Paying My Respects to a Master

Blood Ganoderma...

So the stuff he'd been eating all this time was the Blood Ganoderma that old fellow had mentioned?

Wasn't this supposed to be incredibly rare, something ordinary people couldn't even dream of getting their hands on? And he'd been eating it like a meal?

Was this village just that wealthy, or was his own Old Woman actually a secret tycoon?

His curiosity about this supposedly priceless Blood Ganoderma stirred within him.

What was it supposed to do?

He hadn't felt any particular changes in his body.

...Though his injuries did heal faster than usual.

Still, despite his shock, Hu Ma could only force himself to keep his expression steady. Technically, he was still in a state of not remembering anything, so he shouldn't know how precious the Blood Ganoderma was.

He merely lowered his head and tried to control his faintly trembling hands as he helped the Old Woman pack. She even tied the legs of the two roosters beside them with hemp rope so they could be carried along.

He gave an unbothered "Oh," then changed the subject. "Old Woman, where are we going with all this stuff?"

"I'm taking you out to pay your respects to a master. You can learn a few things."

The Old Woman didn't look at Hu Ma as she spoke slowly. "The village ancestors won't accept you, so we'll find another way to keep the Evil Spirits away from you."

"Learn a few things?"

Only then did Hu Ma understand. The Old Woman had prepared all this as a gift for the master.

He took the opportunity to redirect his thoughts.

He couldn't dwell on the Blood Ganoderma. He was afraid the Old Woman would see the shock on his face.

Ever since he'd returned in failure from the Old Fire Pit and rejected the Ghost Marriage, the Old Woman had been worried about him. Apart from using that Tai Sui Meat every day...and the best kind, Blood Ganoderma...to keep his condition stable, she seemed to have been looking for other solutions, too.

So the master she was taking him to meet must be the third method she'd come up with.

But what sort of master did she intend to take him to?

As far as skill went, the Old Woman herself seemed quite capable in this strange world.

Could there really be someone even more powerful than her?

Though he was full of questions, he didn't ask a thing.

He'd already worked out a set of rules for surviving in this world, at the Old Woman's side: ask little, pry little, and when something happened, watch closely and think it over. After all, he could barely take a step in this world as things stood. What other choice did he have?

He could only behave himself, change into fresh clothes, and support the Old Woman as they made their way out, stumbling over the uneven ground.

Judging by their direction, they weren't heading into the village. They were walking step by step toward its outskirts.

"Not someone from the village?"

By the time they reached the edge of the village, Hu Ma was already a little surprised.

Was she really taking him outside?

He'd been awake for quite a while now, and had learned that there were far more Evil Spirits beyond the village than within it.

This was still his first time leaving the village since arriving in this world.

He gazed at the towering trees in the distance and the shadowy scenery. A faint shiver ran through him.

Who knew how many Evil Spirits like the Upright Sheep and the White-faced Monkey were lurking in this deep forest...

But then again, he was with the Old Woman, and Xiao Hong Tang was here too. He should be fine, right?

Outside the village, a narrow footpath led into the overgrown, towering forest, worn into the earth by countless footsteps.

All around them was silence. He couldn't even hear birdsong.

The forest was too deep, too dense.

He didn't know what had happened to this world, but the forests in these remote mountains had grown so thick it was almost suffocating.

It was broad daylight, yet the forest was dark and oppressive.

Dense wild grass covered the ground, almost swallowing the narrow path that countless people had walked.

On both sides, slender, winding branches tangled together. As they passed, the branches seemed alive, stretching soundlessly toward them, creeping over his shoulders and curling around his legs.

But when he turned to look, there was nothing unusual about either side.

He could only suppress the unease rising in his heart and keep close behind the Old Woman, venturing deeper into the forest, step by step.

The farther they went, the denser the trees seemed to become.

Branches and vines tangled in front of them, making it feel as though they were walking into a thicket of thorns.

Deep in the densely packed forest, he could always feel something watching him.

"Stop here."

Just then, the Old Woman, walking ahead of him, suddenly halted and spoke quietly.

Hu Ma immediately stood still, barely daring to breathe.

A glance from the corner of his eye made his heart leap. Without realizing it, they'd ended up surrounded by a tangle of scattered branches. They were packed so tightly that they had almost wrapped around both him and the Old Woman.

But when he looked ahead or behind, the footpath remained as clear as ever. There were no branches blocking it.

"Are these branches alive?"

A chill ran through Hu Ma. They'd wound around him and the Old Woman, tightening little by little without either of them noticing. What were they trying to do?

"This is my little grandson. Take a good look at him, so we don't end up with the Great Flood washing over the Dragon King's Temple."

As he was thinking this, the Old Woman suddenly spoke in a cold voice. Then she planted her walking stick hard against the ground.

With a rustle, a gust of sinister wind swept past.

The slender branches entwined around Hu Ma and the Old Woman seemed to have been sliced by an invisible sickle. They came tumbling down all around them.

A faint, pained sound rang out, like a miserable moan.

Perhaps it was only his imagination, but after the gust of wind, the branches around them swayed as if frightened, then retreated to either side.

The path ahead of Hu Ma and the Old Woman had clearly widened.

"So powerful..."

Hu Ma felt his scalp tingle.

He didn't know whether he was amazed by the Old Woman's sudden, commanding strike with her walking stick, or terrified that the forest really seemed to be alive.

He'd heard that it was dangerous outside the village, but he hadn't realized there were so many dangers.

Thank goodness he hadn't actually escaped the village back then. And thank goodness he was with the Old Woman this time.

In a world like this, the rationality and godless worldview he'd held in his previous life had already vanished without a trace. He didn't dare speak loudly. He could only follow quietly beside the Old Woman, venturing deeper into the shadowy forest with utmost care, afraid to touch anything.

This world filled him with awe. Even the Old Woman seemed to be cautious.

Besides those sinister branches and trees, the forest was full of all kinds of strange things.

There was a little puddle that looked perfectly ordinary. When it appeared in front of them on the path, the Old Woman frowned and led Hu Ma around it. But after they'd gone a short way, they saw the same little puddle again, exactly as before.

They went around it a second time, but the stubborn little puddle appeared once more.

The Old Woman sighed helplessly and told Hu Ma to hand over the live chicken he was carrying.

She drew a fingernail across the chicken's neck, cutting its windpipe.

Then she tossed it into the puddle, and told Hu Ma to turn around and not look at what happened inside.

Before long, a strange chewing sound came from behind them.

A few minutes later, the Old Woman said, "You can turn around now!"

Hu Ma turned and saw that the puddle had disappeared. Only then did they continue along the smooth path.

Later, when they passed a broken stump that looked as if it had been struck by lightning, the Old Woman stopped again.

She made Hu Ma bow toward the stump, then walk fifteen steps ahead and wait for her.

She stayed behind, muttering to herself, as if she were talking to the stump.

"There are so many bizarre things out here?"

Hu Ma couldn't make sense of the strange phenomena one after another. They frightened him a little, but he couldn't help feeling a trace of novelty, too.

He turned to Xiao Hong Tang and asked, "How do people from the village usually dare to come out here?"

Xiao Hong Tang seemed cautious in the forest as well, and she hadn't said much.

Only when she heard Hu Ma's question did she poke her little head out from behind a tree. "Other people don't run into so many things. They have plenty of Yang energy, and they carry ash from the Fire Pit."

"Brother Hu Ma smells better than everyone else. He's different."

"..."

"?"

Hu Ma's heart gave a little jolt. He couldn't help asking, "The Old Woman's so capable. Can't she drive them away?"

"The Old Woman's a Ghost Walker," Xiao Hong Tang said. "Ghost Walkers usually don't drive Evil Spirits away. They only lead them to them."

"Ghost Walker?"

Hu Ma thought silently, Is that a title, or the name of some kind of skill?

Seeing the Old Woman still chatting with the lightning-struck stump not far away, he took the opportunity to ask:

"Do you know which master the Old Woman's taking me to meet?"

"..."

"Once we're out of the forest, we'll head south..."

Xiao Hong Tang thought for a moment, then said, "The Old Woman must be taking Brother Hu Ma to see Second Master!"

Hu Ma's heart stirred. If Second Master lived outside the village, he must be quite capable.

Curious, he asked, "Which one's more capable, Second Master or the Old Woman?"

"I don't know."

Xiao Hong Tang answered honestly. "Xiao Hong Tang is close to the Old Woman, but she's afraid of Second Master."

"Xiao Hong Tang has delivered things from the Old Woman to Second Master before, but she didn't dare go inside. She threw them by the door and ran away."

"..."

Hu Ma thought silently, If even Xiao Hong Tang is so afraid of him, he must be quite capable...

...A sudden jolt of alarm went through him. The Old Woman hadn't noticed anything wrong with him, but if someone even more powerful took a look, would they figure it out?

"Let's go!"

At last, the Old Woman returned and looked ahead. "We've run into an old acquaintance. We chatted for a bit. Let's hurry along!"

"We'll be there in the time it takes to burn a stick of incense."