Chapter 267 Miss White Wine (Three more chapters for votes)
Still, he needed to quickly collaborate with the Reincarnator Organization in Anzhou…
Usually, once that thing had searched a place, it wouldn't return the same night. However, Hu Ma remained vigilant throughout the latter half of the night, only lightly dozing off with caution.
The closer he got to Lingshou Prefecture, the greater the pressure felt. He didn't even know what that searching thing was, let alone how to deal with it. Fortunately, it seemed possible to evade it using the incense array.
"Was it someone from the Dongzi Li Family sent to find Xiang?" he wondered. But this thing seemed stiff and wooden, not very agile…
Even so, he dared not let his guard down; that entity instinctively made him wary.
However, he could only meet Miss Red Wine tonight. Only after seeing her could he inquire about these matters.
"You should rest in your room today. I'll bring some food there," Hu Ma said to Xiang after getting up and wiping his face. "I need to scout the path to see how to get you back."
"We're not far from Lingshou Prefecture now, but someone is bound to block our way, so we must be cautious."
Xiang nodded energetically. "Mm-hmm." She just gave Hu Ma a glance, hesitating to speak.
Hu Ma smiled. "What is it?"
"Young Master…" Listening, Xiang's eyes turned slightly red again. "I don't know how to say this... Throughout this journey, I've relied entirely on your help. I'm so grateful, but I feel like I've said it too many times!"
Hu Ma laughed. "Had I known there'd be so much trouble along the way, I might not have been willing to come."
"Everyone in the Manor calls you Sister. If I didn't help you, they'd probably lose respect for me."
"But thinking about it now, it might have been better to leave you in town!"
Xiang, teased, blushed as well. "I also think our Manor is better."
"Uncle Sun and Aunt Sun are nice, and so are Brother Datong and Brother Zhuzi…"
If it's really that good, I'll have her dad bring some good things next time, and I'll take them back to the manor for them! Hu Ma thought with a smile, then said aloud, "Just remember that. Once you're settled, go to Mingzhou and visit them."
"Or, if I have time, I'll bring them to visit your home. They have quite an appetite, so don't be stingy then."
Xiang laughed through her tears at his words. "When they come, they'll definitely want to sit at the square table! I'll even have Dad get some Golden Jade Paste for them to eat."
What's Golden Jade Paste? Hu Ma wondered. Is it a specialty of Lingshou Prefecture? I should take a couple of pounds back with me when I leave.
After reassuring Xiang, who grew more uneasy the closer they got to her home, Hu Ma went downstairs. He first took a brief stroll around the city, then found a teahouse for some tea. He also chatted for a while at a pastry stall, where he was swindled out of dozens of copper coins.
All this, however, was to gather information. After making his rounds, he couldn't help but feel a bit heavy-hearted. Sighing, he headed back to the inn.
Last night, that ghostly thing had roamed through the streets and alleys, yet the people in the city seemed completely unaware.
And when Lingshou Prefecture was mentioned, the expressions of people in the Anzhou prefectural city changed dramatically.
Especially the pastry vendor. After Hu Ma let the man overcharge him, he became very talkative, willing to chat about anything and everything. He even mentioned that his wife had recently been going to a woman named Wang Po's house to help make quilts.
But when Lingshou Prefecture was brought up, he turned pale and waved his hands repeatedly. "Sir, that's not a good place! It's best not to go there for business."
"They say it's a ghost city, with a Judge there who captures people and takes them into the Ghost Cave!"
"In other places, things only get strange at night or in deserted areas. But there…"
"Heh, it's eerie even in broad daylight!"
What kind of place is this, to make people so terrified… Hu Ma mused. Through his inquiries, he vaguely began to understand the situation.
Lingshou Prefecture sounded like a sinister place. As for Big Stone Cliff, hardly anyone seemed to have even heard of it.
Could there really be a Ghost Gate there, guarded by people from the Dongzi Li Family?
With these suspicions in mind, he finally waited until nightfall. After entering his Lifebound Spirit Temple, as expected, at the same time as his connection with Burning Blade the previous night, he punctually heard Burning Blade's call. He responded and connected with him.
Upon connecting, he was surprised to see that besides the Reincarnator codenamed Burning Blade, there was another line of mist leading to an unknown person.
"Brother Old White, this is Miss Red Wine."
As soon as Burning Blade connected with Hu Ma, he laughed. "Go ahead and discuss whatever business you two have. Since it's a letter from Miss White Wine, it's not convenient for me to listen, so I won't stay here."
With that, Burning Blade actually cut off his connection, leaving only Hu Ma and Miss Red Wine.
The Reincarnator Organization in Anzhou is this meticulous? Hu Ma was somewhat surprised. In Mingzhou, everyone was an equal—except for Sweet Potato. But here, he could subtly sense Burning Blade's respect for Miss Red Wine.
Moreover, with Burning Blade gone, the Lifebound Spirit Temple became incredibly quiet, with only a wisp of incense smoke connecting them.
Undoubtedly, his Lifebound Spirit Temple had connected with someone. But was this person truly the Miss Red Wine he was looking for?
For a moment, Hu Ma was at a loss for words. Should he exchange the code first?
Just as he was contemplating this, he suddenly heard a lazy, hoarse voice ask, "What is your relationship with Bai?"
The voice sounded as if it had never changed, extremely real, catching Hu Ma off guard. He instinctively replied, "Bai?"
"That's Miss White Wine. She's very fair, her whole body is fair, white and glowing, so she took the 'White' in her name…"
Miss Red Wine chuckled softly. "But she's incredibly arrogant, wary, and suspicious. She never trusts anyone carelessly. The fact that she was willing to have you deliver this letter shows your relationship is hardly ordinary. What is your connection with her?"
White and glowing… Hu Ma mused. Miss White Wine is indeed very fair. Then for what reason did Miss Red Wine take the 'Red' in her name?
...No, that's not the important part.
He quickly coughed and said, "Miss White Wine has helped me, and I've helped her… just small favors. We have a relationship of mutual trust. I happened to be coming this way, so she asked me to deliver this letter."
"However, before we discuss these things, allow me to attend to official matters first…" He paused briefly, then said, "When Miss White Wine asked me to come, she also told me to ask you a question. She said that Miss Red Wine has a birthmark. Where is it located?"
As he spoke, his voice grew softer.
This question is indeed impolite, but it's for safety! After all, this is his first time in Anzhou and his first connection with Miss Red Wine. How can he be truly sure who the other person is? This was the countersign Miss White Wine had given him.
Upon hearing this, Miss Red Wine suddenly fell silent. Hu Ma held his breath, listening. Her breathing seemed to grow heavier, and his heart began to pound.
Then he heard her say, "That little minx is ruthless, making a man ask me such a question."
"Forget it. Don't give me the letter. I refuse it!"
"Huh?" Hu Ma immediately panicked.
He got it right! Miss White Wine had said that if the other party would rather refuse the letter than answer, then it was definitely her. If she answered, there was certainly a problem.
But, even though the countersign matched, why did it feel like these two didn't quite get along? One says the other is very fair, while the other had me ask about her birthmark… HISS!
"I'm innocent in this…" He hurriedly said, "I'm just delivering the letter and confirming the countersign, that's all. Miss Red Wine, you have indeed… indeed matched the countersign."
"Heh…" Miss Red Wine didn't actually confirm her refusal. She just gave a cold laugh. "We're already communicating using Reincarnator methods, and you've come all the way to Anzhou, our territory. Yet you people are still so cautious, acting like thieves every day."
"This is why Reincarnators are like a tray of loose sand, unable to accomplish anything significant."
Hearing the displeasure in her voice, Hu Ma quickly said, "The place where I was previously was too remote. I've had little contact with other Reincarnators and know few of the rules."
"But when one is entrusted with a task, one must see it through. Now that I've found the right person, how should I give you this letter?"
If it had been a verbal message, he could have simply relayed it here, and that would have been the end of it. But Miss White Wine had entrusted him with a physical letter, one that was not to be opened by anyone but Miss Red Wine herself. This indeed added a slight complication to the delivery.
Reincarnators usually convey messages verbally, as this is the most discreet method, undetectable by non-Reincarnators.
The next best method is to place the item in an agreed-upon location for the other party to retrieve. Back when Miss White Wine wanted to give Hu Ma that batch of Blood Food, she had used this method, which was also relatively safe.
Then, there were options like having a little ghost deliver the letter, or meeting in person.
Sending a little ghost was, theoretically, also quite safe. However, if the other party harbored ill intentions and captured the little ghost, it could lead to trouble. It wasn't out of the question that some individuals could use a captured little ghost to trace back to its master.
As for the most dangerous option, that was, needless to say, meeting in person to deliver the letter. When both parties weren't very familiar with each other, such an abrupt meeting always felt unsettling.
As he was thinking this, Miss Red Wine seemed to ponder for a moment before saying, "Retrieving the letter is one matter."
"But I have another question for you."
"Last night, a servant ghost entered the city, apparently searching for someone. Was that related to you?"
"A servant ghost?" Hu Ma was taken aback for a moment, then he understood. He sighed softly. "You mean the thing wearing a tall hat and dragging chains?"
"That might have been looking for me."
Since he needed their help, he had to be forthcoming.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Miss Red Wine's voice turned grave. Before Hu Ma could say anything more, she asked, "For how many days has this servant ghost been looking for you?"