Indeed, there was a right way to do things.
Hu Ma figured that if he and Zhou Datong had come here directly and recklessly, the villagers might not have even provided them with a meal. Perhaps, seeing their youthful faces, they would have just given each of them two steamed buns, maybe added a bit of pickled vegetables, and sent them on their way.
As a Mr. Ouyang once said, "The fee for an assassin with shoes is different from one without."
But now, they had been respectfully welcomed into the manor, and fine wine and food were served. This Old Master Zhao had even voluntarily let Hu Ma take the seat of honor, while he himself sat beside him, eagerly keeping him company.
Zhou Datong and the other apprentices, having traveled with Hu Ma for a day, were already famished and began eating heartily without hesitation. Hu Ma, however, mindful of his table manners, ate only a few bites, listening as Old Master Zhao began to speak in detail.
