　“Tell me what I need to do,” he pleaded, his voice shaking.

　　“In a few days, you’ll come with me to take down that barrier,” I said firmly.

　　“But…” he hesitated, fear in his eyes.

　　“No ‘buts’!” I cut him off. “Zhang Cuicui already swore she wouldn’t hurt you, and she’ll keep her word. Besides, with me there, what do you have to be scared of?”

　　Ma Daqiang glanced at his wife before turning back to me. "We’ll be counting on you, sir," he said.

　　I let out a quiet breath of relief. The truth was, I didn’t actually need him to come along to remove the barrier. What I really wanted was for him to show sincere remorse to the spirits. It was a small act of redemption, something he could do to make amends.

　　That was all I could ask of him.

　　I turned to face him again. "Who originally set up that barrier?" I asked.

　　Ma Daqiang hesitated, thinking back. "It was a long time ago. Someone with the last name Jiang."

　　"Jiang?" I pressed further. "Do you know anything else about him?"

　　He shook his head, then suddenly remembered. "Oh, right! He had a birthmark on the back of his left hand."

　　"Are you sure?"

　　"I’m certain. It was hard to miss—it covered most of his hand."

　　"All right." I took a step closer, my tone shifting. "Why did the engagement between Xiaoli Xu and your son fall apart?"

　　He blinked, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. He hesitated, not knowing how to respond.

　　"Did Xiaoli Xu offer you something in exchange for breaking off the engagement?" I continued, keeping my eyes on him.

　　He gave a short laugh. "What could she possibly offer? The Ma family doesn’t need money."

　　I nodded slowly. It made sense. The Ma family was much better off than the Xu family. In fact, they were among the wealthiest in He Village, not the kind to be easily swayed by material incentives."So... it was you who didn’t want the marriage?" I asked again.

　　Ma Daqiang sat down across from me and shook his head. "No, sir. After all, Xiaodong lost his soul and turned into a fool. If we could still find him a wife, I’d be more than grateful. How could we possibly refuse?"

　　"Then what was the reason?" I pressed. Now my curiosity was piqued. This definitely didn’t match what the old man at the village entrance had told me. Rumors really couldn’t be trusted.

　　"We were scared, sir. We didn’t dare go through with it," Ma Daqiang replied.

　　"Scared?" I was taken aback, almost in disbelief. I thought to myself, was there really someone in He Village that could scare Ma Daqiang?

　　"Yes, exactly!" he said. "You don’t understand, sir. Xiaoli Xu brought someone back from who-knows-where—a real expert. Looked like a Feng Shui master or something. She had skills we couldn’t mess with."

　　"Xiaoli Xu had a Feng Shui master helping her?" I asked.

　　"Something like that. That person came to their house twice. The first time, she looked at their Feng Shui and pointed out a few things. We didn’t pay much attention at the time, but everything she said ended up coming true."

　　"And the second time?"

　　"The second time, she fixed the problems!" Ma Daqiang said.

　　I frowned. This was getting interesting. So, Xiaoli Xu actually knew a Feng Shui master?

　　"Oh, and that Feng Shui master was a woman," Ma Daqiang added, "didn't seem much older than you."

　　"What, a female Feng Shui master?" I exclaimed.