Hu Ma was slightly taken aback, "A Shou Sui Ren?" (Guardian of the Year)

"Yes, not the kind who gives out lucky money during the New Year, but someone within a certain field."

The Er Guo Tou brothers laughed, "Shou Sui walks with ghosts, nourishing life through the yin... There are many strange things in this world, and many people deal with them. Due to differences in methods and customs, they are divided into many fields."

"The Shou Sui Ren are one of them."

"..."

Hu Ma suddenly understood why Second Master's skills were so different from his grandmother's.

The two belonged to different fields.

So, slightly moved, he quickly asked, "Then, how can one enter this field?"

"That's a bit more complicated."

Er Guo Tou said with a smile, "Brother, how many pillars of Daoxing (cultivation) do you have now?"

"..."

"How many pillars?"

Hu Ma hesitated slightly, remembering that his grandmother had also asked him this question, and quickly said, "Does this refer to our life incense, or the world's way of measuring Daoxing?"

"Both."

To Hu Ma's surprise, the Er Guo Tou brother laughed upon hearing this and patiently explained to him, "This world measures a person's Daoxing according to their individual life force."

"If a person lives to twenty years old without illness or disaster, it is the peak of their life force. This level of fire has reached its extreme and can ward off evil spirits, making it difficult for them to approach."

"In the eyes of experts, this Daoxing can be called one pillar."

"Three pillars is equivalent to Jiazi Daoxing (sixty years of cultivation)."

"But it's easier for us transmigrators to see. Our original spirit temple illuminates everything, directly showing the life incense. Having one pillar of incense means having one pillar of Daoxing."

"If it's less than one pillar, then it can only be called fire, not Daoxing."

"If you want to enter the field of Shou Sui Ren, you must have at least one pillar of Daoxing."

"..."

So that's how it is, Hu Ma understood.

He now had more than one and a half pillars, close to two pillars, of Daoxing through eating Blood Tai Sui every day.

Logically speaking, this was actually unreasonable, too fast.

In addition, Er Guo Tou said that one pillar of Daoxing was enough to enter the Shou Sui Ren field, but his grandmother wanted him to enter after having three pillars of Daoxing.

She must have considered the special nature of his body.

Understanding this, he knew that he had too many differences from others and needed an explanation. So he deliberately sighed and said, "I don't even have half a pillar!"

"I seem to be different from you. I remembered things from my previous life quite early, but I've been weak and sickly since I was a child, and I almost didn't make it several times."

"I've been following a ghost-walking grandma, but because of my weakness, I couldn't learn her skills. In the end, I followed an old miner to light the furnace, but because of my congenital deficiencies, the fire has never been strong."

"It wasn't until half a year ago that I accidentally ate Tai Sui and opened the spirit temple. You are the one I found..."

"..."

"You're really an honest brother. Don't tell others so much about your background next time."

Er Guo Tou reminded him with a smile, not doubting him.

It seemed that Hu Ma's situation of being summoned to this world was quite shocking, even among the explosive group of transmigrators.

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma followed his advice and asked, "Why?"

"Better safe than sorry!"

Er Guo Tou sighed and said, "My habits are different from that Miss White Wine. She is extremely cautious and doesn't even meet with transmigrators. Although she saved my life before, I don't even know what she looks like."

"But I'm different. I'm cautious, but I don't need to be so suspicious. Just pay more attention usually..."

"...Of course, this is not for you to learn from me."

As he said that, he changed the subject and became more serious, reminding him, "The people of this world are very hostile to us, and they also have great powers. It would be bad if they found us."

"Therefore, it is right for transmigrators to help each other, but we should also try to adhere to the principle of not meeting each other. If there is anything that needs to be delivered in reality, let the ghost messenger do it."

"This is actually my..."

"..."

"Transmigrators not meeting each other?"

Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly as he listened to his words.

He had a very strange feeling that there were many people in this world who came from the same world as him, similar groups.

But everyone knew of each other's existence, could communicate, but did not meet each other...

"Yes."

Er Guo Tou said, "Of course, it's just a principle. In a life-threatening emergency, we can't care about it."

"Among the transmigrators I know, many have met each other, and even I have met a few..."

"...I'm just telling you this principle."

"..."

"If that's the case, then we should pay attention..."

Hu Ma silently noted this in his heart before hearing the Er Guo Tou brother continue, "Regarding the situation you mentioned, it's not uncommon. Transmigrators come from the same world, the same era, but when they come to this world, they have vastly different experiences."

"Some are born into luxury, and Blood Tai Sui can be eaten as food, and there are people with great abilities helping to protect them..."

Hu Ma felt that this description sounded familiar.

Er Guo Tou also sighed, then changed the subject and said, "But there are also those like you, who are born with deficiencies, without any nourishment, and born in the remote and evil Old Yin Mountain. It's extremely difficult to even understand their own situation, let alone anything else."

"No wonder the first thing you came into contact with was the Shou Sui Ren's methods."

"However, I think those meat-cutters rely purely on sealing their own Yang Qi to resist evil spirits, digging up a few coins from the soil to spend. Although it's an honest path, it has become a crooked path."

"Rather than calling them Shou Sui Ren, it would be more appropriate to call them 'Human Candles'..."

"..."

Hu Ma knew that what he was saying was important, and he noted it all down. At this time, he was slightly stunned, "Human Candle?"

"That's right."

Er Guo Tou said, "Using one's own Yang Qi to fight against evil spirits, each fight weakens the Yang Qi by one point. If they learn some Yin methods, it's like using their own lives to nourish those evil spirits."

"It's like a candle burning. The more it burns, the more its lifespan decreases, so it's called a 'Human Candle'!"

"These kinds of people are not uncommon, and they are all poor souls..."

"..."

Hu Ma listened carefully and quickly asked, "This is the crooked path you mentioned. What is the right path?"

"Further cultivation to become a true Shou Sui Ren."

Er Guo Tou said, "Those blood food gangs in the city, whether it's the Red Lantern Society, the Green Coat Gang, or the Basket Gate, all worship some Shou Sui Ren."

"These people are constantly with Tai Sui, but they are healthy and strong, blessed with good fortune and longevity, because they have mastered some special methods of nourishing life."

"Of course, we don't know if it's true, but it is said that some powerful Shou Sui Ren, relying on their Daoxing, can even save the dead..."

"..."

Hu Ma was already inexplicably moved.

This must be the reason why his grandmother insisted on continuing to learn these methods, right?

His heart stirred slightly, and he lowered his voice and said, "That's indeed what I want to learn, but this path..."

Er Guo Tou said, "If you really want to learn, then you must first join a blood food gang to have a chance."

Hu Ma quickly asked, "How can I join?"

He had heard of the existence of blood food gangs, but the people in the village respected and feared them, as if they were great figures, but he had never heard of any family's children being able to join the blood food gangs.

Er Guo Tou pondered for a moment and said, "I can help you with this, but..."

"..."

"I saved your life, and you're still hesitating?"

Hu Ma felt a little dissatisfied in his heart, but his voice was as usual, and he said with a smile, "But what?"

Er Guo Tou sighed and said, "It's just that this matter is too simple and not enough for me to repay your life-saving grace..."

This brother is really an honest man. It's already very good that he can help me, and he's still considering the size of the favor?

"Don't underestimate the word 'favor'."

Hu Ma was really surprised. The Er Guo Tou brother explained with a smile, "Among us transmigrators, the most valuable currency is favor!"

"You need to understand that there are no constraints among us transmigrators, and we dare not have real-world relationships. Helping each other is just a group of poor worms huddling together for warmth."

"However, everyone is working hard to survive, but they can't put all their energy into others, but they can never guarantee that they will need others to save their lives. So, over the years, we have found that the thing we value most is the word 'favor'."

"For me, you saved my life, that's a huge favor."

"Whether it's arranging for you to enter the Red Lantern Society or helping you solve a small problem, it's not even a small effort. If you want to talk about it, the way I can repay you this favor should be to directly give you this method..."

"...And throw in two pounds of Blood Tai Sui!"

"..."

Hu Ma was suddenly a little surprised to hear this.

For a moment, he felt that using favors as currency was a bit whimsical, and for a moment, he felt that it should be like this.

And this also explained why that Miss White Wine insisted on repaying him with three pieces of information.

She was also afraid of accidentally owing him a favor?

"For you, it was just casually passing on a message that saved my life, but for me, it was a huge favor."

Er Guo Tou said to Hu Ma in a serious tone, "If I gloss over it here, I'm afraid that when I get to other transmigrators, my favor will be worthless."

"So, brother, you don't have to be polite with me. Since you want to learn those methods of the Shou Sui Ren, I will help you find an opportunity..."

"In addition to these, if there are any other questions, just come and ask me on the days ending in zero."

"..."

Hu Ma understood and quickly thanked him.

Connecting burned life incense, so the two did not use it to chat idly. After a conversation, they had already exited.