“My eyes deceived me.”

Hu Ma didn't underestimate this Mr. Sun. He even intended to befriend him, but in his heart, he only saw the man as someone who entered the manor to guard the year, a mere martial artist of the jianghu.

But now, seeing his impressive manner of handling things, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something wasn't quite right.

His family supported so many merchant caravans. A small errand ghost delivered a message and so much grain was brought to the mine. He even opened his mouth and was able to transfer strictly prohibited items such as salt, iron, talismans, and armor. What kind of person was this?

The imperial court had always been extremely strict in preventing salt, iron, and armor from falling into the wrong hands. Even in this chaotic world, ordinary people couldn't touch these things. Being able to get involved even a little meant wealth flowing in, wealth beyond measure.

In his heart, he suddenly looked at this Old Master Sun with greater respect, but he didn't show it on his face. He didn't decline, but just smiled and said, "If you're so generous, Brother, our mine is almost out of food. I won't be polite with you."

Even Old Abacus next to him suddenly became excited. He only wanted to poke at this old man, to see if he could get some compensation from them. But now, looking at it...

This was more than just compensation; this was a golden goose!

Hearing this, Old Master Sun was immediately overjoyed. The other party calling him "Brother" meant the friendship was established.

After a few rounds of wine, everyone's spirits were high, and he said with a smile, "Our Second Master once said that following a teacher is not as good as roaming the jianghu. My skills are really not worth mentioning. It's just that you see I'm young and praise me a few times."

"Have you ever heard of such a group of extraordinary people in this world, who travel around, possess strange arts, and are free and unconstrained? They specialize in guiding people, they don't care about sects, and they don't belong to the government or any gangs, but call themselves…"

Hu Ma nodded secretly. After entering the manor, the first thing to learn was the skill of the seven apertures. This was a necessary path for every guardian of the year.

"Actually, after I came to this mine, I originally wanted to pay a visit to the experts around here, but as soon as I arrived, I encountered this incident, and there was no expert to recommend me, so it was delayed."

Old Master Sun shook his head and sighed softly, "Back then, I was full of pride, and thought I was not bad. It wasn't until I suffered a big loss when I was sixty that I understood."

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"But at that time, you grabbed a knife and rushed up, using several unique skills in a row, forcibly breaking his gu technique and getting close to him. It really made me happy to see it, it brought honor to those of us in the guardian-of-the-year business, and it also gave me a chance to vent my anger!"

"I couldn't wait to cut him into pieces, but to be fair, that witch doctor was also different from the usual ones. His gu arts were extremely powerful. If I had really gone after him, I couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't capsize in the gutter."

Hearing his words, Old Master Sun was even more pleased, and said repeatedly, "What's that? I'll introduce you, Brother Hu. I have many good friends on this West Ridge Road."

"But how can you be so modest, sir? I think your skills are more than that?"

Then he had to be careful. He had a lot on his plate. If he mixed with those who wouldn't stay put, he would inevitably cause a lot of trouble.

"Warden Hu, I'm a few years older than you, so I'll call you Brother. Frankly, I think you're not old, but your skills really make me admire you."

Now, he tentatively steered the topic in this direction.

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"But after I entered the manor, my master had nothing more to teach me. After I left, I felt content, and relying on a listening technique and a spirit-summoning method passed down from the sect, I became greedy for wealth and acquired good land."

"Thanks to the love of my friends in the jianghu, I only cared about selling salt and mining iron, and made a lot of money. Confused, a lot of good time was wasted like this, and my skills didn't improve much, but five or six of my sons died."

Seeing that Hu Ma, a young guardian of the year, was not arrogant, Old Master Sun appreciated him even more, and said with a smile, "You're too modest. How old are you, Brother Hu? That witch doctor is much older than you. Such skills are already rare and brilliant."

His disciples and grandchildren were still active?

"Huh?"

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But having said that, these were all secondary, just accompanying him in chatting. The most important thing was to understand the skills that a guardian of the year who truly entered the manor had to learn.

With that, he opened the conversation and chatted with Hu Ma about stances and strange arts. This was a topic that guardians of the year couldn't avoid when drinking. Of course, Hu Ma tried his best to accompany Old Master Sun in chatting.

"Alas"

Old Master Sun sighed, "It was precisely after receiving his guidance that I suddenly realized that guardians of the year can avoid karma, but they can also easily lose big because of small things. It seems that they have avoided trouble, but in fact, they have been abandoned by the general trend of the world and have become outcasts in this countryside!"

He was already extremely surprised, and deliberately said, "This expert is amazing, he actually taught you this skill. I wonder what kind of extraordinary person he is?"

"Now is a chaotic and ominous world, people are like duckweed, and swords and soldiers have no eyes. We are all of the same sect, helping each other, sharing the same spirit, and it is better to live in this chaotic world. If you are not willing to be lonely, you can devote yourself to this chaotic world and make a career, and you can still protect your children and grandchildren."

Hu Ma was a little stunned when he heard these three words.

"So, I sincerely sought the Dharma and was taught the spirit-eating method of a guardian of the year who entered the manor, cultivated a Dharma body, and now I am sixty-seven years old. I have finally pushed open the second gate of the manor, but the third gate is still far away."

143.42.168.209

Old Master Sun's "listening technique" and "spirit summoning" were all skills at the level of the seven apertures. They were useful, but they couldn't be regarded as true skills for entering the manor realm. Now, hearing what he said, he was moved, but he didn't know how to ask.

Old Abacus, on the other hand, was also listening while holding a wine glass, and suddenly said, "The skills of you guardians of the year are really amazing. I heard that the listening technique can discern subtle movements within dozens of miles, and the spirit-summoning method can summon wandering spirits within ten miles. They are extremely powerful."

This old brother was full of pride, but the first thing he mentioned was the salt, iron, talismans, and armor that the government did not allow, and now he was talking about making a career. The old man's heart was not old, and he felt that he was thinking of rebelling?

"Alas"

Old Master Sun sighed, "Isn't that what I'm saying? If it hadn't been for a strange encounter later, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made the progress I have now."

Hu Ma also suddenly perked up and said, "Could it be that it was after you joined the Inopportune Cattle that you were taught the spirit-eating method for entering the manor to guard the year?"

Hearing this, Old Master Sun waved his hands repeatedly and said, "That's why I say there is always someone better than you, and there is always a sky beyond the sky?"

But he didn't expect that Old Master Sun, after hearing his question, suddenly lowered his voice and said, "To be honest, this expert who guided me has a great background!"

When he asked this question, he didn't have much confidence in his heart. It was somewhat abrupt to directly inquire about such secrets in the jianghu. For example, if someone asked him where his method of entering the manor came from, he wouldn't tell outsiders casually unless he had no choice.

"There is such an expert?"

"My one knife could have taken his life, but his dying counterattack would inevitably not have let me off easily. In the end, I still let him go. In the end, my skills were not deep enough. If you, sir, had taken action, it would have been different."

The key was that, according to what he said, his unique skills were not taught by his master, but guided by an expert?

Speaking of which, he was a little emotional, and sighed, "I, an old man, have a good fate. A family elder and old friend took me as an apprentice and taught me the skills of a guardian of the year. Back then, when I entered the manor at the age of forty, I was also glorious."

Hu Ma and Old Abacus were both a little curious, and hurriedly said, "How do you say that?"

Indeed, he got close, and then thirteen gu were placed on him.

"I, an old man, was also arrogant before, but when I saw you, Brother, in our Red Lantern Society, I realized that the younger generation is to be feared. My skills are still far from enough!"

Hu Ma was a little stunned in his heart. Why did he talk about this career again?

He paused slightly before whispering, "Inopportune Cattle!"

Though he was concealing it, his words were not far from the truth, and he praised this Old Master Sun without leaving a trace.

Moreover, the strangeness of the seven apertures actually started from the beginning of preparing to enter the manor, absorbing and releasing yin energy. Therefore, the skills of the seven apertures were often learned before officially entering the manor.

He quickly calculated in his heart, but smiled on his face and said, "That's great. I really want to visit more experts and get some guidance. It's just that I'm young and don't understand things. If all the experts I see on this road are like you, sir, I'm afraid I'll be embarrassed."

Now, although he had just entered the manor, he had obtained a lot of knowledge and experience about guarding the year from Ji Tang of the Beggar Gang. Naturally, he spoke eloquently and would not reveal his lack of knowledge in front of this veteran guardian of the year.

"Back in the valley, my apprentices were killed by the witch doctor who used gu bees. How could I not be anxious?"

"Listening technique, spirit-summoning method?"

Hu Ma thought to himself, and smiled bitterly, "To be honest, I also wanted to kill that witch doctor at the time, but I didn't want him to secretly put a few gu on me. I had a knife in my hand, but I didn't dare to cut it down."

He smiled and drank this cup, and praised, "What does this small amount of gold, silver, and copper stink mean to us in this business? How can it make people look up to us? We have to rely on these skills!"

"Also at that time, I was fortunate to have an expert guide me, and I realized that the chaotic world does not tolerate people. It is easy to earn wealth with these skills, but it is still far from enough to protect wealth."

Hu Ma's heart moved slightly. The skill after entering the manor to guard the year was the spirit-eating method?

Inopportune Cattle?

Wasn't this the Daoist tradition left by the Great Virtuous Teacher who caused a great disturbance in the capital and skinned the emperor back then?

"Spirit-eating? Dharma body?"

"Hehe, Warden, you speak well, but my skills are really not worth mentioning."

Old Master Sun waved his hand and said, "The Inopportune Cattle experts are not afraid of fame, and they never take credit for their kindness, let alone seek benefits from others. They don't even value the name of master and apprentice. As long as they feel you are destined, they are willing to guide you."

Hu Ma was really shocked this time: "There is such a thing?"

"This one knife of mine could have taken his life, but his dying counterattack would inevitably not have let me off easily. In the end, I still let him go. In the end, my skills were not deep enough. If you, sir, had taken action, it would have been different."

He was slightly startled before saying in a low voice, "Inopportune Cattle!"

Chapter 1 The Misjudgment