Chapter 224: The Ghost Cave Family
Chapter 224: The Ghost Cave Family
"Eh..."
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper was startled. Seeing that Miss was about to pick up the cat and return upstairs, he hurriedly followed her.
He felt a bit helpless. The children in this village were really good at taking advantage of situations. Back in Old Yin Mountain, because of one word from him, Miss Master had put aside her own affairs to accompany him to find the old grandmother.
Now, because of one word from him, he was being asked to treat a patient.
Despite their vastly different backgrounds, one high in the clouds and the other low in the mud, they seemed to get along quite well. However, Miss Master was generous and, upon recognizing him, casually asked him to help. But she didn't really understand the situation...
He whispered a few words to her and glanced at the Fragrant Girl. Miss White Wine was slightly taken aback and frowned, saying, "It's such a hassle? Saving lives is our duty, but it's also right not to get involved in conflicts."
"Ask clearly before helping!"
"..."
"Still willing to help?"
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper understood Miss's meaning and could only agree, though he sighed inwardly. He then turned around and forced a smile.
After all, Miss Master still cared about appearances. Normally, for something clearly involving conflicts, the Caoxin Hall would not even ask.
"Little Brother, our Master has spoken, and we can only listen."
He walked back and sat down next to the Fragrant Girl, smiling at Hu Ma and saying, "But the patient you brought, who is he, and how did he end up like this? You need to explain clearly."
"Otherwise, even if we want to help, we can't..."
"..."
"Yes."
Hu Ma nodded and then looked to the side.
The steward of the Fragrant Girl's family had been anxious and unsure of how to speak. Only now did Hu Ma address him, "You've been evasive all along, and I didn't press you. Now that you've heard the Old Shopkeeper's words, are you still unwilling to speak?"
"I..."
The old steward, full of urgency, met Hu Ma and the Five Ghosts Shopkeeper's gazes and could no longer hold back. However, he seemed hesitant, perhaps because of the crowd.
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper, already impatient, waved his hand, dismissing the apprentices. Zhou Datong, who was good at reading people, also led the others away. Now, only Hu Ma, the old steward, and the Five Ghosts Shopkeeper remained.
But the old steward was still hesitant, seemingly uncomfortable with Hu Ma's presence.
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper, clearly annoyed, said coolly, "Old Sir, you really have a lot of pride. If you don't want to say, just take your people and leave!"
"Yes, yes, it's my fault..."
The old steward, sweating, apologized and bowed to Hu Ma, then, as if making up his mind, said to the Five Ghosts Shopkeeper, "Old Sir, to be honest, my young mistress..."
"She is the daughter of the Li family, who guard the Ghost Cave in Lingshou Mansion..."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Hu Ma and the Five Ghosts Shopkeeper's expressions changed slightly.
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper seemed surprised and quickly glanced at the Fragrant Girl, slightly retreating, deep in thought.
"Guard the Ghost Cave?"
Hu Ma was slightly stunned, thinking, "What do they do? It's really not the Li family of Impermanence..."
Although he initially found it hard to believe that he had randomly found someone from the Li family of Impermanence, he also thought, what if it was true? Wouldn't he have hit the jackpot?
But now, hearing it wasn't, he felt a bit disappointed, as if he had lost something...
"The Li family of Lingshou Mansion?"
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper also frowned, then looked at the old steward and asked, "So what?"
"Ah?"
The old steward, who had been evasive and reluctant to reveal the Fragrant Girl's identity, had only wanted to secretly speak to the Life Commanders of the Caoxin Hall. Now, after revealing it, he didn't expect such a reaction.
His expression turned anxious.
"I know this place. In Anzhou Prefecture, they are a major family, and they are well-known in the martial world."
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper said to the old steward, "But when you suddenly mention this name, it puts us in a difficult position."
"The Li family of the Ghost Cave and our Caoxin Hall have no grudges or conflicts. If your patient's condition fits our rules, we would treat them even if they were a commoner. If it doesn't fit our rules, you can't force us to treat them, right?"
"If you have the skills, you should treat them yourself. Why come to us?"
"..."
These words left the old steward feeling embarrassed. The Caoxin Hall's reaction was vastly different from what he had expected.
"I don't know much about the Li family of the Ghost Cave."
At this point, Hu Ma spoke directly, "But this girl, I found her in the river. She was kidnapped and has unclear memories, but she is a good person. She has been staying around my village, working diligently and being kind to everyone. Everyone values her."
"Before this incident, she was doing embroidery and hadn't offended anyone. This happened suddenly, and I don't know anything else."
“……”
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper looked at Hu Ma and said, "Have you been to any evil places recently? Have you offended anyone? Or perhaps, provoked some powerful evil spirits?"
Hu Ma shook his head and replied, "She only helped out at the tavern, and at most, delivered meals to the village. She never even left the town. How could she have provoked anything powerful?"
"If there's anything strange…"
"…"
As he spoke, he glanced at the old steward and said, "This old gentleman's appearance is quite strange."
The old steward, hearing this, was already drenched in cold sweat. He hurriedly said, "Please don't speculate, sirs. I truly know about Miss's condition. She is naturally yin-inclined, and her soul can leave her body from the moment she starts menstruating, guiding the souls of the deceased."
"Her soul is likely trapped somewhere and cannot return to her body."
"But actually, many things have happened, and I don't fully understand them either…"
"From… from the time the lanterns were released, Miss was kidnapped, and I found it strange. I didn't know why, but this time when I found Miss, she didn't recognize me. However…"
"However, I believe that no matter what, Master can certainly help Miss."
"This time, I don't ask for anything else. I only hope that Caoxin Hall can help stabilize Miss's condition so that she can at least wait to see Master. That would be enough…"
"…"
From his words, it seemed he didn't expect Caoxin Hall to cure her, but rather to stabilize her condition.
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper hesitated slightly, deep in thought.
The old steward was about to kneel down and said, "Caoxin Hall's great kindness will never be forgotten by the Li Family of Great Stone Cliff…"
"Don't kneel, don't kneel…"
The Five Ghosts Shopkeeper quickly stopped the old steward and said, "Whether we treat her or not will follow the rules, and it has nothing to do with your family. Besides, this matter is not simple. I need to go upstairs and consult with Miss first."
"Please wait a moment. Someone, bring tea!"
As he spoke, he had one of the apprentices serve tea and then got up to go upstairs.
Hu Ma and the old steward remained, watching over Fragrant Girl. The old steward was a bit uneasy and, after sitting for a moment, said to Hu Ma, "Please don't misunderstand, it's not that I don't trust you, but my Miss's background is very complicated, and I dare not speak of it."
"Whether you speak or not, you've already spoken."
Hu Ma thought to himself, and a cold smile appeared on his face as he said to the old steward, "Old sir, don't blame me for being straightforward."
"I saved her out of convenience and didn't take it too seriously at first."
"Now that she's sick, I've already spent time and effort. Logically, I would be glad to hand her over to her family."
"But I sent a message to Great Stone Cliff, and no one came. Only you showed up, and even then, you came on your own. Moreover, at the tavern, Fragrant Girl didn't recognize you."
"Now you keep saying you're their steward, but do you have any token to prove it?"
"Right now, I'm staying because I don't trust you. Yet you're still being so secretive. Who do you think you're disrespecting?"
"…"
Hearing this, the old steward was already blushing with shame. Earlier, he had a faint air of pride from a wealthy family, but now he seemed stripped bare, embarrassed as he explained, "I know I should have shown some tokens to gain trust…"
"But, but on my way here, I've been on the road for a long time and encountered some powerful beings. I was beaten half to death, and I lost my luggage. It's really…"
"…"
"That's your problem."
Hu Ma said calmly, "Besides, even if you had tokens, I would feel relieved. Handing her over to you, I would go back to the village and mind my own business."
"What, do you really think your Ghost Cave family is royalty, and everyone will fawn over you?"
"…"
His words were harsh, and the old steward's face was already red with embarrassment. Suddenly, he knelt down and said, "Please don't say such things, sir. That would truly leave me with no face…"
Hu Ma simply lifted him up when he knelt, not allowing him to kneel.
But he frowned, showing no pleasure.
"What's going on?"
At that moment, the Five Ghosts Shopkeeper came downstairs, saw the two of them, and was slightly taken aback. He then ignored it and said to Hu Ma, "My Miss said that since it wasn't her who provoked it, we can take a look."
"However, I need to cleanse myself with incense and water today to use the Life-Granting Technique."
He smiled at Hu Ma and said, "I was planning to have a few drinks with you at noon, but we'll have to reschedule."
"I can't touch alcohol today."
"…"
Hu Ma hurriedly smiled and said, "There will be plenty of time in the future. Why rush?"
He had a vague thought. Fragrant Girl could leave her body and guide the souls of the deceased, so her current situation might not be due to her actively provoking anything. After all, if she accidentally entered the territory of some evil spirit, it would be the same as provoking it.
To put it bluntly, saving her or not was entirely up to Miss White Wine. Now that she had said she would save her, it might be because she saw the necessity in breaking the rules to save someone?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
