Chapter 318: Chapter 316: The Biggest Intelligence in Mingzhou Prefecture (Third Update)
"What else is there to say? Nothing more to say..."
Miss White Wine still had her authority. With these words, Brother Er Guotou ultimately didn’t walk away, though his voice was suddenly full of helplessness and frustration. "But that’s the Five Evil Gods we’re talking about, brothers and sisters..."
"The ones under the Five Evil Gods, they say they’re treasure hunters, but I think they’re more like his Incense Burners, right?"
"Treasure hunting and Evil Creation, that’s exactly their style... But Brother Old White, is this big job you’ve excitedly put together this time really just to deal with them?"
"Yeah..." Hu Ma said frankly. "Outsiders, fat sheep, ridding the people of harm, and crucially, no worries about future repercussions..."
At least these elements seem sound.
"You call that no worries?" Brother Er Guotou’s voice suddenly rose several octaves. "The Five Evil Gods *are* the future repercussions, alright? Brother, do you really understand them?"
"Well, not really." Hu Ma thought for a moment, smiled, and said, "We discussed this before..."
"Stop," Er Guotou said. "That wasn’t a discussion between us. It was just idle chat, akin to bragging while drinking. Besides, even if we were to turn this idle talk into reality, I thought it would take several more years. Who would have thought you’d set your sights on that bunch now..."
"You probably don’t know how troublesome these Five Evil Gods are, do you?"
Hearing him say this, Hu Ma became somewhat serious. "I know they’re Hall Officers, and I also know that these Hall Officers are even more troublesome than the evil spirits below the hall. The places that worship them are worse than ghost dens."
"Exactly..." Even Gua Shao couldn’t help but interject from the side, "What’s so great about the Five Evil Gods? From what I hear, they don’t even sound as famous as our Red Lantern Lady..."
"Can you even compare them like that?" Er Guotou’s voice carried a touch of weary exasperation. He sighed, "In Mingzhou Prefecture, of course, their reputation isn’t as great as our Red Lantern Lady’s. But do you know why?
"The Red Lantern Lady is famous because she’s always been here, managing the Blood Food business, mingling with various Martial Artists, the Mule and Horse Market, and even getting to know the families in the villages and Manors under her influence.
"But with her limited power, she can only stay in Mingzhou Prefecture city, at most influencing the seventeen Manors where her lanterns are hung. She rarely even visits the scattered Blood Food mines.
"But what about once they’re ’on the hall’?
"Once conferred, they gain the power to build a temple and enjoy incense. They spread incense-burning far and wide, receiving offerings from all directions. Once their True Spirit stirs, they can manifest countless avatars. They aren’t confined to a small area collecting Blood Food because they’re already enjoying the incense from thousands...
"Having an official document versus being an evil spirit—this is the most fundamental difference between Mountain Spirits and hall guests..."
"Huh?" Listening to Er Guotou’s serious tone, even Gua Shao became solemn. She asked a bit fearfully, "Are all those ’on the hall’ more powerful than the Red Lantern Lady?"
"Not necessarily..." Her question seemed to derail Er Guotou’s train of thought. "Evil spirits and hall guests aren’t on the same path. Their standing isn’t determined by who can throw a harder punch or bite harder.
"Those ’on the hall’ are certainly formidable. However, among those ’below the hall,’ there are also some exceptional evil spirits. These might possess immense resentment, have had fortuitous encounters, or reside in an Evil Land, granting them astonishing Mana and ferocity. In a real confrontation, even those ’on the hall’ might have to retreat significantly.
"Of course, there’s also the principle that ’those with shoes fear those who are barefoot.’ How many of those ’on the hall’ would dare to risk their lives?
"However, since they are ’on the hall,’ they have a background. They were either once conferred by the court or worshipped spontaneously by the people and subsequently recognized by a former court.
"Of course, many were originally conferred by the Ten Surnames.
"These hall guests each have their own origins. Some protect a region, while others are endowed with great merit or can ensure favorable weather for an area. They aren’t all necessarily skilled in bringing calamities or in duels, but it’s certain they are not to be trifled with.
"Anyone in the jianghu knows not to provoke those with official standing. For us Reincarnators to go against hall guests—isn’t that madness?"
This speech left even the previously excited Gua Shao silent.
Miss White Wine, who had been observing silently, slowly spoke, "I have to say, Er Guotou’s worries are indeed valid."
"If it were just a few treasure hunters, they wouldn’t be that difficult to deal with."
"To put it bluntly, they’re just Incense Burners. When their master is an evil spirit, they are Incense Burners. Following the Negative Spirit Path, when their master receives incense offerings, they transform and become Incense Burners in the temple. But ultimately, they are all servants of their own master.
"Dealing with them isn’t difficult. Even their backer, the Five Evil Gods, while troublesome, shouldn’t make us this fearful...
"It’s just the rules and taboos the Five Evil Gods represent, hehe..."
As she said these words, Hu Ma knew the opportunity he had been waiting for all night had arrived.
"I understand Brother Er Guotou’s concerns..." Taking a deep breath, he slowly began, "It’s not that I haven’t considered the risks. But I also know that opportunities are rare. We Reincarnators act cautiously, not because we don’t want to progress, but because we’re always worried about stirring up trouble.
"But as our abilities grow, every step forward becomes extremely difficult. Even a small item can trip us up. Just as I know what Miss White Wine needs right now.
"Likewise, I know what Brother Er Guotou needs..."
Pausing slightly here, Gua Shao grew a bit expectant. "And me?"
Hu Ma skipped her directly. "Precisely because I know how difficult it is to obtain these two items, when I encountered this opportunity, I couldn’t help but tell you two about it."
"The Five Evil Gods are certainly ’on the hall’ and have a fearsome reputation. But now is the best time to eliminate them, without any risk."
He stated the words "without any risk" with such certainty that they left no room for doubt.
This immediately puzzled everyone present. After a moment of silence, it was Miss White Wine who spoke first, "Why do you say that?"
"Because I have some information," Hu Ma said calmly. "And revealing this information will involve some secrets."
"For Reincarnators, these secrets might be beyond what a mere ’big favor’ can repay. Are you sure you want to hear them?"
Having said that, he paused slightly, as if waiting for them to leave.
He had seen Er Guotou do this before; tossing out an internal piece of information was a significant favor to others. He could share it, but whether they accepted this favor depended on their willingness to stay.
No one left.
Even Miss White Wine and Er Guotou were slightly tense, waiting for Hu Ma’s answer.
Gua Shao dared not make a sound, only pricking up her ears, terrified that Old White might deem her unworthy and kick her out at this crucial moment.
Taking a deep breath, Hu Ma said directly, "Previously, during the Green Clothes spirit chaos, someone from the Meng family came, but an Evil Ghost was slain and the Meng Family members were driven away by a prominent figure from Mingzhou Prefecture."
"The entire Mingzhou Prefecture wants to know who this person is, including us Reincarnators, yet no one dares to investigate."
"SWOOSH!"
When he suddenly mentioned this, the breathing of the three present grew heavier, and the atmosphere even seemed a bit oppressive. Hu Ma didn’t keep them in suspense. "But, as it happens, I know exactly who this person is."
"You..." Miss White Wine couldn’t help but ask, "...know who he is?"
"Yes." Hu Ma’s voice had never been so certain. He said in a low tone, "That prominent figure... is me..."
"Huh?" Several short gasps echoed around the Lifebound Spirit Temple.
But Hu Ma suddenly continued, his voice filled with an indescribable gravity and seriousness. "That prominent figure... is an old man from our Old Yin Mountain village. The people there offer sacrifices to him every year, and he protects them, suppressing evil spirits.
"Or rather, I’m not even sure if he’s an old man. He’s accustomed to sitting on a tree stump, exuding the scent of incense, his true face obscured. His abilities are immense, yet he doesn’t like to show off.
"...Oh, and he loves attending banquets!"
"This..." Inside the Lifebound Spirit Temple, it fell deathly silent, as if everyone needed time to process this shocking news.
Hu Ma then let out a deep sigh. "I learned this unintentionally, but I’m very certain about it. I was actually born in Dayang Village. While I have contact with the outside world, I’ve also encountered things that outsiders haven’t.
"This mountain lord is one of them. When I was a child, I even kowtowed to him with Granny!
"And during the previous Green Clothes spirit chaos, because my Manor was close to Old Yin Mountain, I got drawn in. I helped the common folk with a few things, not expecting to catch his Dharma Eye.
"When I returned to the village for the New Year, he appeared before me. He praised my actions and even gave me some karma and guidance. It was then that I finally confirmed that the prominent figure who dealt with the Green Clothes entity was him..."
Having said so much in one breath, Hu Ma suddenly seemed to relax. "Oh, by the way, there’s another piece of information I’ll share with you all for free...
"In Mingzhou Prefecture, a new small Hall Officer was recently appointed...
"...He appointed them casually!
"Right next to our Manor, there was originally a den of Yellow Immortals. Their cultivation was limited. However, because they helped the neighboring villagers during the Green Clothes spirit chaos, they happened to catch his esteemed eye.
"And now? They were summoned to Old Yin Mountain for a meeting with him. Good heavens, now they’ve transformed; they’re completely different.
"Not long ago, I personally saw the third disciple from Plum Blossom Lane handling matters near our Manor. They had Blood Food and a sacrificial altar all prepared, merely to deal with an insignificant evil spirit that had no backing. Guess what happened?
"That Yellow Immortal, also known as Seventh Aunt, issued a single command, and they all got scared off. Our Manor benefited greatly from that!"