CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 73: THE VILLAGE EVIL SPIRIT

Pacify when necessary, warn when needed.

Hu Ma deeply remembered what the Second Master had told him before leaving. He didn’t use the arrogance unique to Reincarnators to understand this world. He calmly accepted the village’s interpersonal dynamics, but the Second Master had also instructed him to take care of a few others, and he tried his best to do so.

After all, he had used the treasures left by the Second Master as goodwill gestures; he couldn’t just turn his back on those relationships.

Regarding this village, there were, of course, some things he didn’t like either.

But that’s just how the village was.

They were greedy and dull-witted, willing to turn on you for a bit of benefit, yet they were also the same ones who would come over to help without being asked when something happened.

They were the ones who didn’t reason, only recognizing ties of kinship, yet at the same time, they were the ones who would grab their tools and come over to fight without asking why.

The people born in the village were like this, good and bad, all the same.

He indeed had a choice now. As a Reincarnator, he could abandon them and focus solely on himself. Alternatively, he could choose to help them when conditions allowed, as long as it didn’t affect his own goals. For now, Hu Ma chose the latter.

After all, Granny had said that Dayang Village was now the root of the Hu Family.

Of course, that was his understanding. But looking at it plainly, with these united brothers from Dayang Village helping him, many things indeed became easier.

In this outer courtyard, Hu Ma, as the manager, led a dozen or so servants. Some he hadn’t known before and still wasn’t familiar with. A few others were remnants from Xu Ji’s time, some of whom had even been his adversaries.

Trying to arrange every affair, big or small, in this outer courtyard was actually quite exhausting.

Previously, he could arrange things well because he was intentionally showcasing his abilities and giving his full effort. But now, he needed to conserve enough energy to cultivate the Shousui dharma method. Watching over these matters daily was mentally and physically draining, and annoying issues would crop up from time to time.

But with Zhou Datong and the others taking the lead, things became much easier.

Night patrols, sweeping, feeding horses, purchasing grain, fetching water, and chopping wood—one task after another—were completed in an orderly fashion.

And with their help, Hu Ma spent this period daily stoking the stove fire to bring his left hand back to life.

The Shousui man’s dharma method hinged on the transition between death and life.

Now, as his proficiency in the Living-Refining dharma method deepened, some miraculous changes indeed occurred.

Initially, his left hand was ice-cold; he couldn’t even feel its presence. But as he practiced his Living-Refining dharma method, he gradually felt a slight warmth in the hand.

Later, the warmth intensified, and he began to perceive soreness and aches in his hand. After some more time, he could tentatively move his fingers and even slightly clench his fist.

"The journey from death to life truly has such a magical sensation..."

This was the first part of Hu Ma’s cultivation, and he paid particular attention to every detail.

He could feel his left hand coming back to life, but this sensation was different from how it felt to be alive before.

Firstly, this hand now had vitality, but it wasn’t the kind forcibly aroused by the Blood Tai Sui.

Moreover, as his left hand was revitalized, he began to sense some incredible aspects he had never dared to imagine before.

His qi, blood, bones, and flesh were all abundant and strong, as if some mysterious power had been triggered.

It seemed that between life and death, it had been greatly tempered.

This left hand, as he practiced daily, was like steel under a furnace and hammer. Tempered a thousand times, it gradually developed abilities beyond those of ordinary people.

"How is your cultivation going?"

This Shopkeeper, who appeared cold and aloof, had not, in fact, neglected matters entirely after teaching the dharma method.

At least every two or three days, he would call Hu Ma over to inquire about his cultivation progress.

Hu Ma would reply honestly, "Initially, it was ice-cold, as if it wasn’t my own. But gradually, it’s become somewhat warm."

Of course, he only *seemed* honest.

In fact, Hu Ma had skipped the Death Transformation step and had the Lifebound Divine Statue for guidance, which helped him avoid many detours. Coupled with his Three Column Tao, he could practice freely. His speed in bringing his hand back to life was much faster than that of ordinary people; three of his fingers could already move.

But he couldn’t reveal this truthfully.

His progress was too fast; it would inevitably arouse suspicion and be difficult to explain later.

"Not bad at all."

The Shopkeeper asked him several times, and each time Hu Ma reported progress. He seemed satisfied, nodding lightly and saying, "To have made such progress shows you’ve put in the effort."

"However, staying cooped up in the Manor all day practicing isn’t ideal. You should take this opportunity to see more of what goes on outside the Manor. It’s not a bad thing. Now that you have some ability, you also need to accumulate experience."

"There’s been some trouble in Shiya Village, seven miles away. The village chief came to see me about it yesterday."

"Go check it out and handle it for them."

Thinking of the Manor’s responsibilities, Hu Ma nodded in agreement. "I’ll go right away."

The Red Lantern Lady’s Clubs were established in various Manors and often possessed the ability to exorcise evil spirits. Their original purpose was merely to clear out nearby malevolent entities to prevent trouble when spring arrived. However, because the local villagers witnessed their considerable skills, they would often come to them for help when problems arose.

Previously, the Shopkeeper handled these cases himself, as the servants didn’t yet have such skills.

But now, it seemed the Shopkeeper wanted to give him practical experience. Plus, since he was already the manager of this Manor, Hu Ma accepted the task.

"Datong, get Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu. You’re coming with me!"

Having understood the situation, Hu Ma left the inner courtyard and called for his most trusted men.

Zhou Datong was sitting on the millstone, boasting to some others. Hearing the call and sensing it was something good, he eagerly hurried over.

Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu didn’t ask any questions. One grabbed a stout stick from the yard, and the other picked up a dung fork.

As it was currently an idle period, the Manor’s servants weren’t equipped with weapons. They would be armed next spring when the Manor began receiving Blood Food. For now, the few swords and spears present in the Manor were those the servants had brought with them upon arrival.

For instance, Zhou Datong possessed an ancestral weapon, and Xu Ji’s two former followers each had one as well.

Hu Ma could have borrowed weapons from Xu Ji’s men, but Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu didn’t seem to care for such things.

Especially Zhao Zhu, who had a fondness for his dung fork.

He claimed his father loved using one in village brawls, discovering unexpected advantages to it.

The four of them left the Manor, one after another. The other servants nearby saw them go but said nothing, unsure of their purpose.

Although Hu Ma wasn’t usually as overbearing as Xu Ji had been, he was quite willing to look after those who needed it.

Important and prominent tasks like night patrols were naturally assigned primarily to Zhou Datong.

Meanwhile, the monotonous sweeping and other menial chores in the outer courtyard naturally fell to Xu Ji’s two former followers.

Even Li, who had been seriously injured and was still sickly, was assigned by Hu Ma to lighter tasks like stoking the kitchen fire.

Favoritism? Yes, it was favoritism.

But since they were all from the same village, why shouldn’t he prioritize his own people for the good assignments?

This conduct seemed perfectly reasonable not only to the people from Dayang Village but also to the other servants in the outer courtyard.

Even Xu Ji’s two followers, despite doing more chores and being more tired, harbored no resentment.

After all, Xu Ji was dead, and Hu Ma was now the manager. The fact that Hu Ma hadn’t driven them away, didn’t constantly target them, didn’t withhold their monthly Blood Food, and didn’t secretly extort them was, in their eyes, a blessing for which they should be kowtowing in gratitude.

Their current mission was to suck up to Zhou Datong with all their might, hoping that Hu Ma and his companions would eventually forget their past grievances.

There were horses in the stable, but Hu Ma and his group didn’t take them.

For one, they hadn’t yet stooped to misusing common resources for personal convenience. For another, the journey was short, practically a few steps away.

Following the village’s yellow dirt paths for about the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, they reached Shiya Village, the place the Shopkeeper had mentioned.

From a distance, they saw houses scattered along the mountainside, built against the slope. Shrouded by mountain trees, they received little sunlight for at least half the day.

At the village entrance, some elderly villagers were already waiting with other locals. They hurried forward eagerly to greet the newcomers. However, upon seeing Hu Ma and his young companions, the villagers’ expressions turned to surprise.

They had expected the old Shopkeeper, but instead, they saw a few youngsters, which made them hesitate.

Amidst the onlookers, a visitor from Yellow Dog Village who happened to be there recognized Hu Ma at the front. His eyes lit up, and he whispered to the surrounding Shiya villagers, "Hey, pay attention! That young master leading them is incredibly capable!"

"You all know how terrifying that thing in our Yellow Dog Village well was, right? Well, this young master was the one who solved it!"

Hearing this, the Shiya villagers looked at Hu Ma with newfound reverence and hurriedly welcomed him and his companions into the village.

"Brother Hu Ma," Zhou Datong whispered, sidling up to him, "you’ve got to handle this impressively. Show them what you’re made of right from the start. If you make a strong showing the first time, everything else will be easier later on!"

"You certainly seem to know a lot," Hu Ma remarked, glancing at him with an inward smile.

Zhou Datong wasn’t just talking nonsense. Villages outside the Old Yin Mountain were different in many ways from the fortified villages within it, but fundamentally, they were quite similar.

The villagers could revere him just as they revered the old Shopkeeper, displaying rustic simplicity and kindness. Or, they could feign obedience while secretly defying him, giving him a taste of the fickle nature of rural folk—warm one moment, cold the next. It all depended on how he handled things.

"So, this is the house?"

Escorted by the villagers, they soon arrived in front of a particular household.

The household appeared relatively well-off, with three large, tile-roofed buildings and a stone-paved courtyard. Inside, there was a sizable pigsty. A plainly dressed woman with her head covered was feeding the pigs. When she saw the villagers approaching with strangers, she let out a cry, dropped her wooden ladle, and fled back into the house.

Hu Ma glanced around. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he asked, "What’s the trouble here?"

"Nothing happens during the day."

The village elder spoke mysteriously, "But at night, someone—or something—sneaks in to steal the pig feed!"

"What?"

Hu Ma was bewildered. "Someone’s stealing *that*?"