Chapter 535: Yang Gong's Fear
Chapter 535: Yang Gong's Fear
Ma Zi Ge is going to invite someone, and he's being so formal about it, even preparing for an entire day?
Upon hearing Hu Ma's instructions, whether it was Li Wa Zi or the initially cheerful Zhou Da Tong and the others, their expressions turned somewhat awkward. But seeing Hu Ma's seemingly somber expression, they didn't dare ask any questions.
That night, they retired early. The next morning, Li Wa Zi brought two helpers to prepare food and drinks in the village, even moving the Eight Immortal Table over and setting it up on either side. The food and wine were the best from the town.
For the entire day, Hu Ma did nothing but sit at the table waiting. As the sky darkened, Li Wa Zi and the others, assuming Hu Ma was waiting for some spirit or deity, with whom he was already familiar, quickly locked themselves inside the house.
Hu Ma waited silently for a long time. As the seventh hour approached, he finally heard the village gate creak open.
Looking up, he saw a figure quickly leading a horse into the village and closing the gate. The person was slender and covered in dust.
As the figure turned around, the first thing they saw was Hu Ma sitting next to the red lantern under the Eight Immortal Table, staring intently at them. Suddenly, his eyes stung, and he silently tied his horse at the village entrance before lowering his head and walking towards Hu Ma.
"Brother Hu..."
The visitor was Yang Gong, and he didn't even ask who Hu Ma was waiting for at the table. Instead, he spoke first, "My brother is dead. It's Shen Bangzi, someone you've met before..."
"Is it him?"
Hu Ma's heart trembled slightly as he listened. He had indeed met this brother of Yang Gong's.
The day before, he had seen Yang Gong with a considerable number of men, but there were vulnerabilities everywhere. He didn't know where things might go wrong, and there was no way to offer a warning. He never expected that something would happen so soon, and it involved someone Yang Gong had brought from the Scarlet Lantern Society.
"Sit down first."
Hu Ma sighed softly and brought over the teapot from the table, saying, "Have some tea first."
Yang Gong took a deep breath and said, "I want to drink wine."
Hu Ma nodded and poured him some wine, filling the bowl in front of him. Yang Gong picked it up, poured half of it on the ground, and then tilted his head back, drinking the rest.
After watching Yang Gong finish, Hu Ma poured another bowl for him before speaking, "Brother, I know you're feeling down, and I guessed you'd come to me. But you're wrong."
"I know what you're doing now, and it's right to protect the common people from disasters. But since you have so many brothers following you, who have given their lives to you, you need to take responsibility for them."
"Things have gotten so bad, yet you've abandoned them and come here alone. Have you thought about the consequences?"
"What if they attack?"
"What if they saw you coming and followed you here?"
"..."
"This..."
Yang Gong looked up at Hu Ma, feeling like his calm eyes knew everything. He had countless questions, but he couldn't be bothered to ask. Instead, he smiled bitterly and said, "I know it's wrong, but I had to come."
"That..."
Yang Gong hesitated for a moment before speaking softly, as if explaining, "Before I came, I had them take everyone back to the mountains and arranged for someone to keep watch. I thought it would be fine for one night."
"I told them I was coming to gather some information..."
"Yes, you asked the Ghost Envoy to inform me that they were coming to seize the supplies. So, I'm here to gather information from you..."
His voice weakened as he spoke, "It's quite appropriate, isn't it?"
Hu Ma thought for a moment and smiled, "Going alone deep into enemy territory to gather information, that's a reasonable story. You're good at making up lies."
Seeing Hu Ma's smile, Yang Gong relaxed.
Hu Ma and Yang Gong have always been like brothers, without any hierarchy. But in front of Hu Ma, Yang Gong was impulsive, while Hu Ma was steady. So, every time Yang Gong did something rash, he would feel a hint of fear towards Hu Ma. Seeing Hu Ma smile now, Yang Gong breathed a sigh of relief and said,
"It's not just about gathering information. I was also thinking that you, Brother Hu..."
Pausing briefly, Yang Gong looked at Hu Ma earnestly and said, "Come with me. I feel at ease with you by my side."
Hu Ma sighed, "I know you're doing something big, but I'm not very interested in these matters. I just want to live a peaceful life. Even the things I did recently were because of pressure from enemies and the situation."
"Even now, I'm full of troubles. If I really follow you and fight, I might not be of much help and might even become a burden to you."
"..."
"Enemies?"
Yang Gong was taken aback. He stared at Hu Ma and said, "I don't remember you telling me about any enemies. Who are they? I'll help you deal with them."
"..."
"I remember you saying that."
Hu Ma glanced at him and said, "There will be a chance to fulfill that promise."
Pouring more wine for Yang Gong, Hu Ma said, "So, you came here tonight just to tell me these things?"
"I..."
Yang Gong moved his lips, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He had already mentioned the death of his brother and his desire to have Hu Ma join him, but in his heart, there was an even more important reason.
Hu Ma also noticed, but instead of urging him, he silently accompanied him in drinking, waiting for him to speak his mind.
Yang Gong was also impulsive several times, but he seemed a bit embarrassed to bring it up. After a long silence, under Hu Ma's gaze, he sighed softly, "To be honest, I'm a little scared."
When he said these words, he couldn't even lift his head, as if he felt ashamed, but Hu Ma showed no unusual reaction, just silently observing him.
Yang Gong's words flowed more smoothly as he lowered his voice and slowly said, "The number of brothers following me is increasing. I tell them to fight someone, and they fight. It's making me more and more hesitant to speak casually. And..."
"And my father-in-law, sometimes I don't understand what he's doing. Also, my wife... she's too good to me, too good..."
"Her entire family treats me extremely well, and I want to live up to them."
"But the more it's like this, the more I feel a bit..."
Struggling to find the right words, he paused, and his voice became heavy with emotion. He sighed, "I understand, someone like me, how could I be worthy of such a young lady?"
"Even on the night of our wedding, I wasn't up to it. I lay in the bed like a corpse, but she didn't reject me. She comforted me and even tried to help me with her hands..."
"?"
Hu Ma was taken aback and sighed, "You don't need to go into such details..."
"I'm afraid you won't understand..."
Yang Gong glanced at Hu Ma with a hint of impatience, saying, "I'm afraid you don't know how grateful I am to her..."
"In any case, I never dared to imagine marrying such a wife in eight lifetimes. Of course, I want to make her happy and listen to my father-in-law. But I... I'm not oblivious. What I'm doing is becoming more and more dangerous..."
"Just look at the people I'm killing now, and you'll understand..."
"In the past, in my eyes, Red Lantern Lady was the ultimate, but the people I'm dealing with now..."
"They're even more formidable than the Red Lantern Lady!"
"They..."
"..."
As he spoke, Yang Gong became slightly agitated, wanting to speak loudly, but he restrained himself, "They killed all three hundred of my brothers in one night, tied their heads to trees, and piled them into a small mountain."
His voice grew more urgent, and he stuttered, "Even yesterday, when we won a battle against them, we only killed their leader and scattered the rest. But they killed all three hundred people, leaving none alive!"
By the end, his eyes were already red, and he clenched his teeth, unsure if he was angry or scared.
Hu Ma remained silent, observing him without interrupting or offering comfort.
"At that moment, I only wanted to avenge my brothers..."
Yang Gong clenched his teeth and continued slowly, "But today, when I saw the people they brought, I started to feel afraid again."
"I saw that they had so many people, and they all rushed over from various places within a day. Some carried banners, some wore armor, their horses were better than ours, and their weapons were brighter than ours..."
"I... I truly felt afraid. I didn't dare lead the charge, so I had no choice but to temporarily retreat with my brothers to the mountains and come to you."
"..."
"Sigh..."
Hu Ma listened quietly until he finished, then heaved a soft sigh, his heart feeling slightly heavy.
Yang Gong had indeed been through a lot.
This was the real reason he came to Hu Ma—he was genuinely scared. This man, who usually liked to make a fuss and had people following him around, was actually a sensitive youth who kept his feelings hidden in his heart.
From the beginning until now, his identity had changed significantly, but he hadn't even had enough time to adapt to these changes in his life before being pushed into his current position...
Seeing that Hu Ma had also fallen silent, Yang Gong's heart felt a hint of worry.
He had experienced a lot, his mind was in turmoil, and he had no one to confide in, so he took the risk of coming in the middle of the night, but he feared that even Hu Ma couldn't provide him with guidance.
If that were the case, he wouldn't know what to do...
...
...
At this moment, outside the Green Stone Village, in the darkness, there were faint, floating white shadows that blended with the night breeze and vanished.
They drifted through the night, covering a distance of several tens of li, and then gathered inside a lantern.
A female attendant dressed in a green robe held the lantern, quietly observing the moths fluttering within. After a moment, she turned and returned to the side of the black palanquin.
The Heavenly Mandate General of the Truth Sect stood by the palanquin, but she paid no attention to the attendant. Instead, she spoke to the person inside, "The little ghosts did see that the Grain Protection General quietly left the mountain and is now in the village in Green Stone Town."
(End of Chapter)
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