“Rare?”

Hu Ma felt that her reaction was a little strange, but seeing her agree, he was still pleasantly surprised and couldn't care about the details.

This woman's bearing and identity all foreshadowed her extraordinary power. In addition, she was already a veteran reincarnator, so she must have some skills. Now that she had agreed to help him find his Granny, he could at least put his heart at ease.

As he was thinking, he heard her say, "However, I can't help you directly. We need to create an opportunity."

Hu Ma was slightly stunned, "Huh?"

The other party was silent for a moment, and said faintly, "Has no one taught you that the most important thing for us is to conceal our secrets?"

"Sudden closeness and friendship may arouse suspicion. In my identity in this world, there is no reason to suddenly become familiar with a poor boy who grew up in a stockade. Therefore, we need to create an opportunity for ourselves."

"Tomorrow at noon, I will encounter some danger. At that time, you can come and save me. That way, it won't be strange for us to help you!"

"..."

"It can still be like this?"

Only then did Hu Ma understand, nodded, and said, "I understand."

"That news you're concerned about..."

"..."

He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated slightly. This woman's temperament seemed different from what he had encountered.

"Let's help you find the person first!"

The other party seemed to have noticed Hu Ma's thoughts, and smiled faintly, "I have time."

"Just remember to tell me the answer later, and only in dreams, using this connected method. In reality, never say anything that would arouse suspicion."

As her voice dissipated, a wisp of smoke quietly retreated behind the dark red mist. Hu Ma saw that the incense in front of his altar had returned to a faintly burning, scattered state, and he felt somewhat bizarre.

He silently pondered the information this woman had told him and his different situation from her, and then slowly sighed and fell into sleep.

"Little Hu Ma, get up quickly, wash your face, we need to hurry on the road today."

Second Master had already washed his face by the stream and returned. He handed Hu Ma a piece of damp coarse cloth and said in a low voice, "We took a detour yesterday and didn't make it to where the dignitaries were going. We have to hurry today. After we finish their business, we can go find Granny..."

"...Little Hong Tao didn't receive a letter today either?"

"..."

Hu Ma turned his head and glanced. Little Hong Tao was curled up next to the dead tree where he was sleeping, a small ball, and shook her head.

Granny's situation was probably not optimistic.

And after he ate the roasted dried rations, his body also felt heavy.

He hadn't eaten blood *taisui* for three days. His limbs had begun to feel cold, but there was a ball of heat in his lower abdomen, constantly transmitting heat to the surroundings. But he understood that this was actually the furnace fire consuming itself.

As long as the furnace fire was still there, he could still be like a normal person. But when the furnace fire was completely exhausted, he didn't dare to imagine what he would encounter.

Perhaps only by finding Granny could he fully understand.

However, while wiping his face, he stole a glance at the black sedan chair and felt slightly curious.

Last night's conversation should not have been fake, so why hadn't she come out yet?

The group packed up and continued on their way. The reincarnator codenamed White Wine was still sitting in the sedan chair, while the others followed beside.

Those carrying the sedan chair rotated approximately every hour. It wasn't that these sedan carriers lacked physical strength, but rather that the forest was rugged and difficult to traverse. In fact, because they were carrying the sedan chair, they even had to detour around places that they could have ducked under.

As a result, the road was invisibly lengthened and the speed slowed down.

But Second Master was used to being a guide, so naturally he wouldn't complain about the dignitaries being troublesome. Anyway, he just honestly led the way.

From sunrise to noon, the group was somewhat tired. They had also gradually entered a sparsely populated area of the forest. Hu Ma had been paying attention, but he hadn't found any opportunities.

Until he inadvertently turned his head and saw that on an old tree entwined with vines not far away, patches of black patterns had grown. Especially in the area two or three meters above the ground, the patterns vaguely resembled a human face.

"Ghost Tree?"

Hu Ma's heart stirred, and he recognized it.

When old trees in the forest reach a certain age, human faces easily grow on their trunks. Once a human face appears, the old tree gains spirituality, and the surrounding forest becomes evil, easily causing people to get lost or even mysteriously disappear within it.

If he saw such a ghost tree around the village, Second Master would definitely chop it down, but in this deep forest, no one paid attention to it. Often, some not only grew human faces but also gained Tao.

Logically speaking, it was daytime now, so this old tree shouldn't be acting up.

But Second Master had said earlier that the yin energy in the forest was heavy, and these spirits often came out before dusk.

Of course, Second Master's yang energy was strong, so in theory, evil spirits wouldn't approach. But who knew how many powerful ones were in this Old Yin Mountain?

Hu Ma immediately became vigilant. He had noticed this old tree, so why were Second Master, who was walking in front, and the two sedan carriers just walking with their heads down, not noticing this strange old tree that was passing them by?

As he was thinking, next to the old tree, a slanting branch silently stretched towards the inside of the sedan chair.

Hu Ma was slightly startled, knowing that the opportunity had come. He immediately shouted, "Be careful."

As he spoke, he took a quick step forward, clenched his right fist, and swung it forward heavily.

This was the first move in the *bashi* that Second Master had taught him.

When Hu Ma struck, he had already activated the fire intent in his furnace, directly putting all his strength into this punch. His clenched fists crossed a distance of three or four meters, instantly hitting the slanting tree branch.

The force of the punch was so fierce that it even lifted the lowered sedan curtain slightly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Hu Ma saw what seemed to be a jade green earring and a fair face inside the sedan chair, as well as something furry, flash by.

"Crack!"

The tree branch, about the thickness of a fist, that had quietly stretched into the sedan chair was directly smashed into two pieces by Hu Ma's punch.

One section fell to the ground, twisted a few times, and then stopped moving.

The other end, however, suddenly contracted and, like a gray giant python, instantly shrank into the forest and disappeared.

"Protect Miss!"

This commotion startled everyone around.

Old Shopkeeper almost lost his soul, shouting loudly and instantly leaping to the side of the sedan chair, lifting the front of his robe.

Even Hu Ma was blocked by him on the outside of the sedan chair.

A group of shop assistants also became alert, drew their knives with a swoosh, and stood ready.

"It's nothing."

The sedan chair was quiet. After a while, a faint female voice sounded, "Just an old tree that has become a spirit."

"Yes, yes..."

Old Shopkeeper was sweating profusely and said yes repeatedly.

He was secretly blaming himself. Could it be that he was too tired from the journey and had neglected the risks in this forest?

Although the person in the sedan chair should not have been injured, this negligence was a terrible mistake for him...

As he was thinking, he suddenly turned around and drove a black nail into the old tree next to him.

The old tree trembled, and the leaves rustled down.

But Shopkeeper didn't turn his head to look again, instead looking at Hu Ma with a strange expression.

He hadn't noticed, the old guide hadn't noticed, and the loyal guards around him hadn't noticed. Unexpectedly, this kid had noticed.

But it was also very dangerous. Although this kid was kind, he was rash. What if he had lifted the sedan curtain and offended the person inside? That would have been troublesome.

"This child is kind."

Just as he was thinking, the person in the sedan chair said faintly, "Shopkeeper, give him five taels of silver!"

"Yes, yes."

Shopkeeper agreed repeatedly, and then looked at Hu Ma. The scrutiny on his face had long since disappeared, and he smiled:

"Silly boy, you're lucky. Why don't you thank Miss for the reward?"

"..."

Saying that he was about to reach out to take out the silver, but Hu Ma had already reacted at this time and waved his hand, "I don't want the silver."

"Eh?"

Second Master, who was not far away, was stunned when he heard this: "Why don't you want it?"

He had been leading the way for several days, and the reward he received was not even a few taels of silver...

"Hmm?"

That Shopkeeper also looked at Hu Ma curiously, with a smile that wasn't quite a smile: "What, you don't think five taels is enough?"

Acting, how could he not know how?

Hu Ma hurriedly acted confused and said in a low voice, "I don't want silver. I want to ask Miss...Sister to help me with something."

Knowing that this Miss was his fellow countryman at heart, calling her Miss was a bit awkward.

Calling her Older Sister was not a big problem.

But as soon as he heard his words, the old Shopkeeper next to him immediately pulled a long face, and even Second Master's heart skipped a beat: This little Hu Ma was too reckless.

When people give you a reward, you just take it. But he didn't want the silver and wanted to ask for help. How could the dignitaries from the city be so easy to talk to? If they were offended, they would not only receive contempt, but those with bad tempers might even slap them a few times.

"You..."

That Shopkeeper's face changed, and he was about to scold him, but unexpectedly, the voice inside the sedan chair rang out faintly:

"I have something to do and can't help you much."

"However, since I said I would reward you, I can't go back on my word. Tell me what it is!"

"..."

The surrounding Old Shopkeeper and others listened and put away the expressions on their faces, nodding one after another.

And Second Master next to him was already stunned: "This little Hu Ma is a fool with a fool's luck, and he actually got the care of a dignitary just like that?"