Chapter 159: Hong Tang Moves Wealth
Chapter 159: Hong Tang Moves Wealth
"Yes, yes..."
The inn boy hurriedly responded, not daring to ask any more questions.
They had seen some wandering martial artists come and go mysteriously before, while running their inn.
The townspeople, especially those running inns, were well-informed and observant. They had a hunch that these events were related to the Young Master Lu from the grain merchant family, but no one would dare to inquire about it. The disappearance of a few martial artists didn't concern the locals much, but the murder case that had occurred in town had caused quite a stir.
Now, it was the same. They had assumed Hu Ma would disappear after leaving, or reappear as a follower of Young Master Lu. They never expected him to return, looking quite indignant.
Not wanting to provoke him, they quickly let him in, had someone boil water, and prepare a meal.
They were relieved that they hadn't hastily divided his luggage the night he left; otherwise, he might have accused them of running a black inn and caused a commotion.
"Little Red Apricot, we have a guest on the third floor at the end. Go inside, find the silver, and bring it here."
Once upstairs, Hu Ma waited for the inn boy to bring hot water, washed his face, and ate a large bowl of fatty meat-topped handmade noodles. He then took a Blood Food Pill to replenish his energy from the previous night and immediately instructed Little Red Apricot.
The martial artists he had been with had all received a sum of silver. Now that they were soulless, this silver belonged to him. He had already discussed this with Diguashao, and it was part of his share.
So, he had earlier asked Little Red Apricot to keep an eye on where those people had settled. Now that the matter was resolved, the silver had become unclaimed, and he needed to collect it quickly.
Of course, he didn't dare send Little Red Apricot to the place of the ruthless old man, Wang Laohan.
"Grandma once said it's not good to move someone else's silver?"
Little Red Apricot was still a bit confused. Hearing that no one was guarding the place and there was no risk of being seen, she decided to trust Hu Ma.
After all, Grandma had told her to listen to Hu Ma in the future. She nodded vigorously, and with a gust of wind, she passed through the window and disappeared.
Hu Ma burned incense in the room and patiently waited for Little Red Apricot to return.
Before long, she came back, struggling to carry a bundle and tossed it on the ground with a thud.
"There's also some in the abandoned house at the town's entrance..."
Hu Ma then pointed to another location, fed Little Red Apricot a large piece of Green Food, and watched her leave happily.
An hour later, Hu Ma washed his face with hot water, soaked his feet, and ate a large bowl of noodles the inn had prepared for him. He finally relaxed a bit. Behind him, there were already three or four bundles, each containing the silver Young Master Lu had given out.
Young Master Lu was shrewd. He had intentionally given each person a heavy sum of silver, making it seem substantial, but he knew these martial artists wouldn't be able to take the silver away quickly.
Once he had accomplished his goal, he could still recover the silver.
If he had given silver notes or equivalent jewels, Blood Food, or other valuables, they might have been hidden away, making them hard to find.
Of course, now it was to Hu Ma's benefit.
"Combined, it's about seven or eight hundred taels of silver, plus these old relics. This trip wasn't in vain."
He stuffed the silver under the bed, planning to transfer it to the cart the next day. Hu Ma secretly made a plan, feeling a bit excited. Of course, this wasn't the main part. The main part was the help he had given to Diguashao, and it would depend on how Diguashao, whether a brother or sister, would thank him.
After eating and feeding Little Red Apricot, Hu Ma lay down on the bed, practicing his techniques while waiting patiently.
"Brother Old Bai.gan, are you there?"
Sure enough, after he lay down, it was already late at night when Diguashao's voice rang out.
Hu Ma replied in a deep voice, "I've been waiting."
"Ha ha, Brother, you are truly amazing..."
Diguashao laughed heartily upon hearing Hu Ma's words. She no longer disguised her voice, and it was full of excitement: "If not for you, I wouldn't have had the confidence to deal with my senior brother."
"Our sect doesn't have the skills for combat. Even the old beggar he brought to help couldn't be handled by me. But you, with one swift stroke, it was so clean and efficient..."
"... But your hand was a bit heavy, I almost lost the use of my arm."
"..."
Hu Ma smiled and said, "I didn't use much force, but I forgot the knife had a notch, and it cut a piece of flesh."
Diguashao sighed, "Your knife is like a saw. How did that happen?"
Hu Ma replied, "Killing too many people, it's like that now."
"?"
Diguashao was clearly stunned and cautiously asked, "Senior, do you just kill people for fun?"
"Not really."
Hu Ma said, "I've killed zombies before. By the way, clean your wound properly. I used this knife to chop a Drought Demon, and there might be corpse poison."
"Hiss..."
Diguashao sucked in a cold breath, clearly shivering. She tentatively asked, "When you moved, a gust of ghostly wind suddenly blew through the courtyard, and I felt my soul waver. What kind of skill is that?"
"A technique among the Age Keepers?"
"..."
Hu Ma knew she was referring to his Four Ghosts Bowing at the Gate technique. At the time, he had bowed through the wall, and no one in the ancestral hall courtyard could escape, regardless of whether they had the Yellow Official Paper on their face. Their souls would be shaken, and their movements slowed.
Then, cutting someone's neck with a knife myself would be even more satisfying.
If it weren't for that initial bow, I wouldn't have been able to deal with that old monkey who can call souls so smoothly.
However, when Diguashao asked, she just smiled and said, "We can talk about this when the time comes."
"Now, have you obtained your treasure?"
"..."
"I have..."
Diguashao also took a moment to realize that the other party was a seasoned veteran and wouldn't easily reveal their secrets.
When I leaked the secrets of the Soul Punishment Sect before, it was because I needed help, but now asking her, she naturally wouldn't say anything.
Just like Miss White Wine, when I asked her about her identity in this world and if I could visit her, she simply ignored me.
These seniors are truly mysterious...
She didn't mind and got excited when talking about the treasure, smiling and saying, "Our master is really devious. I only managed to subdue my senior brother and then took out the treasure from the old tomb."
"Now, I am the leader of our sect. I can also learn the secret skill of using yellow paper from my senior brother."
"According to the agreement with my master, his title as an old honorary member of the Blue Robe Gang also belongs to me now!"
"..."
Hu Ma listened, slightly intrigued, and asked, "What treasure did your master leave behind?"
"Hehe..."
Diguashao, seeing Hu Ma ask, felt a bit awkward and laughed, "It's not much to outsiders, just a coffin from an old tomb that has been cultivating yin qi for many years, which can now be put to use... Of course, for me, the treasure is not just that."
"My senior brother is extremely wealthy, and as his junior sister, I naturally have to smile and take it."
"..."
Hearing her hesitation, Hu Ma realized that his question was a bit abrupt.
He and Diguashao were partners, and the purpose of their cooperation was only to deal with her senior brother, not to involve treasures.
It was a bit awkward for her to not say, but ultimately, she didn't have to reveal anything.
After realizing this, he changed the subject and smiled, "With such a large family business of the Lu family, how are you going to smile and take it?"
"Marry him..."
Diguashao smiled, "He is my senior brother, and I am his junior sister. We learned together, and our relationship is so deep. What's the problem with me marrying him?"
"Only, my senior brother's feelings for me are too 'deep.' He listens to everything I say, so whatever money I want, he will give me. In a few years, he will die from illness, and then the Lu family will be mine."
"Mm?"
Hu Ma listened and couldn't help but feel a chill.
Initially, he thought Diguashao was controlling that Young Master Lu to use his skills to obtain the treasure, but he didn't expect her methods to be so ruthless.
She wanted to turn Young Master Lu into a puppet, using him as a stepping stone to directly take over the Lu family's generations-old business?
Thinking about how Young Master Lu would be completely confused, handing over his family business, he felt a chill.
The Soul Punishment Sect is truly sinister...
Earlier, when Young Master Lu mentioned his junior sister, he was filled with hatred, saying all sorts of things, which seemed completely different from the Diguashao he knew.
But now, thinking about it, Young Master Lu didn't seem to be wrong at all. To him and the people in this world, Diguashao is indeed such a devious and cruel person.
It's a good thing I'm on her side...
...Miss White Wine specifically warned Diguashao about the mutual distrust among reincarnated ones and the importance of principles. Was it because she already knew Diguashao's nature?
...
"As for your gratitude, that is the most important thing now."
While thinking, Diguashao continued, "I've thought of a few ways. The first one is for you to join their rice brokerage, and I'll help you arrange it so you have a steady income every month."
"The second one is to help you raise a large sum of money. However, it might be difficult to get so much cash, so I'll need some time to sell some of their family's jewels..."
"Joining the business..."
Hu Ma was slightly intrigued, knowing that in this era, rice, silk, tea, and salt were the most profitable.
If he could have such a business, he wouldn't be poor.
However, this would mean he would have to keep dealing with Diguashao, which might not be very safe.
Feeling a bit helpless, he said, "Let you help raise some money first. I'm not short of it, and this time I mainly came to help."
"Yes, I won't forget this favor..."
Thinking about the matter being resolved, Diguashao couldn't help but get excited, "Once I get the treasure, I'll rush to Mingzhou Prefecture to help the Blue Robe Gang win a tournament!"
"At that time, I'll earn a lot of Blood Food and definitely help you raise a large sum of money."
"..."
With Miss White Wine as a guarantor, Hu Ma wasn't worried about her shortchanging him.
But now, hearing her say this, he felt a slight stirring in his heart and asked, "I've heard about the duel between the Blue Robe Gang and the Red Lantern Association. From what you say, the Blue Robe Gang seems quite confident about the tournament?"
(End of Chapter)
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