Ghost Pot - Chapter 119
The mountain people were immediately enraged, shouting angrily, "Why? Why did you harm our children? You Siamese devil..."
Some even shouted, "Burn him! Burn this 'grass witchcraft bastard'!"
Elder Song gave a sinister smile and chuckled, "I'm doing this precisely to save these baby girls..."
Elder Song's gaze swept across the crowd, finally settling on the louse in his palm. He let out a profound sigh, then slowly said, "Look at this old mother louse, how tender and doting she is with her larvae! It embodies the maternal love that all things in the world share. Tell me, would such a loving louse harm a human baby girl? The answer is, of course not..."
The mountain people listened intently, holding their breath, but the more they listened, the more confused they became.
Elder Song continued, “When I heard in Bangkok about the ‘Old Demon of the Savage Mountain’ wreaking havoc in the Hukawng Valley, I immediately led the four great sorcerers of Siam to Kampaldi to exorcise the demon and rescue the infant girls. Upon arriving, I learned that several Han Chinese had already rescued the children and captured the demon alive. However, things are far from simple. I am the foremost royal sorcerer of Siam, well-versed in all the sorcery of Southeast Asia. Those infant girls who have been abducted for years, since they have been cursed with the ‘Infant Curse’ by the demon, the curse must not have been removed from their bodies, but rather lies dormant in their brains. Within forty-nine days, it will surely take effect, causing all the infant girls to become mentally impaired…”
The mountain people looked at each other, half believing and half doubting as they whispered among themselves.
"As an elder, I have decided to help those in distress. First, I must put the baby girls to sleep, then capture the 'Old Demon of the Savage Mountain' who has fallen under my spell, and then perform the ritual to undo the curse and restore their souls, ultimately restoring them to normal, healthy children. Therefore, I have released the lice-inducing poison, and the four sorcerers behind me will secretly go to the Dai and Miao villages to release the poison, which will then enter the baby girls' ears to put them to sleep, making it easier to perform the ritual to undo the curse and restore their souls. Of course, this cannot be told to the children's parents beforehand. If word gets out and the old demon finds out, we will not be able to retrieve their souls, and all our efforts will be in vain..." After Elder Song finished speaking, he turned to the chieftain and explained, "Saving lives is a great matter. I apologize for any shortcomings in my etiquette and ask for the chieftain and fellow villagers' understanding."
Upon hearing this, the chieftain realized that Elder Song's words made sense. In short, it seemed illogical for him to come all the way from Thailand to harm these baby girls. What would be his purpose in doing so?
"Hmm... Elder Song, the children have all awakened now and recognize their parents. It seems their souls are still intact. Do you think they will become mentally impaired again after forty-nine days?" the chieftain asked cautiously.
"Of course!" Elder Song said decisively. "Humans have three souls: Heaven, Earth, and Life. When that old demon made the 'Yin Infant Curse,' he had to take away the Heaven and Earth souls, leaving only the Life soul in the baby girl's body. So they can still call for their parents. But if the Heaven and Earth souls are not taken back, they will inevitably become mentally impaired."
"What should we do?" the chieftain asked anxiously upon hearing this.
"Don't be afraid, this elder is about to fight that 'Old Demon of Savage Mountain' with magic, using the most powerful sorcery in Siam to defeat her and force her to release the baby's soul," Elder Song said with righteous indignation and conviction.
“Alright,” the chieftain turned around and addressed the mountain people, “Fellow villagers, Elder Song is now going to fight the ‘Old Demon of the Savage Mountain’ to release the souls of the baby girls. Everyone, gather around the area and light a fire…”
Upon hearing this, the mountain people quickly retreated, creating an open space. They lit a bonfire in the middle, then stood in a circle, each holding a long knife or hunting rifle, watching nervously.
Four sorcerers carried a bamboo sedan chair into the arena and slowly placed it on the ground. Elder Song sat on it, holding the old female louse and the small louse Gu in his palm, and said loudly, "Hehe, this elder is here now, so please welcome the 'Old Demon of Savage Mountain' to the stage..."
The mountain people then pounded the ground with their long knives and began to shout, "Come out quickly! 'The Savage Mountain Demon'..."
Chapter 181
Inside the American Jeep, Jia Shiming nervously protected his ancestor, secretly regretting that if he hadn't lost all his internal energy, he wouldn't have been afraid of these unruly mountain people. Since taking Mo Mo as his disciple, he had experienced for the first time in his life the warmth of unusual kinship, a feeling he had never felt in his decades of wandering the martial world. Every time he saw Mo Mo, he felt an overwhelming sense of regret for accidentally killing his ancestor. Now, he finally had a chance to make amends. He only needed to wait for Chen Cai to recall the incantation and release her soul back into her body. From then on, Jia Shiming could be without shame before Mo Mo… Right now, those Thai sorcerers and mountain people wanted to harm his ancestor. As long as he had a breath left, he would never let them succeed.
Han Sheng opened the car door and smiled slightly, saying, "Master Jia, do you trust me?"
Jia Shiming was taken aback, then quickly said, "Of course I believe you."
"Alright, come out with the ancestor. With me, Han Sheng, here, those sorcerers won't be able to win," Han Sheng said casually.
Jia Shiming knew Han Sheng's abilities, of course. Han Sheng's "Hysteria Divine Skill" alone was already unmatched. Moreover, he and his ancestor had been hiding in the carriage, which made them look bad to those foreign barbarians. With that in mind, he picked up his ancestor without saying a word and stepped out of the carriage.
Han Sheng asked A Ming to find a chair and placed it on one side of the fire. The old ancestor sat down, and Jia Shi Ming stood behind her, gently supporting her shoulders. To her left was Chen Caihua, and to her right was Mo Mo, while Han Sheng stood in the center. He recalled six years ago at the Sea Palace in Bangkok, when he had competed with the Siamese Grand Master Mengla Chaweng Khunpa and his men. These sorcerers now seemed inferior to Khunpa…
On the other side of the campfire, Elder Song stared at the ancestor through the fire for a long time, muttering to himself, "Excellent! To be able to witness Elder Fang's 'Yin Xiang Ren' secret technique from the Ayutthaya Dynasty today is truly a godsend..."
A bearded sorcerer behind him whispered in his ear, "Elder Song, is this the 'yin-man' you mentioned?"
"That's right. This time we must bring it back and study Elder Fang's secret technique, which has been lost for nearly three hundred years. From then on, we can dominate Southeast Asia and Nanyang." Elder Song said resolutely with boundless anticipation.
"Why is she keeping her eyes closed? She seems completely lifeless. Isn't it said that 'yin-faced people' are exactly the same as real people?" the bearded man said with a puzzled look.
“Yes, that’s exactly what we need to study and figure out,” Elder Song said thoughtfully.
“Amin, tell Elder Song how to conduct the contest and ask him to outline the rules,” Han Sheng said.
Amin nodded and relayed Han Sheng's words in Burmese.
"Hansheng, the world is a dangerous place, full of treacherous and cunning people. You must think twice before you act, lest you fall into their trap," Jia Shiming warned softly.
"Rest assured, Master Jia, I know what I'm doing," Han Sheng replied.
By the campfire, Elder Song smiled and said, "Naturally, it's a contest of black magic. First, Thongtha Ya, a black magic master from Krabi in southern Thailand, will come out to compete with the old demon."
After he finished speaking, a middle-aged white-robed sorcerer appeared behind Elder Song. He was short and stocky, bald and beardless, with many flesh-colored warts on his cheeks. His eyes were gloomy and he looked quite scheming.
"A Five Poison Gu sorcerer?" Han Sheng thought to himself. "The Five Poison Gu" is said to be five poisonous insects in nature, namely snakes, centipedes, scorpions, spiders, and toads. When a person is infected with the Gu, many strange insects will suddenly hatch from their body and crawl out of their seven orifices. They may even have their belly ruptured and their intestines spill out, resulting in an extremely terrifying death.
Han Sheng stepped forward and said to A Ming, "I'll confront this Five Poisons Gu sorcerer on behalf of the ancestor."
Chapter 181
Inside the American Jeep, Jia Shiming nervously protected his ancestor, secretly regretting that if he hadn't lost all his internal energy, he wouldn't have been afraid of these unruly mountain people. Since taking Mo Mo as his disciple, he had experienced for the first time in his life the warmth of unusual kinship, a feeling he had never felt in his decades of wandering the martial world. Every time he saw Mo Mo, he felt an overwhelming sense of regret for accidentally killing his ancestor. Now, he finally had a chance to make amends. He only needed to wait for Chen Cai to recall the incantation and release her soul back into her body. From then on, Jia Shiming could be without shame before Mo Mo… Right now, those Thai sorcerers and mountain people wanted to harm his ancestor. As long as he had a breath left, he would never let them succeed.
Han Sheng opened the car door and smiled slightly, saying, "Master Jia, do you trust me?"
Jia Shiming was taken aback, then quickly said, "Of course I believe you."
"Alright, come out with the ancestor. With me, Han Sheng, here, those sorcerers won't be able to win," Han Sheng said casually.
Jia Shiming knew Han Sheng's abilities, of course. Han Sheng's "Hysteria Divine Skill" alone was already unmatched. Moreover, he and his ancestor had been hiding in the carriage, which made them look bad to those foreign barbarians. With that in mind, he picked up his ancestor without saying a word and stepped out of the carriage.
Han Sheng asked A Ming to find a chair and placed it on one side of the fire. The old ancestor sat down, and Jia Shi Ming stood behind her, gently supporting her shoulders. To her left was Chen Caihua, and to her right was Mo Mo, while Han Sheng stood in the center. He recalled six years ago at the Sea Palace in Bangkok, when he had competed with the Siamese Grand Master Mengla Chaweng Khunpa and his men. These sorcerers now seemed inferior to Khunpa…
On the other side of the campfire, Elder Song stared at the ancestor through the fire for a long time, muttering to himself, "Excellent! To be able to witness Elder Fang's 'Yin Xiang Ren' secret technique from the Ayutthaya Dynasty today is truly a godsend..."
A bearded sorcerer behind him whispered in his ear, "Elder Song, is this the 'yin-man' you mentioned?"
"That's right. This time we must bring it back and study Elder Fang's secret technique, which has been lost for nearly three hundred years. From then on, we can dominate Southeast Asia and Nanyang." Elder Song said resolutely with boundless anticipation.
"Why is she keeping her eyes closed? She seems completely lifeless. Isn't it said that 'yin-faced people' are exactly the same as real people?" the bearded man said with a puzzled look.
“Yes, that’s exactly what we need to study and figure out,” Elder Song said thoughtfully.
“Amin, tell Elder Song how to conduct the contest and ask him to outline the rules,” Han Sheng said.
Amin nodded and relayed Han Sheng's words in Burmese.
"Hansheng, the world is a dangerous place, full of treacherous and cunning people. You must think twice before you act, lest you fall into their trap," Jia Shiming warned softly.
"Rest assured, Master Jia, I know what I'm doing," Han Sheng replied.
By the campfire, Elder Song smiled and said, "Naturally, it's a contest of black magic. First, Thongtha Ya, a black magic master from Krabi in southern Thailand, will come out to compete with the old demon."
After he finished speaking, a middle-aged white-robed sorcerer appeared behind Elder Song. He was short and stocky, bald and beardless, with many flesh-colored warts on his cheeks. His eyes were gloomy and he looked quite scheming.
"A Five Poison Gu sorcerer?" Han Sheng thought to himself. "The Five Poison Gu" is said to be five poisonous insects in nature, namely snakes, centipedes, scorpions, spiders, and toads. When a person is infected with the Gu, many strange insects will suddenly hatch from their body and crawl out of their seven orifices. They may even have their belly ruptured and their intestines spill out, resulting in an extremely terrifying death.
Han Sheng stepped forward and said to A Ming, "I'll confront this Five Poisons Gu sorcerer on behalf of the ancestor."
The white-robed sorcerer stared at Han Sheng with a gloomy gaze, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He said, "My name is Tong Ta Ya. I'm here to fight the 'Old Demon of Savage Mountain' with witchcraft. What are you doing here, a doctor?"
Amin translated it truthfully for Hansheng.
“In the Central Plains, in ancient times, there was no distinction between shamans and doctors. Therefore, I, as a doctor, also know a little about shamanism,” Han Sheng said, pointing to the old ancestor. “She is sleeping and it is inconvenient to disturb her, so let me have a contest with you.”
Tongta smiled sinisterly and said, "Very well." He then reached out and grabbed at his body, opening his palm to reveal a strange, bluish-green insect crouching there. It had a snake's head, a toad's body, two large spider legs, countless centipede-like legs, and a purplish-red scorpion tail. A pink forked tongue protruded from its mouth, its forked tip constantly searching for the scent of living beings in the air...
The mountain people gasped in surprise. They had never seen such a creature before, and each of them gripped their long knives tightly with tense expressions.
Han Sheng thought to himself, "This strange insect must be extremely poisonous. It is said that the Five Poison Gu is usually made by putting five kinds of poisonous creatures in nature, such as snakes, centipedes, scorpions, spiders and toads, into a pot and letting them kill each other. The one that survives will have all five poisons. But I never knew that it could be a combination of all five. This is probably a rare biological mutation in the world. Its toxicity combines the five poisons into one, so it must be extremely powerful."
Han Sheng recalled that when he left Nanshan Village, he left the Corpse Cloth with Lan'er, instructing her to put it on Caihua for protection. He explained that he possessed the "Hysteria Divine Skill," which would ensure his survival no matter where he went or what dangers he encountered. Now, if the Corpse Cloth were with him, he would be fearless of any poison... But Han Sheng remained unaware that he possessed the White Hair of the Corpse, which was also the nemesis of all poisons in the world.
At this moment, Shen Caihua's eyes were wide with astonishment as he noticed the strange insect in the white-robed sorcerer's hand. He felt a pang of longing; he wished he could have one of those insects too… He hesitated, then walked up to Han Sheng, tugged at his sleeve, and whispered, “Father Han Sheng, I want that insect…”
Han Sheng smiled slightly upon hearing this and shook his head, saying, "Talent, that's a Gu worm with all five poisons; it can't be played with casually."
“I can subdue it with the ‘Lard Divine Skill’,” Shen Caihua pleaded earnestly.
Han Sheng looked at Cai Hua and knew that he had a way of dealing with animals, such as the suckers of Enmei Kaijiang, the old golden-headed turtle in Guanzhong, and the kappa. Some of these things were told to him later by the Hakka grandmother.
"Alright, but be very careful." Han Sheng nodded in agreement, while telling A Ming to inform the other party that Shen Caihua would fight the Five Poison Gu sorcerer. At the same time, he opened his fly eyes and activated the Corpse-Hidden Soul, ready to lend a helping hand at any time.
Shen Caihua smiled at Mo Mo and said, "Mo Mo, I'll go catch that strange insect so we can play with it." After saying that, he walked into the arena, then crossed the campfire and walked straight towards the white-robed sorcerer Tong Ta Ya.
"Child, these five poisonous insects can bite. Go back and let an adult take over." Tong Ta'a looked at Chen Caihua with surprise and scolded him sternly.
“It won’t bite me,” Shen Caihua replied excitedly, staring at the Five Poison Gu worm. The strange worm also looked at him warily.
"Tong Thaya, on the battlefield, whether it's men, women, or children, if someone dares to go into battle, they are an opponent. Now, let him see the amazing Five Poison Gu Curse of Siam..." Elder Song chuckled.
"Little kid, don't cry if you bite too hard." Tong Ta'a stretched out his palm in front of Shen Caihua and let out a sinister laugh.
Shen Caihua stared curiously at the five-poisonous worms, first inserting two little fingers into his nostrils, then gently speaking to the worms with his mouth close to his mouth: "Beast, Otter, Macaque, Badger, Lush, Fiery, Fiery..."
This is the sixteenth move of the Zhuyou Divine Skill, "Human Face, Beast Heart," which uses murmured incantations to capture the hearts of animals. It is a kind of oral technique that originated from the ancient people's communication with animals. It was refined into an incantation by Guo Pu, a master of Yi studies. Shen Caihua used it several times and it was very effective.
"Talent is something you must never get close to!" Han Sheng warned urgently.
This time, Shen Cai was wrong. The Five Poison Gu Insects were not species that existed since ancient times, but rather new mutated creatures created by sorcerers through hybridization of five kinds of poisonous insects. They had no reaction to the "human-faced beast-hearted" curse at all. This also proves that all things in the world are diverse and cannot be generalized. Even the truth cannot be universally applicable.
The strange insect blinked cunningly, appearing quite docile, even stretching lazily. But suddenly, it bent over and sprang up, darting towards Shen Caihua's face with lightning speed, its scorpion-like stinger instantly piercing his lips...
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain shot through him, contorting even the muscles in Shen Caihua's face. With a loud, heart-wrenching cry, tears streamed down his face...
Because Xiao Caihua was too close to the Five Poison Gu worms, it was too late to rescue him by the time Han Shengnao stepped forward. He could only carry him back. Upon closer inspection, Xiao Caihua's lips had turned bluish-purple and were swollen like steamed buns.
The villagers present were shocked to see how venomous and potent this strange insect was.
"Hehe..." Tongtaya held the Five Poison Gu worms in his hand, looking at Han Sheng with disdain, and said, "Chinese people can brag, but when it comes to a real fight, they immediately give themselves away. Let me tell you, this child is definitely not going to survive. Within half an hour, he will vomit Gu worms and die."
Han Sheng had no time to argue with him; he needed to save Xiao Caihua immediately. He recalled that six years ago in the rainforest, Mengla Chaweng Bing had used a "blood curse" to poison the patriarch and Lu Taiguan's men, and that his own blood had cured the poison. Although he still didn't understand why, it was a fact that his blood could cure poison. Thinking of this, he quickly bit his middle finger, squeezed blood from his Zhongchong acupoint, gently pried open Chen Caihua's swollen lips, and slowly dripped the blood into his mouth…
Seeing her beloved disciple injured, the Hakka grandmother flew into a rage, waving her hands as she was about to leap forward, but at that moment, Mo Mo had already made her move...
With a "spit," Momo opened its mouth, and a mouthful of greenish-blue phlegm shot out, flying over the campfire and heading straight for Tongtaya's face. Since acquiring innate qi and the power of the "Five Forms of Bodhidharma," the phlegm it shot out already carried a faint sound of air being cut. Riding on the phlegm was the large, scarlet blood flea, its eyes blazing and its bristles fluttering. It had now become accustomed to attacking by riding the phlegm, as it was both energy-saving and comfortable.
"Who's secretly launching hidden weapons?" Tong Ta'a suddenly shouted when he saw something moving in front of him.
Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the phlegm accurately shot into Tongta's throat with a "glug". Caught off guard, he swallowed it without realizing it, feeling a salty taste and a slightly fishy smell in his throat.
As the giant blood flea approached Tongta, it leaped into the air and then landed headfirst in his outstretched palm.
The strange insect was startled when it suddenly saw the giant blood flea. It then stared warily at the uninvited guest, arched its tail back to its front, opened its snake head, and its pink tongue flicked in the air to probe for the truth.
The giant blood flea extended its scarlet, sharp mouthparts and, without warning, delivered a fatal sting...
Chapter 182
The strange insect reacted very quickly, swinging its scorpion-tail stinger in an attempt to block, but it was no match for the swift and powerful mouthparts of the giant blood flea. With a "plop," the sharp mouthparts pierced straight into its left brain. As the "blood curse" was released, half of the strange insect's body went limp and collapsed, while one of its hind legs and centipede legs spasmed, contracted, and stiffened, much like a human suffering a stroke and becoming paralyzed on one side.
With a push of its forelegs, the giant blood flea leaped backward through the air and bounced back into Momo's mouth. It always struck with lightning speed, returning to its master's body swiftly after succeeding, never lingering.
The strange insect tried to stagger a couple of steps in Thontas's palm, but then even the other half of its body gave way, and it collapsed limply, its eyes staring blankly—it had cerebral palsy…
The strange insect emitted a dying magnetic field. The sorcerer, Thongthaya, opened his mouth and vomited out small snakes, spiders, scorpions, centipedes, and tadpoles, scattering their colorful remains across the ground. Finally, a large, fat toad was also present. With a series of "splattering" sounds, the warts on Thongthaya's face burst open, oozing green pus. He then collapsed motionless beside the campfire. Thongthaya, the sorcerer from Krabi, Southern Thailand, had died instantly from the backlash of the "Five Poisons Gu Spell."
"Mo...Mo, well done!" Dudu flapped its wings and shouted with satisfaction.
Elder Song was shocked and stared at Thongthaia's corpse without saying a word. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and shouted, "Kongsa, Chiang Mai, make your appearance!"
The bearded sorcerer behind Elder Song stepped out in response. He was also wearing a white homespun robe, with a white cloth wrapped around his head. His face was covered with a thick beard, making it impossible to tell his age. However, his eyes were large and bright, radiating a sharp light.
"Chinese people cannot use hidden weapons to injure others; we must have a fair duel..." The bearded Kongsa walked to the center of the arena and shouted loudly.