Chapter 137 - 136 Master Zhou (First update, asking for votes!)

Chapter 137: Chapter 136 Master Zhou (First update, asking for votes!) Early the next morning, Hu Ma, accompanied by Zhou Datong and others, washed their faces, ate and drank their fill, and then hastily set out on their journey. He had calculated the distance. Given that he, Zhou Datong, and the others were all Shousui men with fast legs, barring any delays or wrong turns, they could reach Mancang Town before sunset. Thus, they had agreed to eat their fill in the morning and not stop at midday. As they were a group of young men accustomed to daily mountain running, this naturally posed no problem. They didn’t even ride horses but hurried over together. It was fortunate they hadn’t brought Li. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the group. They crossed mountains and ridges. In this era, roads were scarce, but Hu Ma had asked for directions the day before, so they avoided unnecessary detours. As the sun was about to set, they crested a hill and saw a tidy village on the plains ahead, nestled in the twilight haze. "Let’s tidy ourselves up first." Hu Ma called Zhou Datong and the others to a halt just as they were about to rush into the village. He gave them some instructions, then brought over the horse he had taken from the Manor and mounted it. At the same time, he ruffled his hair, wrapped a scarf around his face, hung a few straw figures he had woven on the road from his body, and tied a few crudely drawn talismans to his waist before heading into the village. Presentation matters... Hu Ma had thought it through. The people here had pooled two hundred taels of silver to hire someone to deal with the drought ba, but acquiring that silver wouldn’t be easy. He was out to make money, though he wasn’t too familiar with prices in this world. However, from any perspective, two hundred taels of silver was a considerable sum. In this era, there were few opportunities to spend money. For most families who still prioritized self-sufficiency, two hundred taels would be more than enough to build a small house for Second Master in their village, take a wife, and purchase livestock. Even though this place was seeking experts for expelling evil, obtaining the silver wouldn’t be easy. Everyone in their group looked young. Even if they were capable, people might not readily trust them. Dressing up this way, however, made them look more convincing. "Datong, once we get to the village, you be my spokesman. With this disguise, I can’t say much directly." As they walked, Hu Ma instructed Zhou Datong on how to speak, how to flatter people, and even told them to display the knives and weapons they carried. However, Zhao Zhu’s dung fork was an exception; it was best to keep that hidden. "I initially thought I was helping Brother Ma Zi investigate cases, not that I’d be part of some grand theatrical performance!" Zhou Datong couldn’t resist teasing, even daring to poke fun at Hu Ma. But as the village drew nearer, his expression turned serious. He led the horse with one hand, the other resting on the knife at his waist, and began to walk with an imposing, splay-footed gait. One man on horseback with three attendants, brandishing blades and swords and dressed in peculiar attire, was an exceptionally eye-catching sight. Humans entering a village would naturally arouse suspicion. Furthermore, it was nearly dark. When they entered, a few families eating dinner on their doorsteps looked over with suspicion. "Greetings, Ma’am..." Zhou Datong knew it was his time to shine. There were old men smoking at the village entrance and other men holding bowls, but he immediately spotted a woman nursing a child. He smiled and approached her. "Excuse me, is there a village chief or clan leader in this village?" "Any elder who can speak for the village will do. Our Master has brought us here on urgent business to discuss with the people here." The woman was so startled by Zhou Datong’s seemingly honest, smiling face that she quickly retreated indoors. However, an old man smoking nearby stood up and asked, "What are you here for?" "Hehe, our Master is a Ghost Walker. He roams the lands purging demons and banishing evil spirits. In recent years, he has banished eight hundred Great Evil Spirits and three thousand minor evil spirits. Even ordinary vengeful ghosts disperse with a mere breath from him! We just happened to be passing by your village today..." Hu Ma listened, thinking Zhou Datong was overdoing it, but then Datong got to the main point: "We sense a demonic aura here! Our Master has a kind heart, so he brought us over to see what’s going on." "..." "Oh dear..." Hearing Zhou Datong’s words, the smoking old man was startled. He hastily cupped his hands in a salute. "We’ve been waiting for a Master like you! Please wait a moment. I’ll go fetch Old Master Zhao from the village to speak with you." With that, he hurried into the village. Hu Ma and the others remained on horseback, waiting. The commotion attracted more villagers, who peeked out to see what was happening, but none approached or spoke to them. Seeing that the woman from before had peeked out from behind her door again, Zhou Datong smiled and said, "Ma’am, your child looks very healthy. What’s your secret to raising such a healthy child?" CREAK! The door slammed shut, and she hid once more. It wasn’t long before they saw a few lanterns appear in the distance, bobbing towards them from within the village. When they drew near, they saw a portly middle-aged man accompanied by several sturdy-looking farmhands. Arriving before them, the man cupped his hands towards Hu Ma on the horse. "My apologies for the tardy welcome, my apologies. May I ask the esteemed Master’s name?" "..." Hu Ma cleared his throat, deliberately making his voice sound rougher, and replied, "My surname is Zhou. Call me Zhou Dazhuang." Beside him, Zhou Datong paused, glancing at Hu Ma and thinking, Why on earth are you using my father’s name? "Master Zhou, my respects." Old Master Zhao hastily bowed to Hu Ma again, then moved closer to Hu Ma’s horse and whispered, "Master, did you detect a demonic aura in this place?" "I’m afraid it’s more than just a demonic aura, isn’t it?" Hu Ma let out a gruff laugh. "From a distance, it looked like the demonic aura was soaring to the heavens. I reckon this place hasn’t seen rain for nearly a year, has it?" "Perhaps a few people have even died?" "..." "Indeed, indeed..." Old Master Zhao sighed and quickly instructed the men behind him, "Quick, invite the Master inside." The group led the horse and followed Old Master Zhao into the village. Hu Ma thought to himself that while Old Master Zhao was polite, he was also clearly astute and likely didn’t fully trust them yet. One had to be careful when dealing with villagers. If Hu Ma wanted to secure this contract smoothly, he’d probably have to demonstrate some of his abilities. Just as he was thinking this, they arrived in front of Old Master Zhao’s spacious courtyard. An opportunity was presenting itself. Hu Ma felt a sense of unease. He glanced around but saw nothing out of the ordinary, making him hesitate slightly. Little Hongtang, who was sitting on the horse’s rump behind him, seemed to sense what Hu Ma was looking for. She climbed up his back onto his shoulder and covered his eyes with her small, cool hands. Hu Ma’s vision instantly went black, and then he saw something. It was a shadowy figure squatting by the courtyard wall of Old Master Zhao’s house, vigorously digging at its base. However, none of the people passing by noticed it. When the others saw Hu Ma stop and stare intently at the corner of the wall, they also paused, wondering what mysterious act he was performing. Sister Hong Tang is truly amazing... Hu Ma praised her inwardly, then withdrew his gaze and said with a smile, "Old Master Zhao, please don’t take offense at my words, but I fear your residence isn’t entirely... clean." "Has there, perhaps, been a funeral in your household recently?" "..." Old Master Zhao was startled by this, and suspicion immediately arose in his mind. Is this another charlatan here to swindle money? His area was suffering from a drought, and word had gotten out that they were looking to hire someone for expelling the drought ba. This had already attracted several groups of fraudsters, all of whom made grand pronouncements initially but proved useless when it came to actual results. "A funeral..." His expression was one of feigned confusion as he forced a smile. "Not that I recall..." "Perhaps not directly in your household," Hu Ma said with a smile. "But it’s definitely connected to your family. Someone holds a grudge against you and is currently digging at your wall!" "Digging at my wall?" Old Master Zhao was genuinely startled. He had heard tales of wandering ghosts digging at people’s walls, causing illness or financial ruin in the household. Thinking of his recent poor health, he hurriedly asked, "What does it look like?" Hu Ma, looking at the dark figure in the corner, said, "It doesn’t look old, so it likely didn’t die of old age. Its build is sturdy, so it doesn’t seem to have died from illness either." "Oh dear..." This time, Old Master Zhao was truly frightened. He thought for a moment and stammered, "Could it be... Zhao Laosan?" "A while ago, some people tried to excavate my ancestral tomb. Laosan, being a loyal man, stood guard for me. As a result, he was struck on the head with a mattock by someone from the neighboring village..." "Is he... is he dissatisfied with me?" "..." "It would seem so," Hu Ma said. "He died for you. You must provide for his family, young and old; otherwise, you will damage your yin virtue." As he spoke, he glanced at the apprehensive villagers, knowing it was time to make a demonstration. "Since I’ve encountered this, I’ll resolve this minor trouble for you first. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to linger here while we’re preparing for important matters." Saying this, he silently chanted for a moment, then suddenly thrust out his hand and shouted, "Flying Sword!" WHOOSH! The surrounding villagers hastily retreated a good ten feet or more, their eyes wide with astonishment. Even Zhou Datong and his companions were stunned. We know Brother Ma Zi is skilled, but what’s this Flying Sword all about? Just as they were wondering, they saw Hu Ma take out the mahogany sword wrapped in a red cloth from his back. He casually tossed it into the air. Little Hongtang reacted quickly, leaping up to catch the Wooden Sword. Then, as Hu Ma formed a sword seal with his fingers and pointed forward, Little Hongtang clutched the mahogany sword and charged directly at the shadowy figure crouching by the wall. No one else could see Little Hongtang. They only saw that as Hu Ma pointed, the sword truly took flight, wobbling unsteadily towards the corner of the wall. They were all transfixed, staring with wide eyes. The shadowy figure by the wall was merely the weakest kind of wandering spirit. It was digging at Old Master Zhao’s wall because it harbored a grudge. Actually, Hu Ma could tell that Old Master Zhao’s family was protected by their ancestors, probably because they maintained an ancestral tablet shrine. Even if this wandering spirit dug for years, the most it could do was cause Old Master Zhao a minor illness. The spirit itself, however, risked angering the Zhao family’s ancestors and being scattered. With Little Hongtang rushing at it, the timid spirit instantly dissolved into a gust of yin wind and dispersed. The onlookers, however, only saw the "Flying Sword" point towards that spot. Instantly, a chilling wind swept through, causing the dry grass to rustle eerily. The sight was so strange and divine that it terrified them into holding their breath. "Return!" Seeing this, Hu Ma made another finger gesture, and the mahogany sword flew back into his hand. Witnessing this, the crowd no longer harbored any doubt. Old Master Zhao shouted at the top of his lungs, "Kill the chickens! Kill the chickens! Prepare wine! Prepare wine!" "A truly capable Master has come! Our village is saved!..."