Hu Ma's question was actually very complex.

At present, his understanding of Tai Sui Blood Food was inherently complex too.

If he were to say he was familiar with it, it would be because in the first seven days of his arrival in this world, he was constantly being fed this stuff. Now, when it came to Blood Food, he was quite adept. Just a glance, and he could tell its quality, how it tasted, whether it would steam well, or if it was good for medicine.

But if he were to say he wasn't familiar, then he was like everyone else, completely unaware of where this stuff came from or why it had such miraculous uses.

He didn't even understand why it was called Tai Sui, why it maintained characteristics like a living creature throughout the year, yet could be harvested and eaten year after year.

Er Guotou, upon hearing this question, couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. "Brother," he said, "you're really different from before. Why are you so curious about all sorts of things? Haven't you heard that curiosity killed the cat?"

"I don't keep a cat," Hu Ma replied. "Besides, I'm now at the point of Entering the Mansion. I still plan to make a trip to the Blood Food mine on behalf of our Red Lantern Lady's Club. How could I proceed without understanding things clearly?" He added, "It's just my luck to be born in the mountains and connect with the Reincarnators so late."

After a moment, Er Guotou muttered, "You were born in the mountains, but that also gave you a chance to latch onto that powerful backer." He then thought carefully for a moment before explaining softly, "However, if you ask me this question, after mulling it over, I can only tell you one thing."

"I don't know!"

Hu Ma was greatly surprised. "What the heck?"

"I don't know!" Er Guotou sighed. "This isn't an excuse, and it's not that I'm withholding anything from you. I really don't know."

"Don't mind that I deal in Blood Food. All I know is that this stuff is beneficial to eat and that harvesting it can be profitable. But as for its origin, or why it has such benefits, I truly can't make heads or tails of it."

"Actually," he continued, giving a bitter smile, "in this world, there are evil spirits, demonic spirits, all kinds of sinister methods, and then there are those like us, the Reincarnators, who are unclear about things ourselves."

"But to be honest, I've always thought that Tai Sui Blood and Flesh are the most mysterious things in this world."

"It's just that because it's everywhere, the people of this world have become accustomed to it, adapted to it, so it doesn't seem that strange anymore."

"But think about it. Such vast and strange flesh appears mysteriously all over the world. And it just so happens that its flesh has unexpectedly miraculous effects: some can strengthen the body, some can heal wounds, and some can nurture the Divine Soul."

"Not only that, but when it's cut, it grows back, and when it grows, it can be cut again, without needing any fertilizer."

"This stuff just isn't scientific!"

He became more bewildered the more he spoke, sighing. "Of course, we only know that this stuff is beneficial to consume because we weren't the first to eat it; the experiences were summarized by others."

"But don't just see its benefits. Tai Sui Blood and Flesh have various classifications: black, white, blue, and red are just the basic four, and there are some more mysterious ones that can even help people break through the shackles of Cultivation."

"For those on the Path, there's Ascension to the Mansion, Crossing the Bridge, and Returning. Those in the court have different levels, like cases, platforms, mansions, and halls. The evil spirits in the countryside also have categories, such as roaming, sinister, evil, and sealed. If you want to learn great skills, doesn't everyone have to ascend honestly, step by step?"

"But some Tai Sui Blood and Flesh can let people reach the sky in one step."

"Of course, that's just the benefit. There are countless unknown drawbacks, like eating it and turning into an evil spirit, or being bewitched into a madman."

"But even the people of this world haven't figured it out, so how could we know everything?"

If you say that, it does sound reasonable. As Hu Ma listened to his reflections, he silently sighed, having to admit that what Er Guotou said made sense.

The Second Master in his own village had been harvesting Blood Food all his life, but if asked what Blood Food was, he could only point to the Meat Mountain and say, that's Blood Food.

Confirming that he couldn't get much more out of Er Guotou, Hu Ma reluctantly gave up for the time being. Er Guotou, clearly stirred by Hu Ma's earlier words, thought for a long while, then decided to leave and ponder it deeply.

Before leaving, however, he suddenly thought of a question. "By the way, Yang Gong—how is he regarded by that noble person now?"

Hu Ma considered this seriously. "At the very least, he should be remembered by that noble person, right?"

"Understood." Er Guotou sighed slowly, and a wisp of incense smoke dissipated.

The cleansed Reincarnators, once so mysterious; Master Tai Sui, who brought all sorts of sinister and enigmatic powers; the defunct court, and the rise of a new Emperor. Then there was the Zhensui Mansion, which led the cleanup of Reincarnators, and the Stone Pavilion Alliance, which stirred undercurrents among the Ten Surnames.

For a moment, even Hu Ma felt a heavy weight in his heart. He vaguely sensed that some matters were on the verge of being understood; perhaps, if he pushed just a little further, he could figure things out.

But now, should he search for the traces of the previous generation of Reincarnators, or first uncover the secrets of the Zhensui Mansion? Or groom the Emperor?

No!

As he pondered these questions, Hu Ma gradually calmed down. Perhaps what truly needed to take precedence now was Master Tai Sui. This was the source of all uncanny mysteries. Even setting aside these questions, didn't he himself now need a large supply of Blood Food to truly achieve Entering the Mansion, thereby gaining some capital to explore the secrets of this world?

I must truly visit the Blood Food mine, he thought. Otherwise, I'll always be too far from Master Tai Sui.

He silently recalled something: he had made an agreement with Incense Master Xu long ago to visit the Blood Food mine, and it seemed the time for that had now arrived.

After mentally sorting through things, Hu Ma confirmed that all was relatively quiet and began to plan his next steps. Other arrangements were straightforward, but he wanted to see Yang Gong before leaving. Unexpectedly, Yang Gong hadn't resurfaced since entering the mountains that day.

But then, on this very day, just after finishing his meal and preparing to call Li in to give some instructions, a sudden gust of cold wind blew into the main hall. Instantly, Little Hongtang swooped down from the beams with a SWISH.

With a flying kick, she sent something flying out, then began to slowly munch on her Blood Food Pill nearby.

Hu Ma immediately opened his eyes and looked at Little Hongtang, whose cheeks were puffed out. "What was that? What did you just kick out?"

"Nothing!" Little Hongtang rolled her eyes and was about to climb back onto the beam.

"Truly useless," a voice said from outside as someone walked in. Surprisingly, it was Yang Gong, holding a lame little ghost in his arms. Before he even crossed the threshold, the little ghost in his arms began to bow repeatedly and joyfully towards Hu Ma. "Blessings to you, Old Master Hu!"

Yang Gong looked at the fawning little ghost with disgust and tossed it aside. Little Hongtang immediately slid down from the beam, scaring the lame little ghost into running outside again.

Once it reached the threshold outside, it turned back and kowtowed towards the hall. "May all go well with you, Old Master Hu!"

"Ah, this..." Hu Ma was rather speechless. He turned to get some green food for it, but Little Hongtang had already darted out in pursuit. Yang Gong, watching his little ghost being pinned down and beaten, felt no pity, only scolded, "Serves you right for getting beaten! You've eaten so much white food and green food every day, yet you can't even win against a little girl!"

Well, if you look at it that way, it's bound to lose, Hu Ma thought, still a bit lost for words. He went over, pulled Little Hongtang away, and stuffed a large piece of green food into the lame little ghost's hand. Only then did he turn to Yang Gong and smile. "Why are you here?"

Though only a few days had passed, Yang Gong was now wearing a decent brocade robe, looking nothing like the gloomy Red Fragrance disciple he once was. Instead, he seemed a bit dazed, his eyes unfocused, as he wandered in.

Hu Ma quickly invited him to sit down and curiously surveyed him from head to toe, noting that he didn't seem injured.

Why did he look so listless, though?

"Brother Hu Ma, I came out this time because I have something important to tell you." After drinking half a bowl of tea, Yang Gong finally seemed to recover his senses. His expression turned solemn as he said to Hu Ma, "The first thing is, I... I was kicked out of the Red Lantern Society."

"Huh?" Hu Ma feigned surprise. "What grave mistake did you commit?"

Internally, he understood that Yang Gong's expulsion was inevitable; it would have been truly strange if the Red Lantern Society had dared to keep him now.

"No, it's not that I committed some grave mistake," Yang Gong quickly explained, though he still looked somewhat confused. "I merely helped the villagers in the mountains deal with those bandits and didn't properly handle the task the Lady assigned."

"But I don't know how, the Incense Master and the Left Protector from the society approached me. I thought they were going to punish me, but instead, they just returned my life paper and told me I could act freely in the future, without needing to follow the Lady's orders."

"You see, they put it nicely, but isn't that just kicking me out?" he said, a hint of indignation and dejection in his voice. "We Red Fragrance disciples, we have no homes, no businesses, no support. We all rely on the society for our meals. Who wouldn't be afraid?"

"Yes, yes, indeed," Hu Ma said. He understood the Red Lantern Society's current reasoning, but trying to see it from Yang Gong's perspective, he realized Yang Gong probably couldn't grasp the underlying changes and the society's attitude.

Although he had now gained reputation and his fortunes had turned, he essentially still viewed things through the lens of the jianghu. To him, the people in the mountains were just ordinary folks. In terms of status and influence, they couldn't compare to the Red Lantern Society!

However, Hu Ma didn't rush to explain. He simply went along with Yang Gong's words and then asked, "And the second thing?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Gong's lips quivered as if he had suffered a great grievance. "I... I got married."

"What the heck?"

Compared to the first matter, this time Hu Ma was genuinely surprised.

And at Hu Ma's reaction, Yang Gong looked even more aggrieved. "It was completely unexpected! I just went for a drink, got terribly drunk, and when I woke up, there was a naked young woman sleeping beside me! Brother Hu Ma, if you encountered something like this, wouldn't you be scared?"