"Feeding?"
Xiang's words indeed took Hu Ma by surprise. He realized that he still knew too little about the underworld. Apart from the City of the Dead and the Living Village, he hadn't delved deeper, and he hadn't seen any of the legendary Eight Sceneries of the Netherworld. Thus, it was difficult for him to understand the current dilemma in Xiang's heart. But he could see that this ti she seed different. Before, she had a kind of instinct, an unwillingness to see wandering souls adrift and alone, compelling her to enter the Ghost Cave to guide them. Now, however, she appeared to harbor so different, unspoken conflicts.
Unfortunately, she was clearly unwilling to say more, as if worried about so unseen forces, so she only briefly reminded Hu Ma before changing the subject.
They stayed in the village for half the night, chatting by candlelight about underworld matters. At dawn, Hu Ma bid farewell to the Dongzi Li Family, taking Sweet Potato and leaving. Xiang, being quite generous, had even arranged a donkey cart for them, loaded with several large baskets...
This Blood Food was, of course, sothing they needed, but traveling with it was inconvenient.
So Hu Ma first headed to Anzhou. There, he used the Lifebound Spirit Temple to send out a call, and sure enough, soone with the codena Old Sorghum responded.
Anzhou was Miss Red Wine's territory. Although she currently stayed near Mingzhou for convenience, she hadn't abandoned her operations in Anzhou. Old Sorghum, after completing his duties in Official Zhou, had returned here.
It was perfect timing. Hu Ma handed the Blood Food over to him, to arrange for its transport all the way to Monkey Wine. anwhile, he and Sweet Potato, traveling light, used magic to hasten their journey to Mingzhou.
Between the two of them, one summoned the Heaven asuring Boots while the other called upon little ghosts for transport, allowing them to travel at an extraordinary speed.
Of course, that being said, Sweet Potato had now mastered the skill of Little Ghosts Carrying a Sedan Chair to perfection, and it was largely thanks to Hu Ma's presence keeping her in check. Otherwise, the talismans she'd scatter wouldn't just summon little ghosts to carry a sedan... they'd summon an entire entourage!
It wasn't that Hu Ma was against her forming an entourage, nor was he afraid she'd outpace him. The main issue was that whenever she cast her magic, little ghosts popped up everywhere, and Blood Food was tossed out like it was worthless. Furthermore, she was still on the Impermanence Li Family's blacklist. Back when she was in Wazhou, her high-profile actions had attracted the attention of two Small Hall Officers, who pursued her relentlessly, leaving her with no escape route, neither to the heavens above nor on the earth below.
She had been stubborn, refusing to hand over the Small Hall Officer's token from Zhensui Mansion. Eventually, she'd dived headfirst into the underworld, where Hu Ma had later found her and brought her back up.
Now that she was back, she needed to maintain a low profile; otherwise, she risked the Impermanence Li Family finding her again.
Traveling by day and resting by night for several days, they eventually returned to Mingzhou. Along the way, Hu Ma gained a much clearer understanding of the current state of the world. He saw the proliferation of banditry and rogue soldiers, with new banners and factions springing up everywhere.
Of course, this was just the beginning of the chaos, a period of big fish eating little fish.
Usually, a truly powerful grasshead king would erge first, consolidating the various bandits and minor factions to strengthen their own forces.
This way, many would surrender upon seeing the prevailing trend, with few being killed or wounded, and the common people would suffer less.
Only when equally matched grasshead kings, neither willing to concede, finally clashed, would there be a true, deadly struggle over destiny.
Upon reaching Mingzhou, Hu Ma found the place surprisingly peaceful, though the camps that had been stationed outside Mingzhou Prefecture city were empty.
Upon inquiry, he learned that soone had co knocking at the gates, asking for grain. The Food Protection Army's primary duty was to protect their own provisions, so Yang Gong, without a second thought, had raised his banner and ridden out to battle. He was presumably engaged in fierce fighting sowhere at that very mont.
Hu Ma was pleased about this. With the world in chaos and grasshead kings stirring everywhere, it would truly be disappointing if Yang Gong rely remained holed up in Mingzhou City!
"Do you want to return ho and hide for a while, or go back to the Red Lantern Society?" Hu Ma asked Sweet Potato upon arriving in Mingzhou. "Or perhaps, go help Miss Red Wine; she needs people."
"You don't have to worry about , Senior," Sweet Potato replied, waving her hand. "I'll wander around and see where it's fun. But if there's a big job, you must think of !"
"Don't worry, don't worry!" Hu Ma sincerely promised her. "But you also need to be cautious, keep a low profile. The Reincarnator conference has already been held, and our team leader here is Brother Er Guotou. You should consult him if needed, and of course, pass a ssage from —tell him I miss him...
"The most important thing is your skills. I've noticed your skills have advanced quite rapidly; have you already opened two Mansion Gates?
"If you want to learn more, inquire within the Reincarnator circle. The older brothers won't be stingy. I've already told you the dharma thod for the walking ghost altar setup, but you absolutely must keep a low profile. Everyone is busy now and won't be able to help you deal with Impermanence Li!
"As for Blood Food...
"...I have a little left. Here, take two hundred pounds as compensation for your work in Wazhou.
"For more, you'll have to wait until next year; I'm quite tight on resources myself right now."
SNIFFLE. Tears welled in Sweet Potato's eyes. "Senior..."
Hu Ma shuddered. "What's wrong?"
Sweet Potato said, "You're nagging just like my grandma..."
"?"
Hu Ma was puzzled.
Sweet Potato said, "In my previous life, only my grandma treated well. Later on, I angered her so much she died."
Hu Ma was speechless. "Just try not to anger to death, alright?"
After securing Sweet Potato's promise, they parted ways in Mingzhou. Hu Ma headed to Green Stone Town, while Sweet Potato went to find her sworn sister, Red Lantern Lady, Left Protector, for so fun.
However, while Hu Ma made his way to Green Stone Town, Sweet Potato, as she walked, began to ponder. The Impermanence Li Family already has their eyes on . Now that I'm in Mingzhou, won't they still co looking for ? The Impermanence Li Family is so capable, they'd probably find even if I tried to hide. In that case, why don't I just lure them out and strike first?
「...」
When Hu Ma returned to Green Stone Town, he found Zhou Datong, Li, and the others eagerly awaiting him. With the year's end approaching, they had already purchased all the New Year goods, just waiting for Hu Ma to return so they could all go back to the village together. However, Hu Ma had been gone for a long ti.
His return finally settled their anxieties about heading ho for the New Year. After taking a half-day's rest, he entered the Lifebound Spirit Temple at night. After calling upon Miss Red Wine, he smiled and asked, "I've returned. How's the situation now?"
"Relieved to finally hear you're back safely." Miss Red Wine's voice sounded as if she'd let out a long sigh of relief. "Your safety is the most important thing for all of us right now."
"Hmm?" Hu Ma asked, curious. "Didn't Brother Er Guotou tell you?" It made sense that Old Sorghum, being far away, hadn't inford Miss Red Wine. But Brother Er Guotou, who had co up from the underworld so much earlier, hadn't he said anything either?
"We haven't seen him..." Miss Red Wine said, surprised. "That's what we were worried about—that he might have led you into trouble."
"But hearing that you're safe, we can finally rest easy."
He'd led into trouble? A vague premonition was confird in Hu Ma's mind, calming him further. He sighed deeply. "Though there were so bumps along the way, this trip was not wasted."
"Miss Red Wine, I imagine you've all seen Longjing Senior's arrow. This legendary senior is truly awe-inspiring. It's just a pity that after he made his escape, he was too busy to et the rest of us.
"Furthermore, he also brought so very important news regarding the correct way to use the Purple Tai Sui, which he shared with .
"Of course, most importantly, with a single arrow, he returned the Mandate of Heaven to the human world. I believe our objective—to slaughter the Tai Sui and contend for destiny—should now begin..."
"It's already begun," Miss Red Wine laughed. "Those Seven Arrows indeed brought many changes. Many people are now pondering and verifying certain matters.
"As for seizing destiny, those grasshead kings and other skilled individuals capable of rising in these chaotic tis—they all have four ears and eight eyes, figuratively speaking. They don't need us to remind them; they can all sense that the world is now showing signs of great chaos, can't they?
"Before you ca back, I also spoke with Dazed Donkey. He is a grasshead king of this chaotic era, and he had the clearest perception of it, as if so unseen heavenly will was pressing down on him.
"Initially, he dispatched troops to attack Salt State, partly to put pressure on the ng family and thus facilitate your actions in the underworld. anwhile, he himself was preparing to fake his own death to escape that quagmire.
"After all, he knew he couldn't beco Emperor and was afraid of getting in too deep, making it difficult to extricate himself in the end."
Hu Ma listened, his curiosity piqued. "And then?"
"Then he sank even deeper," Miss Red Wine laughed. "The Mandate of Heaven descended, and the human world fell into great turmoil. Everyone believed he possessed foresight for attacking the ng family when he did. Now, with the situation descending into chaos and the ng family overwheld and unable to consolidate, troops from all surrounding areas flocked to join him...
"Without losing a single soldier, his territory has expanded tenfold, and his forces have tripled!"
"After more than twenty years of relative peace, the world has finally reached the ti for great powers to rise in contention. It's also fitting that the ng family, with their ambitious plans to forge the Demon Detection Mirror, should suffer this major setback."
Hu Ma listened, also sighing softly, his voice growing serious. "However, to truly defeat the ng family, there's sothing else that can't be sidestepped. Miss Red Wine, actually, I have sothing I need to tell you all."
Miss Red Wine imdiately grew serious. "Speak quickly!"
"Well..." Hu Ma paused for a mont, then said earnestly, "Although there are many things I still don't understand, it is undoubtedly true that...
"...I am indeed Hu Ma, the sole descendant of the Zhensui Hu Family, which has a blood feud with the Tongyin ng Family."
Having said this, he tensed up, anxiously awaiting Miss Red Wine's reaction.
Then, he heard Miss Red Wine fall silent for a long mont before she suddenly let out a 'HEH!' and chuckled, "Alright, alright. I understand."
"Goodness... that's quite a shock!"
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