It was unclear what Xu Ji had offered, but the old shopkeeper clearly had a bias in his favor.
First, Hu Ma had already been promised something, but now it had turned into a competition between the two of them, with the winner taking all.
Second, the challenge the old shopkeeper had given them was to eliminate a particularly powerful evil spirit.
Everyone in the village knew that Xu Ji had an old artifact, a weapon specifically designed to deal with evil spirits.
Who could possibly compete with him?
"The old man wants to have his cake and eat it too," Hu Ma thought silently.
It seemed that Xu Ji had offered something that even the old shopkeeper couldn't resist.
Hu Ma had also given the old shopkeeper something valuable, and he wasn't willing to return it.
That's why he had come up with this difficult challenge.
But now that things had come to this, what could Hu Ma do?
Asking for help from his friend Erguotou was out of the question—there simply wasn't enough time.
Besides, Hu Ma knew that favors were hard to come by.
Erguotou had already helped him by dealing with Xu Ji's influential background, which was no small feat.
Without that help, Hu Ma wouldn't have even had a chance to compete with Xu Ji.
A wealthy young master with connections versus a wild boy from the village? It would have been a one-sided battle.
If Hu Ma asked for more help, it wouldn't be Erguotou repaying a favor—it would be Hu Ma owing him one.
So now, Hu Ma had to figure things out on his own.
Only if things got really bad would he consider asking Erguotou for advice, even if it meant owing him another favor.
As Hu Ma pondered this and walked toward the outer courtyard, Xu Ji, on the other hand, was acting unusually confident.
He strode quickly, a cold smile on his face.
As soon as he stepped out of the inner gate, he immediately called out to the workers' quarters, "Huzi, Dalong, come out! Bring a few reliable brothers with you. We're going out to take care of something important."
"When we come back, I'll reward you handsomely..."
"... Thank you!"
He had almost said "reward," but thinking about his current situation, he quickly changed it to "thank."
"Huh?"
At his call, the workers who had been curious about what was happening in the inner courtyard rushed out.
Xu Ji's two lackeys, seeing him so confident, were both surprised and delighted.
It felt like the old Xu Ji was back, which meant they could once again ride his coattails and live comfortably, without having to keep their heads down.
"Is he going out tonight?"
Hu Ma found this strange.
The boundary between day and night was clear—when the sun set, the world of the living and the world of spirits separated.
Evil spirits were terrifying enough during the day, but at night, they were even more dangerous.
Moreover, this was a test for the two of them.
It wasn't just a routine patrol with lanterns.
Normally, they carried red lanterns to ward off evil spirits, but this time, they wouldn't have that protection.
They would have to rely solely on their own abilities, which meant the risk was multiplied.
As he thought about this, Hu Ma suddenly realized something.
Xu Ji's advantage wasn't just the old artifact he possessed.
He probably knew what they were up against and had already made some preparations...
...
Damn, had he leaked the challenge?
Hu Ma's mind raced, but he quickly came up with a plan.
Seeing Xu Ji and his men excitedly gathering people, Hu Ma deliberately called out with a laugh, "Young Master Xu Ji, why are you in such a hurry?"
"The old shopkeeper gave us this challenge. Whoever can eliminate that powerful evil spirit will become the manager of this village and even get the chance to learn from him. So, of course, we're all eager to get rid of that thing..."
"But taking them out at night is risky. What if something goes wrong? How will you explain it to their families?"
"... Exorcise an evil spirit?"
"Whoever wins becomes the manager?"
The workers in the outer courtyard were shocked.
They hadn't realized that the conversation earlier had determined the future status of these two men.
Now, hearing that they were going out at night to deal with an evil spirit, many of them felt a chill run down their spines.
"Haha, if you don't have the guts, how can you be a night watchman?"
Xu Ji immediately understood Hu Ma's intentions and decided to play along.
He shouted loudly, then turned to the others, pulling out a wooden sword from his waist and holding it up.
"This Bloodwood Sword was grown beside the Blood Tai Sui, and it was used by a wandering exorcist for many years. It's the best weapon against evil spirits..."
"With this sword, it doesn't matter if it's day or night. What evil spirit can stand against it?"
"Brothers, I just need you to back me up. Whoever comes with me, when we return, I'll..."
He paused for a moment, then firmly said, "I'll give you a pound of Green Tai Sui!"
Green Tai Sui was a rare delicacy.
The young men were both shocked and delighted.
How much silver would that be worth?
They had always trusted Xu Ji's abilities.
They knew he was skilled and had seen him take down that old yellow weasel with ease.
Now, seeing him so confident with his old artifact and offering such a generous reward, they eagerly agreed.
Even Li Wazi, who had been hesitant, glanced at Xu Ji and his two lackeys, unsure whether to step forward.
He had been trying to reconcile with the brothers from Dayang Village, but the villagers were simple-minded and couldn't accept someone who couldn't tell friend from foe.
Since Hu Ma had taken charge, Li Wazi had been in an awkward position.
Seeing the others bustling about, lighting torches, and preparing to leave, he finally made up his mind and followed them.
With that, more than half of the village's workers left.
Those who stayed behind were the three brothers from Dayang Village and a few others who were too scared to go out at night and face evil spirits.
"Brother Hu Ma, don't be afraid. Let's go too..."
Zhou Datong, seeing the situation, grew nervous and urged Hu Ma, "This is an important matter. If we don't take the risk, how can we succeed?"
Not just him, but even Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu were quietly psyching themselves up.
No one was comfortable going out at night to deal with evil spirits, but when it came to their future, they had no choice.
"We can't go."
Hu Ma said firmly, "We haven't mastered our skills yet, and we don't even know what we're up against. Going now would be suicide."
Seeing their anxiety, he quickly made a decision.
He hurried back to his room, gathered a few things, and said to Zhou Datong, "Lend me your knife. I'll go out and take a look myself."
"... Huh?"
Zhou Datong handed over the knife, still eager to join.
Hu Ma took the knife without explaining further.
He looked out at the pitch-black night, took a deep breath, and grabbed a bamboo hat from the wall.
He put it on, held the knife, and strode out of the village.
By now, Xu Ji and his group, anxious and carrying torches, had already left the village.
Hu Ma didn't want to be seen by them, so he relied on the faint starlight to guide his way, stumbling through the darkness as he headed northwest.
Gradually, he left the village behind.
The surroundings grew eerily quiet, and even the torches of Xu Ji's group were almost out of sight.
The vast wilderness stretched out around him, and the dark silhouette of the distant mountains was barely visible.
Hu Ma took a deep breath, feeling the warmth of the furnace in his stomach, which gave him some courage to continue.
Once he was far enough from the village and couldn't see anyone around, he took out a stick of incense from his pocket, lit it with a fire starter, and held it in his hand as he walked.
Before long, he felt a tug on his clothes.
Looking down, he saw Little Hong Tang.
She tilted her head, curious.
"Brother Hu Ma, why did you bring Little Hong Tang here?"
In the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, with no one around, suddenly feeling a little ghost grab your clothes—what kind of feeling was that?
Pure comfort!
Hu Ma smiled at her, put a finger to his lips, and whispered, "We're going to take care of something important."
"When we're done, I'll give you some Green Tai Sui..."
"Really?"
Little Hong Tang's eyes lit up at the mention of Green Tai Sui, though she was a bit disappointed it wasn't Red Tai Sui.
"How much?"
Hu Ma gritted his teeth.
"A piece as big as a chicken leg. Is that enough?"
"Enough, enough..."
Little Hong Tang was practically drooling.
She hurriedly followed Hu Ma, her short legs moving quickly.
...
Meanwhile, back in the village, the old shopkeeper sat at a table in the inner courtyard.
The dim light of an oil lamp illuminated a tightly wrapped oil paper package in his hands.
Inside were four or five bright red, pill-like objects.
Up close, the strong smell of blood was unmistakable.
The old shopkeeper's eyes lingered on the Blood Tai Sui pills for a long time before he sighed softly.
"Old Xu has been a tribute collector for so many years. He still has some treasures left."
"It's a pity he was too greedy and angered the incense master. Now that he's fallen, none of his friends or relatives dare to associate with him. If he weren't so desperate, he wouldn't have given me such a precious gift."
"He must know that since he's fallen, his son can only learn my craft and become a night watchman if he wants to survive."
"... Father, who are you going to choose?"
From inside the room, the sound of water splashing could be heard.
The girl in the vat asked weakly.
"Haha, one has a clean background, handles things well, and gave me a valuable gift. The other is desperate, offering me his family's most precious treasure and even willing to call me 'Grandpa' and swear to take care of me in my old age..."
The old shopkeeper chuckled.
"How can I choose?"
"Let's see who has the greater ability..."
(End of Chapter)