Chapter 28 Indeed

"So, Xiang girl's fainting had something to do with the old steward..."

Hu Ma sighed softly, finding it somewhat absurd. From the very beginning, when Xiang girl fainted for no apparent reason, suspicion fell on the old steward. But he played his part so well that he dispelled everyone's doubts.

It seemed Xiang girl's memory was already recovering. When she suddenly saw him, she remembered many things, so the old steward had no choice but to act immediately.

Otherwise, if Xiang girl were awake, he would have had too much to explain, not to mention continuing to deceive everyone.

Confirming that the girl had truly awakened, he quickly reached out and lifted her out of the coffin, saying with some concern, "How much do you know about your family's affairs?"

"I remember everything..."

Xiang girl looked panicked. Her body was weak, but tears welled up in her eyes, "Father is still waiting for me in the cave."

"If I don't go back, the things in the Ghost Cave will come out, and everyone in the Li family will die..."

"..."

"What?"

Hearing Xiang girl's confused and anxious words, Hu Ma was somewhat bewildered.

From the steward's words, it sounded as if the entire Li family was hiding from some cursed fate, and that was why they hastily "exiled" Xiang girl.

But now that Xiang girl had woken up, how could she say that if she didn't go back, the Li family would not survive?

His mind was filled with too many incomprehensible things. Seeing Xiang girl's newly awakened, still confused, red-eyed, and tearful appearance, he could only make a decision for now.

Taking a deep breath, he said to Xiang girl, "Don't worry, think about things carefully and tell us. But first, let's get out of here!"

So, he hurriedly re-packed the cart, put the steward's body directly into the coffin, and abandoned the coffin there. It was dark, Xiang girl had just woken up, and was still confused, so she didn't even realize the corpse was the steward's.

The group hurriedly went down the hillside and onto the main road.

But they needed to consider where to go. The steward had said that there were still Li family members waiting ahead, and it would be troublesome if they ran into them.

So, Hu Ma simply gritted his teeth and took everyone back to Dongchang Prefecture.

Anyway, the Beggar Gang members who followed him had all been killed, and Cui Granny and the others were dead, so it was safer there.

It was already late at night, and the city gates were long closed, but Hu Ma naturally had a way.

First, he found a low spot, listened carefully, and there was no one patrolling above. Then, he used the Ghost Ascending Stairs skill, bringing everyone into the city one by one. Only the cart and donkey were difficult to place, but he found a secluded spot to tie them up and would retrieve them the next day.

Once inside the city, avoiding the night watchmen, they knocked on the door of an inn.

After giving them some silver, they asked for hot water and ordered a few bowls of noodles. Only then did they have time to ask in detail.

Xiang girl was now only flustered and disoriented. It seemed the matter was too big, and she had been frightened. She said to Hu Ma, "Young Master, I understand now, I know how I got out."

"But, they're all wrong..."

"The Li family cannot escape the Ghost Cave. The Li family guards the Ghost Cave, not as a responsibility, but as a debt..."

"..."

"A debt?"

Hu Ma was even more puzzled, and asked, "How do you repay it?"

"I remember..."

Xiang girl was seized by terror, sobbing as she said, "I remember what my father told me before I got lost, the Li family, and originally, originally those families that were sent here, were actually all prisoners sentenced to be beheaded."

"We Ghost Cave people are not officials, but prisoners. We were sent here to watch over the Ghost Cave, guarding this place is our families' fate..."

"Prisoners?"

Listening, Hu Ma vaguely realized that these things might involve something he hadn't thought about before.

To the people of this world, the emperor was too far away!

The only understanding of him was that he had been skinned alive.

Even the government was only a name, and didn't care about anything. Who had the final say in Ming Prefecture?

Clearly, it was our Red Lantern Society!

But as a result, in such a world, in such a remote place, there were still people guarding the imperial decree?

The more he listened, the more he felt that this matter was not as simple as he had thought.

Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and slowly asked Xiang girl the most important question: "What exactly is inside the Ghost Cave?"

"It's..."

Xiang girl opened her mouth, seeming hesitant about the question.

But facing Hu Ma's serious expression, she couldn't hide anything, and still said, "It's the Underworld."

"The Ghost Cave is the Gate of Hell."

"When people die in the entire Lingshou Prefecture, no, even the entire An Prefecture, they all have to enter the Ghost Cave!"

"..."

"What?"

Hu Ma was quite shocked by this, and stood up directly.

He subconsciously looked at Aunt Zhang, and saw that Aunt Zhang's eyes were also wide open. Even such a great ghost walker was frightened.

Did the Gate of Hell really exist in this world?

In legends, wasn't it said that the Gate of Hell was already closed?

Then why was there such a place in Lingshou Prefecture, and even living people guarding it for generations?

A lot of questions piled up in his mind, but Xiang girl looked at him and said, "Young Master, I don't want to hide anything from you. You are a good person, the only good person I've met since I left home."

"But my father said at the time that I couldn't tell outsiders about the things in the cave. Even within our Li family, most people don't know about this..."

"My father said that living people can't inquire about some things, otherwise, knowing too much will cause you to be taken away by the things in the Ghost Cave."

"..."

Hu Ma immediately calmed down.

He did like to inquire about things, but he also believed that anything was possible in this world.

Maybe there were really some things that, after living people inquired about, they would offend something and bring disaster.

"I have to go back as soon as possible."

Xiang girl's anxiety was obvious, "The people at home don't understand my father, I'm afraid... I'm afraid of what they'll do."

"Phew!"

Looking at her anxious expression, Hu Ma nodded slightly.

Sending her back was necessary, but of course, he couldn't hesitate too much on the surface.

A normal blood food gang manager would only be doing a good deed, but suddenly encountering so many troubles, it was impossible not to back down.

But in reality, for him, although the Li family's affairs were troublesome, the more so, the more he had to go to An Prefecture. Things had reached this point, and it was no longer something he could retreat from just by wanting to. The invested capital was too great.

Therefore, he had to take it a step further and see how the situation was.

Of course, that's what he said, but the Li family was too complicated, and involved some secrets, so he couldn't be so stubborn.

He still needed to reach An Prefecture first, connect with the Red Wine Misses there, and then make plans.

So, after a long silence, he lowered his head and told Xiang girl not to be afraid, that he would send her home. However, now that she was awake, the journey had to be sped up.

Hu Ma first had everyone sleep and rest, then he found Aunt Zhang, as well as the cart driver and two shop assistants who had been following and working honestly along the way, and said, "Everyone has worked hard along the way."

"Now that the person is awake, we need to travel lightly for the rest of the journey. I'll just take her to An Prefecture. If we encounter any more trouble, it will be easier for the two of us to escape."

"Our work on this trip, reaching here, can be considered complete. You can take all the silver now, or I can write a note and you can collect it from our manor when you return. Don't be miserable on the way back, hire a carriage, and the money will be counted on me."

"..."

Hearing that they could go back, the cart driver and two shop assistants were a little surprised.

Logically, they should be polite, but thinking of the dangers along the way, they really couldn't say anything polite.

They were really scared.

After instructing the cart driver and shop assistants, Hu Ma looked at Aunt Zhang and said, "Aunt, we don't need to be polite."

"Although you refused to be my master along the way, you taught me a lot of things, and even did the things that a ghost walker does to help their apprentice guard the altar. You also suffered a great loss this time."

"I won't say anything else, the silver for your trip here will of course be indispensable."

"And after you return to Ming Prefecture, you should first live in peace, close your doors, don't walk ghosts, and don't set up altars. Everything will wait until I return to Ming Prefecture."

"Although I'm from the blood food gang, I also know a few seniors, and I think they'll have a way to solve the problem that's bothering you."

"..."

Aunt Zhang was clearly a little surprised by Hu Ma's words.

She originally thought that Hu Ma was just comforting her, after all, only her own family knew her own affairs. How could anyone in the blood food gang find a way to solve the problem of the Five Fiend Gods invited to the hall?

But seeing Hu Ma's extremely serious expression and clear eyes when he said it, she couldn't help but believe him, and nodded, saying, "I know, I'll rest when I get back."

After finishing his instructions, Hu Ma took out another blood food pill and gave it to Aunt Zhang to take.

Aunt Zhang was shocked. Such an expensive thing, she had already eaten one before, why did she have to eat another?

Hu Ma insisted that she eat it, and helped them settle down a little. In the Dongchang Prefecture mule and horse market, he found out that a large caravan was about to set off to the south, so he gave them some silver and arranged for Aunt Zhang and the others to follow along the way.

Of course, not only to follow, but also to go outside the city to fetch his donkey and bring it back to Ming Prefecture. He and Xiang girl would be riding horses later, and he couldn't take care of the donkey.

The good thing was that the local customs were good, and the donkey hadn't been taken away.

After arranging for them to go back, Hu Ma took a deep breath again, returned to the city, and hired a few fine horses.

He also used the techniques he learned from Steward Zhou to simply disguise himself, and the two of them chose a side door and left the city.

Choosing the nearest road, they went straight to An Prefecture.

The two of them traveled, and rode fast horses, although it was harder, the speed was obviously faster.

They were careful along the way, avoiding unknown troubles, traveling day and night, not daring to delay, and barely reached the border of An Prefecture on the seventh day.

(End of Chapter)