Chapter 320: Chapter 318 Five Evil Envoys
The plan had come together, and for him, it felt like half the battle was won. Hu Ma suddenly felt a lot better. Since his reincarnation, he had been burdened by various affairs, unable to break free. Now, for the first time, he felt the satisfaction of taking a step forward on his own initiative. The other people seemed relieved as well, their spirits appearing to be lifted. It often happened this way: before making a decision, everything seemed tangled and uncertain, but once the decision was made, everything became clear and understandable.
Especially Er Guotou, who had been the most opposed. Now that everyone had decided to join the scheme, he was the first to laugh, saying, "If that’s the case, why don’t we talk about how we’re going to slaughter these fat sheep?"
"Then shall we each show our Divine Skills?"
Hu Ma smiled and said, "I do think Er Guotou is right. Even though we are entering the scheme, we must be careful not to let the one in the mountain discover our secret as Reincarnators. Therefore, it’s not wise to discuss too thoroughly. The more detailed a plan, the more traces of cooperation it leaves behind. We might as well each pick our targets, seize their treasures, and take their lives. That’s all there is to it. We just need to eliminate them. As for who takes out whom, or even if it’s us who eventually make the move, that doesn’t matter."
"Your considerations are truly meticulous..." Sweet Potato, fearful of being kicked out in the middle of such a big operation, immediately sweet-talked, "You truly deserve to be called Senior Old White. I really need to learn more from you."
"TSK..." Er Guotou sighed and said, "You really do need to learn from him. I always thought you were the slickest operator among us..."
Hu Ma felt a bit awkward but did not respond; I’m just an honest person, after all.
Yet, at this moment, only Miss White Wine remained calm and clear-headed as she said, "So, what about the identities of these people? How skilled are they? Even a lion uses all its strength to catch a rabbit; we must first understand their capabilities."
Sweet Potato asked, "Have they achieved Entering the Mansion? What are their names? Are they hard to kill? Which one is the richest?"
At this point, Hu Ma didn’t rush to speak. Actually, I know quite a bit about these five people. I’ve even observed them and their actions with the mountain lord before. But with my current persona, I’ve only guessed who the noble is and have some connections with his small hall officer. Knowing about this matter is plausible, but being too clear would seem suspicious.
"I’ll take this on..."
At this moment, Er Guotou sighed and said, "To put it bluntly, these henchmen are just the Five Evil Gods’ lackeys, also known as Incense Burners. Anyone who has built a temple has such people under them. Incense Burners are Negative Spirits. Whether they’ve achieved Entering the Mansion or not, all their abilities lie with the hall guest they serve. But these Five Evil Gods are called that because they embody all Five Evils: Life Evil, Wealth Evil, Blessed Evil, Longevity Evil, and Luck Evil. This Five Evil Master is also a rare one. Unlike other hall guests who grant blessings and perform expelling evil upon receiving incense, this particular Five Evil God is fearsomely wicked. He can bestow ill-gotten wealth, and Worship of him often proves effective. In earlier years, he was often Worshipped, even by some prominent families in Mingzhou. However, although he is a legitimate hall master, he is worse than an evil spirit. Whoever Worships him initially gets all their wishes fulfilled, but gradually, their family faces complete ruin, and they regret it when it’s too late. Some prefectures and counties that used to Worship him were eventually devastated by him, becoming wastelands... Though he is an Evil God, his cultivation must be extremely high. The Incense Burners under him couldn’t withstand it fully, so each of them received only one type of his evil aura, but even that is quite formidable."
Everyone listened carefully; even Hu Ma paid great attention. Miss White Wine pondered for a while before saying, "So, to deal with them, do we first need to counter this evil aura of theirs?"
"Correct." Er Guotou slowly nodded and said softly, "I’m a walking ghost, so I know more than you do. When Old White started talking, I had already guessed some things. Since the Five Evil Gods intend to come, and even plan to confront the noble in the mountain, it seems their Incense Burners are here to perform Evil Creation and set up altars for him. Their treasure hunting is just one aspect; Evil Creation is the key. If they set up five Evil Altars in five places in Mingzhou—a Life Evil Altar, a Wealth Evil Altar, a Blessed Evil Altar, a Longevity Evil Altar, and a Luck Evil Altar—by then, when he is invited over, the Five Evil Gods’ abilities will become even more potent, enough to give anyone who encounters him a serious problem."
"Damn..." Hu Ma listened carefully, silently amazed. Reincarnators indeed have some hidden depths, especially old hands like Er Guotou. Their knowledge is surprisingly profound. I understood some things after observing with the mountain lord, but Brother Er Guotou just casually laid it all out, even more systematically than I could. I couldn’t even find a chance to add a word. What did this indicate? This old fellow, despite being the most outwardly opposed to dealing with the Five Evil Gods throughout this whole affair, actually understands them the best? But then again, he’s always been thinking about stealing something from the Hu Family’s old fire pit and wants the Five Evil Gods to make way for the Little Red Lantern. Making these preparations seems reasonable for him, doesn’t it?
"If that’s the case, let’s do the opposite!" The diligent student Sweet Potato listened carefully. Now she eagerly raised her hand, every word chosen to show how obedient and reliable she was: "If the Five Evil Altars are established, the Five Evil Gods’ powers will grow, but if the altars can’t be established, his powers will diminish accordingly?"
"Naturally." Er Guotou said, "Though the Five Evil Gods have a fearsome reputation and high status among hall guests, they also have a weakness: they turn the places where they are Worshipped into wastelands. This means they have no foundation in the human world. Isn’t that the same reason we want to curry favor with the noble in Old Yin Mountain? If the Five Evil Altars are established, the Five Evil Gods will be extremely fierce when they descend, and the noble in the mountain might not be able to handle them easily. But as long as their altars cannot be raised, the Five Evil Gods either won’t come at all, or if they do, they won’t have much power and won’t be able to stir up any significant trouble."
Sweet Potato said, "Then why not just eliminate all five of his Incense Burners?"
Er Guotou sighed. "If we eliminate all of them, the Five Evil Gods will realize the danger and might not come at all. Then how would the noble in Old Yin Mountain show us any gratitude? ...Of course, I mean the gratitude towards the Red Lantern Society."
Hu Ma listened silently, suddenly hesitant to speak. Damn, these people are all so shrewd! The few ideas and lines of thought I had, they just discussed them so easily, even bringing up many points I could learn from. It’s a good thing I didn’t say too much just now, otherwise, I’m afraid this matter would have been hard to keep under wraps.
"This plan was put together by Old White, so naturally, his opinion should be paramount." Luckily, at this moment, Miss White Wine suddenly spoke, "We just need to collect the benefits. There’s no need for our thoughts to diverge so much."
"Um..." Sweet Potato and Er Guotou, who had been the most animated in the discussion, were clearly taken aback for a moment. Then Sweet Potato reacted quickly, saying crisply, "Yes, yes, we’ll listen to Senior Old White! Wherever he points, I’ll strike. I guarantee excellent work and an excellent attitude!"
Sweet Potato must have either been in an illegal profession in her past life or was a seasoned internet pro... Hu Ma sighed softly, then let out a dry, somewhat sinister-sounding laugh. "My thinking is quite simple: it’s enough as long as I can catch the noble’s Dharma Eye. In any case, I will certainly put in effort for this matter and ensure that the noble—or rather, the small hall officer he personally appointed—sees it. That way, I’ll have a chance to at least run some errands for her. But to achieve this, the Five Evil Gods must come. As for how to deal with these Five Evil Altars, that will depend on everyone’s individual efforts."
"That’s simple. Each of us picks one." Upon hearing this, Miss White Wine said directly, "The Longevity Evil is mine. If there’s any intel, pass it to me. You don’t need to worry about how I’ll handle her; I won’t mess up."
Sweet Potato, hearing this, immediately tensed up, afraid she’d miss out, and hurriedly said, "I want to take on the Wealth Evil! I also want the Blessed Evil! But not the Luck Evil, I’m scared of that one. I’m torn between the first two, though. I want both, but I can’t handle two... The treasure my Master left me can only be used once in a short period. This is so frustrating! Both are fat sheep. Maybe I should draw lots?"
Listening, Hu Ma was somewhat surprised. This little sister Sweet Potato is quite something... Isn’t she still far from achieving Entering the Mansion? Yet, from her tone, she sounds confident in dealing with any one of them. Just how powerful is the treasure her Master left her?
Er Guotou, having listened, slowly chuckled and said, "Regarding the Five Evil Altars, we don’t need to take out all five of them. If even one is destroyed, the evil aura will be greatly diminished. In that case, I’ll see what’s convenient and pick one or two at random. However, everyone should be cautious. The Five Evil Envoys are quite skilled. Especially since they’ve come as treasure hunters, they will inevitably seize all sorts of Spiritual Treasures first and then use them to refine evil. Using Spiritual Treasures to refine evil makes it doubly treacherous. Be very careful not to get sprayed by them and end up capsizing in a ditch."
Everyone was taken aback, and Hu Ma asked, "If one gets sprayed by it, what will happen?"
"Regardless of whether you’ve achieved Ascension or Entering the Mansion, if you’re hit head-on by their evil aura, your cultivation will be severely damaged at best; at worst, you’ll lose your life." Er Guotou sighed softly. "You can think of it as getting shot. No physical body can withstand such a hit, and no amount of cultivation can withstand that evil aura..."
These words cast a pall over the previously light-hearted group, and an air of pressure, silence, and gravity descended.
Then, amidst the silence, Sweet Potato suddenly exclaimed with a hint of excitement, "So, if that’s the case, once we take them out and seize their Spiritual Treasures... does that mean we can strut around Mingzhou Prefecture as we please in the future?"