Seeing that Young Master Lu's attitude wasn't favorable, the flying blade wielder quickly agreed and refrained from asking more questions.

If the other party was willing, that would be best; if not, there was nothing he could do.

Actually, in the jianghu, many with only superficial skills were like this. No matter how well the flying blade wielder's trump card was practiced, he was still an outsider to the Path. His skill could harm people, but not evil spirits. However, if he could learn this curse, it would truly connect him to the Path, and his standing would rise accordingly.

Of course, spending hundreds of taels to buy a curse seemed cheap to some and a loss to others; it all depended on the individual.

Within Hu Ma's Shousui man Path, there were also some things that could be passed on to outsiders.

For example, the techniques they practiced, if used well, constituted a formidable form of unarmed combat and bladework. Teaching these to others wasn't an issue.

Once everyone agreed, they continued forward. Perhaps because of Young Master Lu's words, they walked in increasing silence. They felt the pine forest grow deeper and eerily misty, instilling an unsettling feeling.

Hu Ma followed closely beside the donkey cart. He appeared calm on the surface, but in reality, his entire body was tense. After they had walked less than a few dozen yards, something at the corner of his eye made him halt briefly.

From behind a pine tree, a deathly pale face peeked out, glanced at them, and then quickly withdrew.

Not only did Hu Ma suddenly stop, but so did Old Monkey leading the donkey cart and Young Master Lu.

The flying blade wielder, however, didn't react. Seeing everyone else stop, he was startled and hastily drew his flying blade, holding it ready.

But the face behind the tree had vanished in an instant; they were far too late.

Everyone couldn't help but look at the flying blade wielder, their expressions somewhat peculiar.

The flying blade wielder, sweating profusely, wiped his brow with his sleeve and said quietly, "I was distracted. I'll be more cautious."

No one spoke, and they continued forward. They hadn't gone far when they heard a rustling in the wild grass behind them.

Perhaps it was the wind. However, the sudden sound in the otherwise complete silence was quickly recognized as unusual. Prompted to turn and look, they indeed saw something white nestled in the grass.

Their hearts all jumped, and they simultaneously looked at the flying blade wielder.

He had been continuing to walk forward and only reacted when he sensed something was amiss. Turning around, he let out a loud cry.

The flying blade he threw shot out, but it went wide, embedding itself in a tree several feet off target.

The looks everyone gave him were now indescribably odd. The flying blade wielder was sweating bullets, wiping his face with his sleeve as he awkwardly explained to Young Master Lu, "I... I usually aim at people. With these... things..."

"...I really don't have any experience."

"..."

Young Master Lu said nothing, his face cold. He simply turned away and muttered, "Monkey Master."

Old Monkey, leading the donkey in front, knew what he meant. He slowly shook his head and said, "There's no need to trouble him further."

"Even if he could hit them, I'm afraid he wouldn't have enough flying blades."

"..."

Hearing this, a chill ran down everyone's spine. They looked ahead and saw that a thin mist had, at some unknown point, risen in the pine forest. Vaguely, they could see pale white paper men's faces peeking out from behind trees, from within the grass, and from the crevices between rocks.

But they only peeked out for a moment before slowly retracting.

Yet, the feeling of being stared at by countless eyes remained deeply etched in their minds, creating a pervasive, unsettling dread.

"What's going on?"

"..."

If they were fake, why had they all seen such a thing?

If they were real, then just how many paper men were hidden on this mountain? And they could all move?

"It's my Junior Sister's Skill."

Young Master Lu clearly seemed rather helpless as well. He glanced at the flying blade wielder and said in a low voice, "This is my Junior Sister's Skill. She received the true teachings of our Master for this Paper Molding Skill; she's much better at it than I am."

"I had originally intended to borrow this gentleman's flying blades to break her Skill, but it seems I was too naive. There's no other way; we'll have to confront it directly."

"Gentlemen, from now on, follow closely behind Monkey Master. Watch your step, and no one is to speak. Especially if you hear someone call your name, absolutely do not turn back, and do not answer."

"If you answer, you lose half your soul. If you turn back, you lose your life."

"..."

Hearing him say this, everyone panicked, and some even started to consider retreating.

Everyone here made their living in the jianghu and had been through their share of life-threatening situations. But this kind of sudden, almost casual way of losing one's life sounded terrifying.

If it were a real, straightforward fight, even a dangerous one, they would likely find it more acceptable...

In the dead silence, Hu Ma suddenly asked, "How would she know our names?"

Only then did the others realize.

That's right. If they call your name, they must know your name. How would these things in the mountains know our names?

"They don't know."

Young Master Lu glanced at everyone and said, "But they will make you *feel* as if something is calling your name."

"No one else will hear it; only you will. But as soon as you're called, if you answer or turn your head, you'll fall into their trap."

"This is a Path within our Punishment Soul sect, called 'Living Soul.' There are 'distant calls' and 'near calls.' A distant call requires knowing the person's birth chart details and full name, as well as clothing they've worn or items they've used. Only then can the soul be called and held."

"A 'near call' only requires a name, and it doesn't even have to be perfectly accurate. A sudden shout, and the soul is drawn out."

"My Junior Sister is cunning. She can call your souls without needing to be close herself. How she does it, I can't explain clearly. I can only tell you that you will soon hear all sorts of sounds. Out of nowhere, they will all sound like your name being called."

"When her power is strong, the calling will sound more distinct. When her power is weaker, it will be more vague. But you must not answer. If it's an ordinary call, Monkey Master and I can naturally help you resolve it."

"If the call is extremely clear and it is indeed your name, it means the paper man is already very close to you. You absolutely must not answer."

"Instead, hawk up a wad of phlegm and spit it forcefully onto the ground."

"..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, their gazes turning towards Monkey Master, who was leading the donkey.

He, however, just smiled faintly. He took a lantern from the donkey cart and carefully lit it with a Fire Stick.

Instantly, a pale white light appeared before them. Hu Ma had seen this type of white lantern the previous night; it was practically useless for illuminating the path in the dark.

Yet now, as it was lit, the hazy mist on the mountain path seemed to be driven back considerably by the lantern's glow.

What was even more astonishing was that once the lantern was lit, there was a fluttering sound from within, as if it were completely full of moths.

A quick glance suggested there were dozens, perhaps?

This means he has already harmed dozens of people... That damned old bastard!

Hu Ma let out a quiet breath, suppressing the negative emotions in his heart, and just obediently followed behind the others.

This mountain path wasn't actually very long, but they walked slower and slower, and it grew quieter and quieter. It became so quiet that it felt as if they could no longer hear the sound of their own footsteps on the path or the noise of the donkey cart's wheels rolling over the small stones.

They could only vaguely hear the sound of the mountain wind passing through the pine and cypress trees, and the crisp rustling sound of the paper men's clothes rubbing against the wild grass. Abruptly, a giggle suddenly sounded.

Hu Ma clearly saw the flying blade wielder walking ahead of him suddenly go rigid.

He instantly understood. That must have been him hearing someone call his name, but he had managed to resist answering.

FLUTTER...

At that very moment, Old Monkey looked down. He saw a white moth suddenly fly out from his lantern, head towards the forest, and disappear along with a paper man that had a bizarre smile painted on its face, which was lurking nearby.

Hu Ma was slightly startled and immediately understood.

So they had gathered so many souls precisely to counter the Paper Molding Skill deployed by Sweet Potato!

Sweet Potato's paper men could call souls, and his dharma method for calling souls was clearly much more sophisticated than Old Monkey's.

But Old Monkey had lured so many souls here beforehand precisely to break this Skill of his.

Sure enough, as they continued along the mountain path, white figures would flicker around them from time to time. They could also occasionally sense someone's body stiffen—a clear sign they had just heard their name called.

However, each time, a moth would promptly fly out from the lantern to take their place, and one less paper man would consequently remain in the mountains.

By the time they had traversed half the path, everyone was under immense pressure. Suddenly, they heard someone beside them shiver violently.

They whipped their heads around to look and saw it was the flying blade wielder. A paper man was stuck tightly to his back, its head made of white paper pressed right beside his shoulder.

Perhaps because it was too close when it called his name, he had become terrified. His clothes rustled with his trembling, a sound loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

Fortunately, he still managed to hold back and spat a mouthful of phlegm forcefully onto the ground.

"EEYA...!"

The paper man actually seemed to let out a cry and reluctantly flew back into the dense fog on the mountain path.

So paper men really can cling to your back and call your name...

A chill went through everyone's hearts. No one dared to be careless. They couldn't help but quicken their pace, their backs instinctively straightening.

Even Hu Ma was like them. During this process, he too had indeed heard a voice.

And it had clearly, distinctly called out the two words "Hu Ma."

But he managed to hold back and not react. Consequently, a moth also flew out from the lantern, taking his place.

But as they continued walking, just as they were about to pass this mountain road, Hu Ma had just lifted his head to look at the path ahead when he suddenly felt a slight coolness on his shoulder.

It was an extremely light pressure, a sensation he was all too familiar with, because that's how it felt when Little Hongtang perched on his back.

But this definitely couldn't be Little Hongtang. He was dealing with these people of the Path, where a vicious fight could break out at any moment. Fearing they might have ways to harm a little ghost, he would absolutely never let Little Hongtang follow him directly.

At most, Little Hongtang would follow from a great distance, joining in if an opportunity arose, or fleeing in different directions to escape if there was no chance.

So, what was this thing perched on his back now?

Hu Ma forcefully suppressed the urge to turn his head. He merely slanted his eyes, and in his peripheral vision, he caught a glimpse of something deathly white, with a touch of bright red within it—it was the rouge on a paper man's face.

Then, right next to his ear, a name was gently whispered: "Zhou Dazhuang..."

Hu Ma's body stiffened. He stopped in his tracks and stood rooted for a long moment before forcefully spitting on the ground. Then, he strode forward with big steps.