Chapter 1 Inner Plans

Deep down, Hu Ma had a clear plan, but he needed to think about how to execute it.

The little girl in the red dress in front of him looked to be only five or six years old, perhaps even younger.

She wore little pigtails, with thin arms and legs, like a porcelain doll.

It looked like one punch would make her cry for a long time...

But Hu Ma was sure that if he threw that punch, he might be the one crying.

Her strange speed, astonishing strength, and the way she licked wounds to stop the bleeding all indicated that she was no ordinary person.

Come on, how could someone who hangs around such a sinister old woman be an ordinary person?

So, the key was how to deal with her.

The room was extremely quiet.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was a little strange, Hu Ma didn't dare breathe too loudly, but he didn't seem to hear her breathing either.

So, while thinking in his head, he tentatively opened his mouth and said:

"What's your name? What's your relationship with Granny?"

"..."

"My name is Xiao Hongtang. Granny picked me up outside."

The little girl was squatting on the ground. She was too small, and the way she squatted looked a little strange, like a grasshopper.

When she spoke, she was also childish and innocent, but there was a clarity that a five- or six-year-old child could never achieve.

Hu Ma thought about his plan and continued, "How old are you?"

"I..."

This question seemed to stump Xiao Hongtang. She counted on her fingers for a moment: "I've been with Granny for seven or eight years..."

"But I don't know how old I am."

"..."

"Seven or eight years?"

Hu Ma immediately determined that this was definitely not a normal little girl.

She hadn't grown beyond the size of a seven- or eight-year-old, plus Granny had picked her up seven or eight years ago, so what about before she was picked up?

Maybe she was like Cui Family's Old Master just now, one of the "evil things" that Granny talked about?

This Granny asked her to take care of him, which was probably just to monitor him.

And now, seeing her squatting on the ground and looking at him, Hu Ma's mind became active.

After careful observation, he found that besides staring at him, she always couldn't help but look at something on the Eight Immortals table.

Following her gaze, he saw the meat that Granny had brought back, wrapped in red paper and placed on the table.

For the past seven days, she seemed to have been feeding him this strange meat, and Hu Ma still remembered the fishy, greasy, and disgusting feeling.

The little girl seemed to really want to eat this thing?

"Do you want to eat it?"

He pondered secretly and slowly asked the little girl.

"I don't want to..."

Hearing this, the little girl shook her head, but her saliva couldn't help but want to flow down.

"It's delicious."

Hu Ma was sure that although this little girl was indeed not an ordinary child, she was not that smart either, so he carefully tempted her:

"You can try it, it's very fragrant."

"..."

The little girl was obviously more tempted, but her head shook like a rattle: "That won't do."

"The meat was specially cut from the *Taisui* (a fleshy excrescence; also known as the 'meat spirit') Grandpa, and it's specially for Hu Ma-gege to eat."

"..."

"*Taisui* Grandpa? What the hell is that?"

Hu Ma patiently continued to induce: "It doesn't matter..."

"Once it's given to me, it's mine. Now I'll give it to you, and Granny won't know."

"..."

The little girl was obviously tempted, her little neck constantly swallowing saliva, and she said hesitantly:

"You won't tell Granny?"

"..."

Hu Ma promised: "If Granny asks, I'll say I ate it all."

"Glug..."

This time, even Hu Ma clearly heard the sound of the little girl swallowing saliva.

She hesitated, glanced at Hu Ma's sincere expression, and then looked at the piece of meat on the Eight Immortals table.

Suddenly, as if she had made up her mind, she shot up with a "whoosh."

Her small body easily jumped onto the table, and she stretched out her two white and tender little hands to hold up the piece of meat.

"Awoo..."

She opened her mouth wide, and the corners of her mouth actually stretched to the roots of her ears.

The originally neat and delicate rows of teeth also turned sharp and sharp at this time, and she bit down fiercely.

"God bless me..."

While Hu Ma was talking to her, he had already gathered his strength.

While the little girl was tearing at the meat, he slowly got up and quietly moved towards the door step by step.

When he reached the door, he carefully looked back.

She was still eating, with her back to him, pouting her little butt, like a hungry little beast.

Hu Ma took a deep breath, suddenly pushed open the half-closed door, and ran wildly.

Where was he now?

What kind of changes had taken place in this world?

Where could he find a place to make a phone call?

Where was the police station?

...

Hu Ma knew nothing about this at this time, but he had to escape first.

His mentality was like that of a female college student who had been abducted into the deep mountains: he didn't know what kind of people he would meet or what things he would see after escaping through this door, but he had to escape first, see where he was, and then adapt to the situation and look for opportunities.

If worse came to worst, he could find a place to hide, which would be better than guarding such a strange Granny.

"Shua!"

It should be afternoon now, but when he pushed the door open, Hu Ma still felt the light was a little dazzling.

He reached out to shield the sunlight and staggered forward.

The corner of his eye was quickly scanning the surrounding environment, but all he saw were rows of broken and low wooden and tile houses. He saw the uneven dirt road, the cattle and sheep livestock enclosed in wooden fences, and the stone mill and water well.

But he couldn't see any familiar things in his memory, no cars, no electric lights, not even a telephone pole.

There were shadowy figures around, constantly leaping into his eyes.

These people were wearing dark, coarse cloth clothes and pants, carrying farm tools, and kicking their straw sandals, with a desolate and ancient temperament.

"Aiya..."

Someone saw Hu Ma and was even more afraid than Hu Ma was at this time, and fled to the side in panic.

Pointing and whispering, the voices drilled into Hu Ma's ears: "Isn't that Granny's little grandson?"

"How is he still alive?"

"..."

Seeing the way the crowd scattered in fear wherever he went, Hu Ma couldn't find anyone to ask or ask for help.

The feeling of panic and unease in his heart always缠绕d him.

He was also afraid that the strange little girl would chase after him, and even more afraid that the sinister Granny would suddenly appear.

Especially seeing that among the terrified crowd, someone seemed to turn around and run away, as if to report to someone.

He could only stagger and use all his strength.

Unconsciously, he didn't know how far he had run, and only felt that his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

Where was he now?

He looked at the sparse grass and grain fields around him, and saw the towering wooden fences in front of him, and the deep old forest.

It seemed that he had run to the edge of the village?

This escape seemed to be smoother than he thought. He was about to escape from the village.

Unconsciously, it was already dusk, the sky was gradually darkening, and the surroundings were empty.

Hu Ma made up his mind to escape from the village first, hide in the old forest, recuperate, and then make plans.

But at this moment, because of this burst of frantic escape, his body was extremely weak, and his head was constantly dizzy.

His body felt as if it had been filled with lead, and he actually had a feeling that he couldn't move his body.

And just as he couldn't help but stop, hold his knees, and gasp for breath, he suddenly heard a rustling sound in his ears.

Some vague and uncertain, meaningless murmurs floated into his ears with the wind.

He couldn't understand the content of this murmur, but it inexplicably made Hu Ma's heart palpitate. He turned his head sharply and looked around vigilantly.

Around him were large piles of hay, and several ancient and gnarled old trees, which were much taller and sturdier than he remembered from his previous life.

Following the direction of the murmur, Hu Ma's eyes flickered and finally slowly focused.

He saw the source of the sound, which was a black goat standing beside a haystack.

Its yellow-brown horizontal pupils were staring at him gloomily.

Hu Ma also stared at it, wondering if the feeling of heart palpitations and the strange murmurs were his hallucinations.

Then he suddenly saw that the black goat actually slowly stood up on its hind legs.

Like a human being, it opened its front legs and stood only on its hind legs, still staring at Hu Ma.

The corners of its mouth actually cracked open little by little, revealing a strange smile.

At this moment, Hu Ma only felt his scalp tingle and couldn't help but stagger back a few steps.

"Gaga..."

Before he could figure it out, a burst of strange laughter suddenly sounded beside him.

He turned his head with a "shua" and saw a monkey-like creature squatting on an old branch not far away.

No, it wasn't a monkey, it was a person.

It was just that he was naked, his whole body was a strange pale color, and he was also unbelievably thin. His limbs were obviously longer than ordinary people's. He was squatting on the tree trunk like a monkey, his eyes were a strange blood red, and he was looking at himself, cackling and laughing excitedly.

"Little brother..."

Before Hu Ma could feel this endless sense of panic, a sweet voice came from not far away.

Hu Ma turned his head and saw that the person calling him was a person, a very beautiful woman. Most of her body was hidden in the haystack, and only her delicate and charming face was exposed, with her red lips slightly open, and she was constantly making those tempting soft calls.

This voice seemed to have some kind of magic, causing people to subconsciously follow her call and approach step by step...

But Hu Ma only took one step closer and stopped.

He saw that the delicate and charming head was slowly extending out of the haystack.

Behind the head was actually a winding and tortuous dark red snake body, with scales rubbing against the straw, making a rustling sound.

"What are all these?"

Hu Ma finally woke up, and an invisible panic grabbed his whole body, like an electric shock.

A fine and dense sense of strangeness enveloped his whole body. He couldn't catch his breath, his eyes went black, and his body was about to collapse.

But just at this moment, he suddenly heard a giggling voice:

"Hu Ma-gege..."

"Stop playing, Granny is calling you home for dinner!"

"..."

The moment this voice appeared, the strangeness completely disappeared, and Hu Ma finally exhaled.