Chapter 118 - 117: Lame Little Ghost

Chapter 118: Chapter 117: Lame Little Ghost Hu Ma didn’t really believe that Yang Gong could succeed. Among their batch of Red Fragrance Disciples, aside from a few exceptions, most came from poor families. It was rare for someone like Yang Gong to even know where his family was or what his full name was. Most were clueless, having even forgotten their hometowns. After joining the Red Lantern Lady’s Club, they were gambling their lives for a future, exchanging blood for food. Despite their high status in the society and the adequate support, their lives were often short-lived. Today, they might laugh and joke, boasting grand ambitions, but who knew if by tomorrow, they would die in a gutter, unnoticed by anyone. Yang Gong seemed like a typical example. He was proud and ambitious. Having served the Red Lantern Lady for a year and still being alive, he naturally must have possessed some skills. Those Red Fragrance Disciples who survived the year’s culling might even have been more competent than Hu Ma himself. But for Yang Gong to think of shouldering such a huge responsibility alone, competing for Blood Food with those vicious and merciless forces, was beyond his capacity. Hu Ma even felt that he would most likely lose his life in the attempt. But there was no way to dissuade him. Yang Gong thrived on his fiery temperament; if Hu Ma tried to counsel him, Yang Gong might instead turn his anger on him. Therefore, Hu Ma only treated Yang Gong to a meal and helped him feed his horse well. As night fell, Hu Ma suggested Yang Gong stay overnight. Yang Gong, however, paid no mind. He fetched his rested horse and departed immediately. After all, those who served the Red Lantern Lady had no fear of the furtive things that roamed in darkness. In fact, compared to the living, he now seemed more like a wraith. Afterward, Hu Ma just focused on preparing the accounts, ready to submit them to the city later. There were quite a few capable people in the Red Lantern Society, and they kept a strict check on the inflow and outflow of Blood Food from the various Manors, presumably to prevent embezzlement. Of course, Hu Ma’s Manor had no such concerns. The people in their Manor had barely ever seen what Blood Food looked like, and everyone who came there was particularly cautious. "It’s as if someone in our Manor is actually coveting this Blood Food..." "...It’s either white or green. Who would fancy that?" "..." The task of preparing the accounts should have been handled by the Shopkeeper himself, but their Shopkeeper’s mind had long since drifted elsewhere. He had originally planned to hold out for a year, deal with the Red Lantern Society’s affairs, and then request to step down. He wanted to take Sister Wu He to seek treatment from the Divine Hand Zhao Family’s healers. Hu Ma wasn’t sure if he had found any leads yet, but he had heard that Shopkeeper Wu had already asked an old servant to sell his house in the city. Now, Hu Ma handled many of the Manor’s affairs himself, without needing to consult him. However, for Hu Ma, as long as no mishaps occurred in the Manor, the crucial matter was his cultivation. In the old shopkeeper’s eyes, he had now cultivated both hands and one leg, on the verge of completing the cultivation for the Second Tier. But in truth, he had secretly begun cultivating his Five Organs long ago. However, this was a grave matter, and Hu Ma dared not treat it lightly, considering every step with utmost care. The heart would definitely be the last, as it was the most vital and also symbolized the perfect completion of the third-tier. The order for the remaining Four Internal Organs was up to Hu Ma to decide. Although Hu Ma had his Lifebound Divine Statue to illuminate his path, and his entire body was effectively dead, which made cultivation extremely convenient, he still decided, after some contemplation, to start with the lungs. This was because the old shopkeeper had also started from there, and his notes on it were the most detailed. Moreover, the lungs were crucial for inhaling and exhaling yang qi. Once he succeeded in refining life in them, the power of his True Yang Arrow technique would be greatly enhanced. Currently, when Hu Ma spat out a True Yang Arrow, it could at most injure an evil spirit half a meter away. But if he refined life in his lungs, with their potential power to swallow mountains and rivers, could he not directly project the arrow more than ten feet away? Furthermore, with refined lungs, his stamina would be greatly increased, which would also significantly aid his physical prowess. "Sigh..." However, once this cultivation began, it brought considerable suffering. Normally, with sufficient Blood Tai Sui sustaining his entire body, he didn’t feel anything amiss. However, during cultivation, when he first withdrew all the qi and blood from his lungs, he immediately felt weak. His complexion turned pale, and he couldn’t walk even a few steps without feeling exhausted, as if he had consumption. Outsiders often mistakenly believed Shousui men were plagued by disasters and illnesses, appearing as if afflicted by a hundred diseases, but this was actually just a stage of their cultivation. But precisely because of this, Hu Ma dared not cultivate during the day, fearing the Shopkeeper would notice. Only in the dead of night, when no one was around, would he quietly cultivate for a while. During the day, he still relied on Blood Tai Sui to replenish the qi and blood in his lungs, pretending nothing was amiss. He was much like those deceptively effortless top students who appeared to play hard all day but secretly burned the midnight oil. He idly thought that it would be great if he could actually become the Shopkeeper. At least then, his cultivation wouldn’t have to be so secretive. After several days, as the yearly ritual of cutting Tai Sui had just passed, Hu Ma was preparing to practice his cultivation one night. Suddenly, a cool breeze inexplicably blew past the window, causing the paper-paned window lattice to RATTLE loudly. Hu Ma felt a slight chill on his skin. He abruptly sat up and looked towards the door, vaguely sensing something standing there. "Who’s there?" He frowned, asking softly, but there was no response from outside, only the sound of a faint knock on the door. "Speak!" Hu Ma said with a frown. Still, no one answered; there was only another knock. It wasn’t one of the attendants from the Manor, Hu Ma thought. The Manor attendants wouldn’t ignore him, nor would they stand there foolishly knocking. Slightly alarmed, he glanced up at Little Hongtang on the beam, who was rubbing her eyes. Seeing that she too had woken up and was looking curiously towards the door, he knew that the visitor was probably not human. Reaching out, he caught the Wooden Sword that Little Hongtang tossed down to him. He slowly approached the door and then suddenly yanked it open. WHOOSH! As he pulled it open, a gust of cold, chilling air rushed in. Hu Ma’s vision blurred for a moment. He then clearly saw a little ghost, about waist-high, with a round head and a ghastly white, eerie face. It had a lame leg and stood crookedly by the door. Startled by the sudden opening of the door, it too seemed taken aback. It took two steps back, then suddenly lowered its head, knelt before him, and kowtowed. "What in the world is this?" Hu Ma was startled and almost slashed out with his sword. Who wouldn’t be frightened by a little ghost knocking on their door in the dead of night and then kowtowing to them? Unexpectedly, however, as his sword was halfway there, the little ghost suddenly spoke in a faint, garbled voice, "Old Master Yang Gong sent me to find Manager Hu." "Yang Gong?" Hu Ma’s sword stopped dead in his hand, nearly finishing off the little ghost. Yet the little ghost, unaware of the danger it had just been in, dumbly said, "Old Master Yang Gong sent a message. He said he has succeeded and reached the Water God Temple. But the river current is too swift for him to cross, and pursuers are closing in fast. He asks Manager Hu to come and provide assistance..." As it spoke, it fumbled out a piece of cloth from its lapel and presented it with both hands. On it, written in what was clearly blood, were the words "Help me." "Yang Gong actually succeeded?" Hearing this, Hu Ma couldn’t help but be astonished. He glanced at the lame little ghost, and understanding dawned on him. This was Yang Gong’s little ghost, just like Little Hongtang... ...He thought, turning to glance at the beam. Little Hongtang looked adorable with her horn-like pigtails, curiously craning her neck to look down. Hmm, they weren’t the same at all. Little Hongtang was much prettier. But before he could indulge his pride, he focused on the urgent matter at hand. Hu Ma took the piece of cloth from the little ghost’s hands. The two characters on it were scrawled and misshapen, indeed matching the style of someone like Yang Gong, who had been illiterate before joining the Red Lantern Society and had only then begun to learn characters. He then hurriedly asked the little ghost a few more questions. Its speech was muddled and long-winded, so it took several attempts to get a clear understanding. This was truly astounding. Yang Gong had actually managed to seize that batch of Blood Food. However, according to their prior discussion, Yang Gong should have passed Niu Family Bay and headed north, delivering the Blood Food to Hu Ma’s Manor before nightfall. But now, it seemed he had encountered some danger, which not only delayed his journey but also left him trapped on the opposite side of Niu Family Bay. Unable to escape, he had no choice but to send his little ghost to the Manor to summon reinforcements. "You go back first and tell him I know," Hu Ma said softly. He then turned around, lit the oil lamp, and began to search for a map. Unexpectedly, the lame little ghost was still standing by the door. Seeing Hu Ma look back, it kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Old Master Hu." "Thank me for what?" Hu Ma frowned. The little ghost kowtowed again. "May fortune smile upon Old Master Hu." It looked up at Hu Ma. Seeing he still didn’t seem to understand, it immediately kowtowed a third time. "Wishing Old Master Hu great health and peace." Hu Ma was puzzled. Only then did he realize it was asking for a reward. He then took a piece of dried meat from the jar beside his bed and tossed it to the little ghost. The lame little ghost, only then, departed happily. "No wonder Yang Gong despises his little ghost so much. It’s terrible at delivering messages clearly, but quite skilled at asking for rewards..." Hu Ma gave a helpless smile and continued to search for a map of the Niu Family Bay area. Because most of their work involved escorting goods, they had no shortage of maps. These maps were self-made; though crude, they were clear enough to understand. Hu Ma leaned closer to the oil lamp and quickly found the location the lame little ghost had mentioned. "Niu Family Bay, Water God Temple..." He pondered for a moment. This place was seventy to eighty *li* from his Manor—not too close, but not too far either. Normally, when the Manor’s attendants went out to provide backup, this was about the farthest they would travel. However, the Niu Family Bay area was not within the Red Lantern Lady’s Club’s usual sphere of activity; it was too far from Mingzhou Prefecture. Should he really go and help him? He mulled it over silently in his heart, his fingertips lightly tapping the tabletop, and quickly made a decision. He had to go. The place wasn’t too far; with his speed as a Shousui man, he could reach it within a two-hour period. If what Yang Gong had done was true, it would indeed be a significant accomplishment—precisely what Hu Ma lacked at the moment. The old shopkeeper intended to recommend him for the Shopkeeper position. However, Hu Ma had joined the society too recently and lacked significant accomplishments. Thus, despite his intentions, the old shopkeeper couldn’t be of much help. If he could achieve a merit of his own in this matter, then there was still a chance for the Shopkeeper position. Moreover, although he wasn’t particularly interested in becoming Shopkeeper himself, he had to admit that the position offered considerable advantages. After all, with Shopkeeper Wu still around, he had to be cautious in everything he did. If a new, unfamiliar shopkeeper were to arrive, who knew what trouble might ensue? Besides, if the Blood Food Yang Gong had obtained was valuable, he might even be able to make an extra profit himself. Who would ever complain about having too much Blood Food? Of course, he couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility that there was some other trickery involved, that this might be an unknown trap. But if that were the case, it was all the more reason for him to go. He just wouldn’t reveal himself immediately. He would first go secretly to observe and see if someone was trying to set him up.