After listening to Old Ma's story, I thought for a moment and asked, "You mean that in this battle for the throne among the Five Immortals, the other four families will seek outside help?"

"That's not necessarily true, but I have to be careful."

Old Ma's wife cut to the chase: "Things are different these days. Young people like to show off, and they're full of youthful vigor. Everyone wants to sit in one of the five great immortal leaders! If everyone just competed based on their own abilities, that would be fine! But they're getting things done through outside help, which changes the whole thing!"

The Hu family has already lost its right to be the headman for one term. If they fail twice in a row, they will lose all face. Therefore, we must succeed this time! Since you're here, it means you have a connection with the Hu family, so I want you to help me with this favor.”

"Old Immortal, it's not that I'm shirking this responsibility, but I'm afraid I might not be able to help!"

I took a deep breath: "I don't even know the details of the Five Immortals' struggle for the throne. It's inevitable that I'm unprepared in such a rush. Most importantly, my friend urgently needs this statue to save his life, and I really can't spare the time to help you with this."

“A person’s fate is determined by heaven. Since you have found me, you can only do what I say.”

Old Ma's wife looked at me calmly: "The statue you're looking for is in the Greater Khingan Mountains, and the place where the Five Immortals competed for the throne this year is also in the Greater Khingan Mountains! So you're not only helping me, but also helping yourself!"

"As long as you help the Hu family with this favor, I will keep my promise regardless of the final outcome. As for whether finding that statue will save your friend's life, I can't say for sure."

"Could you let me get the statue first, and then I'll do your favors?"

I said to Old Ma's wife, "We have quite a few people on this mission. My job is to find the statue. Let me get the statue first. If this plan doesn't work, others can find another way."

"There's no room for discussion on this. I've said it before, if you help me, you're helping yourself."

Old Ma said bluntly, "Rather than saying I value you, I value the patient you helped! Let's not talk about anything else, just the fact that he can send people all over the country to find a statue because of an illness shows that he has considerable power! I don't care who this person is, but you need to understand that whether or not his life can be saved is up to me."

Seeing the determination in Old Ma's eyes, I knew that there was no room for negotiation between us.

Her attitude was clear: if we wanted to find that statue, we had to cooperate with her and participate in the Five Immortals' Struggle for the Throne.

The medicine that Miao Xiaoxian gave to Wei Shengnan only lasted for seven days.

If we don't find an antidote within seven days, Wei Shengnan will surely die.

If I decide to participate in the Five Immortals' Succession Struggle, it means I will waste several days. If it exceeds seven days, all my efforts will be in vain.

Even if less than seven days have passed, if the statue Old Ma mentioned isn't the one I'm looking for, it's uncertain whether I'll have another chance to explore other places.

Just as I was hesitating, Old Ma's wife spoke up, "Don't worry, the Five Immortals' struggle for the throne is just an internal competition among the five major immortal families. We won't let you do anything risky. You just need to help deal with the external reinforcements brought by the other immortal families."

I took a deep breath: "What exactly is the content of the Five Immortals' Struggle for the Throne?"

"The content of the competition is different each time. This year it's about catching zombies."

Old Ma looked at me and said, "Since you make a living from the dead, you should know what 'walking zombies' means, right?"

"A type of zombie, agile in movement, afraid of light and preferring shade, and fond of blood."

I nodded: "I've only heard the legends of walking zombies. Do they really exist in this world?"

“In Northeast China, shamans not only worship gods but also raise ghosts! There is a craft called the art of raising corpses, which can create walking corpses.”

Old Ma paused for a moment: "The person in charge of the Hu family this year will tell you the specific details. Since you are in a hurry to save people, I suggest you go to Jile Mountain in the Greater Khingan Mountains tonight. The Hu family disciples will be waiting for you there. They will tell you everything you want to know... If there's nothing else, you can go now."

Seeing that Old Ma had given me the order to leave, I thought for a moment and said, "You're right. I need your help, and since you've set the conditions, I should abide by them! But let me make this clear from the start: if the statue story is something you made up, don't blame me for being ruthless later."

Old Ma ignored my threat: "A person's fate is in their own hands. You can choose not to go."

Upon hearing this reply, I stood up and walked towards the door, saying, "Farewell."

"etc."

When Old Ma's wife saw me get up, she tried to persuade me to stay, saying, "Young man, you have something on you."

I turned to her, frowning. "Following what?"

“I can’t see it clearly, but this thing is very bad for you! I don’t know what’s suppressing this thing on you, but if you’re entangled by it, you’ll have problems sooner or later.”

Old Ma's wife paused for a moment: "Take my advice, get out of your industry as soon as possible, otherwise when you can no longer control this thing, it will be too late to regret it."

I felt a little uncomfortable with what Old Ma's wife was saying; "Are you talking about something unclean?"

"If you make a living this way, you're bound to get involved with these things. They might bother you for a while, but they'll leave once they realize there's no chance! But what you're doing is like a moth drawn to a flame; you can't always avoid it. Think it over carefully."

Old Ma paused for a moment: "If you feel unwell recently, or encounter anything inexplicable, try to sprinkle dew from banana leaves on your head around noon, and then stand in the sun for two hours! If that doesn't work, come back to me."

Seeing that Old Ma had given me a hint, I turned my gaze to her: "Old fortune teller, everyone says that you are incredibly skilled in divination, so could you help me calculate whether my friend can escape this time?"

"Using divination may seem divine, but it's not divine after all! Besides, even if it were divine, it wouldn't have the power to arbitrarily alter the course of destiny."

Old Ma's wife didn't answer my question directly: "In this life, all you have to do is do your best, accept your fate, and have a clear conscience."

When I heard what Old Ma said, I wisely refrained from asking any further questions: "How will I contact the Hu family after I arrive at Jile Mountain?"

"You are destined to meet, you will meet."

Old Ma's wife looked tired: "One divination a month, that's it for now! Also, let me remind you, our people are not those charlatans you usually see, so if you encounter anything unexpected, I hope you can keep your mouth shut to avoid causing yourself unnecessary trouble."