Chapter 猴爺拘魂

That night, Monkey Master called upon seven or eight souls, turning them into moths that fluttered wildly inside his lantern. Only then did he and Hu Ma quietly leave the village.

Once outside, the monkey jumped onto his shoulder, and his voice finally grew louder, boasting to Hu Ma with great pride about his unique skill. But Hu Ma remained indifferent, seemingly distracted and uninterested in responding.

"You..."

Monkey Master didn't seem to mind, simply smiling at Hu Ma and saying, "You're still too young to understand!"

"The key, the key, once you're in the know, you're no longer on the same path as those outside the door..."

"..."

He might have sensed Hu Ma's subtle resistance, unaware that Hu Ma had already contemplated killing him several times. He only knew that he was still being watched and outnumbered, and the time to act had not yet come.

Now, enduring it all, they returned to Wutong Town. Someone was already waiting at the town entrance to welcome Old Monkey, planning to take him out for drinks. He invited Hu Ma to join them, but Hu Ma directly refused.

They let Hu Ma return to the inn to rest, while they went with Old Monkey to Qian Feng Restaurant. The young master of the Lu family had already prepared a table full of food and wine, waiting for Old Monkey's return. Seeing the seven or eight moths fluttering inside his lantern, his face immediately brightened.

"How is it, Monkey Master? Is that kid suitable?"

But after sitting down and putting away the lantern, he was still uneasy, gazing intently at Old Monkey.

"Couldn't be more perfect."

Old Monkey chuckled, first taking a sip of wine, and said, "Don't worry, I have a good eye for people."

"He's just a newbie fresh out of the martial world. Even if he seems to understand some rules, it's just what his elders taught him. He's never truly been out there on his own."

"And although he's holding it in, you can tell he really can't accept my unique skill. That shows he's definitely not from our treasure hunting business. Otherwise, even if he hasn't done it himself, he's at least seen it before, and wouldn't react so strongly."

"..."

Hearing him say this, young master Lu dispelled his doubts, and became slightly expectant: "Did you get his *bazi* and hair?" (*bazi* - Eight Characters, the year, month, day and hour of a person's birth)

"Not yet."

Old Monkey shook his head, "He's a Shousui Ren (Grave Watcher) after all, and quite cautious. I can't just go up and snatch it, can I? This old body wouldn't be enough for him to break apart."

Young master Lu showed a hint of regret, shaking his head and whispering, "Then what about his name?"

Old Monkey chuckled and called for someone to bring paper and ink, but then didn't write.

Young master Lu smiled helplessly and held up three fingers, "Old Monkey, will three hundred taels be enough?"

"Enough, enough."

Old Monkey agreed with a smile, wrote a few words on the paper, crumpled it up, and threw it to young master Lu, laughing, "This is his real name, I asked his brother about it, and their names are similar, sounding like they're from the same generation..."

"That's good, if we can have a Shousui Ren (Grave Watcher) by our side, what's there to worry about in helping Lord Qingyi? I'll remember this favor, old sir."

Young master Lu unfolded the paper, happily put it away, and raised his wine cup, saying, "Come, let me offer you a toast."

"We'll make our move tomorrow, hoping everything goes smoothly."

"..."

"..."

"They should be making their move tomorrow."

At the same time, inside the inn, Hu Ma appeared to outsiders as if he was simply depressed and listless after returning.

Xiao Hongtang by his side glanced at him several times, tentatively asking if she should go and beat up the monkey squatting on the roof next door. But Hu Ma shook his head and stopped her, and after venting for a while, he silently lay back down on the bed to sleep.

But in his dreams, he immediately became active.

Di Gua Shao (Sweet Potato Burn) was already waiting there, and after he explained the situation in detail, Di Gua Shao was visibly surprised, "A soul-calling technique?"

"An old man with a monkey... does he have one cloudy eye?"

"..."

Hu Ma nodded, "That's him."

"Heh heh, so it's that old thing..."

Hearing this, Di Gua Shao sneered, "He's just another old scum, used to hang around in Mingzhou Prefecture, did some big cases, but was later kicked out."

"I heard he later joined the Qingyi Gang to make a living, but his reputation was too bad and he had too many enemies, so he didn't dare reveal his identity even in the Qingyi Gang. But since he knows soul-calling and is so skilled at it, I think that's probably him."

"He's calling these souls to break one of my spells."

"And when they call souls, they can only call up to ten a night. If he only called eight, it's not because he's kind-hearted and let the other two go."

"There's only one possibility, they've already called enough."

"So, I know what my senior brother's plan is. They'll definitely go up the mountain tomorrow."

"..."

"It's good that you can analyze the information."

When Hu Ma was with Old Monkey, although he was being passive, he would occasionally ask questions to try and figure out their schedule, so he could tell Di Gua Shao.

He didn't expect that even though he didn't get any answers, Di Gua Shao guessed it from the number of souls they called.

He let out a low breath, then became slightly serious, and said to Di Gua Shao, "Tell me, are you familiar with this blind man? What are his weaknesses?"

"..."

Di Gua Shao laughed, "I'm not familiar with him, but his technique is a side branch that came out of our own sect, so I can tell you about it."

"What he's using is actually the basics of our sect, he hasn't learned it as deeply as me and senior brother. The name is Wuchang Juhun Shu (Impermanence Soul-Restraining Technique), which can call a person's soul to use for spells, but his method is far inferior."

"If you master it, you can secretly remember a person's name and birthday, or even just secretly sketch a portrait, burn three incense sticks at night, and you can invite Lord Impermanence to call the soul. Once a chain is locked around the neck, no amount of skill will be of any use."

"Even more powerful people can take one look at you and know your name and birthdate, and then use whatever trick they want on you..."

"But before that, there's something important... has he gotten your name and *bazi*?"

"..."

Hearing this, Hu Ma quickly shook his head, "He doesn't know."

Ever since he suffered in the Dayang Village, he had been extra careful when he went out.

Looking at it now... he needs to be even more careful in the future.

"That's much better then."

Di Gua Shao said, "Senior, although you're an old hand and definitely skilled, you must remember not to let these people know your name."

"In fact, from this moment on, you have to forget your own name."

"They might not be able to get your *bazi*, hair, or beard, let alone your essence and blood, but just knowing your name, there are already many tricks they can use to scheme against you."

"..."

"That evil?"

Hu Ma paused for a moment upon hearing this, and said, "Then what if it's an acquaintance, what do you do when facing someone from the Xinghun sect?"

"Heh heh, let me put it this way!"

Di Gua Shao said, "My senior brother and I still don't know our master's name. And although master is nominally an old retainer of the Qingyi Gang, he has always been a loner, living in seclusion. Even his best friends don't want my master to get within ten feet of them, and they don't want to eat at the same table."

"As for my senior brother, he was originally from a wealthy family, so Master and I knew his name from the beginning, but he was so scared that he changed his name three or four times in the last three or four years, and had his maids and servants call him by different names every day."

"As for me, I was a street urchin when I was picked up by Master. I actually remember my original name, but I say I don't remember, so Master gave me another name."

"But I never accepted it in my heart, so of course that can't be considered my real name."

"..."

Hu Ma found it a bit strange, "Do people in your sect all live so hard?"

Di Gua Shao smiled helplessly and said, "Because we know what methods can be used to harm others, we are of course careful of others using the same methods to harm us."

"Anyway, it's not just our sect, there are many different arts in Xinghun, you just have to pay attention at all times."

Immediately, the two discussed the specific plans for the next day. Hu Ma told him everything he saw and heard at the Lu family that day, even the clothing, appearance, expression, and words of the people around him, as well as their dialects, accents, and how they addressed each other, before he left.

When dawn broke, Hu Ma got out of bed. Before he could eat breakfast, he heard a commotion downstairs. Old Monkey had entered the inn, but his clothes were tattered, and he was immediately being chased away by the innkeeper and waiters.

He wasn't annoyed, just happily arguing with them.

When they pretended to hit him, he jumped out the door. When they turned back, he came back in, until he saw Hu Ma appear at the stairs, then he smiled and waved:

"Little brother, let's go eat steamed buns, I know a place where the steamed buns are big and white..."

"..."

The innkeeper and waiters were surprised to see that he knew Hu Ma, and didn't know what to do.

Hu Ma waved his hand, too lazy to joke with him. He used to enjoy hearing Second Master tell dirty jokes, but now hearing this old beggar tell dirty jokes just made him feel disgusted.

He walked out lazily and said to Old Monkey, "Old sir, with such great skills, how can you let them order you around?"

"It's so much fun..."

Old Monkey laughed, "Everyone looks down on me, so I won't feel any guilt when I want to harm someone."

Hu Ma glanced at him, but didn't say anything more.

What Old Monkey said about taking Hu Ma to eat big, white steamed buns actually meant going back to Qian Feng Teahouse.

Everyone he had seen yesterday was already there. The two men with sallow faces, the Zheng man who used flying knives, the Jianghu man in linen clothes, and the dull, honest-looking man who just smiled foolishly when he saw people were all there.

"Let's eat a big breakfast, and we'll set off after noon, to the Ma family ancestral hall."

When young master Lu saw Hu Ma come in, he said, "I imagine my junior sister is already waiting there. That girl is young, and has a decent appearance, but she's insidious, cunning, thick-skinned, and shameless. Other people have blood flowing in their bellies, but hers is full of harmful malice..."

"Although you are all veterans of the Jianghu, you must be wary, lest you fall for her tricks."

"..."

Everyone responded perfunctorily, wondering what kind of opponent this was. Hu Ma, however, was slightly startled when he heard "Junior Sister?"

You guys are too quick on the uptake. Yesterday, I only used the word "she", and you figured it out right away. I'll go back and change it, can't let new readers guess.

(End of chapter)