Chapter 1 An Old Acquaintance

"An old acquaintance…"

Sitting on the bed, Hu Ma pondered, finally reacting, and a sense of wry amusement arose in his heart.

He had already put this matter behind him, focusing solely on the cultivation within the manor. Who would have thought that the wronged ghost from the well would come to him in a dream, seeking help?

Strictly speaking, they had no real connection. He was just a small shopkeeper in the Blood Food Gang. What reason would she have to seek him out for help? Could it be that she simply couldn't find anyone else to take charge?

Thinking it over, he sighed.

In truth, he didn't have to concern himself with her. However, remembering what she had just said, he couldn't help but take it more seriously. It truly was a narrow escape…

Those people had actually invited the Five Fiend Gods, all to deal with this wronged ghost?

Logically, that shouldn't be necessary, right?

Didn't the Wei family claim to be some kind of noble family, some kind of dignitaries? Could it be that in Mingzhou Prefecture, they didn't even have the influence to find someone who could exorcise a well spirit, so they had to resort to inviting a fierce entity like the Five Fiend Gods?

It was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito, it was that exaggerated. He didn't know what those people were thinking, what were they trying to achieve?

However, it was precisely because he heard the name of the Five Fiend Gods that Hu Ma was slightly moved, and he contemplated for a long time in the quiet room.

To help Aunt Zhang, he had already planned to deal with this thing, and had even discussed it with Erguotou. But now, there were still several months before Aunt Zhang's marriage, and he wasn't ready yet…

The situation was a bit complicated.

He was sleeping soundly at home, but he had run into this kind of thing.

If he helped, it would be an unnecessary complication, and if the matter grew too large, he, this small shopkeeper of the Blood Food Gang, might not be able to handle it. If he didn't help, he would feel guilty and uneasy.

Thinking carefully, this matter was due to how he handled it the first time.

He was originally a night watchman, and night watchmen didn't get involved in karma. Regarding the thing in the well, he could fight if he could win, and run if he couldn't. She couldn't leave the well to chase him anyway, so he wouldn't get involved.

But back then, he was influenced by the attitude of the people in the village, represented by his grandmother and Second Master, so he didn't fight her, but instead coaxed her into moving and relocating her bones, resolving the problem without bloodshed.

Because he persuaded her to move, she ended up blocking the unfaithful man, and the unfaithful man invited the Five Fiend Gods, and she came to seek help.

Back and forth, it was all karma.

Although he was just lighting the furnace at the time, he had acted as a ghost walker, so he would get involved in this karma.

"Little Hong Tang, is Little Hong Tang there?"

He called out softly twice toward the roof beam, wanting to ask her how this kind of thing happened.

Unexpectedly, there was no movement on the beam. It seemed that Little Hong Tang had sneaked out to play. He was considering whether to light incense to call her back, but Hu Ma suddenly felt a slight dizziness in his head, and a faint alarm arose in his heart, and he quickly looked around.

He should have woken up just now, but now, it seemed that he hadn't fully woken up.

While he was still confused, Little Hong Tang ran in from outside the room, anxiously saying, "Brother Hu Ma, Brother Hu Ma, come quickly."

As she spoke, she grabbed Hu Ma's hand and said, "Mountain Lord Grandpa told me to call you over!"

"Mountain Lord?"

Hu Ma immediately became serious, and said as he got out of bed, "Wait for me to put on my clothes."

Little Hong Tang was stunned when she heard this, and said, "Brother Hu Ma, you don't need to put on clothes now…"

"What are you talking about? Should I go there naked in the middle of the night?"

Hu Ma was feeling absurd, but when he turned his head, he froze. He actually saw himself still lying properly on the bed, with the quilt neatly covering him.

He quickly looked down at himself now, and saw that his body was light and transparent, and he was wearing the black robe from the village that he usually wore the most, with a green belt around his waist, and he was even wearing those hemp shoes.

"Aren't you coming?"

Just as he was surprised, he suddenly heard a gentle voice not far away.

Hu Ma subconsciously looked up, and saw that outside the window, the Old Yin Mountain, which was at least twenty miles away, was actually pulled closer invisibly. He saw the old tree stump, and the Mountain Lord was sitting on the stump, looking at him indifferently.

Little Hong Tang also pulled Hu Ma's hand, wanting to take him there.

In a daze, Hu Ma was about to follow, but he suddenly reacted and pulled up Little Hong Tang's arm to take a look.

The piece of blue cloth was still there, and it was still tied into a slightly ugly bow.

It looked like it was real…

He breathed a sigh of relief and followed Little Hong Tang out, or rather, it was more like floating, like the wind. He only heard a burst of whistling in his ears, and the scenery in front of him changed, and he had already arrived in the Old Yin Mountain, in front of the Mountain Lord sitting on the tree stump.

The Mountain Lord also turned his head and glanced at him, noticing his action of checking Little Hong Tang's arm first, and couldn't help but smile: "You are indeed vigilant."

"But in front of Old Yin Mountain, who would dare to change my appearance to harm you?"

"Come with me, there are some important things I need to show you!"

"..."

Hu Ma nodded in agreement, but he was really surprised by his current state.

"It's also because you were willing to put in the effort when you were learning your skills, and the yin energy nourished your seven apertures, otherwise I wouldn't be able to call you here."

The Mountain Lord said, standing up from the tree stump.

When Hu Ma entered the Old Yin Mountain with his body, he had never seen him get up, but now, he saw that when he stood up, his body seemed to be able to keep growing taller, so tall that he needed to look up to see him.

And the Mountain Lord seemed to be controlling it, his body swaying slightly, and he took Hu Ma and suddenly walked into the Old Yin Mountain.

As if it was just a moment, or it seemed like a long time, he suddenly stopped and pointed forward, saying, "Look."

Hu Ma quickly focused his eyes and saw a village that seemed to be at the foot of the mountain, but he didn't know where it was located in the Old Yin Mountain. The village looked ordinary, with only twenty or thirty households, mostly thatched huts and grass walls, which looked quite simple and poor.

However, the people in this village all looked kind and enthusiastic, and the pigs in the pens were all raised fat and honest.

A peasant woman with a child on her back, wearing rough, wide-legged pants, was standing in front of a house, knocking on the door, looking very tired, and calling inside: "Is anyone home?"

"I am a woman passing by, going to visit relatives. When I got here, I was hungry and thirsty, and I have no money. Kind people, can you give me a bowl of porridge to eat?"

"I'm not afraid of being hungry, but I'm afraid of starving the child…"

"..."

Hu Ma looked at this scene, and looked at the Mountain Lord in confusion, but the Mountain Lord only let him watch.

A lone woman, traveling with a child, how difficult?

Could it be a harmful person?

Just as Hu Ma was thinking, the door of the house opened, and they were a little surprised, and hurriedly invited the woman with the child in, and called to their own woman: "We have a guest, add more water, add more rice, and give people a full meal…"

The development of the matter was different from what Hu Ma had guessed. This was actually a good family.

Seeing that the woman was pitiful, they not only kept her for dinner, but also specially cooked a pot of thick porridge, and then invited her to sit down, and called their own three tiger-headed and brainy boys to eat together.

Their family was considered well-off, but the three boys could eat a lot, and the family looked tight, but it was a blessing that the whole family was healthy.

"They met a good family…"

The woman ate the porridge, her face full of gratitude, and chatted, "Kind elder brother and sister-in-law, your village is really blessed. The porridge is fragrant, the water is sweet, the adults are healthy and have no disasters, and the children are growing strong. This village is really a good place…"

The villagers laughed and said, "That's right, our village is not rich, but it's good to be healthy and have no disasters."

The woman praised them again and again, saying, "But I don't see a well in the village, where do you get water from?"

"From the mountain stream in the west!"

The villagers laughed and said, "The spring water in the mountain stream is good, it doesn't run out all year round, the spring water is sweet, and it's the best for nourishing people!"

"When you're on your way, take a pot of spring water, and I'll grab some rice for you to take with you so your child doesn't go hungry."

"..."

The woman thanked them profusely, and got two handfuls of rice and a gourd from the villagers. She indeed took the child and followed the guidance to the mountain stream, and saw the spring water gurgling out.

This spring water gathered into a pool, always full, but not overflowing. Whenever water was taken away, the water would automatically fill up.

But she didn't take the spring water, and threw away the gourd at random, and took the child off her back.

With a cold smile, she actually threw the child into the water.

The child cried as it burrowed into the spring, and after a while, it suddenly came out holding a white fish.

The peasant woman spread out a piece of black cloth, and wrapped the child and the white fish together, and turned to leave.

Immediately afterwards, the spring water suddenly became turbid, and even bloodshot.

"What is this?"

Hu Ma followed the Mountain Lord, and saw this strange and bizarre scene, his face full of surprise.

At this time, the Mountain Lord was obviously just looking at it with a cold face. Under his gaze, Hu Ma seemed to see that in the farmhouses of this village, the faces had lost the joyful and satisfied expressions, the children began to get sick, and the adults became weak.

Even the pigs and dogs in the village were not so fat anymore, and unknown evil spirits quietly sneaked into the village, waiting for an opportunity to harm people…

Just because of this one action, the village seemed to have changed its appearance.

"Treasure Snatchers." (bie bao ren)

The Mountain Lord looked at the village for a long time, and then said in a low voice, his expression indifferent.

Hu Ma was startled. He had heard of similar names. Wasn't that lame sweet potato burner a Treasure Snatcher?

"The people in this village have good fortune, and they respect me, so they are able to live in this feng shui treasure land. The spiritual spring is the source of their good fortune. Drinking the spring water regularly can prevent all kinds of diseases and keep their bodies healthy."

"This is what they deserve. Heaven and earth have spiritual things, and kind people have the virtue to live there, but these Treasure Snatchers use insidious means to sneak into the mountains and take away the treasure in the spring water."

"Once the spiritual object is gone, filth gathers, and the spiritual spring becomes a spring of resentment, and good fortune becomes evil retribution."

"These people have been coming to the mountain for the past few days, and they have already stolen a lot of spiritual treasures, how much evil have they created…"

"So, I hate these sorcerers the most."

(End of chapter)