Chapter 27 The Noble from the City

Chapter 27: Chapter 27 The Noble from the City "Can’t find Granny anymore? What do you mean?" Little Hongtang’s words made Hu Ma’s heart skip a beat, and he quickly put down the basket in his hand. "I can’t smell the incense that Granny used to light, and I can’t find my way home." Little Hongtang said aggrievedly, "I looked for Granny in the forest but couldn’t find her. I even got bullied and had to come back. But Second Master already sprinkled ash outside the Manor, so Little Hongtang couldn’t enter to find Brother Huma and could only wait." "You’ve been wandering here all night?" Hu Ma then understood and couldn’t help but worry. "What does it mean that Granny didn’t light the incense?" Thinking about the White-faced Mountain Demon from last night and now Little Hongtang, who couldn’t find her way home, made his heart grow heavy. He hurriedly told Little Hongtang to wait outside the Manor and quickly returned inside. Second Master was carefully questioning Cui Xie’er, who had just woken up, scolding him about something. Cui Xie’er was pale, and upon seeing Hu Ma, he shivered instinctively. However, Hu Ma paid him no heed and only looked at Second Master. Seeing Hu Ma’s solemn expression, Second Master understood. He came outside with him and spoke softly, "Has something happened?" "Little Hongtang said she couldn’t find her way home..." Hu Ma quickly explained Little Hongtang’s situation to Second Master, a growing sense of unease in his heart. "Something doesn’t seem right." Second Master furrowed his brow slightly and spoke softly, "Little Hongtang is a ghost raised by Granny. Her home is wherever there’s incense burning. Only when Granny lights that stick of incense can she find Granny. A walking ghost would never forget to light this incense." "Then Granny..." Hu Ma’s heart trembled as he looked up at Second Master. "Don’t panic when something happens." Second Master sensed Hu Ma’s concern and spoke in a deep voice, but it was clear he was also a bit worried. While they were thinking, they noticed a few medicine collectors, wearing leggings and straw raincoats, coming up from the hillside outside the Manor. Seeing Second Master from afar, they called out, "Second Master, when we went out this morning, the Clan Leader asked us to pass on a message to you." "There’s something happening in the village. You should settle things in the Manor and make a trip there by noon." "It’s very important, so don’t delay." "..." "Could something have happened?" Second Master’s expression turned grim, and he quickly asked, "Is it related to Granny?" "We don’t know!" The medicine collector hesitated and said, "When we left this morning, the Clan Leader stopped us at the village gate to pass on the message." "He didn’t say much, but we could tell he was very anxious." "..." Hearing this, Hu Ma also felt a fresh wave of anxiety. Second Master, however, regained his composure slightly and said to Hu Ma, "Come, let’s go back to the village together." He returned inside the Manor to settle matters, while Hu Ma waited uneasily nearby. Little Hongtang quietly came over and held his hand. "Brother Huma, has Granny abandoned Little Hongtang?" "..." "No, no..." Seeing her pitiful expression, even though he knew she only had the appearance of a child and her true nature was unknown, Hu Ma couldn’t help but soften. He treated her like a frightened child and gently reassured her, "How could that be? Let’s go back to the village together to find Granny." "Just stick with me and don’t get lost again." "..." Little Hongtang obediently agreed, following Hu Ma step by step, afraid of getting lost again. Second Master settled everyone else in the Manor and came out. Anxious, he had only taken a few steps before hoisting Hu Ma onto his back. Striding with his long legs, he quickly headed towards the village. Little Hongtang darted through the nearby bushes for a while, but finding it hard to keep up, she also jumped onto Hu Ma’s back. And so it was, with Second Master carrying Hu Ma, and Hu Ma carrying Little Hongtang. The two people and the ghost swiftly passed through the deep forest, moving much faster than ordinary people could. Hu Ma could clearly sense that when Little Hongtang was near Second Master, she would tremble as if finding his presence unbearable. But she buried her small face in Hu Ma’s neck, took a deep breath, and felt a lot better. Second Master is a Stoker. It’s natural for Little Hongtang to fear him. But I’m also a Stoker now, and my stove fire is almost as strong as Second Master’s. Why isn’t she afraid of me at all? "..." He couldn’t dwell on these strange thoughts at the moment, simply following Second Master with a worried heart as they hurried along. He didn’t know if Second Master had learned some special traveling method. The last time Hu Ma crossed the forest with Granny, it had taken them over two hours. But now, Second Master, with his long limbs and large strides, moved at a speed surpassing an ordinary person’s run, even though he wasn’t actually running. In about half an hour, they followed Second Master and reached the village entrance of Dayang Village. From afar, they could see the Clan Leader and a few elderly folks anxiously waiting not far away. "Did something happen to Granny?" Second Master approached quickly and asked the Clan Leader from afar. "Granny?" The Clan Leader met him halfway, just about to speak, but upon hearing Second Master’s words, his expression turned odd. "What’s wrong with Granny?" Second Master was also taken aback. "It’s not about Granny?" "Granny hasn’t been in the village lately..." The Old Clan Chief noticed Hu Ma behind him, nodded, and said, "Ever since Little Huma was sent to your Manor, we’ve rarely seen Granny in the village. She hasn’t been back in the past few days either." "But Granny often goes out to practice medicine and walks with ghosts, often not returning for a day or two. Little Huma knows this..." "...Hmm, this time it’s unusual not seeing her for several days." "..." "Then..." Hu Ma breathed a small sigh of relief that it wasn’t about Granny, but he still couldn’t shake his worry since she hadn’t been seen for so long. He quickly asked, "Then where has Granny been going?" "It seems like she headed to the western forest?" The Old Clan Chief seemed slightly awkward. "She’s been heading there lately, but we don’t know for what. We usually don’t ask about Granny’s affairs." This indeed matched Granny’s habits. Hu Ma glanced back to see Little Hongtang also looking confused, gazing at the western forest. If she were close enough, she could sense Granny. Just a few days ago, she had been following Granny in that very forest, but now, she clearly seemed lost and clueless. Second Master sighed and said, "Then why did you call me back so urgently?" The Old Clan Chief’s expression grew cautious as he moved closer to Second Master, lowering his voice. "There’s a big matter. Some dignitaries came from the city today, wanting to go into the forest to find something. They need a guide from our village. I thought only you could do this." "These are really important figures, Second Master, you must serve them well. There’s a chance to earn a tidy sum..." "Act as a guide?" Second Master was genuinely surprised, peering into the village. "Just them?" Hu Ma also looked, his expression suddenly freezing. In his earlier anxiety, he hadn’t noticed them, but now, looking into the village, he saw there were more people. They were all sturdily built men, wearing black pants and shirts, with red silk sashes around their waists. Some even carried swords, resembling guards. There were about seventeen or eighteen of them, surrounding two black sedan chairs and a large cart, standing quietly inside the village. The villagers’ children watched them with both respect and fear. Standing outside one sedan chair was an old man in a gray robe with the demeanor of a Shopkeeper. He stood with hands clasped behind his back, surveying the village scenery. The other sedan chair had its black silk curtain drawn tightly, completely concealing the person inside. So these were the dignitaries from the city? Hu Ma’s curiosity was piqued. What kind of world was this really? "But I’m already occupied..." Understanding why the Old Clan Chief called him back, Second Master looked troubled. "Oh, what could happen to Granny with her skills?" The Old Clan Chief grew worried, grabbing Second Master’s arm and speaking softly, "You can’t refuse this. Do you know how intimidating the identities of those city dignitaries are?" "They’re accompanied by the old shopkeeper of Grass Heart Hall. Our Dayang Village can’t afford to offend them." "If things go well, next spring’s black oil ointment and herbal medicine will fetch good prices..." "..." "This couldn’t have come at a worse time!" Second Master glanced at Hu Ma. "We still don’t know what’s happened to Granny!" "What could happen to Granny?" The Old Clan Chief blinked, looking at Hu Ma. "What’s wrong with Granny?" "I don’t know." Hu Ma sighed slowly. "Granny used to have someone send me food to the Manor, but today it wasn’t delivered. The person who usually helped with the delivery also said they suddenly couldn’t find Granny. I feared something happened to her, so I came back with Second Master." "Hmph, would one day without Granny sending food really starve you?" The Old Clan Chief complained after hearing this. "And it’s just been one day?" "How about Second Master takes care of business first, and I’ll find people in the village to search around for you?" "..." Without waiting for Hu Ma’s reply, he turned to Second Master, sternly saying, "But you can’t delay those city dignitaries!" "Second Master, you’re a man of experience. Just by looking at those carriages, you can tell the stature of these nobles!" "They’ve already waited here for several hours. We can’t delay any longer!" "..." Second Master’s expression instantly showed his immense difficulty. Hu Ma also sighed softly, now understanding the situation. He turned and looked at the vast, boundless forest. Suddenly he said, "Don’t worry, Second Master, I’ll go into the forest with you!"