The blood tai sui, which I once found repulsive, turned out not to be tai sui at all, but my very life!
As Hu Ma ate the bowl of meat brought by Little Hong Tang, he gradually came to understand many things.
No wonder Second Master's skills, which seemed more suitable for solving his problems than the old fire pit, were only sought by Granny as a last resort.
Because Second Master's skills, if not learned, would expose a more fundamental issue within him...
His original body had already died.
He had been summoned by Granny and forcibly anchored into this body.
Earlier in the village, he had been relying on blood tai sui to sustain his life, and now, it was the same.
Previously, he hadn't realized it, but now, with the furnace lit, it was clear as day.
Lighting the furnace hadn't solved his problem; it had only made the issue apparent to him.
Or perhaps, lighting the furnace could solve his problem of constantly encountering evil spirits, but it had exposed another issue.
Tai sui—only by consuming more tai sui could he keep his furnace burning brightly.
So he finished the tai sui Granny had sent without leaving a single bite, not daring to meet Little Hong Tang's resentful gaze.
Understanding the problem, he felt at ease.
After eating the large bowl of blood tai sui, the two steamed buns were too much to handle.
Lost in thought, he carried the buns back.
Unintentionally, he didn't notice the gazes of the surrounding youths, all drawn to him as he entered, staring at the two large white steamed buns in his hands.
Their eyes widened, and they couldn't help but swallow hard, their throats bobbing.
Hu Ma only realized after a moment—white steamed buns were a rare treat in this world.
Even these slightly yellowed, cold, and hard buns were something you might not get even during the New Year.
Usually, following Second Master, they survived on sweet potatoes, cornbread, and millet porridge.
Granny had specifically sent Little Hong Tang with blood tai sui to cure his illness.
But along with the blood tai sui, she had also included two large white steamed buns, clearly worried that Hu Ma wasn't eating well here.
Second Master shook his head.
He had thought Granny sending Little Hong Tang meant something important, but it turned out to be just delivering food.
Sighing, he said to Hu Ma, "Come over, continue learning the moves."
"These boys have been practicing for over two years. If you want to keep up, you'll need to put in some effort."
"..."
"Second Master..."
Hu Ma instinctively wanted to agree, but as he walked forward and saw the youths in the yard, he hesitated.
While he had been outside meeting Little Hong Tang, they hadn't been idle.
The three or four youths in the middle were covered in mud, drenched in sweat, panting heavily, some even bruised and battered.
This seemed to be Second Master's method of teaching them martial arts—simple and direct.
If you want to learn how to fight, then fight more.
The more you fight, the more you understand.
But in his heart, he remembered Granny's words and sighed inwardly.
He said to Second Master, "I think I'll pass for now."
"Huh?"
Second Master's eyes widened.
"Everyone else is learning. Why not you?"
Because others have abundant energy and fiery tempers, so they need this kind of release.
But I rely on tai sui to sustain my life.
Every bit of energy I expend is precious.
This kind of training would only waste the furnace fire I've painstakingly replenished with tai sui...
When Granny first sent him here, she had said he didn't need to learn martial arts, just light the furnace.
He hadn't paid much attention then.
But now, with Little Hong Tang bringing Granny's message to conserve his strength, he finally understood.
Granny had known about his problem all along and was reminding him...
Hu Ma thought silently.
It was better not to tell Second Master about these issues.
From Second Master's earlier reaction, it was clear that his current state was beyond Second Master's understanding.
So he simply said, "Little Hong Tang brought a message from Granny. She said I've just recovered from my injury and shouldn't overexert myself."
"You..."
Hearing it was Granny's words, Second Master was at a loss.
He could only say, "Fine then. Find someone to teach you the moves."
He scanned the youths, but none seemed interested.
What Second Master called "learning the moves" was actually paired sparring.
Even if you got beaten black and blue, it was still fun and a good way to vent their restless energy.
But teaching the moves meant one-on-one instruction, which was boring and tedious.
Plus, Hu Ma's delicate appearance didn't sit well with the youths, and none wanted to be his instructor.
Finally, a chubby boy raised his hand.
"I'll do it. I'll teach him!"
"Alright!"
Second Master glanced at the boy and waved his hand helplessly.
"Zhou Datong, go teach him. Teach him well. If he doesn't learn, you'll both be punished!"
"Hehe..."
The chubby boy, Zhou Datong, excitedly approached Hu Ma, looking relieved as he watched the others spar.
Hu Ma felt lazy and asked, "Why aren't you learning with them?"
"Learning? That's not learning!"
Zhou Datong scoffed.
"That's just getting beaten up!"
"After all, I'm the clan leader's grandson. If I keep getting beaten up like this every day, how am I supposed to inherit the village?"
"..."
"The clan leader's grandson?"
Hu Ma was suddenly impressed but also puzzled.
"You're the clan leader's grandson, and they still dare to beat you up so badly?"
"Exactly because my grandpa is the clan leader that I get beaten up..."
Zhou Datong said with a bitter face.
"They're all here to learn Second Master's skills for worshiping tai sui. Not me."
"My grandpa sent me here because he thought I was too unruly and wanted me to learn discipline..."
"..."
"..."
"Hit harder, put more force into it... Aim for the groin! Can't you see those two big targets?"
Second Master was loudly instructing the sparring youths.
"Don't worry about hurting them. Our village may lack many things, but black ointment is everywhere."
"With your strength, as long as you don't use blades, any injury can be healed."
"So hit harder, the harder you hit now, the better you'll fight when it really matters!"
"..."
Turning around, he saw Hu Ma and Zhou Datong sitting idly, chatting, neither sparring nor preparing to learn the moves.
He sighed inwardly: I thought this kid had changed, but it seems he's still too pampered.
...
...
From that day on, Hu Ma stayed with Second Master.
The youths learning skills here had a packed schedule every day.
They started with mountain running in the morning, ate after returning, then lifted stone weights, practiced moves, or followed Second Master into the forest to patrol and eliminate any strange evils around the village.
Sometimes they pasted red paper warnings for the villagers.
By late afternoon, they had their second meal, similar to the morning's but without the piece of white tai sui cured meat in the porridge.
In the evening, they usually didn't practice martial arts.
Before sunset, they learned a few characters from Second Master, interspersed with lessons on martial arts rules, customs, and taboos.
Hu Ma hadn't been here long, but he could see that Second Master had traveled far and wide in his youth.
He was literate and knew arithmetic.
These youths had been sent from the village to learn mining skills, but Second Master taught them more than just being miners.
The money they earned from mining might last three or four years, but the other skills could benefit them for a lifetime.
However, realizing his physical limitations, Hu Ma, who had initially planned to be diligent and well-behaved, gradually became the opposite among his peers.
While others ran mountains, he slept in.
While they lifted stone weights to toughen their bodies, he basked in the sun in the yard.
While they fought fiercely for dominance, he contentedly remained a lazy fish.
He stood out by not competing.
Sometimes even Second Master couldn't stand it and scolded him, but Hu Ma would just say, "Granny said no..."
In contrast, when it came to learning characters and arithmetic, Hu Ma outperformed his peers.
He picked up characters quickly and solved arithmetic problems accurately and swiftly.
Even Second Master was amazed, lamenting that such a smart mind would be even better if he were willing to endure hardship.
But Hu Ma was speechless.
In this area, it was hard not to stand out...
The cultural principles of this world were surprisingly similar to his previous life.
Any differences were minor, just slight variations in meaning.
After all, in his past life, he had been a college student who never failed a course.
In his eyes, Second Master's level of knowledge was at best equivalent to an elementary school student's in his previous life.
So he hardly needed to study; he just needed to adapt.
Of course, he had to hold back, or else he'd end up teaching the class while Second Master sat below.
Unlike his laziness in other areas, Hu Ma made rapid progress in lighting the furnace.
Little Hong Tang frequently brought him the best quality blood tai sui to eat.
Second Master, despite thinking Hu Ma was lazy in his training, still prepared the large piece of green tai sui Granny had sent, bit by bit, to nourish Hu Ma's body.
This resulted in Hu Ma's body constantly radiating heat, channeling it into the furnace.
If others were burning straw and corn husks, Hu Ma's furnace was fueled by the finest charcoal every day.
If others practiced lazily, merely keeping the fire smoldering, Hu Ma's diligent practice was like using a bellows to fan the flames.
As a result, the fire within him grew stronger and stronger, his progress astonishingly fast.
(End of Chapter)