Chapter 16 The Password

Now that both sides have revealed their identities, this password isn't to confirm if the other is a transmigrator, but to verify the right to exercise the highest priority.

After all, Hu Ma's priority is for convenient handling of important matters. Therefore, Miss Red Wine suggested that each regional representative privately agree on a password with Hu Ma, only trusting each other after it was exchanged.

This way, each region has a different password, and only Hu Ma knows them, making it much safer.

But now that they've already held hands, exchanging the password feels a little strange...

Helpless, Hu Ma nodded and said, "Elephant, elephant!"

Erguotou beside him glanced at the two of them, his face barely holding back a smile.

Embarrassed, Hu Ma quickly said, "Can you help us enter the Yin realm?"

"I can't."

Wujiapi's answer was unexpected, but he immediately added, "But my shiniang (teacher's wife) can. She's naturally gifted at zouyin (walking the Yin), able to act as a yincha (underworld officer) in dreams, summoning ghosts and souls."

"There are quite a few people like her, scattered everywhere. These people treat their role as yincha as a kind of inherited profession, also their way of survival. The yincha in various places are connected, almost like a sect."

"Don't mention it, they earn quite a bit of money. They know in advance who is going to die, so they go over and tell them to prepare for the afterlife, and they can earn some food money."

"But that's just a little. When they encounter the wealthy, they can even delay the soul-summoning for a few days..."

"..."

"So, it's not you..."

Hu Ma and Erguotou were both stunned and frowned, "You don't know this skill?"

"Hehe, I didn't learn many skills..."

Hearing this, Wujiapi sneered and shook his head, "I wanted to learn it before, but I was delayed..."

"I wanted to learn the shousui (staying up all night on New Year's Eve) skill, but unfortunately, I broke my virginity when I encountered it. I also wanted to learn the haishou (harming head) skill, but I had to be a bricklayer first, which was too tiring. Sima wanted to find a way to learn, but he couldn't remember so many prescriptions and herb names."

"As for fu ling zou gui (carrying spirits and walking with ghosts) or something, forget it. Zou gui is a poor man's life, running around all day, and fu ling means carrying that thing, so you can't even get hard..."

"..."

Erguotou's expression immediately turned a little unhappy: "The zou gui skill isn't like what you said, it's very powerful..."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Wujiapi suddenly realized something and said to Erguotou, "I shouldn't have talked about zou gui in front of you, brother..."

Hu Ma also felt a little strange. He glanced at Erguotou and felt like he had thought of something important, but he couldn't quite grasp it. After a moment, he said to Wujiapi, "No, brother, you're a transmigrator, and you don't learn any skills?"

"There's no way, none of those suit me..."

Wujiapi sighed and said, "But just by delaying like this, I finally met this shiniang. I excitedly wanted to learn her xinghun (torturing souls) skills."

"But I soon discovered that this shiniang doesn't have any real skills. She's just a natural errand runner for summoning souls and ghosts. Earlier, I took good care of her, and she said she wanted to pass this identity on to me, but..."

Thinking of this, he shook his head again and said, "A living person acting as an underworld officer? Forget it."

"..."

Even Erguotou was listening strangely at this point: "Brother, so you didn't learn anything? What have you been doing all these years?"

"Marrying a wife and having children..."

Wujiapi said, "Do you want to meet my daughter? She's very cute..."

"?"

At once, Erguotou and Hu Ma didn't know what to say. There were very few transmigrators who started a family, right?

Mendunlu had married ten wives...

...Speaking of which, do they all like this style in this area?

"Oh, right..."

Wujiapi seemed a little embarrassed by the two of them and said in a low voice, "You see Yezhou City, right? You ride a fast horse, start from here, and run all the way until night. All the fields, shops, and salt and iron businesses you can see..."

Hu Ma was immediately shocked: "Are they all yours?"

"How is that possible?"

Wujiapi said, "At most, these only account for one-tenth or one-twelfth of my family's property..."

"?"

Hu Ma and Erguotou were both stunned.

"These were all acquired by my father during the twenty years of chaos, not counting the businesses I made in my spare time..."

Wujiapi was slightly proud: "My trading company has even reached the capital..."

"Of course, the world is indeed chaotic, and you can't do without some self-defense skills, but my family has many ancestors. The memorial tablets add up to more than the buildings in Yezhou City. Plus, I've hired a few retainers, so I can barely make a living..."

"Today, I'm here to meet you two. Normally, I would never leave the house without dozens of people around me..."

"..."

"?"

Hu Ma and Erguotou choked for a moment, not knowing what to say.

Damn, if they had transmigrated into such a good family, they wouldn't want to learn these suffering skills either.

"Forget it, forget it, everyone has their own fate..."

They exchanged glances and said nothing more, but simply said, "You guaranteed Miss Red Wine that you could help us enter the Yin realm, which means you can persuade your shiniang (teacher's wife)?"

"..."

"I can't persuade her."

Wujiapi shook his head and said, "People like them are very stubborn. Just having the identity of a chaiyi (errand runner) in hand is enough to ensure they don't go hungry."

"Taking people down secretly is risky. If it's discovered, they'll lose their identity. But, don't worry, you two. I've already made plans. I'll definitely make her obediently send you down, and also take this opportunity to get rid of her."

"Ah?"

These words surprised Hu Ma and Erguotou again: "You're playing it so big right off the bat?"

"It's not that I'm intolerant, it's just that people in this profession are too cunning..."

Wujiapi sneered and said, "Although I don't want to take over her role as a soul-summoning errand runner, I still provide her with good food and drink, calling her shifu (teacher), but actually treating her as a retainer."

"But this old thing is getting old. She's relying on her skills to try to control me. She brought up my cheap old man's impending death, which is fine, but the strange thing is, she shouldn't have..."

Speaking to this point, his eyes suddenly turned cold, and his expression became somewhat sinister: "...set her sights on my daughter!"

"Although I didn't want to take over her identity as a zouyin (underworld walking) errand runner when I was young, she didn't actually want to pass it on either. But now that she's nearing the end of her life, she's afraid that no one will take care of her afterward, so she secretly calculated my daughter's birth date, wanting her to also become a soul-summoning errand runner..."

"That's my lifeline. If I don't kill her, what else am I supposed to do?"

"Don't be surprised, you two brothers. She's been causing trouble with this identity. I won't feel guilty no matter when I kill her!"

"..."

Hu Ma and Erguotou exchanged glances and sighed. It was no wonder. People in this profession sometimes do develop a sense of superiority in front of ordinary people, feeling that they can secretly use tricks and not take those noble masters seriously.

But others aside, transmigrators are unwilling to suffer this loss.

Especially since, for transmigrators, the bonds of parents and siblings might not be that important.

But their own children...

...That's a no-go zone!

The three of them discussed in this vacant mansion of Wujiapi for a while. Then, Wujiapi led Hu Ma and the others out of the city, heading west all the way, becoming more and more desolate.

Finally, they arrived at a desolate and gloomy place. In a locust grove, they saw a small courtyard. Wujiapi stepped forward, knocked on the wooden door, and respectfully called inside:

"Granny, I've brought two guests who specialize in treating carbuncles..."

"..."

Along with the voice, a coarse-clothed maid opened the door and led them in. They saw that the house looked delicate from the outside, but the inside was pitch black. The windows were all sealed, and there were no lights lit. They could only vaguely see a hunched figure draped in coarse cloth.

She didn't turn around, but said in a hoarse voice, "Just here to see a doctor for this old woman?"

Wujiapi quickly smiled and said, "Of course. But these two also have some matters."

"Please do me a favor and take them down for a trip?"

"..."

The old woman draped in coarse cloth was silent for a moment and shook her head, "It's not easy to go!"

"Before, no one cared. When you went down, you just had to serve those underworld officers well. Now that the officials have appeared, they even manage the living!"

"..."

Hu Ma and Erguotou frowned as they watched.

Wujiapi quickly moved closer and whispered in her ear, "Granny, I've always been concerned about your discomfort and have been looking for medicine everywhere..."

"These two have good ointment that can cure your sores. And, they're anxious. In order to ask you to make this trip, they've brought out ten jin of gold thread tai sui (meat fungus).."

"...Look, the deposit is already given to me. Should I put it in the basket for you?"

As he spoke, he handed over an oiled paper package. The old woman was visibly stunned and reached out to take it.

After squeezing it, she put it into her sleeve. After a long while, she said, "Then wait outside, come in after dark!"

Hu Ma and Erguotou came out to wait, secretly exchanging glances. They both realized that Wujiapi's foundation was indeed thick. That kind of gold thread tai sui was extremely precious in their profession, yet he took it out as he pleased. It was actually...

...also calculated by the jin (pound)?

Perhaps, he could also support Brother Monkey Wine?

Wujiapi stayed inside the house and muttered something again before coming out.

When he passed by Hu Ma and Erguotou, he simply said, "Rest for a while, you two. Our Granny will take care of everything!"

After saying that, he left without looking back.

Hu Ma and Erguotou stayed in this courtyard, looked at each other, and understood Wujiapi's wink. They felt relieved...