CHAPTER 447: CHAPTER 441: TAKING BIG STRIDES ON A SHORTCUT

Slowly closing his eyes, Hu Ma first organized his thoughts, then exhaled slowly. "Previously, when I borrowed the token, the Zhensui Mansion made an appearance in Mingzhou, causing quite a stir. Coming to this blood food mine was intended to lay low for a while."

"Yet, I didn’t expect it was fate. I left Mingzhou to keep a low profile, but the Meng family indeed reacted."

"It’s just that their reaction wasn’t to go to Mingzhou to find me, but to come to the deep mountains of this West Ridge and build a so-called Ghost General Platform, just to keep an eye on me from afar?"

Feeling a sense of absurdity, upon closer thought, a few key pieces of information vaguely emerged. "He mentioned that the person who left marks in the blood food mine and surrounding villages... hehe!"

"Additionally, he mentioned that I’m not the only one with the surname Hu. Could it be that other Hu Family members are alive? No, if there were truly anyone alive who could represent the Hu Family, so many matters wouldn’t have fallen on me..."

"So... collateral relatives? Or other means? For this, I ought to consult Senior Mountain Lord. I can’t figure it out just by thinking."

Pondering back and forth, I quickly understood the current situation. The foremost issue to address was what the other party had emphasized: "Yin General!"

It seemed the relationship between the Yin General and the General Order was not only clear to Calculation but also apparent to the Meng family. In fact, in the eyes of the Meng family, it was even clearer. Although Calculation suspected the General Order might be on me due to a lack of evidence, he eventually felt their ancestral master was unreliable.

Yet the Meng family was adamant that the General Order was here, making no second guesses, and even trying to leverage the relationship between the Yin General and the General Order to counter me?

However, he seemed unaware that I, a descendant of the Hu family, was the one who took the General Order...

At that moment, a guess that had arisen earlier, after learning the key points of cultivating the Great Mighty Sky General Seal from Big Red Robe, surfaced again. Although doubts still lingered in my mind, the excitement couldn’t be contained.

The General Order wasn’t something I intended to take; it was a phenomenon born from my Divine Soul. But now, it seems this General Order is intimately linked with my cultivation of the Great Mighty Sky General Seal. Is it all just a coincidence, or is there some other arrangement?

After pondering for a moment, Hu Ma dared not reach a conclusion.

Damn it, the more I think, the more my head hurts. At its core, the problem is that I still don’t understand the Divine Soul well enough, and those sophisticated techniques all start from the Divine Soul, which is currently beyond my reach.

Upon reflection, Monkey Wine’s suggestion seemed the most straightforward: to understand and resolve these issues, I must comprehend the Divine Soul. The stronger the Divine Soul, the brighter the Lifebound Spirit Temple.

Once the Divine Soul shines brightly, it can illuminate everything, and all secrets will emerge before my eyes.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth slightly. Why consider so much?

The path is right in front of me, and adhering to the Shousui man’s principles is the most pragmatic approach. No matter how complex the reasoning, it ultimately depends on how well I cultivate my own skills!

While contemplating and having determined the focus of his current path, Hu Ma’s heart unexpectedly sensed something. Quickly gathering his mind and closing his eyes, he delved into the Lifebound Spirit Temple, only to hear Monkey Wine’s voice faintly say, "Have you already seen the results of my investigation of those people outside?"

"I’ve seen it."

Hu Ma was momentarily dazed, then asked curiously, "Why haven’t you set off for Mingzhou yet?"

Monkey Wine’s voice seemed somewhat puzzled. "Go to Mingzhou for what?"

Hu Ma was surprised. "Didn’t I ask you to help me with two things? Investigating the situation outside was just the first. The more important task is to go to Mingzhou and take care of the Reincarnators there..."

"It’s all been handled," Monkey Wine said plainly. "I first helped you notify them, then released the gu insects and infiltrated the main camp of the people who had sealed the town."

"What?" Hu Ma was dumbfounded. "This all happened in just one day?"

Monkey Wine’s voice also seemed somewhat puzzled. "...It was just a call. Why would it take so much time?"

Then Hu Ma suddenly realized. "Did you break through the three incense cultivation level?"

"I am at the Five Column Tao," Monkey Wine said plainly. "I can often hear calls from many different places, but I usually ignore them, only responding to those nearby... Sorry, that’s my fault. I forgot many people’s cultivation can’t exceed three columns."

"HISS..." Hu Ma gasped. "Five columns?"

"How did you do it? Can you teach me?"

"It’s simple..." Monkey Wine said plainly. "I refined a gu insect with my Divine Soul and created an external avatar. The moment I succeeded, I already had the Four Column Tao."

"If you want to learn, it’s simple too. I’ll help you refine a gu insect, put it in your brain, and you just..."

"Then forget it..." Hu Ma hurriedly declined, finding the idea awkward. Yet, a feeling of imbalance surged in his heart. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he asked, "So, how did the message delivery go? They..."

"They should have already set off. They claimed they could arrive within three days," Monkey Wine said slowly. "You mentioned so many things—this one believable, that one not. I couldn’t remember them all, so I just called Er Guotou and, after getting in touch with him, relayed your words to him."

"Originally, he said he had important matters at hand—something about an alleyway almost being taken—but when I told him you were besieged, he still called over the other two."

"Finally, a Reincarnator codenamed Miss White Wine spoke up. Another girl named Sweet Potato, who’s quite straightforward, also weighed in. They voted and overruled Er Guotou. So, they immediately decided to set off and come find you here."

"Great..." Hu Ma’s heart filled with joy. He had initially been worried about the vast distance and how long it would take them to arrive after receiving the information; now, he felt a sense of relief.

But this place is seven or eight hundred miles from Mingzhou. It took me eight days to get here. How can they arrive within three days?

It just goes to show, Miss White Wine is indeed reliable...

"If that’s the case..." Hu Ma pondered for a moment, thinking about Monkey Wine on the other end of the Lifebound Spirit Temple connection—the craziest, yet also the clearest-headed individual he knew. He then described a few dharma methods related to the Great Mighty Sky General Seal and slowly voiced the question in his mind:

"These mantras are part of my Shousui Path, the method for Entering the Mansion. I possess an item that can summon vindictive souls and a method to obliterate them. I intend to use these to cultivate and improve my skills."

"I’ve pondered it thoroughly myself and believe it’s comprehensive, yet I still feel a bit unsure. Do you have any good suggestions?"

Monkey Wine seemed surprised that Hu Ma would ask this. Moreover, he belonged to Witchcraft, and its dharma methods differed greatly from other Paths. Normally, people wouldn’t think to consult someone from Witchcraft about a Shousui man’s cultivation method.

But Hu Ma had asked naturally, and Monkey Wine, after brief contemplation, answered just as naturally, "Your method is feasible, but..."

He paused briefly before giving his suggestion, "...too slow!"

"Slow?" Hu Ma’s voice changed pitch slightly. He had asked precisely because he was concerned it might be too fast and unstable.

Listening to Hu Ma, Monkey Wine slowly replied, "If you’re going to take a shortcut, either don’t take it at all, or walk it with big strides."

"Cultivation methods never emphasize ’steady and stable progress.’ Those who find the knack will naturally advance faster than ordinary people. Lottery winnings are money too, aren’t they? Would you refuse it just because it wasn’t earned through wages?"

"You sound surprisingly clear-headed about this, don’t you?"

Hu Ma was stunned by Monkey Wine’s words. After a long pause, his voice trembled as he asked, "So, you mean..."

Monkey Wine chuckled softly. "If you can handle it, why go to so much trouble? Prepare your ground well and take every advantage you can within theoretical limits!"

Hu Ma was genuinely stunned this time, even forgetting to say anything further to Monkey Wine. He broke the connection in a daze, lost in Monkey Wine’s theory, unable to extricate himself.

Initially, his eyes showed unease and doubt. But gradually, as he looked down at his left arm and thought of the heavy pressure weighing on him, a fierce resolve began to emerge from deep within.

"SIGH..."

This train of thought fascinated him, creating a strong sense of anticipation that grew deeper the more he considered it. This continued until a sigh suddenly echoed from outside the door, startling him awake. Frowning, he called out, "Who is it?"

"Sect Hierarch... Martial Uncle, it’s me!"

Hearing Immortal Miaoshan’s voice from outside, Hu Ma stood up, patted Little Hongtang—who was guarding the door—on the head, and then opened the door.

He saw Immortal Miaoshan sitting on the stone steps outside his door. She seemed afraid of being seen, as she was hiding behind a plantain tree, using its leaves to shield herself.

A little further away, Bai Shanzi was peeking around, looking as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.

Hu Ma asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"I... I have an urgent matter to report..." Immortal Miaoshan said quickly when she saw Hu Ma finally emerge. "I hurried to find you, Martial Uncle, but seeing the little ghost guarding the door, I knew it wasn’t a good time to disturb you, so I’ve been waiting here... Martial Uncle, you enlightened me with the words ’Do not kneel,’ so I dared not kneel and just sat here waiting."

So you ran out of patience but didn’t dare to rush me, so you sighed hoping I’d hear?

Hu Ma felt speechless. He increasingly thought that Immortal Miaoshan, nearly thirty years old, acted like a little girl. Was it because she wasn’t particularly sharp that she had been pushed to the forefront?

As he thought this, he asked, "What’s the matter?"

"Our..." Immortal Miaoshan’s face showed urgency. "Our little ghost who was transmitting messages outside was intercepted! We only just realized that even the routes to the underworld have been sealed by someone..."

"Oh." Hu Ma nodded and said calmly, "The Meng family has arrived, haven’t they? They are from the Great Tongyin Path; sealing the roads isn’t that normal for them?"

"Ah?" Immortal Miaoshan was utterly shocked. "Sect Hierarch, you... you already knew?"