Chapter 1 I Must Go Back

"Wazi, I need to return to the Da Yang village to see Second Master. You don't need to come with me; just stay in the manor and watch over things."

The next morning, Hu Ma found Li Wazi and earnestly instructed him, "Just remember, something might happen recently, but if you can reason, don't resort to violence. If you must fight, remember to protect yourself. If anything happens, go ask Seventh Auntie for advice."

"For you, the most important thing is to look after our manor. Before I return, don't let anyone in."

""

Li Wazi listened, somewhat puzzled, "No one at all?"

"That's right."

Hu Ma said, "Not even the Red Lantern Goddess is allowed in."

Li Wazi was immediately filled with awe, glancing at the warehouse Hu Ma had them clean out yesterday, now secured with a large lock and a yellow talisman pasted on the main door.

Although it was just an inconspicuous yellow talisman, it emanated a murderous aura, and he hurriedly nodded earnestly, remembering the matter. Although Hu Ma didn't explain why, he had long learned to handle responsibilities.

Hu Ma was also a little helpless. Too much blood sacrifice was quite troublesome. If this haul of blood sacrifice was small, he could find a secret place to hide it. For instance, the two thousand *jin* of blood sacrifice he promised Di Gua Shao (Sweet Potato Burn) was buried overnight in a place he found, and he told her the location.

Actually, it wasn't a new place, but the tomb where the people of the Tan'er sect used to hide blood sacrifice. It was now empty, and Hu Ma hid a jar inside.

The two thousand *jin* of blood sacrifice were given in full. In the past, he wouldn't have been in a hurry to heal Di Gua Shao's leg, fearing she would cause trouble. But now, seeing the plight of the reincarnators, Hu Ma thought it best to let her have nimble legs.

However, the remaining blood sacrifice was too large in quantity and difficult to manage, so it was still stored in this warehouse. The interior and exterior were covered with talismans. The one on the main door was a character talisman. If anyone approached and tried to open the door, they would be bound by the talisman's power and pinned on the spot.

But the other walls, the roof, and even the ground were covered with killing character talismans. If anyone spied on it, they would be struck down.

After giving the instructions, he said to Li Wazi, "Also, prepare a table of dishes and cook a pot of brown sugar eggs. Invite Seventh Auntie over; I'll treat her to a meal at noon today."

"Also, have people procure several carts of grain to be transported back to the village later."

".·"

Li Wazi agreed and hurried off.

Before long, the food and wine were prepared and moved into Hu Ma's inner courtyard hall. The doors were closed, and the windows were covered, blocking out all light, but candles were lit on the table for illumination.

This was the custom for inviting Seventh Auntie to dinner, as she was born of a spirit. Normally, to entertain her, it had to be done at night. Of course, with her current cultivation, she wasn't afraid to come out during the day, but during the day, she was prone to revealing her true form, losing face.

In other words, Hu Ma was probably the only one who could invite Seventh Auntie over for a drink in the middle of the day.

"Aiyo, Little Shopkeeper, you're finally back!"

As noon approached, the faint sounds of gongs and drums echoed outside. A gust of Yin wind entered from the corner of the room, and then Seventh Auntie emerged from the shadows, excitedly saying to Hu Ma, "It hasn't been peaceful here lately!"

"I just returned the day before yesterday and I'm leaving again today. Shouldn't I hurry and treat Seventh Auntie to a few cups of wine?"

Hu Ma smiled, not mentioning that he had seen Seventh Auntie when he first returned, and simply asked, "What's been troubling things?"

"Isn't it just a group of flag-wavers who have come?"

Seventh Auntie said, "I don't think any of those people are good!"

"Although those fellows are being quite polite, even bowing to this old woman when they see me, the more I look at them, the more sinister they seem. There’s just something indescribably evil about them."

"They do things that are hard to understand. Since they arrived, they haven't allowed the Red Lantern Society's members to help the villagers with their problems. They do everything themselves. But it works; whether it's hauntings or misfortunes, they all stop when they go there."

"According to their own words, it's because the flags they carry enshrine the truth, and the truth is the greatest power, suppressing those small ghosts and spirits. But I don't think it's any truth; it feels more like heavy *sha qi* (evil aura)."

"Once they get close, not to mention those causing trouble, even those in the tombs are too frightened to show their faces."

Seventh Auntie chattered on, "Moreover, while they say they're removing misfortunes and ensuring peace, I always feel there's something else going on. They measure fields and inquire about how many families are in the village."

"Sometimes, under the guise of helping people with their problems, they sneak into people's homes, ask how much silver they have, inquire about how much grain is in the granary, and even peek into people's urns."

"They're polite on the surface, but the more polite they are, the more uncomfortable it makes people feel. A while ago, I got close to one of the flag-wavers and heard someone crying in his belly."

"Crying in his belly?"

Hu Ma frowned slightly, vaguely guessing what it was, and sighed inwardly, "What kind of person did my distant relative choose to compete for the throne?" He had heard Lao Suanpan (Old Abacus) talk about the origins of this cult before; it seemed that killing good people to increase their own power was something they did.

Of course, that was a long time ago, something their cult's ancestors did.

"These are all minor matters."

Hu Ma listened and raised his cup to Seventh Auntie, saying, "I invited Seventh Auntie here precisely to discuss these things."

"Our area has always been peaceful. The few who caused trouble before have all been eliminated. Now that there are no major ghosts, these evil followers have entered. But no matter how fierce or rampant they are, we won't interfere. However, if they break the rules, we can't tolerate them."

"This matter requires Seventh Auntie to put in a lot of effort!"

"Keep a close eye on things here. If the surrounding neighbors encounter problems and come seeking help, assist them and take charge."

"Is there even a need to say that?"

Seventh Auntie acted as if it were a matter of course, "I'm just waiting to slap them with the sole of my shoe!"

Having followed Hu Ma for so long, Seventh Auntie had even slapped the Five Evil Gods before. Now, seeing these evil followers of the Zhenli (Truth) sect, she wasn't afraid at all. However, what troubled her was that these people exuded an evil aura, yet they adhered to the rules.

Once or twice, she couldn't find an opportunity, and now her patience was wearing thin.

"If it's a ghost, it must wear a painted face. If it's a fox, it must show its tail."

Hu Ma smiled, "They'll eventually lose their patience. Seventh Auntie doesn't need to give them any face."

"Also..."

As he spoke, he pointed to the executioner's greatsword on the altar next to him, saying, "I'll leave this sword here."

"If they're ignorant, Seventh Auntie can teach them a lesson as you see fit. If they still don't listen to reason and want to argue with you, then don't give them any face. Take this sword back, and you won't need to worry about the rest."

"Alright..."

Seventh Auntie was overjoyed and sized up the sword, sighing, "I'm afraid it'll take Little San (Third) and Little Si (Fourth) just to lift it!"

A banquet was held, and Seventh Auntie drank to her heart's content, falling asleep in the woodpile outside in broad daylight.

Fortunately, everyone in this area now knew that the yellow weasels were immortals and didn't dare to offend them; otherwise, she might have been in danger.

In the afternoon, the grain that Li Wazi had been sent to procure was also delivered in two carts. Li Wazi kept complaining, "There's no disaster or famine now, and the new grain has only just come down a few days ago. How come the grain is so expensive?"

"It's a lot more expensive than last year. Even our Blood Sacrifice Gang doesn't have any face. If I had known, what was the point of harvesting blood sacrifice? Growing crops would have been enough to build a small house and marry a wife back in the village."

""

"It's more expensive?"

Hu Ma wasn't surprised to hear this; it matched the information he had gathered.

He simply sighed. Li Wazi's thoughts were too simple. No matter how expensive the grain became, farmers wouldn't get rich.

"Don't give it to me. Hire a few carters to send the grain back to the village. I won't wait any longer; I'll take my leave first."

Hu Ma instructed Li Wazi, and then waited until nightfall. Taking advantage of the twilight at dusk, he first went outside the manor. Seeing that no one was around, he cast a spell. With a light tap of his feet, the two Measuring the Heavens Boots were already on his feet.

However, this time he didn't forget Little Hongtang (Red Begonia), picking her up and placing her on his shoulders, carrying a large jar in his arms.

This jar contained the blood sacrifice that Hu Ma had taken from those jars, the food they had been eating recently.

With the twilight, he set off, entering the territory of Lao Yin (Old Yin) Mountain. However, before returning to Da Yang village, he thought it over and decided to make a detour to the place where Yang Gong (Willow Bow) now lived as a son-in-law.

This was his first time here, but in Lao Yin Mountain, there was no need to worry about getting lost. With the Mountain God watching over them, even the flowers and plants along the road could point the way.

In the distance, in a mountain hollow, he saw Yang Gong's current home, and was surprised. It was already dark, but the village of a hundred or so households in the hollow was still brightly lit.

On the hard ground, ground by stone rollers, two or three hundred local braves, illuminated by the fire basins and torches beside them, were practicing combat skills, their backs bare.

Left hand holding a rattan shield, right hand wielding a knife or spear, they were practicing with remarkable discipline.

"The family that chose Yang Gong as their son-in-law must also have an extraordinary background."

Hu Ma didn't alarm anyone, quietly walking around the village, and subtly understood the situation.

Outside the village was a horse farm, and within the village of a hundred or so households, there were ten or so blacksmith shops. In addition, inside several clearly larger and taller houses, armor was even hung on the walls, indicating that the people in this village must have had a history.

Taking advantage of the previous bandit raid, they had gathered the able-bodied men from the surrounding villages and were now constantly preparing!

To have such a foundation, many martial arts sects probably couldn't compare, yet the Mountain God still considered them too weak?

He sighed softly, not intending to go in and see Yang Gong. He turned to leave, continuing towards Da Yang village, but just as he was about to lift his foot, he saw a gust of Yin wind blowing over.

In the dark night, a ball of black mist rolled to his feet, and a head kowtowed to the ground, joyfully shouting, "Greetings, Lord Hu!"