Chapter 13 Thinking it Over

I really did think about it.

Hu Ma had been waiting for this day. Earlier, when he was in the village and wanted to get rid of Cui Xie'er, he didn't ask Erguotou for help because he wanted to save that favor for a critical moment.

Now that he heard his voice, he felt much more relaxed.

Erguotou was quite pleased to hear this and laughed, "Looks like the path to seeking the Dharma isn't so smooth?"

"It's been pretty smooth, all things considered..."

Hu Ma smiled and said, "I did burn the green incense, and I got my wish to work for an old shopkeeper with unique skills. Now, he's even started teaching us his skills. However, I can't help but have some doubts. Is this how the Red Lantern Mother teaches people her skills?"

As he spoke, he explained the things he had been learning.

"That's how it has to be..."

Erguotou laughed when he heard this, "It's not just the Red Lantern Society, but all the blood-offering gangs only teach these empty forms at the beginning. Otherwise, how would they keep you from running away?"

Hu Ma paused slightly when he heard this, "Empty forms?"

"That's right."

Erguotou smiled and explained to Hu Ma, "Anything that's not related to the Way of the Sentry is an empty form."

"Your path as a Sentry can't do without blood offerings. How can you make the furnace burn brightly just by relying on your own fire?"

"Unless you never break your virginity in this life. That would not only give you strong fire, but also protect you from all poisons. However, the price is a bit high. How about the others?"

"Then they can't do without blood offerings. With blood offerings to nourish you, your furnace will burn brightly, and those forms can unleash amazing power to harm evil spirits and break demonic arts!"

"But the prerequisite is that you have to stay in the Red Lantern Mother Society and have blood offerings to nourish you."

"If you run away, and there are no blood offerings, you can't use the forms you've learned. If you do, it will consume your vitality. Once or twice is fine, but if you use them too much, you'll be like a candle that's burned out. If there's nothing left in your body, it'll be worse than death, wouldn't it?"

"..."

"As expected, these gangs that have survived for many years have a lot of tricks."

Hu Ma sighed, "If I lack blood offerings, practicing these forms too much will probably make me just like those Red Incense guys."

But to be fair, it wasn't that the Red Lantern Society deliberately dug a pit; they were just taking advantage of this characteristic.

What Second Master taught him was essentially the same.

After thinking this through, Hu Ma said, "In that case, how can I learn the true Way of the Sentry?"

"That's not easy."

Brother Erguotou sighed and said, "You have to know how to sell yourself, how to serve people, and even pay a high price."

"Those old shopkeepers all have unique skills, but they will never easily pass them on to others. After all, this is their livelihood, their means of survival."

"With this unique skill, all the blood-offering gangs have to support them. Why would they be willing to pass on this skill for no reason?"

"What if you turn against them in the future and come back to compete with them for food?"

"..."

"This..."

Hu Ma had expected this and couldn't help but sigh softly.

This kind of phenomenon was not uncommon.

Even in his previous life, he had heard stories about village boys who went to the city to learn how to cook and had to wash the chef's feet, do chores, and scramble to do all kinds of work. If they caught the chef's eye, the chef would still set three rules before teaching them.

First, they had to hand over their wages. Second, the chef could scold them as much as he wanted, and if the chef said something offensive, they had to respond with, "Please do."

The most crucial thing was...

After all, these were skills that allowed them to make a living, so learning them was so difficult.

And this was just learning how to cook. Now he wanted to learn the skills of a Sentry, so wouldn't it be even more difficult?

Hu Ma thought seriously and gained a clearer understanding of what he was trying to do.

"Of course, you've found a good place and a good time."

Brother Erguotou said at this moment, "The manager who sent you over is an honest man. Shopkeeper Wu is in a very awkward situation right now."

"He had trained several disciples to help him, and he was very valued. He was sent to guard a blood-offering warehouse, but last year, when the blood offerings were being stored, he was coveted by evil spirits. Due to carelessness, a big mess happened."

"Not only did the disciples around him die or go crazy, but the old shopkeeper's family also suffered. Most importantly, a batch of blood offerings from the Red Lantern Society was robbed, resulting in a significant loss."

"The incense master above was very dissatisfied with his mistake. Fortunately, he made arrangements everywhere and had acquaintances do their best to speak well of him, so he had this opportunity to atone for his crimes. Now he has to rebuild this manor and make up for last year's mistake!"

"Therefore, he will inevitably have to retrain some helpers, otherwise he may not be able to manage it alone!"

"Logically speaking, given his situation, it would be best to choose some experienced veterans from other places in the society and have him train them. But he is unwilling to teach the people sent by others and only chooses from the newcomers."

"..."

"So, there's that?"

Only then did Hu Ma understand why there wasn't a single old hand in this manor, except for the old shopkeeper's family.

He was also grateful that Second Master's gift was not given in vain. The mustached manager was good. He asked if he wanted to learn skills before sending him over.

That's because this was the place where it was most likely to learn skills.

"Of course, it's another matter who he chooses to teach."

After Erguotou finished speaking, he smiled and said, "He can't teach all of you in this group. You have to perform well, get close to people, and be seen by others to have a chance to earn this opportunity."

"One thing is certain..."

Hu Ma thought silently. Wasn't that exactly what the young man in brocade was doing?

He undoubtedly knew the information that Erguotou shared with him, so he was also coming for the Dharma.

He instructed the servants to excel in everything in order to show his abilities.

He targeted him because he had inadvertently stolen his limelight and was worried that he would catch the old shopkeeper's eye in return, so he didn't even give him a chance to perform.

He was really careful. He stole his limelight when he first came, and he had been vigilant for more than half a month.

Erguotou noticed that he was slow to respond and laughed, "Having some difficulties?"

"It's probably not easy to stand out."

Hu Ma sighed softly and told him about the young man in brocade.

"That's for sure."

Erguotou laughed immediately when he heard this and said, "Brother, does this person use a red wooden sword?"

Hu Ma was slightly startled and said, "Indeed."

"Then you definitely can't compete with him."

Erguotou smiled and said, "That's the child of the Xu family's offering. His old man is an old offering in the Red Lantern Society who prepares blood-offering pills. He has accumulated a lot of wealth and knows the shopkeepers."

"Now he has spent a lot of money to condition his body since he was a child, and he has also purchased this kind of old object, made arrangements, and instructed him well before sending him to the manor, just so that he can learn some skills from the old shopkeeper."

"Maybe his family had already discussed it before he went there."

"You came up from the village. How can you compare with him?"

"..."

"This..."

Hu Ma's heart sank slightly. The truth really hurts. He felt a little hopeless when he heard it.

Erguotou smiled and said, "Of course, it's not like there's no way."

Hu Ma quickly asked, "What is it?"

Brother Erguotou smiled faintly and said, "Since his family has a strong background, wouldn't it be over if I just dealt with his old man?"

"Um..."

Hu Ma agreed casually and then suddenly exclaimed, "What the hell?"

"Deal with his old man..."

Erguotou smiled and said, "Don't be afraid of those with backgrounds. It's over as soon as he has no background."

"I think his old man has embezzled a lot in recent years. I also want to use him to set an example. If it doesn't work, I'll deal with him."

"Once his father falls, others will be eager to cut ties with him. Who will dare to take care of him?"

"..."

"Holy crap?"

Hu Ma was stunned when he heard this, and his values were a little shattered. "Can it be like this?"

"It's just a word to me."

Erguotou heard Hu Ma's surprise, and his voice became very proud. "Brother, you still haven't dealt with enough transmigrators. This kind of favor is the easiest to help with. I just need to pass on a word."

"It's more difficult for me to directly promote you or even directly help you find the Dharma."

"..."

Hu Ma listened seriously and wrote down the experience taught by this brother.

But he couldn't help but be a little curious in his heart: What exactly is Brother Erguotou's position in the Red Lantern Society?

It was a pity that although he was curious, he didn't take the initiative to ask.

Earlier, Erguotou said that he would see him during those few days in the city, but none of them looked like him.

Was it the incense master? A certain manager?

Or a member of the gang who had brushed past him?

If he really wanted to find him, he could find him. He just needed to inquire about who had entered Lao Yin Mountain or disappeared for a month or two three or four months ago, and he would be close to the truth.

But Hu Ma didn't really intend to do that. Transmigrators kept their identities a secret, and they should not be exposed if possible, just like White Wine.

Although Erguotou had a rough personality, if he asked, he might say it, but he had to be sensible.

Not only him, but because of his relationship with White Wine, plus the fact that it was important to obtain the Dharma, his identity was equivalent to not being hidden. But now that things here were over, he had to find a way to hide his identity.

However...

Just a few words of discussion in secret, and the backer of an arrogant and domineering young master was directly overthrown?

The other party probably couldn't figure out what was going on with this unexpected disaster, right?

Hu Ma couldn't help but sigh. He vaguely understood why transmigrators were regarded as the most powerful evil spirits...