Chapter 494: Ma Family Village! Suona! Playing With People’s Hearts! You Like to Play, Don’t You!?

At Ma Family Village...

The village was peaceful. One villager, Ma San, was a somewhat timid middle-aged man who loved to play the suona. Whenever there was a wedding or funeral in the village, he would go help out. He would never ask for money, instead he was just joining in the festivities.

For this, his wife often scolded him. But Ma San would always chuckle foolishly, saying that everyone was from the same village and he found it too embarrassing to ask them for money[1], so he could only put on a smile as an apology to his wife[2]

Names in the village were given casually. Ma San’s son was called Ma Wu[3]. Outsiders might think he was Ma San’s brother, but he was in fact his son.

Ma San had just returned from playing the

suona

[4];

at a local family’s event, his pockets were filled with candies and treats only available in the city.

He gave some to his wife, a few to his son. He laughed, saying he didn’t care for sweets, and sat outside with his son, chatting.

No matter what, the couple was going to spend the rest of their lives together. Although his wife looked down on him, she was still willing to endure the hard life with him.

His son was clever and ambitious. What pleased Ma San most was that Ma Wu also liked the

suona

.

“This is the skill your grandfather passed down to me. I’m not that talented. All I’ve ever done is play this thing. Don’t grow up to be like me,” Ma San said.

Ma Wu giggled. “Dad, but you seem happy that I want to learn the suona.”

Ma San was taken aback, then laughed and scolded, “Don’t let your mother hear you, or she’ll start nagging me again.”

The father and son laughed together.

But Ma Wu suddenly froze, as a stranger had entered the village. It was a large monk, whose presence immediately felt extremely unsettling. Though he smiled, there was an indescribable, sinister aura beneath it.

Children sensed such things most accurately, and Ma Wu nervously pressed close to his father.

Meanwhile, Ma San glanced at the newcomer, and when he saw he was a monk, he greeted him with a smile. The villagers were generally warm, and Ma San was a simple, honest man.

But the fat monk said nothing and just smiled at Ma San, and that smile instantly drained color from father and son’s faces. For the monk’s mouth suddenly split open, twisting into a grotesque shape no human could imagine, thereafter he bit down savagely on Ma San’s neck.

“Dad!” Ma Wu cried out, his face flushed crimson as he pounded the monk with his small, helpless fists like a furious little beast.

Immediately, blood poured from Ma San’s neck, and his body convulsed violently in unbearable pain.

“Run, little Wu! Run!” Ma San struggled to say.

“You bit my dad! I’ll kill you!” Ma Wu roared, wild with rage.

At that moment, Ma San’s wife ran out of the house. Seeing this, she froze in shock, then her eyes instantly welled red with tears. She immediately grabbed a hoe from behind the door and swung it at the fat monk.

Bang!

The monk winced in pain, violently releasing Ma San. Then, he turned toward Ma San’s wife with a grotesque, twisted smile, tilting his head in a way that was deeply unsettling.

Suddenly, the skin at the center of his forehead split open, and an eye appeared.

After being bitten in the neck like that, an ordinary person would have been weakened to the point of collapse, maybe even unable to stand again. But Ma San somehow forced strength out of nowhere.

This man, usually timid and honest, the type who wouldn’t even complain when taken advantage of, suddenly lurched to his feet. He yanked his son back with both hands, snatched the hoe from his wife, and shielded his wife and child behind him.

“Get out of here! This monk’s gone mad!” Ma San roared. His eyes were bloodshot, and an overwhelming, bloody courage burst out of him.

There were moments when even the most unremarkable men could shock the world.

Ma San’s wife, who normally complained that he never made money, never fought back when others took advantage, now couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him behind, and tears streamed down her face.

“You damned monk, you bit my dad! I’ll kill you!” Ma Wu picked up a stone from the ground, looking like a fierce little wolf pup.

“Interesting. I like that look.” A sharp voice echoed from within the fat monk. It was grating and metallic, like a rusted blade scraping across stone. “I’ll pluck them out and admire them slowly.”

Ma San stepped in front of his wife and child, roaring, “Take the boy and run! Don’t let little Wu die here too!”

Blood kept pouring from the torn flesh on his neck, and half his body was already soaked red. He was hanging onto consciousness by sheer will; he was just a breath away from death, yet still standing.

His wife looked at their child, and something hardened in her eyes. She couldn’t let their son die here. Immediately, she grabbed the boy and ran.

The fat monk stomped forward, leaping after them like a cat toying with mice. In an instant, he reappeared right in front of mother and child, blocking their escape.

“Screw you!”

This usually mild, conflict-avoiding man, who would usually endure a loss without a word, let out a furious roar and smashed the hoe down onto the monk’s forehead.

This time, the eye on the monk’s forehead flashed crimson, and a formless force blasted Ma San backward. He hit the ground, his body convulsing and blood spurting from his neck. His breath hitched, his awareness dimming.

The gap in strength was far too great... Mere determination wasn’t enough.

The fat monk reached out and wrapped his large hand around Ma San’s wife’s throat. That twisted smile spread across his face again, and the eye on his forehead stared with a chilling, inhuman glare. He intended to dig out the woman’s eyes.

In response, Ma Wu exploded with fury, smashing the stone in his hands against the monk over and over, each strike landing with a thud.

The fat monk let out a warped grin. “Feisty little brat. I’ll play a different game with you.”

The eye on his forehead glowed red, and a strange, sinister force began to spread. Instantly, Ma Wu’s gaze grew vacant and dazed.

Ma San’s wife was thrown to the ground, and she was unable to move, as if pressed down by some ghostly weight.

“Smash him to death... smash this woman!” The sharp, grating voice echoed again from within the fat monk.

Ma Wu’s eyes went hollow and numb. Like a machine, he involuntarily clenched the stone in his hands and began moving toward his mother.

Ma San lay on the ground, eyes wide in horror at the scene before him. Blood bubbled from his mouth and nose, despair filling his heart. Meanwhile, Ma Wu’s mother’s eyes reflected a complicated mix of fear and helplessness.

A human tragedy was about to unfold.

At that moment, the fat monk’s mouth split open in a bloody, grotesque grin. His gaze was eerie, his expression twisted as if he were enjoying the scene like a spectator.

Then, a cold voice cut through the air, “You like to play, don’t you?!”

A young, strikingly handsome Daoist appeared. His expression was solemn, and his eyes burned with sharp, lethal intent, as if the killing energy itself had solidified.

The fat monk suddenly turned his head. His body remained still, but his head twisted unnaturally, rotating a full 180 degrees in a grotesque manner.

1. The author wrote “抹不开面子” here.

The phrase “抹不开面子” is a Chinese idiom that literally translates to “cannot wipe off one’s face,” but its figurative meaning is quite different. It describes a situation in which a person feels obliged to save face or maintain social decorum, often out of a sense of duty, pride, or fear of offending others.

Essentially, it conveys the idea that someone cannot refuse or act in a way that would embarrass themselves or others, even if they might not personally want to participate. For example, in a village or close-knit community, one might feel compelled to join celebrations, offer help, or go along with social expectations simply because everyone knows each other and refusing could be seen as disrespectful or shameful. It reflects the importance of social harmony, reputation, and relational obligations in traditional Chinese culture, emphasizing how interpersonal pressure can influence behavior.

Thus, I translated it as “ found it too embarrassing to ask them for money” instead of translating it literally, which would sound too awkward. ☜

2. “陪笑” (péi xiào) is a Chinese term that means putting on a smiling face for someone, usually to please, appease, or apologize, in order to make the other person happy or calm their anger. It is often also written as “赔笑” (péi xiào). This behavior is intentional, carrying a sense of compensation or submission, and differs from genuine laughter; it is more of a strategic expression in social interactions. Commonly seen in classical literature, the modern standard writing prefers “赔笑.” ☜

3. San means ‘three’ and Wu means ‘five.’ ☜

4. The suona, also called dida, laba or haidi, is a traditional double-reeded Chinese musical instrument. The suona's basic design originated in ancient Iran, then called "Sorna". Here is a video reference of

suona

. ☜