"Buying a life?"
Yang Gong and Steward Xu, standing beside him, were both startled, clearly not accustomed to such matters.
"It's a method used by the Xinghun Gate."
The old man in blue released Hu Ma's wrist, examining him carefully. "They cast spells on certain objects and drop them on the ground. Whoever picks them up has their life bought. Some great evil spirits or yin creatures wanting to marry will also use this method."
"But what this kid has is not a simple life-buying trick; he encountered an expert."
"These people refine ordinary paper money using secret methods, giving it the power to buy lives. When fighting, they scatter the paper money at their opponent. If the paper money hits their head, their life is bought. This kid…"
"…You've probably eaten blood spirit pills before, right? Exceeded one pillar of cultivation?"
"…"
Hu Ma knew what he was referring to and quickly replied, "Yes, I performed a service for the association earlier, and the Lady rewarded me with three blood spirit pills."
"I ate them, and my cultivation broke through, but now…"
"…"
"It's fortunate that your cultivation broke through one pillar, or you wouldn't have saved your life."
The old man in blue said, "Otherwise, your life would have been completely bought away."
"Ah?"
Steward Xu and Yang Gong looked flustered.
Hu Ma also pretended to be flustered, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew his own situation best and was only afraid of not being able to hide it from the association's experts.
Now, hearing what the old man said, his worries dissipated. It seemed dangerous, but in reality, as long as he kept up with the blood spirit pills, his cultivation would quickly return, and there wouldn't be any other effects.
However, he understood, while Steward Xu and the others didn't. He quickly asked the old man, "What do we do?"
The old man in blue wore a solemn expression and sighed softly. "There's no way around it. His life has been bought by the paper money, and a hole has been opened at his Tianmen (crown of the head), attracting wandering souls and wild ghosts. I must seal this hole for him, but this is not an easy task…"
"…I can only use my ancestral plaster."
"…Old Xu, I'm only doing this for your sake. Three blood spirit pills, and I'll be at a loss if you give me one less."
"…"
"Ah?"
Upon hearing this, the three present were a mixture of shock, joy, and bewilderment.
Steward Xu was shocked, suddenly hearing that the old man in blue wanted three blood spirit pills, he was already frightened.
Yang Gong was joyful, finally there was a way to save Hu Ma.
But Hu Ma was dumbfounded, because… this old man was just spouting nonsense!
This paper money buying lives, only works for that moment, and then it's over.
So, the old man was right in saying that he was lucky to have deep cultivation and didn't lose his life. If someone with less than one pillar of cultivation came, these three paper money would indeed buy their life, their cultivation would be emptied, and they would die.
But the key is, if it's not completely bought, then there's no follow-up, there's no such thing as a hole being opened.
This old man is talking nonsense, is he… promoting his plaster?
"The plaster, quickly bring it…"
At this time, Yang Gong couldn't help but say, "Isn't it just three blood spirit pills? I'll give them."
"No, no…"
Hu Ma quickly said, "Three blood spirit pills, that's… that's too expensive, right?"
"Expensive?"
Steward Xu and Yang Gong, along with the old man in blue, simultaneously looked at Hu Ma with serious expressions, "It's a matter of saving a life, and you're saying it's expensive!"
Hu Ma was immediately embarrassed, wanting to say something but unable to, he had to say, "I can't afford it…"
"What time is it to be joking around here!"
Yang Gong said, "We're brothers, why would I want you to pay me back?"
Hearing this, Hu Ma was moved, but he felt a little uncomfortable, so he turned his eyes to the old man in blue and said, "Old sir, can you make it a little cheaper…"
"Forget it, I'll give Hong Xiang Yang Shixiong (Senior Brother) some face and only ask for two from you."
The old man in blue waved his hand and said, "Sit down first, I'll go get the plaster, heat it over the fire, and stick it on his forehead to seal his Tianmen, then his life won't be bought away."
"…"
At this moment, the scene was two happy and one annoyed.
Happy were Steward Xu and Yang Gong, one happy that he didn't have to spend his blood spirit pills, and the other happy that Hu Ma could be saved.
Annoyed was Hu Ma, this old man was really bluffing…
It's not good to have too many secrets in one's heart, when you meet a swindler, you're angry, but you can't say it.
Although he knew what was going on, he couldn't say anything. After all, theoretically, he shouldn't understand these things now, and he could only pretend to be ignorant, letting the old man in blue spout nonsense and swindle two blood spirit pills from his brother…
Later, when this plaster is stuck on his forehead, is it sealing the Tianmen?
It's a sucker!
…Hu Ma quickly stuck the plaster on his forehead.
He couldn't not stick it on, the old man was chanting spells and making gestures at him, looking really dedicated.
According to what he said, this was violating the decision of the ancestral master, taking out his own good things to save an outsider's life…
"I've remembered you."
Hu Ma could only think to himself, he hadn't suffered such a big loss since his rebirth, you're the first.
"That's good…"
Yang Gong and Steward Xu, seeing the plaster stuck on Hu Ma's forehead, finally felt relieved.
Especially Yang Gong, not realizing that he had been a sucker, had a happy look on his face.
"Aiya…"
But before they could speak, they heard a scream in the courtyard, followed by a voice saying, "It's him, it's really him."
"My goodness, he's here…"
"Brother-in-law, quick, go call my brother-in-law, he's really here…"
"…"
The people talking in the house were startled by the sound, and turned to look, seeing a man in a blue shirt, he had a stubble, as if he hadn't slept for days and nights.
At this time, his eyes were full of joy, staring at Hu Ma, almost dancing with his hands and feet, it was none other than Sun Niuzi, who had run to the Qing Shi Town manor to practice, but was caught as a conscript.
Hu Ma frowned and said, "What's going on, he seems pretty happy?"
Yang Gong grimly drew his knife with a swoosh, and said, "I'll dig it out and see if he's really happy."
"Ah?"
Sun Niuzi was most afraid of Yang Gong, and ran away crawling.
Even Steward Xu hurriedly pulled Yang Gong, and shook his head, "No one can touch him now."
Saying that, he turned to look at Hu Ma, seeming to hesitate, he wanted to say that Hu Ma came back at the wrong time, but when he thought of Hu Ma's injury just now, he couldn't say it, because he was hit by that evil art, if he didn't come back, wouldn't he have to die outside?
"Cough, there will be annoying people coming later, I'll go back first, you guys talk."
The old man in blue saw it, and hurriedly picked up the remaining plaster, waved his hand at them, and left.
For a moment, only Hu Ma, Yang Gong, and Steward Xu were left in the room, it was quiet.
Yang Gong frowned and said to Steward Xu, "The person has already been decided, right? Can't be changed, right?"
Steward Xu frowned, seemingly unsure.
Hu Ma knew what was going on, but he pretended to be puzzled, and said, "What are you talking about?"
Steward Xu looked at Hu Ma, sighed softly, and said, "I wanted to tell you just now, you going out before was actually a good thing…"
"Although, your position as shopkeeper was taken, but you happened to avoid a disaster, and even secretly said that you're a lucky one, I didn't expect you to come back after a circle, didn't you see the current situation?"
"It's the most unstable time in the association!"
"…"
Hu Ma slightly concentrated his mind, and said, "I heard some things on the way back."
"Our Red Lantern Lady is fighting with someone?"
"…"
"It's not the Red Lantern Lady fighting with someone…"
Steward Xu glanced at Yang Gong, and then lowered his voice and said, "It's the Red Lantern Association fighting with the Qingyi Gang, one gang sends out ten people, one fight every day, it's been seven days now."
"Our Lady only won three fights, but the Qingyi Gang won four, now everyone in the association is panicked…"
Hu Ma was shocked, and hurriedly said, "How could this be?"
"I also heard Jianghu (martial world) people mention the fighting on the road, but everyone said that the Qingyi Gang is far worse than us, where did they get such great ability?"
"…"
"Because the Qingyi Gang has gone crazy."
Steward Xu said, "I see that gang of evil ghost worshippers, they've taken out all their wealth in order to win this battle."
"Moreover, they issued this challenge, our association can't not accept it, in this way, they also have more time to prepare than us, and came up with some insidious tricks, and invited many capable people."
"But paying such a big price, even if they win, the blood spirit pills for the next two or three years will have to be filled in."
"…"
"The key is yesterday's fight."
Yang Gong said, "We should have won, but I really didn't expect to be tricked by the other side, and lost a fight."
Hu Ma became serious and said, "Tell me, I only know about the fighting, but I don't know the specifics."
Yang Gong and Steward Xu looked at each other, and Steward Xu told it.
Hu Ma listened carefully, although he already knew something from Erguotou, but after understanding the details, he was also shocked.
"The Qingyi Red Lantern fighting, in fact, is the fighting between two blood spirit gangs."
What Steward Xu said was not much different from what Erguotou said, but Erguotou was more straightforward when he spoke:
"What is the blood spirit gang fighting for?"
"It's the shopkeepers, the offerings."
"Don't look at the great reputation of the Red Lantern Lady and the Qingyi Evil Ghost, the blood spirit gangs are also named after them, but they are actually just watching these two blood spirit gangs for the people above, the real body of the blood spirit gang is these shopkeepers, offerings, and the disciples who eat blood spirit pills."
"So, this fighting is not two gangs of people taking knives and fighting, but to show their skills one by one."
"When it really comes to fighting, it's the Hongxiang disciples who go up."
"And this time the fighting is like this, the Qingyi Gang sent a challenge to the Red Lantern Association, to show their skills and determine the ownership of several large blood spirit mines, because the ancestors on both sides have reasons to not lose, so both sides have made a big investment."
"Our Red Lantern Association, has a short preparation time, and the people who come out are selected by the shopkeepers in each village."
"The Qingyi Gang, sends out the offerings they invited from all over the place."
"We suffered a loss this time, because of this."
Chapter End