Was that the one who wiped out the family?

Hu Ma couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.

The reason why Master Lu went to great lengths to gather these Jianghu (wandering martial artists) people to refine treasures was twofold: first, these Jianghu people had no backing, so even if something happened, a few deaths or disappearances wouldn't cause anyone to report to the authorities and make a fuss.

Secondly, Jianghu people, regardless of their abilities, were generally stronger than ordinary people, making them easier to control.

However, Master Lu, while plotting against others, underestimated this particular person. He appeared honest and simple, but was actually a fierce individual. So, Master Lu decided to abandon him temporarily, using his ferocity to fight against the evil spirits in the Ma Family Ancestral Hall, hoping they would both suffer.

Deliberately blocking the gate, keeping him outside the ancestral hall, was with the intention that he would perish together with those evil spirits.

But who would have thought that he would only take half a section of a fierce blade and confront so many Yin spirits in the Ma Family Ancestral Hall alone, yet actually hold on?

Looking at him now, he seemed to be fine, with only a shocking ferocity flickering in his eyes.

And outside the ancestral hall, which was just swarming with evil spirits, was now quiet, without a trace of Yin wind, forming a stark contrast with the eerie and cold aura on him.

Hu Ma didn't have the Guigui (observing ghosts) methods of the Xinghun (soul execution) sect, so he didn't know how many wronged souls were following him.

But just from this one look, he felt that he...

For a moment, his breathing stopped slightly, and the three life joss sticks were inserted into the incense burner.

Hu Ma didn't know exactly how to describe it. Logically speaking, this man surnamed Wang was just an ordinary person.

Although he had killed people and was followed by wronged souls, he had never learned any skills. He didn't understand any martial arts or weapons, and he didn't even know how to use the wronged souls that followed him.

And he was a Shousui Ren (Year Keeper), with a knife in his hand. If he really fought, he should be able to kill him with one strike. But now, standing face to face with him across a low wall, he still felt a chill in his heart. In a daze, it seemed as if countless evil spirits were rushing towards him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Xiao Hongtang had already run away the moment this person appeared, scurrying over the wall and then sticking out half of her small head to look at him.

"Calm down, calm down!"

Several frightening thoughts flashed quickly in Hu Ma's mind, but in the end, he managed to squeeze out a smile on his face, cupped his fist at him, and said, "Brother Wang, we've all been terribly deceived..."

"The boss has already run away. Those of us who came to earn money are either dead or injured, and there are even a few whose souls don't even know where they've gone."

"..."

"It's not exactly a deception..."

The man surnamed Wang originally just had a wooden expression, looking at Hu Ma across the wall in a strange manner. But when he heard Hu Ma's helpless laugh, it seemed to confirm that he was on the same side as him, and a simple and honest smile gradually appeared on his face.

He glanced at the Jianghu people with yellow paper pasted on their faces, and then at the old monkey who died on the ground, before saying naively to Hu Ma, "At least I got two hundred taels of silver."

"It's just a pity that no one will pay the balance."

"..."

As he said that, he slowly turned around, seemingly about to leave.

Hu Ma hesitated slightly, looked at the man's back, mustered up his courage, and suddenly said, "Wait a moment."

The wooden man turned his head, still with that simple and honest smile on his face, looking at Hu Ma as if he didn't understand. Hu Ma took a breath, took out the other half of the broken blade from the donkey cart, and threw it far away, saying, "It's yours."

"This is a good thing that Master Lu found. It should be useful to you. When you get back, you can put the two pieces together, and this knife will be valuable, enough to offset that balance."

"..."

The wooden man looked at the half of the broken blade at his feet, and then at his own blade, finally understanding what it meant.

Slowly, a stiff smile appeared on his face as he said to Hu Ma, "Thank you!"

"You helped us speak earlier, and now you're thinking about the money I deserve. You're really a good person..."

"..."

As he spoke, he picked up the half of the broken blade on the ground and stuffed it into his arms, while still holding the other half in his hand. He smiled at Hu Ma and then went down the mountain.

Hu Ma was stunned when he heard his words, unable to remember when he had spoken up for him.

After a moment of reflection, he suddenly realized that when he first met Master Lu with them, Master Lu was very rude to people. In order to stand out, he had retorted to the young master a couple of times, which had left a good impression on this man.

For a moment, he wanted to call him back, leave a name, and establish a relationship, but after some hesitation, he held back.

This was also an amazing person, and maybe he would need him in the future.

However, Hu Ma was really a little afraid of him, so it was better not to have any contact with him from now on.

Turning his head to look at the wooden man walking down the mountain road, with ghostly shadows still looming behind him, he didn't know how many Yin creatures were following him. It was probably similar to the old fire pit in Da Yang Village. Hu Ma took a long breath in his heart for a long time.

This world was really too uneasy, and he might provoke a powerful figure at any time. Moreover, although this world had not been baptized by the information explosion, it was full of seasoned ruthlessness and shrewdness.

Just like this Master Lu, if he hadn't known his background in advance, who would have tricked whom in the end? And like this fierce man, he didn't seem to have learned any skills, but who knew he would be so frightening?

"Brother Hu Ma..."

After that person disappeared, just as Hu Ma was about to turn around and get busy, he heard a timid cry beside him.

He saw that it was Xiao Hongtang, the ungrateful one, who had returned. She was still staring at the road down the mountain with wide eyes, looking timid, holding the hem of his clothes with her small hand.

"What exactly is the situation with that person?"

Hu Ma asked subconsciously, not expecting Xiao Hongtang to really know.

Xiao Hongtang should be able to see how many things were following that person, but he didn't expect her to know the specifics. He just felt too much pressure in his heart and wanted to ask casually.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Hongtang replied subconsciously, "Zhang Gui (Tiger wraith)."

"Huh?"

Hu Ma was stunned and looked at Xiao Hongtang, "What Zhang Gui?"

Xiao Hongtang blinked her eyes, staring at the road down the mountain, and just said, "It's Zhang Gui..."

"Zhang Gui... The Zhang Gui that followed the tiger?"

Hu Ma suddenly remembered that when he was in the village, he had heard Er Ye (Second Master) say that if a tiger ate someone, it would be followed by a Zhang Gui, who would bring living people to the tiger and actively offer them to the tiger to eat.

The thing following this man surnamed Wang was Zhang Gui?

But he was clearly a person, how could Zhang Gui surround a person?

For a moment, he was suspicious, but he couldn't get any more information from Xiao Hongtang. He could only temporarily remember this question and ask someone who knew the business in the future.

Confirming that the person had gone far, he sighed in his heart, pulled the donkey next to him, which was already docile, put it back on, took the reins, and counted the things on the big cart, before leaving the ancestral hall step by step and coming down the mountain road.

He knew where the Digua Shao (Sweet Potato Burn) had gone. On the other end of this Majiawa (Ma Family Village), there was a place where their Shifu (master) had planted treasure.

Accurately speaking, this battle between his Shixiong (martial brother) and Shimei (martial sister) hadn't ended yet.

To get the treasure, they needed to break the formation left by their Shifu, and now Digua Shao was still short of the last formation, which needed her Shixiong to break.

Only when the two of them arrived at the old tomb of Majiawa, broke the formation, and took the treasure in their hands, would this matter be truly complete for her.

But his responsibility had been fulfilled, and he didn't need to care about the affairs there.

Not only could he not help, but he had to fight if he really met her.

Although he and Digua Shao had cooperated this time, on the surface, the two of them had nothing to do with each other, and could even be considered enemies.

Now, he could only pretend to be a Jianghu person who had been tricked, go back with a belly full of resentment, and try his best to play the next scene well.

Of course, even if he didn't act, logically speaking, this matter had been done secretly, and the possibility of leaking the news was not high, but he was, after all, Digua Shao's "senior," and he had to consider things more thoroughly than her.

Just now in the Ma Family Ancestral Hall, it was already late at night, and it was dark and hazy, but now that he had come down the mountain, he found that the sky had not completely darkened yet, and there was still a ray of sunlight in the foothills that had not faded away.

Hu Ma left the place full of Yin Qi, and felt his body warm slightly when he was illuminated by this ray of afterglow. He took a long breath, feeling like he had been reborn.

He sat on the donkey cart, counting as he slowly returned to Wutong town.

He had long been eyeing this big cart. There were many old things on the cart, which might not be worth much in the eyes of others, or even be considered dirty.

But for him, who wanted to use the unique skills of the town guardian book, they were all good things that he might not be able to find even with money.

Just like the fire basin that Master Lu had burned paper figures in before, he would have to search everywhere for such things even if he earned money, and buy them at a suitable high price. Now that he got them directly, it was considered a small profit.

And there should be many similar things on this donkey cart. After he returned to the inn, he would carefully count them. Maybe there were other things that could be used.

Those that were unsuitable and unsafe would be burned later.

When he arrived at Wutong town, the night was already deep, and the inn had already put up the door panels. Hu Ma pounded hard to open it. The waiter who came over with an oil lamp was first startled when he saw Hu Ma, and quickly raised the oil lamp to shine on Hu Ma, looking to see if there was a shadow behind him.

He was afraid that Hu Ma had already died outside, and what had returned was a lonely wild ghost who couldn't bear to part with his luggage.

"What are you shining for?"

Hu Ma glared at him and said unhappily, "Take my donkey and cart to the backyard and feed them."

"Bring hot water for me to wash my face, and bring up anything to eat."