https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-181-Five-Thunder-Golden-Toad-Roar/12899796/
Chapter 180: Hu Da Zhang
Chapter 180: Hu Da Zhang
"Green Stone Town's branch manager, Hu Ma, has been diligent in his duties and is rewarded with ten Blood Food Pills, two hundred Pounds of Green Food, and various silks and brocades..."
Upon hearing the rewards announced by the city's Manager Xu, the entire village buzzed with excitement.
They were all hanging on one Thing: whether Hu Ma could securely sit in the position of manager.
Now, seeing the city people's acknowledgment of the rewards, it was clear that the Matter was Decided, and unexpectedly, the rewards...
... Were Too Generous?
However, Hu Ma, upon hearingThe Rewards, was Slightly Stunned: "Just this?"
Logically, he had only brought back some Intelligence, which did not warrant such generous rewards. But his intelligence helped the Red Lantern Association Win a round, which was why the Old Manager's Rewards were Given to him.
In this Magical Duel, the Red lantern Lady association won six Rounds, which was Six Great Merits.
Such Great Meritorious Feets were seldom seen in several years, and this time six items appeared, with him taking one of them.
Moreover, because he only brought back Intelligence, the rewards were half of what the other Managers received, like those who actually went to the Arena and Won a round, receiving twenty Blood FoodPills.
Of course, he had no reason to complain, as this was already an Unexpected Gain.
The Key Point was, the red lantern lady personally promised to give him a generous reward, and just these items made him Doubt...
... Is the red Lantern Lady so Stingy?
While he was thinking, he saw Manager Xu quickly Announce the rewards and then suddenly paused, smiling at Hu Ma: "In addition, before we came, the lady personally asked the incense burners to bring an extra item, specifically for you."
"Little Manager Hu... Your fortune is truly not shallow!"
"..."
"An extra reward?"
Hu Ma hurriedly took the item, which turned out to be a small purple wooden box. Inside lay a small red Incense as thick as a finger.
He didn't know what it was, showing a puzzled face.
"It is a life-saving item."
Manager Xu knew and hinted for him to quickly put it away, whispering, "No matter where you are, if you burn this incense, the lady will surely descend to save your life."
"Thank you, Red Lantern Lady, and thank you, Manager Xu..."
Hu Ma was overjoyed, accepting the reward and smiling at Manager Xu: "Uncle Xu, please come inside and sit down."
Since Manager Xu had already informed the village before coming, Li Wa Zi had been up early in the morning, preparing the feast, with all the apprentices helping, slaughtering chickens and Sheep, enjoying the process.
"Hehe, let's sit down and have some tea first, no need to rush the feast."
Manager Xu entered the village, smiling at Hu Ma: "A good friend will also be coming soon!"
"We had already agreed to come together to congratulate you."
"Yang Gong is busy at the temple now, otherwise, he would have certainly come with us."
"..."
"Good friend? Who?"
Hu Ma was momentarily stunned, as he only had deep friendships with Yang Gong and Manager Xu in the association.
Could it be the old man who tricked him into giving twenty Blood Food Pills?
But seeing Hu Ma's curiosity, Manager Xu deliberately smiled without speaking. After a moment, just as they finished half a cup of tea, they heard the sound of hoofbeats from outside the village. Everyone went out to welcome the visitor, seeing a bald-Headed man shining in the sunlight.
The man led a large cart and a few apprentices, arriving outside the village, and said with a smile: "Manager Hu, I didn't give you prior notice, but I hope you don't mind me coming for a free meal?"
"It's him..."
Hu Ma hurriedly smiled and welcomed him, bowing: "Please come in, Senior."
The visitor was none other than the Old Manager from Bai Zegou, who was originally scheduled to fight on the tenth round and had made preparations for certain death. It was the same old man whom Hu Ma had introduced to the Association and joked about saving his life.
At that time, the old man had really kowtowed to hu ma, but it was unexpected that he would also come.
"Ha ha, Manager Hu saved my life. You guys, bring the things inside."
The bald-headed manager was very generous, jumping off the cart and ordering his apprentices to unload the items. The apprentices of Green Stone Town looked at the cart and were somewhat stunned.
On the cart were jars of wine, rolls of fabric, and additional salt, tea, pigs, and sheep, along with two large pieces of Green Ta Sui meat. At a glance, the items seemed even more generous than the red lantern lady's rewards.
Is today a festival in our village?
They were all taken aback by the array of items and hurriedly opened the warehouse to unload the items.
"These aren't worth a few taels of silver."
The bald-headed manager then approached Hu Ma, quietly handing him an oil-paper package, saying, "Take this."
Hu Ma looked at the oil-paper package and, given his mysterious expression, knew it must be Blood Ta Sui. By the size, it seemed to weigh about a catti, startling him. He hurriedly declined, "This is too much, too expensive."
"Expensive?"
The bald-headed manager insisted, pressing the package on Hu Ma and lowering his voice, "You saved my life, old Zhang's life."
"You don't know, that last round made my heart chill."
"I've had bad luck and got caught up in this situation. I originally thought I could rely on my unique skills as an Age Keeper to tough it out, but when I saw the methods they used, I couldn't even understand them. It's easy for me to crush a pig, but it's hard to kill without leaving a trace."
"If you hadn't brought this news to me at the time, I would have been in a losing situation for sure."
"Even worse, I wouldn't have had the chance to show my loyalty to the association by sacrificing myself. I would have been left to admit defeat with my eyes wide open. What kind of situation would that be?"
"In the future, I wouldn't be able to continue in the association. My whole family might end up starving to death outside."
"I can't afford to owe you this favor, or everyone in the association would say that Old Zhang can't handle things."
"……"
"……"
Seeing how sincere he was, Hu Ma understood his lingering fear and reluctantly accepted the favor. He also found a chance to tell Li Wa Zi to cut a few more pounds of Green Food and add it to the banquet.
Whether it was the Red Lantern Lady Association sending someone to reward him or this Bald Manager, both were extremely generous. He had to raise the standard of the banquet he was hosting; otherwise, people might say he was too stingy.
"Senior, please have some tea..."
After inviting the Bald Manager into the inner courtyard and seating him, Hu Ma greeted Mr. Xu and poured them tea.
Though the Bald Manager had come to repay a favor, he was very generous and laughed, "We should change the way we address each other. We're all in the Red Lantern Association, so there's no need to call each other senior or junior. Just call me Old Brother, and it will make us seem closer."
Hu Ma was a bit embarrassed and laughed, "That would make us cousins."
"Mr. Xu is a good friend of our Second Uncle in the village. I've always treated him like an elder."
"……"
"Ha ha, then let's each stick to our own way."
The Bald Manager laughed and said to Mr. Xu, "When did you meet such a high person and not introduce him to us?"
Mr. Xu had only met Second Uncle a few times, and it was just when Hu Ma and the others brought gifts from Second Uncle for Mr. Xu during the New Year. They might not even recognize each other if they met again.
But he laughed without a hint of shame, "Next time when we go to the Old Yin Mountain to see the Blood Food, I'll take you to the village, and you'll meet him."
"That Old Brother is quite particular, and everyone should get to know him better."
He then turned to Hu Ma and said, "But in the future, you don't need to consider yourself a junior in our association. You've become a proper manager now, with the seal and contract already prepared. I'll bring them to you."
"From now on, this village will be in your hands. As a respected manager of the Red Lantern Association, you'll have face in Mingzhou Prefecture."
Hu Ma laughed, "I owe this all to Mr. Xu's help. Unfortunately, my Daoist Power is still shallow, and I lack confidence."
"Keep practicing, and you'll improve."
Mr. Xu said, "In the past, watching the village meant guarding against evil spirits within a ten-li radius. During the Blood Food transport, you had to guard against evil spirits trying to steal it. The pressure was naturally high, and you needed some skills to manage it."
"But things are different now. The Red Lantern Lady has received the Incense Order and even built a temple. No evil spirits would dare provoke us. We just need someone to watch over things."
"Plus, with your contributions, and the Blood Food reward, you can focus on your cultivation."
"Speaking of which, do you have the cultivation techniques now?"
"……"
Hu Ma quickly replied, "Mr. Wu Hong has been very kind to me and has already passed them on."
Mr. Xu laughed, "That's good. With the Blood Food and the techniques, your skills won't be weak."
"In our Red Lantern Association, most managers are Age Keepers. Many of them were famous in their respective sects before joining us."
"Like this Manager Zhang, his Five Thunder Golden Toad Roar has dispelled countless evil spirits, and his voice shakes Mingzhou Prefecture. We paid a high price to bring him into our association..."
"This time, we originally planned for him to sit in the last position, thinking his skills would be the most secure."
"……"
"That's just mocking me. Arranging for me to sit in the last position nearly ruined my reputation and cost me my life."
Even the Bald Manager laughed, "But we do have similar paths. If you have any questions about cultivation in the future, you can come to me for discussion."
"Although my techniques differ from Mr. Wu Hong's, our cultivation methods are not too different."
"……"
Hearing this, Hu Ma was genuinely moved but wasn't sure how to respond, so he just smiled, "Thank you, Old Brother. I have a lot to learn!"
The Bald Manager caught the hint in his expression and smiled, "Then let's find more opportunities to discuss."
He then turned to Mr. Xu and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, how did the Lady build the temple? Is it related to us?"
"……"
Hu Ma understood and didn't bring it up. He also listened with interest, as he was curious about this matter too.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
