https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-118-The-Lame-Lesser-Servant-Ghost/12898614/
Chapter 119: Riverside Water God Temple
Chapter 119: Riverside Water God Temple
After making up his mind, Hu Ma got up and dressed, and at the same time, he asked Little Red Apricot to call Zhou Datong out.
By the time he had put on his shoes and socks, he heard a "slap" from the side room opposite. Soon, Zhou Datong came out, holding half of his face.
He complained to Hu Ma, "My dear brother Hu Ma, can't you just call me next time?"
"I was dreaming about a delicate little lady, and I was just about to kiss her, but she turned around and slapped me..."
"Isn't that a good thing? Saves you from losing your composure in your dream!"
Hu Ma, trying to hold back his laughter, said seriously, "I called you out for a serious matter."
"I need to go out for a bit to handle some things. I'm not sure when I'll be back, so you'll have to take care of things tomorrow."
"Handle what you can. If there's anything you can't handle, go to the inner courtyard and find the old shopkeeper. If he asks where I am, just tell him I went out to handle some small matters and will be back in a day."
"Also, can I borrow your knife?"
"..."
Zhou Datong agreed and went back to his room to get the knife. He said, "Isn't this your knife, not mine?"
Hu Ma, feeling a bit embarrassed, laughed and said, "I'm used to it. I'll give you a new one without any nicks when I return."
Now, all the apprentices in the village had been equipped with knives, but Hu Ma had used Zhou Datong's knife several times and found it very handy. Moreover, the knives provided in the village all had the Red Lantern Association's mark on them.
Since Hu Ma wasn't sure whether he would be acting openly or secretly on this trip, using Zhou Datong's unmarked knife would be more prudent in case of any trouble.
He hung the waist knife at his side, wrapped the red wooden sword with a cloth, and tied it to his back. Then, he tightened his leggings, put on a bamboo hat, called Little Red Apricot, and walked out of the village with large strides.
According to what Yang Gong had said, he was supposed to bring the apprentices over to provide support. However, Hu Ma felt that the situation was unclear and this trip could be quite dangerous, so he decided to go ahead and check things out first.
There were horses in the stable, and riding one out wouldn't have been a problem, but he decided to walk instead. It was still night, and evil spirits were rampant. Horses, being dragon-bred, would run hot-blooded and could attract unnecessary trouble.
After leaving the village, he set his direction and walked with large, swift strides. The countryside path was quiet, and the night wind was low. Along the way, he didn't know how many hidden things he had startled.
But Hu Ma, using the Age Keeper's techniques, transformed his legs from living to dead, not only moving extremely fast but also making it difficult for those hidden things to discern what he was.
Before they could even test him, Hu Ma had already passed by, making his journey smooth. By the time the sky was just beginning to lighten, he had already reached Niujia Bay.
From a distance, he could see a vast, misty river flowing from the west, making a turn here before continuing downstream. In the bay, dozens of fishing families were drying their nets and mooring wooden boats.
"Is the Water God Temple on the opposite bank?"
Hu Ma tried to match what he saw with the landmarks on the map, thinking to himself.
Living by the water, it made sense for there to be a Water God Temple here. However, temples were rare in this world, and Hu Ma had only seen a few, so he was somewhat curious.
He lowered his bamboo hat and walked into the fishing village, thinking about where to start.
By now, some fishermen had already risen, mending their nets and drying fish, but none were out fishing yet.
Seeing Hu Ma, a new face in the village, they all looked at him curiously, not greeting or questioning him, but rather sizing him up with their eyes.
Meeting their gaze, Hu Ma took the initiative to speak, addressing a dark-skinned man who was polishing a boat. "Brother, I'm from Mingzhou Prefecture, delivering a letter for my master to Xiaoliang County."
"I'm in a hurry, so I set out as soon as the rooster crowed and have made it here."
"I wanted to ask you, is this the way to Xiaoliang County? Such a wide river, why can't I see a ferry crossing?"
The fisherman, who had been just looking at Hu Ma, quickly stood up and replied, "Most people going to Xiaoliang County cross the river here. We usually ferry guests across."
"But you can't cross today. There's trouble on the other side of the river, and we don't dare go out today. If you want to cross, you'll have to go east for forty miles to find another village..."
"That's too late..."
Hu Ma pretended to be anxious, "It's an urgent message. Otherwise, I wouldn't have set out before dawn."
"Brother, could you please be kind and take me across?"
"..."
"No, no..."
The fisherman waved his hands, "Those people are very dangerous. We can't risk offending them."
Hu Ma frowned, "What kind of people are causing trouble?"
"I don't know."
The fisherman lowered his voice, "They have knives and guns and are very violent. Wu Xiato, who lives at the village entrance, ran into them yesterday. They took his boat, saying they'd return it after they were done, but Old Wu can't bear to part with his boat. Before he could even cry, they pulled out their knives..."
"It must be related to what Yang Gong mentioned..."
Hu Ma thought to himself, glancing at the misty river, which was several dozen yards wide, making it hard to see the opposite bank clearly.
He carefully pondered for a moment and then whispered to the fisherman, "I'm really in a hurry. If I waste any more time, my master might fire me."
"How about this, old brother. I have five taels of silver, which I can leave with you as collateral."
"You lend me the boat, and I'll cross the river quietly. After I get to the other side, I'll tie the boat to the shore, and you can row it back safely."
As he spoke, he thought he might be too generous and seemed too fake, so he added, "I'll be back in a few days. We're both honest people. You keep the five taels, and when I return, you give me three taels back. The other two taels will be the fee for the ferry. How about that?"
"Such a good deal?"
Seeing Hu Ma take out a small silver ingot, the fisherman was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected this.
With these five taels, even if someone took the boat, it wouldn't be a loss. He said, "You wait here."
Hu Ma was a bit puzzled, not knowing what he was waiting for.
The fisherman returned to his small, low house and came out a moment later with an elderly man. The old man handed Hu Ma a stick of incense and a piece of paper, saying, "Take this incense. You're not from our bay, so don't disturb the things in the water."
"When you reach the middle of the river, if you feel uneasy, burn the incense and say some nice things... I can't read, so I put a handprint on this paper for you."
"When you come back, bring this handprint to me to claim the remaining three taels."
"Actually, actually, two taels is more than enough. One tael would do."
"..."
"Honest people..."
Hu Ma sighed but insisted on the two taels. He then took the incense and asked about the water's peculiarities in detail.
The fisherman explained everything, not daring to deceive him.
First, the fisherman was kind, and second, he probably noticed that Hu Ma carried a knife and looked like a wanderer.
Hu Ma pushed the boat into the river, sat down, and paddled a few times. The boat indeed moved forward.
In his previous life, he had rowed a boat in a park and knew how to do it.
Of course, his skill wasn't as good as these fishermen who lived by the water, but the river was calm, with no wind or waves. He could manage to cross it, so he slowly rowed toward the opposite shore.
Following the fisherman's advice, he remained alert, knowing there might be something in the river.
But the journey was smooth, and he saw nothing unusual. He squatted at the bow of the boat and watched the small red apricot in the water, which showed no reaction.
Before long, he was close to the opposite shore. From a distance, he could see several small boats forming a circle around a wooden building on the riverbank.
That wooden building must be the Water God Temple, built next to the dock on the opposite shore, with one side facing the river.
The small boats surrounded the Water God Temple, and each boat had people standing on it. One of them shouted to the Water God Temple:
"Brother, you've held out through the night. You must be tired and hungry. What's the point of dragging this on?"
"Why don't you hand over the goods? We'll treat you to a meal, and we can go our separate ways."
"..."
"Go to hell!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a roar came from the Water God Temple. It was Yang Gong's voice.
He cursed loudly, "We risked our lives to get this blood food. The meat mountain doesn't belong to anyone. Why should we hand it over just because you say so?"
"If you have the guts, come and take it. I'll throw the blood food into the river, and you can fish it out!"
"..."
"Heh heh..."
The people on the small boats weren't angry at the insults. They laughed coldly, "If you throw it in the river, we can't fish it out."
"But you won't be able to keep your head either."
"..."
Yang Gong was not the least bit afraid and shouted, "If you want the blood food, you're trying to take my life. Do you think I'll hesitate to throw it in?"
"..."
Hu Ma listened briefly as he approached the shore and understood the situation, which made him involuntarily gasp.
The matter of the blood food was indeed real.
And from the looks of it, both sides were at a standoff.
Yang Gong was hiding in the Water God Temple, and he couldn't see his appearance or how many people were with him. However, the people on the small boats and the shore numbered about twenty or thirty, all armed with knives and guns, looking fierce and cunning.
If they fought, Yang Gong would certainly be at a disadvantage. But he had a cunning plan, threatening to throw the blood food into the river, which made them all hesitant to act.
The river was deep, and who knew what spirits or creatures might be in it. Even fish and shrimp, smelling the blood food, would likely go mad.
So, if Yang Gong really threw the blood food into the river, everyone would have wasted their efforts.
"But how am I supposed to get him out?"
He thought about it, then turned to look at Little Red Apricot, who was sitting at the bow of the boat, her back to him, swinging her little feet. His heart stirred.
He had raised Sister Red Apricot for so long; it was time to make her do some work.
(End of Chapter)
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