Chapter 560: The Book of Spirits and Gods
Chapter 560: The Book of Spirits and Gods
"He doesn't have much skill; he's just stretching it out."
"And that's precisely why we need to pressure him now."
In Mingzhou City, countless incense offerings burned in the city center, one set replaced by another, and the smoke seemed to linger, unaffected by the wind, enveloping the city in a haze that wouldn't dissipate.
This caused the entire Mingzhou City to be shrouded in mist, making it difficult to distinguish between night and day. The mist seemed alive, occasionally trying to sneak in through cracks, whispering secrets.
The city was tense, with every household keeping their doors shut, afraid to speak loudly, fearing the mist might carry their words to unseen listeners.
Only in the heart of Mingzhou City, behind the incense table, a man with loose hair and a sword at his side seemed relaxed, casually picking up fresh fruit from the table to eat.
He noticed the fourth-generation eldest granddaughter of the Hu family, Hu Xi, standing by the table, looking perplexed by their decision. Her expression was not relaxed, so he smiled and explained, "Actually, your guess wasn't far off. I brought you here to test this child's temperament."
"But in the end, this is a serious matter, and we can't let a child act recklessly."
"Back then, if the eldest son of that branch, your grandfather Hu Xian, hadn't split from us and taken over the Pacifying Evil Office, we would all have been at ease."
"Even after the split, if his father, your great-uncle Hu Shan, had inherited the Pacifying Evil Office, we would have had no complaints. He has always been steady and is the eldest son and grandson."
"But unfortunately, your grandfather Hu Xian split from us and died soon after. Uncle Hu Shan left the capital a few years ago, and he's also gone. Now, this youngster who has never lived in Qingyuan for even a day has inherited the Pacifying Evil Office..."
"He doesn't even understand the importance of this responsibility."
"Our Qingyuan Hu family has guarded the Pacifying Evil Office for generations, maintaining the balance between Yin and Yang. But we were merely acting on behalf of the Emperor until twenty years ago when the former Emperor issued a decree, officially entrusting the Pacifying Evil Office to us."
"You could say that from that moment, our Hu family's role as pacifiers of evil became real. But precisely because of this heavy burden, fearing it would endanger the entire clan, we had no choice but to split the family to preserve our blessings."
"However, this doesn't mean the Pacifying Evil Office has nothing to do with us, nor does it belong to him!"
"..."
His expression turned slightly gloomy as he spoke, and he scoffed, "It's that White family's grandmother who has a narrow mind. She truly believes we've drawn a clear line, not communicating for twenty years, even driving out the Five Malefic Stars, which were bestowed by the former Emperor for the protection of the state..."
"She hid them in the mountains for twenty years, preventing their emergence. Look at the state of the Gate of Ghosts now!"
"I know you still have reservations, and you don't want things to get ugly. But we didn't come here out of greed for the Pacifying Evil Office or anything else. We just can't let him be so willful, tarnishing the reputation of the Pacifying Evil Office."
"He can hold the Pacifying Evil Mace, but he can't act recklessly. He needs someone by his side to support him, but since he has issues with us, and we don't know how to handle it, he's been avoiding us."
"After hiding for so long, our patience has worn thin, and the situation has become increasingly urgent."
"Now that we've reached this point, let's see how long he can stretch it out. If he can't come down from his high horse, the guilt on his shoulders will be immense."
"..."
Hu Feng, the third uncle of the Hu family, patiently explained to her, but Hu Xi, the fourth-generation eldest granddaughter, couldn't seem to let go of her worries. She glanced at her third uncle and spoke softly, "But we can't stretch it out either. In three days at most, people will start dying in the city."
With these words, she hit the nail on the head.
With such a large ritual, the offerings on the incense table were merely the three sacrificial animals and six offerings, making it a joke.
Even with the third uncle's cultivation, he couldn't sustain such a large ritual.
The ones truly supporting this ritual were the people of Mingzhou City. It was their vitality that kept the ritual going.
However, this also meant that the longer the ritual lasted, the more it drained the vitality of the city's residents. The previous cousin of the Hu family had been stalling, refusing to meet, making her task increasingly difficult and exposing many problems.
If this cousin continued to stall, the consequences would be dire. In just three days, people would start dying in the city, and in large numbers...
There was an ideal way to break this large ritual—delaying it.
If they could stall for three to five days, the ritual would naturally dissolve.
She was genuinely concerned that the cousin of the Hu family might not care about the consequences and drag things out, putting the entire city in a precarious situation. Could the prestigious Qingyuan Hu family really let everyone in the city die?
But upon hearing this, the third uncle, who was in charge of the ritual, laughed, "If he can really stretch it out for three days, I'd be impressed."
"Unfortunately, if that happens, Mingzhou will lose its prestige. Can he bear the consequences?"
"Moreover, the Starving Ghost Army will only need two days to be fully drawn to Mingzhou. By then, they'll consume the city, and he won't be able to hold them back."
As he spoke, he looked up at the highest point of the building behind him. There, two other uncles of the Hu family stood guard over a clay statue, not daring to leave its side. Their expressions turned thoughtful: "This is exactly what we've been waiting for."
"He once had the courage to slay the Five Malefic Stars, but now, we'll see how long he can endure before he's willing to take action and slay this Governor Deity of Official Province..."
"..."
For some reason, as Hu Xi watched her third uncle's confident expression, she couldn't help but feel a sense of worry.
At that very moment, amidst the silence, a gust of yin wind suddenly stirred, causing the incense smoke at the offering table to swirl and rise eerily.
"So soon?"
Upon witnessing this, Hu Family's Third Uncle hastily dropped the fruit in his hand and stood up in alarm. After a closer look, his expression turned to disbelief, "Is this all they're capable of?"
...
...
Not long ago, in Red Gate Town, after listening to Hu Ma's detailed account, both Zhang Agu and Seventh Aunt were shocked and bewildered, but they gradually made up their minds.
Zhang Agu borrowed paper and pen from Left Guardian Shen Hongzi and wrote numerous letters. Each letter was brief, but they piled up high. She wrote until late into the night, then asked Shen Hongzi to help set up a large fire pit.
With utmost sincerity, she burned incense and prayed to the spirits. First, she took out the token from her bosom and bowed before the fire pit. Then, she knelt down and prayed, "I am Zhang Agu from Feng County Waha Village at Old Yin Mountain. In the face of the crisis in Mingzhou, I beseech my fellow practitioners for assistance."
"I write these letters, and the orders are mine. In Mingzhou, evil ghosts run rampant, and food supplies are exhausted. To protect our village and the surrounding areas, I set up this altar to repel the evil ghosts..."
"..."
As a country girl, she spoke with a heavy local accent. Having spent some time in Red Gate Town and interacting with more people, she subconsciously tried to switch to the official language.
Her official language was not entirely standard, but her earnestness was evident.
In the midst of her prayers, she paused and pondered, 'What the shopkeeper's young master said is too grand for me to fully comprehend. All I know is that in these chaotic times, when we're struggling to survive, we can't break the rules. Even if the rules are unfair, they're the last resort for the poor...'
'So, I'm not sending these letters on behalf of the Pacifying Evil Office. I'm doing this in my personal capacity, seeking help from fellow villagers...'
'...'
After clarifying her thoughts, she placed each letter into the fire, one by one. The flames licked the letters, turning them into ashes. In the darkness, an unknown number of little ghosts appeared, took the letters, and disappeared into the night.
"Seventh Aunt, what are we doing?"
Meanwhile, on the other side, several yellow-skinned creatures, well-fed with thick legs and bulging bellies, surrounded a small-footed old lady with flowers in her hair, and hurriedly ran towards the mountain.
Confused, they asked the solemn-faced Seventh Aunt, who usually seemed to know everything. However, she appeared just as bewildered, maintaining a calm demeanor as she replied, "We're going to a feast. This time, it's a grand occasion. Not only can we eat, but our sisters from all over will also get a taste of it..."
"..."
"Huh?"
The yellow-skinned creatures beside her became excited upon hearing this. "How grand is this feast?"
"I don't know!"
Seventh Aunt said, "Anyway, it seems even grander than the big city in the north. We're just inviting a few people, and we'll get the main seats. How can we not put in our best effort?"
As she spoke, she climbed to the mountain peak, took a broken horn from one of the yellow-skinned creatures, and blew it with all her might.
In an instant, an invisible force stirred, and the horn's sound mingled with the yin wind from Old Yin Mountain, spreading in all directions. Countless spirits and demons, hidden in the nooks and crannies of Mingzhou, were awakened.
In Niu Family Bay, an old turtle that had been hiding for years stirred. In the forest of Old Yin Mountain, a mature toad became active. Southwest of Green Stone Town, a peach tree with spiritual cultivation awakened, along with various foxes, weasels, mountains, stones, grasses, and trees.
"Damn, what the hell? Who are these people inviting us to a feast?"
"Should we go or not?"
"..."
"..."
At the same time, in Red Gate Town, in an empty courtyard, Hu Ma was preparing an altar.
He didn't need any help, and even Little Red Tang only assisted him as a guardian. Without her involvement, he spent half the afternoon making straw dummies and placing them to one side. Then, he took a handful of rice and scattered it on the ground, forming a circle.
He didn't set up an incense table but instead lit three incense sticks and a lamp. He prepared only four talismans, which he casually pasted on the wall behind him. Borrowing a redwood sword from Little Red Tang, he held it upside down and formed a sword formation, pointing it forward.
"Raise the altar!"
"..."
With a 'pop,' a tiny flame leaped from the oil lamp, trembling in the cold wind.
Hu Ma observed with satisfaction, knowing that the altar in Mingzhou City was overseeing the entire region. Perhaps the people there would notice this new altar and wonder about its purpose.
But it didn't matter. This time, he wanted to show them the purpose of this altar.
(End of Chapter)
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