Chapter 57: A Word Determines Fate
Chapter 57: A Word Determines Fate
Hu Ma had been waiting for this day. Back in the village, he had wanted to get rid of Cui Xie'er but hadn't asked Second Pot for help, saving that favor for a crucial moment.
Now, hearing his voice, he felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.
Second Pot, feeling quite pleased, laughed and said, "Looks like your journey to seek the Way hasn't been smooth sailing, huh?"
"Actually, it's been pretty smooth..."
Hu Ma smiled, "I did burn the green incense and, as I wished, ended up working for an old innkeeper with extraordinary skills. Now, he's even started teaching us his techniques, but I can't help but wonder, does the Red Lantern Lady teach everyone the same way?"
As he spoke, he recounted his experiences with the techniques.
"Of course, that's inevitable..."
Second Pot laughed, "Not just the Red Lantern Society, but other blood-eating gangs also only teach these superficial techniques at first. Otherwise, how would they prevent you from running off?"
Hu Ma was slightly taken aback, "Superficial techniques?"
"Exactly."
Second Pot explained, smiling, "Anything not related to the New Year Guardian's methods is a superficial technique."
"You, as a New Year Guardian, can't rely solely on your own fiery energy to keep the stove burning. Unless you remain a virgin for life, which would give you ample fiery energy and immunity to a hundred poisons, but that's a high price to pay. What about the others?"
"They need blood-eating to maintain their energy. With blood-eating, your stove burns bright, and those techniques can have astonishing power to injure evil spirits and break demonic spells!"
"But the catch is, you have to stay in the Red Lantern Society, where you are supplied with blood-eating."
"If you run away, without the blood-eating, the techniques you learned will drain your life force. Using them once or twice is fine, but if you use them too much, you'll burn out like a candle, leaving you worse than dead."
"..."
"Indeed, these long-standing gangs have their ways."
Hu Ma sighed, "Without blood-eating, practicing these techniques too much would probably make me like those incense burners."
But to be fair, it wasn't that the Red Lantern Society was deliberately setting traps; they were just leveraging this characteristic.
Even the techniques taught by Second Brother were essentially the same.
Understanding this, Hu Ma said, "If that's the case, how can I learn the true methods of the New Year Guardian?"
"It's not easy."
Second Pot sighed, "You have to be good at flattering and serving people, and you have to be willing to pay a high price."
"These old innkeepers each have their unique skills, but they won't easily pass them on. After all, these skills are their livelihoods, their means of survival."
"With these skills, all the blood-eating gangs will support them. Why would they willingly pass on their skills?"
"What if you turn against them and start competing with them in the future?"
"..."
"..."
Hu Ma had anticipated this. He couldn't help but sigh. This phenomenon wasn't uncommon.
Even in his past life, he had heard stories of young country boys who went to the city to learn cooking. They had to wash the master chef's feet, do all the menial tasks, and even if they caught the chef's eye, they still had to follow three rules.
First, hand over all their wages. Second, the chef could curse and insult them, and they had to respond, "Go ahead, I'm waiting."
The worst rule was the third: every night, they had to service the chef in the most intimate way possible.
Learning essential skills was always this difficult, and this was just for cooking. Now, he was trying to learn the skills of a New Year Guardian, which would be even more challenging.
Hu Ma thought seriously, gaining a clearer understanding of what he was up against.
"Of course, you've found a good place at a good time."
Second Pot added, "The manager who sent you there is an honest man, and this innkeeper, Mr. Wu, is in a difficult position right now."
"He had a few disciples who were heavily relied upon, sent to guard a blood-eating warehouse. Last year, during the blood-eating storage, they were attacked by evil spirits. A small mistake led to a major disaster."
"Not only did his disciples die or go mad, but his family also suffered. Most importantly, the Red Lantern Society lost a significant amount of blood-eating supplies."
"The higher-ups were very dissatisfied with his failure. Fortunately, he managed to smooth things over with connections and supporters, giving him a chance to redeem himself. Now, he's focused on reviving the estate to make up for last year's mistake."
"So, he definitely needs to train a few new helpers, or he'll be overwhelmed!"
"Logically, he should have picked a few experienced people from other branches, but he's reluctant to teach them. He prefers to select from the new recruits."
"..."
"Is that so?"
Hu Ma finally understood why, in this village, aside from the old shopkeeper's family, there wasn't a single old companion around.
He felt a sense of gratitude, thinking that the generous gift from Second Master had truly not been in vain. Little Mustache, the steward, was a decent person. He had first asked if Hu Ma wanted to learn skills before sending him over here.
After all, this place offered the greatest possibility of learning those skills.
"Of course, it's up to him who he chooses to teach," Second Pot said with a smile. "He can't teach everyone in your group. You need to show your worth, be more approachable, and stand out among the crowd to earn this opportunity."
"One thing is certain, though..."
Hu Ma thought to himself that the well-dressed young master in the village had done exactly that. He undoubtedly knew the information Second Pot had shared, and he was also after the same skills.
He had ordered the other helpers to excel in everything to demonstrate his capabilities.
He targeted Hu Ma because Hu Ma had inadvertently outshone him, and he feared that Hu Ma might catch the old shopkeeper's eye, so he didn't even give Hu Ma a chance to show himself.
He was truly cautious. Even after Hu Ma had arrived and initially outshone him, he had remained vigilant for over half a month.
When Hu Ma returned a bit late, Second Pot noticed and asked with a smile, "Got a problem?"
"It's not easy to stand out," Hu Ma sighed and recounted the story of the well-dressed young master.
"Indeed," Second Pot said, immediately smiling. "Brother, does this guy use a red wooden sword?"
Hu Ma was a bit taken aback. "Yes, he does."
"Then you definitely can't compete with him," Second Pot laughed. "He's the son of the Xu family's senior attendant. His father is a senior attendant in the Red Lantern Society, responsible for preparing the Blood Food Pill, and has accumulated quite a fortune. He knows all the shopkeepers."
"He has spent a fortune to strengthen his body from a young age, and even bought this old relic. He has everything arranged and has been sent to the village specifically to learn skills from the old shopkeeper."
"Chances are, his family had already arranged everything before he came."
"You came from the village, how can you compare to him?"
"..."
"..."
Hu Ma's heart sank. The truth was truly hurtful, and he felt his chances were slim.
Second Pot smiled. "Of course, there's a way."
Hu Ma quickly asked, "What is it?"
Second Pot smiled lightly. "Since his family has a strong background, what if I take care of his father?"
"Huh?"
Hu Ma responded reflexively, then suddenly realized, "What do you mean?"
"Take care of his father," Second Pot laughed. "Having a strong background isn't a problem, but losing that background is."
"I've been keeping an eye on his father for a few years. He's been embezzling a lot. I might just use him as an example, or even take care of him."
"Once his father falls, others will distance themselves from him. Who would still take care of him?"
"..."
"Damn?"
Hu Ma was stunned, his worldview nearly shattered. "You can do that?"
"It's just a matter of a word for me," Second Pot, sensing Hu Ma's surprise, sounded quite pleased. "Brother, you haven't dealt with reincarnators much. This kind of favor is the easiest to do. I just need to pass a message."
"Something more difficult would be directly promoting you or helping you find the skills directly."
"..."
Hu Ma listened attentively, carefully noting down the experience this old brother was sharing.
He couldn't help but feel curious: What position did Second Pot hold in the Red Lantern Society? Unfortunately, he didn't ask, even though he was curious.
Earlier, Second Pot had said he would meet him in the city, but none of the people he saw looked like him.
Was he the incense master? Some steward?
Or a member of the society he had passed by?
If he really wanted to find him, he could. He just needed to inquire who had entered Old Yin Mountain or disappeared for a month or two a few months ago.
But Hu Ma didn't really intend to do that. Reincarnators were very secretive about their identities. If he could avoid exposing himself, he would, just like White Wine.
Second Pot, despite his rough demeanor, might have answered if Hu Ma had asked, but Hu Ma had to be sensible.
Not just him, but because of his relationship with White Wine and his current need to learn skills, his identity was already somewhat exposed. Once this matter was settled, he needed to find a way to hide his identity again.
But...
Just a few words in secret, and the arrogant young master's support was directly taken down?
The young master probably couldn't fathom the sudden disaster.
Hu Ma couldn't help but marvel: Now he understood why reincarnators were considered the most formidable evil spirits...
(End of Chapter)
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