"Oh! What was that..."
The villagers had all been focused on the lean man, but the sudden commotion in the corner of the room startled them.
They all stepped back, bewildered.
Hu Ma hurried forward and picked up the saber from the ground. A smear of blood and a few yellow hairs clung to it, though he couldn't tell what they belonged to.
"What are you thinking?"
The Old Shopkeeper got to his feet and glanced at Xu Ji, looking rather displeased.
When he'd called out "the east corner," he'd been speaking to Xu Ji, expecting him to help deal with the Evil Spirit.
He hadn't expected Xu Ji to fail to catch on, while Hu Ma had been the one to throw the saber.
Xu Ji knew he'd done poorly just now. He was both embarrassed and ashamed, and felt he'd been left in an awkward position.
"Master!"
Hu Ma walked over and showed the Old Shopkeeper the blood and hairs on the blade.
The Old Shopkeeper pinched a few hairs and rubbed them between his fingers. "Sure enough, a whole den of immortals has come."
"You did well."
"..."
Hu Ma froze for a moment before realizing he was being praised.
"All right, this man will be fine."
The Old Shopkeeper turned to the villagers, who were still staring blankly. "He was merely struck by an immortal. It's nothing serious. Take him home. Get him examined and have his injuries treated."
"But don't let him work in the fields for the next two or three days. On sunny days, carry him out into the yard to soak up the sun... And you don't need to give me the offering money for the Red Lantern Goddess. Just settle the whole amount with your village head."
Only then did the