Night Watcher

Chapter 41: Night Watcher

Hu Ma blinked in surprise. "Night Watcher?"

"That's right. Not the 'staying up late' kind for New Year's, but someone from a specific trade."

The Erguotou brothers chuckled. "Night Watchers walk ghosts, deal with cursed souls... This world is full of strange things, and there are many who deal with them. Because their methods and customs differ, they've split into many different trades."

"The Night Watcher is one of them."

"..."

Hu Ma's mind cleared. No wonder Second Master's abilities were so different from the Old Woman's.

They belonged to different trades to begin with.

With a flicker of inspiration, he quickly asked, "Then, how does one enter this trade?"

"That's a more complicated topic," Erguotou said with a smile. "Brother, how many pillars of cultivation do you have now?"

"..."

"Pillars?"

Hu Ma hesitated for a moment, recalling that the Old Woman had asked him the same question. He quickly asked, "Are you referring to our life incense, or is this the world's way of talking about cultivation?"

"Both."

As Hu Ma worried, the Erguotou fellow, upon hearing this, simply chuckled and patiently explained, "In this world, everyone's cultivation is measured in pillars according to their innate disposition."

"If a person is healthy and free from disaster, living to twenty years old is when their disposition is at its peak. This level of ripeness is the ultimate, capable of driving away evil spirits and ghosts, making it difficult for malevolent entities to approach."

"In the eyes of insiders, this cultivation can be called one pillar."

"Three pillars is considered Jiazi cultivation."

"But we Reincarnators have it easier. Our Natal Spirit Temples reflect everything, directly showing our life incense. Having one pillar of incense means having one pillar of cultivation."

"If it's less than one pillar, then it's just called ripeness, not cultivation."

"If you want to enter the Night Watcher trade, you need at least one pillar of cultivation."

"..."

So that's how it is, Hu Ma finally understood.

Through eating the Blood Ganoderma daily, he already had more than one and a half pillars of cultivation, approaching two.

Come to think of it, this was actually unreasonable; it was too fast.

Furthermore, Erguotou said that one pillar of cultivation was enough to enter the Night Watcher trade, but the Old Woman had told him to wait until he had three pillars.

She must have considered his unique condition.

Understanding that he was different from others in many ways and needed an explanation, he deliberately sighed, "I don't even have half a pillar!"

"I seem to be different from you all. I remember things from my past life, and it wasn't that late, but I was frail and sickly since childhood, nearly dying several times."

"I was looked after by a Ghost Granny who walked ghosts, but because of my weak body, I couldn't learn her skills. In the end, I learned from an old miner and started a furnace, but due to my congenital deficiencies, my ripeness never grew."

"It wasn't until about half a year ago, when I accidentally ate Taisui, that my spirit temple opened. You are the first Reincarnator I've met..."

"..."

"You're a truly honest brother. Don't tell others so much about your background next time," Erguotou advised with a smile, not suspecting anything.

He figured that Hu Ma's situation, being summoned to this world, was quite extraordinary even among the explosive group of Reincarnators.

"Hmm?" Hu Ma asked, following his advice, "Why?"

"It's best to be cautious!" Erguotou sighed. "My habits are different from that Miss White Wine. She's cautious to the extreme and completely avoids contact with Reincarnators. Although she saved my life before, I never even got to see what she looked like."

"I'm different. I'm cautious, but I don't need to be so paranoid. I just need to pay a bit more attention normally..."

"...Of course, this isn't to say you should learn from me."

He changed his tone, becoming a bit more serious. "The people in this world are very hostile towards us, and there are also many who possess great divine abilities and are actively trying to find us. It won't be good if they discover us."

"Therefore, Reincarnators should help each other, but we should also try our best to adhere to the principle of Reincarnators not meeting each other. If there's anything that needs to be communicated in reality, have a Ghost Envoy deliver it."

"This is actually the first time I'm meeting you, and I should have told you this, but I was too rushed back then."

"..."

"Reincarnators don't meet each other?"

Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly upon hearing his words.

He had a strange feeling that there were many people in this world who came from the same world as him, similar groups of people.

But they knew of each other's existence, could communicate, yet they were not supposed to meet...

"Yes."

Erguotou said, "Of course, it's just a principle. In a life-or-death situation, we can't afford to stick to it."

"Among the Reincarnators I know, quite a few have met each other, and even I have met a few..."

"...I'm just telling you this principle."

"..."

"If that's the case, then you should still pay attention to what needs attention..."

Hu Ma silently noted it down, then heard this old brother Erguotou continue, "Regarding the situation you described, it's not uncommon at all. Reincarnators come from the same world, the same era, but in this world, they are vastly different."

"Some are born into wealth and luxury, able to eat Blood Ganoderma as food, and have great people to escort and protect them..."

Hu Ma listened, feeling the description was somewhat familiar.

Erguotou also sighed, changing the subject, "But there are also those like you, born with insufficient vitality, without any nourishment, and living in the remote and sinister Old Yin Mountain. It's already extremely difficult to even understand your own situation, let alone anything else?"

"It's no wonder you first came into contact with the methods of the Night Watchers."

"But, I think those flesh-cutting workers, who rely solely on sealing their Yang energy to forcefully resist Evil Spirits and dig up a few coins from the earth, although it's the right path, they've ended up on the wrong path."

"Rather than calling them Night Watchers, it's more fitting to call them Human Candles..."

"..."

Hu Ma knew what he was saying was important and noted it down one by one. At this moment, he was slightly taken aback, "Human Candles?"

"Precisely."

Erguotou said, "Resisting Evil Spirits with one's Yang energy, each resistance weakens the Yang energy by a bit. If one learns some Yin methods, it's even equivalent to using one's own life to nourish those Evil Spirits."

"It's like a candle burning, the longer it burns, the shorter one's life becomes, hence they are called 'Human Candles'!"

"These kinds of people are not uncommon, and they are all pitiable..."

"..."

Hu Ma listened carefully and quickly asked, "This is what you call the wrong path, so what is the right path?"

"To cultivate further and become true Night Watchers."

Erguotou said, "Those Blood Food Gangs in the city, whether it's the Red Lantern Society, the Green Robe Gang, or the Basket Gate, anyone who makes a living by cutting Taisui, they all worship some Night Watchers."

"These people, who are constantly with Taisui, are light-bodied and healthy, blessed with longevity, precisely because they have mastered some special life-nurturing methods."

"Of course, we don't know if it's true, but I've heard that some powerful Night Watchers, relying on their cultivation, can even bring the dead back to life..."

"..."

Hu Ma listened, already inexplicably moved.

This must be why Old Woman insisted on continuing to learn this method?

His heart stirred slightly, and he lowered his voice, "This is indeed what I want to learn, but this path..."

Erguotou said, "If you really want to learn, then the first step is to get involved with the Blood Food Gang to have a chance."

Hu Ma quickly asked, "How can I join?"

He had heard of the existence of the Blood Food Gang, but the people in the village respected and feared them, as if they were some great figures, yet he had never heard of any child from a family being able to join the Blood Food Gang.

Erguotou pondered for a moment, "I can help you with this, but..."

"..."

"I saved your life, and you're still hesitating?"

Hu Ma felt a slight displeasure in his heart, but his voice was as usual, and he smiled, "But what?"

Erguotou sighed, "It's just that this matter is too simple, and it's not enough for me to repay your life-saving grace..."

This guy is truly a kind person. It's great that he can help me, and he's even considering the magnitude of this favor?

"Don't underestimate the word 'favor'."

Hu Ma was truly surprised, but this old brother Erguotou smiled and explained, "Among us Reincarnators, the most precious currency is favor!"

"You need to understand that among us Reincarnators, there are no constraints, and we dare not have real-life friendships. Even helping each other is just a group of pitiful souls huddling together for warmth."

"However, everyone is struggling to survive, and we can't put all our energy into others. But we can never guarantee that we won't need others to save our lives at some point. Therefore, over the years, we have found that what we cherish most is favor."

"For me, you saved my life, that's a huge favor."

"Whether I arrange for you to join the Red Lantern Society or help you solve a small problem, it doesn't even count as a gesture. To be honest, the way I can repay this favor should be to directly give you this method..."

"...and I'll even add two pounds of Blood Ganoderma!"

"..."

Hu Ma was suddenly somewhat astonished by this statement.

At one moment, he felt that using favor as currency was somewhat whimsical, and at another moment, he felt that it should be this way.

And this indeed explained why Miss White Wine insisted on repaying him with three pieces of information back then.

Was she also afraid of unintentionally owing him a favor?

"To you, it was just casually passing along a message that saved my life, but to me, it was an immense favor."

Erguotou said this and then turned serious, addressing Hu Ma, "If I brushed this off with you, I fear my favors would be worthless when I encounter other Reincarnators in the future."

"So, brother, you don't need to be polite with me. Since you want to learn the ways of the Night Watchers, I'll help you find an opportunity..."

"Besides this, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask me on the Zero Day."

"..."

Hu Ma finally understood upon hearing this and quickly thanked him.

The connection was made using life incense, so the two did not engage in idle chatter. After a brief conversation, they each withdrew.