"Is this really fate playing tricks?"
After hearing the report from his professional secret agent, Little Hongtang, Hu Ma couldn't help but be slightly surprised.
The commotion up ahead involved someone he knew.
Previously, to learn the entry-level Shousui dharma method from Shopkeeper Wu Hong, he had taken a job in Yellow Dog Village persuading the evil spirit in the well to move. After completing the task, he hadn't given it much thought.
After the evil spirit in the well moved, she had indeed become more peaceful. She was solely focused on watching for her unfaithful lover and had little interest in others.
Hu Ma had persuaded her to move by promising to relocate her beside the main road, so if her unfaithful lover returned, he would see her at a glance.
Strictly speaking, though, this was merely a way to fool a ghost. Who would have thought she would actually keep watch?
That unfaithful man is truly unlucky. Normally, after a grave is moved, any Vengeful Ghost within, exposed to the sun, would quickly have its resentment dissipate, vanishing into nothingness. But he just had to run into her?
Of course, Hu Ma wasn't omniscient. He didn't know that the evil spirit had remained in the well because her unfaithful lover's ancestral home was in Yellow Dog Village, and the family's ancestral tablet was still enshrined there. Although the man had moved elsewhere, the tablet could not be moved by just anyone. For the tablet to be moved, he or one of his descendants had to come and respectfully transfer it. Outsiders couldn't interfere in such matters; otherwise, it would be considered disrespectful to the ancestors.
And, as luck would have it, it was Hu Ma who had helped her move the grave.
Karma truly doesn't lie...
Although some details were unclear, he roughly guessed the cause. He sighed but didn't intend to get involved. He had settled his debt to her when he moved the grave. This new development was none of his business.
With this in mind, he merely instructed Zhou Datong and the others to guard the carts carefully while he tried to recall the nearby paths, wondering if there was a way to first transport these two large urns of Blood Food back to the Manor.
As they paused to discuss, on the main road ahead, a man who looked like a steward or servant was desperately pleading with the Black Robed Mage amidst the crowd, "Mage, please, you must save our Old Master!"
"The Old Master only returned to his hometown to pay respects to his ancestors, but who knew he'd be targeted by this... this thing..."
"The entire family is waiting at the estate for the Old Master to bring the ancestral tablet over. Nothing can go wrong..."
"Hmph!" The Black Robed Mage snorted. "You make it sound so simple. Do you think vengeful connections and karmic debts are so easily resolved?"
"That thing in the grave was, at the very least, your Old Master's legitimately wedded wife, brought into the family with a grand wedding procession. Even if they had no children, she is still considered a vengeful relation. Now she has possessed your Old Master, and the entanglement is profound. Are you suggesting I should get rid of your Old Master along with her?"
"Ah, no, that won't do!" The servant was greatly alarmed and hurriedly pleaded, "Can't you forcibly exorcise her?"
The Mage sneered. "It's precisely because this is a vengeful entanglement that it's difficult to drive her out. Didn't you see? I whipped her, but she still refuses to leave. She's determined to make your Old Master pay with his life!"
"If I continue whipping her, I'm afraid your Old Master will become an imbecile before she even begins to dissipate."
"Then... then what can be done?" The servant grew increasingly flustered as he listened. "Given my Old Master's status, can he truly be helpless against this single vindictive soul, with no way to be cured?"
"Alas..." Listening to this layman chattering on, the Mage sighed softly. "The vindictive soul itself isn't particularly powerful, but the current situation is rather troublesome."
"If I encountered this kind of entity under normal circumstances, I could disperse it with a single breath."
"But your Old Master's connection to this vengeful entity is unclear, and with every moment that passes while she possesses him, the entanglement deepens."
"He was targeted by this entity the day before yesterday, and you only managed to find me today. It then took me half the night to locate her remains. But it's no use; even if I burn her bones, she doesn't care. She is solely focused on having your Old Master accompany her in death, unafraid even of her own soul dispersing."
"And you think this is a small matter?"
"This is like a common cold that, having been neglected, has developed into a critical illness—no longer something that can be cured by ordinary mortal Spells..."
"Mage, please save him!" The servant was quick-witted. Hearing this, he knew the Mage wasn't deliberately exaggerating the difficulty to demand more Silver; the situation was genuinely dire. He hurriedly knelt and kowtowed, pleading repeatedly, "Mage, you know that our Old Master is a dignitary of the Wei clan of Huai'an! The clan has important matters awaiting his attention. He absolutely cannot meet with misfortune here! Please, Mage, you must think of a way..."
"Enough of this nonsense!" The Mage retorted, "If it weren't for the sake of the Wei clan of Huai'an, do you think I would have bothered to come?"
"The difficulty now is how to expel this vengeful entity without harming him..."
"But this is no easy task. In my opinion, we might have to invite Grandma Wu over. Only she might be able to draw out this vengeful entity."
Hearing this, the servant was overjoyed. "Quickly, please invite her! Quickly!"
The Mage sneered. "And you think Grandma Wu is like those wandering ghosts worshipped by the Blood Food Gang?"
"The venerable elder is an enshrined Fire God of the hall! She's not so easily invited."
"To invite her, one must perform rites of incense and purification, prepare the three animal sacrifices and five grain offerings. Without thorough preparation, I wouldn't even dare to set up the altar."
The servant stammered, "Then... Mage, please prepare them quickly! The Wei clan can certainly afford the three animal sacrifices and five grain offerings..."
"What good is being able to afford them now?" The Black Robed Mage sneered. "Your Old Master has been possessed by the Vengeful Ghost for two days. Every moment he remains entangled, a part of his life essence is destroyed. If this drags on, even if he is saved, he'll only have a few days left to live."
"Things are so critical now; forget your Wei clan, even if I wanted to front the necessary items myself, I'm afraid I couldn't gather them in time."
Hearing this, the servant was dumbstruck. He knew that if the Old Master died, he, as a house slave, would undoubtedly have to accompany him in death. He burst into loud sobs. "I beg you, Mage, please think of something! My Old Master is highly regarded by the Wei clan and has already received his official document! He was about to take up his post!"
"He only returned to retrieve the ancestral tablet because he felt his own virtue was lacking. Who could have known that such an important undertaking would be jeopardized here? If you save the Old Master's life, Mage, the Wei clan will never forget your immense kindness!"
The servant's wailing irritated the Mage, but his mind was racing. He certainly wouldn't mind earning a favor from the Wei clan of Huai'an, but faced with such a thorny problem, what could be done?
Just then, a Disciple standing nearby, who had been listening intently, had an idea. He leaned in and whispered, "Master, it looks like a Blood Food Gang convoy is approaching from up ahead. I saw urns on their carts, sealed very tightly. I suspect they're filled with Blood Food."
"Oh?" The Black Robed Mage was slightly taken aback. He glanced at the Old Master on the cart, still entangled by the vengeful entity, a look of surprise on his face. I was just about to help him with the expelling evil, and Blood Food shows up at the door...
Could this man truly be a dignitary blessed with good fortune?
As he thought this, he hastily pushed through the crowd and hurried forward.
Meanwhile, Hu Ma, despite wanting to watch the unfolding drama, knew that their own task was more important. He was just instructing his men to turn the carts around and find a side path back to the Manor when, unexpectedly, the same group of people who had been blocking the road earlier began shouting and rushed towards them. His men, unaware of what was happening, quickly drew their knives. They watched warily as an elderly man in a black robe, surrounded by others, strode purposefully towards them.
"Friends ahead! Are you from the Blood Food Gang?"
The Black Robed Mage hurried to the front, deliberately forcing a smile. He clasped his hands in greeting and said, "I am a Disciple from plum bossom lane, my surname is Yan. We have a dignitary here who is entangled by a vengeful entity and urgently needs rescuing. However, we are short on offerings, and I'm afraid the hall guest we intend to summon will not be pleased."
"I happened to hear that your esteemed gang is transporting Blood Food. This is truly karma! I implore you, friends, to prioritize saving a life and lend me this Blood Food."
"Borrow Blood Food?" This single sentence made the escorting men even more wary. In recent times, they had encountered their fair share of bandits. Even bandits, who had their own code, wouldn't just come up and say, "I'm robbing you." They'd always start by saying they wanted to "borrow" something before making a move. How were these people any different?
Hu Ma, however, didn't answer immediately. He had clearly heard the words "plum bossom lane" and was now deep in thought.
The Red Lantern Society, after eliminating the green clothes gang, was now considered the foremost gang in Mingzhou Prefecture. But being the "foremost gang" didn't mean the Red Lantern Lady's Club now lorded over Mingzhou Prefecture or had become its ultimate authority. Strictly speaking, they were just the Little Red Lantern, recently "whitewashed."
Earlier, while drinking in the city, Incense Master Xu had warned both him and Yang Gong, mentioning several entities that should not be provoked. One was the Grass Heart Hall, which had deep foundations and extremely high standing in the jianghu—they were not to be trifled with. Another was the local government. Even if the imperial court wasn't managing affairs effectively these days, "Martial Artists do not provoke officials" was the foremost ironclad rule of the jianghu. The most mysterious of all was this plum bossom lane.
Previously, Hu Ma hadn't quite understood what made plum bossom lane so formidable. However, after learning about the existence of "Hall Officers" from Miss Red Wine, he had begun to form some vague ideas. Hall Officers managed matters within the Path and oversaw affairs in the jianghu; naturally, they were not to be trifled with. He just wasn't sure to which of the Four Halls—Sword Catching, Inquiry, Reason, or Divine Incense Distribute—the people from plum bossom lane actually belonged.
Our Incense Master did mention that the Red Lantern Society has friendly ties with plum bossom lane. If we encounter them in need, we should offer assistance. His mind raced.
Hu Ma then said slowly, "If your esteemed self is truly in an urgent situation and needs to borrow them, then naturally, we have no reason not to help. However, perhaps you could first show a token to verify your identity? And then write a receipt for me, so I have something to show when I report back?"
"Friendly ties?" Upon hearing these two words, the Black Robed Mage's expression turned somewhat disdainful, though it was hard to discern clearly in the darkness. He clearly didn't believe that the Red Lantern Society was worthy of claiming friendly ties with plum bossom lane.
When he heard Hu Ma ask him to produce a token and write a receipt, his expression became even more derisive. He chuckled. "That's simple enough. However, saving a life is paramount. You need not doubt my identity; I dare say no one in all of Mingzhou Prefecture would dare impersonate someone from plum bossom lane."
"How about this: your manager gives me the Blood Food on your carts first, and I'll give you the receipt after I've saved the person?"
"This..." His words immediately put all the men in a difficult position.
Hu Ma stated, "That, of course, is not acceptable."