“I must sincerely apologize to Steward Zhou…”

“Before, I often grumbled inwardly, thinking that the tricks of the Bajimen could only be watched, not deeply investigated, and were mostly superficial, not real skills.”

“But now I don’t think so anymore. The Bajimen is still impressive…”

Watching Xiang丫tou, who was perfectly fine hiding in the cabinet and seemed unaware of what had just happened, Hu Ma quickly did some self-reflection in his heart. He thought seriously, wondering who would dare say that the Bajimen had no real skills in the future.

“It’s okay now, you don’t have to keep your eyes closed, and don’t hide in the cabinet all the time. Go to bed and sleep!”

Miss Red Wine glanced at Xiang丫tou, then smiled and said, “Of course, still don’t leave this room, in case the other party is stupid and insists on coming back for another round.”

Hu Ma said, “Shouldn’t coming back for another round be considered smart?”

Miss Red Wine smiled and said, “Things that are originally meaningless, doing it once is enough. Having to do it again, isn’t that stupid?”

As she spoke, she came out with Hu Ma and returned to the front of the main room. Miss Red Wine pulled over the screen again, then took out a pot of wine and two teacups from her sleeve and poured hot tea.

She had already poured it once just now, but now it was still full?

Hu Ma couldn’t tell for a moment whether this trick was real or fake…

Many magic tricks are prepared in advance, just to superficially startle people. If this trick was also like that, wouldn’t Miss Red Wine have to painstakingly boil water and prepare tea first, then secretly hide it in her sleeve, just to show off in front of him?

Thinking about that scene was quite interesting.

Of course, having just witnessed Miss Red Wine’s power and skills, Hu Ma quickly put away this extremely disrespectful thought and reminded her in a low voice, “Thank you, Senior, for your help just now.”

“It’s just that although the other party has retreated, things may not be resolved so easily.”

“There are many people in the Li family who don’t want their young lady to go back. Now that we’re almost at Lingshou Prefecture, the trouble will probably be even greater.”

“How should we send Xiang丫tou back safely?”

“…”

“How to send her back?”

Han Niangzi turned her head, looked at Hu Ma, and laughed, saying, “If you ask me, we should wait until dawn, gather all the prominent figures on the Anzhou road, ride in big carriages and on big horses, and send her back openly.”

“You can even find someone to come and beat gongs and drums to send her back if you want.”

“…”

“Senior means…”

From what Han Niangzi had said to the person in the black sedan just now, Hu Ma had vaguely guessed, and he whispered, “Make a big commotion, so it’s hard to keep it a secret?”

“We had thought about this idea before, but is it easy to do?”

“Will those prominent figures in the martial world be willing to wade into this muddy water of the Li family?”

Han Niangzi glanced at him and smiled, “Being able to build a relationship with the Dongzi Li family and gain the reputation of sending their young lady back is a matter of face. Why wouldn’t they come?”

“Of course, you need enough face to invite people. The more people you invite, the safer the Li family’s young lady will be. The more people who want to come in and earn some face, the more honest the ill-intentioned people in the Li family will naturally be.”

“And I…”

She paused, pointed at her nose, and said lightly, “I happen to have some reputation on this Anzhou road…”

‘She’s starting to be proud again…’

Hu Ma felt that familiar feeling again in his heart, and he quickly said, “Senior is mighty!”

“Just been mixing in the martial world for a long time.”

Miss Red Wine smiled softly, “Many transmigrators are too careful. Because they are too cautious, they can’t discover that there are many interesting things in this world…”

“Of course, I’m doing this to give you a big gift.”

“It may not be much now, but in the future, you will understand how important and necessary this gift is…”

“…”

A big gift?

Sending Xiang丫tou back now is the most important thing. How did it involve giving me a big gift again?

Looking at her mysterious appearance, Hu Ma felt a little helpless.

The most annoying thing about people from the Bajimen is that they like to show off but don’t let others inquire. Hu Ma didn’t inquire either. He first guarded the village for a night, in case someone really came looking again. Then, when it was almost dawn, Miss Red Wine, or rather Han Niangzi, didn’t care anymore.

She first released a few pigeons after the rooster crowed, and then busied herself, first chopping grass to feed the livestock, and then went into the kitchen to cook white porridge and eggs as breakfast.

This meal wasn’t conjured up by magic, but was made by truly pulling the bellows and burning firewood.

Looking at this pot of steaming white porridge, Hu Ma couldn’t help but think of the scene of her secretly boiling water and making tea, then stuffing it into her sleeve and taking it out to pour for people like a master.

However, Xiang丫tou, who came out of the small house in a daze, still looked at Han Niangzi with a face full of admiration.

“Eat quickly. After you finish eating, I’ll send you home.”

Han Niangzi just glanced at Xiang丫tou lightly and said casually.

These simple words were in stark contrast to the twists and turns that Hu Ma and Xiang丫tou had experienced along the way, which also made Xiang丫tou feel slightly relieved.

Finally, when they were almost finished with their meal, it was estimated that the pigeons she had released had taken effect. People riding horses or in sedan chairs began to arrive one after another, and hearty laughter formed a rare lively atmosphere outside the usually deserted village.

“Yo,镖tou Liu…” (镖tou =镖局鏢頭, head of an escort agency)

“Heh, Shopkeeper Qiu…”

“I didn’t expect the rarely seen Divine Doctor Zhong to come too…”

“Hehe, Han Niangzi invited us, and it’s for this righteous cause in the martial world, how could we not come?”

“…”

One after another, more and more people came outside the village. They looked somewhat familiar with each other and could all be considered people of the martial world.

Hu Ma looked at Miss Red Wine in surprise. He knew that she had a lot of face, but he didn’t expect her to have so much. A few carrier pigeons had attracted so many people from the martial world?

Judging by the time, many people must have set off before dawn, right?

Other transmigrators couldn’t wait to hide their tails, but Miss Red Wine was almost becoming a big shot on the road?

“Let’s go!”

When Han Niangzi saw those people coming, she quickly cleaned up the bowls and chopsticks. Strangely enough, those people from the martial world didn’t enter the village. They just chatted outside the village, and only came up to greet her one by one after Han Niangzi opened the door.

Some people stole glances at the livestock in her village. Perhaps there were acquaintances of theirs among those livestock.

“Everyone, we all make a living in Anzhou territory. If we have difficulties with each other, who wouldn’t lend a hand for the sake of fellow martial artists?”

Miss Red Wine still had a somewhat lazy look on her face as she faced these people from the martial world, but her tone changed. She sounded like a heroine who had been walking the martial world for a long time, and she said loudly, “The Dongzi Li family doesn’t have deep ties with us, but they never refuse when we ask for their help.”

“But who would have thought that the Li family’s young lady would be harmed by a wicked slave and fall into a foreign land. Thanks to the small shopkeeper from Mingzhou, who sent her back from thousands of miles away, overcoming countless dangers, she finally arrived at my door.”

“You tell me, even a small shopkeeper has such a chivalrous heart. Wouldn’t there be anyone on the Anzhou road willing to escort her back?”

“…”

Her words immediately made everyone feel indignant. They clamored to send the Li family’s young lady back, and they all wanted to go together to see which wicked slave dared to block their young lady’s path.

At the same time, their gazes towards Hu Ma also changed, full of admiration and envy.

After saying a few words to these people from the martial world, Miss Red Wine asked someone to drag over a carriage and drive it into the village.

She turned to those lazy livestock and said, “Who is willing to work hard and come over to put on the harness?”

The village was quiet for a moment. Those livestock, whether lying down or standing, suddenly became anxious. They crawled in one after another, pushing and shoving each other, all crowding towards the front of the carriage. Even the few pigs on the outside were humming anxiously.

Han Niangzi casually led a strong ox and harnessed it to the carriage. The horse that was originally for the carriage was given to Hu Ma for riding, and Xiang丫tou sat in the carriage.

As the group walked, she seemed to see Hu Ma’s curiosity and said, “Although I am a Creature Creator (造畜, *zao chu*), I also abide by the rules of the Bajimen. Everyone who falls into my hands has a way to die.”

“But since they have been changed, I don’t intend to let them die as livestock forever. They suffer this sin on weekdays to repay their misdeeds, but depending on the crime and their performance, it’s not impossible to change them back when the time comes.”

“…”

“Isn’t this just like being in prison?”

Hu Ma thought silently in his heart, and then he thought of Wu He Meizi from back then.

She had been harmed by the Creature Creation technique. The situation was different from Han Niangzi’s, but the method was the same.

Back then, Miss White Wine knew that the Divine Hands Zhao family had the ability to cure her and recommended her to go there. Did she learn about this from Miss Red Wine?

The reason why she didn’t recommend Wu He Meizi to come directly to Miss Red Wine was probably due to the caution of a transmigrator.

“Young Master…”

Just as he was thinking, there was a soft call from behind. Xiang丫tou stuck her little head out of the carriage: “Are we really going back on the main road like this?”

“Hush!”

Hu Ma quickly stopped her and said seriously, “What time is it and you’re still calling me Young Master? Are you trying to harm me?”

“Now we’ve arrived in your territory. I don’t know what your family will think if they hear you call me Young Master!”

“Just call me Big Brother, it sounds intimate and not too distant.”

“…”

Xiang丫tou’s face turned red, and she nodded vigorously, indicating that she remembered. She added, “Young… Big Brother Hu, will no one stop us anymore?”

Hu Ma glanced at Han Niangzi, who was traveling with them, and said in a low voice, “Listen to Senior!”

“However, what happened last night? Did you go out from that small house?”

“…”

“No…”

Xiang丫tou was stunned and said, “I just hid in bed as Senior said, holding onto the chopsticks. When I couldn’t hold on anymore, I hid in the cabinet with my eyes closed.”

“In the middle, I heard the sound of iron chains, and the sound of something being smashed. I felt like everything around me was being smashed to pieces. I felt like chains were whipping around me, but I just kept my eyes closed and didn’t dare to open them.”

“I didn’t open them until you opened the cabinet. There was nothing around me anymore.”

“…”

“Truly amazing…”

Hu Ma was tempted when he heard it. If only he could learn it…

(End of Chapter)