Chapter 1 A Messy Affair Resolved

The noisy commotion eventually settled, and the matter was resolved.

Hu Ma listened to the elders of the village scolding Li Da Nao for his unfilial behavior, for starving his own mother to death. He heard the neighbors smashing Li Da Nao's windows, and the Dong family couple yelling at Li Da Nao at his doorstep, demanding compensation for their pig.

He gradually understood the whole story and found himself at a loss for words.

A xiesui (evil spirit) had indeed caused trouble, but it was ultimately the sin of the living.

They helped the person who had collapsed on the ground to their feet. It was Li Da Nao's wife, on her last breath, as the villagers clearly saw.

But it wasn't a living person craving, coming to steal pig food.

The villagers who arrived in time had heard Li Da Nao's wife shout before she passed out. The voice and commotion truly sounded like Li Da Nao's mother.

The matter wasn't difficult to unravel. Li Da Nao's mother was indeed the one causing the trouble, but it was his wife who was eating the pig food.

Li Da Nao's mother had been treated poorly by the couple, never getting a full meal. Every night, she heard the Dong family's pigs in the backyard being fed, while she had to starve. That envy in her heart eventually turned into resentment after she starved to death.

Li Da Nao's wife, who had been stingy to her when she was alive, was then possessed by her, coming to fulfill her wishes at night.

However, she wasn't anything powerful to begin with. A scare and a rush of human energy were enough to get rid of her.

Of course, Li Da Nao's wife had her body invaded by the xiesui (evil spirit), and with such a public display, she would likely fall seriously ill.

"Little Master, I apologize for the spectacle. Who would have thought such an unrighteous thing would happen in our village…"

The elder of the village had seen Li Da Nao's mother's appearance after death with his own eyes, so how could he not believe it? After leading the charge in scolding Li Da Nao, he hurried over to Hu Ma, bowing and saying, "Don't worry, we won't let him off."

"His mother raised him well from a young age, always thinking of him whenever there was something good to eat, feeding him until his head was as big as a pig. But he turned around and starved his own mother to death!"

"I must teach him a lesson. We villagers won't forgive him either."

Hu Ma could only nod in response.

Perhaps Li Da Nao starving his own mother to death wasn't a secret in the village.

It was just that before, it was his own family's business, and outsiders didn't bother to interfere. But now that his starved mother was causing trouble, they couldn't ignore it.

What if they didn't intervene and an even bigger disaster occurred?

"You must keep an eye on things, burn incense, and offer plenty of sacrifices."

Hu Ma said softly, "If she didn't have enough to eat when she was alive, she should at least have a full meal after death."

"Yes, yes…"

The village elder agreed repeatedly, "This incident will likely make the surrounding villages know that we have an unfilial son in our village…"

"Who would dare to marry here in the future…?"

Hu Ma thought his concerns were reasonable, but what could he say?

As he was thinking, he heard the village elder sighing for a long time before finally getting to the point: "This time, we are very grateful to Little Master. We will definitely go to the Red Lantern Goddess to burn incense and kowtow, but, about the offering fee for this time…"

"Offering fee?"

Hu Ma reacted, vaguely remembering that the old shopkeeper had mentioned this issue when dealing with the nest of Huang Xian (weasels).

The so-called offering fee was actually the reward that the villagers paid for helping the village resolve the evil spirits.

Logically speaking, it wasn't a big deal. He had already enjoyed a good meal and drinks, so he could choose not to accept it.

But Hu Ma thought of the shopkeeper's previous actions and nodded, saying, "Calculate it together with the village chief and send it to the village."

"Yes, yes!"

The village elder agreed repeatedly, wanting to host another feast for Hu Ma and the others.

But Hu Ma saw that the matter was over and didn't linger. He called Zhou Datong and the others to leave the village overnight.

When they returned to the village, they saw that the lights in the inner courtyard were already off, so they didn't disturb anyone and went to bed early.

The old shopkeeper seemed to have become numb to such things, just silently listening while drinking tea.

In the end, he suddenly asked Hu Ma, "How was the offering fee calculated?"

Why would he ask this?

In a small village, even if they gave money, it would only be a few copper coins. The old shopkeeper's concern surprised Hu Ma.

But he still said, "I…"

"You did well."

Hearing this, the old shopkeeper actually showed a rare smile on his face, saying, "You are quite sensible."

Hu Ma didn't know where this praise came from and didn't know how to respond.

The old shopkeeper seemed to see his doubts and smiled, saying, "Are you curious as to why we collect this offering fee?"

Hu Ma didn't hide it and nodded.

Not to mention the shopkeeper, even the Red Lantern Goddess Society's helpers had to pay a lot each month.

Of course, ordinary helpers paid less than half a tael of silver, which wasn't much.

But compared to the ordinary people in the village and the surrounding villages, it was quite a bit.

"Why do we collect this offering fee?"

The old shopkeeper seemed to be in a good mood and explained to Hu Ma, "Because if we don't, it will be even more troublesome."

"No matter how big or small the matter, they will come to you. We work for the Red Lantern Society, should we take care of these things?"

"We can't handle it all and will still be scolded!"

Hu Ma understood these things and nodded.

"What's more…"

The old shopkeeper smiled and said, "If we don't collect it, then we will owe all the surrounding villages a favor."

"They already come to the outside of the village from time to time, burning incense and kowtowing to the red lanterns. If we help them with everything and even give them some work to do when they have no way out, then it's not just burning incense, they might even build a temple for the Red Lantern Goddess?"

"Ah, this…"

Hu Ma could understand the first point, but this…

Building a temple for the Red Lantern Goddess seemed like a good thing?

Even if the incense master knew, they would only reward their village, right?

He tried to digest it, feeling that the old shopkeeper's words seemed to have other meanings.

"Hehe, the water is deep here…"

The old shopkeeper just smiled faintly, "Building a temple is easy, but she has to be able to bear it!"

But he said the last sentence very softly, and Hu Ma didn't hear it clearly. He heard the old shopkeeper change the subject and said, "We can't offend the people in these surrounding villages, but we can't spoil them too much."

"Next spring, we might need them for something. If they are too far away, they won't be convinced and won't help you. If they are too close, they will have too many problems and won't do things happily either."

"I still have a lot to learn."

Hu Ma smiled and said, "I still need the shopkeeper to teach me more."

The old shopkeeper just smiled faintly, looked at Hu Ma, and said, "Although you came from the village, I see that you handle things steadily."

Hu Ma's heart trembled slightly, and he reacted quickly, saying frankly, "My family taught me that you should always be careful when doing things."

The old shopkeeper smiled and said, "Your family seems to be knowledgeable."

This conversation seemed to appear suddenly, but Hu Ma had already rehearsed it many times in his heart, so he directly replied honestly, "My mother-in-law was a zou gui ren (ghost walker) in the village. She passed away before I came, but she taught me a lot of principles when she was alive."

"Oh?"

The old shopkeeper seemed to have guessed it already and wasn't surprised, just saying, "Then why didn't you learn the skills of a zou gui ren (ghost walker)?"

"I can't learn it."

Hu Ma said, "I am naturally timid. Even now, I am afraid when I see xiesui (evil spirits). Moreover, my mother-in-law also said that there is nothing good to learn."

"She walked as a ghost walker in the village for twenty years, and didn't get anything good!"

Having been here for so long, Hu Ma had long understood the identity of a "zou gui ren (ghost walker)." There were actually quite a few zou gui ren (ghost walkers) in the ten or eight surrounding villages, plus the old Yin Mountain, who treated people's illnesses and dealt with xiesui (evil spirits), just like the witch doctors of the previous life. Saying it didn't seem special.

Of course, Hu Ma himself was also clear that a zou gui ren (ghost walker) like his mother-in-law, who could cut the Tai Sui blood alone, was probably different from the others.

But of course, he wouldn't tell anyone about his mother-in-law's skills.

Even if he did, the old shopkeeper wouldn't necessarily believe it.

"Hehe, that's true…"

The old shopkeeper was unexpectedly touched by Hu Ma's words, smiling faintly, "Zou gui ren (ghost walkers) are the most involved with karma."

Hearing that he seemed to have some emotion, Hu Ma also moved slightly and said boldly, "Then… what about us, the shousui ren (night watchers)?"

The old shopkeeper looked up at Hu Ma and sighed softly.

Hu Ma suddenly felt that the old shopkeeper's eyes seemed a bit heavy and complicated at this moment.

At the same time, he also felt that behind the wooden lattice window in the side room of the inner courtyard, there seemed to be eyes looking at him.

Was it that woman?

"We shousui ren (night watchers)…"

The old shopkeeper paused for a moment before saying softly, "Theoretically, we are the least involved with karma."

"But who can avoid it in this world?"

"You should put in more effort and learn your skills well. You have only just entered the door, and there are still many troublesome things ahead…"

"It will be good to do more things."

The most involved with karma, and the least involved with karma…

Hu Ma thought carefully about the differences between them. Seeing that the shopkeeper didn't want to talk more, he pondered it while walking out.

In his heart, he felt that Wu shopkeeper was going to ask himself these questions sooner or later. Now that he had passed on the techniques and asked again, it was later than he had imagined.

Now that he had answered truthfully, he felt relieved.

Now that he had made it clear that he was the grandson of a zou gui ren (ghost walker), it would be easier to say anything in the future.

Now he had obtained the method, taken the old objects, and the shopkeeper was quite satisfied with the way he handled things. It seemed that everything was going smoothly.

It's just that, vaguely in his heart, he felt like he had forgotten something?

He thought about it carefully…

He couldn't remember it. Perhaps it wasn't anything important.