Chapter 138 - 137: Bring It Out (Second Update, Vote Request)

Chapter 138: Chapter 137: Bring It Out (Second Update, Vote Request) Indeed, there was a right way to do things. Hu Ma figured that if he and Zhou Datong had come here directly and recklessly, the villagers might not have even provided them with a meal. Perhaps, seeing their youthful faces, they would have just given each of them two steamed buns, maybe added a bit of pickled vegetables, and sent them on their way. As a Mr. Ouyang once said, "The fee for an assassin with shoes is different from one without." But now, they had been respectfully welcomed into the manor, and fine wine and food were served. This Old Master Zhao had even voluntarily let Hu Ma take the seat of honor, while he himself sat beside him, eagerly keeping him company. Zhou Datong and the other apprentices, having traveled with Hu Ma for a day, were already famished and began eating heartily without hesitation. Hu Ma, however, mindful of his table manners, ate only a few bites, listening as Old Master Zhao began to speak in detail. Indeed, the drought in the village had begun the year before last. Last year, there was even less rain, and the harvest had drastically decreased. This year, it still hadn’t rained. Seeing the withered crops in the fields was unbearable; they were clearly about to face days of reduced rations and hunger. But oddly enough, the drought only affected an area of a few dozen li. Neighboring counties, however, still enjoyed favorable weather and had bountiful harvests for the past two years. Those with some insight in the village said it was a drought ba, and that only digging it up and burning it would solve the problem. Yet, despite excavating countless earthen graves, their efforts had been futile. Now, the surrounding villages had gone mad digging graves. Even Old Master Zhao’s ancestral tomb was almost desecrated. The farmhand who had been squatting by the wall earlier had died protecting that very tomb. Now, with the situation spiraling out of control, it was feared that the people of these villages would die in brawls before they starved to death. This was why the wealthy households in the surrounding villages were willing to spend this kind of money. "This is truly a matter of great, life-saving merit..." Old Master Zhao grew more sorrowful as he spoke, almost wiping away tears. He grasped Hu Ma’s hand and said sincerely, "To be honest, we’ve begged everyone imaginable. If you could help solve this problem..." "...we will offer you a donation of fifty taels of silver!" "..." "?" Hu Ma was somewhat dumbfounded. Damn it! They clearly spread the word that it was two hundred taels! But he couldn’t argue about this. He just gave Zhou Datong a look. Zhou Datong, who was in the middle of sinking his teeth into a chicken’s rear, understood immediately. He wiped the grease from his lips and sneered, "Fifty taels? Our Master doesn’t make a move for less than five hundred taels." Hu Ma sighed softly. He overshot it... Hearing this, Old Master Zhao looked somewhat troubled, but surprisingly, he didn’t try to bargain. Instead, after a moment of contemplation, he said to Hu Ma, "The donation... that can be discussed. I can talk it over with people from the surrounding villages. It’s just..." "...are you truly confident you can handle this?" "..." "No." Hu Ma shook his head without hesitation. Old Master Zhao was momentarily stunned. "Who would dare claim certainty before even assessing the situation?" Hu Ma sneered again. "We’re here to resolve matters, not act like some jianghu swindlers trying to trick you. Why would we?" "Ah, this..." Hearing this, Old Master Zhao’s expression brightened, and he actually seemed more reassured. These newcomers were indeed young, but they didn’t seem as slick or as quick to make empty promises as the previous groups of charlatans who had come through. So he hurriedly offered a toast and said to Hu Ma, "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Master. It’s late today, so please rest here. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll send people to the surrounding villages. We’ll find a way to gather the donation..." "And as for you, Master..." "..." "You can take your time discussing it," Hu Ma said. "Tomorrow, I also need to look around first. I’ll act once I have a clear understanding of the situation." Hearing this, Old Master Zhao visibly relaxed. He ordered people to quickly serve the meal, then had a room prepared and hot water brought for the masters to soak their feet before sleeping. After they finished eating and the table was cleared, it was already late. Zhou Datong and the others went to sleep first. Only Hu Ma stayed with Old Master Zhao, drinking tea for a while and asking for more details about the situation before finally returning to his room. As soon as he entered, Zhou Datong and the others gathered around him, asking anxiously, "How did it go?" "Brother Ma Zi, you do have a way to handle this, right?" "If we can’t handle this thing, should we ask for a deposit and find a chance to run away?" "..." "What nonsense?" Hu Ma’s expression changed as he looked at Zhou Datong. Where did he learn such deceptive tricks? "We can’t run." At this, Zhou Liang, who was more level-headed, shook his head and said to the others, "I just saw their farmhands lead our horses to the front stable. They’re keeping an eye on us..." "Heh, no one’s a fool." Hu Ma listened and also sneered. "Besides, we came here intending to earn our silver honestly." "I’m confident about this. Second Master once told me about dealing with Drought Bones. As long as we find the drought ba and burn it, the problem will be solved." "..." The others listened, stunned. Zhou Datong, in particular, exclaimed, "Why didn’t Second Master ever tell us about that?" "Is there even a need to ask?" Hu Ma said, looking at him with irritation. "Whenever you lot are around Second Master, all you care about is swapping dirty jokes..." Zhou Datong looked guilty, and even Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu seemed a bit embarrassed. ...It was indeed true. But seeing their expressions, Hu Ma didn’t elaborate. He just told them to get some rest, as they had to help out first thing in the morning. Actually, what he said was about thirty percent truth and seventy percent bluff. He had indeed heard Second Master talk about dealing with Drought Bones. After all, when he first arrived in this world, he knew nothing about it and relied on listening to Second Master’s strange tales and anecdotes to deepen his understanding. But Second Master had only casually mentioned various accounts and legends from different places. The actual method for resolving issues with a drought ba, he had read about in the Age Suppressing Book. However, the Age Suppressing Book’s information on dealing with a drought ba, especially one that hadn’t fully matured, was very brief—just a few simple lines. Yet now, he had to rely on these few lines to resolve this matter. He would treat it as a practical application of theory, a way to deepen his understanding. The next morning, farmhands from the Zhao family brought water. After everyone had washed up, the kitchen already had fluffy white steamed buns ready. Hu Ma and his apprentices ate a hearty meal, then, led by Old Master Zhao, they left the manor to inspect the surroundings, a crowd of curious onlookers trailing behind them. After circling the village, even Hu Ma couldn’t help but feel alarmed. Moving about the outskirts of this village, one constantly felt as if trapped within a scorching inferno. Though it was only June, the air was as dry and searing as if it were late July or August. The most shocking sight, however, was in the surrounding barren fields and wilderness. Everywhere, graves had been dug open, their coffins smashed, and skeletal remains scattered. Some were left to bake under the sun, while others had already been dragged away by wild dogs. It appeared the villagers, consumed by fear, had resorted to indiscriminate desecration. They dug up every grave, whether it was suspicious or not, treating every family’s ancestors with the same ruthless expediency—smash first, ask questions later. However, the ancestral tombs of a few wealthy households, including Old Master Zhao’s, were still intact, as they had hired people to guard them. But the villagers watched them intently, like tigers stalking prey, ready to swarm and desecrate those tombs at any moment. The air was dry, and things were parched. Worried about a true drought descending and living day to day with such uncertainty, the tempers of the neighboring villagers were understandably short. "Master, how does it look?" After surveying the area for the entire morning, they rested in the fields around noon. Someone had arranged for food to be brought from the village. The crowd following Hu Ma and his group hadn’t shrunk; if anything, it had grown. Old Master Zhao had invited several wealthy household heads from the nearby villages to discuss the matter of the donation. They didn’t haggle much over the amount, their primary concern being whether this Master Zhou could actually solve the problem. Hu Ma replied honestly, "I haven’t found anything suspicious yet." Hearing this, Old Master Zhao felt a mixture of concern and slight relief. He was concerned because he feared they wouldn’t find the source of the problem, but relieved because he had also been constantly worried that the villagers, in a fit of rage, would desecrate his family’s ancestral tomb. That was why, first thing in the morning, he had specifically taken Hu Ma to inspect his own ancestral burial site. But after Hu Ma’s inspection, he simply stated that the drought ba couldn’t possibly be located there. This gave Old Master Zhao an excuse to reprimand the restless villagers. "The Master himself has checked and said there’s no issue here. You can’t possibly insist on digging now, can you?" However, Hu Ma wasn’t intentionally favoring Old Master Zhao’s family; he had genuinely determined that their ancestral tomb showed no signs of trouble. The Age Suppressing Book stated it clearly: "When a drought ba causes calamity, it is like being scorched by fire." Once a drought ba manifested underground, the surrounding land would become scorched earth. Yet, paradoxically, the grave from which the drought ba originated would be suffused with moisture, with lush, green grass growing upon it. Old Master Zhao’s ancestral tomb, however, was so dry it looked like it could catch fire; there was no way a drought ba could have originated there. But the crucial point was, after searching for so long, none of the other graves seemed to fit the conditions for a drought ba’s emergence either... Perhaps searching like this isn’t the right way, Hu Ma mused silently. Maybe I should try a different method. It had been six days since he left the manor. He didn’t know if the duel on the other side had started yet, but he figured time was tight. He couldn’t afford to keep wasting time here just for two hundred taels of silver. Besides, while the people in the surrounding villages didn’t know the methods from the Age Suppressing Book, they had their own approaches. Their indiscriminate digging had turned over every suspicious grave, yet they had found nothing. This meant the drought ba’s burial site was indeed well-concealed and difficult to find. And if that was the case... "Since we can’t find it," Hu Ma said, a thoughtful expression on his face, "then I believe the only option left is to invite it out." "..." The surrounding villagers who heard this were all startled, even frightened. Just moments ago, they had been worried that Hu Ma would have no solution. Who could have imagined that the method he proposed would be so terrifying? "H-how..." Old Master Zhao began, only to find himself stammering, "How... how do we invite it out?" "We’ll start with your village," Hu Ma said thoughtfully. "Since it’s still early, go back to the village and give these instructions: every household is to acquire and keep a few livestock. Those who can afford it should also repair their doors and windows, sealing them securely with paper." "After nightfall, everyone must close their house doors but leave their main courtyard gates open. Sprinkle white lime at the entrance of the main gate. Then, everyone should stay inside their homes and go to sleep. If you hear any disturbances during the night, do not go out, and do not make a sound." "This way, combined with the spell I will cast tonight, we should be able to locate that thing."