CHAPTER 448: CHAPTER 442: THE SECT HIERARCH STAYS INDOORS

Since he knew that the Meng family was outside, it was not surprising that the little ghost sent by the One Coin Sect to relay messages was intercepted.

The initial response of the One Coin Sect was actually reasonable. Knowing that the Great Shousui Hall Officer was outside, they didn’t dare to let living beings, even living creatures, transmit messages. Instead, they used a little ghost, taking the path of the underworld. The Shousui men were powerful but had no way to deal with them.

But alas, the Meng family were experts in this field and sealed the Yin Road more thoroughly than the Yang Road.

Of course, the so-called borrowing the path of the underworld naturally sparked curiosity. In this world, there was no Ghost Gate, or according to folklore, the Ghost Gate was closed, which is why humans, ghosts, and evil spirits mingled in the world.

Yet, there were indeed some mysterious aspects in this world, such as the Yin Road. Back then, the young lady of the Dongzi Li Family could lead people to the Ghost Gate, and when she guided souls in her dreams, she did not walk the roads of the mortal world. In the mortal world, one couldn’t find the "black door" she mentioned.

A little ghost delivering a message sometimes took the path of the mortal world, appearing like a gust of eerie wind to outsiders. But if the path was long and urgent, they would also take the path of the underworld. Some powerful ones could travel a thousand miles in half a day.

However, the skills Hu Ma learned were unrelated to this, so he had only heard vaguely about it but didn’t understand it well.

Still, his simple two statements were enough to leave Immortal Miaoshan and Bai Shanzi, eavesdropping not far away, utterly dumbfounded.

The little ghost delivering the message being intercepted was frightening enough. But now, hearing that the Meng family had sealed the road seemed very rational. Yet, the crucial point was, why did the Sect Hierarch look so calm when mentioning the Meng family?

The Meng family, they were the ancestors of the negative spirit people...

If they had earlier known that Great Hall Officer Tie Jun came to seal the town, they would only have been scared and panicked, thinking of inviting someone over to aid. But upon hearing the Meng family was involved, they nearly fell into despair.

The Ten Surnames taking action, how could a small sect like the One Coin Sect withstand that?

Luckily, the conversation was private. If it were said in public, just the identity of the Meng family could easily scare everyone to the core.

And now, fortunately, Immortal Miaoshan was immune to the Ten Surnames since she was one who was "not eating beef," plus this news came from Hu Ma, who appeared calm, letting them slightly hold on.

HUFF...

After stepping outside, Hu Ma didn’t glance at the Sect Hierarch of the One Coin Sect. He just took a deep breath, looked toward the dark, gloomy night sky, and seemed to catch an elusive scent of blood lingering in the air. He whispered with a sigh, "Trouble still ahead."

"Tonight, the Demon Corpse is likely to attack the village again!"

...

"Huh?"

This reminder startled Immortal Miaoshan and Bai Shanzi, who was eavesdropping nearby. They were already worried about this, only to be distracted by Tie Jun’s arrival. Hearing this, anxiety overtook them.

"Then I..."

Immortal Miaoshan hurriedly said, "I’ll go call Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang over. Altar Master, how many of our talismanic armor troops are still usable?"

Embarrassingly, the One Coin Sect had spent the day preparing methods to deal with the Demon Corpse, but the sealed town situation made people anxious. On top of that, the talismanic armor troops that went out to find the Demon Corpse suffered heavy losses, making it seem like nothing was done all night.

Upon hearing the Demon Corpse might come, the only help they could think of was still to invite those experts of Entering the Mansion and Shousui to lend their aid.

"No need."

But hearing their words, Hu Ma shook his head and suddenly said, "When the Demon Corpse comes, I’ll handle it myself. None of you need to intervene."

Immortal Miaoshan was taken aback, "This..."

"You just focus on coordinating your tasks."

Hu Ma put his hands behind his back, thinking of the idea given by Monkey Wine, a mix of excitement, anticipation, and tension trembling within him. He asked quietly, "Have the items and manpower in the town been inventoried?"

"Also, there are many residents in this town, and many experts in the Path. Though they came for the One Coin Sect, you must be cautious. Are they all trustworthy and reliable?"

"Don’t let the strong enemy outside provide an opportunity for infighting inside..."

...

"Ah..."

Upon Hu Ma’s reminder, Immortal Miaoshan seemed to recall something, nodding repeatedly, while Bai Shanzi chimed in appropriately, "Are you suggesting taking this chance to flush out all untrustworthy elements and capture them in one sweep?"

"Capture them in one sweep?"

Hu Ma almost laughed in exasperation, glancing at them with the superiority of a Reincarnator, "And you think you’re up for big tasks?"

"If you’re at a disadvantage, no one is trustworthy. Those originally loyal to you may even consider tying you up and sending you outside the town for a chance at survival."

"But if you give them confidence, even those deemed untrustworthy will help you resist external foes."

"You don’t understand such a simple principle?"

...

Saying this, he sneered, "This Great Hall Officer came to trouble you, a true unforeseen disaster, but who’s to say this calamity isn’t an opportunity?"

"If the One Coin Sect is destroyed by him, it would indeed be unfortunate. But if you can force the Great Hall Officer to retreat, wouldn’t that be a great moment for your One Coin Sect to rise in fame, showing the people around your capabilities?"

"At that time, once the Great Hall Officer’s intimidation dissipates, how many who originally wouldn’t rebel would do so, and how many who didn’t trust you would come over to your side?"

...

"My heavens..."

Immortal Miaoshan and Bai Shanzi exchanged glances, unable to contain their excitement.

Could things really develop in this direction?

The logic was simple, explained in one statement, yet envisioning this path required a broader mindset not common to most. Bai Shanzi kept glancing at Immortal Miaoshan. He was just curious: who exactly was this little shopkeeper of the Blood Food Gang? What deal did he have with the Sect Hierarch, and why, overnight, had the Sect Hierarch suddenly become so reverent and obedient to him? Moreover, why did this little manager suddenly seem to stop pretending, appearing even more adept at the nuances of rebellion than us, the One Coin Sect, who specialize in it?

As for Immortal Miaoshan, the Sect Hierarch of the One Coin Sect, her eyes brightened, her body trembling with uncontrollable excitement, her mind filled only with one thought: It must be him. It surely is him. I was worried my brothers wouldn’t accept him as the Sect Hierarch... But someone who can say such things, isn’t he born to be our Sect Hierarch? Could it be just like the legends: he passed the Three Passes and Twelve Tribulations, entered the Ghost Cave, worshipped at the Divine Platform, and was then secretly imparted with the Heavenly Book by the ancestral master, suddenly gaining enlightenment?

...

...

"Why aren’t you going?"

Hu Ma, carrying heavy matters in his heart, wasn’t concerned with the niceties of human interactions with them; it was better to be straightforward and decisive. And these two happened to respond well to this approach, hurriedly agreeing and immediately leaving.

Soon, the town was filled with a cacophony of noise as the remaining followers executed orders, variously calming the townspeople, merchants, and allies, concentrating them as much as possible inside the town to avoid losing lives unknowingly during the Demon Corpse attack.

Meanwhile, around the town’s perimeter, sect followers donned talismanic armor and armed with blades and bows. They prepared various talismans and took buckets of dirty blood from large vats, crouching in various locations, ready to fight.

As they busied themselves, Hu Ma didn’t remain idle. He paced around the town, occasionally taking things from Little Hongtang’s basket and burying them in various spots around the town, ready at any moment for setting up the altar.

But this was merely a precaution; he didn’t intend to truly set up the altar or reveal his identity to the Meng family outside.

This night was both a test and an opportunity for himself, but this opportunity belonged to the little manager of the Blood Food Gang on the Shousui Path; it had nothing to do with the descendants of the Hu family.

After completing these arrangements, he came to the east end of the town, looking out at the stone horse in the distance. He kept in mind that the Big Red Robe had hinted that something seemed hidden within the stone horse, but it was necessary to resolve this trouble first before uncovering it.

Meanwhile, Immortal Miaoshan and Bai Shanzi, leading those Magic Kings whose cultivation had been abolished and other followers, carried out other arrangements. As per Hu Ma’s instructions, they also set up a Taishi Chair here and prepared a large fire basin.

Nearby, they hoisted lanterns, casting a pale white light all around, and the night breeze caused the chaotic shadows to flicker.

Hu Ma first checked the fire basin, seeing it filled with dry wood and drenched with black oil ointment. A thrown torch would surely ignite a fierce blaze, which satisfied him. He handed a torch to Little Hongtang, instructing her to be ready to light the fire basin at any time.

After everything was arranged, he sat on the Taishi Chair, gazing into the dark night outside. Glancing at the loyal and still frightened Immortal Miaoshan standing nearby, he suddenly remembered something and said, "Immortal, take off your Taoist robe!"

"Huh?"

Immortal Miaoshan was startled, glancing at Little Hongtang beside her, "There’s a child here..."

"My clothes are torn."

Hu Ma lifted his sleeve, revealing several burned holes in the shape of handprints caused earlier by the Big Red Robe. He hadn’t planned to stay long, so he hadn’t brought a change of clothes.

His eyes moved to the Taoist robe Immortal Miaoshan was wearing. He smiled, "That Taoist robe of yours is quite loose-fitting; it’ll be just right for me!"

"Oh, oh..."

Immortal Miaoshan finally understood. She hurriedly turned her back, took off the Taoist robe, and first draped Hu Ma’s discarded robe over herself. Then she called a little ghost to fetch ordinary clothes from her room to wear.

After changing into the Taoist robe, Hu Ma looked down at himself and let out a satisfied sigh. I’ve been in this world for so long and dealt with so many strange things, but this is the first time I’ve ever had the chance to wear a Taoist robe... In an instant, it felt as though all the evil spirits in the world were nothing to fear...