The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the surrounding companions were a bit scared, looking at them with concern.
The young master in brocade, Xu Ji, was not yet a manager, but in the eyes of the workers, he was almost the same.
Usually, the shopkeeper didn't like to show up, so who else but him had the final say on all matters, big and small, in the entire estate?
How could anyone dare to offend him? Were they not afraid of being kicked out?
Whether they came from the town or the village, being able to join the Red Lantern Society to earn a living and learn skills was a big deal for their families.
If they were kicked out, they might as well not live.
Moreover, Xu Ji himself was very capable.
He understood all the techniques the shopkeeper taught, far surpassing the other workers.
If it came to a fight, they would surely suffer...
"Big brother, they're about to fight..."
At the same time, outside the courtyard, tensions were high.
In the inner courtyard where the old shopkeeper was, an oil lamp was lit on the Eight Immortals table in the hall.
In a large vat filled with medicinal herbs, a pale-faced girl sat with only her head exposed, anxiously speaking.
"Hmm, let them fight!"
The old shopkeeper held a strange piece of meat, squeezing blood from it bit by bit, his face cold:
"Sooner or later, they'll fight. They're all young and full of energy. If they don't fight, I'd think the workers I hired this time had no guts!"
"Let them fight well, show their skills, so we can see who is reliable!"
"..."
"..."
Hu Ma was ready to fight, his eyes occasionally glancing at Xu Ji's waist.
He knew that Xu Ji's most formidable weapon was the old artifact he carried.
During this time, he had found out that old artifacts were treasures for those who dealt with evil spirits year-round.
Night Watchers, Ghost Walkers, or other skilled masters who dealt with evil spirits and monsters often used tools or weapons.
The tools they used were called old artifacts.
These items were chosen because they were effective against evil spirits, and after years of use, they became imbued with the users' aura, making them more spiritual.
Simply put, the longer an item was used and the more powerful the master who used it, the more potent the artifact became.
Of course, old artifacts were powerful against evil spirits, but their effectiveness against humans was limited.
This was why Hu Ma dared to challenge Xu Ji.
In terms of cultivation, Hu Ma was far superior to Xu Ji, with greater strength and mastery of the techniques taught by Second Master.
Even if he had to suppress some of his cultivation to fight Xu Ji, he wouldn't necessarily lose.
Unexpectedly, just as Hu Ma was ready and even began to secretly channel his energy, Xu Ji just stared at him fiercely.
After a long while, seeing that Hu Ma showed no intention of backing down, Xu Ji suddenly sneered: "You're quite arrogant for someone from a broken village."
"If you want a beating, I'll oblige."
"But don't disturb our old shopkeeper, and don't delay the night patrol for the Red Lantern Lady."
"..."
With that, he lifted the hem of his robe and turned to leave, but then looked back at Hu Ma: "If you're really brave, tomorrow afternoon, let's meet outside the town by the poplar tree near the ditch and have a proper match. Show me what you've got."
The workers looked at each other in surprise.
Wasn't there going to be a fight?
"This guy is all bark and no bite, even weaker than I thought."
Hu Ma thought to himself.
Seeing Xu Ji about to leave, he spoke up: "I have no intention of arguing with you, but we all worked hard to join the Red Lantern Lady's Society, to gain experience, learn skills, or at least earn some money."
"You've been here longer than us, arranging shifts and training. We have no issue with that, but you should at least be fair, so everyone feels justified."
"We're all workers here. Why should we have to buy you wine and meat to get a turn at the night patrol?"
"..."
The workers were stunned, not saying a word.
At first, they thought Hu Ma was backing down, but as they listened, they realized he was speaking their minds.
Not just those from the Big Sheep Village, but workers from other places had also suffered under their exploitation.
Even if they didn't dare to say it out loud, who wouldn't feel resentful?
"Hmph!"
Xu Ji's expression suddenly turned fierce, glaring at Hu Ma: "Don't chicken out tomorrow."
With that, he suddenly turned and shouted at the others: "What are you standing around for?"
"Who's on night patrol? Get moving!"
"..."
The workers were startled, quickly grabbing their lanterns and hurrying off.
...
Hu Ma also relaxed his stance and returned to the estate.
According to the original arrangement, he was supposed to feed the horses at night, but he went straight back to his room, ignoring the task.
This whole provocation and challenge were premeditated.
Second Master had already decided to take action.
Hu Ma could have waited until Xu Ji lost his backing, but by then, the effect would have been much weaker.
He had to stand up while Xu Ji was still at his peak and say the right things to achieve his goal.
"Brother Hu Ma, are you sure you can beat him?"
Zhou Datong also ran back, looking concerned.
Hu Ma smiled: "You don't even know if I can beat him, yet you dared to provoke him?"
"Why should I be afraid?"
Zhou Datong said: "Before I came, my grandpa told me that even though I can cause trouble, I'm just messing around without a brain. You're different. You're cunning, lazy, greedy, and have a wicked temper, but you never take a loss."
"Even though you seem just as bad, you're bad with a brain."
"So he repeatedly told me to listen to you after coming out, and we'll face things together..."
"..."
"I can't tell if that's a compliment or an insult."
Hu Ma shook his head, looking at the other two, Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu.
These two workers from the Big Sheep Village were honest and usually didn't say much, but they had also stepped up just now.
Seeing Hu Ma's gaze, they said: "We don't care about anything else. We're from the same village."
Simple village boys...
Hu Ma sighed inwardly, smiling at them: "Yes, we'll face things together and share the good times."
"Brother Hu Ma, you... you can't beat him..."
Just then, a hesitant voice came from the door.
It was Li Wazi, leaning against the doorframe, speaking cautiously.
Zhou Datong was furious when he saw him, shouting: "Get out! Aren't you close with them?"
"Take your bedding and go sleep in their room!"
"..."
Li Wazi's eyes welled up with tears, unable to speak.
But seeing him like this, not just Zhou Datong, but even Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu ignored him.
The village boys were straightforward and simple-minded.
The night passed, and the workers got up as usual, busy with their tasks according to Xu Ji's arrangements, but their minds were on the upcoming duel between Hu Ma and the brocade-clad young master.
They were all a bit distracted.
They all thought Hu Ma would surely lose.
The gap was too big.
The boys from the Big Sheep Village were poor, with only one knife among them.
Meanwhile, Xu Ji not only wore fine clothes and carried an old artifact, but his two followers were also well-off.
But they also felt that since Hu Ma dared to challenge him, he must have some confidence.
Besides, he was speaking up for everyone.
Amidst this undercurrent, Xu Ji became even harsher with the workers, loudly scolding them for not cleaning properly or not doing their jobs well.
But Hu Ma was an exception.
He didn't show up all day, only appearing after lunch.
He borrowed a knife from Zhou Datong, tucked it under his arm, and without a word to anyone, left the estate.
"Is he really going?"
The workers were excited, exchanging glances in surprise.
Xu Ji, watching Hu Ma's retreating figure, just sneered.
He deliberately took his time finishing his meal, chatting and laughing with his two followers, and even went to the inner courtyard to talk with the old shopkeeper, seemingly unconcerned.
This demeanor made people even more worried for Hu Ma.
With their minds preoccupied, the workers quickly finished their tasks, afraid they might miss the chance, and sneaked out of the estate.
At the edge of the town, they saw Hu Ma standing under the poplar tree, holding the knife.
His calm and composed demeanor made people admire him a bit, and they inexplicably felt more confident in Hu Ma.
Gradually, the sun set, and most of the workers had gathered, anxiously waiting for the promised duel.
But after half an hour, Xu Ji didn't show up.
After an hour, there was still no sign of anyone from the estate.
As the sun was about to set, the workers were getting impatient.
Finally, a worker who had sneaked back to see what was going on came running, out of breath, with an indescribable look of surprise on his face: "Xu... Xu Ji can't come..."
The workers were stunned, and even Hu Ma under the poplar tree looked over.
The worker anxiously said: "He said something urgent came up, so he asked for leave from the manager and went back to the city..."
"What?"
Everyone was dumbfounded: "What could be so urgent? He had already agreed..."
"He didn't say, just seemed very nervous and then ran off..."
"..."
Suddenly, the surroundings became quiet.
The workers looked at each other, finding it hard to believe.
"If he's not coming, then forget it."
Hu Ma finally spoke up, walking back with the knife, saying to the stunned workers: "There's still a lot of work waiting in the estate. Don't just stand here."
"Datong, Zhao Zhu, Zhou Liang, and you, you, and you, you'll come with me on the night patrol tonight."
"You, you, and you, go cut grass and feed the horses, clean the yard."
"You guys, take care of the kitchen work. Make sure the old shopkeeper's soup is ready on time, not too cold or too hot."
"..."
Suddenly seeing him assigning tasks, the workers were momentarily at a loss.
After a while, Zhou Datong was the first to respond loudly, and the other workers suddenly understood something, nodding repeatedly, having no objections to Hu Ma's arrangements.
Hu Ma led the way back to the estate, thinking to himself: "Picking up this lantern brings me one step closer to becoming a Night Watcher."
(End of Chapter)