In this harsh world, survival is no easy task...
As Hu Ma woke up that day, he couldn't help but ponder silently.
Learning a skill shouldn't be this complicated, yet here he was, entangled in all sorts of troubles.
He was fortunate to have his grandmother's Blood Food Pills to nourish his body and the support of fellow reincarnators.
Without these, what kind of fate would he have met?
Perhaps Second Uncle was the best example.
He didn't dwell on the chaotic thoughts.
All he knew was that he needed to master a technique as soon as possible to save himself.
After silently weighing his options and making sense of things, he took out the piece of meat Second Uncle had given him.
He grabbed the waist knife Zhou Datong had carelessly tossed into the bedding and cut off the very tip of the dried meat.
It was about the size of a baby's fist.
He wrapped it in a clean cloth, tucked it into his chest, and quietly left the house with the rest of the meat.
He wasn't sure what kind of meat it was, but he could tell it wasn't Blood Taisui.
After all, he was somewhat of an expert on Blood Taisui now.
Even Second Uncle, a seasoned miner, probably hadn't seen as much Blood Taisui as Hu Ma had eaten.
But since Second Uncle had specifically instructed him, it must be something extraordinary.
The meat mountain was vast and varied, not limited to just black, white, green, and blood types.
There were many rare and peculiar kinds, hard to find but often considered treasures by the old masters.
Once outside, he found Zhou Datong in the yard, cutting grass to feed the horses.
Hu Ma whispered something to him.
Zhou Datong was startled at first, then his face lit up with joy.
"Brother Hu Ma, are you finally going to deal with them?"
Hu Ma signaled him to keep quiet and chuckled, "Did you expect me to take action?"
"Not really, but I couldn't take the bullying anymore," Zhou Datong replied.
"Those scoundrels, following that Young Master Xu, have been throwing their weight around. They won't even let us from Dayang Village help patrol for the Red Lantern Lady. All we do is feed horses, chop wood, and boil foot-washing water for the shopkeeper. They treat us like servants!"
"I can't stand up to them, so I just endure it. But I know your temper, Brother Hu Ma. You've been patient for so long, so you must be planning something big!"
"..."
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Hu Ma felt uncomfortable.
"We're not bad people..."
But Zhou Datong clearly didn't care about that.
He eagerly went off.
As evening approached, the sun dipped below the horizon.
The workers assigned to patrol had already lit their lanterns and were waiting in the yard.
Young Master Xu, dressed in fine clothes, hadn't shown up yet, but his two lackeys were lounging by the well, looking smug.
They stretched their legs lazily and pointed at Li Wazi and a few others who were trying to join the patrol.
"You want to come along for the night patrol? That's fine. But when you come back, you know what to do, right?"
"The third house at the town's entrance, the one with the black door and small tiled roof, has a wine banner outside. Go knock on the door, buy a pound of wine, and ask the owner to pack some pig's head meat for us. We'll have a drink tonight and teach you the rules. How does that sound?"
The eager workers nodded repeatedly, not daring to refuse.
Just then, Zhou Datong strolled over with his hands behind his back.
He looked at Li Wazi and said, "Brother Li Wazi, how much money did your father give you? Enough to buy meat for these guys?"
Li Wazi, who had come from Dayang Village but had latched onto Young Master Xu's lackeys, flushed with embarrassment.
"Brother Datong, don't say that. Brother Huzi and the others have really taught me a lot these past few days..."
The two lackeys, hearing Zhou Datong's question, immediately frowned and glared at him.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, nothing..."
Zhou Datong quickly put on a smile.
"I just wanted to ask if I could join too."
The two relaxed and grinned at him.
"Oh? You want to buy us wine too?"
"Sure!" Zhou Datong boldly reached into his chest.
"Take a look at this!"
It was nearly dark, and with Zhou Datong acting all mysterious and proud, the two thought he was showing them something valuable.
They leaned in to look, but Zhou Datong suddenly opened his hand—it was empty—and then slapped them both across the face.
"I'll buy you something alright!" Zhou Datong shouted as he turned and ran.
"I'll buy you a slap!"
"You little brat!" The two lackeys, who had come with Young Master Xu and enjoyed a high status in the village, were furious.
None of the new workers dared to talk back to them, let alone slap them.
They jumped off the millstone and chased after Zhou Datong with clenched fists.
Zhou Datong sprinted out of the village, shouting, "They're hitting me! They're trying to kill me!"
The two lackeys were even angrier.
They hadn't even touched him yet, but they were determined to give him a beating once they caught him.
But after a few steps, someone suddenly stepped out from behind a wall, blocking Zhou Datong's path.
It was Hu Ma.
He held up a hand and asked, "What's going on? Why are you hitting people?"
Zhou Datong immediately said, "They told me to buy them meat tonight, or they'd beat me up."
The two lackeys, Zhu Zi and Liang Zi, were both embarrassed and angry.
"Get out of the way! He hit us first, everyone saw it!"
They had always assumed Hu Ma was the leader of the workers from Dayang Village.
Hu Ma was usually quiet, so they hadn't dared to bully him.
But now that Zhou Datong had humiliated them, they couldn't let it slide.
They shouted at Hu Ma to move aside and prepared to attack.
"How could he dare hit you?" Hu Ma didn't budge and smiled.
"Maybe it's a misunderstanding?"
"A misunderstanding? Look at this slap mark on my face!" Zhu Zi was furious.
He turned and grabbed Li Wazi, who was following them.
"Tell me, did he hit us first?"
Li Wazi was also embarrassed, never expecting things to escalate like this.
Under the gaze of the two lackeys and Hu Ma, he nervously lowered his head.
After a while, he whispered, "Brother Datong did hit them first."
Hearing this, the two lackeys pushed forward again, and Hu Ma's face darkened.
Zhou Datong was livid.
He jumped behind Hu Ma and shouted at Li Wazi, "Drop the 'brother'! From now on, call me Zhou Datong. You're no brother of mine, and you're no longer part of Dayang Village!"
"You dare act tough?" This only enraged Huzi and Dalong, the two lackeys.
They had always been somewhat wary of Hu Ma, but now that they felt justified, they didn't hold back.
One of them shoved Hu Ma, while the other swung a punch.
Hu Ma didn't know their backgrounds, but since they were with Young Master Xu, they must be part of his group.
During their training sessions, Hu Ma had observed them and knew they were skilled.
Zhou Datong had acted on his instructions, so Hu Ma couldn't let him suffer.
He stepped forward, using the "Blocking Hammer" technique Second Uncle had taught him.
He crossed his arms in front of him, blocking the two attackers.
He felt the weight of their punches and the force behind them.
He shifted his stance slightly, absorbing the impact, and then suddenly pushed back.
Second Uncle's techniques weren't as flashy as Shopkeeper Wu's, but they were practical.
The Blocking Hammer could ward off evil spirits and deflect physical attacks.
If the opponent's strength was greater, he could redirect the force.
If it was weaker, he could counterattack.
Before Huzi could react, Hu Ma had already sent him flying, crashing into Dalong.
The two tumbled to the ground, dazed and unable to get up.
The onlookers were stunned.
They hadn't expected Hu Ma to be so strong, easily knocking down the two lackeys.
But they also knew these two were nothing compared to Young Master Xu.
Everyone in the village feared Xu.
Was Hu Ma really going to confront him?
Amid the chaos, more workers gathered to watch the commotion.
"Hu Ma, Datong, are you starting a fight?" A few voices called out.
It was Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu from Dayang Village.
Hearing the noise and seeing Hu Ma and Zhou Datong surrounded, they quickly grabbed a stick and a manure fork, rushing over to help.
But when they arrived, they saw Hu Ma and Zhou Datong standing unharmed, while the two lackeys were still on the ground, struggling to get up.
They were momentarily confused.
"Breaking the rules, gathering to fight—do you all want to be kicked out?" A cold voice cut through the noise.
Young Master Xu had arrived, his face stern.
At the sight of him, the workers quickly lowered their heads, trying to distance themselves from the situation.
Even Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu instinctively hid their weapons behind their backs.
Young Master Xu hadn't been in the village long, but he was already the undisputed authority.
Though his status was the same as everyone else's, no one dared to look him in the eye.
"But extorting wine and meat, then trying to hit people—is that following the rules?" A calm voice spoke up.
Hu Ma stepped forward, facing Xu directly.
Xu was slightly taken aback to see Hu Ma.
His expression darkened, and his cold eyes fixed on Hu Ma, making the air around them feel colder.
Hu Ma met his gaze steadily, not backing down.
Not far behind, Little Hong Tang peeked out from behind a wall, her braided head tilted as she stared intently at the wooden sword at Hu Ma's waist.
Sip...
(End of Chapter)