Hu Ma had almost lost all sense of time and space in the gloomy forest.
He didn't know how long he had wandered in the woods, but eventually, when he was drenched in sweat, he emerged from the forest. Looking up, he saw a small hill ahead, and beyond that was another, larger forest.
In the far distance, it seemed as if there was a massive, dark red, bloated creature squirming in the depths of the forest.
Was it just a trick of the eyes?
But when he averted his gaze to the hill, he noticed several low stone huts, and faintly saw figures moving around. He immediately glanced at Granny to confirm that this was indeed their destination.
He quickly perked up and hurried to catch up.
As he got closer, he realized it resembled a small farm. There were some vegetable patches nearby, a sizable flat area of compacted soil, and a millstone in the middle.
On the surrounding walls, weapon racks were sparsely arranged, displaying various weapons such as broadswords, spears, lotus hooks, and rope darts, along with a few heavy stone blocks.
At that moment, in front of a house, a tall old man was sitting on a bench.
Beside him lay a small teapot and a plate of dry tobacco.
In front of him were two rows of over a dozen shirtless boys in black pants, meticulously practicing their punches.
Is this a place for practicing martial arts? Hu Ma was somewhat surprised by what he saw, pondering to himself.
What amazed him even more was that he had already witnessed the endless dangers outside the village. If the old man possessed exceptional skills enabling him to live outside the village, that was one thing. But how could he also have a group of youngsters with him?
Weren't the village youngsters typically not allowed near the edges of the village?
Or perhaps the old man had some incredible skills that allowed the group to live outside without issues?
"Fighting skills are of no use to us, and they can't deal with the Meng family."
Granny seemed to have seen through Hu Ma's thoughts. She turned to advise him, "I've brought you here to learn another skill from Second Master. If you manage to learn it, those evil spirits won't dare approach you without the old fire pit's protection."
"Besides, staying by Second Master's side is safer than being with Granny."
"In a few days, I'll need to free up my hands to take care of some matters, and I'm worried that I might not be able to look after you."
...
"Huh?"
Hu Ma's thoughts raced. Is she going to leave me here?
Earlier, when he first woke up, his immediate priority was to escape from that house and away from the sinister Granny.
But the outcome was obvious. He found that staying by her side was the only way to feel slightly safe. Yet now, not long after getting used to being with her, he unexpectedly had the chance to leave?
Moreover, from what Granny implied, she wasn't taking him here for just a visit but to find someone to take care of him.
"Old Sis, did you really bring the child here?"
Just then, he heard a booming laughter, and it was the tall old man walking over.
Laughing as he approached, he glanced at Hu Ma. "Kid, why aren't you greeting him?"
"Call him Second Master," Granny said to Hu Ma, then turned to explain, "He was severely injured before. Although he's been saved, he doesn't remember much."
"Ah, those folks were quite ruthless."
Second Master frowned slightly at this, casting a glance at the vast surrounding forest.
He lowered his voice and said, "Is that entity still here?"
"The Meng Family always operates this way; they never give up until they succeed."
Granny shook her head. She took the bundle from Hu Ma's back and asked him to wait a distance away. Then she turned, handed it to Second Master, and said, "I injured that entity earlier but didn't capture it."
"Thinking about it, it should be recovering by now. If I don't get rid of it, I just can't feel at ease..."
...
Second Master hefted the bundle with one hand, weighed it slightly, and frowned, saying,
"Old Sis, you saved my life back in the day. Even without these things, I'd still take care of Little Hu Ma..."
...
"A debt is a debt."
Granny replied, "I brought my grandson to become an apprentice, not to ask for favors."
"I took him to the old fire pit, but our ancestors didn't recognize him. Now, he can only learn your skills."
...
"But I..."
Second Master furrowed his brow and lowered his voice, "Old Sis, I have no problem teaching Little Hu Ma."
"But not everyone can learn what I know..."
...
"He will learn it."
Granny, upon talking about this topic, became much sterner, quietly insisting, "He must learn your skills."
"Our Hu Family..."
She paused here, sounding somewhat disheartened, and sighed, "We have no other method."
Seeing this, Second Master couldn't say more and quickly assured her, "Rest assured, Old Sis, since he's family, I'll teach him wholeheartedly."
"But about that sinister entity sent by the Meng family, you see..."
...
He seemed eager to try, as if volunteering himself.
"That's our Hu Family's business."
But Granny interrupted Second Master, saying, "Outsiders getting involved would not follow the rules."
"Alright then!"
Second Master did not dwell on it, tucked the bundle under his arm, and said, "I won't stand on ceremony with you, Old Sis."
"Leave the child with me and don't worry. Go take care of your business. If you ever need me, just have Little Hongtang come and let me know."
...
Granny didn't linger for small talk. She only reminded Hu Ma of a few things: eat more meat, learn more skills from Second Master, be obedient, and not go down the mountain.
Then she had Hu Ma kneel in the dirt and kowtow three times to Second Master. When he stood up, Granny brushed the dust off his knees. She fished out a few small silver coins from her pocket, handed them to him, and then left.
Hu Ma held the silver coins, still warm from her, and watched in a daze as her hunched figure slowly descended the mountain.
Unexpectedly, he felt a surge of emotion.
He thought of the truth he was hiding and felt a pang of guilt.
...
"Oh dear, are you crying like a woman just because Granny left?"
Second Master noticed Hu Ma's sadness but misunderstood it, chuckling as he patted him on the head, saying,
"You can go home once you've mastered your skills, so what's there to cry about?"
...
With that, he led Hu Ma to the front of the house.
The boys who had been practicing stopped, all turning wide-eyed to look at Hu Ma.
Someone glanced at Hu Ma's thin arms and remarked, "Is this the new kid? Not very sturdy, is he?"
"He doesn't even have two taels of flesh on him. If he encounters an evil spirit, wouldn't a gust of wind blow him away?"
Another person snorted and said, "That's Walking Ghost Granny's grandson. He's really pampered, you know..."
"Complains of headaches when reading, finds practicing tiring, and even dislikes going out under the sun."
"Sometimes when Granny goes out to treat patients and can't come back by noon, she asks the neighbor auntie to cook and deliver food to him, and he's picky about it..."
...
...
"Are these kids also from the village?"
Hu Ma listened, undisturbed by the youngsters' taunts and mockery.
In fact, a flicker of curiosity sparked within him. These kids might know something about my original self. Because of my fear of Granny, I've never dared to directly ask what happened to me, or what I was like before. But now... maybe I can try to get some information from these boys. If I piece things together, I should be able to figure out what happened.
"Alright, everyone, stand properly."
Second Master, hearing them, frowned, then shouted, and the boys immediately stood in a proper line.
"You go over there too."
Second Master gave Hu Ma a gentle push on his rear, urging him to stand alongside the group of boys. Then he said loudly, "What evil spirits or whatever? That's just a gust of gloomy wind. Granny said you should come here with me to soak up some sunshine and build your fire qi. If you ask me, you're making the right move. You should've come sooner."
"I've never cared about those so-called evil spirits. If you ask me, they're all pick on the weak and fear the strong. If you encounter them, it's because you're too frail. Once you've trained up, one breath will disperse them."
...
"Second Master..."
The slightly chubby boy in the crowd grinned, "Hu Ma encountered something really tough."
"Even the ancestors in the old fire pit didn't dare protect him!"
...
"Then practice more."
Second Master shot him a glare, adding, "Once you're well-trained, you won't need ancestral protection."
"How could the living rely on the dead for survival?"
...
As he spoke, he sat down, grabbed some tobacco, and stuffed it into his pipe. He continued, "When I was young, I also got entangled with this sort of thing. I was in my early twenties and a bit careless. I forgot to bring my ancestors' ashes while on a business trip. As a result, when I sought refuge to sleep in an empty house, I was unwittingly haunted by a hanged widow. I watched as she slipped through the door crack, her face deathly pale. She climbed onto my bed, trying to... well, do that kind of thing to me..."
"Guess what happened next?"
...
The young boys immediately grew curious, craning their necks expectantly for more.
"Heh..."
Second Master smirked. Holding his smoking pipe, he sat confidently on the small bench and boastfully declared, "Twenty times in one night! I wore her out 'til she vanished by sunrise!"