https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-214-The-Foundation-of-Entering-the-Manor/12915487/
Chapter 215: The Nature of Things
Chapter 215: The Nature of Things
Anything that lingers in the mind can't be easily dismissed. After dealing with the Blue-robed Evil Ghost, Hu Ma indeed felt for a moment as if he had risen to a new level. However, once he calmed down, the pressure crept back up. After all, he was still just a small shopkeeper in the Red Lantern Association. Sighing deeply, he fell asleep, the accumulated fatigue of recent days finally catching up with him. When he awoke, it was already past noon the next day.
Sitting up, he felt a surge of vitality within him, a rolling wave of energy. With a quick internal check, Hu Ma was immediately surprised to find that his internal vitality was much more abundant.
"I have a dead body, and even now, I've only managed to refine myself halfway. Without blood food to nourish, my qi and blood would be insufficient."
"Recently, with all the busyness, I haven't had the chance to take enough blood food. But how come I feel..."
He was both surprised and delighted: "My Daoist Power has increased significantly?"
For a moment, he felt invigorated and full of energy, a joy that was truly indescribable.
Could it be that doing something that doesn't weigh on one's conscience actually benefits one's abilities?
But this seemed to touch on something intangible, like accumulating virtue and merit, which felt more like feudal superstition...
...But then again, this world wasn't exactly scientific to begin with.
Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard a commotion outside. An apprentice rushed in, breathlessly saying, "Elder Brother Hu Ma, come out and see! Master Xu and Elder Brother Yang Gong, and even a few people on horses with their faces covered, are here!"
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma immediately knew that people from the city had arrived.
Previously, when people from the city came, they would always send a Little Servant Ghost to inform them first. After all, the manor needed to prepare food and drinks, and tidy up to show respect to the Red Lantern Lady.
Why did they come without any prior notice this time?
By rights, he should have hurried to greet them respectfully, after all, despite borrowing the power of the Mountain Lord to deal with the Blue-robed Evil Ghost, he was still just a small shopkeeper in the Red Lantern Association.
How could he not show respect to his superiors?
But he had no problem with this mental adjustment. It was just that when he thought about it, the Red Lantern Lady was actually a creation of Elder Brother Er Guotou...
This made it a bit difficult to muster the proper respect.
Despite his thoughts, he still put on his robe and went out. As he stepped out of the inner courtyard, he saw a large group of people already inside the manor. A quick glance revealed Master Xu, Elder Brother Yang Gong, and others, all carrying a large lantern.
Seeing their wind-battered appearances, he calculated that they must have set out before dawn.
"Resident Manager of the Green Stone Town Branch, Hu Ma, respectfully requests the Lady's divine presence..."
Hu Ma greeted them in the outer courtyard, bowing to the red lantern they carried. This was the rule; without the red lantern, it would be different, but with it, he had to bow to the Lady first.
But before he could finish his bow, someone jumped off the horse. It was Yang Gong. He grabbed Hu Ma's arm, inspected him up and down, and said, "Good, good, you're unharmed."
"Cough!"
Master Xu, still on the horse, coughed twice as a reminder, then put on a stern face and said to Hu Ma, "Manager Hu, the people here seem anxious. What's going on?"
"It's the evil spirits causing trouble."
Hu Ma explained, "We don't know why, but the evil spirits have been harassing the people. It looks like there's still the shadow of the Blue-robed Evil Ghost. The people here believe in and respect the Lady. We receive our pay and food from her, so we couldn't just ignore it. We've been busy for a few days trying to help."
"Ah, this..."
Master Xu, who knew what had happened here, still feigned surprise and said, "Such a big deal, why didn't you invite the Lady to come and see?"
"Huh?"
Hu Ma was taken aback, thinking, "I did invite her, but she ran away..."
But a quick glance at the red lantern in the hands of the incense burners, which was still glowing, made him feel a bit guilty.
He sighed helplessly and said, "It's my fault. I lack experience and thought it was a minor issue that I could handle myself..."
"Next time, I'll definitely invite the Lady directly."
"..."
This statement clearly relieved the Red Lantern Lady.
"Manager Hu, you've worked hard."
Seeing Hu Ma's appropriate response, Master Xu looked at him appreciatively, then dismounted, took his hand, and sighed, "You don't know how big a fuss this has caused."
"It was that Blue-robed Evil Ghost. After losing the magical duel, it refused to accept defeat and started causing trouble all over Mingzhou Prefecture. It has disrupted countless places, making the entire prefecture restless, with cries of distress everywhere."
"However, it also reaped what it sowed and was eliminated by a certain high person."
"But the one who really made us angry was our Incense Master Zheng..."
"..."
Master Xu started off calmly but then his voice grew stern, "Our Red Lantern Association makes a living by collecting blood food. We usually take care of the people, distributing rice and porridge, and helping to exorcise evil spirits for the virtuous."
“
Our Red Lantern Lady has a good reputation among the people, but this man surnamed Zheng, due to being misled by a Blue-robed Evil Ghost, actually assisted in setting up a ritual altar, causing turmoil in the prefecture. His crimes are heinous...
“
... Now it’s all good!
He snorted coldly, saying, “The incident has happened!”
“
Our Red Lantern Association immediately expelled him, showing no leniency. This man surnamed Zheng and his entire family have been arrested by the authorities and are now in prison.
“
Just wait, in a couple of days, they’ll be taken to the Lingchi platform. They deserve it!
“
...”
“
?”
Seeing Mr. Xu’s indignant expression, Hu Ma was momentarily confused: “The man surnamed Zheng is already dead, so why would he be taken to the Lingchi platform?”
But upon seeing Mr. Xu and Yang Gong’s meaningful glances, Hu Ma understood. He couldn’t help but admire the former Incense Master Zheng. Zheng had guessed his fate correctly, and it indeed involved the authorities.
Looking at Mr. Xu’s expression now, how could he not understand?
They were setting the tone for the current situation!
The culprit was the Blue-robed Evil Ghost, and the one misled was the expelled Incense Master of the Red Lantern Society. Everything had a cause and effect, but they made no mention of the Meng Family.
Hu Ma gauged that the final outcome of this matter would likely be concluded in this manner.
The shadow behind the Meng Family was probably something no one in Mingzhou Prefecture dared to mention. However, causing turmoil in the prefecture was no small matter, and in the end, someone or some evil spirit would have to take the blame.
Considering everything, who could be a better scapegoat than the Blue-robed Evil Ghost?
And it was he who had eliminated the Blue-robed Evil Ghost. Even if he hadn’t eliminated it, it would likely still...
... That’s not right.
If he hadn’t eliminated the Blue-robed Evil Ghost, but only revealed himself to the Meng Family, the Blue-robed Evil Ghost would have been seen as a hero by the Meng Family. Making it the scapegoat wouldn’t be appropriate then.
After all, the Meng Family couldn’t act without principles; otherwise, who would dare to work with them?
So, the one who needed to take the blame might be someone else, which would be...
... Incense Master Zheng?
What did he gain by getting involved in this matter?
From the entire situation, he was the only one who, regardless of the outcome, was destined to be the one to take the blame...
And such matters, normally, would be decided by higher-ups, unrelated to him.
They were telling him this because his manor was the only one in the Red Lantern Association directly involved, and he was a witness.
He had killed the Blue-robed Evil Ghost but hadn’t revealed his identity. Others only guessed that a "high person" had acted, possibly at one of the seven troubled places, or even outside of those places, just because they couldn’t stand it anymore.
But with the possibility, no one dared to underestimate those seven places.
This was also why the Red Lantern Lady had rushed over.
Once he understood the situation, he perked up, meeting Mr. Xu’s serious expression with his own: “I didn’t know there were other places in turmoil. I thought it was just Incense Master Zheng trying to make things difficult for me…”
“
At the time, the area around the manor was in turmoil, and the people came to cry. I didn’t think much else, just that our Lady was about to build a temple and was very concerned about her reputation. We couldn’t let her lose face.
“
So, I toughed it out, helping the surrounding villages exorcise evil spirits. At one point, I almost got myself trapped.
“
Fortunately, some kind-hearted hawkers came to lend a hand, and that’s how we managed to get through it.
“
I thought, the people around this manor are under the protection of our Red Lantern Lady. When they helped us, they were helping the Red Lantern Lady.
“
So, I entertained them on behalf of the Lady, giving them some blood food ointment to treat their injuries. Also, a few were injured, and three were harmed by evil spirits. Sigh, you should see what they deserve for their burial expenses...
“
...”
He spoke very seriously; this was a crucial matter!
The Ghost Walkers were unwilling to deal with the Blood Food Gang, but we couldn’t let them lose out. We had to make sure they were compensated.
They came from far away, used their skills to exorcise evil spirits, and spent on food, travel, and even incense and ritual items. Each of these things was very valuable.
Moreover, they also needed medical treatment and compensation for several people.
They deserved to be reimbursed! The only concern was whether the Red Lantern Society would acknowledge this debt...
“
... You’re very right!
Just as he was worrying, Mr. Xu excitedly grabbed Hu Ma’s hand, his voice raised, as if deliberately speaking for the Red Lantern to hear: “Shopkeeper Hu, you handled this matter very well!”
“
These villages and people around here, are they just under the protection of our Red Lantern Lady?
“
In the future, they will all be her followers. Their matters are the matters of our Red Lantern Society!
“
Don’t worry, we’ll cover all the expenses. Just plan it out carefully and come to the city to settle the accounts...
“
...”
Hu Ma was momentarily stunned: “Eh?”
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
