It really takes all kinds to make a world…
You see, some evil spirits need cultivation, need to compete with humans for Blood Food Mines, need to warm beds, need to arm wrestle with Great Evil Spirits like the green-clothed evil ghost, need to develop their own forces, and need to offer tributes to those above them. After paying tribute for so many years, thinking of making a name for oneself, one must still duel others for Incense Orders. Upon obtaining those orders, one might think they've made it, only to realize they must act even more cautiously… to survive as a ghost.
Yet, some people actually roamed around like tyrants all day, living as if they were hoodlums. Even when dealing with something as serious as a Sealing, they came around drunkenly?
Hu Ma watched Seventh Aunt leave, feeling somewhat helpless. Luckily, Seventh Aunt was easygoing. She agreed after Hu Ma said it would take two more months. This at least gave Hu Ma some time to understand the Method of Sealing. If possible, he would help her out when the time came. After all, they were good neighbors, and now Li had a special relationship with them. The two families were basically like in-laws.
Of course, when it came to the Method of Sealing, Hu Ma still needed to learn from the Ghost Walkers. It wasn't that Sealing was necessarily a Path of the Ghost Walker, but Ghost Walkers knew a wide range of odd things. Having been born in the lower strata and walked through villages, they encountered all sorts of strange events. Thus, the lower the Ghost Walker, the more bizarre Methods they knew.
But Hu Ma indeed needed to learn. Still, the Ghost Walker Path was at least a Path, so where should he start learning from?
While pondering this, Hu Ma suddenly sensed something unusual. When he looked up, a cat was sitting outside the door, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere. The cat was entirely snow-white, with pitch-black paws and its long tail tucked under its rear. It held a letter in its mouth, its amber eyes staring indoors at him with a haughty yet somewhat sinister look.
I've become a Shousui man of the Five Organs, yet I didn't even notice when it arrived?
Little Hongtang had indeed noticed. She was crouching a few yards away, watching it intently like a tiger on the prowl. But if it were other evil spirits, like the lame little ghost, Sister Hongtang would have gone up and beaten it already. Now, however, she only stared, full of vigilance, and didn't make a move.
Hu Ma was also slightly startled. He looked at the cat and suddenly said in a low voice, "From Grass Heart Hall?"
He had been waiting for Miss White Wine's letter all evening, and upon seeing this cat, he vaguely recognized it as the one belonging to Miss White Wine. Of course, in this world, one had to be cautious everywhere. Even when asking, he could only mention "Grass Heart Hall" by name, not Miss White Wine's code name.
The cat continued staring at Hu Ma. It slowly placed the letter down from its mouth, then used its paw to push the letter inside the threshold. Then, surprisingly, it nodded at him quite humanely before turning around and swiftly darting into the night.
"Is it really?" Hu Ma was astonished as well. He quickly picked up the letter from the ground to find the envelope blank, without any writing. As it landed in his hand, it carried a faint scent of vegetation, the same as Grass Heart Hall's.
Looking up at the dark night outside, he was a bit surprised. "It really was sent by Miss White Wine… But usually people use little ghosts to send letters, yet Miss White Wine sent it with a cat?"
When one's cultivation is high, they really do as they please!
Hu Ma hurriedly returned to the table and carefully examined the letter. It was tightly sealed with wax, such that it would leave a mark if opened. Holding it up to the oil lamp on the table, he still couldn't see the writing inside clearly. So, he decided to put it away carefully, consoled Little Hongtang, shut the door, then lay on the bed, silently practicing. Soon, he became drowsy and entered his Lifebound Spirit Temple.
"Miss White Wine…"
"I've been waiting for you."
Miss White Wine was indeed already waiting for him. She said faintly, "Did you receive the letter? Don't peek. If you open it privately, I will know."
"Ah?" Hu Ma hurriedly said, "How could I? I put it away as soon as I got it. I definitely didn't peek…"
"That's good," Miss White Wine said. "Keep the letter with you. We don't need to have further communication in reality. I think you'll be departing soon."
Hu Ma let out a low sigh and said, "So I indeed need to escort her back?"
He had already suspected this for quite some time. Xiang's identity was anything but ordinary; Miss White Wine could see it. And more so than her identity, it was probably her situation that was unusual. Considering that just after he had sent a letter last time, she ended up in trouble—while her family showed no reaction—it all had an air of strangeness. If he sent another letter, it would take at least a month to arrive. Whether her family could come smoothly was uncertain, especially since Xiang currently lacked her Living Soul, her body only sustained by golden pattern ointment. Whether she could endure another month was also a question.
So, from the beginning, Hu Ma knew it would be more reliable to escort her back directly than to wait for her family to retrieve her. Of course, he couldn't say this himself; he had to wait for her family's old housekeeper to mention it first.
Miss White Wine said, "We've already helped that girl stabilize her condition. From now on, every moment she waits is burning through money. That old housekeeper looked conflicted as well. He knew more about the situation than we did, naturally understanding that instead of stubbornly staying here, it'd be better to send her back. But if he were to send her back himself, given his physical condition, traversing mountains and rivers while escorting someone else, he likely couldn't withstand the journey."
Hu Ma paused slightly and said, "What if he seeks out an escort agency?"
"An escort agency?" Miss White Wine said faintly. "Most people in escort agencies are from the jianghu, only knowing a few moves. If it were an escort agency specializing in transporting valuable goods, it might have someone from a Path overseeing it. But such people, even with their skills, how could they compare to the Shopkeeper of the Blood Food Gang? Heh, the Blood Food Gang may not be well-regarded, but their abilities are genuine. After all, you constantly contend for Blood Food Mines, dealing with all sorts of people. Your skills and social acumen are unlikely to be lacking."
Upon hearing this, Hu Ma felt somewhat helpless. Miss White Wine had become so familiar with him that she didn't even consider his dignity anymore… She didn't seem to realize what a big deal it was for a young man like him, from a mere village, to have finally carved out a position in the Blood Food Gang. What great prestige! Yet now, they spoke of it as if it were something utterly worthless… He didn't mind for himself, but he felt indignant for his Lady! Oh well, never mind what they say. Back in the village, with his status as Shopkeeper, he could still take the seat of honor…
Having consoled himself, Hu Ma chuckled. "If that's the case, it's for the best. I will personally escort her back, first to ensure her safety, and second, to deliver this letter for Miss White Wine on the way."
The greatest benefit, of course, was to magnify this favor, but everyone understood this implicitly, so it didn't need to be said aloud.
"Even a well-made plan requires caution," Miss White Wine said faintly. "I won't remind you about what might happen on the road. But remember, once you arrive, deliver the letter first. Introduce yourself to the Reincarnator Organization there, and only then proceed to the Li Family. Whether the Li Family has any traps, or whatever issues they might have, the organization will inform you first because they get news quickly."
After this conversation, Hu Ma felt at ease. They discussed a few more details before each retreated, and Hu Ma fell into a deep slumber.
As he was waking, he began to consciously or unconsciously make arrangements for the upcoming journey. He mentally reviewed all the necessary items, the itinerary, and preparations, though he didn't speak of them yet.
In the afternoon, he left the inner courtyard and checked on the tasks the workers were performing, the Manor's finances, the night patrol arrangements, and even paid attention to the grain exchange with surrounding villages over the next few days—all to make himself appear extremely busy.
Sure enough, by dusk, just as he returned from Yellow Dog Village with some beans loaded on a donkey cart, an anxious yet familiar figure awaited him at the Manor. It was Xiang's old housekeeper, holding a large bowl and squatting at the kitchen door, eating. Previously, although this old housekeeper had seemed downtrodden, he always carried an uncomfortable air of arrogance before the people from the Blood Food Gang. Now, perhaps broken by circumstances, he suddenly seemed to fit in. The meal, likely given by Li, consisted only of some vegetables and tofu, yet he devoured it, even munching on whole garlic cloves between bites.
Despite this, concern clearly lingered in his mind; he kept glancing toward the Manor entrance while eating. The moment he saw Hu Ma returning, he hastily put down his bowl, hurried over to greet him, called out, "Benefactor!" and immediately kowtowed.
Hu Ma hurriedly jumped off the cart, dodging the kowtow. "What's this?" As he spoke, he helped the old housekeeper up, his expression guarded. "Old Man, I even helped you with the medicine money. If this keeps up, my position as Shopkeeper might become unstable. If you're here to ask me for anything else, I really don't have it…"
The old housekeeper was taken aback for a moment, made somewhat awkward by Hu Ma's wariness. But after a brief pause, he still pleaded tearfully, "No silver! I came, I only came to… Please, Benefactor, show some mercy! Help us through to the end! Accompany this old man to es… escort our young lady back to Anzhou!"
"HISS…" Hu Ma sucked in a sharp breath. "Old Man, you can't be serious, are you joking with me? Mingzhou to Anzhou is a long journey. How could I possibly go? I still have a ton of things to manage here at the Manor!"
"I…" Hearing the refusal in Hu Ma's tone, the old housekeeper looked troubled. But since he had come, he had already thought things through. Steeling himself, he said to Hu Ma, "Benefactor, could we speak in private? I think there are some important matters I can no longer conceal from you…"