Listening to Miss White Wine's candid confession, Hu Ma took a deep breath.

So, everything was related to those Shangjing reincarnators secretly investigating the Twelve Ghost Altars?

They had asked Miss White Wine to take care of him because it was a critical time in the investigation, and they didn't want to stir up trouble?

Now that they had discovered his true identity and his relationship with the Da Luo Dharma Sect, they had taken the opportunity to make a decision, not only ceasing to care for him but even mobilizing the entire reincarnator community to kill him?

But what was their purpose?

Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, and vague answers gradually emerged. If some reincarnators knew from the very beginning that Zi Tai Sui was the target, then had they long become a faction aimed at harvesting Zi Tai Sui?

Were they worried that he would become an obstacle to their harvesting of Zi Tai Sui?

"Are you feeling sentimental?"

Seeing Hu Ma fall into silence, Miss White Wine tilted her head slightly after a moment, examining Hu Ma's face.

He didn't know that her making such a gesture with her usual demeanor created a bit of a contrast.

"What you said to those Ten Clan disciples was very good."

Looking at Hu Ma's face, she suddenly smiled and said, "Some of the reasoning, even I hadn't considered. I only understood it after you spoke."

Hu Ma gave a wry smile, then sighed softly, raised his head, and looked her in the eye, saying, "Perhaps, it's only because you were born with these things that you don't realize their importance."

"Only someone like me who doesn't have them but has glimpsed them can more clearly see the value of these things and...perhaps even be somewhat greedy, wanting to possess them?"

"There's no need to be greedy. You've experienced it, in whatever form. Once you've seen it, it's yours."

Miss White Wine also said seriously, "I don't believe you're a traitor or a spy, but I'm afraid I can't convince them."

"I don't even have the confidence to convince Er Guotou and Di Gua Shao, so when they asked me to find a Mingzhou reincarnator to resolve this matter, I couldn't even communicate with them. I was worried they would do something unacceptable to me."

"Fortunately, in the end, the choice they made was similar to mine..."

"..."

"Don't comfort me!"

Hu Ma heard the faint pressure in Miss White Wine's words and laughed, saying, "The people who assassinated me before also said they would give me a choice."

"They could wipe away my memories of this world so that I would become a full-fledged member of the reincarnators. Honestly, in that state of mind, the suggestion actually tempted me for a moment."

"But I still refused."

"I like the reincarnator community, but I still have to face my own thoughts."

"People don't understand what they ultimately want to do by going to certain people, but rather, they meet certain people because they know what they want to do. So, no matter what happens in the future, no matter how the reincarnators treat me, I will do what I have to do."

"That doesn't mean I will join the Ten Clans."

"I came to Shangjing to make my own decision, not to join any camp."

"..."

After saying these words, he felt inexplicably relieved.

He raised his head to look at Miss White Wine and said, "Of course, I will remember you. In my eyes, you are not evil spirits."

"More like..."

The words of Mr. Longjing suddenly flashed through his mind, and his smile became half-serious, half-teasing, "Gods from the heavens, proud, unrestrained, clever...and interesting."

Looking at Hu Ma's smile, Miss White Wine was slightly lost in thought for a moment. She didn't expect to see the smile on Hu Ma's face in this situation, and listening to Hu Ma's frank words, she didn't answer for a long time, and then slowly reached out her hand.

Hu Ma was also a little surprised, looking at the palm extended in front of him, hesitated slightly, and then also reached out his hand.

Around them were the bustling and oppressive streets of Shangjing, surrounded by Shangjing citizens wearing silks and satins with stiff smiles on their faces.

They were here, engaged in a handshake that only people from a previous life would have.

The action was relaxed and only a momentary impulse, but it seemed to carry some kind of heavy atmosphere.

Miss White Wine chuckled softly and said, "I thought I would never integrate into this world, but I didn't expect I already had a friend."

"I don't know what the future holds."

"I still don't know the purpose or thoughts of people like Nu Er Hong."

"But before, in the Pan Shan Wang battle formation, I hadn't figured out the truth of everything, and I wouldn't do something that would kill you simply because of your identity, and I will never regret it."

"The road ahead is long, and neither you nor I know each other's identity in the future, but for now..."

"..."

Hu Ma met her gaze and took up the words she wanted to say, laughing, "But for now, we are still friends."

He glanced at the street in the distance and reminded, "Shangjing itself is an extremely strange place, and it has gathered the most experts from the Ten Clans."

"Since I left Zhisou Hall, I have been careful that someone is following me. Although I haven't noticed anything, I have to be careful that there might be some methods that even we can't guard against. Our conversation here is enough to arouse suspicion."

"Especially this handshake..."

"Aren't you worried that it will cause some kind of trouble?"

"..."

"I have my own means of self-preservation."

Miss White Wine smiled faintly and said, "Besides, I'm used to being careful, but occasionally, I have to do something bold."

"I don't plan to leave Shangjing now. Now that I've discovered the Wang family's involvement, I have to investigate it thoroughly." "It's you who should be careful. The reincarnators are probably coming to Shangjing soon."

"..."

"Coming to Shangjing?"

Hu Ma took a deep breath and said, "Do they now have enough ability to face the Ten Clans?"

Even if the reincarnators were all coming for him, Hu Ma would vaguely feel that they were too reckless. The reincarnators had only just solved the problem of Shangqiao and no longer had to hide as they had before.

But he himself didn't even know the Ten Clans' true trump cards, so where did they get such confidence?

"After all, they successfully annihilated the Meng family and seized the bridge, so they probably think they have estimated the strength of the Ten Clans."

Miss White Wine sighed softly upon hearing this, saying, "Moreover, the reincarnators actually have no choice."

"The Da Luo Dharma Sect's Exorcism Ceremony is at hand, and it has even spread throughout the world through the mouths of the Ten Clans. If they don't come now, it will probably be even harder to escape when the Da Luo Dharma Sect is ready."

"..."

Hu Ma nodded, slowly made up his mind, and said, "Miss White Wine, can we still cooperate now?"

"I've set up a game and already invited Brother Er Guotou, and also passed the word to Miss Di Gua Shao."

"Are you interested in playing together?"

"..."

Miss White Wine was slightly surprised, looked into his eyes, and nodded, "If it doesn't interfere with my affairs, I can."

...

...

"The Hu family is simply too arrogant..."

Back at Zhisou Hall, Hu Ma threw down a few heavy words and turned to leave, leaving the others unable to catch their breath.

The first to be angered was Zhu Youqin of the Guanshan Zhu family, who said grimly, "Their Hu family has gained the National Preceptor's favor, and even the Zhen Sui Fu artifact has been given to him. Before, he disregarded the Shiting Alliance and invited a group of wild gods from Lao Yin Mountain, and no one said anything about it."

"Even on the way back to Shangjing, he eliminated 30,000 to 50,000 Panshan army soldiers at the slightest disagreement and refined them into yin soldiers. Such a vicious thing has always gone unpunished."

"Not only that, but now, the order in which the Ten Clans enter Shiting is even ahead of us!"

"What else is he dissatisfied with?"

"Even in this pavilion, we treated him with courtesy and even invited him to take a seat, but he was full of妖言惑众 (spreading rumors to mislead the public). It's already giving the Hu family face not to treat him as an evil spirit and eliminate him. Can we really expect the Hu family to do anything?"

"..."

These words expressed the pent-up feelings in everyone's hearts. Although no one openly agreed, many nodded implicitly.

"What's 妖言 (rumors)?"

At this time, a crisp voice rang out next to them, and Fourth Miss Zhou said with some dissatisfaction, "From beginning to end, he just told us not to disregard the lives of ordinary people."

"Whether these words were said by an evil spirit or by him, just considering these words, is there anything wrong with them?"

"..."

"Hehe..."

Seeing that Hu Ma had already left, and someone was still refuting him, Zhu Youqin couldn't help but sneer, "Fourth Miss Zhou, are you worried that you won't be able to marry, and you're wholeheartedly trying to please him, so no matter what absurd words he says, you have to rush to express your support?"

Meeting his sneer, Fourth Miss Zhou's face darkened.

After a long time, she slowly said, "There are only six steps between you and me now. If I wanted to kill you, could you dodge it?"

Zhu Youqin's face changed, and his body moved slightly, but Fourth Miss Zhou suddenly narrowed her eyes.

The surging killing intent actually intimidated him, and he really didn't dare to move.

"Don't ruin the relationship between our families because of a momentary quarrel."

At this time, Zhao Sanyi, who had been silent all along, sighed and said, "What this Hu family brother said is indeed the first time I've heard it, but after thinking about it carefully, it's really interesting..."

"What do you say, if we really want to talk about it, if the world were to choose an owner, would it be our Ten Clans, or the past Diyi, the royal families of past dynasties..."

"...or, or the struggling common people outside?"

His words made everyone silent for a moment, not because they were truly moved, but because it took great courage for anyone to openly say that the world belonged to them.

"Buzz..."

But at this moment, gusts of wind suddenly blew through the stone pavilion. Realizing that this wind was not good, everyone stood up slightly and looked around.

From afar, they saw a young Taoist priest running over from the Taoist temple, shouting loudly, "The National Preceptor has emerged from seclusion!"

"Where is the head of the Hu family? Quickly invite him..."

"Evil spirits are moving. It's time to ask the Hu family to help..."