Blood Tai Sui...
I've been eating this for so long, and it's actually the Blood Tai Sui that old fellow mentioned? Isn't this thing supposed to be exceedingly rare, something ordinary people wouldn't even dream of? And I've been eating it like a regular meal? Is this village too wealthy, or is my Granny secretly an incredibly rich woman? I suddenly felt a strong curiosity about this extremely precious Blood Tai Sui. What is its purpose if consumed? Why haven't I felt much change in my body? ...Though my wounds do seem to heal a bit faster than usual.
Despite the shock in his heart, Hu Ma had to suppress the astonishment on his face. In theory, he was still in a state where he couldn't remember things clearly, so he shouldn't know how precious Blood Tai Sui was.
He just lowered his head, trying hard to control his slightly trembling hands, and helped Granny wrap up the bundle. This included the two roosters beside him, their legs now tied with twine.
Feigning nonchalance, he just said, "Oh." Then he quickly changed the subject. "Granny, after packing these things, where are we going?"
"Taking you out to find a Master and learn some skills."
Granny, without looking at Hu Ma, slowly said, "Since the ancestors in the village don't acknowledge you, we'll have to find another way to help you avoid evil spirits."
"Learn skills?" Hu Ma finally understood. Granny was preparing these things as apprenticeship gifts. He took this opportunity to shift his focus.
He couldn't think too much about the Blood Tai Sui matter, fearing the shock on his face would be noticed by Granny. Previously, after returning unsuccessfully from the old fire pit and rejecting the arranged ghost marriage, Granny had been very worried about his condition. Besides using that Tai Sui meat daily—the best Blood Tai Sui—to stabilize him, she seemed to have been constantly thinking of other methods. Now, the Master she was taking him to must be her third approach. But who was this Master she was taking him to? Speaking of skills, in this bizarre world, she herself seemed quite adept. Could there really be someone even more powerful here? However, despite his many doubts, he didn't ask a single question. He had long ago formulated a survival rule for himself in this world, especially when by Granny's side: ask less, inquire less; when something happens, observe more and ponder more. After all, in this world where he could barely take a step on his own, what other choice did he have?
All he could do was behave obediently. He changed his clothes and supported Granny as they walked out cautiously, one foot carefully placed after the other.
He noticed the direction they were taking. Surprisingly, they weren't heading into the village but were walking away from it, step by step.
Not someone from the village?
Upon reaching the edge of the village, Hu Ma felt slightly surprised.
She's really taking me out of the village? Since waking up, Hu Ma had learned that there were far more evil spirits outside the village than inside. This was also his first time leaving the village since arriving in this world. Glancing at the towering, giant trees and the deeply mysterious scenery from afar, his heart quivered slightly. He wondered how many evil spirits like the upright sheep and white-faced monkeys were hiding in this deep forest... Then, thinking again, sticking close to Granny and Little Hongtang should be fine, right?
Once outside the village, they saw a narrow path, trodden by many feet, leading into a forest overgrown with tall, imposing trees. The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if not even a bird's call could be heard. The forest was too deep, too dense.
It's unknown what this world has gone through, but now the deep mountains were astonishingly lush, almost suffocatingly so.
Even though it was high noon, the forest was dark and oppressive. The dense wild grass underfoot almost completely hid the narrow path worn by countless feet. The slender, winding branches on either side intertwined and crossed. As they passed, these branches seemed to have a life of their own, silently stretching out, stealthily creeping onto his shoulders, and coiling around his legs. Yet, when he turned to look, the things on either side appeared perfectly normal.
He could only suppress the faint unease in his heart, closely following Granny, inch by inch deeper into the forest.
As they ventured deeper, the trees around them seemed to grow denser. Countless branches and vines intertwined before them, making it feel as though they were walking into a thicket of thorns.
In the dense forest, it always felt as if something was watching them.
"Stop for a moment."
At this moment, Granny, walking in front, suddenly came to a halt and muttered.
Hu Ma immediately stood still, holding his breath. A quick glance to the sides filled his heart with sudden terror. He realized that, without him noticing, their position had become surrounded by scattered branches, so densely packed they nearly enveloped both him and Granny. But looking forward or backward, the trodden path was clear, without such dense branches.
Are these branches alive? A chill ran down Hu Ma's spine. They had entangled him and Granny, growing tighter and tighter without him realizing. What were they trying to do?
"This is my little grandson. Everyone, get to know him so you don't mistakenly harm one of your own in the future," Granny suddenly spoke coldly. Then, the cane she held struck heavily on the ground.
WHOOSH! A gust of eerie wind swept through.
The closely entangled branches around Hu Ma and Granny were cut as if by an invisible scythe, falling to the ground with a RUSTLE. Vaguely, a sound like something crying out in pain could be heard, mixed with a sort of miserable groan. Whether it was an illusion or not, after this gust of wind, the surrounding branches swayed as if frightened, retreating to the sides. The path before Hu Ma and Granny was noticeably wider.
Amazing... Hu Ma felt his scalp tingle. He wasn't sure if he was marveling at Granny's sudden display of power with her cane or frightened by the seemingly living forest. Previously, he had heard about the dangers outside the village, but he hadn't realized just how many there were. Luckily, he hadn't actually escaped the village before, and fortunately, this time, he was with Granny. In such a world, Hu Ma's rationality and disbelief in ghostly gods from his previous life were completely gone. He dared not speak loudly, only silently following beside Granny, treading carefully through the mysterious and dark forest, afraid to touch anything. This world commanded his respect, especially since even Granny seemed extremely cautious. Aside from the sinister branches and trees, the forest was filled with all sorts of strange things.
There was a small puddle of water that looked perfectly ordinary on the surface. When it appeared on the path before them, Granny frowned and led Hu Ma on a detour. But before long, they encountered the identical puddle again. When they detoured once more, the stubborn puddle reappeared.
Granny sighed helplessly, then asked Hu Ma to hand over one of the live chickens he was carrying. She sliced the chicken's throat open with her nail. She tossed it, flapping, into the puddle and told Hu Ma to turn away and not look at what happened inside.
Before long, a strange chewing sound arose from behind him.
A few minutes later, Granny said, "You can turn around now!"
When Hu Ma turned back, he saw that the small puddle had disappeared. Only then did they continue along the now clear path.
Similarly, when passing a tree stump that looked as if it had been struck by lightning, Granny also stopped. She had Hu Ma bow respectfully to the stump, then walk fifteen paces ahead and wait for her. She stayed behind, muttering as if communicating with the stump.
Are there so many bizarre things? Hu Ma found it hard to comprehend these strange phenomena, feeling both spooked and slightly intrigued.
He couldn't help but ask Little Hongtang beside him, "How do people from our village dare to come out usually?"
Little Hongtang, who also seemed very cautious after entering this forest, wasn't talking much. When Hu Ma asked, she poked her small head out from behind a nearby tree and said, "Others don't encounter this much. Their yang qi is strong, and they carry ashes from the fire pit."
"Brother Huma is more 'fragrant,' different from others."
"..."
"?"
Hu Ma's heart quivered, and he couldn't help but ask, "Granny has such great skills, can't she drive them away?"
"Granny is a Ghost Walker."
Little Hongtang said, "Ghost Walkers don't usually drive away evil spirits; they only attract them."
"Ghost Walker?"
Hu Ma silently wondered, "Is that a kind of identity or the name of a skill?"
Seeing Granny not far away still conversing with the lightning-struck stump, he took the chance to ask, "Do you know which Master Granny is taking me to?"
"..."
"Heading south after leaving the forest..."
Little Hongtang pondered and said, "Granny must be taking Brother Huma to find the Second Master!"
Hu Ma felt a stir in his heart. If this 'Second Master' lived outside the village, he must be quite capable.
Curiously, he asked, "Who's more skilled, this Second Master or Granny?"
"I don't know."
Little Hongtang replied truthfully, "Little Hongtang is close to Granny, but I'm afraid of the Second Master. Little Hongtang helped Granny deliver things to the Second Master once, but Little Hongtang didn't dare go inside. I just left it at the door and ran away."
"..."
Hu Ma silently thought, "If Little Hongtang is so scared, this person must be quite skilled... Suddenly, he felt a jolt. If Granny couldn't see through his problem, would someone more powerful be able to?"
"Let's go!"
At that moment, Granny finally returned. Looking ahead, she said, "Ran into an old friend, had a chat. Let's hurry! We'll be there in another One Incense's time."