“If you hand over the money for a life, you have to take that person's life within seven days.”

“If you can't, you'll lose face.”

“If it were an ordinary person, losing face wouldn't be a big deal. You could just leave the martial world, change your name after a few years, and come back. But you can't!”

“You offered the money as a Zhuodao Ren (ghost blade assassin). If you can't buy a life, you'll lose the Hu family's face, the Zhensuifu's (Demon Suppression Bureau) face. How serious is that?”

“But now, seeing as the time is almost up, you're not doing anything, just sharpening your knife?”

Lao Suanpan (Old Abacus) really couldn't stand it anymore. When they arrived in Guazhou City, only five and a half days were left before the deadline. There were so many things to do in the last day and a half, but Hu Ma seemed to be idle.

Strolling around the garden, sharpening his knife, doing nothing else. It made him anxious. Even Wu Ya couldn't bear it anymore and said, “Teacher, what are you muttering about here? Go talk to the Zhanggui A'ge (shopkeeper brother)!”

“I'm not going!”

Lao Suanpan said angrily, “This kid is sweet-mouthed when he needs something from you, but once he has an idea, he keeps it to himself, just makes you worry. It was the same last time in Shima Town. He had it all figured out, just tricked this old man into worrying for him.”

Wu Ya found it even stranger, saying, “Since Zhanggui A'ge has a plan, shouldn't we just watch and see?”

“That won't do either…”

Lao Suanpan sighed, saying, “It's still our ancestor who's useless, never able to afford the three great sacrifices in his life, saying things vaguely, not letting us leave, but not telling us clearly…”

Suddenly thinking of something, he said to Wu Ya, “Good disciple, I can't bring myself to ask. Why don't you go and find out from that kid?”

Wu Ya found it strange, “Didn't you say my fate is too light and I shouldn't ask?”

Lao Suanpan's face stiffened for a moment, then he quickly said, “Actually, I've figured it out in the last few days. Whether your fate is light or heavy, you can't escape it anyway. Think about it, those in our sect who can worship the ancestor all have light fates. Why? A light fate can avoid trouble and disaster!”

“But look at me? Born with a cheap bone worth one mace and two candareens, but where is there anything I can avoid?”

“……”

Wu Ya respected and was grateful to Hu Ma, and didn't doubt him. But seeing Lao Suanpan say this, she picked up her tea and came to the garden beside the mansion, found Hu Ma, and saw him ordering the mansion's steward to open the back door.

Because the young master of the mansion was still recovering from the sores, the people in the mansion still respected these capable people. No one dared to disobey their words. They opened the door when asked, and set up an incense table when asked.

Wu Ya watched, feeling curious, and asked, “Zhanggui A'ge, what are you doing?”

“Did your teacher send you?”

Seeing Wu Ya come over, Hu Ma took the tea, took a sip, and asked Wu Ya with a smile.

Seeing Hu Ma's smile, Wu Ya felt close to him. Perhaps this shopkeeper sometimes had a similar temperament to A'ge Wu Song? Of course, on closer inspection, it was not quite the same. A'ge Wu Song had a more mysterious temperament.

She didn't hide anything from Hu Ma and said with a smile, “Teacher is worrying in the front yard. He said you're not doing anything serious, just fooling him.”

“He can worry for me like that, which shows that Brother Suanpan is really thinking of our family. I promised him two hundred *jin* of blood food, and it wasn't a loss.”

Hu Ma smiled and said, “But put his mind at ease. It's not like we're really not doing anything serious. Wu Ya, do you know that although I'm on the road of a Shousui Ren (year-keeper), I'm walking the path of a Guimen Dao (ghost gate way) person?”

“We who walk the Guimen Dao are close to ghosts and gods. No matter what shady things are going on in this city, they can hide it from people, but they can't hide it from ghosts and gods. If we go to investigate, it would be troublesome. Since that's the case, we won't investigate. We'll just set up an altar and ask the ghosts and gods.”

“Also, pass on these words to him!”

As he spoke, Hu Ma sighed and said, “The master of Zhensuifu would rather execute relatives than show favoritism, in order to win the hearts of the people.”

“What do you mean there aren't our own people in this city? As I see it, this city is full of our own people.”

“Now I'm going to set up an altar in this Zhao mansion. Opening this small door is to make it easier for ghosts and gods to enter and exit, without harming the Zhao family's fortune. Tell your teacher, I believe that as long as I set up this altar, ghosts and gods will come to report their grievances and tell their stories.”

“If he asks me where my confidence comes from, then tell him…”

As he spoke, he slowly lit the candles on the incense table, grabbed a handful of incense ash, and scattered it straight in front of the incense table. His eyes were solemn, and he said in a low voice, “Because I believe in justice in this world!”

“Pfft…”

Wu Ya was shocked by Hu Ma's words, her eyes full of admiration. But after returning to Lao Suanpan and telling him everything, Lao Suanpan was so shocked that he spat out the tea in his mouth.

“He… what is he talking about?”

“The Zhensuifu's master's methods of killing relatives before have almost become a joke. Now he's actually boasting about it?”

“……”

“But… but…”

Wu Ya paused before saying in a low voice, “Teacher, Zhanggui A'ge really set up an altar in the back garden, and then all kinds of little ghosts suddenly came in, fighting to tell him all sorts of things…”

“What?”

Lao Suanpan stood up suddenly, his face full of disbelief, “Did he find out about the toad disease?”

Wu Ya nodded, “I heard a little ghost say it.”

Lao Suanpan was even more incredulous, “Did he also find out about the things behind the Jitu Snake God Temple?”

Wu Ya said, “Several little ghosts were fighting to tell him about it. There were even two who fought over who would be the first to report the news, gouging out eyes and pulling hair…”

Lao Suanpan's hands trembled, “Could it be that the things related to the Yan family have also been found out by him?”

Wu Ya nodded solemnly and said, “Yes, Zhanggui A'ge's face turned green when he heard it. Just now, he took down the altar, took his knife, closed the small door, and took A'ge Datong, and strode out of the front door.”

“This…”

Lao Suanpan's eyebrows were twisted into a knot, and his eyes were filled with suspicion. After a long time, he just looked up blankly, “It can't be?”

“Go!”

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he jumped up like he was on fire and said in a low voice, “I think I understand why the ancestor insisted on us staying by his side. Let's go and take a look!”

……

……

At the same time, in the Iron Gate Yan family in Guazhou City, just as darkness fell, a banquet had already been prepared. It was said that it was the third concubine of the Yan family's master's birthday. Although it wasn't the main hall and didn't need to be celebrated on a large scale, it was still decorated with lanterns and colors.

Outsiders didn't know, but those in the know understood that this third concubine of the Yan family's master was a Little Medicine Immortal from the Siming sect, so her status wasn't much, but she was still important in the sect.

Of course, because her status was, after all, only a concubine, only some close friends were invited to gather for a small gathering.

Now, the Yan family's mansion was lit up with lights everywhere, and wine was being brewed. There were seven or eight tables in the courtyard, filled with people, including Mr. Liu from the south of the city, Master Gongyang from Weizhuang outside the city, Lady Li from Qiaoshou Pavilion, and even Iron Rail King had sent gifts.

“Please, please…”

As soon as night fell, this group of people began to drink. The Yan family's master naturally sat in the main seat, and his concubine only sat beside him, her eyes like silk, serving him wine and using white jade and silver chopsticks to pick dishes for him to eat.

The people at the table were talking loudly, their spirits high, and from time to time they would tell some stories of strange people to accompany the wine. The opera troupe in the middle of the table was playing hard, and the Qingyi (female role in Chinese opera) on the stage danced her water sleeves beautifully.

But strangely, although the atmosphere looked lively, and the people at the table were smiling and deliberately raising their voices, there was always a kind of oppressive atmosphere, which made the lantern light seem a little dim.

Occasionally, in the gaps between laughter and talk, some of them would look at each other, but they could clearly see the dull worry in each other's eyes.

“Hehe, Mr. Chunsheng, why the long face?”

But in this dullness, a man wearing a light yellow robe and with an extraordinary demeanor next to the Yan family's master smiled and said, “I know you're still a little worried, but in this world, nothing is bigger than reason.”

“Not to mention he's just a small Zhuodao, I heard that he hasn't even crossed the bridge yet. Even if the master of Zhensuifu comes in person, can he really ignore the heroes of the world?”

“……”

As soon as these words came out, the white-clothed scholar on the left hand side of the Yan family's master couldn't help but pale a few degrees, and he smiled reluctantly, but he didn't speak.

And finally someone mentioned this problem, which had been suppressed for the whole night, and everyone couldn't help but say, “That's right, I don't think that ghost-walking Grand Zhuodao really has the guts to come!”

“Heh, it's also interesting. He walks the ghost gate way, but he found a year-keeper to be the Zhuodao. We have the Iron Rail King's Guardian General here. When it comes to seniority in the year-keeping sect, maybe that Zhuodao will have to kowtow to this Guardian General when he comes…”

“Mr. Chunsheng really doesn't need to worry. The iron threshold of the Yan mansion is not something that just anyone can step over!”

“……”

A group of people laughed loudly, and they really dispelled the invisible oppression in the field. Just as everyone was about to take advantage of this good atmosphere to drink a few cups, a man in a silver robe, with carved flowers on his boots, and a red crown on his head smiled:

“Although I heard that even the imperial order of Zhensuifu can't suppress him, and the Guan Zhou Prefecture Governor, who was personally conferred by the imperial order, was knocked into mud with a mace, he will definitely not be able to step over the iron threshold of the Yan family…”

“……”

Another woman, wrapped in a black robe, with only a small head left outside, who didn't look very energetic, followed and said, “The main thing is that the people in the Hu family are all ruthless people. They even kill their relatives, so killing two passersby probably won't be a problem…”

With a single sentence, the atmosphere in the field suddenly became a little oppressive. Everyone looked at each other, and the white-clothed scholar who was sitting next to the Yan mansion's master was so shocked that he knocked over the wine glass in his hand.