Chapter 360: The Previous Reincarnator
Chapter 360: The Previous Reincarnator
"Oh dear, the thoughts of these noblemen are truly hard to guess..."
Hu Ma gained enlightenment from Er Guotou's explanation, feeling a sense of sudden realization. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration for the nobleman.
Er Guotou also sighed and carefully asked, "I thought you were cautious, but it turns out you accomplished a great feat. Did you ask the nobleman in the mountains about his opinion on the distribution of fragrances?"
It seemed that Er Guotou was indeed very concerned about the matter of fragrance distribution. Hu Ma felt a hint of pride and deliberately sighed, saying, "No."
Er Guotou was surprised. "What?"
"Not at all."
Hu Ma honestly replied, "I had a lot on my mind, but as soon as I saw him, my mind went blank."
"I couldn't speak, and my courage faltered. I just listened to whatever he said and did whatever task he gave me. Regarding the matters of Plum Lane, I didn't dare mention a single word. Brother Er Guotou, do you think I've let you down?"
"No, no..."
Er Guotou paused, feeling a bit disappointed. But he continued, "You can't blame yourself for meeting such a formidable figure. With our level of cultivation, how could we not be afraid?"
"Besides, being a reincarnator himself, he must have his secrets. The more he speaks, the more mistakes he might make. The less he speaks, the fewer mistakes. You did the right thing, but I've been thinking about it these days and even tested the waters. How should I put it..."
"..."
No wonder he asked about it right away; he had actually started taking action.
Hu Ma was pleasantly surprised. He had thought that with Er Guotou's personality, it would take some time to convince him to take action against Plum Lane. Hu Ma quickly said, "How so?"
"It's surprisingly smooth..."
Er Guotou smiled bitterly and said, "Plum Lane used to be one of the most prestigious places in Bright Province Capital. But now, the local government and several influential families and sects in the capital have distanced themselves from it."
"I feel like Plum Lane has been marginalized, waiting to be pushed out and replaced by new leadership..."
"..."
"Distanced?"
Hu Ma was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant.
It seemed that the noble families and the local government in Bright Province Capital were not fools. However, the favor shown to Hu Ma, a descendant of the Hu family, was beyond his expectations.
Back in the Exorcism Bureau, when Hu Ma had laughed coldly at the Junior Hall Master's performance, it was a subtle expression of dissatisfaction. But he hadn't realized the weight of his words, which turned out to be more significant than he had thought.
Er Guotou had already been persuaded by White Wine Miss and the others. After further probing, he found that the difficulty was not as great as he had imagined. If he didn't take action now, his heart would be in torment.
"Then it's up to you, brother..."
Hu Ma thought for a moment and smiled, saying, "Although I didn't dare ask the nobleman directly, I could tell from the Junior Hall Master's tone that the opportunity is right there."
"When serving such a nobleman, it's not appropriate to wait for his full approval."
"Once he gives his consent, it becomes a mere task that anyone can accomplish. But if we remove Plum Lane before he gives his approval, it's not just a good opportunity, it's a merit in itself..."
"..."
Hu Ma stopped there, knowing that Er Guotou would understand.
"That makes sense..."
Er Guotou fell silent, deep in thought.
Hu Ma knew he had achieved his purpose and smiled, changing the subject. "By the way, I also have something I'd like to ask. How much do you know about the previous reincarnators?"
"..."
"The previous ones?"
Er Guotou was taken aback. "After the Great Purge, most of them disappeared without a trace. Why do you ask?"
Hu Ma said, "Having gained the favor of a nobleman, I'm still unsure of myself. I want to see how they handled it."
There was no better reason than this. Er Guotou also thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I don't know many of them either. When I was still learning my skills on the Western Mountain Path, I once called out to one of them, code-named Biluochun."
"But he only gave me a few pointers and then disappeared. I've never met him in person, so I don't know his situation."
"They all seem a bit eccentric, and they don't interact much with our generation of reincarnators."
"..."
"Biluochun?"
Hu Ma was surprised. "Are their codes not named after wines?"
Er Guotou replied, "I'm not sure. The one I met used tea as his code, and the few others I've heard of are the same. But I don't know if they all follow this pattern."
"..."
"Their style is said to be different from ours. In our batch, most of us prefer to lay low and live quietly. But as for them..."
"..."
Hu Ma listened with concern and asked, "What are they like?"
"I've only heard..."
Er Guotou sighed and said, "They seem to focus more on killing entire families..."
"?"
Hu Ma listened to this answer, feeling a little dazed, and then thought of sweet potato burn, second pot head, and White Wine Miss. Indeed, they were more inclined to be cautious. As for this little girl, she seemed to have an old-fashioned side to her.
"Then..."
After a brief pause, he slowly and carefully asked, "What did the batch of reincarnates who came before us do before the purge?"
"These?"
Upon hearing Hu Ma's question, Second Pot Head himself was also taken aback. "I forgot. It's only been a little over two years since you first contacted the reincarnates. You're still a newcomer, so you don't know much about them."
"Like us, there aren't actually that many people who reincarnated into this world. Everyone is cautious, and we only contact each other when we need each other."
"It's like us; we only became familiar because we've been in the same place for a long time. But most of the time, everyone is busy with their own affairs and only communicates when their paths cross, looking for opportunities."
"As a result, the information is not as comprehensive or transparent. It's all passed down orally. You give me some intelligence, and I'll pass it on when I see a suitable opportunity."
"As far as I know, we aren't the first batch of reincarnates. The batch before us is probably already in their fifties or sixties. In other words, they've been active in this world for four or five decades."
"But after the second purge, most of this batch went into hiding. Some were probably killed, while others sensed the danger and went into hiding..."
"..."
Hearing his words, Hu Ma's heart stirred, and he asked, "In hiding?"
"Is it possible that some people already know what the reincarnates need to do, like their mission or something..."
"..."
"Mission?"
This was something Hu Ma had inferred from the Mountain Lord's words, but Second Pot Head seemed a bit confused after hearing it. He laughed and said, "With the reincarnates' nature, what kind of mission could they possibly have?"
"They're more into having fun."
"Anyway, from what I've seen or heard, there are reincarnates who aim to marry a hundred wives, become famous in the brothel industry, hide and live a quiet life, or stubbornly cling to powerful figures..."
"Everyone does their own thing. Although they were all awakened by a mysterious voice, they haven't heard anything since then. Of course, they're free to do as they please."
"..."
'So, there's another commonality among the reincarnates: they were all awakened by a mysterious voice.'
Hu Ma silently connected these pieces of information and realized a crucial point: he hadn't experienced this himself.
Other reincarnates were reborn and, between the ages of three and ten, heard a mysterious voice that revealed their identity. They could naturally cultivate using their Life Spirit Statue, contact each other, and had more opportunities to learn than ordinary people.
Aside from their memories of their past lives, this was their most significant commonality, but Hu Ma didn't have it. He was summoned by his grandmother and became a latecomer to the path.
He didn't even know what that voice sounded like—was it old or young? Did it give any special instructions besides waking them up?
However, this information was too important, and Hu Ma didn't dare to ask casually.
He could only sigh softly and say, "But when I went to Anzhou to meet other reincarnates at White Wine Miss's introduction, I found that they seemed to be very afraid of the Ten Clans' purge. They've already started making certain preparations."
"Brother Second Pot Head, how much do you know about this purge? Was it done by the Ten Clans or a specific family among them?"
"..."
"I don't know!"
Second Pot Head's answer to Hu Ma's question was surprisingly certain. He whispered, "Not only do I not know, but I think the other reincarnates don't understand either."
"I only know that the reincarnates from twenty years ago suffered greatly in this purge. But I really can't figure out how it was carried out or how they were found."
"To be honest, if we could figure it out, we wouldn't have to be so cautious..."
"..."
'It seems that the batch of reincarnates represented by Brother Second Pot Head, including Red Wine Lady, don't know that the second purge is related to the Exorcism Bureau, or it's even possible that the Exorcism Bureau led this purge.'
Hu Ma silently nodded. Using the information from the Mountain Lord and Brother Second Pot Head, he analyzed and inferred many things. Then, he sighed softly and said, "So, the last question I'm curious about is..."
"What exactly is the Age God Lord?"
(End of Chapter)
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