"Heart Piercing Nail, Soul-Locking Chain, Big Stone Breaking Hand... breaking a large stone on the chest?"
The wheels rumbled as Hu Ma, wearing a straw hat, drove the carriage along the firm, hard dirt road.
Since this horse was unique and didn't require his full attention to drive, he let go of the reins, simply sitting on the carriage with a gourd in his hands.
The sky was overcast. Furthermore, since he had already undergone Death Transformation for his entire body—preserving only a breath of vitality in his heart—the surrounding yin qi had increased significantly. He poured some water from the gourd onto the blank pages of a book, focusing intently on its contents.
If someone else were to see this, they might think he was looking at the Wordless Heavenly Scripture.
But in Hu Ma's eyes, the more he looked, the happier he became, even greedily memorizing the secrets of these trump card skills.
The Path of the Shousui man, in essence, was simple: transform life into death, then death back into life, maintaining balance between life and death.
Yet, this simple path had been used by countless Shousui men to develop unique and powerful physiques, leading to the creation of numerous trump card skills. Many were unexpectedly lethal once employed.
Each of these skills had great utility and could secure one's livelihood.
Within the Red Lantern Lady's Club, possessing such a trump card skill could earn one the position of Shopkeeper, leading several apprentices, and enjoying life in this Chaotic World.
However, now these trump card skills were fully laid bare before him, in extreme detail.
They were even authentic; after all, the dead don't lie.
It was upon beginning to learn these skills that Hu Ma realized how shallow his progress had been on the Path of the Shousui man.
Initially, he thought refining the Five Organs and mastering two trump card skills would suffice, but now he felt as though his eyes had been opened to a new world.
Each skill had its own intricacies. Some seemed simple enough to grasp, while others demanded time and effort to master. Some names sounded impressive, while others were more down-to-earth.
Undoubtedly, they would all be extremely useful to him.
A single truthful sentence could be worth countless failures by predecessors.
"I've struck it rich..."
He remained silent for a long time before slowly opening his eyes and letting out a gentle sigh.
On the way here, he learned the skills of a Ghost Walker and some of the Trick Door techniques. However, the skills of a Ghost Walker required thorough integration upon his return to truly unlock the Age Suppressing Book and learn the dharma methods.
The Trick Door techniques were mostly for fun and to ease future jianghu travels. He never expected to learn much from them.
Only the Shousui trump card skills, with his solid foundation, were understood at once. Some of the simpler ones, once he tried them, he grasped their essence and could replicate them smoothly.
"So..."
As he spoke, his left hand began to twist his wrist slightly outward, gently tapping.
He didn't actually strike but quietly observed the changes in Power.
"This Heart Piercing Nail effectively uses a surge of yin qi, delivered with a Shousui man's technique, to pierce a person's heart?"
He pondered slowly, "It can hit directly, borrow force, and if well-practiced, it can even be conducted through a weapon, achieving an unnoticeable and undefendable harm..."
"Hmm..."
Why do most of our Shousui skills feel so sinister, like techniques from an Evil Sect?
...
He only thought about it for a moment before quickly shaking his head in denial.
That wasn't true. Compared to those from other Paths, who hid their identities when harming others and attacked without notice, Shousui men were much more open and straightforward.
After comforting himself, Hu Ma continued pondering the application and key points of these trump card skills.
The Dongzi Li Family had provided him with plenty of trump card skills, which Hu Ma diligently memorized. However, mastering them all in a short time was unrealistic. For instance, the Big Stone Breaking Hand would not only require day-and-night practice but also coordination with talismans and secret medicines to nourish the hand.
Some were simple methods of practicing chi, which allowed for leisurely contemplation along this journey.
Certainly, another reason for starting to study these skills on this journey was the boredom of traveling alone. Day after day, he didn't even have a conversation partner.
Traveling from Dongchang Prefecture to Anzhou had taken him seven days.
However, that had been him and Xiang riding fast horses, their inner thighs chafed from the rushed journey.
Now, he was driving a carriage, taking things slowly, unsure how many times longer it would take.
There wasn't much choice either. As for the one pulling the cart, Hu Ma dared not whip it and took great care of it each night.
On the road, when too bored, Hu Ma spoke to it, but it didn't respond. When he asked it to shake its ears or blink, it seemed not to understand, just dutifully pulling the cart each day.
However, after several days, Hu Ma realized it might not be entirely unresponsive. For instance, one night when resting by the fire, Hu Ma held out a jug of wine and asked if it wanted some. It nodded.
From that night onward, whenever conditions allowed, Hu Ma would buy a jug of wine each night and pour it into its trough.
"Brother Huma, Brother Huma..."
The figure of Little Hongtang suddenly appeared on top of the carriage, squatting on the horse's back, and whispered mysteriously to Hu Ma, "Ahead, two hundred zhang, at the intersection."
Hu Ma nodded, taking out a packet of oilcloth from his chest, pulling out a Blood Food Pill, and readily handing it to Little Hongtang.
Little Hongtang instantly beamed with joy, holding it with both small hands, and dashed off to scout the way again.
Seeing her energy now, Hu Ma guessed that she wouldn't refuse even if he asked her to take care of those blocking the way. After all, her food quality had improved significantly.
Now, Little Hongtang had started eating Blood Food!
One whole pill at a time!
...Of course, Hu Ma had divided a whole Blood Food Pill into ten portions, forcefully squeezing each part to barely form it into a round shape.
Even if the sizes varied, wasn't it still considered one pill?
At least, Sister Hong Tang was always cheerful and never questioned these details.
PHEW...
As the carriage proceeded, sure enough, when it turned at another intersection two hundred zhang away, Hu Ma saw several lazy beggars resting in the woods. They glanced his way, intentionally or unintentionally, as they quietly passed each other.
The farther I get from Anzhou, the more closely those Beggar Gang spies watch me, Hu Ma mused silently.
Initially, after leaving Miss Red Wine's manor, he was cautious, fearing the Beggar Gang might confront him directly.
Later, he discovered the situation was different from what he had expected. Although he was quickly marked after leaving the manor, no move was made against him.
Perhaps they lacked a thorough understanding of the Dongzi Li Family. They might also have been concerned that the family indeed possessed the capability to protect me easily in Anzhou, so they needed to wait until I left that area.
Where will they ambush me? Hu Ma calculated silently. This marked the third wave of beggars he had encountered that day, and they were obviously trailing him more persistently than before. This forced him to ponder further: Or, how will they execute the ambush?
Will they directly block the road, or disguise themselves as shopkeepers at some roadside inn, drug me first, then throw lime in my face?
...
He couldn't find answers to these questions. Relatively speaking, it didn't matter. What deserved his attention more was: How would Miss Red Wine act?
She had merely said she would act once the Beggar Gang Leader showed himself.
But she refused to elaborate on how she would ensure a timely intervention if he were in peril, as doing so would expose her trickster roots.
Honestly, she isn't as generous as Housekeeper Zhou...
Consequently, Hu Ma could only pretend ignorance and honestly play the bait.
The more Beggar Gang members he encountered, and the more he noticed their increasingly brazen and malevolent gazes, the more Hu Ma felt as if he were walking into a massive net. This net was being drawn tighter and tighter, leaving no room for escape.
Nonetheless, he remained outwardly calm, collected his thoughts, and continued to ponder his trump card skills.
That evening, Hu Ma rested at a roadside inn. He spent his silver to book a shared bed and instructed the Shopkeeper to bring the finest wine and dishes, requesting two jugs of wine and the inn's best and cleanest food, emphasizing that cost was not an issue.
He then poured one jug of wine for the horse and drank the other himself. After soaking his feet in hot water, he finally lay on the bed and peacefully drifted off to sleep.
"The Beggar Gang members will likely make their move against you tomorrow."
Soon, a voice echoed. Within the Lifebound Spirit Temple, Hu Ma heard Burning Blade's warning.
Looking closely, he felt a slight jolt of surprise.
They had initially agreed to exchange information at the Lifebound Spirit Temple during critical times. Yet now, he noticed seven or eight incense threads threading through the dark red mist, connecting with his incense burner.
Each incense thread represented a mysterious Reincarnator!
These guys, no one showed their face throughout the journey, truly making it feel as if I was traveling all by myself. Now they've all suddenly appeared?
Feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension, Hu Ma composed himself and listened attentively as they shared intelligence.
Burning Blade was the first to speak: "The Beggar Gang's Ji Tang is gathering all the minor leaders along Pingnan Road and summoning them to Bull Head Town. The deadline he gave those people is tonight.
"And this spot is where you will pass by at noon tomorrow."
...
As his voice faded, another lazy voice emerged, speaking nonchalantly: "Code name Yubing Shao. Following Miss Red Wine's instructions, I've made some inquiries.
"The Weihe Escort Agency in Liudi Town had a family heirloom treasure sword stolen the night before last. It looks like the Beggar Gang's handiwork. He probably intends to use this treasure sword against Brother Old White tomorrow."
Another voice added: "Code name Old Sorghum. I'm currently following the Beggar Gang's Ji Tang. He's at his mistress's house in Four Water Town right now.
"...The sounds coming from inside are really something! Makes you drool!"
...
"Code name Bamboo Leaf Green. I'm all prepared for soul extraction and Soul Search, JIE JIE JIE..."
...
Hu Ma, who had been eager to hear their news, was suddenly dumbfounded by this barrage of reports from the Reincarnators.
So Miss Red Wine wasn't kidding? Is she really planning a team-building exercise?