"Hmm?"

This one sentence immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Having suffered losses just now, the two of them had already developed a faint fear of this Young Master Lu, fearing that their skills wouldn't be up to par and they'd be humiliated instead. They never expected someone to take the initiative to provoke him, and they were immediately worried.

Young Master Lu was also taken aback. He sized up Hu Ma, sneered, and said, "I don't lack money. What I lack are capable people."

"This gentleman looks like he has some tricks up his sleeve?"

"..."

Hu Ma deliberately acted upright and tough, saying, "Even if you have money, sir, we're still earning it with our own skills. We're not begging for your charity. There's no need for you to treat people with such an attitude."

"I don't have any great skills, but since we've met, it must be fate. Whether it works out or not, let me offer you a cup of tea first, young master!"

"..."

As he spoke, he stepped forward, picked up a kettle of boiling water that was hissing and steaming, and walked straight towards Young Master Lu. The steward immediately became worried, and the young master frowned and looked at Hu Ma.

But Hu Ma didn't say anything. He simply came to his side. On a small table nearby were two teacups, one for Young Master Lu and the other for the chosen person, which was currently empty.

Hu Ma picked up the teacup next to Young Master Lu, poured out the water, and then filled it to the brim. Then he turned the kettle and poured another bowl of water into the empty cup, steaming hot, and lifted it up, saying to Young Master Lu, "Please!"

Then he drank it all in one gulp, put down the cup, and quietly looked at Young Master Lu.

Young Master Lu looked at the teacup in front of him, the water inside still scalding hot. Drinking it would probably peel off a layer of skin from his mouth.

They couldn't tell whether Hu Ma wasn't afraid of the heat or if he had somehow cooled the water down by the time he lifted the bowl, but this move was undoubtedly extremely frightening.

After a long while, he didn't pick up the tea. Instead, he stood up directly and cupped his fist at Hu Ma, saying, "This gentleman has some skill."

"Quickly, take a seat."

"..."

Then he looked at the steward and said, "I was indeed wrong just now. Those two who came to the door are guests. Go and treat them well, give them some travel expenses, and apologize for me properly."

The steward hurriedly agreed with a smile, first bringing a chair and inviting Hu Ma to sit down, then going to make arrangements.

The remaining few people, seeing this, also gained some courage. They looked at Hu Ma gratefully. One performed a feat of flying knives, using thin blades as long as a palm, hitting wherever he aimed. However, the power was a bit lacking, only penetrating the wood by a third, but he was still kept on.

Another performed a feat of qinggong (light body skill), reaching the roof of a building over ten feet high without any assistance, lifting his feet and going up. Only a series of footsteps sounded, going left, but he came down from the right.

As for the others, seeing that they had no special skills to show, they could only leave dejectedly.

Noteworthy was a short, stocky man. He looked dull and didn't bring any weapons. When it was his turn, he was stunned for a moment and took the initiative to walk out.

But because he was the last one, the steward called him to a halt and said with a smile, "Sir, won't you show us something?"

The man smiled sheepishly and said, "I don't know any of these things, and I didn't bring a knife."

The steward asked curiously, "Then what can you do?"

The man honestly said, "I can't do anything. I wasn't planning on taking any tests. I thought we were just killing bandits."

When the surrounding people saw this, they really thought he was another one who had misjudged the situation and came to humiliate himself. Hu Ma hadn't paid much attention to him at first, but for some reason, after glancing at this man, he couldn't shake the feeling.

But suddenly, he felt uneasy, so he looked at him again, and he felt that this man had a strange aura.

Looking at him for the third time, he was inexplicably shocked.

This man didn't look like he had practiced any martial arts, nor did he seem to have learned any special skills.

But he had an indescribable aura that made people subconsciously afraid to underestimate him.

No, it wasn't just that they didn't dare to underestimate him, but they felt that he was very dangerous.

Not only Hu Ma, but Young Master Lu also seemed to have noticed something. He frowned and stared at the man. Just now, he had taught two con artists a lesson, giving people great pressure. Facing his gaze, no one wasn't flustered, but this man just smiled.

He had a smile on his face, and you couldn't see anything unusual about him.

However, the more Young Master Lu looked at him, the more uncomfortable he felt. He cleared his throat unnaturally and said,

"Let him stay too. He looks like a good man."

"..."

Everyone had passed this hurdle and breathed a sigh of relief. The steward, seeing this, hurriedly invited them to the back, where they found a small courtyard connected to the teahouse's backyard. Inside, wine and dishes were already laid out.

Not only that, but next to the table were two sallow-faced men, two or three wearing hemp clothes and carrying pudao (horse-cutting swords), likely hired by Young Master Lu before. The most unexpected thing was that a skinny old man was sitting at the table with a monkey perched on his shoulder.

As soon as Hu Ma entered, the old man looked up and his eyes lit up. He stood up and laughed loudly:

"Little brother, we've met again, even after traveling a thousand miles."

"..."

Seeing the old man, Hu Ma was also stunned, and then he subtly adjusted his expression and said with a smile, "So, the big job that senior mentioned refers to this master."

The old man laughed and said, "Big jobs are hard to find. After piecing things together, we ran into each other."

"But I invited you, and you didn't come, yet you secretly came on your own. Could it be that you don't trust this old man?"

"..."

Hu Ma looked embarrassed and said with a wry smile, "I'm still inexperienced in the martial world, thinking of being cautious, but I didn't expect to go around in a big circle. Please don't laugh at me, senior."

The old man waved his hand and said with a smile, "Where are your brothers?"

"I've already sent them back to our hometown with the money."

Hu Ma said, "Only I was a bit greedy, thinking of making another big score, so I stayed."

Seeing the two of them stand up and laugh, the expressions of the people at the table were a bit strange. Young Master Lu also waited for the two of them to finish speaking before smiling and looking at the old man, saying, "Monkey Master, it sounds like you know this one?"

"That's right."

The Monkey Master said with a smile, "I've seen this Brother Zhou's methods of subduing the drought demon. On a dark and windy night, he pressed it down with one hand."

"At the time, I thought he could probably help Young Master's, and I wanted to invite him over, but my old face doesn't look trustworthy, and this little brother didn't trust me. But mountains don't turn, and water does. We two old men actually met here at Young Master's place."

"..."

"Methods of subduing the drought demon?"

The people present didn't hear much else, but they were surprised to hear this.

Everyone present had heard of the drought demon, but they always found a place during the day and burned it with a fire. There were fewer at night.

It was said that this thing would move and bite at night, and it was incredibly strong and impervious to knives and spears. This young man could actually subdue this thing?

For a time, they paid more attention to Hu Ma.

And Hu Ma, meeting everyone's gaze, simply cupped his fists and showed an embarrassed expression.

In his heart, he was thinking quickly, "This old beggar is calling me Brother Zhou? A little trick I left behind in Mancang Village earlier is now coming in handy..."

"Since you're old acquaintances, then it's even more convenient. This brother will act with Monkey Master!"

As he said this, Young Master Lu turned to look at the others present and said, "Everyone here is skilled. It's an honor for me, Lu, to be able to associate with you all. But before we drink, there are some things that I might as well say clearly!"

"Everyone is here to earn money, and I, Lu, am also spending money to hire people to do things."

"There's no need for us to talk too much nonsense. The reason why I'm spending a lot of money to hire people, and only hiring those who are skilled, is because I'm not really here to exterminate mountain bandits."

"But to obtain a treasure."

"..."

The eyes of everyone present focused on him, and their hearts stirred slightly at the mention of treasure.

"Hehe."

Young Master Lu said, "Don't be too excited when you hear about treasures. It's a treasure to our family, but it's probably useless to you, and it will bring disaster. That's why I'm relieved to hire you as helpers."

"However, let me say the ugly things first. I'm not the only one eyeing this treasure, and the other party is a tough opponent. Without your skills to help me, I wouldn't have much confidence."

"Our Lu family has money and is willing to pay a generous reward to help."

"But I also have a few conditions to say upfront. After taking the money, please ask less and do more."

"You must do what I tell you to do. Otherwise, if I fail, it's fine, but if I harm your lives, it wouldn't be worth it. Of course, if you have any questions, you can ask me in advance, but don't dawdle when things come up."

"In short, after this trip is over, I'll take the treasure, you'll get the money, and everyone gets what they need. From then on, we'll forget each other in the martial world, and our matter will be considered complete."

"..."

Everyone present looked at each other. Hu Ma said, "How much money?"

Young Master Lu first held up two fingers, then said softly, "Two hundred taels of silver as a deposit for each person."

"After it's done, there's another three hundred, no delays."

"..."

Hu Ma immediately looked up at the Monkey Master, his eyes clear, didn't you say it was a thousand taels?

The Monkey Master was greatly embarrassed and lowered his head to eat.

But the others, hearing this, were all a little excited. If they could get five hundred taels before and after, it would be a big job indeed.

"If everyone has no objections, then let's eat this meal and take the deposit first!"

Young Master Lu raised his glass. The steward next to him had already ordered two strong men to carry over a box. After opening it, they saw neatly arranged silver ingots, dazzling the eyes.

Everyone present came out for these white things. How could they not be tempted? They immediately raised their glasses, smiled, and drank with Young Master Lu. The two sides were considered to have settled this matter.

The atmosphere only eased at this time. Young Master Lu, in front of everyone, said to the Monkey Master, "I'm calculating the days. I'm afraid we can't delay any longer. Monkey Master, please work hard and go out tonight to fish for a few souls!"

Hearing the words "fishing for souls," Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly.

And Young Master Lu just happened to turn his head to look at Hu Ma and said, "Brother Zhou, you'll come along too. No objections, right?"

(End of Chapter)