https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-162-The-Five-Stabilizing-Items-Second-Update-/12899754/
Chapter 163: Yang Gong Brothers Save Me
Chapter 163: Yang Gong Brothers Save Me
The range a reincarnated one can call upon is limited by their Daoist power. Generally, it is within the boundaries of a city. Only Miss White Wine, whose Daoist power has surpassed the Three Pillars, can call upon herself across a provincial distance, which is different from others. However, there is a prerequisite: she can call upon herself, but she cannot be called by others.
Therefore, Hu Ma’s plan was to secretly infiltrate Mingzhou Prefecture without revealing himself. He would call upon Er Guotou in the vicinity and then make a decision.
In the afternoon, he passed by a roadside tea stall. Hu Ma got off to have a bowl of tea and asked the vendor for two steamed buns. He also inquired about the route and then continued his journey toward Mingzhou Prefecture.
He traveled alone, driving a donkey cart loaded with goods, which made him somewhat conspicuous. However, his growing abilities, combined with the presence of Little Red Apricot, made him unafraid of bandits or road thugs. If he encountered someone with keen eyes who kept staring at his cart, a flash of his knife would usually scare them off.
After two days of continuous travel, the donkey was quite exhausted. Hu Ma was not skilled in caring for animals, and one night, he couldn’t find an inn. He stayed in a village where the villagers would let him sleep in a shed but wouldn’t help feed the donkey. Hu Ma had to cut some wild grass for the donkey, which, despite its reluctance, ate it. The next day, the donkey suffered from diarrhea.
Finally, he reached a village in the northwest of Mingzhou Prefecture before afternoon. Hu Ma stopped and inquired about the residence of the village head, explaining that he was a traveling merchant heading to Mingzhou Prefecture and was afraid of getting caught in the dark before reaching the city. He wanted to find a place to stay.
The village head, after receiving some silver, enthusiastically arranged for Hu Ma to stay with a young couple in the village. The couple was very hospitable. The woman prepared a meal for Hu Ma and boiled water for him to wash his feet, while the young man was skilled in caring for animals and fed the donkey with high-quality fodder, giving the tired animal some comfort.
After eating and drinking, Hu Ma finally settled down for a good night’s rest.
In his dream, he entered his Life-bound Spirit Temple, placed his hand on the incense burner, and called upon Er Guotou.
When there was no response, he waited for an hour and called again.
Seeing that it was already past midnight and still no response, he waited another hour and called once more.
“I hear you, you’re back?”
Er Guotou’s voice sounded, a bit weary.
“Miss White Wine introduced a job, and I completed it. I just returned to the vicinity of Mingzhou Prefecture.”
Hu Ma said, “You usually go to bed early. Why are you up so late today?”
“Isn’t it still for the magical duel?”
Er Guotou replied, “That Blue-robed Evil Spirit is really crazy. He’s invited countless people to use underhanded tactics. We were almost certain to win, but we lost a round. Now, the Red Lantern Lady is furious, and we’re all busy.”
“We had a meeting at night and just got some rest.”
“Tomorrow, we need to prepare even more. We must win the next round for her to feel relieved.”
“…”
“The Blue Robe Gang has indeed emptied their coffers this time…”
Hu Ma thought about what Diguashao had said before and understood how important this opportunity was for the Blue-robed Evil Spirit. Or rather, it was important for the Red Lantern Lady, and the Blue-robed Evil Spirit was determined to snatch the food from her mouth.
In such a situation, the side with the advantage was at a disadvantage because they had to think about what to do after winning and how to arrange things. The disadvantaged side, however, was willing to do whatever it took to win first.
“So, should I reveal myself now?”
Hu Ma asked, “There’s also something I’m unsure about.”
“This time, I met another reincarnated one. I helped her plot against someone. Coincidentally, when I went out earlier, it was supposedly to investigate a case—the massacre of the Shen family. I actually found the person responsible…”
“…”
He recounted the entire story, preparing to take credit for this achievement, but he needed to seek advice from a senior. Therefore, he did not hide anything from Er Guotou.
“Huangguanzhi? Did you deal with someone from the Xinghunmen?”
Er Guotou was surprised, “Miss White Wine is biased. She never introduced me to any jobs…”
“…”
Hu Ma didn’t know how to respond.
Isn’t this the wrong time to talk about this? Besides, don’t you know why Miss White Wine ignores you?
“Maybe because she knows you’ve been busy lately…”
“…”
“Busy, of course, I’ve been busy…”
Er Guotou hurriedly said, “But, are you sure the successor of Huangguanzhi is coming for the duel?”
Hu Ma was a bit puzzled, “Yes.”
“Great.”
Er Guotou was overjoyed, “I was worried about this. The Blue Robe Gang has paid a huge price and invited many old honorary members to use underhanded tactics, which has made the Red Lantern Lady furious.”
“The more critical point is, we know they have found someone to use more underhanded tactics. If we lose this round, the trouble will be enormous…”
“Now that we know who is participating in this round, it’s better.”
"......"
"That's one of our reincarnated ones."
Hu Ma said, "And she seemed to be planning to win this round."
"That’s not a problem."
Er Guotou laughed, "We can plan it out and offer her enough benefits."
"Besides, this isn’t just my personal matter. The Red Lantern Association should offer the benefits. As long as we can communicate, there’s no problem that can’t be solved. We’re all family, and we can talk it out."
"Even if she wants to win, that’s not an issue. We just need to agree on how she wins and make sure everyone benefits."
"Brother, this news is enough to repay the favor you did by warning me to hide."
"Mwah......"
"......"
Hu Ma could tell that Er Guotou was very excited, but those last three words still sent a chill down his spine. He could even imagine the big man puckering his lips at the incense.
He quickly said, "I can’t handle this. I’m too far from her and can’t speak to her anymore."
"You should contact Miss White Wine. She can help pass the message."
"......"
"Of course."
Er Guotou laughed, "For such a big matter, we need a mediator. Neither side can be too confident without one, right?"
Hearing his excited tone and eager manner, Hu Ma suddenly thought that Er Guotou’s happiness wasn’t just about solving the problem. It was also because he now had a legitimate reason to contact Miss White Wine.
"There’s still my matter."
He was afraid that Er Guotou, in his eagerness, would run off, so he hurriedly said, "What about me? Should I show up now?"
"Is it time to appear?"
"Do I deserve the credit for the hard work in this case?"
"......"
"Of course, you deserve it. Why wouldn’t you?"
Er Guotou said, "Not only do you deserve it, but you should come now to turn this small credit into a big one."
"Without you reporting this news, I wouldn’t know how to arrange it!"
"......"
"What?"
Hearing this, Hu Ma was genuinely surprised.
He had discovered that Young Master Lu was the culprit behind the Shen family’s tragedy. As a mere Age Keeper, he felt a bit conflicted. Doing something so significant could draw unwanted attention, so he thought that even if he deserved the credit, he would only bring back a bit of intelligence and claim a small reward.
But even that small reward, he wanted to ask about first.
Now, hearing Er Guotou’s words, he realized that if he timed it right, a small credit could turn into a big one?
"How can I make it happen?"
Er Guotou laughed, "First, we need to ask the other party. Don’t worry, I’ll get the details and let you know. Once it’s settled, you can come over!"
Seeing him like this, Hu Ma could only step back and wait for him to contact Miss White Wine and pass the message. He didn’t know how he would earn such a significant reward.
"Brother, it’s done......"
About half an hour later, when Er Guotou contacted him again, it was almost dawn. He sounded very excited, indicating that he had reached an agreement with Diguashao through Miss White Wine.
Then, they discussed how Hu Ma should return, what to say upon his return, and how to coordinate the subsequent actions. Hu Ma carefully asked about every detail before finally feeling reassured and waking up in bed, still a bit bewildered.
The young couple had already risen early, prepared washing water, and cooked corn porridge and steamed wild vegetable buns made with sweet potato flour, treating Hu Ma like a guest.
While they weren’t looking, Hu Ma buried most of the silver from his donkey cart under the bed in their side room. He had Little Red Apricot ask for directions to dig it up later and left only about two hundred taels on the cart.
Having done this, he didn’t hesitate to eat a full meal, leaving two taels of silver under their bowls before setting off with his donkey cart.
His mood was now pleasant, and he even felt like singing a tune that Second Uncle used to hum. However, as he got closer to Mingzhou Prefecture, he put away two of his life incense sticks, leaving only the most damaged one.
This made him look spiritless, his eyes wandering, and cold sweat breaking out in layers, as if he had just survived a severe illness and was on the brink of losing his life.
When he reached the official road outside Mingzhou Prefecture, he didn’t enter the city. Instead, he pretended to ask for directions and turned the donkey cart directly toward Zhu Menzhen, a town just an hour’s journey from Mingzhou Prefecture, where the atmosphere was now eerie.
On the eastern side of the town, red lanterns hung everywhere, while on the western side, long green cloths fluttered, giving off a sinister vibe.
"What’s your business here?"
By the red lanterns, stood men with a cold demeanor, red sashes around their waists, who shouted at him from a distance.
"I... I’m Hu Ma, the manager of the Red Lantern Association’s Qing Shi Town branch..."
Seeing them, Hu Ma quickly waved his hands, "Quick, please summon the Three Fragrances disciple Yang Gong for me..."
"Brother Yang Gong, save my life..."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
