SEC Chapter 336 - 334: Ghost Seats
Chapter 336 - 334: Ghost Seats
Chapter 336: Chapter 334: Ghost Seats
In Yellow Dog Village, a group of people had arrived a few days prior, bustling about setting up stages and burning incense. Beside these, a banquet and various wedding items were also prepared, creating a scene that was both festive and eerie.
The one in charge was an old servant of the Wei clan from Huai’an. He had new sets of tables and chairs bought from the city and arranged them along the small path between the village huts, making it all appear quite lavish.
Red lanterns had been hung several days before and were replenished with oil daily. Each night, they illuminated the village, making it redder than any hall of the Red Lantern Society and casting a ghostly, chilling crimson hue.
The villagers did not know what these people were doing. They were simply in awe of these unfamiliar faces, unaware that even this old servant of the Wei Family did not know what it was all for.
He had just visited the Five Evil Master’s temple and was instructed to return and prepare these things. He was waiting for the seventh day, when the Five Evil Master was expected to descend to save the Family Head’s life. He prepared meticulously, but the more he prepared, the more a chilling dread grew in his heart.
It appeared to be a wedding feast. Yet, he had been asked to prepare many incense candles, paper money, and five kinds of livestock; he had bought a considerable amount of the latter. However, no cook was hired, nor were any pots set up. The food was simply cut into pieces, arranged on cold plates, and kept aside, waiting to be served on the tables.
None of the set tables were allowed to have tea or snacks. Instead, each table had an incense burner with incense smoldering in it. They were arranged in rows, and the smoke swirled around as if one were entering an Ancestral Hall.
The best Blowers from miles around had been invited. They played through the night until dawn, and guards were ordered to watch them to prevent any slacking.
Now, five or six days had passed, and his uneasiness had reached its peak. He did not understand how setting up this bizarre feast could help save their Family Head, but he could only follow instructions to the letter.
Since they’re inviting guests from the spirit world, they must follow the rules, he thought. A single mistake could invite disaster for myself!
Trying to find an opportunity, he went to the entrance of the Family Head’s ancestral home to listen. His face turned even more gloomy, and he sighed softly.
Seven days ago, after returning from the Five Evil Temple, he had brought the Family Head back and settled him in the ancestral home. But now, after all these days, the Family Head showed no signs of improvement. Every day, he just clutched a memorial tablet, babbling incoherently inside the house—sometimes laughing, sometimes crying. At times he spoke softly, then his voice would suddenly turn coarse, as if two people were arguing.
Whether he can be cured or not all depends on this time...
The old servant looked up at the sky, sighing with worry. He then returned to the front, continuing to observe those eerie tables and chairs, which held only burning incense and were otherwise empty. His sense of foreboding intensified, and he had no idea what might happen.
For the past few days, the tables had remained vacant. But today was the last day. Could they indeed just leave the tables like this, empty, until the night passed?
WHOOSH...
At that moment, a gust of sinister wind swept in from the village outskirts, drifting slowly. He instinctively covered his face. As the wind gusted past, he suddenly heard the previously noisy and constant sounds of the Blowers abruptly stop. Everything fell unnaturally silent.
He quickly opened his eyes, intending to reprimand the musicians—their playing shouldn’t stop once night fell. But before he could speak, he was left dumbfounded. A chill washed over him, nearly freezing him solid.
"Have... have the guests arrived?"
...
As he surveyed the scene once more, an inexplicable fear gripped his heart.
Night had fallen, and the lanterns on both sides were lit. Yet, though the setup was festive, the tables always seemed obscure and indistinct. It was as if even the lantern light couldn’t fully illuminate the scene. Now and then, gusts of wind would sweep in from outside the village. These caused the lanterns on both sides to sway, and with them, the shadows of the living people beneath flickered uncertainly.
Under the dim lantern light, beside the row of square tables, a few figures were now seated conspicuously.
Or rather, they were just a few shadows.
An old man wearing a black robe and a small round hat sat rigidly at a table, his back held stiffly away from the chair’s back. His face was covered with a layer of yellow paper, and he showed no sign of breathing. His hands hung at his sides, tucked into his long sleeves.
A woman dressed in white mourning clothes sat opposite the old man with the yellow paper on his face. Her head was bowed, and her long hair draped down.
WHOOSH... WHOOSH...
Inside and outside the village, gusts of sinister wind blew in from time to time. Amidst the gloom, the shadows appearing by the tables continued to emerge, each more eerie than the last.
Some wore robes of silk and satin, but beneath them, a pair of chicken feet was visible.
Others had an indistinct form. Sometimes they appeared as a person, while at other times, only a memorial tablet seemed to occupy the seat.
Some were dripping wet, and a puddle soon formed by their table. Others had robes that fluttered continuously, and from one, a rat crept out, squeaking as it scurried away.
The once-empty banquet tables were now seemingly filled with figures. Yet, there was no celebratory joy. Instead, only sinister winds swirled, accompanied by occasional sobs that sent chills through one’s heart.
"O-Old Uncle Sun, what’s...?"
The nearby guards witnessing this scene were already trembling. Though they had practiced martial arts from a young age and were courageous, at this moment, they all took two steps back, their voices shaking as they looked towards the old servant.
"D-don’t panic..."
The old servant was frightened too, realizing that these guests who had arrived were likely not who—or what—he had expected. Yet, he forced himself to remain calm and whispered, "Prepare, serve... serve the dishes!"
As he gave instructions, he added, "Have some of the bolder men serve. Don’t neglect propriety."
The guards hastily went to give the orders, seeming almost eager to get away from the tables.
Soon enough, the sound of knives being drawn came from the direction of the back kitchen. Several villagers, who had been forcibly conscripted for the task, were brought over. Under threat of blades against their necks, they came out trembling, carrying large baskets.
They kept their eyes tightly shut, not daring to look at the "guests" at the tables. They only shakily placed the prepared "dishes" from the baskets onto the tables.
But these so-called refreshments were things like paper ingots, raw meat, raw fish, cold rice, and candles.
And as they tremulously placed the items on the tables, these "guests"—initially motionless and merely emitting occasional sobs—now showed responses. They listlessly reached out and tossed items into the offering baskets. A glance revealed them to be gold rings stained with wet mud, dirty pearls, an embroidered shoe soaked in sewage, and even two silver teeth that looked as if they had been freshly knocked out.
Moreover, as these items were placed into the baskets, the faint sobbing grew louder, perhaps out of sorrow at parting with them.
What the hell is this? Could this really save my Family Head?
The old servant was already in extreme anguish, cold sweat pouring down him in layers. He felt as though this wedding feast had transformed into a ghost realm. Suddenly, from outside the village, the unexpected sound of a suona horn wailed.
Amidst a gust of sinister wind, an elderly woman seated in a paper sedan suddenly drifted in. She held a long smoking pipe, a pleased smile on her face. Beside her walked a young man in plain cloth clothes, holding a grass rope that tethered a staggering figure.
As the old woman on the paper sedan drew closer, she smiled and glanced at everyone present. "Well, well, hosting a banquet are we..." she said. "But the host family is rather inconsiderate. Our Seventh Aunt is a well-known figure in these parts. How could you hold a banquet and not think to inform us?"
The young man beside her chimed in, "They’re merely ignorant, Seventh Aunt. With your magnanimity, don’t hold it against them for now."
He then looked around, his gaze taking in the strange shadows seated by the tables and the items in the offering baskets. He smiled and continued, "This host family is quite respectable, inviting all the surrounding neighbors. And it seems they’ve received congratulatory gifts from everyone.
"Since Seventh Aunt has come to dine, she certainly won’t lack for proper courtesy.
"Consider this our congratulatory gift. It’ll have to do!"
Saying this, he tugged the grass rope in his hand, pushing the staggering figure forward. Then he stood beside Seventh Aunt, smiling at the assembled company.
Upon seeing this "gift," the entire scene fell into instant silence.
The old servant, especially, felt his heart about to leap from his chest. He had encountered this Life Evil Altar Envoy before. Back then, in front of the Five Evil Master’s temple, the envoy had been so imposing that a mere glance from him could make people faint from fright. Yet now, he was being led about like an animal!
As for the shadowy figures seated reluctantly at the tables, they were even more terrified. They stole glances at Seventh Aunt before quickly lowering their heads again, deathly afraid of offending this small Hall Officer. Previously, it was this very small Hall Officer who had spoken out, making no one in all of Mingzhou dare to try and save the Family Head of the Wei clan from Huai’an. And now, just as this spectral feast had begun, this mysterious small Hall Officer had appeared again. She had even captured the Five Evil Master’s incense-burning envoy to present as a congratulatory gift...
Are they truly going to clash head-on, a direct confrontation?
What could be more provocative than this? In their eyes, this old lady’s imposing aura reached the very heavens.
Yet, after Hu Ma presented the "gift," the old lady said nothing. She only chuckled and walked forward, heading straight for the three most honored tables where incense was burning. When she arrived before them, her gaze swept across the tables, and she paused, slightly taken aback. For banquets using square tables, seating followed strict etiquette: left was superior to right, the head of the table was superior to the foot, and the center was superior to the sides. Since Seventh Aunt had arrived, she naturally should occupy the most honored seat.
However, that very spot was already occupied by the strange old man with the yellow paper stuck to his face.
Seventh Aunt actually had a good temperament. Although Hu Ma had indicated she should take the head seat, she was perfectly fine with choosing another spot since someone was already sitting there.
But Hu Ma, upon hearing this implied concession, shot a cold glance around. He decisively slapped the table. This startled the old man with the yellow paper on his face, who immediately rose stiffly and drifted to an adjacent table. Following his lead, the other shadowy figures also floated up and moved to other tables. In an instant, the most honored table was completely empty.
Hu Ma, however, was unfazed. He helped Seventh Aunt to her seat at the now-empty head table and said with a smile, "Now, that’s more like it."
"Here, let me light your pipe for you..."