CHAPTER 363: CHAPTER 360: WITCH’S PATH

First, to secure the Blood Food upon Entering the Mansion, and second, to broaden his horizons and gain more knowledge about the Tai Sui Blood and Flesh for future preparations.

The journey to the blood food mine was now what Hu Ma focused on the most. Of course, before going, Hu Ma also had to arrange matters within the Manor.

Logically, since he was going to Huozi Ridge to take over the blood food mine industry for the Red Lantern Society, this Manor would also have to be relinquished. After all, once he left, the Manor would lose its cornerstone. Who would be responsible for the transportation and escort matters in the area when spring arrived?

Moreover, even if Hu Ma wanted to find a trusted subordinate, it wouldn’t be possible. To become the Shopkeeper of a Manor, it wasn’t just about having a recommendation letter from the previous Shopkeeper; the successor also needed substantial skills, accomplishments, and recognition from the Society.

Currently, within this Manor, aside from Hu Ma, the most skilled person was Zhou Datong. He had achieved refining life in his two legs and had self-mastered skills like climbing walls, crossing ridges, and even crawling through holes, possessing impressive agility. Yet, for taking over as Shopkeeper, he was still far from qualified.

Normally, to take over a Manor, one needed at least the ability of refining life in all four limbs. Hu Ma’s appointment, when he ostensibly hadn’t fully achieved refining life in his four limbs, had been a special case.

But Hu Ma certainly wouldn’t relinquish it. He had worked hard to establish himself in this Manor; how could he hand it over to someone else? So, before leaving, he wrote a recommendation letter to the Society, proposing that Li temporarily look after the Manor for him.

With Incense Master Xu, there was no need for explanation, as they were his own people. But with others, some justification was needed. Hu Ma didn’t trouble himself with that, instead discreetly giving Er Guotou a heads-up: "Don’t underestimate Li from our Manor."

"For the sake of his future, he volunteered to serve under that Small Hall Officer of the Walking Ghosts, becoming a Negative Spirit himself!"

"Of course, nominally, he’s just a senior Disciple."

Upon hearing this, Er Guotou was taken aback and immediately made arrangements. In just one day, everything was settled. Li was allowed to oversee matters there as needed, with no shortage of funds or provisions.

Hu Ma was astonished. "Are people in the Society so agreeable?"

"Not at all," Er Guotou replied. "The Lady herself ordered it. Upon hearing of this matter, she immediately agreed and even considered..."

Hearing him pause, Hu Ma hurriedly asked, "Considered what?"

Er Guotou said, "She even considered ousting you and making him the Shopkeeper directly!"

"?"

Hu Ma was stunned. "Is the Lady being so quick to forget old loyalties?"

However, thanks to Er Guotou’s persuasion, Hu Ma managed to retain his position as the nominal Shopkeeper of the Manor. Li, meanwhile, was promoted to manager, leading the Manor’s staff who would remain there.

With Li overseeing things, it was as good as having the Seventh Aunt herself watching over it, which reassured Hu Ma. Nevertheless, he instructed them that if anything serious occurred, they should report it directly to the Red Lantern Lady.

If all else failed, they were to go into the Old Yin Mountain and kowtow to seek help.

As for Hu Ma, he packed his luggage, bought a carriage, and hitched his donkey to pull it. His Blood Food, everyday tools, and other belongings were all wrapped up and piled onto the carriage.

As for personnel, he left most of them under Li’s command, taking only Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, and Zhao Zhu with him.

"Just these few people?" On the day of departure, Calculation looked at the men Hu Ma had brought and was visibly surprised. Lowering his voice, he said, "Little brother, do you think we’re just going for a leisurely stroll in the mountains?"

"We’re going there to do some shady work... No, to take over an enterprise!"

"Right now, that mine is full of the followers left behind by the green-clothed evil ghost. They’re clinging to that piece of meat and not letting go. We’re going there to snatch it from them, and you’re only bringing these three? Will that be enough?"

"..."

"It’s not just three," Hu Ma said, looking at Calculation in surprise. "With you, doesn’t that make four?"

"Huh?" Calculation was dumbfounded. "I’m going there to handle the accounts and records! If it comes to a fight, I’m not getting involved..."

"Alright, alright, I get it." Hu Ma glanced at him and chuckled coldly to himself.

However, Hu Ma himself was very confident about this journey. Although he only brought three men, they were all initiated Shousui men. Their skills might not be extraordinary, but each possessed a trump card!

And this was precisely what distinguished this group of young men from the village from others.

Other Shopkeepers from the Manors would need at least three to four years to train a Shousui Disciple capable of handling responsibilities independently, and even then, it would depend on the Disciple’s talent.

But Hu Ma was different. He had many trump cards. The Shousui man trump cards he had learned from the Dongzi Li Family could not only be used by himself but could also be selectively taught to Zhou Datong and the others.

Currently, Zhou Datong had only achieved refining life in his two legs, Zhou Liang in his left hand, and Zhao Zhu in his right hand. To other Masters, such Disciples would seem to lack a solid foundation and wouldn’t be taught any trump cards yet. But Hu Ma had directly selected techniques that could be practiced starting with just one hand or foot, allowing them to begin learning early.

If they truly had to face an opponent, as long as that opponent’s cultivation wasn’t significantly higher than theirs, these fellows would be fearless.

"It’s good that you have a plan. Before I came, Old Xu told me that although you’re young, you handle matters steadily. Otherwise, these old bones of mine wouldn’t have come out with you..."

Seeing that matters were settled and it was time to depart, Calculation earnestly advised Hu Ma, "But let me be clear: when you get to Huozi Ridge, you absolutely mustn’t be careless."

"That blood food mine in Huozi Ridge was originally an enterprise of the green clothes gang, and it’s too far from our Red Lantern Lady’s Club."

"If trouble occurs, reinforcements won’t arrive in time."

"Additionally, it’s a remote and rugged area. The locals are fierce, and it’s also home to a tribe of Witches who cultivate Gu-bugs to harm people."

"When you get there, don’t become complacent just because your Shousui man bodies are tough and underestimate them. The slightest carelessness can lead to suffering a loss."

"..."

"Witches?" Hearing this, Hu Ma was slightly taken aback and asked softly, "Old brother, what kind of Path do these Witches belong to?"

Seeing Hu Ma’s inquiry, Calculation preened, stroked his sparse beard, and sighed, "Greenhorns in the jianghu, most are like you. When they meet someone, the first thing they ask is what Path they belong to. But what’s the use of that?"

"Shousui, walking ghost, Negative Spirit, Punishment Soul, Si Ming, Haishou, trickster, theft disaster, Witchcraft, Black Magic—it’s said in the jianghu that all Magic Skills in the world fall under these ten schools. But who really learns an art so orthodoxly? Unless they’re from one of the Ten Surnames, people just learn whatever they can get their hands on."

"However, in our Mingzhou region, or in the great north, you mostly find Shousui, walking ghosts, Negative Spirits, and tricksters. Witchcraft and Black Magic, those two Paths, are more prevalent in the seven southern regions. It’s normal that you know little about them."

"What this old man can tell you now is this: if you encounter them, be extremely cautious. Greet them with a smile first, and if issues arise, handle them according to the established rules. That way, things shouldn’t go too wrong."

"Furthermore, I absolutely must warn you: the Witch women are beautiful, but you hot-blooded young lads must restrain yourselves..."

"..."

"Hmm?" Hu Ma paused, slightly stunned. For a moment, he actually considered leaving Zhou Datong behind at the Manor.

But on second thought, perhaps it wasn’t necessary. Datong probably wouldn’t be interested in mere girls. It would only be troublesome if there were attractive widows there.

As he mulled this over, his interest was piqued. He began discussing Paths like Witchcraft, Black Magic, and theft disaster with Calculation—areas he rarely had a chance to learn about. To his surprise, their conversation became increasingly animated. Calculation, though perhaps not exceptionally skilled himself, was exceedingly familiar with various Paths and spoke with a silver tongue, on and on.

Of course, it was hard to tell how much was truth and how much was bluster. Unless they were discussing the Shousui Path, Hu Ma couldn’t tell if Calculation was just spouting nonsense about the other Paths.

This discussion, however, attracted Zhou Datong and the others to the old fellow. Since the journey was long anyway, they all gathered around, bantering with him and asking all sorts of questions.

Calculation, thoroughly warmed up, portrayed himself as omniscient, discussing everything under the sun. When he got particularly excited, he even claimed to excel at fortune-telling and physiognomy, especially at reading marriage prospects, which got all of them intrigued.

They quickly crowded around, hopping onto the donkey cart one by one and squeezing to one side, imploring Calculation to predict when they would get married and whether they could earn enough for a large mansion to live grandly in the village.

"Well, well..." Calculation first grabbed Zhou Datong’s hand to read his palm, exclaiming with admiration, "Your destiny is truly extraordinary! You’re fated to become a high official, above tens of thousands!"

Zhou Datong said, "Who asked about that? When can I get married?"

Calculation paused, looking more closely for a moment before saying, "This marriage fortune is a bit hard to tell... Why does it look like all your spouses will be previously married... It seems there’s no ’original’ partner in your destiny..."

Zhou Datong tensed up and hurriedly asked, "That’s not important! What’s important is... will there be many?"

Calculation hesitated. "You’re quite the greedy youngster, aren’t you..."

Before Zhou Datong could press further, Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu, unable to contain themselves, also clambered onto the donkey cart to have their fortunes told.

Calculation swayed his head, proclaiming that Zhou Liang had a destiny of immense wealth, capable of marrying a princess and achieving unspeakable nobility, while Zhao Zhu was fated to be a Fierce General, commanding vast armies and fighting on battlefields.

Even Hu Ma, watching from the side, grew curious. Could this old fellow truly be skilled at fortune-telling?

Wandering street seers offering fortune-telling and character readings weren’t uncommon in these times. However, from his understanding, no legitimate Path specialized in such things. Normally, these people seemed to fall under the purview of the Trick Door—in short, they were all classified as swindlers...

Yet, Calculation spoke with such apparent expertise, making one wonder if this old fellow truly was a deeply hidden expert?

"Alright, alright! Revealing heavenly secrets is a grave offense. I’ve already told you your future destinies. If you want to ask about wealth or marriage prospects, well, that can’t be for free..."

Just as they were growing suspicious, Calculation dropped his act, his true intentions revealed. He put on airs and said, "Further questions will cost you money."

The three, whose interest had just been piqued, exchanged nervous glances. "Can you truly predict things?"

"As long as you pay, I can," Calculation replied casually. "Pay a bit more, and I can even help you change your fate..."

The young men exchanged wary glances, then steeled themselves and took out small silver coins and copper coins. Hu Ma, watching from the side, suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Thank heavens. There aren’t that many deeply hidden experts around. He’s clearly just a straightforward old swindler...