“Go ahead! When we came here, we saw a lot of pheasants in that woods. Just go there, and you’re guaranteed to catch them all.” Ma Hehua kindly pointed him in a direction.
Zhang Xiaomo; "…………………………"
"Fine, it's just catching a few chickens. I'll go along with her for now. When it's time to lead the way..." Zhang Xiaomo sneered inwardly. "We'll see if they can afford his roast chicken then."
The old Taoist priest watched him obediently go to catch chickens, and he felt incredibly jealous, wishing he could slap that woman, Ma Hehua, across the face.
"Oh! Look at you, all sullen and resentful. Anyone who didn't know better would think I stole your man!" Ma Hehua gave the old Taoist priest a disdainful look.
"You...you...you're absolutely unreasonable!"
The old Taoist priest was so angry that his hands trembled, and his face was slightly red and he seemed to be avoiding eye contact.
Ma Linghua glanced at his clothes curiously and asked casually, "Are you a disciple of Mount Shu?"
The old Taoist priest's heart skipped a beat. Could this be a fellow practitioner? What if they've discovered...my relationship with that brat? What should I do? Should I...slit my throat without anyone noticing?
He didn't want to tarnish the reputation of the Taoist sect, and he figured that no one would find out in this deep mountain!
I was careless!
"Tsk! Look at you, I just asked you a few questions, why is your forehead covered in sweat? You seem to be daydreaming about nothing, you look like an idiot." Ma Linghua said with some disdain.
The old Taoist priest: "……………………"
This is nothing compared to what you've been scared of.
"By the way, there's a rule in the formation that your Shushan Mountain guards at the tea mountain. I wonder if you remember it?" Ma Linghua looked at him thoughtfully and said.
The old Taoist priest: "??????"
"What...rules?" the old Taoist priest asked her, puzzled.
"A pure yang body! To guard the formation, you need a pure yang body. You've lost your virginity, so I'm afraid you can't suppress the evil spirits inside. In three days at most, all the demons and monsters on the tea mountain will be able to run rampant." Ma Linghua said indifferently, and even sighed, her tone filled with regret and pity.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest turned pale. "Pure...pure yang body? What...what does this have to do with the protective formation?"
"Oh dear! Look at my loose tongue, I can't keep my mouth shut, but I'm not afraid to say it. Your Shu Mountain's Pure Yang Body is really good! After fifty years, you will be sacrificed to the heavens. This Pure Yang Qi can suppress evil spirits for a while. You're not waiting for the next person to take over so you can be free, are you?" Ma Linghua asked him.
"How...how did you know?" The old Taoist priest was in turmoil; this was a huge amount of information! He was also filled with fear.
Ma Linghua looked at him like he was an idiot. "Please, this isn't a secret among people in the industry, okay?"
No? It's not a secret? How come he didn't know? Besides, that's not what the elder told him.
“Hey! Mom, why are you telling him the truth? Maybe he came voluntarily! I heard that those who come voluntarily get 2 million yuan for funeral expenses!” Ma Hehua said with envy.
The old Taoist priest: "………………???"
Wait a minute? 2 million for funeral expenses? How come he didn't know that?
Suddenly, a scene flashed through his mind: his master's face, which was full of suppressed emotions, tears mixed with laughter, when he left... He thought it was because his master couldn't bear to part with him, but now, he suddenly came to his senses.
That damned old bastard, that heartless scoundrel, he just took my 2 million yuan funeral expenses for nothing! He knew it! All these decades, his master has been so caring towards him, it turns out he was keeping an eye on him and watching his situation.
As he thought about it, sweat dripped down his forehead again. No! He didn't want to die, he didn't want to be sacrificed to the heavens, he wouldn't do it. Then, as he was thinking about something, the corners of his mouth suddenly turned up slightly.
"Mother, has he gone mad from being alone on this tea mountain?" Ma Hehua looked at him with a sinister smile, wondering what had gotten into her.
"Who cares what they're doing? They're crazy and they still have to perform a sacrifice to heaven. If we don't laugh now, we might not have the chance to laugh again later," Ma Linghua said, though her eyes were full of shrewdness.
Those old bastards from Shushan dared to come to Heishan to fleece the Ma family when she was still weak. If she doesn't cause them some trouble, she won't be Ma Linghua.
Sigh! There's no way around it. If this opportunity comes knocking on our door, we might as well take it. She doesn't know what's hidden in that black hole in the tea mountain, but now that it's been released, those old bastards are going to be in a real hurry.
Without realizing it, a sly smile crept onto her face.
Ma Lihua; "……………………"
Milk, can we be a little more discreet? This makes us too easy to be exposed, okay?
Sure enough, when the old Taoist heard the words "sacrifice to Heaven," he became angry again. Why should he do it? He hadn't even been asked to do it.
When Zhang Xiaomo returned, he noticed the somber atmosphere and felt something was off. However, he had hunted ten pheasants and cleaned them up by a pond before coming back.
Seeing his uncle's silence and deep thoughts, he felt somewhat uneasy.
"Get the oil in the wok! What are you standing there for?" Ma Hehua was starving. Looking at the bright red chicken, she felt like she could eat it raw.
Zhang Xiaomo was about to start a fire when Ma Linghua spoke up, "Why use a lighter! That thing won't cook anything good."
As soon as she finished speaking, Ma Linghua groped around in the bag and quickly pulled out two egg-sized flints. After glancing at the hay, she squatted down and started working with the flints.
"Click-clack click-clack click-clack..."
Twenty minutes...forty minutes...one hour...
Ma Hehua; "……………………"
Ma Lihua; "……………………"
“Gurgle…” Ma Linghua’s stomach rumbled on its own.
She paused for a moment, then slowly stood up. "Let's use a lighter! These two things are shy; they won't light even if we don't have a house! They're such junk." Ma Linghua said through gritted teeth, wishing she could throw them into the toilet.
Zhang Xiaomo; "…………………………"
What are you making such a fuss about! You're lucky you even have anything to eat, yet you complain about the lighter's flame being weak. You're really something!
The old Taoist priest narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the two stones in Ma Linghua's hand.
Zhang Xiaomo started a fire and roasted a chicken, then watched as the old Taoist priest crept closer to him furtively.
"Little Mo, that thing in her hand is a good thing! Things roasted over that fire are indeed good things," the old Taoist said with some regret.
"It seems we're not fortunate enough to enjoy it!" he then added.
Zhang Xiaomo scratched his head. They were just two ordinary flints. What was so special about them? Not only were they dusty, but they also smelled musty.
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