Chapter 315: Chapter 313: The Person Holding in a Treasure
Seeing the mountain lord’s grim expression, Hu Ma felt an instinctive chill. Ever since meeting this senior, he had only seen him exhibit a gentle demeanor and speak softly. Aside from his fondness for excitement and attending feasts, he showed no other obvious signs of strong emotion.
It was, however, the first time he had seen hatred on his face, along with a barely concealed murderous intent.
"So, Senior Mountain Lord, why..."
Hu Ma turned his head again to look at the village, withered and wretched, then back at the mountain lord, cautiously making a chopping gesture.
"Because they too have their origins."
The mountain lord, upon hearing this, sighed softly and said, "These people aren’t foolish. They didn’t venture deep into Old Yin Mountain, just skirting the edges, engaging in Biebao and Evil Creation. If I brought calamity upon them, I would be breaking the rules. You shouldn’t underestimate what ’breaking the rules’ entails."
"If I break the rules, then someone will also break the rules against me, and the peace I so desperately seek will be unattainable."
"Following the rules..." Hu Ma was somewhat dismissive of this. He frowned and said, "What about these people then?"
"They’ve taken Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasures using such insidious means, and who knows how many common folk have suffered because of it. Is that their way of ’following the rules’?"
"The master behind them... is different from me."
Upon hearing this, a look of disappointment seemed to flicker on the mountain lord’s vague expression as he sighed softly. "There are those watching me, terrified I might break the rules. But as for the master behind them, there are many who would delight in seeing *it* break the rules."
"The more it breaks the rules, the more disgraced those who originally sealed it become, making them a laughingstock. Your Granny in the ancestral hall would also be unable to argue her case with conviction."
"Heh, you’re still young. You don’t understand that the continuation of great families relies not on official status, nor on some powerful figure emerging in a generation. It relies precisely on these rules that you disregard!"
"Once the rules are thrown into chaos, collapse is not far off..."
Suddenly hearing this, Hu Ma’s eyebrows twitched slightly, especially when he caught the mention of his Granny.
He hurriedly asked, "So, the master behind them is...?"
"You’ve already inquired about it before, haven’t you?"
The mountain lord said calmly, "It’s the Five Evil Gods that your Hu Family personally sealed. *He* was meant to be the Protector God for the Ghost Walkers of the world, but in the end, you see what happened."
"Heh. If your Granny hadn’t personally driven him out of Old Yin Mountain when he developed ulterior motives—she preferred to seek my protection for you—how could the Meng family have abducted you so easily when they sent that wanderer to find you?"
These calm words suddenly illuminated Hu Ma’s mind, making him understand a great deal.
No wonder Aunt Zhang always seemed so despairing when talking about her fate, unwilling even to ask others for help.
No wonder Er Guotou said the Ghost Walker Path was in such disarray.
Everything had a reason. Aunt Zhang, as a Ghost Walker, had said the first altar setup was crucial. She herself suffered because of her first one. But thinking about it, as a Ghost Walker from an established lineage, how could she not have understood the principles? Why would she only learn after making such a mistake?
Actually, she had been extremely cautious. To ensure success, she invited a Protector God from the Ghost Walker Path, a well-acquainted Guest of the Hall. It should have been foolproof...
Yet, it was precisely the protector of the Ghost Walker Path who had targeted her. How could her heart not fill with utter despair?
And when even the Protector God their own family had sealed starts causing trouble, how could the Path be described as anything but utterly chaotic? It has reached the absolute extreme, hasn’t it...
But it was also from hearing these things that Hu Ma’s mind grew slightly solemn.
This matter is interesting. I’ve been wanting to find him all along, and now he’s practically delivered himself to my doorstep...
...Could this be what they call fate?
Thinking this, he focused slightly and said softly, "So, it seems he’s an acquaintance."
"But for him to come now, of all times... Is there some particular reason for this timing?"
"I can’t see that far."
The mountain lord sighed softly. "He has his own lands of incense, though he has ravaged most of them. Such Guests of the Hall don’t typically come uninvited. What’s more, he surely knows you’re still here..."
"But whatever his reasons, his decision to come means he’s prepared. He wants to test your mettle."
"Now, his Incense Burners have arrived. They are deliberately here engaging in Biebao and harming people, partly to test me, and partly for Evil Creation."
"Once the Five Evils are gathered, that will be when he can make his grand appearance here."
"The Five Evils gathered..." Hu Ma recalled the scene he had just witnessed. Just Biebao extracting the spirit had turned such a peaceful and quiet village into a land of terrible Evil.
If the so-called Five Evils were truly gathered, what would become of these villages? What about the entire Mingzhou Prefecture? Vaguely, a sense of disbelief arose in my heart. A Guest of the Hall, one who received incense and Worship, was no longer a mere rural monster. But from what I’m seeing, these Evil Gods’ Evil Creation seems even more formidable than the previous haunting by the green-clothed spirit.
The mountain lord, knowing the good and evil in human hearts, couldn’t immediately see through all of Hu Ma’s thoughts but could sense his current dejection. He sighed softly, "Heh, when entities revered in the hall are left ungoverned, the calamities they create are far greater than those caused by mere evil spirits from below."
"Truth, indeed..." Hu Ma was suddenly convinced by the truth in these words.
Slowly nodding, he took a long breath, gathered his spirits, and said to the mountain lord, "Then, Senior, what do you think is the best way to handle this?"
"You mustn’t be careless."
The mountain lord also seemed to ponder for a moment, then said in a solemn voice, "He sent his subordinates to create an Evil Altar. This allows him to arrive with greater power and also provides him a way to retreat unscathed. Furthermore, it’s a way to probe."
"But as a house slave of the Hu Family, he was disrespectful to your Granny and was expelled; that was already a major offense. Now, his coming to test you further is an even greater crime. If he uncovers your true circumstances, your situation will become extremely difficult."
"Therefore, you must deliver a stern warning quickly, make him understand the difficulties and retreat..."
Hu Ma listened patiently, knowing this senior’s opinion was especially important. However, upon hearing the conclusion, he hesitated slightly.
Ever since he started interacting with the mountain lord, he had been an obedient junior. But this time, a different thought arose in his mind. Cautiously, he asked, "Just a warning, to make him retreat?"
"Then why not..." With a grave expression, he slowly raised his hand, making a chopping motion, "just finish him off directly?"
"Hm?"
Startled by Hu Ma’s earnest expression, the mountain lord was momentarily taken aback. He seemed to sense Hu Ma’s state of mind and realized the young man wasn’t joking...
Hu Ma, however, appeared quite composed. "What good is just a warning? If we scare him off this time, won’t he just come back later? We scare off the Five Evil Gods this time, but what if next time he brings Seven Evils and Eight Blessings, or something like that?"
The mountain lord observed him for a long moment before a smile finally spread across his face. "I can sense that what you’re thinking right now... it’s quite terrifying."
"But I also have to admit, it actually fits the character of a Hu Family descendant..."
Seeing the mountain lord smile, Hu Ma quickly smiled too. "So, Senior, do you have any good methods to kill him?"
The mountain lord chuckled. "An entity that has been accepted into the hall is very hard to kill."
"But..."
"...I happen to know one method. And you Hu Family members happen to be capable of carrying it out."
Hearing this, Hu Ma was overjoyed, but he also knew that while it was easy to think about such things, actually doing them would likely be incredibly difficult.
With a smile, he quickly added, "Of course, we must act within our own capabilities."
"I’m mainly just angry on your behalf, Senior Mountain Lord! These scoundrels are audacious to the extreme; they deserve a thousand deaths!"
"Our home is in Old Yin Mountain. For them to come to Old Yin Mountain to engage in Biebao—how is that any different from thieves breaking into our own house to steal things?"
Listening to his words, even the mountain lord turned to look at Hu Ma with some surprise. "Whether you’re being entirely sincere or not, your words are certainly pleasant to hear."
Hu Ma wasn’t afraid of his bluster being called out. He just smiled. "Of course, ideas are one thing, but this matter requires careful planning. How many people has the other side sent? What preparations are they making? Senior, could you take me to see?"
"You’ve certainly matured after your trip out. Your jianghu experience is clearly much richer than before."
The mountain lord nodded with a smile. "I called you out this time precisely to show you. Follow me!"
With a wave of his wide sleeve, it was as if they were riding the clouds, or as if a dream scene had shifted. Hu Ma was taken to several places, witnessing many events occurring on the borders of the Old Yin Mountain region.
There was a peasant woman holding a child, a man who liked to push a single-wheeled barrow selling meat, a traveling doctor with a satchel treating illnesses everywhere, a woodcutter with a billhook carrying firewood on a shoulder pole selling it about, and a small child with rouged cheeks, among others.
This matter was quite important, so Hu Ma dared not be careless. He carefully observed everything he could see with the mountain lord’s Mana. He also didn’t hesitate to ask the mountain lord for clarification on anything he didn’t understand, ensuring he got clear answers.
After observing many such scenes, just as dawn was about to break, the mountain lord finally said, "No matter how much you see or ask, I fear you won’t remember it all. Whether you decide to just warn them off or eliminate them entirely, you’ll need to think it through carefully."
"In any case, once you’ve made your decision, have Little Hongtang come tell me. Or you can send that small hall officer; she’ll do."
"Of course, if the small hall officer comes, keep the message simple. I’m afraid she might not remember a long one."
"But there’s no time to delay. Their incense-burning and Evil Creation are progressing rapidly. I fear it won’t even take seven days before they can establish their Evil Altar. You must make your plans quickly."
Hu Ma committed this to memory. Then, the mountain lord flicked his sleeve. Hu Ma felt a dizzying sensation, a spinning of heaven and earth, and abruptly sat up in bed. He saw that it was broad daylight. He was properly in his bed, covered with a quilt.
The night’s journey and everything I saw... it all felt like a dream.
He let out a low cry and was about to get up when he suddenly sensed something was not quite right. He raised a hand to touch his head and then felt a surge of pleasant surprise:
"Damn! Tagging along with the mountain lord for that little trip actually came with this kind of benefit?"