Second Uncle's skills were truly impressive...
Not only did he leave the group of young boys in awe, but even Hu Ma was stunned.
He wasn't sure if this unassuming Second Uncle had really experienced such extraordinary feats in his youth, but from the way Second Uncle and the boys carried themselves, Hu Ma could sense a different attitude toward ghosts and evil spirits in this world.
Not everyone was as terrified as he had initially thought.
Some even seemed to look down on these supernatural beings with disdain...
Of course, it was also possible they were just boasting!
But still, hearing it out of the blue, even Hu Ma felt that the evil spirits didn't seem so scary anymore.
If he could really learn Second Uncle's skills, then even if he encountered something like a standing goat or a serpent woman...
...he definitely wouldn't be as fierce as Second Uncle.
But was this why Granny had sent him here? To learn Second Uncle's skills?
...
"Enough talk. Before the sun sets, run twenty miles around the area."
At this moment, Second Uncle used Hu Ma's situation to lecture the boys and then gave a direct order:
"If you're not back in half an hour, you'll be doing fifty stone lifts."
"..."
"Twenty miles? On mountain paths?"
Hu Ma was genuinely shocked by the intensity of this task.
He wondered if it was an exaggeration, but to his surprise, the boys all rolled up their pant legs, some even kicked off their straw sandals, and ran barefoot out of the flat courtyard, huffing and puffing.
They ran along the rugged, well-trodden mountain paths around the village, as if they had done this countless times before.
They were actually running, laughing, and playing as they went, chasing each other, looking completely at ease.
Hu Ma, after running a few miles, was utterly dumbfounded:
"What kind of monstrous stamina is this?"
"..."
These boys, from the very start, ran as if they were sprinting.
Their speed never dropped, and they even sped up several times.
Although Hu Ma had been recovering well recently and could keep up at first, after circling the village once, he was gasping for air, drenched in sweat, and his legs were starting to give out.
Yet, the boys seemed unaffected, some even howling as they ran.
Within minutes, Hu Ma couldn't see anyone ahead of him.
A few minutes later, he heard laughter and playful shouts approaching from behind.
Someone even turned around, stuck out their tongue, and made a face at him...
"This is completely out of my league!"
Hu Ma began to feel a sense of despair because of the gap between them...
His body had always been weak, and not long ago, he had been hung on iron hooks, losing who knows how much blood.
Although he had recovered quickly by eating meat and resting, he was still as thin as a reed.
Compared to these energetic boys, he was like a patient just recovering from a serious illness.
How could he keep up with them?
But then he thought, this was his first day here, and Granny had told him to learn from Second Uncle.
Maybe this was Second Uncle's way of testing him, so he gritted his teeth and pushed on.
After all, in this strange world, having a strong body would be useful, right?
At least if he encountered something evil, he could run faster than others.
...
With that thought, he ignored the boys who had lapped him multiple times and just kept pushing forward.
Surprisingly, he actually managed to complete the twenty-mile mountain run, something he had never thought possible.
Just as his body was about to collapse, a warm surge of energy seemed to rise from within, propping up his exhausted body and allowing him to maintain his pace.
His head was steaming, and his clothes were soaked with sweat.
When Second Uncle shouted from the mountain, "That's enough, come back," Hu Ma finally made it back to the village.
He leaned on the wooden fence, gasping for air.
For a moment, he was in disbelief: "I actually ran twenty miles on mountain paths?"
"Not bad, you only got lapped three times."
The boys had already returned to the village, their sweat long dried.
They looked at Hu Ma with some surprise.
Clearly, these energetic boys had initially looked down on Hu Ma's frail frame.
Hu Ma's pampered past had also left a poor impression on them.
Using the mountain run as an excuse, they had wanted to tire him out and embarrass him.
But in the end, while they were indeed faster and had lapped him multiple times, Hu Ma had unexpectedly held on, performing better than they had when they first started.
This performance lessened their disdain for him.
"Not bad, you've got a decent foundation..."
Second Uncle was also visibly surprised.
He called Hu Ma over and felt his shoulders and legs.
When he accidentally touched Hu Ma's shoulder wound, Hu Ma instinctively flinched.
Only then did Second Uncle notice the two scabbed, egg-sized holes on Hu Ma's shoulders, and his expression grew even more astonished.
Such severe wounds indicated that Hu Ma had suffered serious injuries not long ago and hadn't fully recovered.
After a moment of thought, he asked in a low voice, "Have you been eating mountain meat?"
"Mountain meat?"
Hu Ma was confused and explained, "Granny gives me meat every day, but it's something called Tai Sui Lord's meat."
"That explains it."
Second Uncle sighed deeply, "Granny really cares for you."
"In all the villages around here, no one can afford to eat Tai Sui every day!"
"..."
"Not just eating Tai Sui, but blood Tai Sui at that..."
Hu Ma thought to himself but mustered the courage to ask the old man, "Second Uncle..."
"What exactly is this Tai Sui, or mountain meat, you're talking about?"
"..."
"Huh?"
Second Uncle was taken aback, looking at Hu Ma with a strange expression:
"Granny just said you don't remember much, but you don't even remember mountain meat?"
"..."
"I..."
Hu Ma had been too afraid to ask Granny many questions, fearing that he might give himself away.
But with Second Uncle, whom he had just met, he felt more at ease than with Granny, whom he had known for over ten days.
The reason?
...
Maybe old perverts just give people a sense of security?
So he just came out and asked, "After I woke up, my mind was blank. I don't remember much from before."
"I keep hearing about mountain meat and Tai Sui Lord. What exactly are they?"
"..."
"I've been teaching martial arts all my life, but this is the first time I've had to explain this..."
The question seemed to stump Second Uncle, and the boys around them exchanged puzzled looks.
After a moment of thought, Second Uncle chuckled, tossed the last bit of his cigarette aside, and stood up, saying, "Alright then, all of you sit tight. I'll take little Hu Ma to see the Tai Sui Lord..."
"Now?"
Hu Ma's heart skipped a beat as Second Uncle turned to leave.
It was already late, the surroundings were dark, and the deep forests were shrouded in night.
During the day, Granny had been cautious when taking him through the woods, wary of any disturbances.
But now it was night, when evil spirits were more active, and Second Uncle wanted to take him out?
Without any explanation or giving Hu Ma time to overthink, Second Uncle strode out the door, effortlessly lifted Hu Ma onto his shoulders, and marched out of the village.
Tall and strong, with long limbs, Second Uncle moved as if he were flying, charging into the forest.
Whoosh...
In the forest, countless shadowy creatures scattered like startled birds.
Hu Ma, hanging onto Second Uncle's neck, felt his body temperature rise slightly, and the eerie atmosphere around them dissipated upon contact.
On the way here, Hu Ma had encountered many evil spirits, but now, following Second Uncle, he didn't encounter a single one.
When they finally emerged from the forest, the view opened up, and Second Uncle stopped abruptly, not even out of breath.
In a deep, steady voice, he said, "Do you see that?"
"That's the Meat Mountain, what the villagers call the Tai Sui Lord..."
"..."
Hu Ma looked up and saw something he would never forget.
In the dim light of the setting sun, he saw a scar-like fissure on the flat ground ahead.
It was as if the world had been sliced open, a jagged crack running across the earth.
And within that crack, a grotesque, swollen mass of flesh and blood oozed out.
Faintly, he could even sense it breathing.
...
"In our village, we call it Tai Sui. In the city, they call it Blood Feast."
In the presence of this awe-inspiring monstrosity, Second Uncle's voice seemed distant as he sighed heavily:
"According to the elders, the Tai Sui Lord has been growing here for hundreds of years."
"It's cut, it grows back, and it's cut again..."
"The mountain meat you've been eating is what Granny has been cutting for you, braving these evil spirits!"
(Chapter end)