https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-731-Carrying-the-Coffin-Northward/12919916/
Chapter 732: Silence
Chapter 732: Silence
A coffin, a carriage, a fine horse from the village, and some luggage—this was Hu Ma's preparation for his departure.
Logically, with his current financial resources, although he had little blood feast, he had plenty of gold and silver, and he could have arranged for a more comfortable and luxurious journey.
But Hu Ma had an indescribable feeling that he wanted to keep a low profile, so he only prepared the basics.
Currently, there were many matters to attend to, including the new Water Spirit and the Ghost Gate Sect, which needed to be settled after the Summoning the Gods to the Altar. However, he couldn't spare the time for these tasks and was eager to go to the Capital City.
Although other matters could be left unattended, the situation with Lord Second was urgent. Even before the Mountain Sacrifice to create the Birth Deity, Lord Second had been eagerly waiting to visit Hu Ma's Blood Feast Mine, taking villagers to earn wages. Now that he had become the Birth Deity, he still wanted to go.
When the Blood Feast Mine was mentioned, Hu Ma fell silent for a moment and called for Old Abacus.
"Are the people from the Witch Village still at the Blood Feast Mine?"
"..."
Old Abacus immediately understood that Hu Ma was referring to Wu Song. He shook his head and said, "No, he only went to the mine once before the New Year. The blood feast you had the Da Tong people deliver was handed over to him, and then he left."
"Before he left, he also took Ma Ye from the mine. I don't know what he said to that old horse, but he happily followed him."
"This year's blood feast from the mine has been promised to be transported by a merchant caravan that I arranged. He said he might be busy for a while and didn't have time to come again. Now I don't have time to go back to the mine, but my little disciple Wu Ya is still there!"
"He's just waiting for the butchers to arrive and prepare for this year's blood feast harvest."
"..."
Hearing that Monkey Wine was not at the mine, Hu Ma finally breathed a sigh of relief. He agreed to Lord Second's request, asking Da Tong to stay in the village for a few more days. After the New Year, he would gather the butchers that Lord Second had promised and go to the Blood Feast Mine for the harvest.
After making these arrangements, Hu Ma prepared to leave immediately.
Even the old clan leader and the others were surprised by Hu Ma's haste, as he was leaving before the New Year was over. But the villagers knew that Hu Ma had his reasons, so they didn't stop him; they just baked him some flatbread to take with him.
On the night before his departure, Hu Ma fell into a deep sleep, as if all the fatigue from the past few days had suddenly caught up with him.
In a daze, he suddenly heard someone calling, "Old Bai Gan, can you hear my call?"
Hu Ma was startled and realized he was in his Life Spirit Temple. He clearly heard Miss Red Wine's voice calling out several times, so he responded, "Now that the Reincarnates have succeeded in Bridge Seizure, their abilities have greatly increased, and they've discovered many things they didn't know before."
"Now, Muddled Donkey, also known as Long Victory King, is preparing to advance into the Three River Beach..."
"Monkey Wine received the Golden Silk Tai Sui I sent to Peach County. He has made progress in his research, but he needs..."
"And Little White, she said she found clues about our friends from the Capital City. She left me a message and then left, refusing to tell me the details..."
"If you have time, go look for someone called Sweet Potato Burn. Isn't he supposed to be the most honest one among you from Ming State? Now he's causing such big trouble..."
"Little White said she only listens to you..."
"Also, if you want the secrets of the Bridge, I can have them delivered to you wherever you are now. I've organized them!"
"..."
After speaking in a string of words, Miss Red Wine stopped when she didn't get a response from Hu Ma. She muttered to herself, "Could he have left Old Yin Mountain?"
"With my cultivation, if you enter within three days, you should be able to hear my words."
"It's a busy time, and I need to find you quickly. There are many things to discuss!"
"..."
Hu Ma remained silent even after Miss Red Wine's voice faded away. Their life incense didn't intertwine, so Miss Red Wine couldn't detect that Hu Ma had been listening to her words.
However, it was clear from her voice that she was somewhat agitated. It seemed that the Reincarnates' abilities had increased significantly, but they also had many matters to attend to, making her eager to consult with Hu Ma.
"They truly don't have any guard against me..."
But as Hu Ma listened to her voice from start to finish, his mood became incredibly complex.
The State Preceptor's words were indeed true; this was the time when all the Reincarnates trusted him the most. They shared all their secrets with him without any concealment. For many of their decisions, they even sought his advice before making a final judgment.
If he had ill intentions, it would be easy to lead them astray or even into a trap. But he wouldn't do that.
Not only would he not do that, but knowing that the State Preceptor was already watching him, it was better to know as little as possible about these matters.
He left the Life Spirit Temple and even removed the three life incense sticks.
Only by doing this could he ensure that even if other Reincarnates wanted to call him, he wouldn't hear them.
However, despite being exhausted from the various events like the conflict with the Meng family and the Twelve Ghost Shrines, he suddenly felt wide awake. He sat on the doorstep, gazing at the moon in the sky.
From the night until the eastern sky turned a pale shade of fish belly white, he remained alert, appearing to others as if he had already slept. After bidding farewell to Lord Second, he led Little Red Tang and carried the coffin out of the camp.
As Hu Ma prepared to leave the camp, Si Zhou naturally couldn't stay behind and freeload meals anymore. After several days of eating and drinking in the camp, mostly the good food provided by the Hu family, she hung a jade ornament on the front of Lord Second's house as a token of gratitude for the meals.
It was a way to repay the cost of the meals.
Little Red Tang rode on horseback, while Si Zhou sat in the carriage. Hu Ma carried the Penal Official's Great Sword on his back and walked alongside. Old Abacus, with his unfortunate fate, could only follow behind.
The group headed straight out of Old Yin Mountain, and along the way, a breeze blew, filled with the scent of incense, blew towards them. Hu Ma knew that the Mountain Lord was watching over him, but at this moment, even with the Mountain Lord, he didn't know what to say. So, as they left the mountain, he turned around and bowed in salute.
The Mountain Lord seemed curious and somewhat puzzled. The Meng family had been eliminated, and the tribulations had been averted.
Why was this Hu family boy's heart even more restless?
After Hu Ma's group left Old Yin Mountain, the road became livelier. They hadn't traveled even twenty li when they saw someone bowing by the roadside. It was Kindness Fairy and several No Eating Bull disciples.
They were all dressed as commoners, so outsiders couldn't recognize them. From a distance, they led Hu Ma and the others into a nearby village to rest. The Fairy even personally arranged for the kitchen to prepare a meal for Hu Ma.
She had come out from Mingzhou City, intending to go directly to Old Yin Mountain to observe the ceremony, but she was blocked outside the mountain by the Senior Apprentice of the Ox-Free Sect. Forced to stay and work, she finally managed to meet Hu Ma, only to find him looking somewhat listless. She didn't dare disturb him.
However, seeing Hu Ma using such a common carriage and such a mediocre horse, she was dissatisfied and had them replaced with better ones.
While at it, she also stuffed a bundle of gold and silver into the carriage, along with two jars of blood food.
As for Si Zhou, the Fairy also observed her closely, judging from her words and actions that she came from a respectable background and possessed considerable skills.
She was quite likable in appearance! The official by her side, upon seeing this, was shocked: "Oh no, the Fairy won't be able to get married now. Why is she still here, smiling foolishly?"
"I have to hurry and pack the Fairy's luggage..."
"..."
Hu Ma paid no heed to the Fairy, as he had already been received by the No Eating Bull disciples outside the mountain. He glanced around the village and noticed clay tablets and craftsmen working everywhere. He understood what the disciples were up to.
A new deity had been born in Old Yin Mountain, but the ceremony lasted only a day. Moreover, in this world surrounded by demons and monsters, the new deity was still young and inexperienced.
The No Eating Bull disciples were thorough in their work and knew what they were doing. Without Hu Ma's instructions, they had already started preparing to repair the folk temples, gather incense offerings, and guard the new deity to prevent any mishaps.
They invited Hu Ma over to see if he was satisfied with their arrangements.
"The Great Sage of Goodness returned the deity to the people. We understand the will of the upper echelons and will build temples and enshrine the deity, allowing the people to offer incense in a proper place."
In the village, where sculptures were being made, Hu Ma met the Senior Apprentice of the Ox-Free Sect. Unlike before, he was now respectful and bowed to Hu Ma, saying, "We will start building temples and gathering incense offerings, beginning with Old Yin Mountain."
"If the Ten Surnames cannot manage this place for the time being, then the Yin God Temple established by the Meng family, where various Governors were summoned, has been emptied by the Demon Slayer. Many prefectures are now vacant, and the incense offerings should be redirected there."
"Once the Pond God enters the various prefectures and receives the people's worship, the demons and monsters in this world will likely become more docile."
"..."
Hu Ma listened to his arrangements and nodded.
However, instead of following his train of thought, Hu Ma suddenly asked, "I'm just borrowing the incense offerings for the mountain sacrifice. Yet, you're willing to transfer all your forces here and even prepare for a potential conflict with the Ten Surnames. Now that you recognize me, is it because of that Great Sage of Goodness?"
The Senior Apprentice of the Ox-Free Sect understood Hu Ma's mood but didn't ask directly. Instead, he slowly nodded and said, "Our Master teaches us to deceive gods and ghosts, but not the people. The Great Sage of Goodness leads us to perform mountain sacrifices and give birth to new deities, bringing protection to the people."
"We believe in our Master, and of course, we believe in you!"
"..."
Hu Ma could see that the Senior Apprentice's attitude towards him had subtly changed, as if he truly recognized Hu Ma as the Great Sage of Goodness. If this had happened earlier, Hu Ma might have been happier, but now, he merely shook his head.
Looking into his eyes, Hu Ma suddenly said, "Then, what if I tell you that your Master and the other Uncle Masters ultimately aim to seize control of the world?"
"That would indeed be a significant issue."
The Senior Apprentice of the Ox-Free Sect raised his head and looked at Hu Ma, saying, "But I've followed our Master for over forty years, and I've only ever seen him with the heart to kill emperors, never the desire to become one."
Looking at the confident expression on his face, Hu Ma sighed softly and smiled, "Do you have any wine in this village?"
"I'd very much like to hear more about this senior of yours!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
