Chapter 24 One and a Half Columns of Incense

Chapter 24: Chapter 24 One and a Half Columns of Incense In this Wilderness Village, the boys were all about growing up wild. The fight between Hu Ma and Cui Xie’er highlighted Hu Ma’s domineering nature. Criticisms from other youths diminished, while reverence increased. Being Granny’s grandson, Hu Ma held an extraordinary position with Second Master and already possessed an air of mystery. The confrontation with Cui Xie’er, the most capable person in the Manor, further added to this. Cui Xie’er’s unpredictable and ruthless actions during their fight left everyone in awe. There’s a legend that Granny practices Ghost Raising. Could there also be spirits following him? With these rumors in mind, everyone began to look at Hu Ma with a bit of reverence. Early the next morning, when porridge was being served, the person in charge had changed and immediately gave Hu Ma the largest piece. As for Zhou Datong, he admired Hu Ma immensely. He was the second laziest among those learning from Second Master, with Hu Ma being the laziest. Even Hu Ma’s skills were taught by him, so he knew exactly how much progress Hu Ma had made. But so what? He knew evil skills! Their skills were low, so they couldn’t grasp the key to the situation; they only found it frightening how Cui Xie’er stumbled the moment he got close to Hu Ma. This reverence even extended to Datong, who was close to Hu Ma, and as a result, he was beaten up less often. As for Hu Ma, he didn’t dare to relax. He deeply understood his current state and knew that with Blood Food plentiful, the most important thing was to quickly and thoroughly stoke the fire in his own stove. Due to his physical condition, he couldn’t sweat like other boys every day, but he diligently contemplated the skills Second Master taught. Little Hongtang continued to bring him meals. With plentiful Blood Food, his stove fire burned even more fiercely. Second Master took him to the woods again to visit his godmother. They offered three incense sticks and two steamed buns as offerings, then pruned four or five willow branches from "godmother." Because his stove fire was too strong, the talisman needed replacing every two or three days. Moreover, each time a talisman was replaced, the yin qi consumed was greater than before. The first time Hu Ma’s talisman was changed, only half a willow branch was burned to draw it. The second time, it took an entire branch. By the third time, several branches had to be combined to draw the talisman. Second Master often clicked his tongue in amazement but dared not be negligent. Whenever they ran out of willow branches, he would take Hu Ma to his godmother to prune more. After a few such trips, they arrived one time to find that godmother was nowhere to be seen by the stream. Second Master and Hu Ma searched for a while and finally found godmother shivering behind a large tree dozens of meters away. "Why are you running around?" Second Master was annoyed. "I’m bringing your godson over for a visit, and we can’t even find your place." He then went up and pruned a bundle. Afraid his godmother would run off again, he even tied her with a red string. After this happened a few times, even Hu Ma felt a bit soft-hearted and cautiously said, "Second Master, if godmother gets pruned any more, she’ll be bald..." Second Master replied, "No worries. Worst case, we’ll just change how we address her. Calling her godfather would also work..." The old willow tree, with only a few branches and leaves remaining, shivered in the cold wind, its leaves RUSTLING as if it were cursing up a storm. Although this wronged his godmother, Hu Ma’s stove fire grew even more vigorous. Eventually, it was like a roaring torrent, brimming with vitality, and he felt as if he had been reborn. Now, he dared to venture into the forest by himself, let alone leave the Manor. He also diligently contemplated the skills Second Master taught him, not daring to slack off in the slightest. By now, the only somewhat irksome presence was still Cui Xie’er. The day after his beating, he lay in bed for half the day, appearing seriously injured. Yet, on the third day, he was as lively as ever, making one marvel at the miraculous black oil ointment. Although his physical wounds had healed, it was evident he still harbored a grudge. Other boys had assumed that his first fight with Hu Ma was due to some evil magic and that he would surely challenge Hu Ma again. To their surprise, he actually became docile. Second Master saw the key to the situation clearly, and Cui Xie’er himself obviously understood it too, so he didn’t dare to actually cause trouble for Hu Ma. He only occasionally glared at Hu Ma from behind with a sinister gaze. But Hu Ma didn’t care. Since coming to this world, hadn’t he been watched enough? This bit of pressure was nothing to him. Focused wholeheartedly on his practicing and stoking his stove fire, about a month after arriving at Second Master’s place, Hu Ma finished a bowl of Blood Food from Little Hongtang. Suddenly, he felt something. The stove fire in his lower abdomen abruptly flared to an unprecedented intensity, like a butterfly breaking free from its cocoon. To describe it accurately, it was as if this stove fire was so strong that it seemed to have melted something. At that moment, Hu Ma was lying on his cot, silently practicing to guide the fire qi in his body. As this sensation arose, he felt drowsy, and a dark red mist began to rise around him. Unbeknownst to him, in this hazy state, he once again arrived at that dim, secluded temple. As his body parted the mist, he saw an incense stick standing on the incense burner before him. The last time he left this dream, he distinctly remembered pulling the incense stick out. But now, looking at it, an incense stick still stood in the burner, about three feet tall, adorned with fine golden patterns. A small flame flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, and the surrounding dark red mist seemed to have thickened considerably. Hey, something’s not right! Hu Ma felt it was strange. Glancing to the side, he was slightly surprised. Beside the incense burner, there was another stick of incense, about two or three fingers long, dark red and slender—exactly the one he had pulled out last time. Was I dealing with one incense stick, and now it’s become two? He faintly sensed that this change in the incense was probably related to the sensation he had just experienced. It seemed as if his own stove fire, having reached a certain stage and entered another level, caused one of the incense sticks in the temple to reach its limit, and thus another one was born. Could this incense be related to the Tai Sui I’ve been consuming? Suppressing his excitement, he approached the incense burner for a closer look. It seemed the visible flame on the incense could illuminate some of the surroundings. He could see the faint outline of a Divine Statue in the deep shadow behind the incense table, but it remained indistinct. He wanted to circle around the incense table to get a clearer view, but he found that as he moved, the mist flowed with him and the space itself seemed to shift. It appeared he could never reach the front of the Divine Statue. Hu Ma could only stop, though the questions in his mind multiplied: One Incense turned into one and a half Incense. If I continue to progress at this rate, will it become two Incense, or even more? What exactly is this temple? The Reincarnator I connected with last time mentioned that many people like me have come to this world... Were they, like me, also accidentally summoned here? These questions surfaced uncontrollably in his mind, but sadly, no one could provide him with answers now. He also didn’t know if every Reincarnator had a temple like his. If this incense has grown so much thicker and longer, does that mean my ability to communicate with others has also strengthened? He stirred slightly, observing that particular incense stick. The one standing in the incense burner was now as thick as a fist and half a meter long, a world of difference from the slender stick he had first seen. The smoke it emitted was also much denser, drifting leisurely with the red mist, its destination unknown. Although he knew this would likely burn this incense stick, Hu Ma had no intention of removing it. Logically, the Reincarnator at Old Yin Mountain should already be in deep slumber, making it highly improbable that he could find anyone else. Yet, a sliver of hope remained in his heart, much like keeping one’s phone powered on even when expecting no calls. Perhaps someone would find him? Moreover, his experiences from these three dream entries led Hu Ma to vaguely realize something: the incense seemed to burn continuously while he was in the temple, as if it were searching for others of his kind to connect with. However, when he woke up, the incense would stop burning on its own. So, by keeping this incense stick in the incense burner now, is it equivalent to leaving my phone on, waiting for someone to contact me? In this strange and alienating world, he yearned so desperately to hear the voice of another like himself... RUSTLE... Just as Hu Ma was immersed in that peculiar temple, pondering all these connections, the door to the side room where he slept was quietly pushed open. A figure stealthily slipped into the room—it was Cui Xie’er, who slept in the other side room. His tall, slender figure moved without a sound. His movements were stiff and wooden, like a puppet, as he stealthily approached Hu Ma’s bedside. Looking at the deeply sleeping Hu Ma, his face grew even paler, his eyes seemingly overflowing with venomous hatred and ferocity. His two hands slowly rose, gripping a rusted knife. The tip of the knife was aimed at Hu Ma’s sleeping face. He raised it high above his head, a bizarrely cruel expression flashing across his face. That brother trapped in Fox Coffin Village said he could last a month, but half a month has already passed, Hu Ma was still in his dream, thinking silently. Although I’ve learned a few skills, they’re barely enough for self-preservation, let alone rescuing someone. If I could ’connect’ with a third Reincarnator, I might be able to find some help for that brother, but there’s been no activity at all! Could it be that I should just forget about this brother for now? Perhaps when I have a chance to leave these great mountains, I can find other Reincarnators and learn more about the situation? From their brief conversation last time, he knew that Reincarnator understood many things. If he could speak with him again, many of the questions currently weighing on his mind might be answered. But that Reincarnator was in trouble, and Hu Ma’s own problems were not small. How could he possibly help him? HISS... But just as Hu Ma was pondering all this, the dark red mist around him, at some unknown point, suddenly began to flow quietly. And the speed of this flow was increasing. By the time he became aware of it, he was astonished to find that these mists were swirling like a tidal wave in a storm, rumbling and surging. Within them, he vaguely saw a sharp dagger thrusting towards his face. He snapped awake with a start, opening his eyes. As he did, he was instantly terrified. He saw Cui Xie’er’s deathly pale face right in front of him, and the pointed dagger Cui Xie’er gripped in both hands, aimed directly at his own face.