Chapter 368: The Great Guardian of the New Year
Chapter 368: The Great Guardian of the New Year
You're a big shot, huh?
Listening to the mine master, Hu Ma couldn't help but want to laugh. Even Zhou Datong and the others noticed it, blinking and trying to suppress their laughter.
'Oh no, this guy hasn't even heard of him...'
The mine master was clearly confused. As soon as he saw Hu Ma's skills, he knew he was a Longevity Gate Dao practitioner, and his abilities were not bad. Compared to himself, they were probably on par. But what was his age, and what was his own age?
If you think about it this way, the one who taught him must be truly skilled and well-known. But who would have thought that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out who this Old Yin Mountain Lord Zhou was...
Maybe Gongzhou and Bright State are just too far apart, and this expert keeps a low profile, so his fame hasn't reached us...
But no matter what, the idea of establishing a lineage connection was also out of the question. He quickly pondered in his mind.
At the same time, Hu Ma also looked on coldly. After entering the village, he had already observed the various arrangements and gradually understood the situation.
Regardless of whether there were any poison puppet bugs hidden in the mine, at least the mine master had come before him. If he wanted to make a move, he would first take down the opponent and wouldn't worry about others rebelling.
Just as he was thinking this, the old abacus master on the side signaled to him. On the other side, a square table made of logs had been set up, and although the dishes hadn't been served yet, two jars of wine were already placed on top.
The mine master, as if suddenly remembering something, slowly stood up. He cupped his hands and said to Hu Ma, "Of course, we need to discuss serious matters, but there's no rush right now. Hu Manager, you're our guest, so please take a seat and have a couple of drinks first..."
"Why drink when the food isn't even here?"
Hu Ma thought to himself, not in a hurry to ask. He glanced at the mine master's posture and demeanor, and soon understood, "You want to spar?"
So he slowly stood up and walked towards the mine master, smiling, "Please!"
As he spoke, he also approached the mine master, not rushing to take his seat. Instead, he embraced with both hands, leaning his body forward slightly, and used the Four Ghost Bow Gate technique.
A wave of Yin Qi immediately surrounded him, and the hands he embraced with the mine master gently collided.
The mine master seemed to be inviting Hu Ma to take a seat, but the true intention behind his words was to invite him to spar.
Sparring was a common way for Longevity Gate Dao practitioners to test each other's skills.
After all, in the jianghu, everyone relied on their abilities to make a living, but they couldn't just fight and kill all the time, especially Longevity Gate Dao practitioners. When both sides had similar abilities, wanting to determine a winner would mean fighting to the death, right?
No one wanted to make a big deal out of a small matter, so they developed the habit of sparring. They would showcase their skills, test each other, and then know each other's capabilities.
It wouldn't ruin the harmony, but it would also reveal who was superior. Whether it was about status within the sect or lineage, this was the only way to compare.
Whoever lost would have to speak with less authority...
This jianghu rule was initially taught to Hu Ma by Wu Hong, but Hu Ma had been in the jianghu for so long, and whenever he encountered trouble, he would directly draw his knife and attack. He had never played these superficial games before.
But he also knew that this sparring rule had its intricacies, so he used his true abilities from the start.
"Sss!"
First, he embraced, leaning slightly, and used the Four Ghost Bow Gate technique. His body was filled with Yin Qi, and he collided with the mine master's fists. At the same time, he also used the Chest Shatter Large Boulder technique, holding his breath to protect himself.
In the next instant, as the Yin Qi collided with the mine master, it suddenly transformed into Yang Vitality Exorcism Power, and his five viscera resonated with powerful energy.
The embraced fists also utilized the Great Tumble Stele Hand technique, firmly shaking and pushing forward.
It looked like a simple embrace and a light touch of the fists, but he had already used four ultimate techniques, and the combined force seemed to have the momentum to move mountains, rolling towards the mine master's body.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew through the room, causing the fire basins on both sides to flutter noisily, and the shadows danced erratically.
The disciples on both sides retreated, covering their eyes with their sleeves.
"Bang..."
The mine master, with his fists clenched, faced Hu Ma. His body was filled with powerful energy, one move after another, as if there were three or four forces combined, and his fists were extremely heavy.
This force, when combined with Hu Ma's Four Ghost Bow Gate technique, seemed to have the upper hand.
From this move alone, it was clear that he had true skills and was not someone to be taken lightly.
But he never expected Hu Ma to change so quickly. Suddenly, the Yin wind transformed into the Five Thunder Golden Toad Roar's Yang Vitality Exorcism Power.
At the same time, his own energy, when it reached Hu Ma's body, was dissolved by a powerful force. Hu Ma's Great Tumble Stele Hand technique took advantage of this opening and firmly shook the mine master, causing him to fly far away in an instant.
"Crash!"
He smashed into the wooden table and chairs behind him, falling in a disheveled state, and spitting out a mouthful of black blood.
"Eh?"
Even Hu Ma was startled for a moment. He had seen that the mine master's skills were not bad, and he certainly didn't dare to be careless.
He still had the Heart-Piercing Soul-Snatching Whip and other ultimate techniques waiting to be used.
But who would have thought that the opponent couldn't even withstand this move and collapsed? He even spat out blood!
Clearly, he hadn't intended to hurt anyone just now...
"Dare to hurt someone, and I'll chop him down..."
At that very moment, as they saw Zhuang Kuangshou fly backwards, the people beside him were both shocked and furious, especially the two disciples who followed Zhuang Kuangshou. They were so agitated that their eyes turned red.
They all picked up the nearby tables, chairs, and benches, ready to attack Hu Ma. Even the panicked meat cutters felt a surge of excitement.
"Who dares to move?"
However, Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu also reacted at the same time.
Their reflexes might not be the quickest, but being on someone else's turf, they were always on high alert. As soon as they saw the other party making a move, they immediately took action.
Zhou Liang waved his left hand, employing the skill of the Soul Snatching Whip, instantly splitting the table held by one of Zhuang Kuangshou's disciples into two clean halves. Simultaneously, he sent out a wave of yin energy, causing the disciple to stagger and retreat several steps.
Zhao Zhu, on the other hand, thrust his steel fork through the gaps in the tables and chairs, directly hitting the other disciple's face.
The quickest to react was Zhou Datong. Seeing the other party's agitation, he had already used the Ghost Ascender Step technique, quickly climbing up the wall and maneuvering his body to kick the two hanging fire basins towards the entrance.
"Whoosh..."
The two fire basins fell to the ground, spilling the oil inside, and instantly, two flames ignited, forcing back the charging meat cutters.
The eager attackers were momentarily held back, and their momentum slightly halted, but the crisis was far from over.
Hu Ma sensed that something was amiss, but he didn't have time to think it through. Just as he was considering whether to go all out and capture the leader first, he heard a shout:
"Don't move!"
"..."
Everyone around suddenly fell silent and turned to look at Zhuang Kuangshou.
He struggled to prop himself up, wiped the black blood from the corner of his mouth, and after a loud shout, he turned to Hu Ma, speaking in a deep voice, "Just now, I lost because my skills were inferior, not because the opponent intended to hurt me..."
After saying this, he looked at Hu Ma, his face showing a mix of reverence and admiration, and said, "I wonder what kind of expert this Old Yin Mountain Lord Zhou is..."
"He has taught such a young Great Guardian of the New Year and several disciples with exceptional skills!"
"..."
"Hmm?"
Hearing the other party address him as the Great Guardian of the New Year, Hu Ma slowed down his movements.
In the Dao Gate, there's the technique of Ascend to the Manor, Cross the Bridge to Return Home.
But Ascend to the Manor is a higher realm. Normally, we don't encounter so many high-level experts and extraordinary individuals. To be honest, we're all more or less the same, just making a living together.
However, even within the same Dao Gate, there are different levels. There are always some people with more unique skills and greater abilities than others, so everyone respects and acknowledges them. When referring to these individuals, we add the word 'Great' to their titles.
For example, Zhang Aogu, although she hasn't reached the Manor, her abilities surpass those of other wandering ghosts, so she's known as the Great Wandering Ghost.
Now, Zhuang Kuangshou calls Hu Ma the Great Guardian of the New Year, showing his sincere respect.
Upon hearing his words, Hu Ma slightly frowned and turned to face the hall. Zhou Datong's kicked-down fire basins had stopped the agitated meat cutters outside, but the hall was made of wood, and the oil-based fire was highly flammable, making it easy for the flames to spread.
Hu Ma took a deep breath, and as his lungs turned lifeless, he suddenly exhaled a gust of yin energy, extinguishing the raging flames that were over two meters high.
This skill was even more frightening, and everyone around was left staring in astonishment.
It was only then that Hu Ma turned to look at Zhuang Kuangshou and asked, "Were you injured before this?"
Actually, when they first made contact, he had already sensed that this mine master had the ability to reinvigorate his five viscera, and he had held back some strength, so he shouldn't have been defeated so easily...
"It's not an injury..."
Zhuang Kuangshou struggled to stand up and, with the support of his disciples, sat down beside the round table. Hearing the question, he couldn't help but smile bitterly, "I've been poisoned!"
As he spoke, his face showed a hint of helplessness. He glanced outside the valley and sighed softly, turning to Hu Ma, "There should be countless poison bugs outside the valley, right?"
"I didn't see any people, but there were indeed many poison bugs."
Hu Ma looked at him and slowly said, "First, someone used a poison dog to harm us, and later, they even spread poison bugs along the road. It was only because of that old horse that we were able to break through the poison formation and reach your place."
"Hehe, we thought you were unhappy with us coming to check the accounts and deliberately used this method to block our way."
"..."
"Block?"
Zhuang Kuangshou smiled bitterly, "Those outside aren't blocking your entry; they're preventing us from leaving."
"The brothers at the mine have been trapped for several days, and everyone is already in a state of panic, at a loss for what to do..."
As he spoke, his pale face showed a hint of sincere relief. He bowed deeply to Hu Ma and said loudly, "But now, it's all right. The Great Guardian of the New Year from the society has come down, and my brothers at the mine finally have hope..."
(End of Chapter)
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