Leaving the chaos in the room behind, Hu Ma and the shopkeeper quietly slipped away, locking the door behind them.
It was uncertain how long it would take for the villagers to discover the dismembered bodies inside, but it was sure to cause a major uproar when they did.
However, Hu Ma and the old shopkeeper had no intention of reporting the incident.
Such a gruesome crime would undoubtedly require the involvement of the authorities, and it wasn’t something that the Red Lantern Society could simply smooth over with a few words of reassurance.
The murders in these surrounding villages were different from the internal affairs of Hu Ma’s own village.
The Red Lantern Society had its own rules, and the deaths of a couple of its members could be handled internally without the authorities getting involved.
But these villages, at least nominally, still fell under the jurisdiction of the government.
Of course, Hu Ma had long since realized that the local government was little more than a facade.
Ever since the emergence of the Tai Sui, the world had fallen into chaos, and the Yi Dynasty had become a mere shell of its former self.
Most regions were now self-governing, and the local officials, who were supposedly still loyal to the Yi Dynasty, were too busy trying to survive to care about anything else.
In a way, the Red Lantern Lady, despite being a malevolent spirit, was more like the true ruler of the region.
Why was she considered the most powerful evil spirit in the area? Because even the local officials secretly worshipped her! Without her approval, they couldn’t hold their positions, and they might be killed at any moment.
Moving through the dark, winding paths of the village, Hu Ma and the shopkeeper soon reached the outskirts, where Zhou Datong and the others were waiting with a cart.
The exchange had gone smoothly, and not only were there a few sheep tied to the cart with straw ropes, but there were also jars of pickled vegetables, salt, and other provisions.
“The young lady from the pickled vegetable shop is really something…” Zhou Datong was chatting excitedly with Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu when he suddenly noticed the old shopkeeper and Hu Ma approaching.
Seeing the shopkeeper’s grim expression, he quickly fell silent.
Hu Ma waved his hand and climbed onto the cart.
The group hurriedly made their way back, some pulling the cart, others pushing it.
They were curious about what Hu Ma and the shopkeeper had been up to, but they didn’t dare ask.
In the darkness, they couldn’t see clearly, but they could smell the faint scent of blood on the shopkeeper.
However, they all pretended not to notice.
Back at the village, they tied up the sheep and unloaded the pickled vegetables.
Hu Ma noticed that the night patrol had already gone out, so he didn’t need to worry about that.
Soon, dinner was ready, and the workers ate together.
These days, Hu Ma usually dined with the shopkeeper, so the kitchen didn’t prepare his meal.
After taking care of the outer courtyard, Hu Ma entered the inner courtyard, where the old shopkeeper, now dressed in a white robe, was sitting by the oil lamp.
The old servant had already prepared the meal.
On the table in front of Hu Ma was a large bowl of blood food, glistening and piled high.
“Eat first,” the shopkeeper said, puffing on his pipe.
He didn’t seem in a hurry to talk, simply gesturing toward the food.
Hu Ma had been eating with him for a while now, so he didn’t ask any questions.
He ate in silence, then cleaned up the dishes and took them to the small kitchen.
“I suppose you’ve noticed something,” the shopkeeper said after Hu Ma had finished eating.
He had been quietly smoking his pipe the whole time. “You’ve seen their methods, haven’t you?”
His voice was calm, but there was a deep hatred beneath the surface.
The bright, spacious room suddenly felt oppressive, as if filled with the weight of vengeance.
The oil lamp on the table flickered as if caught in a draft.
Hu Ma quickly replied, “I was just about to ask you, shopkeeper. That moving human skin…”
“Shadow puppetry,” the shopkeeper said coldly. “They kill people, extract their bones, and use their skin to make puppets. There’s nothing they won’t do. And that’s just what they do to ordinary people. If you cross them, they’ll use every cruel and underhanded trick in the book.”
From the inner room, Hu Ma heard the sound of water splashing.
It seemed that Wu He, the girl in the water jar, was trembling with emotion.
Hu Ma didn’t need the shopkeeper to remind him of the gruesome fate of the woman from the Zhao family.
He already understood how ruthless these people were.
And these were just ordinary members of the Altar Sect…
“People like that should have been dealt with long ago,” Hu Ma said bluntly.
“Of course they should,” the shopkeeper said, not seeing any fear or hesitation in Hu Ma’s expression.
He seemed somewhat reassured and spoke more openly. “I’ve been waiting for the Altar Sect to return for over a year now. I’ve made a lot of preparations, but I’m still not entirely confident. I thought they’d come during the New Year, when the village was empty, but they’re more impatient than I expected. They came a month early, which means you have less time to learn what you need to.”
Hu Ma listened carefully, then asked, “Shopkeeper, forgive me for asking, but why haven’t you reported this to the city?”
“The city?” The shopkeeper let out a cold laugh. “What would I say? That the blood food is still here? If I told them, they’d just send someone to retrieve it and take it back to the city. If the Altar Sect loses interest, why would they come back? I don’t care about the blood food, or even this shopkeeper position. The only thing I care about is avenging my daughter.”
Hu Ma nodded silently.
He had already guessed as much, but it was better to ask and be sure.
After a moment of thought, he looked at the shopkeeper and asked, “When they come, what exactly do you want me to do?”
At this point, he was genuinely curious.
If it was just a matter of fighting the Altar Sect, the shopkeeper wouldn’t have repeatedly emphasized the importance of his role.
The shopkeeper didn’t answer immediately.
He took a puff from his pipe, then suddenly looked at Hu Ma and asked, “How far along is your right leg?”
“I can feel some warmth in it now,” Hu Ma replied.
His right leg had already made significant progress, and he could even move a few fingers on his right hand.
The shopkeeper, unaware of the full extent of Hu Ma’s progress, seemed pleased to hear that his right leg was warming up.
He sighed softly and said, “You’ve done well. It seems the blood food hasn’t been wasted on you. But it’s still not fast enough. The Altar Sect won’t wait for us. Eat more blood food during this time. When your leg is fully refined, come find me.”
He then looked at Hu Ma seriously and said, “I brought you here for this very purpose. If you can accomplish this, we’ll be even. But if you fail… well, that’s your fate, my fate, and my daughter’s fate.”
Hearing the gravity in his voice, Hu Ma felt a growing sense of pressure.
After a moment, he nodded and said, “I’ll do my best, if only to help Wu He get justice.”
The shopkeeper sighed softly but didn’t say anything more.
As Hu Ma left the inner courtyard, he heard Wu He’s trembling voice from the side room: “Father, Brother Hu Ma is a good person… Shouldn’t we just tell him the truth?”
The shopkeeper remained silent for a long time before finally saying, “Don’t you want to get better?”
The side room fell silent, except for the faint sound of Wu He’s quiet sobs.
…
“Why does the shopkeeper seem so strange?” Hu Ma thought to himself as he left the inner courtyard.
The situation seemed clear—the Altar Sect was definitely coming back—but for him, things felt even more uncertain.
He had learned a lot from the shopkeeper, and it was only right to help him, especially against such evil people.
But what exactly did the shopkeeper want him to do? Why was he being so secretive about it?
And even if the blood food hadn’t been taken away, where had the Altar Sect hidden it? Blood food wasn’t like gold or silver; you couldn’t just bury it anywhere.
It attracted evil spirits, and if left in one place for too long, it would draw them in.
The most pressing question, however, was the choice he had to make.
The shopkeeper had been planning his revenge for a year and was counting on Hu Ma’s help.
At the same time, his friend Erguotou was waiting for information about the blood food.
Caught between the two, what should he do?
It seemed like a difficult decision, but Hu Ma quickly made up his mind.
He returned to his room, spent some time practicing his cultivation, and continued refining his right leg and right hand.
The large bowl of blood food he had just eaten slowly digested, replenishing the life energy he had expended during his training.
Then, he fell asleep and entered his Destiny Temple.
It wasn’t the usual time for him to visit, but he had decided to actively enter the temple and summon Erguotou.
The choice was simple: should he help the shopkeeper with his revenge, or should he focus on the blood food?
Hu Ma’s answer was both.
Until everything became clear, he would prepare for both possibilities.
Helping the shopkeeper was the right thing to do, even if it meant facing the dangers of the Altar Sect.
It was a way to repay the shopkeeper for teaching him.
But the blood food was also an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss as the reincarnated Old White.
…
With this in mind, Hu Ma found himself in the misty Destiny Temple.
He walked up to the incense table and looked at the statue behind it.
The left hand of the statue was now almost completely covered in golden threads, and the right hand and right leg were also partially visible.
These were his abilities, his strengths in this world.
Hu Ma silently reflected on the information and plans he had gathered, then approached the incense burner.
He placed his hand on the burner’s edge, took a deep breath, and whispered, “Old White calling Erguotou. I have something important to discuss. Can you hear me?”
(End of Chapter)