Chapter 511: The Big Event
Chapter 511: The Big Event
Hu Ma dodged Xu Xiangzhu's hand, wondering what he was up to...
Despite their playful banter, Hu Ma's mind was occupied with the awkwardness of the situation.
The last time Erguotou was in Shijma Town, he had blamed himself for causing trouble and inadvertently participated in the plot to kill Meng Family's second son. Regardless of the circumstances, the incident had significantly impacted him.
Erguotou, like a sweet potato burn with mounting debts, felt that after killing the Meng Family's second son, there was no point in being overly cautious in dealing with Meihua Alley.
With a firm resolve, he took drastic measures, driving out Meihua Alley and gaining control over the two major blood essence warehouses.
These warehouses were filled with collected blood essence intended for offering, but the Red Lantern Society didn't expect them to contain genuine items. When they opened them, they were astonished to find them brimming with real treasures, which startled them.
Believing it to be an accidental windfall, they never anticipated that the Truth Sect would arrive without warning, directly putting the Red Lantern Society in a precarious position.
Perhaps Meihua Alley's swift departure was because they knew Mingzhou was about to descend into chaos, intentionally abandoning a hot potato...
After understanding these matters, Hu Ma sighed softly and said to Xu Xiangzhu, "Alright, alright, whether I'm a Hu or not doesn't matter. But listening to you, it seems like our Red Lantern Society is now truly stuck in a difficult situation."
"I've only been in the society for three or four years, and I can see how hard it is for everyone. After working so hard to build a reputation, are we just going to give it up?"
"..."
"What can we do?"
Xu Xiangzhu, helpless, replied, "Their ambition is to conquer the world. Forget about blood essence; they've secretly colluded with the government office, and even taxes might end up in their pockets."
"If even the government office bows to them, and we in the Red Lantern Society refuse to comply, are we planning a rebellion?"
"Hehe, we're all just seeking a living from the Lady. As for the fighting and killing in the underworld, we can't avoid it. But this rebellion business, let's forget about it..."
"So, no matter how our Lady eventually responds, our people below must understand. Do we have blood essence in the Red Lantern Society now? Plenty, we've never been this wealthy, but strangely, we can't even cover our expenses..."
"..."
'He went around in circles just to tell me this?'
Hu Ma finally felt it made sense and sighed softly, "I understand. Our mine workers have it tough, and so do you..."
"Good, good..."
Xu Xiangzhu said, "Do you know how inappropriate it is to ask for blood essence now?"
"I understand."
Hu Ma nodded solemnly and whispered, "I'll handle the mine issue myself. But right now, there's only one question I need to ask you..."
Seeing Hu Ma's understanding, Xu Xiangzhu was satisfied and said, "Go ahead."
Hu Ma took a deep breath, and his eyes gleamed slightly, "How much blood essence is in those two warehouses?"
"..."
"Ah..."
Xu Xiangzhu didn't expect Hu Ma to ask this. He sighed, perhaps thinking that the youth was curious, and said with a hint of show-off, "How should I describe it to you?"
"Among the dozen or so blood essence mines in the Mingzhou capital, the top-grade blood essence from each mine has been collected and stored in these two warehouses, awaiting shipment. But for some reason, they've been delayed..."
"In terms of quantity, it might be... over ten thousand pounds?"
"..."
"Holy shit..."
Hu Ma couldn't help but shudder inside. What did this number mean?
The conversation had reached its conclusion, and Xu Xiangzhu was pleased to see Hu Ma shocked by the figure. He waved his hand, signaling the servants to light the lamps and set out some side dishes, inviting Hu Ma to stay for a drink.
Following their usual custom, they would go to the brothel for some entertainment after the meal. But this time, they only had a few drinks, and Hu Ma was put to bed, indicating the urgency of the situation.
However, Hu Ma, with his mind occupied by his thoughts, didn't mind Xu Xiangzhu's lack of hospitality. He drank a pot of wine with him and then devoured two large bowls of rice before retiring to the guest room in Xu Xiangzhu's mansion. After falling asleep, he entered the Vital Spirit Temple.
As he pondered and organized his thoughts, he unexpectedly heard Erguotou's voice, "Could Laobaigan have heard it?"
"Could Erguotou in Red Gate Town have heard Laobaigan's call?"
"..."
He immediately held his breath, temporarily refraining from answering. He knew that Erguotou was calling him for a reason.
Indeed, after a few calls, Erguotou sighed softly and muttered, "Is this kid still in Shijma Town? I embraced such a great opportunity, yet I can't even ask him for information. Do I need to go back to Shijma Town to find him?... I regret being too cautious. I should've tried to break through the Three Pillars Incense."
"..."
The muttering gradually faded, indicating that Erguotou had removed his hand from the incense burner.
Since Hu Ma didn't respond, their life incense didn't intertwine, so Erguotou was unaware that Hu Ma had overheard the conversation.
And Hu Ma also waited for his voice to fade before softly calling out, exhaling a mouthful of breath, and summoning Earthen Sweet Potato. In an instant, they were connected: "Senior, Senior, where did you go?"
"..."
Hu Ma exhaled softly and slowly said, "Earthen Sweet Potato, it seems our hard work wasn't in vain. The big job I promised you earlier is coming to fruition."
"Ah?"
Earthen Sweet Potato's voice was filled with surprise, "So soon? Senior Lao Bai Gan is indeed reliable..."
"Quick, quick, what's the big job? How much profit is there? How many people are in their family?"
"..."
'Why ask how many people are in their family right off the bat?'
Hu Ma silently criticized in his mind, maintaining his senior demeanor. He smiled faintly and said, "In your life, how much Blood Feast have you seen?"
"Blood Feast?"
Earthen Sweet Potato paused and said, "If you're talking about Blood Centipedes, I've seen over a hundred pounds of them!"
Hu Ma calmly said, "Our target for this job is conservatively three thousand pounds."
"Wow..."
On the other end, there was a faint sound of Earthen Sweet Potato stumbling, and then she trembled as she spoke, "What? Can this stuff be measured in units of a thousand pounds?"
"I once spent thirty pounds of Blood Feast to get my leg treated at Grass Heart Hall. What you're talking about, Senior... isn't it enough to treat a hundred of my legs?"
"..."
"Not bad."
Hu Ma opened his mouth and said calmly, "Moreover, I've already planned where the goods are, where to hide them after the job, and how to dispose of the evidence. I've thought it all through..."
"..."
"Professional!"
Upon hearing this, Earthen Sweet Potato was overjoyed and exclaimed repeatedly, "Senior Lao Bai Gan, you're truly professional. You're my role model!"
'Being your role model doesn't seem like a good term...'
Hu Ma sighed in his mind and said, "But I've arranged everything else, and the current difficulty is how to pull off this job. I'm a Year Guardian, and I don't have many spells. Do you understand the legendary Five Ghost Wealth Transfer Spell?"
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Earthen Sweet Potato felt a bit embarrassed, "I do have quite a few ghosts under my command, but ghosts can't see Blood Feast."
"They go crazy at the sight of it."
"..."
"What about other methods?"
Hu Ma frowned and said, "For example, borrowing a path from the Netherworld?"
"They can't enter the Netherworld either."
Earthen Sweet Potato said, "I've heard that once Blood Feast enters the Netherworld, it melts immediately, and no matter how you try to preserve it, it doesn't work."
"Actually, I've dealt with quite a bit of Blood Feast before, and I even thought about robbing the large carts that the Scarlet Lantern Society brings back every year. But Blood Feast is special; it's not convenient to use ghosts, and many spells become ineffective when encountering Blood Feast."
"So, most of the time, it can only be transported by manpower..."
"..."
Hearing her explanation, Hu Ma also felt a bit stumped. He had heard similar statements, indicating that this job was significant, but it was indeed challenging to execute.
"Alright then..."
After pondering for a moment, he sighed, "I've already made the necessary arrangements, thinking I could save some effort. It seems that I'll have to figure out how to pull off this job myself."
"How about this, wait for me. Once I've figured out a plan, I'll notify you, and we'll act together."
"..."
"Okay, okay, I'm really sorry. I'm useless, Senior..."
Earthen Sweet Potato's voice was filled with nervousness and self-blame, and she repeatedly apologized as she politely disconnected the connection.
After knowing each other for so long, this was the first time she had shown such humility.
She even felt a bit guilty.
After disconnecting from Earthen Sweet Potato, Hu Ma thought carefully and directly called Second Pot Head. He sounded slightly out of breath as he said, "It's great that you're looking for me."
Hu Ma said, "I also have something to attend to and just returned to the Mingzhou area. What's the matter?"
"Brother Lao Bai Gan, let's put other matters aside for now. I've encountered a problem here, and I'm seeking your advice..."
Second Pot Head hurriedly said, "Earlier, didn't you get close to that noble in the mountains? I thought your idea was a bit bold at the time, but now I realize you had remarkable foresight..."
"Now I'm asking for your help. A group of Truth Sect followers has come to Mingzhou Capital, and they're being extremely arrogant. They've even bullied Little Red Lantern..."
"The most crucial thing is their background..."
"..."
He spoke with some hesitation, testing the waters, "Is it convenient for you to ask that noble on my behalf if the Truth Sect is truly his people?"
"So, it's about this?"
Hu Ma had heard Xu Xiangzhu explain the situation earlier, so he knew Second Pot Head would come looking for him. He paused for a moment and said in a low voice, "Brother, I was also called back from Shijma Town by that noble because of this matter..."
"But before we talk about that, I have something to ask you..."
"You're a Ghost Summoner, and you've seen a lot. Do you know how to transport Blood Feast?"
"Do you mean transporting it secretly without others knowing?"
(End of Chapter)
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