CHAPTER 456: CHAPTER 450: THE WHITE-BEARDED OLD MAN

It was indeed a bowl of egg drop soup.

In an exquisite small porcelain bowl, a few drops of oil floated, and a poached egg, red on white, soaked in the soup. Beside it lay a silver spoon.

Hu Ma watched as Immortal Miaoshan carefully placed it on the side table, not touching it, just sighing internally, What’s the point of making this mess? Can’t the Blood Food Pill fill you up?

On the surface, he was polite as ever, merely saying, "Why does the Sect Hierarch go to such lengths? All I do is help out. As for Beef Avoidance matters, let’s not discuss those; as part of our One Coin Sect, I’ve merely followed your guidance to help the best I can!"

"The Sect Hierarch is truly modest."

Miaoshan, hearing Hu Ma’s words, felt a sense of emotion. He still claims to be here just to help out. I’ve even taken off my Taoist robe for him... But it makes sense. Even as the Not Eating Beef Lord, he needs the approval of the senior disciples. Now, there’s still one word missing, but the Sect Hierarch has passed the Three Passes and Twelve Tribulations and even cultivated the Great Mighty Heaven Master General’s Magic body. Who would dare not recognize him? I’m a junior; it’s only right to serve the... Sect Uncle, isn’t it?

With this in mind, she humbled herself further, unable to hide the joy on her brows as she reported to Hu Ma, "Now that we’ve subdued the Demon Corpse, everyone in our One Coin Sect is truly elated. Tonight’s Lantern Festival is sure to be lively."

Originally, Hu Ma had some questions he wanted to ask her, but she managed to throw him off track with these words, "Lantern Festival?"

"Indeed."

Miaoshan quickly explained, "Following the instructions of the senior disciples, I came here years ago with the purpose of establishing the main altar in Shima Town. However, despite the great fanfare now, we’re still missing this Lantern Festival to formalize the occasion. Now, preparations are complete and the time is right. But for the Lantern Festival, there must be an altar protector deity to bless the believers and people. However, all the protector deities in our sect have met with mishaps, and we don’t know where to find a substitute... I’m just about to seek advice from the Sect Uncle!"

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma chuckled in exasperation, "With such looming disasters, you’re still thinking about this so-called Lantern Festival?"

"Of course!"

Miaoshan replied solemnly, "Our Master commanded long ago that Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples hold significant responsibilities and should not worry about minor details. We can deceive officials, bandits, and ghostly gods, but we must never deceive the people. Our One Coin Sect promised long ago that today would be the Lantern Festival. Now that the day has come, the people are waiting; there’s absolutely no room for reneging on our word..."

"Deceive officials, bandits, and ghostly gods, but never the people?"

Amidst his troubled thoughts, Hu Ma was suddenly taken aback by Miaoshan’s words.

His gaze passed through the door, seeing Miaoshan’s clear face outside. This beautiful Taoist, who initially exuded an aura of mysterious expertise, had seemed more often confused after he’d seen through her facade. But the way she said these words now wasn’t in jest at all; it showed an unusual determination and faith. It was a look Hu Ma rarely spotted on the faces of the natives, and it reminded him that even within himself, this feeling had become rare.

His mood grew somewhat complicated. After a long pause, he slowly exhaled and quietly asked, "Everything I asked you to prepare, like the accounting ledgers, is ready?"

"After Sect Uncle’s instructions, they were all prepared."

Hearing this, Miaoshan immediately retrieved a stack of ledgers and rosters from a cabinet, presenting them one by one before Hu Ma.

These documents detailed the development of the One Coin Sect, the number of armed men and armaments, the Path’s Magical Treasures, and the Magic King and protector listings—essentially handing over the sect’s very foundation to Hu Ma.

This woman, whom he described as clear-headed, wasn’t mindless. After Hu Ma passed the Three Passes and Twelve Tribulations, she had kowtowed and addressed him as Sect Hierarch, appearing perfectly submissive. Yet, the ledgers she had prepared at his request back then had not been handed over as completely or honestly as they were now. But now, having witnessed Hu Ma cultivating the Great Mighty Sky General Seal, she truly submitted, finally laying everything on the table.

"When did you designate this place as the One Coin Sect’s main altar? By the time you arrived, was that stone horse already here?"

Taking the ledgers, Hu Ma casually asked her a few questions while flipping through them. Initially, he had approached her to gauge the One Coin Sect’s foundation, to see if it could contend with the great hall officer outside. Now, he also sought to learn more about the sect to discover any secrets regarding "awakening the stone horse."

Miaoshan, upon hearing this, felt quite excited, thinking the Sect Hierarch, despite claiming to be just an outsider helping, was earnestly trying to understand internal affairs. So, she candidly explained everything.

Listening to her, Hu Ma indeed gained a better understanding of the One Coin Sect. However, curiously, when it came to the stone horse, Miaoshan seemed clueless, as if she knew nothing at all.

"The stone horse is just a stone horse?"

"It’s been in this town for many years. When we arrived, the grass had nearly swallowed it whole..."

She didn’t appear to be lying and honestly said, "If Sect Uncle likes it, I’ll have someone move it over for you as an ornament... But what’s the point of such a thing?"

Hu Ma could only wave his hand, saying, "There’s no need. It’s just that your One Coin Sect’s foundation seems spread across various prefectures in Gunzhou. Why insist this main altar be here?"

"This..."

Miaoshan paused, "It was the senior disciples who sent me here... Actually, before I came, the senior disciples had already arranged everything here: Old Master Sun, Master Tang of Great Shanbao, the Wanma Gang, Son-in-law Xia, and so forth... They were all connections left by the senior disciples long ago. I just needed to come over, and they’d naturally gather around."

"So, you’re really just a Red Lantern Lady?"

Hu Ma asked several questions, confirming that what she managed here were only worldly affairs. Regarding deeper matters, the things he truly wanted to understand, she seemed to know little. So he let her attend to her tasks.

He began slowly flipping through the ledgers she left behind, hoping to find clues that even Miaoshan was unaware of.

The information left by Big Red Robe mentioned the stone horse, and the Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples had already selected this place, suggesting there truly might be a hidden secret here? That stone horse, clearly a stone fetus clay sculpture—how exactly should it be awakened?

With these thoughts, he read for a long time, growing more confused. The ledgers contained a lot, but every item was straightforward, lacking any hints or secrets.

On first glance, the One Coin Sect had a decent foundation. Now, in Shima Town, there were also over a thousand people, most of whom were sect members. Among them, one or two hundred had undergone training and could be equipped with talismanic armor and weapons, ready to be mobilized. With a call to arms, by distributing food, money, and armor, they could probably muster seven or eight hundred strong men in a short time.

The number might not seem large, but it was considerable. In this small town, seven or eight hundred talismanic troops possessed the power to traverse states and counties and even confront the government. Moreover, while their actual numbers were seven or eight hundred, once chaos erupted, their ranks would swell, and they would often claim to be an army tens of thousands strong. These talismanic troops confirmed that the One Coin Sect was indeed planning something significant, more than just empty boasting.

However, given the capabilities of the Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer outside, Hu Ma remained deeply concerned.

The One Coin Sect certainly had a foundation: one Sect Hierarch, two altar envoys, eight Lower Altar Envoys, and four Magic Kings, along with the disciples and grand-disciples who served the Guests in their halls. By all appearances, it was a formidable faction. However, only one altar envoy was present here. The eight Lower Altar Envoys were merely at the Ascension level of skill. Furthermore, the four Magic Kings and their numerous disciples and grand-disciples were incapacitated and thus unable to offer much assistance.

There were magically empowered items, such as the ten large jars containing some kind of blessing-imbued objects, and also some talismanic bows and swords. Normally useful, they seemed inadequate against the great hall officer.

In Shima Town, the most abundant resources were actually grain, cattle, sheep, and medicinal herbs...

Why hoard so much stuff?

Sighing lightly, Hu Ma tossed the ledgers aside. He was inwardly quite sure that they contained no information about the stone horse. He was also even more certain that relying on the One Coin Sect’s current foundation to confront the Shousui Great Hall Officer was simply a joke.

I wonder if Brother Er Guotou and Miss White Wine can arrive here in time...

He began to contemplate. Earlier, Monkey Wine had efficiently delivered his message. These acquaintances understood the gravity of the situation and had immediately set out. But crucially, the distance between these places was no short span! Could they really arrive within three days to assist? More importantly, even if they came, did these folks from his old world truly have any method to handle that Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer?

Brother Er Guotou seemed unlikely. He previously mentioned that he had mastered skills up to the Entering the Mansion level but, fearing discovery, had stopped there and hadn’t delved deeper.

But as for Miss White Wine...

Sighing softly, though not entirely without hope, he knew he couldn’t afford to think too idealistically.

As Hu Ma grew slightly annoyed and sighed, a breeze swept through the courtyard. The drooping branches of the old pagoda tree, which covered the entire yard, also began to RUSTLE, the sound like an old man’s low sigh.

He had gone two days and one night without touching a pillow. Even though a Shousui man’s constitution was strong, now that he had quieted down, he couldn’t help but feel a little drowsy.

Just as he was drifting between wakefulness and sleep, he suddenly heard a CREAK—the door was pushed open. An old man with a stooped figure and a white beard walked in, smiling. He bowed politely to Hu Ma, "Greetings, young master..."

"My surname is Yu, and I come from West Kunlun. I have lived here for over sixty years. Just now, I heard the young master’s worried sighs and took the liberty to visit. Is there perhaps something I can assist with?"