Chapter 10: Hell on Earth
Hearing this, Lu Sha was not particularly surprised.
He had already guessed that there was someone behind the scenes, someone who raised ghosts.
At this moment, what intrigued Lu Sha even more was Old Zhang.
“Old man, aren’t you afraid, aren’t you surprised to see me like this?” Lu Sha squinted as he asked, the blood-red eyes of the Hundred-Eyed Ghost staring fixedly at Old Zhang.
Startled by the question, Old Zhang scratched his messy, greasy hair and replied with a puzzled tone, “Why should I be afraid? You won’t harm me.”
Lu Sha was taken aback by his answer.
Thinking it over, it seemed Old Zhang truly had nothing to fear.
“As for surprise… I’ve seen so many strange and bizarre things in my time; some I still remember, some I’ve long forgotten.”
“The world is vast and full of oddities and extraordinary people. Nothing is really worth being surprised about.”
“Of course, you are indeed very special—not an ordinary mortal.”
“But what does that have to do with me, an old man?”
“I just happened to recall some memories about cat ghosts, and couldn’t bear to see you waste them like this.”
Old Zhang spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
What others might see as terrifying and strange, he regarded as nothing special.
Recalling how Old Zhang would lick the bowl clean when eating porridge, Lu Sha began to understand his mood.
Truly… extraordinary.
…
“So, old man, tell me—what should I do next?” Lu Sha calmed himself and continued to ask.
“It’s simple. First, subdue this cat demon. Find a way to raise it to nine tails, then slaughter it and eat it.”
“And as for the ghost-raiser behind the scenes, you’d better figure out how to deal with him and make preparations in advance.”
“Tonight, though you haven’t killed the cat ghost, the moment you made a move he must have sensed it.”
“Not as quickly as if you had killed it outright, but I’d guess he’ll come looking within three days.”
“Of course, I’m just saying what comes to mind. Ultimately, it’s your choice.”
“Ah! Thinking about all these messy things gives me a headache.”
“I won’t talk to you anymore—time to sleep.”
With that, Old Zhang shook his head and lay down, ready to sleep again.
“Old man, just who are you?” Lu Sha finally voiced the question that had been lingering in his heart.
Old Zhang paused, thought for a moment, and replied, “I can’t remember. When I woke up, I was already in this cell.”
—
“Maybe I was someone important in the past, but now I can’t do anything—not even remember who I am or what I’m called.”
“Forget it, better to sleep. One day at a time.”
With a sigh, Old Zhang lay down, and all was silent.
Whether he fell asleep or was lost in thought, Lu Sha did not ask further.
He drew the Hundred-Eyed Ghost back into his eye, suppressed the cat ghost, and wiped away its intelligence, leaving only an empty shell.
By now, Ma Tiezhu had been startled awake, staring in terror at the scene before him.
Lu Sha carried the cat ghost over and waved it before Ma Tiezhu’s eyes.
“Tell me—what is going on here?”
Ma Tiezhu’s lips trembled, his eyes full of fear, and for a long time he dared not utter a word.
“I… I… huh?”
Only after a long while did he dare to speak, and he was instantly stunned.
Ma Tiezhu was shocked to discover that the shackles which had silenced him before were gone!
“I… I can speak? I can speak!”
“Oh, Niuniu, how horribly you died!”
Realizing this, Ma Tiezhu broke down in wailing, crying bitterly with heart-wrenching grief.
Lu Sha did not rush him, watching silently as he wept.
It was a full quarter of an hour before Ma Tiezhu’s emotions calmed, and sobbing, he poured out everything that had happened to him.
…
Three years ago, a gaunt wandering Taoist passed through Ma Family Village.
Ma Tiezhu saw his tattered robes and weary appearance and kindly invited him home to rest.
Who could have known such a gesture would bring disaster and annihilation!
At first, the Taoist seemed normal. After drinking a bowl of water and eating some dry food, he prepared to leave.
But just as he was about to depart, he happened upon Ma Tiezhu’s eight-year-old daughter, Niuniu.
One glance, and the Taoist’s eyes lit up, exclaiming “Wonderful!”
Before Ma Tiezhu could understand what he meant, the Taoist suddenly acted, sticking a talisman onto Ma Tiezhu.
The moment the talisman was affixed, Ma Tiezhu’s mind remained clear, but he lost control over his body!
The Taoist manipulated him, forcing him to slaughter his entire family with his own hands.
Such deeds were horrifying beyond belief!
Ma Tiezhu could only watch as he murdered every loved one, powerless to change anything—not even able to shed a single tear.
After the carnage, the Taoist extracted Niuniu’s soul and, using the residual souls and blood essence of the other corpses as a base, performed a ritual to create a cat ghost.
Had he simply killed Ma Tiezhu, the man would not have lingered in agony, living on like the walking dead.
But the Taoist was not done; he planted the cat ghost within Ma Tiezhu’s body!
—
The cat ghost, freshly created, had only one tail and was very weak.
The evil Taoist used Ma Tiezhu’s body as a vessel to nurture the cat ghost.
Since they were bound by blood, it was ideal for raising.
Over the next three years, Ma Tiezhu was thrown into a death cell, the cat ghost residing inside him, occasionally emerging to feed on the vital essence and blood of other doomed prisoners.
No one cared about the inmates in the death cell—those who died simply died.
Such a place was perfect for the cat ghost’s growth.
Ma Tiezhu had tried to reveal the truth, had even considered suicide.
But his body was under the cat ghost’s control—he could do nothing!
This deepened Ma Tiezhu’s torment, forcing him to live in hell day and night!
He could neither live nor die!
After three years, Ma Tiezhu became numb, his willpower the only thing that kept him from madness.
It was not until today, when the cat ghost was subdued by Lu Sha, that Ma Tiezhu was finally freed from his shackles, able to tearfully recount the tragedy he suffered.
For anyone with a softer heart, such a tale would surely bring tears.
“Deliverance… at last, deliverance.”
After finishing his story, Ma Tiezhu collapsed to the ground, his face bloodless, his breath faint.
Three years of possession by a ghost, his spirit crushed—his vital energy long since drained, sustained only by the cat ghost.
Now that the cat ghost had left his body and he had poured out the truth, his life force was fading fast; it was clear he did not have long.
“Rest now. If that evil Taoist comes for me, I’ll avenge you as a matter of course.”
Having obtained the information he needed, Lu Sha offered a word of comfort.
Ma Tiezhu’s eyes filled with deep gratitude, his lips trembling as if to speak.
But before a single word could escape, his head slumped and his breath ceased.
This simple farmer, who had never committed a single wrong in his life, died so tragically in prison.
…
Lu Sha narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Ma Tiezhu’s corpse, feeling ever more keenly the cruelty of this world.
An ordinary, diligent peasant, struck by calamity for no reason, and tormented for three years.
It was unimaginable what suffering and anguish Ma Tiezhu endured those three years!
For him, death was truly the best release.
The human world—like a purgatory.
But Lu Sha felt no fear.
If this world truly was a purgatory, then he would become its fiercest ghost.