Lord Tai Sui

Second Master's skills are truly impressive...

Not only did this group of young boys listen with eyes full of admiration, but even Hu Ma was taken aback.

He didn't know if this unremarkable-looking Second Master had truly experienced such powerful things and performed so well in his youth, but he could tell from the attitudes of Second Master and the boys that the people in this world had a different view of ghosts, spirits, and Evil Spirits.

Not everyone was as terrified as he had previously thought; they actually held such a dismissive attitude...

Of course, it's also possible they were just bragging!

But he had to admit, hearing it casually, the Evil Spirits didn't seem so scary anymore!

If he could truly learn skills like Second Master's, and then encountered any Upright Sheep, Beauty Snakes...

...he would definitely not be as formidable as Second Master.

However, did Old Woman send him here now just so he could learn Second Master's skills?

"Enough talk, before the sun sets, run twenty li around the area first."

At this moment, Second Master, having used Hu Ma as an example to lecture the boys, stopped wasting words and directly gave the order:

"If you're not back in half an hour, you'll each have to lift fifty stone weights."

"..."

"Mountain roads? Twenty li?"

Hu Ma was genuinely startled by the intensity of the training.

He wondered if it was an exaggeration, but to his surprise, all the boys actually rolled up their pant legs, and some even kicked off their straw sandals. Barefoot, they ran out of the neat courtyard with grunts of effort.

They ran along the undulating, well-trodden mountain paths around the estate.

It seemed like they were accustomed to such activities.

They were actually running, and some were laughing and playing, chasing each other, looking very relaxed.

Hu Ma, after following for a few li, was completely stunned:

"What kind of hellish stamina is this?"

"..."

From the very beginning of the run, this group of boys, all around the same age, ran with what felt like a sprint.

Their speed never dropped throughout the entire process; they even accelerated several times.

Although he had been recuperating well recently and could keep up at first, after one lap around the estate, he started panting heavily, drenched in sweat, his legs feeling weak and sore. But they seemed unfazed, with some even shouting and cheering as they ran.

Within a few minutes, there was no one in front of Hu Ma.

Another five or six minutes later, Hu Ma heard sounds of laughter and playful chasing coming from behind him, rapidly approaching.

Some even turned their heads to stick out their tongues and make faces at him...

"We're not even on the same level!"

Hu Ma's heart gradually sank into despair due to this disparity...

His body was already very weak, and not long ago he had been hung up by an iron hook, losing who knows how much blood.

Although he had recovered quickly after eating meat and resting, he was still so thin he looked like he'd fall over in a strong wind.

Compared to these energetic boys, he was still like a convalescent, how could he keep up with them?

But then he remembered that this was his first day, and Old Woman had told him to learn skills from Second Master.

This might be Second Master's test, so he gritted his teeth and persevered.

After all, in such a bizarre world, strengthening his body would be useful, right?

At the very least, if he encountered something strange, he could run faster than others.

Thinking this, he ignored the boys who had lapped him multiple times and just gritted his teeth to endure.

To his surprise, he actually managed to complete the twenty li mountain road, something he hadn't even dared to imagine.

Just as his body was pushed to its absolute limit and he was about to faint, a warm surge of energy seemed to rise from within him, supporting his body that was on the verge of collapse and allowing him to maintain his speed.

Steam rose from his head, and sweat soaked through his clothes layer after layer.

When Second Master's voice called out from the mountain, "That's enough, come back," Hu Ma finally ran back into the estate.

He leaned against the wooden fence, panting heavily.

For a moment, he felt a sense of disbelief: "I actually ran twenty li on mountain roads?"

"Not bad, only got lapped three times."

The group of boys had already returned to the estate, their sweat having dried.

They looked at Hu Ma with a hint of surprise.

It was obvious that this group of energetic youths initially looked down on Hu Ma's scrawny physique.

Hu Ma's pampered upbringing in his previous life also gave these youths a generally poor impression of him.

The excuse of going for a mountain run was actually just to give him a hard time and embarrass him.

But the result was that they were indeed faster than Hu Ma, and they did manage to lap him, and lap him quite a bit.

However, Hu Ma surprisingly managed to endure it, and his performance was even better than when they first started up the mountain.

This performance also lessened their contempt for Hu Ma considerably.

"I didn't realize you had such a good foundation..."

Second Master was clearly a bit surprised. He called Hu Ma over and squeezed his shoulders and legs.

He happened to touch the wound on Hu Ma's shoulder, and Hu Ma instinctively flinched.

Second Master then noticed two egg-sized, scabbed-over bloody holes on Hu Ma's shoulders, and his expression became even more astonished.

Such serious wounds clearly indicated he had suffered a severe injury before, and it hadn't fully healed yet.

After a moment of thought, he asked in a low voice, "Do you usually eat Mountain Meat?"

"Mountain Meat?"

Hu Ma was a little confused and explained, "Old Woman gives me meat every day, but it seems to be the meat of some Lord Tai Sui."

"That makes sense then."

Second Master sighed deeply and said, "Old Woman is truly good to you."

"At most, in all the villages within ten miles, there isn't anyone who can eat Taisui every day as if it were a meal!"

"..."

"It's not just eating Taisui as a meal, it's Blood Ganoderma..."

Hu Ma thought to himself, but he mustered his courage and tentatively asked the old man in front of him, "Second Master..."

"What exactly are the Taisui and Mountain Meat you speak of?"

"..."

"Huh?"

Second Master was stunned for a moment, looking at Hu Ma with a strange expression:

"Old Woman just said you don't remember much, but you seem to have forgotten quite a lot. You forgot about Mountain Meat?"

"..."

"I..."

Hu Ma didn't dare to ask many questions around Old Woman, as if asking would reveal his secret.

Although he had only just met this Second Master, he felt more relaxed around him than he had around Old Woman for the past ten days. As for the reason...

...Perhaps perverts always give a sense of security?

He decided to ask directly, "After I woke up, my mind was blank. I don't remember much about the past."

"I've always heard you talk about Mountain Meat and Lord Tai Sui, but what are they exactly?"

"..."

"Hah..."

Second Master seemed stumped by this topic. The youths nearby also exchanged glances when they heard this.

Second Master pondered for a moment, then chuckled wryly. He tossed the last bit of his cigarette butt aside, stood up, and said with a smile, "Never mind then. You all sit tight. Second Master will take little Hu Ma to go see Lord Tai Sui..."

"Now?"

Seeing Second Master turn to leave, Hu Ma's heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

It was already late, and the sky was dim. The surrounding deep mountains and old forests were already shrouded in darkness.

He recalled how Old Woman had to be cautious when leading him through the woods during the day, for fear of encountering something.

Now it was night, when Evil Spirits were more active, and yet he was taking him out?

But Second Master offered no explanation and gave Hu Ma no time to overthink. He simply strode out the door, then reached out and lifted Hu Ma, seemingly effortlessly, and tossed him onto his shoulder. He then strode out of the village.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, with long limbs. Though he was walking, it was like a sprint. He strode into the woods.

Whoosh...

Within the woods, countless shadowy figures, like startled birds, scattered in all directions.

Hu Ma, hanging on Second Master's neck, felt his body temperature slightly rise. The eerie atmosphere around them dissipated at his touch.

He had encountered many Evil Spirits on his way here, but now, following Second Master, he hadn't met a single one.

When they finally passed through the woods and the view suddenly opened up, he stopped abruptly, his breathing steady and his face unruffled.

His voice was deep and powerful as he said slowly, "See it?"

"That is the meat mountain, also known as Lord Tai Sui in the village..."

"..."

Hu Ma looked up and saw a scene he would never forget in his life.

In the dim light of the setting sun, he saw a mark like a wound on the earth on the flat ground ahead.

It was like a rift that had split the world open, just lying there abruptly across the land.

And within this rift, there was a bloody, swollen, and fat mass, squeezing out from the crack.

Faintly, it seemed he could still feel its breath.

"In our village, it's called Taisui, but people in the city call it Blood Food."

Before this colossal, shocking entity, Second Master's voice sounded distant, and he sighed heavily:

"The elders say that Lord Tai Sui has been growing here for hundreds of years."

"Cut it, and it grows back. Cut it again, and it grows back..."

"The Mountain Meat you ate was cut off piece by piece by the Old Woman while fending off the harassment of these Evil Spirits!"