Chapter 楊弓，居然是這小子？ Yang Gong, It's Actually This Kid?

As Hu Ma galloped his horse towards his own manor, he found the situation rather amusing and interesting. He even vaguely recalled Shan Jun's words: "A dragon seed is born in an area of Five Fiends, while a mud loach is raised in a treasure land of geomancy…"

Yang Gong could truly be called a mud loach. Born into poverty and working as an incense burner, he had only one belief in life: to gamble for wealth with his life!

But such a person, when nearly all of Ming Prefecture was affected by the Five Fiends, was vaguely pushing ahead at the most crucial point in destiny?

To Hu Ma, this was merely amusing. He understood Shan Jun's words. Since the Five Fiends created this chaotic situation, such a person would inevitably appear. If it wasn't Yang Gong, it would be someone else.

Even if there wasn't anyone, it wouldn't matter to push one out.

But the fact that it was Yang Gong made things interesting. And precisely because it was Yang Gong, Hu Ma, who hadn't initially intended to directly intervene in this matter, didn't mind doing something at the most crucial moment in this chaotic situation.

He leaped onto his horse and pulled hard on the reins for the first time. Then, he raced through the night like the wind. Even the horse seemed to have sensed some dangerous aura. It immediately perked up, stretched its hooves, and ran swiftly through the night.

"Swish, swish, swish…"

The cold night wind, carrying the heavy scent of blood from the southwest, whistled past his ears.

Riding this fast horse, Hu Ma returned to the manor in a very short time. He drove straight in, quickly jumped off the horse, and rushed into his inner courtyard to retrieve something wrapped in black cloth.

The manor's servants, startled by his sudden return and having heard the frightening sounds of fighting nearby, quickly grabbed their weapons and gathered around.

"Don't be afraid. As long as you stay in the manor, nothing will happen."

Hu Ma loudly reminded them, grabbed the black bundle, slung it over his shoulder, and jumped back on his horse, preparing to leave.

But just before he was about to rush out of the manor, he suddenly seemed to remember something. He turned his head to look at the group of servants who were looking at him with tense expressions. His gaze fell on Zhou Datong, who was at the front of the group. Suddenly, he smiled and said, "Datong, now there's a rare opportunity."

"If you take some people out and fight for a while, you might get some benefits. Do you want to go?"

"…"

Zhou Datong was stunned for a moment. Listening to the earth-shattering shouts outside, and having already loosened up his legs, he was eager to try. But he still said, "If you ask me to go, then I'll definitely go. Right now…"

"No."

Hu Ma said, "It's all up to you. This matter has nothing to do with me. There will naturally be danger if you go, but you may not necessarily get any benefits…"

Zhou Datong immediately lost interest and said, "Only a fool would go. I might as well stay in the manor and protect the neighbors…"

He glanced at the neighbors who had run to the manor to hide in fear, especially the famously beautiful widow who was cowering inside. Hu Ma immediately laughed and said, "Then just guard the manor well."

With a loud laugh, he raised the reins and rushed out of the manor.

In his heart, he was thinking that he would have to tell Second Master later that their Zhou family's ancestors weren't very helpful. How could the descendants not even have the fate of an emperor?

While thinking about these things in his heart, he was already urging the steed under his crotch to rush straight towards the battlefield filled with blood and baleful energy. Smelling the bloody scent, the horse suddenly became more excited, and its hooves pawed faster and faster, as if it were flying.

And now, Yang Gong was fighting with people in the crowd. He was a fu ling ren (spirit bearer), and he usually led his brothers to do things, so he was used to charging in the front. Now, he was doing the same, wielding a rusty pudao (a type of long-handled knife) back and forth.

Earlier, he had a knife on him, but after hacking and killing for the past few days, the blade had long been chipped, and he didn't know where it had been thrown.

Now, this one was snatched from a bandit, but because it had killed too many people, it was covered in a thick layer of blood, making it very unpleasant to use.

But this was not important. Right now, he only felt a vague heaviness in his heart. His right eyelid had been twitching violently. This was the largest group of bandits he had ever faced, and the most dangerous battle.

But as a fu ling ren, his skills were naturally not weak. But now, he didn't know why, in this chaotic pile of fighting, a rolling, cold aura would occasionally rush to his face, and the strength in his body was becoming increasingly difficult to use.

Most importantly, this should have been the last battle to eliminate the bandits, but danger kept coming towards him from time to time.

Either several bandits suddenly went crazy, charging at him with red eyes, or someone randomly chopped a weapon at his head.

Even the horse under him was tripped by a dead body and almost threw him to the ground.

But with a surge of bravery and several brothers who were loyal to him and fought alongside him, he managed to survive. He was about to kill the bandits until they were routed and about to scatter and flee.

But just at this moment, an arrow shot out from who knows where, as if influenced by some unseen force. It shot out from the crowd, passing through countless people who were fighting, and flew straight towards Yang Gong's head.

As it flew in front of Yang Gong, the arrow was at its most powerful, and it would definitely shoot through his eye socket and straight into his brain.

And just at this moment, Yang Gong had just turned around and chopped down a bandit leader. He was straightening his body. Coincidentally, his brothers each had their own opponents and were a little further away from him. No one noticed this arrow.

Everything was as coincidental as fate!

As Yang Gong flipped back onto his horse, preparing to wave his knife and kill forward, the arrow had arrived.

Yang Gong saw the arrow, but his head suddenly became slightly dull, and his entire heart was blank, as if he had already seen the scene of the arrow shooting through his head.

And he was even powerless to resist, as if facing fate.

When an ant faced a mountain pressing down on it, the ant would probably have such a moment of blankness, unable to even speak of despair and fear, because that heaviness was so heavy that it couldn't produce any other emotions, only a deep sense of powerlessness.

But just at this moment, a burst of rapid hoofbeats suddenly sounded outside the crowd.

Hu Ma rode his fast horse over and charged straight into the battlefield. Facing the bright knives, spears, and dung forks, the horse seemed even more excited. It didn't even stop and jumped directly into the crowd.

If Hu Ma hadn't tried his best to pull on the reins, pulling it towards Yang Gong's direction, it would probably have charged onto the spear tip on its own.

Precisely because it had such a crazy momentum, Hu Ma rushed into the battlefield, quickly approached Yang Gong, and just as that fateful arrow was about to pierce through Yang Gong's eye socket, he suddenly stood up and grabbed it.

"Chih!"

The arrow was only a finger's distance away from Yang Gong's eyes, and then it suddenly stopped.

The next moment, Hu Ma and Yang Gong passed each other on horseback. Holding the arrow in his hand, he smiled at Yang Gong and said, "What? Scared silly? You don't even know how to dodge when an arrow comes?"

"You…"

Only when Yang Gong heard Hu Ma's laughter did he suddenly shudder and react. Only at this time did he feel fear, but then he was immediately dissipated by the surprise of Hu Ma's appearance. He shouted, "It's you, kid. Why did you run here?"

"My manor is right next to here. You're the one who ran to my place."

"Catch!"

Hu Ma smiled at him, then raised his hand and threw the object wrapped in black cloth towards Yang Gong. The black cloth unfolded in the air and came loose. Yang Gong grabbed it and was shocked to find that it was a knife.

He threw away the rusty pudao in his hand and pulled it out. He only felt a chilling aura, and the blade was as bright as snow. It was actually a rare treasure knife.

He was both surprised and delighted, and his heart was filled with indescribable emotions. How could this Hu Ma brother have come so coincidentally, helping him catch that deadly arrow and knowing that he needed a handy weapon?

"Use it."

But the surrounding figures were swaying and in a chaotic mess. Hu Ma didn't explain much to him. He just smiled and nodded at him, saying, "You did a good job. You shouldn't accept fate like that."

As he spoke, the steed under his crotch had already kicked up its hooves, stomping down two people, and then took him and rushed into the battle formation.

Yang Gong didn't know how much he wanted to say, but he didn't expect Hu Ma to come so suddenly and leave so quickly. He was choked up for a long time before he cursed, "My silly, honest brother, you gave me this good weapon, so what will you use?"

But he didn't have time to think about it in detail right now. He was just invigorated and slashed at the bandits with baleful energy, as if he felt full of strength. He didn't put this small battlefield in his eyes at all.

He didn't have to worry, because Hu Ma rushed into the battlefield, caught the deadly arrow, and sent him that handy weapon, and then left the battlefield.

Although the steed under his crotch was reluctant, Hu Ma still pulled it out. Of course, after leaving the battlefield, he jumped off its back. As for whether it would rush back in again, that was none of his business.

He just walked quickly into the night. After walking not far, he saw Xiao Hongtang leading the way in front, taking him back to Seventh Aunt and Zhang Agu's side. He smiled and said to Xiao Hongtang next to him, "Are all the things ready?"

"Xiao Hongtang, we're going to prepare to set up an altar to collect evil spirits!"

"…"

Xiao Hongtang nodded vigorously and took out the small basket hanging on her arm to show Hu Ma. Inside were incense, candles, and other items.

Beside her, Zhang Agu finally couldn't help but ask, "You're guarding the year, so why are you setting up an altar?"

There were many similar questions, such as why are you here, who is this Seventh Aunt, who is the master who deals with the Five Fiends evil spirits, and when you say you want to set up an altar to collect evil spirits, do you mean…?

But Hu Ma didn't give her time to ask these questions. He just turned his head to look at her, smiled, and said, "I know how to set up an altar, Agu."

"You were the one who taught me in the first place. Have you forgotten?"

(End of this chapter)