CHAPTER 356: CHAPTER 353: THE RIGHT OF DIVINE INCENSE DISTRIBUTE

"It’s not like there are no benefits to be had; this is just the beginning, isn’t it?"

Even though Hu Ma felt a bit schadenfreude about Er Guotou ending up empty-handed, for the sake of unity, Hu Ma still laughed and consoled, "Actually, I think the biggest benefit this time might just end up in your hands!"

"What?"

Now, Er Guotou’s voice sounded a bit dejected and regretful, weakly saying, "At this point, what benefits could there possibly be?"

"The Five Evil Gods were all slaughtered..."

"The treasures were all snatched away..."

"The only benefit I could get is taking back that half of the treasure in Fox Coffin Village, and I still have to buy it back..."

"..."

Perhaps by this time, he was truly regretting it. The incident caused a major stir, and those on the stage were slain. Who knows how many treasures and Vengeful Ghosts were cleared out? Just like those who Worshipped the Five Evil Master in life and, in death, became the little ghosts by his side.

With the death of the Five Evil Master, most of them were cleared, but quite a few remained. Naturally, they then fell under the newly established Red Lantern Lady’s temple. This meant even Red Lantern Lady ended up with benefits.

But alas, Er Guotou, despite his heartache, had to accept the result. This cooperation had been agreed upon: everyone would use their skills, and the good things they earned would naturally stay with them. Simply put, if you could earn it, you earned it; if not, no one else had a reason to share it with you. Now that the matter was settled, the more Er Guotou thought about it, the more his head ached.

"The Five Evil Gods are dead, but the matter isn’t finished yet."

Hu Ma slowed his speech to make his words seem more weighty, whispering, "During this event, I was always by that small hall officer’s side and also met that dignitary who came out of the mountains. Naturally, I heard some of their conversations and discovered... they and plum bossom lane don’t seem to be of one mind!"

"..."

"Plum bossom lane?"

Hearing this, Er Guotou paused and said, "Of course they’re not of one mind."

"Living in plum bossom lane are Divine Incense Distributors, and Divine Incense Distributors have significant backgrounds. How could they be of one mind with Mingzhou’s dignitary? Heh, they’re the ones enjoying the best resources in Mingzhou. Ultimately, isn’t the Red Lantern Lady’s Club just working for them?"

"Do you know why I was able to make our Red Lantern Lady become Mingzhou’s only major power, even getting the opportunity to build a temple?"

"It’s because I see the distribution of interests here more clearly than other Blood Food Gangs. I’ve always helped the Lady manage every aspect. They all think the Lady handles things efficiently, which is why she could rise, right?"

"..."

"Yes."

Hu Ma continued slowly, "But this time, even that dignitary was dissatisfied with plum bossom lane. If the Red Lantern Society could take advantage of this opportunity..."

He paused here, not continuing.

"Oh..."

Er Guotou was obviously taken aback. "You mean that Divine Incense Distribute role from plum bossom lane?"

"Is this something I... No, is this something our Red Lantern Lady can covet? Plum bossom lane’s background is not small. Currently, it’s just Divine Incense Distribute here. What about the sword capturer? What if the great hall officer above this small hall officer comes?"

"..."

"Sigh..."

Listening to his cautious words, Hu Ma shook his head helplessly, thinking, It figures you’d end up empty-handed...

He had wanted to take this opportunity to incite Er Guotou to deal with plum bossom lane. After all, he himself was indeed dissatisfied with plum bossom lane this time but lacked a suitable opportunity to strike. Dealing with such entities directly by force was inappropriate. He wasn’t sweet potato, skilled in scheming and networking; he didn’t have that much energy. However, if the Red Lantern Lady’s Club wanted to deal with plum bossom lane, they had both the strength and the foundation.

It was just that Er Guotou now seemed impervious to persuasion. What was to be done?

"Haha, I actually think this is a good opportunity..."

Unexpectedly, Miss White Wine spoke up. She seemed to be in deep thought, slowly saying, "Old White, did you only sense that the dignitary and plum bossom lane were not on good terms? In my view, it’s definitely not that simple."

"This time, the Five Evil Gods came directly for that dignitary and implicated innocent civilians, causing many deaths and injuries. Plum bossom lane was supposed to step up, but they hid in the city instead. This itself proves a point."

"If plum bossom lane wanted to see that dignitary embarrassed, why wouldn’t that dignitary be happy to see plum bossom lane driven out of Mingzhou Prefecture?"

"..."

Er Guotou reacted differently to Hu Ma’s opinion compared to Miss White Wine’s. His heart stirred slightly. "Are you saying that the dignitary would be pleased to see someone replace plum bossom lane?"

"How would I know?"

Miss White Wine chuckled. "I just think that since the dignitary appointed a small hall officer here in Mingzhou, it shows that this area belongs to that dignitary."

"Since it’s his territory, if the benefits here are always taken by others, especially those not aligned with him, could he feel comfortable? Given his status, he might not directly move against plum bossom lane, but he would certainly welcome certain developments."

"Of course, this is just a potential opening. Who knows for sure if it will pan out? But if we want to profit, we must be bold at the right moment. Otherwise, are we to wait for benefits to be fed to us?"

"Even Old White took a risk cozying up to this big shot..."

"..."

After these words, Er Guotou fell silent, and it was unclear if he was truly moved.

Everyone sensed Er Guotou’s change in attitude and dared not disturb him. Only sweet potato cautiously asked, "Old White, Senior Er Guotou, you just mentioned Divine Incense Distribute... is it very beneficial?"

"Benefits?"

Miss White Wine smiled. "If we truly obtained the right to Divine Incense Distribute, would it be just ’benefits’?"

"A mere fraction leaking out would be enough to heal hundreds of your legs..."

"..."

Sweet potato gasped, "HISS..."

"...What kind of Path do the people in plum bossom lane follow? Do they have treasures protecting them? How many people are in their families?"

"..."

"You better not inquire..."

Er Guotou panicked upon hearing this, quickly saying, "You’ve earned the most this time. Isn’t that enough? Stop rushing to cause trouble. The Guests were all slain. Aren’t you afraid?"

"Heh."

Miss White Wine just let out a cold laugh. "Even if sweet potato doesn’t snatch it from you, there’s no guarantee others won’t seize this chance!"

"Just because we Reincarnators can see certain things doesn’t mean the natives can’t. Plum bossom lane is a juicy piece of meat. If your Red Lantern Society isn’t in a hurry to act, others might rush in ahead of you."

"If someone indeed makes a move on plum bossom lane first, catches that dignitary’s Dharma Eye, and gets his approval, wouldn’t your Red Lantern Society still be fated to offer tribute? Are you going to force yourselves to move against that dignitary’s people then?"

"..."

"Huh?"

Hu Ma had been listening from the side, feeling somewhat surprised.

Miss White Wine seemed different from before. She was relentlessly mocking Er Guotou now, yet she was usually very cautious...

Why was she so adamant about persuading Er Guotou at this moment?

But it was obvious that Er Guotou seemed very intrigued. It wasn’t because he was easily swayed, but rather because everyone else had profited while he alone ended up with nothing. This threw him significantly off balance, making it precisely the time when he was most likely to be persuaded.

People, huh... If you had put in this much effort earlier and dealt with the Wealth Evil Altar Envoy, wouldn’t those gold and silver dolls be in your hands now? As it is, those gold and silver dolls have been taken back by Seventh Aunt to care for.

Hu Ma had considered taking these gold and silver dolls to raise himself. However, as powerful as these dolls were, they were also difficult to manage. They were originally Heaven and Earth Spiritual Treasures, capable of boosting financial luck and bewitching minds. Their power had increased even more, especially after being refined into Evil Treasures by the Wealth Evil Altar Envoy. They could protect an area, bringing wealth and prosperity, or act as Magical Treasures, emitting an aura of gold and silver to confuse and delude people’s minds.

If acquired, even a power like the Red Lantern Lady’s Club would treat them as ultimate treasures, to be carefully nurtured. But these two dolls, unlike ordinary weapons, couldn’t just be picked up and used. They required special methods and considerable effort to be sustained.

As a Shousui man who also had to learn the dharma methods of Zhen Sui, he simply didn’t have the energy to dedicate to raising these two dolls. If he neglected them, it wouldn’t be worth it, whether they rebelled or he ended up ruining them through improper care. Therefore, after the situation in Yellow Dog Village concluded, Hu Ma had left the two of them with Seventh Aunt. Firstly, Seventh Aunt was now a small hall officer and needed protectors. Secondly, Seventh Aunt was quite idle and could properly nurture them. When he needed them, he could just borrow them from her.

"Anyway, as long as everyone understands the situation, that’s fine. This event, it must be said, concluded quite perfectly."

Seeing that the timing was right, Hu Ma smiled and chimed in, "But since the matter just concluded, there will naturally be some loose ends. I will stick close to this big shot, and if I get any intel, I’ll share it with you."

"It’s not convenient to say much more right now."

"That small hall officer drank too much wine and fell asleep at my Manor. What if..."

"..."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was startled, quickly saying, "Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"Even if it’s just a small hall officer by the dignitary’s side, we need to be cautious of her unique abilities. Mingzhou isn’t stable right now. We just gained some benefits; let’s not have our ship capsize in the gutter."

"..."

With that, they each departed, giving the impression of birds and beasts scattering.

"Are they really that scared?"

Hu Ma was a bit surprised, pondering, If that’s the case, then I can use Seventh Aunt’s name to scare them in the future...