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Chapter 74: Village Evil Spirits
Chapter 74: Village Evil Spirits
There were things to soothe and warnings to give.
Hu Ma vividly remembered the words of Second Master before he left. He didn't approach the world with the arrogance of a reincarnated soul. He accepted the village's hospitality with gratitude, and he took to heart Second Master's instructions to look after the others. After all, he had already used Second Master's treasures as favors, so he couldn't turn his back on them now.
As for the village, there were certainly things Hu Ma didn't like. But that was just how the village was. The people were greedy and foolish, quick to turn on each other for a bit of gain, yet they were also the first to lend a hand when trouble struck. They were unreasonable and clung to family ties, but they would rush to a fight without hesitation.
That's just how people from the village were—both good and bad.
Hu Ma had a choice now. As a reincarnated soul, he could abandon them and focus solely on himself. But he could also help them when it didn't interfere with his goals. For now, he chose the latter.
After all, his grandmother had said that the Big Sheep Village was the root of the Hu family.
Of course, Hu Ma's understanding was one thing, but in practice, having a few loyal brothers from the Big Sheep Village made many things much easier.
In the outer courtyard, Hu Ma, as the overseer, managed a dozen or so workers. Some he didn't know before and still hadn't become close to, while others were left by Xu Ji, who had been his enemy.
Managing all the tasks in the outer courtyard was a drain on his energy. Before, he had put in extra effort to show his capability, but now he needed to reserve his energy for practicing the New Year's Guardian techniques. Constantly overseeing these tasks was exhausting and often frustrating.
But with Zhou Datong and the others leading the way, things became much smoother.
Night patrols, cleaning, feeding the horses, buying grain, fetching water, and chopping wood—all these tasks were handled step by step.
With their help, Hu Ma could focus on his daily practice, tending to his left hand.
The key to the New Year's Guardian techniques lay in the balance between life and death.
As he deepened his practice, he began to notice some miraculous changes. Initially, his left hand was cold and lifeless, but as he continued, he started to feel a faint warmth. This warmth grew stronger, and he began to feel the tingling, aching, and pain in his hand. Eventually, he could test the movement of his fingers and even clench his fist slightly.
"From death to life, it's such a wondrous sensation..."
This was the first part of his practice, and he took it very seriously, noting every detail.
He could feel his left hand coming to life, but it was different from the previous sense of life. This hand had vitality, but it wasn't the forced vitality from the Blood Year. Moreover, the process of reanimating his hand revealed some previously unimaginable wonders. His blood, qi, bones, and muscles were all full of strength, as if a mysterious power had been awakened.
The boundary between life and death had been a great test.
With daily practice, his left hand had become like iron hammered in a forge, gradually developing abilities beyond those of an ordinary person.
"How is your practice going?"
The shopkeeper, who usually seemed cold and distant, didn't just teach and then ignore everything. At least every two or three days, he would call Hu Ma to check on his progress.
Hu Ma answered honestly, "At first, it was cold and lifeless, but gradually, it has become warm."
Of course, he was only being honest to a point.
In reality, Hu Ma had skipped the "revival" step and had the guidance of his divine statue, saving him a lot of time. With his three pillars of Dao, he could practice without restraint, and his progress in reanimating his hand was much faster than that of an ordinary person. He could now move three fingers.
But he couldn't reveal this.
His rapid progress might raise suspicions, and he wouldn't be able to explain it clearly.
"Not bad."
The shopkeeper asked him several times, and each time, Hu Ma showed progress. He seemed satisfied and nodded, saying, "Your progress shows that you are putting in the effort."
"However, spending all your time in the village practicing isn't a good thing. It's also important to gain experience. You should take advantage of this time to see what's happening outside the village."
"There's been some trouble in the Stone Cliff Village, about seven miles away. The village head came to see me yesterday."
"Go and take care of it."
"..."
Hu Ma thought about the village's responsibilities and nodded. "I'll go."
The Red Lantern Lady's shrines, set up in various villages, had the ability to dispel evil spirits. Originally, their purpose was to clear the surrounding areas of evil spirits to prevent trouble during the spring, but the surrounding villages, seeing their capabilities, often came to them for help.
In the past, it was always the shopkeeper who handled these tasks, as the workers didn't have the necessary skills.
But now, it seemed the shopkeeper wanted to test him. Plus, as the head of the village, Hu Ma agreed to the task.
"Datong, call Zhou Liang and Zhaozhu, and come with me!"
After understanding the reason, Hu Ma left the inner courtyard and gathered his most trusted companions.
Zhou Datong was sitting on a grinding stone, boasting. Upon hearing the call, he knew it was something good and hurriedly came over.
Zhou Liang and Zhaozhu didn't ask any questions. One of them grabbed a stick from the yard, and the other picked up a pitchfork.
It was a quiet time in the village, so the helpers didn't carry weapons. During the spring, when the village received blood food, they would be equipped, but for now, the only weapons they had were the ones they brought with them when they arrived.
For example, Zhou Datong had a family heirloom sword, and the two followers of Xu Ji each had one as well.
Hu Ma could borrow those weapons, but Zhou Liang and Zhaozhu didn't covet them. Especially Zhaozhu, who loved using the pitchfork.
He said his father used it in fights in the village, finding it unexpectedly useful.
The four of them set out from the village, not knowing what they were going to do. The other helpers saw them leave but didn't say anything.
Usually, Hu Ma wasn't as arrogant as Xu Ji had been, but he was generous when it came to taking care of his people.
Patrolling at night, an important and high-profile task, was naturally led by Zhou Datong.
The mundane tasks of cleaning and sweeping in the outer courtyard were assigned to Xu Ji's two followers.
Even Liwa, who had been seriously injured and was now always sickly, was given a light job by Hu Ma, tending the fire in the kitchen.
Favoritism?
Yes, it was favoritism.
But we're all from the same village. Why shouldn't I think of my own people first?
This wasn't just something the people from Dayang Village found reasonable; even the other helpers in the outer courtyard thought it was fair.
Even Xu Ji's two followers, who did more menial tasks and worked harder, had no complaints.
After all, with Xu Ji dead and Hu Ma in charge, they hadn't been driven away, hadn't been targeted, hadn't had their monthly blood food ration cut, or been secretly extorted. This was already a good enough reason to be grateful.
Now, their task was to flatter Zhou Datong and hope Hu Ma and the others would forget the past.
...
There were horses in the stable, but Hu Ma and his companions didn't bring them out. First, they hadn't yet learned to use public resources for personal gain, and second, the distance was short, just a few steps.
Following the winding dirt path, they walked for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick and arrived at the village the shopkeeper mentioned—Shiyan Village.
From a distance, they could see the scattered houses, built into the mountains and shaded by trees, leaving them in darkness for half the day.
At the village entrance, elderly villagers had already gathered to welcome them, rushing forward. But when they saw Hu Ma and his group, their faces showed surprise.
They had expected the old shopkeeper, but instead, they saw a group of young men, which made them wonder.
In the crowd, a man from Huanggou Village who had come to visit saw Hu Ma leading the way and his eyes lit up. He whispered to the surrounding villagers, "You should know, that young master is very capable!"
"Remember how dangerous the well in our village was? He was the one who solved it."
"..."
Hearing this, the villagers looked at Hu Ma with more respect and hurriedly invited him and his group into the village.
"Hu Ma, you need to handle this well and give them a good scare."
Zhou Datong, walking beside Hu Ma, whispered, "If you do this right the first time, it will make things easier in the future!"
"You know a lot."
Hu Ma glanced at him, smiling inwardly.
Zhou Datong wasn't just talking nonsense. The villages outside the Old Yin Mountain had many differences from the villages inside, but the essence was the same.
The villagers could either revere him like they did the old shopkeeper, showing the simplicity and kindness of the countryside, or they could be insincere, making him experience the cold and slippery nature of rural life. It all depended on his performance.
"Is this the place?"
Surrounded by the villagers, they soon arrived at a house.
It looked well-off, with three large tile-roofed rooms and a stone yard. Inside was a large pigpen, and a woman in simple clothing, her head covered, was feeding the pigs. When she saw the villagers bringing people, she cried out, threw down her wooden spoon, and ran back into the house.
Hu Ma scanned the area and, seeing everything normal, asked, "What's been happening here?"
"Nothing during the day."
The village elder whispered mysteriously, "But someone comes at night to steal the pig feed!"
"What?"
Hu Ma was confused. "There's someone who steals pig feed?"
...
(End of Chapter)
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