“So, this counts as a gathering of experts within the manor?”

Hu Ma looked closely, noticing that these people possessed extraordinary bearing and arrogant expressions, suggesting they all had genuine skills.

Master Sun valued ability and liked to put on airs. For him to invite these people to sit at his table, they must possess considerable skills to warrant such respect.

This made Hu Ma curious. Could it be that seven or eight experts at the level of entering the manor had gathered in this small Stone Horse Town? On second thought, that seemed unlikely. Even if Master Sun had such connections, it wouldn't be easy to bring them all together.

Another thing was the identities of these people. Hu Ma realized with a little listening that those seated weren't just ordinary Jianghu (martial world) people.

What were Jianghu people? They were those who made a living in the martial world. Hu Ma had encountered a group when he cooperated with Di Gua Shao to meet Master Lu of the rice shop. Some were good at killing, others specialized in settling disputes for money; that was the Jianghu.

But those at the table now were all people of status and origin. Most importantly, they wielded considerable power, already considered Jianghu magnates whose stomping feet could shake the town.

Judging from this, it must be because of the Yiqian Sect's reputation.

The reason he came here was ostensibly because the Yiqian Sect Leader's birthday was approaching, and these experts with status and ability were probably here for that. Then, Master Sun invited them to sit together.

The fact that the Yiqian Sect could invite these people truly showed their extraordinary foundation, likely stronger than his Red Lantern Society. After all, these people were capable of rebellion.

However, even knowing these people were remarkable, Hu Ma wasn't intimidated. He greeted everyone with a smile before taking his seat.

What a joke. He was a Shou Suiren (Night Watcher). Sitting this close, others should feel the pressure, not him.

“Clear the fruit and bring on the dishes…”

Master Sun introduced Hu Ma to the others. After everyone was seated, he clapped his hands, signaling the servants outside to officially begin the feast.

Prepared in advance, a stream of exotic delicacies was brought to the table. Only then did Hu Ma understand why Master Sun thought he was deliberately being critical back at the mine.

This old thing really eats well. As a transmigrator, he had seen plenty of grand occasions in his previous life with abundant resources. But even he had never seen the things these guys were eating now.

Clearly in the mountains, in a town mixed with dragons and snakes, they had managed to put on such a luxurious feast.

After the dishes were served, they diligently offered wine, becoming acquainted with each other.

Hu Ma had just arrived and was reminded by Master Sun that there would be tests at this banquet, so he acted modestly. But he could feel curious gazes appraising him, likely because Master Sun had boasted about him, and these people were judging his weight.

“I heard that Manager Hu is a disciple of a reclusive master from Old Yin Mountain?”

After a few rounds of drinks, a middle-aged man across from Hu Ma, fanning himself with a white fan and sporting a large belly, smiled and said, "It must be a remarkable figure, otherwise he wouldn't have cultivated such an outstanding disciple like Manager Hu."

"Although I didn't learn the skills of a Shou Suiren, I deeply admire experts from all walks of life. If there's a chance, I'd like to ask Manager Hu to introduce me to pay respects to your master."

"Easy to say."

Hu Ma put down his wine cup and smiled, "It's just that my master is very low-key. You probably wouldn't recognize him even if he was right in front of you."

The white fan laughed upon hearing this, "Are you mocking my lack of discernment?"

"To be fair, the skills of a Shou Suiren are deeply hidden. They possess the strength to face a thousand troops, yet appear unassuming. If it weren't for Master Sun's introduction, even if Manager Hu was sitting in front of me, I wouldn't be able to see your abilities."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to see Manager Hu show off a bit, to broaden our horizons?"

“…”

The reactions of the people around the table varied.

Master Sun seemed to frown slightly, knowing there would be tests but not expecting the white fan to be so direct.

The others merely smiled and looked over. Although they were polite earlier, they were all heroes with unique skills. A young man suddenly joining their table, regardless of whether they believed Master Sun's words, prompted some scrutiny.

"I'm young and haven't learned many skills. Showing off would be difficult for me."

Hu Ma wasn't angry, only smiling calmly.

Firstly, he was prepared. Secondly, in such a place where everyone was a stranger and he was young, how could he command respect?

Even his identity in the Red Lantern Society might not be enough. He still needed to impress them with his skills.

So, although the white fan's words were a bit harsh, they weren't enough to make him angry. But if he said such things after he had shown his skills, that would be deliberately provoking him.

Moreover, he didn't mind showing off a skill, but he was a guest and shouldn't make the first move. If someone was courteous, they should show off their skills first, as a way to break the ice and encourage mutual exchange.

To just say a few words and expect him to show something was like treating him like a monkey!

Seeing Hu Ma's composure, the white fan secretly nodded. His eyes shifted, seemingly considering how to set up a challenge.

Just then, a commotion arose on the street outside, accompanied by a few shouts.

The town was built against a mountain, the windows were low, and their position was high, allowing them to see the street outside. A circle of people were arguing, and they could vaguely see a group of fierce men wearing animal skins and carrying weapons.

They were grabbing a lightly dressed young woman, slapping her face several times, and yelling at the pimps who were huddled together nearby but不敢 (bù gǎn - dared not) rush forward, "You all stand there for Grandpa."

"We've already said that there's no government in this Stone Horse Town. With money, you can sleep with any woman. We brothers came out of the mountains wanting freedom, and we brought enough money. Why won't this woman let us sleep with her?"

“…”

A pimp secretly tried to sneak up and strike with a stick, but one of the men seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, kicking him away and sneering, "You think you can get close to us with that little bit of martial arts? I've killed more people than your mother has slept with men. Are you rebelling?"

Seeing these seven or eight tall men radiating fierceness, the others were too frightened to speak.

"Stone Horse Town is lively, but there are always people causing trouble from time to time."

The white fan sighed and said, "These people never understand that while there are no meddling officials here, it doesn't mean there are no rules."

As he spoke, he suddenly unfolded his fan and, with a backhand, fanned it gently in that direction.

The distance between them and the trouble was at least a dozen zhang (approximately 35-40 meters). Even if the fan was ten times bigger, the wind wouldn't reach that far.

Unexpectedly, he used a clever technique, so the wind from the fan didn't dissipate. Instead, it traveled a dozen zhang and struck a bamboo pole near the troublemakers.

It knocked the bamboo pole sideways, hitting one of them in the face.

"Who is it? Who is it?"

The fierce man, seeing stars from the blow, thought he was being ambushed and immediately drew his knife.

The servants nearby were startled and quickly retreated.

Seeing that he couldn't find the person who hit him, the fierce man became even angrier. He grabbed the woman he was holding and raised his knife, intending to chop off her arm to vent his anger and show his cruelty.

At their table, the manager of the Wanma Gang sneered and picked up a chopstick in front of him, gently snapping it in half.

*Kacha!*

Before the fierce bandit could swing the knife, his arm suddenly broke and fell to the ground. Even the angle of the break was similar to the snapped chopstick on the table.

"Brother, brother..."

The group of fierce bandits knew something was wrong and rushed over shouting. Some pulled out black wooden dolls from their waists, others took out bamboo tubes filled with boy's urine mixed with black dog's blood, splashing it around.

Although they were from the mountains, they clearly knew some evil arts. Now realizing they had been targeted, they splashed the mixture while trying to break through the crowd.

But how could they know who they were dealing with? Diagonally across from Hu Ma, the adopted son-in-law of Granny Wu seemed to find it amusing. He picked up a bowl, muttered a few words into it, and flipped the bowl upside down in front of him.

The group of fierce bandits immediately seemed like headless flies, just turning in circles no matter how they moved.

One of the slender bandits clearly saw that something was wrong. He hurriedly put away the black wooden doll and bowed repeatedly in all directions, "We brothers are from the mountains and don't know the rules."

"If we have offended any expert, please forgive us and let us leave..."

“…”

As he spoke, he took off his money bags and placed them on the ground in front of him, then retreated a few steps, trembling as he waited.

"Only scared now? Too late..."

But there was laughter at Hu Ma's table. Another man, looking wealthy and like a nobleman, chuckled and reached for a plate of fried beans on the table, scattering them out the window.

Vaguely, the fried beans seemed to transform into one red-trousered child after another, giggling and wielding short weapons, charging at the bandits.

The group of bandits were shocked and took out their weapons to fight the children, but despite shouting themselves hoarse and sweating profusely, they couldn't touch the little dolls. Instead, their arms and legs trembled uncontrollably.

“Using a plum for a peach, a universe in a bowl, scattering beans to create soldiers…”

The more frightened and panicked the bandits outside became, the better the mood of those at the table, fueled by the wine. The white fan unfolded his fan with a *whoosh*, waved it a few times, and smiled, "We've shown off a few tricks, thrown out a brick to attract jade."

"Now, it's time to see what tricks the masters of the Shou Suiren have, to broaden our horizons..."

(End of Chapter)