https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-202-Descendants-of-the-Hu-Family/12915412/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-204-My-Word-is-Law-My-Law-is-Command/12915414/
Chapter 203: Spirit Binding
Chapter 203: Spirit Binding
"Whoosh!"
All the previous shocks and impacts paled in comparison to the old tree stump’s final words. Hu Ma almost lost his composure.
A binding object?
A binding object is something essential for setting up a spell altar and casting spells, as recorded in the Town Guarding Book. It can be an item, and its spiritual energy is indeed closely related to the outcome of the spell. Hu Ma had always been very attentive to collecting these.
But the old tree stump...
What kind of Daoist power does it possess? A handful of earth at its feet contains boundless spell power. Yet, it is willing to become his binding object? That would be like it voluntarily lowering its status, placing itself beneath the spell altar while Hu Ma stands above it.
If it had directly helped him solve the problem, Hu Ma wouldn't have been so shocked.
Meeting the old tree stump’s gaze, which seemed to carry a hint of amusement, Hu Ma felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. A flood of questions surged in his mind, but in the end, he could only stammer, "Senior, why...?"
Why did this senior, who was originally unwilling to get involved in the Hu and Meng clans' affairs, now offer to help? Why did it only agree to protect his life before, but now is willing to do so much more?
"Very simple..."
The old tree stump, knowing the good and evil in people's hearts, guessed why Hu Ma was asking. It laughed lightly and said, "Originally, you weren't a Hu family member, so I only helped you out of respect for your grandmother."
"But when you entered the mountain to find me for those ghost walkers..."
"From that moment on, you became a Hu family member."
"..."
Listening to its words, Hu Ma felt an extremely complex mix of emotions.
Ever since he left the village, he had been observing and preparing to escape at any moment. He only offered minimal help when he could, but he couldn't help but act impulsively when he saw those ghost walkers in danger...
Once he calmed down, he might regret it deeply.
If other reincarnated ones found out, they would probably mock him. This was even more ridiculous than being tricked and having a plaster stuck on his head...
...But the old tree stump evaluated it so highly?
If his behavior made him seem like a Hu family member, then what must the real Hu family members be like?
However, meeting the old tree stump’s gaze, he quickly calmed down. This was clearly not the time to think about such things.
No time to waste, he needed to set up the spell altar!
Regarding the Town Guarding Book, he had only just entered the basics, learning and using the Five Binding Techniques once.
The five items needed for the spell altar, he had brought with him.
Earlier, when he worked with the sweet potato burn, he had earned a lot of good things from Young Master Lu of the rice merchant family. Among them were several items that could serve as binding objects.
For this exorcism, although he knew he couldn't use the Town Guarding Technique, he still brought them for safety. They had been on the donkey cart, and when he rushed to Old Yin Mountain, he packed them in a bag.
But he had only brought them for a sense of security. Who would have thought he would actually use them?
The old tree stump sat beside him, watching with a smile, seemingly not intending to guide him.
Since it was already serving as the binding object, it naturally wouldn’t teach him how to set up the spell altar.
Hu Ma could only proceed according to his understanding.
He took the fire basin from Young Master Lu, which was filled with a heavy Yin Qi. He placed it in front of himself, putting in some withered grass, then some dead branches, and finally a few pieces of wood. He lit them carefully.
Next, he took the rice from Young Master Lu and sprinkled it in a circle around the fire basin.
For safety, he also placed a piece of Yin Bone Jade at each corner of the rice circle.
Then came the scarecrow. There was no straw nearby, but there were vines, so he wove them together and placed them on either side.
He then inserted three incense sticks next to him.
Finally, he needed a binding object, which was the offering...
He hadn’t prepared this, but fortunately, the old tree stump was still waiting to fill in...
...Hu Ma turned to look at it, "Didn’t you say you would help me be the binding object? Are you filling in for the offering?"
"I can feel your lack of respect for me right now..."
The figure on the old tree stump noticed Hu Ma’s gaze and sighed lightly. Its gaze seemed to flicker, scanning the five binding objects in front of him, and it said softly, "The offering basin, the rice from the Three Absolute Places, and the Yin Bone Jade burnt from the Drought Demon..."
"It seems you have indeed put effort into understanding the Hu family’s techniques, but clearly, your understanding is still shallow."
"You’re trying to bind a spirit, not summon one. Why do you need an offering?"
"..."
"?"
Hu Ma vaguely understood the old tree stump’s words but still had some doubts.
But this wasn’t the time to ask questions. Time was urgent, so he looked at the old tree stump and whispered, "Then I..."
"Can start now?"
"..."
The old tree stump smiled, seeming to extend a hand in a "please" gesture.
Seeing its calm demeanor, Hu Ma felt reassured. He walked over, sat behind the fire basin, and took a piece of wood from it, lighting the three incense sticks.
Seeing the incense head spark with red dots and the fragrance begin to waft, he took a deep breath and looked towards the outside of Lao Yin Mountain. Within a radius of several dozen miles, the area was shrouded in dense Yin Qi, with evil spirits wreaking havoc. The ghost walkers who had come from all over to help were barely holding on.
There, the boundary between Yin and Yang was already in chaos, with someone using their power to overshadow the heavens, treating human lives as if they were grass.
The image of the ghost walker's head, filled with resentment and shock, flashed before his eyes, and his anger surged. Suddenly, he shouted:
"Heaven is the witness, Earth is the proof. The living must not open their eyes, the ghosts and spirits must not linger!"
"I now scatter rice to set up an altar and inquire about the evil spirits. The guardians of the eight directions come to receive the decree, the troops on the altar listen to the command."
"Quickly bring the Blue Robe to meet me, to be questioned and punished on the spell altar!"
"My words are commands, my commands are law... Go!"
"..."
This was the Spirit Binding Decree from the Book of Year-Taming. It was not a summoning, nor a command, nor an invitation!
This technique was similar to the Summoning Decree, but the words were much more powerful. Hu Ma did not know what the consequences would be, but he felt everything around him becoming blurry as he recited it.
Even the forest inside Lao Yin Mountain began to fade.
In a vague moment, it seemed as if he had arrived at a solemn and grand place with high houses and large tiles. He sat high above, threw down a token, and sternly questioned those below.
"Whoosh..."
With his loud shout, a bone-chilling Yin wind began to blow, rolling and surging, sweeping away into the distance.
...
...
At the same time, on the desolate hill outside Zhu Gate Town, the Blue Robe Boys had already been dispatched to various places of unrest. Only Chief Zheng remained, along with the evil ghost mask placed on the hill, shaded by a green staff.
Chief Zheng held the yellow banner floating behind him, feeling the chaos around him and the intense tension within, which brought a hint of pleasure.
He was a ghost walker, and ghost walkers were those who questioned spirits and commanded ghosts.
But in his entire life, how often had he ever commanded a ghost like the Blue Robe Lord?
The task seemed to be done by the Blue Robe Lord, but in reality, it was done by him. With a single command, the Blue Robe Lord would cause chaos wherever he ordered, and he did not even need to pay the price of offerings or backlash, because he had the backing of a noble person...
Of course, as a ghost walker, he was well aware of the consequences of causing such chaos in a place.
No ghost walker would do this, nor could they.
Afterward, not only would the Red Lantern Lady Association not tolerate him, but even if they did, how could they protect him?
"That dog mother's noble young master..."
He cursed softly.
He did not know if he regretted it now. Just because of his slight intention to get rid of the little shopkeeper and a moment of interference, he had angered that noble person, landing himself in this irredeemable situation.
But if given another chance, he might still do it. After all, this was his best opportunity to avenge himself and get rid of the little shopkeeper.
He could only blame the noble person for being too shrewd, different from what he had imagined.
He thought of his wife and family, sighing softly, "When you fished me out of the sewage, I thought I would make your family wealthy, but my abilities are limited, and I truly cannot take care of your entire family..."
"Every day, you are either greedy and stupid or offend people. How long can I keep patching things up for your family?"
"Since you cannot achieve wealth in this world, let us reunite in the afterlife..."
"..."
With these thoughts in mind, he stood up, gripped the wooden sword in his hand, and stared towards the small village to the south.
He did not know if the person hiding in Mingzhou City, who could make the noble person go to such great lengths to find and force out, would take action. He only knew that once that person acted, it would be his end.
So, he had to eliminate the little shopkeeper in Qing Shi Town before that happened.
He had already made him suffer for so many days; making him die would be a taste of what Niu Zi had endured.
"Blue Robe, take action!"
As he pointed with the branch in his hand, the yellow banner behind him immediately floated towards the south.
That was the direction of Qing Shi Town, indicating that he was adding more pressure there.
He had not expected that, with his wooden sword and the noble person's backing, the Blue Robe ghost would have no reason to disobey his command. As a ghost walker, this was the most glorious thing in his life.
Vaguely, he felt as if he could do anything in Mingzhou.
But suddenly, as he pointed his sword with determination, the Blue Robe ghost roared, and he heard a tearing sound. The banner floating above his head had broken.
"Huh?"
He was startled and looked up to see that the sky had turned black at some point.
Around the desolate hill, the Yin wind swirled, and the intense and oppressive aura made his body instantly cold.
His vision blurred, and he saw four men in black robes, each holding a sword and a chain, appearing in the swirling Yin wind. They looked like constables.
They rode the Yin wind, their faces indistinct, but he could feel the astonishing cold and dominance emanating from them. From a distance, they glared with fierce eyes, and their chains clattered as they directly locked onto the evil ghost mask.
As if capturing a criminal.
(End of Chapter)
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