"Can't find Granny? What do you mean?"
Little Red Tang's words sent a sudden chill through Hu Ma's heart.
He quickly put down the basket he was holding.
"I can't smell the incense Granny usually burns, and I can't find my way home," Little Red Tang said pitifully.
"I searched for Granny in the woods, but I couldn't find her. I even got bullied and had to come back. But Second Master had already scattered ashes outside the village, so I couldn't go in to find you, Brother Hu Ma. I had to wait here."
"Have you been wandering here all night?"
Hu Ma finally understood and couldn't help but feel worried.
"What do you mean Granny didn't burn the incense?"
From the White-Faced Mountain Demon last night to Little Red Tang now being unable to find her way home, Hu Ma's heart grew heavier.
He quickly told Little Red Tang to wait outside the village and hurried back inside.
Second Master was carefully questioning Cui Xie'er, who had just woken up.
Cui Xie'er's face was pale, and he shivered instinctively when he saw Hu Ma.
But Hu Ma ignored him and instead looked at Second Master.
Seeing Hu Ma's serious expression, Second Master understood something was wrong.
They stepped outside, and Second Master asked in a low voice, "Has something happened?"
"Little Red Tang says she can't find her way home..."
Hu Ma quickly explained Little Red Tang's situation, feeling uneasy.
"Something's not right," Second Master frowned slightly.
"Little Red Tang is a ghost raised by Granny. She can only find her way home when Granny burns the incense. A ghost walker like Granny would never forget to burn that incense."
"Then Granny..."
Hu Ma's heart trembled, and he looked up at Second Master.
"Don't panic when something happens," Second Master said, sensing Hu Ma's worry.
But it was clear he was also concerned.
Just then, a few herb gatherers with leggings and straw raincoats appeared on the hillside outside the village.
Spotting Second Master from a distance, they called out, "Second Master, the clan leader asked us to bring you a message this morning. There's something going on in the village. He wants you to settle things at the manor and come back by noon. It's important, so don't delay."
"Did something happen?"
Second Master's face turned grim as he hurried over to ask, "Is it related to Granny?"
"We don't know," the herb gatherers said, looking puzzled.
"The clan leader stopped us at the village gate this morning and told us to pass on the message. He didn't say anything else, but he seemed very anxious."
Hearing this, Hu Ma's heart grew even more unsettled.
Second Master composed himself and said to Hu Ma, "Come with me. We'll go back to the village together."
After settling things at the manor, Second Master returned, and Hu Ma waited anxiously.
Little Red Tang quietly took his hand.
"Brother Hu Ma, has Granny abandoned me?"
"No, no," Hu Ma said, seeing her pitiful expression.
Even though he knew she wasn't really a child, he couldn't help but soften.
He comforted her like a scared child, "Of course not. We'll go back to the village and find Granny together. Just stay close to me and don't wander off again."
Little Red Tang nodded obediently, sticking close to Hu Ma as if afraid of getting lost again.
Second Master finished settling things at the manor and came out.
In his haste, he carried Hu Ma on his back and strode quickly toward the village.
Little Red Tang followed for a while but couldn't keep up, so she jumped onto Hu Ma's back.
With Second Master carrying Hu Ma and Hu Ma carrying Little Red Tang, the two of them and the ghost quickly made their way through the forest, moving much faster than an ordinary person.
Hu Ma noticed that Little Red Tang shivered when she got close to Second Master, as if it was unbearable for her.
But she buried her face in Hu Ma's neck, took a deep breath, and seemed to feel better.
"Second Master is a furnace igniter, so it's natural for Little Red Tang to be afraid of him. But I'm also a furnace igniter now, and my furnace fire is almost as strong as Second Master's. Why isn't she afraid of me?"
Hu Ma didn't have time to dwell on these strange thoughts, as he was too preoccupied with following Second Master.
Second Master seemed to have a special way of moving through the forest.
The last time Hu Ma had traveled through the woods with Granny, it had taken over two hours.
But Second Master, with his long strides, moved faster than an ordinary person running, even though he wasn't sprinting.
In about half an hour, they reached the entrance of Dayang Village.
From a distance, they could see the clan leader and a few elders waiting anxiously.
"What happened to Granny?" Second Master called out as he approached.
"Granny?" The clan leader looked puzzled.
"What about Granny?"
Second Master was also confused.
"Isn't this about Granny?"
"Granny hasn't been in the village for a while," the clan leader said, noticing Hu Ma behind Second Master.
"She hasn't been around much since she sent Little Hu Ma to your manor. These past few days, it seems like she hasn't come back at all. But you know how Granny is—she often goes out to practice medicine or deal with ghosts, sometimes for a day or two. It's just unusual for her to be gone this long."
"So, where has Granny gone?" Hu Ma asked, relieved that it wasn't about Granny but still worried.
"She seemed to be heading toward the western woods," the clan leader said awkwardly.
"She's been going there a lot lately, but we don't know what she's doing. You know how Granny is—we don't usually ask."
This matched Granny's habits.
Hu Ma glanced back and saw Little Red Tang looking confused, staring toward the western woods.
She could usually sense Granny when she was nearby, but now she seemed lost.
Second Master sighed.
"Then why did you call me back in such a hurry?"
The clan leader's expression turned serious.
He leaned closer to Second Master and whispered, "There's a big matter. Some noble guests from the city arrived today. They want to go into the woods to find something and need a guide from our village. I thought you were the only one who could handle this. These are important people, Second Master. If you serve them well, you might even earn a tidy sum."
"A guide?" Second Master was surprised and glanced toward the village.
"Them?"
Hu Ma also looked and was startled.
In his anxiety, he hadn't noticed earlier, but now he saw that there were several new people in the village.
They were a group of strong, muscular men dressed in black tunics with red silk belts around their waists.
Some even carried swords, looking like bodyguards.
There were about seventeen or eighteen of them, surrounding two black sedan chairs and a large carriage, standing quietly in the village.
The villagers and children watched them with a mix of awe and fear.
Outside one of the sedan chairs stood an old man in a gray robe, exuding the air of a shopkeeper.
He was surveying the village with his hands behind his back.
The other sedan chair had its black silk curtains drawn, completely hiding the person inside.
These were the noble guests from the city? Hu Ma's curiosity was piqued.
What kind of world was this?
"But I have something urgent to deal with right now..."
Second Master looked troubled.
"Granny is so capable—what could possibly happen to her?" the clan leader said, grabbing Second Master's arm.
"You can't turn this down. Do you know how important these guests are? The old shopkeeper from Caoxin Hall is accompanying them. Our village can't afford to offend them. If you do well, we might get a good price for our black oil paste and herbs next spring."
"This is terrible timing," Second Master said, glancing at Hu Ma.
"We don't even know what's happened to Granny."
"What could happen to Granny?" the clan leader asked, looking at Hu Ma.
"What's wrong with Granny?"
"I don't know," Hu Ma said slowly.
"Granny usually sends someone to bring me food at the manor, but today no one came. The person who usually delivers the food said they couldn't find Granny. I was worried something had happened, so I came back with Second Master."
"Granny missing one meal won't starve you," the clan leader said, sounding a bit annoyed.
"And it's only been a day. Why don't you let Second Master handle the guests, and I'll look around the village for Granny?"
Without waiting for Hu Ma's response, he turned to Second Master and said sternly, "But you can't delay the matter with the noble guests. Second Master, you're a man of experience. Just look at their carriage—you can tell how important they are. They've already been waiting for an hour. We can't keep them any longer."
Second Master looked extremely conflicted.
Hu Ma took a deep breath and understood the situation.
He glanced at the vast, endless forest and suddenly said, "It's fine, Second Master. I'll go into the woods with you."
(End of Chapter)