“Yes, yes…”

The shop assistant hurriedly agreed, not daring to ask another question.

They ran a shop here and had seen some Jianghu people come and go inexplicably before.

In fact, the people in the town, especially those who ran shops, were well-informed and perceptive. They vaguely guessed it was related to the young master Lu of the rice shop, but who would ask about that?

A few Jianghu people disappearing didn't concern the locals, but the murder in the town earlier had caused quite a bit of anxiety.

It was the same now. They thought Hu Ma would disappear like the others, or reappear as young master Lu's lackey, but they didn't expect him to come back, looking so indignant.

Not daring to provoke him at this time, they hurriedly let him in and sent someone to boil water.

They were secretly glad that they hadn't rushed to divide up his luggage that night. Otherwise, he would have surely accused them of running a black shop and might have even started a fight.

"Xiao Hongtang, there are some guests staying in the room at the end of the third floor. Go find their silver and bring it here."

After going upstairs, Hu Ma waited for the shop assistant to bring hot water. He washed his face, ate a large bowl of hand-pulled noodles with fatty meat topping, and swallowed a Blood Food Pill to replenish his losses from the night. Then, he immediately instructed Xiao Hongtang.

Those Jianghu people who were with him had all received a sum of silver. Now that they had lost their souls, the silver was his.

This was something he had already discussed with Di Guashao, considering it a portion he deserved.

So, he had already asked Xiao Hongtang to keep an eye on where those people were staying. Now that the matter was over, their silver had become unclaimed, so he naturally had to collect it quickly.

Of course, except for that ruthless Wang Laohan. He didn't dare send Xiao Hongtang there.

"Grandma seemed to say before that taking other people's silver wasn't good?"

Xiao Hongtang was also confused, but after hearing that there was no one guarding it and that there was no need to worry about being seen, she decided to trust Hu Ma-gege.

After all, Grandma had also told her to listen to Hu Ma-gege in the future, so she nodded vigorously. A gust of wind blew through the window lattice, and she disappeared.

Hu Ma burned incense in the room, waiting patiently for Xiao Hongtang to return.

Before long, she came carrying a package, struggling to climb through the window, and threw it on the ground with a thud.

"There's also some in the abandoned house at the entrance of town…"

Hu Ma instructed her to another place, fed Xiao Hongtang a large piece of Qing food, and watched her go away happily.

An hour later, Hu Ma washed his face with hot water, soaked his feet, and ate a large bowl of noodles that the shop had cooked overnight. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. By this time, there were three or four packages piled up behind him, each containing the silver that young master Lu had given out earlier.

That young master Lu was also shrewd. He deliberately gave everyone heavy silver, which looked substantial, but he was sure that these Jianghu people couldn't take the silver away in a short amount of time.

Once he was done, he could recover the silver.

If he had given silver notes or equivalent jewelry or Blood Food, they might have been hidden away in the blink of an eye, making them difficult to find.

Of course, now Hu Ma had gotten a good deal.

"Seven or eight hundred taels of silver, plus these old items, this trip wasn't a waste."

After stuffing the silver under the bed, planning to move it to the cart tomorrow, Hu Ma made a mental plan, feeling a little cheerful. Of course, this wasn't the main prize. The main prize was that he had helped Di Guashao, and he had to see how this little brother… little sister would thank him.

After eating and drinking his fill, and feeding Xiao Hongtang to her heart's content, Hu Ma lay down on the bed, patiently waiting while circulating his Qi.

"Old Bai Gan brother, are you there?"

Sure enough, after falling asleep, around the second half of the night, Di Guashao's voice rang out.

Hu Ma replied in a deep voice, "I've been waiting."

"Haha, brother, you're really amazing…"

Di Guashao laughed when she heard Hu Ma's words. She wasn't disguising her voice at all now, and it was full of excitement, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been confident in dealing with my senior brother."

"Our sect doesn't have any ability to fight with others. Even the old beggar he invited to help, I couldn't deal with. But you killed them with a single strike, so clean and efficient…"

"…It's just that you hit too hard. My arm almost got crippled."

"…"

Hu Ma smiled and said, "Actually, I didn't use much strength, but I forgot that there was a gap in the knife, and it tore off a piece of flesh."

Di Guashao sighed, "Your knife is like a saw. How did it get like that?"

Hu Ma said, "It's been like this from killing too many people."

"?"

Di Guashao was obviously stunned and asked cautiously, "Senior, do you just kill people for fun?"

"Not really."

Hu Ma said, "I've also killed zombies. Oh right, clean your wound carefully. I used this knife to chop a Hanba before. There might be corpse poison."

"Hiss…"

Di Guashao sucked in a breath of cold air, visibly trembling, and asked tentatively, "Senior, when you made your move, a gust of Yin wind suddenly swept through the courtyard. I felt my soul was unstable. What kind of ability is that?"

"Is that something from your Shousui people?"

"…"

Hu Ma knew she was talking about his move, Four Ghosts Salute the Door. At that time, when he bowed across the wall, no one in the ancestral hall courtyard could escape. Regardless of whether they had yellow paper talismans on their faces or not, their souls would be shaken and their movements would be slow.

Then, he would enter the scene with his knife and cut people's necks, which would be even more efficient.

If it hadn't been for that salute first, he wouldn't have been able to deal with that old monkey who could summon souls so easily.

But after hearing Di Guashao ask, he just smiled and said, "We'll talk about that when the time comes."

"Now, did you get that treasure of yours?"

"…"

"Got it…"

Di Guashao also reacted and realized that he was an old Jianghu expert who wouldn't reveal his secrets easily.

She had revealed the secrets of the Xinghun sect in the past because she had asked for his help, but now that she was asking him, he certainly wouldn't say.

Just like Miss White Wine, when she had asked her what her identity was in this world and if she could visit her when she was free, she had simply ignored her.

These seniors are so mysterious…

She didn't mind. When it came to obtaining the treasure, she became excited and laughed, "Our Shifu is really insidious. I only managed to subdue senior brother and then take out the treasure from that old tomb."

"Now, I am already the sect leader of our sect. I can also ask senior brother about the secret art of the yellow paper talisman."

"According to the previous agreement with Shifu, his title as the old guardian of the Qingyi gang is also mine!"

"…"

Hu Ma listened and was also slightly moved, and said, "What is the treasure that your Shifu left behind?"

"Hehe…"

Di Guashao saw Hu Ma ask and was also slightly embarrassed. She laughed and said, "It's nothing to outsiders, just a coffin from an old tomb. It has been nourishing Yin energy for so many years, so it can be useful… Of course, for me, the treasure is more than just this."

"My senior brother is very wealthy, so as his junior sister, of course, I have to accept it with a smile."

"…"

Hearing her hesitation, Hu Ma realized that he had asked an abrupt question.

He and Di Guashao were working together, and the purpose of the cooperation was only to deal with her senior brother, not to involve the treasure.

If he asked her, she would be embarrassed not to say, but in the end, she could completely not reveal it.

After realizing this, he changed the subject and just smiled, "The Lu family has such a large business, how can you accept it with a smile?"

"Marry him…"

Di Guashao smiled and said, "He is my senior brother, I am his junior sister, we studied together, and our relationship is so deep. What's wrong with me marrying him?"

"It's just that my senior brother's feelings for his junior sister are too 'deep' now, and he listens to me. So, if I want to use any money, he will give it to me. In a few years, he will happen to die of illness. Wouldn't this Lu family be mine then?"

"Hmm?"

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

He had previously thought that Di Guashao had subdued that young master Lu in order to use his abilities to seize the treasure, but he had not expected that Di Guashao's methods would be so ruthless.

Did she want to turn this young master Lu into a puppet and use him as a springboard to directly plot the Lu family's generations of wealth?

Thinking of young master Lu being muddleheaded and giving away his family's wealth, he couldn't help but feel awe-stricken.

The Xinghun sect's methods are truly insidious…

Earlier, young master Lu would grit his teeth and say all kinds of things when he mentioned his junior sister. It was as if he and the Di Guashao he knew were not the same person.

But thinking about it now, that young master Lu seemed to be right. For him, for the people in this world, Di Guashao was indeed such a sinister and vicious person.

Luckily, he was on her side…

…Miss White Wine specifically warned Di Guashao to be aware of the mutual apprehension between transmigrators and to have principles in life. Was it also because she knew Di Guashao's nature?

…

"As for your reward, that's the most important thing now."

Just as he was thinking, Di Guashao said again, "I've thought of a few ways. Take a look. First, you could also come to this rice shop and invest a share. I'll help you get it done, so you'll have a monthly income in the future."

"Second, I'll help you raise a large sum of silver first, but it's probably not easy to get so much cash. I'll need some time to sell some of their family's jewelry…"

"Invest a share…"

Hu Ma was slightly tempted, knowing that rice, silk, tea, and salt were the most profitable in this world.

If he could have this industry, he wouldn't be poor.

But in that case, he would have to deal with Di Guashao all the time, and dragging it on might not be safe enough.

Feeling slightly helpless, he still said, "Just help me raise some silver first. I don't lack it. I mainly came to help this time."

"Yes, I will never forget this favor…"

When it came to this matter being settled, Di Guashao couldn't help but be excited again, "After I get the things, I'll have to rush to Ming Prefecture to help the Qingyi gang win a competition!"

"I'll definitely earn a lot of Blood Food then and be able to raise such a big gift for you."

"…"

With Miss White Wine as a guarantee, Hu Ma wasn't worried that she would skimp on him.

But now, after hearing her say this, he was slightly moved and said, "I've also heard about the Qingyi and Hongdeng's fight. From what you're saying, the Qingyi gang is quite confident about this competition?"

(End of chapter)