CHAPTER 454: CHAPTER 448 OBSERVING RULES

He couldn’t help but curse. Clearly, the servant ghost was the most wronged.

The vindictive soul it brought was loaned to Young Master Meng for money, as a convenience. Moreover, it was agreed that it would only be loaned for the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn before being returned. Yet this young master even boasted that the time it takes for one incense stick to burn was enough.

But damn it, won’t you give it back to me?

But now, the chain had snapped, and the vindictive soul had vanished, as if intercepted by someone. Once in the Ghost Gate, how could it account for itself?

It was anxious beyond patience, mumbling continuously in anger. Its two small, stubby hands even gestured as if to take off its chains and strangle Young Master Meng.

Young Master Meng, already enraged, was further annoyed by this servant ghost buzzing at his ear, and his expression suddenly changed.

SWOOSH!

He reached out one hand, directly grabbing the servant ghost’s neck and lifting it. The servant ghost seemed startled, and the chains on its body coiled towards him.

But Young Master Meng, facing these chains, seemed to sneer angrily, "A mere servant ghost, thinking you can use me as a substitute?"

With a forceful grip of his five fingers and some unknown magic, the servant ghost trembled. Its radiance vanished, and it transformed into a clay figurine. Then, Young Master Meng casually threw it to the ground, and the figurine shattered into pieces upon impact.

Even the chains wrapped around it turned into straw.

"Hmm?"

Seeing Young Master Meng react this way, the enraged Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer’s expression turned slightly grim. An underworld official’s servant ghost, killed just like that?

He was of the Shousui Path and didn’t usually deal with these supernatural entities. However, he had heard that they were all on record and not to be provoked by mortals. Even though he was a Great Shousui who had ’crossed the bridge,’ he would still show some courtesy when encountering such beings.

Of course, these entities wouldn’t dare to provoke him either.

But an entity registered with the underworld, easily bought off by the Meng Family with mere Copper Coins, and now even killed when they were displeased?

Young Master Meng’s reaction was more extreme than his own, causing the Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer to pause. He watched as Young Master Meng, having destroyed the servant ghost, his face now extremely severe, lightly dusted the clay residue from his hands.

He shouted, "Prepare the ceremony tent for me! Fetch my Magic Artifact! I’m going to take a personal tour around that town!"

"I want to see who dares to intercept a servant ghost and abduct a Living Soul, ignoring the Meng Family’s authority, and audaciously trying to assert dominance over me in status! Just what kind of divine being do they think they are!"

...

...

Suddenly, a chilling ghost qi surged, affecting the forest between Shima Town and this village. The branches swayed as if they were the hair of a fierce ghost.

In Shima Town, the anger of one Hall Officer and one Meng Family scion surged like an invisible tide, washing over the town. A dense fog, hiding countless ominous presences, swirled tumultuously overhead.

WHOOSH...

In Shima Town, Hu Ma gently withdrew his foot from the Yin General’s head, exhaled deeply, and prepared to face the encroaching fog.

Time to go...

Since I’ve tricked them this badly, how could they not be furious?

Hu Ma had already thought things through. Before taking action, he had lit the brazier to hide his identity from his opponent and borrowed Magic to strengthen himself. Reclaiming the Yin General would also prevent the opponent from setting up that blasted Ghost General Platform to deal with him.

Their furious retaliation was expected. All he could do now was set up the altar and use the methods from the Zhensui scripture to face them.

Once the altar was set up, they would likely recognize it as the Hu Family’s Magic. There was no other way. Only through this altar could he buy some time, break the blockade around the town, and give the townsfolk a chance to escape.

Of course, he also had to seize the chance to flee during the chaos.

After much thought, this was the best way he could justify his actions to the One Coin Sect and also the safest for himself.

There were many regrets, of course. Years of the One Coin Sect’s preparations would be destroyed. Even Shima Town, which seemed to hide secrets related to the ’Not Eating Beef’ people, would likely fall into the enemy’s hands, making it difficult to find again.

But there was no other solution. Help from the ’Not Eating Beef’ people wouldn’t arrive in time, and Reincarnators like Er Guotou wouldn’t make it from Mingzhou so quickly. The only help he had outside the town now was Monkey Wine.

Even though he had cultivated a Magic Body, could he really rely on just himself and his helper, Monkey Wine, to face a Shousui Grand Hall Officer and a member of the Meng Family?

That was ridiculous! The greatest skill of a Shousui man wasn’t being stubborn; it was knowing how to run!

...

As Hu Ma quickly deliberated, preparing to use his Shousui body, which had condensed a Dharma Form of Two Mansion Gates, as the suppression object to set up the altar, Shima Town was already in chaos.

In the town, those who were aware of the disturbances felt an immense pressure. Their hearts grew restless, not understanding what was happening. Faced with such overwhelming pressure, Shousui cultivators who had Entered the Mansion were no different from the tofu vendors on the street.

Immortal Miaoshan, horsetail whisk in hand, had initially wanted to help. However, the baleful aura from the Yin General had forced her back, preventing her from approaching. Now that she could move forward, she suddenly sensed the turbulent ghost fog outside the town, and her chest heaved with fright.

"Altar Envoy!"

She hurriedly turned her head and saw Bai Shanzi trying to flee. She immediately scolded, "Don’t run yet! Quickly bring our sect’s Evil Suppression Tank!"

"I can’t! The mechanism we used last time still isn’t fixed..."

Bai Shanzi, thus halted, stomped his foot anxiously. "Besides, Sect Hierarch, do you truly believe the ten tanks of resources we’ve amassed can handle that big shot from outside?"

"Those Trick Door people are so unreliable! Sometimes they seem incredibly mystical, and other times they’re completely useless..."

Immortal Miaoshan was equally anxious. Gazing at the ghost fog pouring in from outside the town, her grip on her horsetail whisk tightened, making a CRUNCHING sound. "Whether we can deal with it or not, do we have any other choice?"

Panic was spreading through the town. They had made arrangements: sect disciples had gathered the townsfolk together inside, instructing them to keep their doors and windows shut tight at night and not to peek outside. Disciples in talismanic armor were stationed at every crossroads.

But now, alarmed by the commotion outside, no one was willing to stay cooped up. The more frightened they became, the more desperate they were to open their windows and look out.

The disciples stationed at the crossroads were all shivering, clearly terrified to the point of breaking.

What a mess...

Amidst the turmoil, a sigh echoed from a distant corner, cutting through the chaos. "When did you steal the General Order? Your hands are even faster than mine."

"But by doing this, you owe me another karmic debt..."

...

In the depths of the forest, the fog thickened. Faint sounds of drums and gongs echoed as murky shadows leaped and cavorted, carrying a black sedan chair towards Shima Town.

Behind the black sedan chair, a figure clad in iron armor rode a grotesque horse. He was exceedingly tall.

As they advanced, the fog around them grew denser. Even the towering trees trembled and quietly shifted from where their roots were anchored, as if to clear a path for them.

No one knew what catastrophic duel would erupt upon his arrival in Shima Town, nor how many lives would be lost.

However, they didn’t reach the town directly. As the fog surged and they passed through the forest, they were only halfway when a sinister wind suddenly blew up, causing the fog to roll backward. The little ghosts scouting ahead all SHRIEKED AND SQUAWKED, stopped their advance, and merely spun in circles on the spot.

The wind in the forest seemed to lose all direction, chilling one to the bone through their Seven Apertures. It carried a faint, vulgar scent of rouge, leaving the little ghosts utterly bewildered and disoriented.

"Hmm?"

The Young Master Meng, seated in the sedan chair with eyes full of killing intent, suddenly paused and leaned halfway out.

He saw the fog ahead slowly part, revealing a withered branch. The branch itself was unremarkable, but hanging from it was a red dudou, on which two large characters were written in black ink:

"CEASEFIRE!"

...

It was this single dudou, with just those two words, that halted the fog advancing towards Shima Town. It stopped the Meng Family’s sedan chair and the little ghosts playing their instruments and scouting ahead.

"What is that?"

The Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer approached, looking at the bizarre object with a puzzled expression.

The Young Master Meng stared intently at the dudou and the words on it. He remained silent for a long while, as if all his seething rage had been forcibly suppressed. Finally, he exhaled slowly and murmured, "Rules!"

"Rules?"

The Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer found it absurd. "This shabby thing can be called a rule?"

No wonder they say Shousui men are brutes. Even one who has reached the position of Grand Hall Officer is still just a brute...

The Young Master Meng took a deep breath before looking towards Shima Town. He murmured, "That strange person hasn’t left the town. They’ve already chosen a side. They’re reminding us that since we agreed to wait three days before attacking, we must keep our word."

"It’s only the second day. The time is not yet up!"

...

Hearing this, the Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer’s face filled with disbelief. "Just because of this shabby thing, we’re going to spare them for another day?"

"Our previous agreement to give them three days was already..."

...

"Regardless of why we granted those three days, a promise made is a promise kept." The Meng Family member sighed softly. "That is the rule!"

"If the other party doesn’t understand the rules, then we don’t need to abide by them either. But since they are now invoking this rule, we must honor our previous words."

"Of course, precisely because they’ve brought up the rules, when it *is* time to act, we won’t need to show any mercy."