Chapter 143 Yin Bone Jade (Third Update)

Now, this long-awaited rain was falling, unable to contain the joy in their hearts, and they all ran out to thank the heavens.

Naturally, with such high spirits, no evil spirits would dare to enter the village.

Even the young men Zhao Mansion had left behind to guard the house joined in the cheering.

However, the pyre was still burning in the courtyard, and they didn't dare leave the house, only watching the increasingly heavy rain from inside, cheering excitedly.

"Master, where is the Master?"

Amid the cheers, the sound of wet footsteps echoed outside the courtyard gate. It was Master Zhao, who had come with several farmhands and young men.

They held up umbrellas and lanterns, their voices filled with irrepressible joy. "It's raining, it's raining! That *xingzi* is gone, right…"

"…My goodness, what is that?"

"…"

As they spoke, they entered the courtyard gate, and upon seeing the burning object, the stench startled them.

"This is the *xingzi* that caused the drought."

Hu Ma washed his hands with the rainwater, turned around, and smiled at Master Zhao, "If it were daytime, we could dry it in the sun to remove the yin energy, and then bury it somewhere else.

"But there's no choice. It came at night, so we can only burn it to ashes."

"…"

An explanation was necessary.

The tradition of burying the dead in old fire pits was only found in Mount Laoyin and some remote, ancient places. The wealthy towns and villages outside the mountains, and even the cities, had customs that aligned with Hu Ma's idea of ancient people.

They valued burial for peace. Whenever someone died, they would find a feng shui master to choose a location. Some even sold themselves into servitude for a coffin for their ancestors.

Of course, this caused many problems.

But whether it was sending ancestors to the old fire pit in the village or lavishly burying them outside, these were all traditions.

Traditions were hard to change, and outsiders couldn't interfere.

In the eyes of those living outside, Mount Laoyin was a strange place with mysterious, ancient traditions, often throwing ancestors into fire pits and carrying the ashes on their bodies. It was simply incomprehensible!

"Good, good, please, Master, go back and rest…"

Master Zhao looked at the burning corpse from a distance, unable to extinguish it even with the rain. The flames still flickered.

He walked a large circle to reach Hu Ma, still somewhat worried, "…Are you sure the *xingzi* is gone for good?"

"I'm sure it's gone. Don't worry, Master Zhao. I'll clean it up before I go back."

Hu Ma also looked at the *hanba*. It was indeed gone after being burned, but there was something strange about it. The *hanba's* body seemed to burn very easily and quickly became dry and brittle.

He noticed that there were some strange fragments left in the ashes.

They were smooth, neither bone nor iron, and looked like black jade.

It was his first time helping someone deal with this kind of thing, and he was afraid of not cleaning it up properly.

He didn't know what these strange things were for, but he had Zhou Datong find a cloth to wrap them up and put them away first.

After doing all this, he shoveled up the ashes and mud together, put them in a wooden bucket, carried them back, and planned to hand them over to the villagers the next day.

It was already late at night. Hu Ma refused Master Zhao's request to hold a banquet, but asked him to have people boil several pots of hot water so that he and Zhou Datong could wash and get rid of the bad luck.

After washing, he slept soundly. The next day, he was awakened by the sound of gongs and drums.

He came to the door and saw that the rain hadn't stopped, but outside the Zhao family mansion, there were many people. The wealthy families from the surrounding villages had come with red paper packets containing the agreed-upon reward, respectfully presenting them to him.

"Datong, put them away!"

Hu Ma had to put on a show. It wouldn't do for him to be stuffing silver into his pockets himself, so he said in a measured tone.

Zhou Datong was stunned. He reached out his arms to receive them, and his hands sank slightly.

So much silver…

My grandfather didn't earn this much in the village after so many years…

…

After giving the reward, they arranged for a meal.

It had to be said that the Zhao family's meals were good.

The first day was a banquet, the second day they ate snow-white meat buns, and at night there were four dishes with wine.

On this last day, because the wealthy families from the surrounding villages had come, it was a day for the Zhao family to show off. Furthermore, since the matter was resolved, he no longer had to worry about anyone digging up his ancestral graves, so he was even more generous.

The banquet was even better than the first day, allowing Hu Ma and Zhou Datong to enjoy themselves to their hearts' content.

"Little brother, you did a great job, and the reward is well-deserved. But I'd like to discuss something with you…"

After the banquet was almost over, a man approached Hu Ma. It was the old man with the monkey, who smiled and said to Hu Ma, "Yesterday, when that *xingzi* was burned, there should have been some things left behind. How about you sell them to me?"

When Hu Ma saw him, he smiled and said, "How much silver is the old gentleman offering?"

He had actually been wary of this old man. After all, rivals were enemies, and he was worried that the old man would cause trouble when he was dealing with the *hanba*.

Yesterday night, while he was dealing with that thing, he had Xiaohongtang watching from the roof, not to watch the *hanba*, but to guard against the old man appearing. But after dealing with it all night, it seemed that he had been worrying too much.

The old man didn't appear, but his monkey did appear in the tree, staring at Xiaohongtang all night, but didn't do anything else.

The old man pondered for a moment and said with a smile, "Ten taels of silver?"

"Hmm?"

Ten taels of silver was not a small amount. Hu Ma was slightly alert and said with a smile, "Some things were burned out yesterday, but I've already taken the job of burning the *hanba*. It wouldn't be right to take advantage of the old gentleman. How about I just give you a piece."

As he spoke, he changed his tone and said, "But I have a condition."

"The old gentleman must first tell me, what is this thing, and what is it for?"

"…"

The old man was stunned when he heard this. He looked at Hu Ma, revealed a knowing smile, waved his hand, and said, "Forget it, you're straightforward. I'm too embarrassed to deceive you."

"The things burned out of the *hanba's* body are called Yin Bone Jade."

"It can cure poison, be used in medicine, and in the hands of those who walk with ghosts, carry spirits, and punish souls, it is also a good thing to use for spells…"

"If I spend ten taels of silver to buy yours, you'll lose out. Even if I give you a hundred taels, I'll still make a profit."

"…"

"The old gentleman is also a generous person. I'll give you this piece."

Hu Ma was slightly surprised when he heard the name "Yin Bone Jade."

So this was Yin Bone Jade?

This thing was also one of the "objects" mentioned in the *Zhen Sui* book. Perhaps it should be said that it was a material. When he used the *Zhen Sui* method, if it was used to press on the four corners of the rice-character circle, it could make the evil spirits feel eerie and make it harder to break through.

However, the *Zhen Sui* book mentioned how to use this thing, but didn't mention how it came to be. Hu Ma didn't know that it could be burned out of a *hanba*.

"If you were to buy it, this piece would be worth several taels of silver, right?"

He thought to himself, I burned out quite a bit, unexpectedly saving some money.

However, although he realized the value of this thing, he didn't show it. He still picked a piece and gave it to the old beggar, saying with a smile, "I didn't know this thing was so valuable, but since I promised the old gentleman, please accept this piece."

Second Master had said that those who travel the martial world shouldn't take all the advantages.

If he hadn't come two days earlier, I was afraid that the job of burning the *hanba* would have been taken by someone else.

"This young man is not bad…"

The old man weighed the bone, or rather, the Yin Bone Jade, in his hand and said with a smile to Hu Ma, "Actually, I think the method you used to deal with this *xingzi* wasn't quite right, and the timing wasn't very good either. Would you like to hear what's going on?"

"…"

Hu Ma heard this and confirmed his guess that this old man was skilled.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have thought of coming to take this job alone.

He was learning new things, and when he saw that the old man wanted to show off, he smiled and said, "I'd like to broaden my horizons."

"Let's talk about the method first."

The old beggar said with a smile, "You lured the *xingzi* into the village. Your idea was right, but it was too much trouble and risky. It would have been better to take the child out and set a trap outside the village, with firewood and tung oil inside."

"The child is tied to the trap. If it's scared, it will cry, and the *xingzi* will be lured over and fall into it. Wouldn't it be better to burn it thoroughly than waiting for it in the village?"

"This method makes some sense…"

Hu Ma was slightly stunned and thought silently, "Although it's risky to use a child to lure evil spirits, I can replace it with a living human stake."

"Then there's the timing."

The old beggar sighed and said, "You acted too early…"

Hu Ma quickly said, "How so?"

The old beggar shook his head and said, "This *xingzi* hasn't matured yet. The village is just a little dry. You came to get rid of it, so how could the village be willing to spend too much money?"

"You wait until it matures and starts harming people before coming to do things. Then, let alone three hundred taels, they'll probably have to take out a thousand taels. Moreover, by then, the quality of the Yin Bone Jade burned out will be even better."

"So, you wasted such a good job, only earning three hundred taels."

"…"

"Ah?"

Hu Ma was startled when he heard this.

He glanced at the old beggar without showing any signs of alarm, and had already secretly become wary.

The old beggar was clearly skilled, but his methods were too insidious. I was afraid that we are not on the same path.

However, he hid the alert on his face and continued to smile and said, "I am grateful for the teaching. I really lack martial world experience."

"It's just a different path."

The old man waved his hand with a smile and said, "I have this experience, but I don't have the ability to deal with it at night."

"However, I also see that you're a good young man. I have a good deal. I wonder if you're willing to do it?"

Today I have to get married, so there are only three updates. I'm really sorry to my readers, alas! But I'm still asking for votes, what if they are cast?