https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-451-Paying-Respects-to-the-General/12918815/
Chapter 450: Passing Money to Summon Ghosts
Chapter 450: Passing Money to Summon Ghosts
Earlier, when Hu Ma and Old Abacus saw that the demon corpse was surrounded by so many vengeful spirits, they were both puzzled. Since the nearby villages and towns hadn't caused any grievance, where did this demon corpse get so many vengeful spirits to command?
But after eavesdropping on the Meng family's conversation, Hu Ma had his suspicions, and now, seeing the situation, he realized it was indeed as he had guessed.
The true terror of the Dark General wasn't its physical form but its ability to summon troops. The more troops it summoned, the more dangerous it became. Earlier, when Old Abacus saw the demon corpse running out, he feared it would go around devouring people, and that was because once it started summoning troops, it would be difficult to control.
What was strange was that the demon corpse had already brought many vengeful spirits with it on its night raid, and now, after a night, there were even more. The reason was simple.
It was just a Spirit Summoning Talisman.
The young master of the Meng family had sewn this talisman into the demon corpse's body, helping it attract the surrounding vengeful spirits. Naturally, more and more vengeful spirits gathered around it, which was equivalent to using human methods to help it summon troops.
"Seeing the bigger picture from the small details, this talisman of the Meng family is equivalent to having the abilities of a Table Guest. In the future, we can't afford to underestimate them..."
After pulling out the talisman, Hu Ma immediately tore it up and threw it to the ground. Indeed, the vengeful spirits that were following the demon corpse's movements suddenly showed signs of struggling and resisting.
He sighed in his heart, unable to deny the Meng family's abilities.
Table Guests were ranked in the order of Table, Platform, Mansion, and Palace.
Among them, Table Guests were those who had just gained the qualifications to build shrines and temples, and they could only reside in a remote corner, occasionally receiving worship from people who were not sincere in their offerings.
The Scarlet Lantern Lady from the Red Lantern Society in Mingzhou and the four Wild Deities worshipped by the One Coin Sect all belonged to this category. Of course, this was just a broad classification, and within it, there were further distinctions of high and low, with many differences.
Overall, when Table Guests took action, they mostly relied on their own abilities or summoned a few wandering spirits. Although they had a formidable presence, to be frank, they were just ordinary and didn't carry much weight.
Compared to ordinary people and vengeful spirits, they were naturally high above, but at most, they only had that level of status and ability.
As for those on the Platform, they had formal temples and had received incense worship for many years, with numerous followers. These followers, in life, were incense worshippers, and in death, they became little ghosts, all following their every move. With a simple manifestation of their Dharmakaya, hundreds of little ghosts would surround them, all loyal and devoted.
And these hundreds of little ghosts were just the tip of the iceberg. If they really wanted to take action, they could easily summon thousands, turning the state into a Netherworld Ghost Kingdom.
Those in Mansions had an even more impressive background.
They had golden bodies, official status, and were bestowed titles by the dynasty, with generations of incense worshippers. They could govern a region, control life and death, and had entire states and counties under their command. They had real ghost generals and Yin troops at their disposal.
If they chose to do evil, they would become Ghost Kings, ruling over their own territories.
If they chose to do good, they would become righteous deities in the human world, with the power to reward the good and punish the evil. Even the local government offices in the mortal realm would set up incense tables and offer the Three Sacrificial Animals upon hearing of their arrival.
As for those in Palaces, they belonged to another level, transcending dynasties and passing down through generations, worshipped by people for ages. Even the emperor seated on the Golden Throne would not dare show the slightest disrespect, or else they would suffer a tarnished reputation.
Of course, there were also dynasties where the emperor stubbornly sought to destroy a Palace-ranked deity, willing to risk damaging the dynasty's fortune to destroy their golden body and tarnish their divine name. But such actions were often self-destructive, a bad deal for the emperor.
However, speaking of which, these Palace-ranked deities had existed for so long that they rarely manifested their Dharmic forms, especially after the Yi Dynasty's conquest, when temples were destroyed and mountains were mined, almost forgotten by people.
The young master of the Meng family, with just one Spirit Summoning Talisman, had helped the Dark General summon so many vengeful spirits and even control them, which was equivalent to the abilities of a Table Guest.
"I suppressed the Dark General with the General's Order, which is equivalent to having an official status. By seizing the opportunity to absorb spiritual energy, I can speed up my Dharmakaya cultivation. But this shortcut is not easy to come by, mainly because there aren't many fools willing to cooperate..."
After tearing up the talisman and stepping on it a few times, the demon corpse lunged at him. Hu Ma turned and slapped it, all while silently hoping in his heart: "So I can only rely on the help of this young master of the Meng family..."
"Originally, in my plan, this demon corpse, equivalent to a Table Guest, with thirty to fifty vengeful spirits, would be enough to greatly increase my abilities, but..."
"...I still have to listen to the top student!"
"..."
"..."
"Hehe, it seems a bit troublesome!"
While Hu Ma was fighting the demon corpse, the Iron Horse Magistrate, dressed in iron armor, was watching from a distance, his gaze fixed on the smiling Meng family disciple: "The talisman hidden by the young master in the demon corpse has been discovered by him, and the vengeful spirits are dispersing."
"You say this is the Dark General, but forgive my frankness, it is far from what I understand a Dark General to be. Without those vengeful spirits surrounding it, it's just a one-slap problem."
"..."
"Many have heard of the name of the Dark General, but few truly understand what he is."
The Meng family's young master was also aware that the Spirit Summoning Talisman on the Dark General's body had been destroyed, but his face showed no signs of surprise. Instead, he smiled and said, "This thing is not evil, but a relic left behind by the imperial court to stabilize the dynasty."
"It may appear filthy and sinister, but in reality, it is upright and righteous. In the mortal realm, it can charge into battle, slay rebels, and eliminate bandits. In the netherworld, it can sweep through the Governor's ghost officials and dispel evil, calming the spirits."
"In fact, I've also heard my family elders mention that if it weren't for some matters related to the Stone Pavilion Alliance, the Ten Dark Generals would have replaced the Evil Suppressing Office long ago. How could they have allowed the Hu family to run amok?"
"If I obtain the General's Order and refine it properly, I'd have the confidence to cultivate at least seven-tenths of its abilities. Then, in the blink of an eye, flattening the entire Mingzhou Prefecture would be a piece of cake."
"But now, the General's Order is still in the hands of that unknown little thief. I can only force it to use two or three-tenths of its abilities. However, Iron Horse, Grand Executioner of West Ridge, do you want to see a trick?"
"Within the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, I'll make that little thief who stole the General's Order come and bow before me. Do you believe it?"
"..."
"Oh?"
The Iron Horse, Grand Executioner of West Ridge, narrowed his eyes and smiled, "It seems that even with the Spirit Summoning Talisman destroyed, the Meng family's young master has other methods."
The young master of the Meng family smiled and said, "The Spirit Summoning Talisman can only attract some wild and impure spirits to gather around it. Even if it were to summon soldiers, they would be weak and infirm. It can only slightly cultivate the traits of the Dark General, like sharpening a blade."
"But if we could find some newly dead souls, whose cause and effect have not yet been weighed, and have a few hundred of them, this Dark General would not be in its current state..."
"Three to five hundred souls?"
The Iron Horse, Grand Executioner of West Ridge, frowned, "Could it be that you still plan to use the lives of the villagers from the surrounding villages to refine corpses?"
"I can't stop you from doing this, but everyone knows that I, Iron Horse, am the one who eliminates bandits. I fear that this reputation of mine..."
"..."
"You want to target the villagers? A live sacrifice?"
Upon hearing this, the young man from the Meng family smiled and shook his head, "My Meng family doesn't resort to such cruel and lowly methods."
As he spoke, he stood up and walked out of the ancestral hall into the courtyard. Several maids were already waiting by the side, holding trays. When they saw him, they presented the trays to him.
The young master of the Meng family took a pair of white candles from one of the trays and placed them on either side of the courtyard gate. Then, he reached out and grabbed a handful of grass-like ash from the bowl on another maid's tray and sprinkled it on the ground by the gate.
At first glance, it appeared as if a door had been laid flat on the ground. He then stood at the doorframe, fingers together, and placed them on his lips, reciting a few incantations in a low voice.
Suddenly, a gale blew around, causing the torches to flutter. Everyone instinctively closed their eyes, but the white candles he had placed on either side of the gate and the grass-like ash he had scattered on the ground remained undisturbed.
A faintly cold wind seemed to blow from within the gate.
It felt as if the door on the ground had become real, but no one knew where it led. Just as they were wondering about it, they suddenly heard the clinking sound of chains. Then, a strange figure slowly emerged from within—a tall-hatted figure with chains wrapped around its body, dragging a line of unseen, countless vengeful spirits behind it.
"A ghost summoner?"
Upon seeing this, the Iron Horse General's eyebrows furrowed, and his heart trembled slightly, "Not only does the Meng family have the ability to seal the path to the netherworld, but they can also summon things from it?"
As he was observing, the ghost summoner emerged, looking equally puzzled as to why it was there. It raised its head and looked around, mumbling unintelligible words as if asking questions.
The Meng family's young master grabbed a handful of coins from the third maid's tray and walked forward with a smile, also mumbling in the same unintelligible language. As he spoke, he stuffed all the coins into the ghost summoner's waist pouch.
The ghost summoner seemed surprised and waved its hands, as if refusing.
The young master of the Meng family was very polite, pressing the ghost summoner's hand. After a brief exchange, the ghost summoner pulled one end of the chain from its body and handed it to the young master, then extended its hand and gestured three.
"Why do we need three sticks of incense?"
The young master of the Meng family smiled, "One stick of incense is enough."
As he spoke, he grabbed the chain and gave it a sharp tug. Instantly, an uncountable number of vengeful spirits were drawn out. Then, with a swing of his arm, they flew towards the direction of Stone Horse Town like dumplings falling from the sky.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
