Twilight Boundary-Chapter 413 - 407: Allocation of Money and Grain
After organizing his thoughts clearly at night, Hu Ma suppressed all the unease and anxiety in his heart. Showing no special expression, he continued to patiently handle matters at the mine.
Zhuang Erchang had already been taken away, and his two apprentices had been killed by Wu Song’s Corpse Nourishing Bees. The group of troublemaking Witches was also completely annihilated. This blood food mine was smoothly taken over by him.
But taking it over was just the beginning; everything needed to be properly settled.
The first major task was to have Zhou Datong, along with a few clever Meat Cutting Craftsmen familiar with the surrounding terrain, scout for news and see if there were any signs of the Yin General causing trouble or appearing. The Yin General was indeed an extraordinary problem. Although not yet fully formed, it was an extremely sinister entity. If it caused chaos outside, the death toll would not be small. Since it had escaped from the mine, they also had to guard against its return. Of course, while people were sent for reconnaissance, they were repeatedly instructed to only observe and definitely not to act rashly. For caution’s sake, Zhou Datong led one small team, and Zhou Liang led another. Zhao Zhu was definitely not to be sent out. While others learned skills and grew smarter, Zhao Zhu had probably been with Hu Ma for too long. With no need to think for himself, he had grown more obtuse.
The second task was to properly appease the Meat Cutting Craftsmen still remaining in the mine. It was already past the month for cutting meat and settling accounts; logically, these craftsmen should have returned to their villages to farm. However, Zhuang Erchang had previously kept them here. Now, Hu Ma had to take over, settle accounts where due, and send off those who needed to leave. Strictly speaking, Hu Ma could have chosen to ignore this old debt. But that was unnecessary. Firstly, they would still need these miners come spring next year. Secondly, Second Master and others in the village were from a Meat Cutting Craftsmen background. Life was incredibly tough for them, and their meager wages could be scraped together, so there was no need for Hu Ma to be so stingy.
So, when it came time to calculate wages for these Meat Cutting Craftsmen, Hu Ma found he couldn’t seem to scrape the funds together. The mine had no surplus! Payments to these miners usually consisted of some white food and green food, with the rest in silver taels. If the mine had ample grain, that could also be used as partial payment. But now, every type of blood food in the mine had turned to dregs and was worthless. Moreover, the Witches had previously sealed the mine, so no grain had entered for a long time. All Hu Ma had left to distribute was the silver he carried on his person.
He had brought some silver with him to the mine, naturally, but it wasn’t enough. These dozens of Meat Cutting Craftsmen were each owed about twenty taels, totaling nearly seven to eight hundred taels of silver. He had only brought two hundred taels in total; how could that possibly suffice?
After Hu Ma mentioned this to Calculation, the latter was full of confidence. Waving his hand, he declared he would take care of it. First, he dipped his brush in ink and wrote a long and flowing urgent letter for Little Hongtang to deliver to Zhu Gate Town. The letter was very straightforward:
"We’ve already reached the mine and are preparing to take over. However, this mine was sabotaged by Zhuang Erchang. The risks taken and responsibilities shouldered are all for our Red Lantern Lady. Now that Zhuang Erchang has fled, if we don’t ensure the Meat Cutting Craftsmen are paid, how will people perceive our Lady in the future? Furthermore, that monster escaped from the mine. If we don’t send people to search for and capture it, what if it harms someone? Manpower is tight, and our responsibilities are heavy. How can the society not provide some subsidy? We don’t need too much. Immediately transfer one thousand taels of silver, ten jin of Blood Tai Sui, two hundred jin of Green Tai Sui, and about a thousand jin of White Tai Sui. There’s no limit on fat pigs and sheep... Also, a weight was dug up from the mine. Ask if the Lady wants it; we can bring it back for her as a decorative piece."
Calculation was full of confidence. He reassured the Meat Cutting Craftsmen, guaranteeing that the funds and grain would be distributed soon, and that they might even receive some extra reward money. This made the honest craftsmen quite happy.
The Red Lantern Society replied quickly, with Incense Master Xu responding personally. He rewarded Little Hongtang with a large piece of green food and also had her bring a red envelope containing one hundred taels of silver. The letter was extremely warm, reassuring the ’brothers’ and guaranteeing that their efforts would be recorded as a merit. Then, the tone shifted. It mentioned the heavy responsibilities the society currently faced and how all the brothers were struggling. They were to make do with the one hundred taels of silver and figure out the rest themselves. As for the other matter, "...We don’t want the weight. The society has plenty of those."
Calculation was speechless. Upon reading the letter, he was shocked, exclaiming, "That damn Xu has become sinister! He wasn’t like this before he became an Incense Master!"
A battle of experts... Hu Ma felt both surprised and yet, somehow, had anticipated this. He could only shake his head with a sigh. He left the task of finding food for the men in the valley to Calculation, as he couldn’t truly let the miners starve. After all, Calculation still owed him several thousand jin of blood food; asking him to do this small task wouldn’t even count as interest.
What concerned Hu Ma more now was the third major matter regarding the mine: What was the state of this blood food mine’s foundation, and what would its yield be next year?
After the Yin General escaped, not only the already harvested Tai Sui Blood and Flesh but also the exposed veins on the mine’s surface showed signs of withering. Judging solely from this superficial appearance, one might say this blood food mine was ruined. It seemed unlikely to recover this year, or even next year or the year after, despite several years of nurturing. If that were truly the case, Hu Ma and his group would have no need to remain; they could simply pack up and return to their Manor.
However, after careful investigation, they were startled to find that things were not so simple.
After some meticulous calculations, Calculation quietly found Hu Ma. "Little Shopkeeper," he said, "our ancestral master is still reliable. Before I came, I asked him, and he performed several divinations. All indicated that I’d make a fortune on this trip. Now it seems our ancestral master truly cares for us! This mine may appear depleted of blood and flesh on the surface, but its essence is actually concealed and rich with vital energy. I believe that come next spring, we’re going to strike it rich!"
"Is that so?" Hu Ma feigned surprise, though internally, he had already suspected as much.
While he wasn’t as knowledgeable as Calculation regarding blood food mines, Hu Ma understood the underlying cause and effect very clearly. The blood food mine’s surface appeared depleted, its vitality seemingly drained. But beneath this withered exterior lay the true reason: the essence of the collapsed Witch God, its mana, had all been absorbed by Tai Sui. That Witch God had been nourished by the devout worship and offerings of countless Witches, its power and substance comparable to that of an entire village’s Old Fire Pit. Such an Old Fire Pit had almost entirely been converted into nourishment for Master Tai Sui. How could the mine not be prosperous?
Looking at it this way, the current number of miners might even be insufficient. If things get really busy... Hu Ma kept this in mind, secretly calculating, Come spring next year, why not invite Second Master and the others over as well? After all, the Red Lantern Lady is kind-hearted and would surely not compete with her subordinates for these trifles. Everything the mine produces next year will be ours...
Thus, they lived a frugal life for the time being, urging Calculation daily to find money and grain. As days passed, the turmoil in the mine gradually subsided. The chaos caused by the Witches slowly dissipated, and the craftsmen became quite settled. For them, not having to descend into the mine every day, being provided with food, and having their wages calculated daily—even if not yet fully paid—gave them something to look forward to, didn’t they?
As for the weight excavated from the mine? Since the Red Lantern Society didn’t want it, and because it was heavy and difficult to move, it was simply left where it was. Fortunately, it didn’t take up much space. Initially, everyone was wary of it and kept their distance. Later, seeing no unusual occurrences, they relaxed. Gradually, someone draped a raincoat over it. Once the first person did so, others followed, and more items were piled on top. As miscellaneous items accumulated, this stone weight became rather inconspicuous.
Once these mundane issues subsided, Hu Ma’s attention returned to his primary goal: finding a Shousui’s trump card to cultivate after Entering the Mansion. He considered several strategies, such as trying to acquire one from a Reincarnator through an exchange, or perhaps leveraging his connections within the Red Lantern Society to see if the Red Lantern Lady’s influence was significant enough. These approaches seemed plausible but not entirely reliable.
While he was mulling over these thoughts, a message was suddenly delivered from outside the valley. It stated that a group of people had arrived, politely requesting to enter the valley for a meeting.
Hu Ma took the calling card and examined it carefully. Sun Tong from Liu County, with his son, paying a visit? At first, he couldn’t imagine what this ’country gentleman,’ as he called himself, would be doing at his mine.
After a moment’s reflection, he suddenly understood. He hurriedly got up and said cheerfully, "Quick, invite them in!"
He hastily led some men to the valley entrance. After passing through the forest that had previously been teeming with gu insects, he saw a team of carriages and horses in the clearing beyond. Two people sat on the foremost horses. One, dressed in fine brocade and exuding an air of wealth, was none other than Old Shousui.
So it’s Old Shousui! If he had announced himself as Third Young Master Sun from Iron Bridge, I would have understood immediately. But calling himself a ’country gentleman’... I almost didn’t make the connection.
He felt a surge of joy. A Shousui who has achieved Entering the Mansion! Isn’t there one right here in front of me? Moreover, I clearly saw before that this Old Master possesses the abilities of a Shousui who has achieved Entering the Mansion! That technique, manifesting as a ghastly, Evil Ghost-like visage... it looked incredibly powerful...
Thinking this, he smiled and approached, saying, "Old gentleman, since you’ve arrived, please come straight into the valley. Why stand on ceremony?"
Third Young Master Sun from Iron Bridge, seeing Hu Ma personally come out to greet him and speaking so politely, beamed with joy. As he spoke, he dismounted, along with a young man who had been riding beside him. This young man, dressed in fine brocade robes, had a noble bearing; he was tall, with a fair complexion, and appeared to be around thirty years of age. Old Mr. Sun smiled and said, "Manager Hu, you are too courteous. This old man is paying a formal visit this time; how could I dare to neglect the proper etiquette? This is my son, Qi." Then, he turned to the young man. "Qi, call him Uncle!"
The young man immediately dismounted and bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Uncle Hu."
Hu Ma was dumbfounded. What in the world? This person looks much older than I am...
