This time, I planned to inquire a bit from Brother Er Guotou.
Brother Er Guotou was also a Ghost Walker and, among all the Ghost Walkers Hu Ma knew, likely the strongest one after Granny.
If I wanted to learn Ghost Walker Magic, learning from him would be best. Unfortunately, both of them were Reincarnators, hardly connected in real life. Besides, Brother Er Guotou was cautious and had mentioned from the start that he disliked the direct transmission of Magic between Reincarnators.
Thus, Hu Ma followed Aunt Zhang to learn the ways of Ghost Walkers. By now, he had a small foundation, and the only things left to understand were a few critical points.
Since he couldn't directly learn from Brother Er Guotou, just asking a couple of key questions should probably be fine.
Of course, besides that, since Er Guotou was his superior, now that Hu Ma had returned, he definitely had to report to this protector as well.
"Here, here..."
Brother Er Guotou's voice sounded a bit flustered as he said, "When did you get back?"
"I'm telling you, why do you enjoy running around so much? Isn't life in the Blood Food Gang comfortable enough for you?"
"When I first entered the Old Yin Mountain Fox Coffin, it was because I had no other choice. If I were you, I'd be living in absolute comfort, hiding in a small Manor, earning some money and benefits. I might even have three wives by now. Yet here you are, gallivanting all over the place."
"..."
"Huh?"
Hu Ma hadn't expected this connection to immediately bring such a complaint.
"What do you mean, 'huh'?"
Er Guotou said, "It's not illegal to marry three women here."
"No, but where would I even find three..."
Hu Ma subconsciously thought, Wait, it's not about whether it's three or two; it's that I don't have a choice in the matter either!
In Brother Er Guotou's eyes, he probably sees me as quite restless, doesn't he?
He had joined the Shousui Path and become the little shopkeeper of the Blood Food Gang, yet he wasn't content to stay in the Manor. He was either out hunting a drought ba or rushing off to Niu Family Bay to save a Red Fragrance Disciple. Now, he had just returned from a two-month trip, going all the way from Mingzhou to Anzhou.
But in truth, I also wanted to live a stable life.
However, having been reincarnated into the Hu Family, burdened with all their grudges, how could I truly settle down?
Unable to tell Brother Er Guotou the real reason for his restlessness, Hu Ma could only offer a wry smile and say, "Things just happened, I had no other way. The young lady of the Dongzi Li Family had wandered into Mingzhou and, as fate would have it, I saved her. What else could I do?"
"Didn't I have to escort her back?"
"..."
Everyone at Grass Heart Hall knew about the young lady from the Dongzi Li Family; it wasn't a secret, so there was no need to hide it from Er Guotou.
Thinking about it, people in this era might find returning a lost child home surprising, but Er Guotou should understand. After all, some things are deeply engraved in the souls of Reincarnators.
However, after listening, Er Guotou didn't blame Hu Ma for his kind-heartedness, nor did he inquire about the Dongzi Li Family. He just complained, "Then how come it's always you who randomly saves someone, and it just happens to be someone from the Dongzi Li Family?"
"I've helped countless little ladies in Mingzhou Prefecture, so how come I've never encountered anyone from such a prominent family?"
"..."
Hu Ma was stumped by the question, genuinely unsure how to respond...
"Besides, the journey wasn't exactly uneventful, was it?"
Brother Er Guotou grumbled unceremoniously but then sighed helplessly, saying, "Didn't you ask Red Lantern Lady for help to deal with a few opponents?
"That night, she was in the middle of chanting scriptures when she was suddenly summoned. She returned radiating killing intent and grumbled for the rest of the night..."
"..."
Hu Ma was instantly speechless. I'll definitely need to burn a proper incense stick later to appease the Lady's grievance, he thought quietly.
"I did encounter some trouble, but it was resolved smoothly."
He sighed softly and explained. Er Guotou is probably angry not just because of my restlessness, but also because I went to Anzhou—such a major undertaking—without informing him. Hiding it now would only make me seem more distant.
So he chuckled and said, "But it wasn't a wasted trip. The Dongzi Li Family was quite generous. As thanks, they gave me a lot of benefits, and I also gained a great deal of experience...
"Of course, that's not the main point. I actually wanted to ask for your guidance on some matters related to the Ghost Walker Path.
"During this journey, I traveled with a great walking ghost. By following her, I witnessed the marvel of setting up the altar in the Ghost Walker Path.
"I'm just very curious, how is this altar actually set up?"
"..."
This was precisely what Hu Ma had been pondering. He had not only witnessed Ghost Walkers setting up the altar but had also learned how to do it himself.
He had experienced the marvel of the established altar; he could sit firmly upon it, exorcise evil spirits, and command ghosts. Yet, he didn't understand how, once the altar was set up, one could sit at the center of that specific space and issue commands and prohibitions that were obeyed.
*He knew what it was but not why it was.*
Setting up the altar was different from Shousui practitioners, whose abilities were integrated into their bodies.
Now, he wanted to officially open the gateway of the Age Suppressing Book, but before that, he needed to understand this crucial point.
Even the Sealing he was preparing was related to this. In a way, the mysterious ghostly gods that the Dongzi Li Family often mentioned were likely of this same inexplicable level of power—a power so profound it was unnerving.
If he didn't ask this question, he would always harbor some instinctual doubt about taking that next step.
Even Er Guotou, upon hearing Hu Ma's question, paused for a moment, his voice tinged with curiosity. "You're a Shousui man. You haven't even fully mastered the skills of the Shousui Path yet!
"Why the sudden interest in Ghost Walker matters?"
"..."
"I have to understand this because, on this trip, I got myself involved in something."
Hu Ma thought for a moment, then offered what he considered the best explanation, "I want to eliminate something that is said to be from the altar.
"It's called the Five Evil Gods, and it's related to Ghost Walkers."
"..."
"Damn..."
Hu Ma stated the issue seriously, but on the other end, Er Guotou clearly panicked.
Faintly, Hu Ma thought he heard the sound of something being knocked over. After a long pause, a tremulous voice replied, "What in the world?"
"The Five Evil Gods..."
Hu Ma reiterated, "We have a feud now. I have to eliminate it."
"I... you..."
Er Guotou's voice was noticeably more flustered. He suddenly said, "Brother, I think I have something urgent to attend to...
"I'll be going now. Let's get in touch again in a couple of years..."
"..."
"Huh?"
Hearing Er Guotou sound like he genuinely intended to flee, Hu Ma was also startled and hurriedly said, "It's not that serious, is it?
"This is just an idea I'm considering for now..."
"..."
"Even just an idea is not okay!"
Er Guotou exclaimed, "Perhaps for some things, the moment you even think about them, they become aware of you!
"I always thought the most clueless person in Mingzhou was Sweet Potato, always stirring up trouble everywhere. Now I realize that you, with your earnest-looking thick brows and big eyes, are the truly restless one...
"No! You're asking me how to deal with things on the altar? How would I know? Ghost Walkers rely on those things on the altar to make a living! Why else do you think I went to such great lengths to elevate the Red Lantern Lady from a mere little ghost to a presence on the altar?"
"..."
So his support for the Red Lantern Lady in building a temple and for incense-burning is also related to matters of the altar? Hu Ma was slightly moved, a faint feeling that many pieces were falling into place. He quickly said, "I definitely wouldn't be as reckless as Sweet Potato. I just have this idea and wanted to consult you!"
"But you springing this on me so suddenly scares me too..."
Er Guotou sounded exasperated and almost frantic. It took him a while to calm down before he sighed. "Besides, I simply can't explain the question you asked me. Had I had a choice back then, I would never have entered the Ghost Walker Path.
"There are too many secrets in this Path. It's always getting you mixed up in troublesome affairs, constantly dealing with this and that, which makes one feel unsettled. And its skills are often bewildering.
"For many of its abilities, you know that performing them a certain way yields a particular effect, but you have no idea why.
"To put it this way, I've already achieved Entering the Mansion. I can set up altars and summon yin thunder. If I really pushed myself, I could even manipulate certain things on the altar. But now you're asking me about the roots of this Path, and I can only vaguely say I don't know.
"The only possibility is..."
"..."
He paused, then whispered, "Perhaps, just perhaps, it has something to do with a person's Guardian Soul."
Hu Ma was startled. "Guardian Soul?"
"Alas..."
Amidst his evident agitation, Er Guotou explained softly, "In the Cultivation Path, there's the concept of body, nature, and life.
"And humans, they speak of three souls and seven souls. It's said that humans are the most mysterious and precious beings, second only to Master Tai Sui.
"The skills of the Execution Soul Path begin with the Living Soul, one of the three souls. But Ghost Walkers are different. Their abilities seem to be connected to something of a much higher, unseen level. If I had to put it into words...
"...you know about the old fire pit, right?"
"..."
Hu Ma was suddenly taken aback. "Who wouldn't know about that?"
His exposure to the mystical aspects of this world was limited, but the old fire pit was undoubtedly one of the things he was most familiar with.
Even Granny was still in the old fire pit at Dayang Village...
"The old fire pit should be considered one of the oldest and most mysterious traditions in this world..."
Er Guotou's voice became low as he continued, "I'm in the Ghost Walker Path. You have no idea how mysterious this damn Path is. After Entering the Mansion, I didn't dare go deeper, and that's also related to these mysterious things. The question you asked me is exactly what I couldn't figure out. But if I were to describe it, I'd just say the Ghost Walker Path...
"It's as if it's leaning against an old fire pit.
"Moreover, a very, very large and very, very mysterious old fire pit..."
"..."
This answer suddenly stunned Hu Ma.
He was familiar with the Age Suppressing Book and also familiar with the old fire pit, but he had never considered them in conjunction before.
Now, with Er Guotou's single remark, he felt a sense of sudden enlightenment. It even provided explanations for some of Granny's past actions...