Zhou the Butler didn't care about anything else and hurriedly swallowed the snake medicine. Then, he croaked to Hu Ma, "Little Shopkeeper, you really have a nosy nature..."

"You're a good person, and righteous too, bringing our young lady back from so far away."

"But have you ever thought that our young lady, from the moment she acquired the innate yin die (hell pass), was destined to wander?"

"..."

Hu Ma seemed to become serious as well, slowly frowning and saying, "Innate yin die..."

"So, this is the reason why Xiang丫tou (fragrant girl) was abducted?"

"..."

"Yes."

The butler swallowed the snake medicine. His voice was still hoarse as he said in a low voice, "When the yin die appears, it remakes the underworld. When the young lady manifested the yin die, in the eyes of many Li family members, she was no longer the cherished young lady."

"She is the Li family's enemy!"

"Enemy?"

Hu Ma frowned slightly as he listened to the butler's words. "What do you mean by that?"

The butler's expression was tragic as he sighed deeply. "The Li family has suffered too much..."

"When that old emperor was still useful in the court, he ordered these families to guard the ghost caves. The other families have gradually been unable to hold on. The grievances and karmic debts in the ghost caves harm people. One by one, their incense offerings have been cut off. Even the few that are left have tried every means to escape."

"Only the Li family, the Li family has been guarding all along."

"That emperor was skinned alive in the court, and no one takes the earlier imperial decree seriously anymore. But the master just refuses to die, saying that even if only one Li family member is left, they must guard the ghost caves."

"But his loyalty doesn't mean that everyone in the Li family is willing to suffer."

"Especially those of us who have entered their service. It would be a good thing if our own daughters could marry the master, but who would have thought that marrying my daughter would be like pushing her into a fire pit, even dragging myself into the ghost caves."

"Who would want that? Who would want to live like neither man nor ghost for generations, sons and grandsons?"

"Who wants to live a lifetime and then fill the ghost caves, without even a good death at the end?"

"..."

Hearing the desolation in his words, Hu Ma pondered slightly and said in a low voice, "What exactly is this yin die you're talking about? It sounds even more terrifying than a curse?"

The butler glanced at Hu Ma and said lightly, "Little Shopkeeper is still so nosy. But since we've reached this point, I'll tell you if you want to know!"

"The yin die is not something for the living."

"It was originally the token used by underworld runners to travel between the yin and yang realms, to capture souls and lead people to the gates of hell."

"The young lady carries the yin die, which means she is not a person of the yang realm. Once she experiences her first menstruation, she will have to replace the master and go into the ghost caves. In fact, she is even more justified than the master. She has to watch over all the ghost caves."

"But if it was just her, that would be fine..."

"..."

The butler sighed softly, "But according to the rules, it is the Li family who guards the ghost caves. Those people who were ordered to guard the ghost caves back then were promised seven generations. That's almost up. Otherwise, which good family would be willing to marry into their family?"

"But if she obtains this yin die, it's like taking over this duty again. Not just seven generations, but for all eternity."

"Who would want that?"

A bitter smile appeared on his face: "What kind of world is this now?"

"A chaotic world, a dangerous world, but also a world where capable people can rise to the top!"

"With ability, one can occupy a territory and become a carefree local emperor. Look outside, with a few evil arts, one can stir up wind and rain on the streets, acting like a tyrant. Even evil spirits can create a blood food gang, build temples and burn incense, shamelessly calling themselves something like a goddess or a lord."

"The people of the Li family are capable. They have guarded the ghost caves for generations, and they have contributed. So why should others live freely and happily, while only the Li family has to suffer?"

"..."

"You're not showing much respect for our Lady in those words..."

Hu Ma thought to himself, and slowly said, "So, the Li family cannot tolerate this young lady with the yin die..."

"But why not just kill her?"

"..."

"If we could just kill her, that would be good..."

The butler smiled bitterly: "But that yin die has great karma, a karma that would implicate children and grandchildren. No one can bear such a heavy responsibility."

"So, no one dares to kill the young lady. We don't even dare to directly harm her or do anything that would desecrate the yin die."

"We discussed it for a long time, and there was only one way."

"The young lady is almost grown. According to custom, before entering the ghost caves, she needs to come out and relax. Heh heh, this is the fate of the Li family who guard the ghost caves, worse than being in prison."

"And we only have this one chance to get rid of this yin die."

"I didn't do anything. I just looked away when the young lady was abducted. But I didn't hurt her."

"That Cui Dry-nurse was also manipulated. Besides, at first, she didn't know that this was the young lady of the Ghost Cave Li family. She was just following the rules of her trade, selling the young lady far away, so that she wouldn't remember anything."

"If the young lady dies outside, or if her chastity is ruined, defiling the yin die, that is the karma of outsiders, and has nothing to do with us."

"..."

This is similar to throwing a piece of gold or cloth with plague on it outside, whoever picks it up will be unlucky?

But...

Hu Ma frowned involuntarily, and asked curiously, "It is said that ghosts and gods cannot be deceived. If you do this, you can really avoid this karma?"

"What else can we do? Just wait for her to really grow up, officially hold the yin die and enter the ghost caves, and from then on, the entire Li family will suffer this for generations?"

The butler coldly looked up at Hu Ma and said in a low voice, "Besides, we have already succeeded. The young lady was abducted, and the Li family breathed a sigh of relief. Even the master in the cave didn't come out."

"But who would have thought that there would be such a good person in this world as Little Shopkeeper?"

Zhou the Butler smiled bitterly: "Not only did you save the young lady, but you also treated her with courtesy, protected her, and even enthusiastically helped her send a letter, wanting to send her back..."

"Everything coincided so perfectly that it was almost like a fate arrangement. In this world, a person who is abducted can still return unharmed. Who would believe that?"

"Perhaps the young lady is really protected by ghosts and gods in the dark..."

"..."

What ghosts and gods are protecting her in the dark?

Hu Ma didn't know what to say to this old butler, or the people behind him.

Saving Xiang丫tou (fragrant girl) was just a matter of convenience. If she had been a little further away from his boat, perhaps he wouldn't have reached out to her in the water.

She would have drowned...

Or rather, if Yang Gong hadn't suddenly had the idea to plot for that batch of blood food, how would he have gone to Niujia Village, dozens of miles away?

As for why he would send Xiang丫tou (fragrant girl) back, one reason was that at that time... he was focused on cultivation and didn't want to be bothered with anything else, and the second was that he thought this kind of thing was just what should be done, without involving anything else.

But he didn't expect that these coincidences would come together and make the Li family feel that this was something in the dark...

...But after all, this is the world, is there really some eye in the dark?

...Holy crap!

Suddenly thinking of this possibility, his heart suddenly jumped, and he subconsciously looked around, but he didn't really see anything.

This kind of thing can't be thought about too much, one thought and it really feels a bit spooky. Hu Ma also adjusted his expression, and then said to Zhou the Butler, "So, back in Mingzhou, when you asked me to escort you, you had already planned to silence me?"

"Why did you go to so much trouble? Just show your token, prove that you are a member of the Li family, and take Xiang丫tou (fragrant girl) back. What tricks couldn't you play along the way?"

"..."

"What kind of tricks?"

Zhou the Butler sighed softly: "Sell the young lady again?"

"Heh, if the young lady is really protected by ghosts and gods in the dark, then selling her again might still bring her back to the Li family..."

"It's better to be more practical..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Hu Ma. After taking the snake medicine, he was slowly waiting for the poison to subside and regain his strength, but he was not in a hurry, slowly saying, "Since the young lady wants to go home, then let her come back..."

"But what if the Blood Food Gang's Little Shopkeeper doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, wants the young lady's body, and defiles the yin die?"

"There are plenty of beggars in this city. It would be cheap for them. Of course, after it's done, they have to be buried with the young lady!"

"The Kidnapper Gang was eliminated by you, Little Shopkeeper. You also died at the hands of the Kidnapper Gang. The Cave Li family might not hate you, and may even have to reluctantly accept you as their son-in-law..."

"Alas, there might be some trouble, but I tried my best."

"From the moment you sent the letter back to the Li family, this matter became troublesome. All that's left is to patch things up as much as possible and try to cover it up..."

"..."

He spoke lower and lower, but a fierce light slowly began to emerge in his eyes, and the silver needle in his hand flashed.

Sensing the killing intent on his body, Hu Ma thought about what else he wanted to ask, but in the end, he just sighed, casually holding the knife in his hand, without making much preparation, and just looked at the old butler and said, "Are you preparing to show your skills?"

Zhou the Butler stared at him, and smiled softly: "I chatted with you so much because I was waiting for the antidote to take effect..."

"Little Shopkeeper, what are you waiting for?"

"..."

"I really want to see the skills of you opera troupe people, but..."

Hearing this, Hu Ma also smiled at Zhou the Butler, paused, took out a white porcelain bottle from his arms, and slowly said, "Your opera troupe's hands are really fast, but I seem to have misremembered just now."

"This bottle is what I took from the snake charmer."

"What you just ate was what I took from that Cui Dry-nurse..."

"..."

"You..."

Zhou the Butler had already widened his eyes, his face turning black.

Hu Ma, holding the knife, carefully approached him, and smiled: "So, I'm also waiting for the poison to take effect..."

The last time the cold symptoms haven't fully recovered, how come I started coughing so badly again, with blood in my phlegm, and I can't sleep peacefully, alas, worrying, but let's put this chapter up first.

(End of this chapter)