Chapter 84: Critical Situation

Just as I was feeling distressed and trying to buy them time to escape, something else went wrong. Guo Er’s mother refused to leave. No one knew where she got the strength from, but she broke free from Guo Er’s father and rushed over. She did not say a word, but tears immediately fell.

“Don’t hurt my second son. You are a hungry ghost. I have heard of hungry ghosts. I know you are something that can never be satisfied.” She said all this in front of me while I was still locking both of Guo Er’s arms. My own arms were going numb, and I could not speak. The helplessness in my heart was beyond words.

Guo Er’s father tried to pull her away, but she shook him off and cursed, “You do not care about your own son at all. Get lost.”

“I am not uncaring. It is just that staying here will only get in this young master’s way,” the man said, trying to stay rational. After all, he had seen the talisman burn earlier, and he had some understanding of what was happening.

“What if this young master cannot hold him back? We cannot harm others. I just want to say one thing. Hungry ghost, eat me instead. Just eat me and leave my son alone.” As she spoke, Guo Er’s mother rolled up her sleeves and even extended her arm toward Guo Er.

I sighed inwardly, but I could not blame her at all. Whose child is not precious to them? A mother’s love is as heavy as a mountain. I could only say, “I will call my master to deal with this. Your son can still be saved. If you do not leave now, you will only make things worse. Go…”

My words made Guo Er’s mother slightly more at ease. With Guo Er’s father pulling her along, she finally left while constantly looking back.

However, those who practice martial arts know that when you cultivate inner strength, you rely on a single breath. Once that breath is disrupted, your strength weakens. In real combat, talking while fighting is extremely unrealistic. The moment I spoke, my breath broke. Just as Guo Er’s parents reached the stairs, Guo Er suddenly pushed hard from behind and broke free from my grip.

But I still had to buy time. Without hesitation, I took a deep breath, gathered all my strength, turned around and grabbed Guo Er again, tripping him with my leg and locking both his legs with my body.

The posture was not pretty, but this was real combat technique. I did not even know the exact name of the skill. It was taught by Old Man Jiang, who said it was a set of eighteen locking methods for emergency situations.

Later I realized that whether it was American no rules fighting, Japanese judo, or Brazilian jiu jitsu, they all had traces of this kind of technique. It is a pity that in our vast homeland, such martial arts are not properly carried forward. The martial arts of China are truly profound and extensive.

“San Wa Er, San Wa Er, their family has already left. What are you still doing up there?” Su Rou’s voice came from downstairs just as I was using almost all my strength to restrain Guo Er.

I let out a breath of relief and immediately released him, then without thinking, I jumped straight off the second floor balcony. I rolled a few times on landing and quickly stood up.

I did not know lightness skills, but for a drop from this height, I still knew how to protect myself.

“Damn it, San Wa Er, are you trying to jump to your death?” Su Rou’s mouth was wide open. He clearly did not expect me to descend from above like that.

I did not have time to explain. The moment I stood up, I grabbed Su Rou and ran toward a corner of the yard.

“Do you remember the snake spirit? The tomb behind it. My master mentioned it before. The hungry ghost tomb. Guo Er is probably possessed by a hungry ghost.”

“Damn, so that is why he eats everything? Stop showing off. What do we do now?” Su Rou sounded like he was about to cry.

At that moment, a loud thud came from behind us. I turned back and saw that Guo Er had also jumped down.

A hungry ghost would not fear such a fall. Even if it dropped from twenty floors, it would be fine. But Guo Er was still flesh and blood. He did not know how to protect himself at all and had jumped straight down.

Then I saw him limping slightly as he ran toward us. His speed was not slow at all.

Fortunately, it was only the second floor. He had not died, though one leg was likely injured. But with the hungry ghost inside him, his body was being pushed to its limits while pain was almost completely suppressed. His strength and speed had far exceeded normal humans. This was basically a superhuman.

Many people who are possessed or forcibly stimulated by external forces temporarily become superhuman like this. However, it can only last a short time. The longer it continues, the weaker the body becomes afterward, and it may even shorten lifespan. If it cannot be saved, the person will eventually be worn out and killed by the ghost.

It seemed the hungry ghost was preparing to abandon Guo Er as a vessel. If this continued, Guo Er would die.

“He is chasing us. What do we do?” Su Rou was truly on the verge of tears. We had already reached the end of the yard and were basically cornered.

My mind raced. What now? The most powerful hand seals and step patterns, I could not use them. Higher level spirit summoning techniques, I did not know any of them either. As for exorcism methods, I was completely helpless. Even trying to suppress the ghost with pure internal power was impossible for me.

At that moment, a black shadow suddenly rushed out and bit onto Guo Er’s pant leg. I looked and saw that it was the timid dog from the Guo family.

Guo Er’s movement was stopped. He turned and glared at the dog, then without hesitation smashed his fist down onto it. The dog let out a pitiful whimper, but it still did not let go.

Just as his other foot was about to strike again, I could not bear it any longer. I shouted and charged forward, knocking Guo Er away at the moment he looked at me.

Dogs are the most emotional creatures. Even if some animals are more intelligent, none can compare to their loyalty and affection. I could not just watch this dog die for us.

My impact was strong enough to knock Guo Er away. The dog was also thrown aside, tearing a strip of fabric from Guo Er’s pants. My eyes felt a little hot. Even so, the dog did not bite off a piece of its owner’s flesh.

Guo Er seemed enraged. With a strange howl, he lunged at me. I kicked him back and rushed over to grab the dog, then started running circles around the yard. I could not win a fight against a superhuman like this.

“Su Rou, open the yard gate. Take the dog and run. Go find my master,” I shouted while running. Fortunately, I ran often, so my speed was still decent. Even so, Guo Er almost grabbed my clothes several times.

“I… how can I leave you?” Su Rou was shaking in a corner of the yard but still did not move.

My heart warmed. This was indeed my childhood brother. But there was no other choice. I shouted, “I am about to lose it, but I can hold him off for a bit. Just hurry and get my master.”

“But I do not know the way through the bamboo forest,” Su Rou wiped his face, likely drenched in cold sweat.

“Damn it, you do not need to go in. Just shout in the bamboo forest. Shout that I am in trouble. My master will hear you. Stop talking, I am running out of strength!”

Su Rou was not someone who hesitated. He seized the moment, rushed to the gate, and with a loud crash opened it.

I took the chance, sprinted toward him, and just before reaching the gate, I threw the dog into Su Rou’s arms.

“Take it. It just saved both our lives,” I shouted.

At that exact moment, Guo Er pounced on me from behind.

“Damn it, San Wa Er!” Su Rou shouted as he caught the dog and barely steadied himself.

I reacted instantly. When Guo Er lunged, I twisted my body and slammed my shoulder into him, then shouted at Su Rou, “Close the gate, or the whole village will suffer!”

Tears fell from Su Rou’s eyes, but he still gritted his teeth, put the dog down, and slammed the gate shut with a loud crash.