https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-193-Shut-the-Door-to-Avoid-Calamity-Fourth-Update-/12899834/
Chapter 194: Can't Avoid It
Chapter 194: Can’t Avoid It
"Blame me not."
"It’s not that I don’t want to save them; it’s just beyond my capabilities."
Hu Ma sat silently in the Main Hall of the Inner courtyard, his eyes lowered, his expression somewhat solemn. Little Red Apricot was sitting on the threshold, occasionally glancing outside, then glancing back at Hu Ma inside the hall.
Zhou Datong and the others, as Hu Ma had said, had tightly closed the main gate of the outer courtyard, and they had Hidden Themselves in the side rooms of the inner courtyard, leaving only the Red Lantern Lady’s lantern in the outer courtyard.
Logically, the Red Lantern Lady’s lantern is the most crucial and should be protected inside first.
But now, with it being blown by the gentle wind and drizzle, no one can take care of it, as the Red Lantern Lady herself can’t take Care of the village.
Since they had all entered the inner courtyard, they were farther from the main gate, thus farther from the cries for help from the villagers outside.
The villagers from the surrounding villages were now well-acquainted with the village’s apprentices.
Usually, when they met outside, they either called the manager "Sir" or politely called them "Young Sir." When the Village Needed Something, they would always bring their best to the village for selection.
The Tofu sellers would always reserve the first piece for the village.
Even in the surrounding towns, if any family had a red and white affair, they would consider it an honor to invite the young manager from the village.
But now, those crying for help were outside the main gate.
They didn’t dare to pound on the gate forcefully, only occasionally knocking their heads and crying out, the cries piercing through the two courtyards, reaching into the hearts of the people.
The apprentices in the village knew they were all worried about their families, and they also knew that Ganzhu Village was becoming increasingly dangerous. The evil spirits were causing havoc, and no idea as a common fraction or a decimal rounded to three decimal places.)
Hu Ma knew that hiding was the right choice, but he felt very uneasy about it.
“Little Red Apricot, don’t you think hiding is not good?”
He had been sitting in the Main hall all along, not covering his ears because he knew it wouldn’t help.
But the cries from outside kept coming, making the spacious hall feel increasingly oppressive. He kept looking for something to say, so he looked at Little Red Apricot on the threshold.
Little Red Apricot seemed very strange now. In the past, if she encountered such a dangerous situation, she would have run away long ago.
Or, if there was any commotion outside, she would have gone to watch from the wall long ago.
But this time, she was different. She kept sitting on the threshold, seemingly afraid to go out, yet unwilling to come inside, hiding with them.
So, Hu Ma was very curious about what she was thinking.
“I don’t know.”
Little Red Apricot shook her head and said, “It never happened before.”
Her words were always clear and simple.
Yes, Grandma would never do something like this.
In the big sheep village, not everyone was so pure and kind, but when someone needed help, Grandma wouldn’t care who it was or if they could afford to pay. She would just naturally go and help.
Hu Ma didn’t know if Grandma would be disappointed if she knew he was hiding in the village now.
He couldn’t give an answer and didn’t want to think too much about it. He could only feel that, with time, the cries for help seemed to grow more and more.
He had hidden himself in the village, leaving the troubles outside the gate.
But the troubles couldn’t be left outside theGate. The cries still penetrated the courtyards and ears.
These cries made his heart feel chaotic, but what could he do?
Seek help from the seniors of the old Yin Mountain?
The attitude of those seniors was already clear. They would naturally take care of their own matters, but this was not their matter now.
So, should he just hide?
Hu Ma looked outside, his gaze passing through the inner courtyard, as if directly looking at the tightly closed main gate, as if a jail had locked him inside.
A key thought came to his mind: Why did they come to me?
Theoretically, if this was the action of a big figure, it could only be directed at those with suspicion. But on the surface, he was just a common small manager, and even Zhou Datong and the others had no high suspicion. So, why did this trouble come to him?
Chief Zheng Xiang?
His mind flashed with Chief Zheng Xiang’s cold and silent face...
... Only He would still pull him into this trouble, even though the old tree stump had already helped him cover Up.
But...
Thinking of Chief Zheng Xiang, a strong hatred arose in his heart, but at the same moment, he suddenly felt a shock, realizing a problem.
If Chief Zheng Xiang was making trouble, how could he allow Hu Ma to hide?
Now, Hu Ma was hiding to avoid trouble, but while the evil spirits’ trouble could be avoided, how could he avoid the trouble made by a person?
The more he thought, the more fearful he became. His mind began to work rapidly, trying to use the advantages of the information age to think from the perspective of the high-ranking Meng family members and Chief Zheng Xiang, guessing what they were really planning...
If those figures wanted to eliminate this village, they would just act directly. Why expend their efforts on the surrounding villages?
"Force me, or have the Hu family's descendants take action?"
This thought flashed through Hu Ma's mind, and his pupils constricted slightly.
The Book of Year-Taming!
Apart from the Yin Protection Power, the most significant characteristic of the Hu family's descendants is the Book of Year-Taming.
Perhaps, compared to the Yin Protection Power, the cultivation techniques in the Book of Year-Taming are what the Meng family truly seeks.
If his ultimate goal is to force someone to use the Book of Year-Taming, he must have already exerted pressure on other places in Mingzhou City where he has suspicions.
This village might not be the most critical, and it could even be an additional target, added by that man surnamed Zheng.
This disaster was originally aimed at me, and the villagers are being dragged into it because of me...
The cries of despair from outside the manor continued, filled with deep hopelessness.
The village is being haunted severely, and the people will become increasingly afraid. If their courage is strong, they can suppress evil spirits; if their courage weakens, the evil spirits will become even more powerful and more ferocious.
Sooner or later, it will reach a point where I can't hold out even by hiding in the manor...
What should I do?
Should I take Datong and the others to escape into the Old Yin Mountain?
We need to escape, but we also have to consider the possibility that we might not be able to escape. If that man surnamed Zheng has targeted me, he won't show any mercy.
And now...
Hu Ma suddenly stood up and looked at the sky outside the courtyard.
The weather was gloomy, and it was hard to tell if it was day or night. The dark clouds in the sky vaguely resembled the shape of evil spirits, staring intently at the manor.
The cries of despair from outside the manor, the cold weather, and the heavy clouds formed an endless pressure. The fear and cries of the villagers outside the manor amplified the momentum of the evil spirits, making the evil aura even stronger. But at this moment, Hu Ma's mind became clear.
"This damn thing, it's like boiling oil..."
"Someone is turning this place into a cauldron of oil!"
"If I stay hidden here, I'll be like a frog in the oil, unable to escape and about to be fried to death..."
"If this continues, I might not even have a chance to escape, let alone face the contempt of Little Red Apricot and the other apprentices. So now..."
He pondered for a moment, and his mind raced. He couldn't just sit and watch them boil the oil. Even if things go badly and he has to hide in the Old Yin Mountain, he needs to get out first to be closer to the mountain and have a better chance of escaping when the time comes.
"Phew..."
Understanding this, he let out a long breath, his expression turning slightly cold: "If I can't hide, I won't hide. I need to do it with style!"
He analyzed countless reasons in his mind and had a clear understanding of the situation. He knew what the most stable course of action would be.
Of course, perhaps there was also a bit of a desire not to hide anymore.
There are too many absurd and tragic things in this world. If they don't happen right in front of you, you might pretend not to see them.
But when they do happen right in front of you, it's hard to pretend they're not there.
...
...
At the same time, Little Red Apricot, who was standing on the threshold, and the apprentices hiding in the side rooms of the inner courtyard, were all secretly watching Hu Ma.
Hu Ma had been sitting in the main hall with the front door open. They could stretch their necks and see him faintly.
The cries for help from the villagers outside the manor made their hearts feel like they were being clawed, but they didn't dare to make a decision and could only look at Hu Ma. In their eyes, Hu Ma seemed to be enduring inner torment, deep in thought.
Until, Hu Ma suddenly slapped the table and stood up, walking to the door.
"He's out, Brother Hu Ma is out..."
Zhou Datong immediately called out in delight, patting the other apprentices, who also came out from the side rooms.
They were all poor young men from the village, who would be afraid when encountering evil spirits and had been relying on Hu Ma as their backbone.
But they were also teenagers around seventeen or eighteen, full of pent-up anger, and had their own sense of justice.
So when they saw Hu Ma stand up, their hearts couldn't help but tremble, and their simple faces showed smiles that they couldn't explain.
"Brother Hu Ma..."
Even Little Red Apricot, upon seeing Hu Ma finally stand up, her eyes lit up, and she called out happily, her smile forming a crescent moon.
Hu Ma nodded at Little Red Apricot, then took his red wooden sword and saw-toothed blade from the table and said to Zhou Datong and the others who were sticking their heads out: "Datong, do you still have your weapons?"
Zhou Datong and the others hesitated for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
Hu Ma smiled and said, "Then take them with you. Let's go out and exorcise the evil spirits for the villagers!"
(End of Chapter)
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