Chapter 1 The Story of the Mine Owner

The mine owner's story, even when he spoke of the bizarre mine, didn't put as much pressure on Hu Ma as his final tale of being poisoned by a Gu worm.

The Shousui Ren's (Grave Watcher) abilities came from nothing more than reincarnation and death, circulating qi and blood through the meridians, ultimately cultivating a strong physique, invulnerability to all poisons, and resistance to blades and weapons. Especially those who had refined their five internal organs could even treat poison as a seasoning.

But this Zhuang mine owner said that he had only been scratched by a dead crow sent by a witch, and had ended up in such a state. How could anyone not be surprised?

He slowly exhaled and said, "So, what happened next?"

"Didn't you ask the local witches? Who sealed the mine, and what was their intention?"

""

"Of course, I asked."

The Zhuang mine owner sighed softly and said, "I do know the local witches. I used to go to their village to exchange for food, and I was like brothers with the Wu Clan leader in their village."

"Some of them like to use black *taisui* to refine Gu, and I tried to accommodate them as much as possible. Whatever they wanted from the mine that wasn't needed, I gave it to them."

"And when this happened, I immediately sent someone to Black Eye Village to ask acquaintances to help me dispel the Gu. If that didn't work, they could at least find a mediator to ask the person who cast the Gu what was going on."

"But…"

He paused here and whispered, "The person I sent out returned in half a day."

"He came back just as the sun was setting, before dinner. He looked like he hadn't eaten for days. As soon as he returned, he went to the stove. He grabbed the freshly steamed buns and stuffed them into his mouth one by one, not even seeming to notice the heat, and then…"

""

At this point, he couldn't bring himself to continue and looked at one of the men crowded at the door.

That man was stout. While the others were holding curved meat cleavers or forks, he was carrying a kitchen knife and had an apron tied around his waist, like a cook.

Seeing the Zhuang mine owner looking at him, his face turned green, and he forced himself to say, "You can't blame me for this. I saw Ruan Laoliu picking up those big buns and eating them. They were scalding hot, but he kept stuffing them in, four or five of them…"

"I, I was afraid he would choke, so I…"

"Pushed him a little."

"And then, then his head rolled off, and bugs kept crawling out of it…"

""

"What?"

Hearing this, everyone present, including Hu Ma and the others, changed color. Even the meat cutters, who had witnessed it with their own eyes, felt a chill run down their spines as if they were hearing it for the first time.

"Only the shell was left, looking like a person…"

The Zhuang mine owner said in a low voice, "Inside, it had long been eaten clean by the bugs. Maybe he was already dead when he returned to the village."

As he spoke, his face also became unsightly, and he whispered, "I really don't know what the person who cast the Gu was after. He was a good lad, worked hard and diligently. He saved a few taels of silver over the years and was planning to build a small house in his village and marry a wife!"

"But because he delivered a letter, he was killed by such a vicious method…"

""

Seeing the atmosphere around him becoming more and more oppressive, Hu Ma frowned and said, "So, you still don't know why they cast Gu on you?"

"Yes, well, sort of!"

The Zhuang mine owner hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I checked Xiao Ruanzi's body. He did have a strip of cloth from the Wu Clan leader tied around his wrist. This is the Wu Clan leader's reply, indicating that he agreed to come as soon as possible."

"But after waiting for several days, he hasn't shown up. The one guarding outside is getting more and more fierce, and has directly sealed the mine."

"Even our usual convoy that delivers food every ten days is gone. Fortunately, the mine still has some food stored, so everyone won't starve. I wanted to send someone out to scout, but they were all afraid of the Gu outside. I didn't expect you to come at this time…"

""

As he spoke, he looked at Hu Ma with a slightly ashamed expression. "To be honest, when I saw that you could come in unscathed, I thought you were with them."

Hu Ma snorted and said, "We were able to come in because we had an old horse to clear the way."

Saying this, he suddenly realized something and said to the people by the door, "Go and see if my horse is dead or not?"

Just now, these people had regarded Hu Ma as an enemy, their eyes full of hostility, but after talking for a while, they realized that they were not on the same side, so someone hurriedly ran over and returned a moment later, shouting, "Almost! It's about to breathe its last!"

"So, it's not dead yet."

Hu Ma nodded and said, "I don't understand the rules of the witches, but this person's behavior is not very proper, even in the martial world."

"Just now in the forest, he had already tried to use Gu dogs to cast Gu on us. We noticed the abnormality and had already shouted, but there was no response, not giving us any face at all."

Speaking of this, he couldn't help but think of the lively and lovely little girl with silver ornaments in her hair.

But I wonder what her origins are?

"In any case, Manager Hu, you are very capable. Being able to enter the valley means you can get out. You are our savior!"

Hearing this, the Zhuang mine owner didn't know what to say, but hurriedly cupped his hands again and said, "The lives of all the men in this mine, young and old, depend on you to take care of us!"

"This guy…"

Hu Ma wasn't happy at all about being flattered. He just glanced at the seemingly honest Zhuang mine owner and cursed the old fox in his heart.

Hearing the Zhuang mine owner say this, everyone's eyes immediately turned to Hu Ma.

Just now, Hu Ma had shown his abilities, and they all saw that he was very capable. In addition, he represented the Red Lantern Society from above and had enough bearing. At this time when people were panicking, they really pinned their hopes on him.

"Let's not say anything else for now."

Meeting so many people's gazes, Hu Ma remained noncommittal and changed the subject, saying, "The wine has been served for so long, why haven't I seen any dishes?"

"We've been traveling for so long. Prepare some food!"

""

"Yes, yes!"

Hearing this, the Zhuang mine owner hurriedly signaled to the people next to him. Those people were a little embarrassed. Listening to their whispers, it seemed that their rations were getting less and less every day, and they were reluctant to waste them.

But the Zhuang mine owner scolded, "Saving these few mouthfuls won't last you an extra day or two. Serve the manager from above well first."

"If it's really not enough, then the white, the green, and even the red, make it and bring it up!"

"Are we in a blood mine? How can we let people starve?"

""

Only then did the men hurriedly leave. They had plenty of manpower, and soon a steamer of large white steamed buns and several bowls of meat were brought out. The two jars of wine that had just been placed on the table were also real wine that could be drunk.

This Zhuang mine owner was sensible. After arranging the food, he took the initiative to withdraw, saying that he still had things to arrange.

Hu Ma also tilted his ears slightly and listened for a moment. After confirming that no one was eavesdropping, he turned to Old Abacus and said, "Old Brother, what do you think is going on with this mine?"

Old Abacus first scooped some wine from the jar, smelled it, and then poured it into a bowl with peace of mind. He tasted it, nodded, and said, "Let me teach you young ones a lesson. When you encounter someone who casts Gu, you can eat hot dishes, like these freshly steamed buns and stewed meat."

"You need to be more careful with cold dishes to avoid being poisoned."

"But you Shousui Ren are different from others. I once heard someone say that some Shousui Ren who have Gu worms in their stomachs directly drink a large bowl of arsenic to kill the bugs."

"Of course, it also depends on the level of both sides. This Zhuang guy obviously doesn't have such deep skills, and the Gu he encountered is obviously more powerful."

""

After showing off, he said to Hu Ma, "The Zhuang guy doesn't seem to be lying. Of course, it's also because they've run into this that they're so easy to talk to now. Otherwise, just to seize this mine, they would have fought us to the death."

"He was also trying to test you just now, to see your abilities. If your abilities were inferior to his, he probably wouldn't have been so honest about the mysterious mine."

""

"That's true."

Hu Ma also saw it and smiled, "The key is that it happened suddenly. Who knows how much of what this brother said is true and how much is false? To fight with that unknown witch outside based on a few words, wouldn't that be a loss?"

"Of course, we can't let them use us as a shield and fight to the death with that person outside for nothing, only to let the people in this mine take advantage."

Old Abacus slowly sipped his wine and said, "But now that we've encountered this, it wouldn't make sense not to do anything. We're here on behalf of the Society and have a position. If we don't stand up now, I'm afraid no one will listen to us in the future."

Hu Ma took a deep breath and said, "That's exactly the point. So, according to you…"

Old Abacus chuckled and said, "Old Brother Hu, what do you think is the most important thing for us to do here?"

Hu Ma also looked at him and smiled, "Take over the mine?"

"Aiyo!"

Old Abacus immediately gave Hu Ma a thumbs up and smiled, "I knew it was right to come with you."

"That's exactly it. Since this mine owner said such a thing, then we don't care how much of what he said is true and how much is false. Taking over this mine is the right thing to do."

"If it's true, we'll take over, understand the situation, and then we can discuss how to deal with the witch outside, right?"

"If it's false, hehe, he had to give us such an excuse first. Can he blame us?"

""

"Taking advantage of others' misfortune? That's a bit shameless."

Hearing this, Hu Ma couldn't help but laugh and said, "My brothers and I all came from the village and are honest people. We never do such shameless things. But Uncle Xu told us to listen to your advice after we came out."

"Then let's do it this way. They've cut out a lot of blood *taisui* and golden thread *taisui*. They shouldn't have had time to transport it out yet, right?"

End of Chapter