Disaster is formless and shadowless, only fortune can ward it off.

But what is fortune?

Hu Ma recalled his words with Second Master, fortune is something intangible and invisible. When the heavens send disaster, there's nothing anyone can do.

But the elders keep in mind to be good people. Being good people means being seen by ghosts and gods, who will bestow a little good fortune. It also means earning a good reputation among the neighbors in the village, so that when there is trouble, someone will lend a hand to help overcome the difficulties.

Even if one can't avoid it and misfortune falls, others will curse the heavens for being unfair.

It's the heavens that are wrong, not you.

This is the ultimate goodness in the world, and the Mountain Lord is born in response to this goodness. Whether it's a Palace God or a Prefecture Lord, the name is not important, the strength is not important, acting in accordance with this goodness is most important.

Thinking about it carefully, it feels quite interesting. When he first came to this world, what he saw more of was the martial world, the imperial court, and the profound secret arts of this path. But only now has Hu Ma turned around and seen the ancient and profound faith of this village.

The Mountain Lord is right, his heart is in turmoil.

Because there are too many doubts and the crisis is too great, he has to think carefully before acting, and he always feels like a kind of destiny is shrouding his heart.

But now he understands, whatever may come, being born in the village means living the life of the village.

What's there to fear if there are problems he can't figure out? As long as his conscience is clear.

So, after instructing Little Red Peony, he returned to the village and saw that everything in the village was different.

The fire pit that Second Master walked through had been filled, but the charcoal and ash inside were collected in a stove, with incense sticks placed on top. This ash was not to honor Second Master, but to honor the Mountain Lord who allowed Second Master to walk through the fire pit unharmed.

And at this time, Second Master was helped to sit down, still in the seat of honor.

But everyone in the whole village was obedient, even his elder brother, the old clan chief, just looked at him with heartache and relief.

Relieved that his brother had finally earned a good reputation after so many years.

Heartache that his brother now had a reputation, would he not be able to bully him anymore?

"Second Brother, Second Master, I really didn't mean to..."

In front of Second Master, Iron Hand Peng, the old master, was trembling with his white beard and hair. He actually had a good appearance. Just looking at his beard and eyebrows, he looked like a high-ranking expert.

But now he was trembling, as if the spirit of the watchman had been drawn away, and now he was only focused on explaining to Second Master in a mournful voice: "I had already left, but I don't know how, I ran into a beggar-like person who came to ask me for directions."

"I pointed the way, and he looked at me and said that I was not feeling well and wanted to talk to me. I only said a few words to him, and then, inexplicably, my mind became confused."

"I, I really regret it, how could I be so bewitched and come back to tell you this."

"Look, look at this manual..."

He held the manual in his hands, trying to explain to Second Master: "I had already left it here, originally wanting to leave you a token of my feelings..."

"Master Peng, I am old, and you are even older."

No matter what Iron Hand Peng said, the villagers looked at him with cold eyes. Second Master sat on the chair, looking tired. After a long time, he sighed and said, "I live in the forest and have seen many strange things. I believe that you were indeed bewitched just now."

"I walked through this fire pit not to be angry with you, but just because I didn't want the children in the village to be implicated in my reputation."

"In the end, you took me to see the world when I was young, and taught me a few moves. Whether these moves are valuable or not, I have taught them to the youngsters in the village. So, when you come to our village, I treat you as a guest."

"But this manual, please take it back!"

"..."

He pushed back the manual that Iron Hand Peng was trying to hand over. It was something he had dreamed of and cared about, but now he had no attachment to it, and instead sighed, "Others say that my life is hard, but I don't think I am bitter."

"I have been favored by the Mountain Lord, and I have also taken in several good disciples."

"Your skills are certainly good, but my disciples have learned even better things that they don't want."

"..."

Hearing Second Master's words, Iron Hand Peng suddenly seemed to have lost his backbone, and his eyes became dejected.

He understood in his heart that his reputation was ruined, and he could no longer stay in Mingzhou.

Perhaps, if he had reacted earlier, immediately left the village, taken a few disciples, and left Mingzhou overnight, he could still rely on his skills to earn a living.

But now, he was bewitched and showed his face in front of highly respected seniors such as General Baoliang and Grandpa Sun. In this way, he was afraid that no one would accept his kind of reputation no matter where he went.

Those few disciples who were conscientious would have to prepare to return to their hometowns with him, and the skills they had learned would have to be hidden, learning was as good as not learning.

And those who were unconscionable would probably leave his school soon, change their names, and go to others.

He knew how his disciples would act, and he understood even more that his school, which had been passed down for many generations to him, would probably be removed from this path.

It was not until Iron Hand Peng left the village in despair, amidst countless contemptuous or disdainful eyes, that Hu Ma came up to talk to Second Master.

Earlier, he had thought about venting his anger for Second Master, but now that Second Master had his own ideas, whatever he did, as his disciple, he would not interfere. But seeing that Second Master seemed a little regretful, knowing the pain in his heart, he smiled:

"Second Master doesn't need to regret it. We don't care about entering their school. If you want to play in the martial world, I'll create a name for you in the martial world later!"

"At that time, you will be the founder of this school, and I will be the first disciple to open the mountain."

"..."

"At this age, what can't you let go of?"

Second Master said, "I don't care about any school or not. It's better to teach a few more children and wait for you to go to the mine to cut blood food and earn money for wine. When I can't cut it anymore, if the children have a conscience, they will take turns buying me wine, and your Second Master won't starve."

"Iron Hand Peng does have real skills, but looking at his disciples, none of them dared to speak up for him when something happened."

"We rely on these few moves to teach the children, and each of them cares about us."

"..."

Saying this, Second Master's face was quite radiant, unexpectedly transparent, and he waved his big hand: "Of course, these are all things for later."

"It's time to worship the mountain."

Saying this, he lowered his voice and said, "You were right before, the Mountain Lord has indeed been waiting for many years."

Hu Ma knew that Second Master must have seen some mysterious things when he walked through the fire pit, so he smiled and nodded and said, "I said long ago that the Mountain Lord is also greedy, right?"

"How can you talk like that?"

Second Master still glared at Hu Ma, and then sighed in a low voice: "Actually, it's Second Master and the people in the village who were wrong."

"Worshiping the mountain doesn't have to wait for an official to come out of the village."

"It won't be that whichever village worships the mountain first will get more fortune. The so-called worshiping the mountain only when one's status is noble, in the end, is just some misleading words..."

"I don't know when these lies were spread to deceive us poor people..."

"..."

"Eh?"

Hu Ma was a little surprised by Second Master's words.

Second Master actually realized these incredible truths during this fire walking. The name of Saint is not for nothing...

It was already the sixth day of the new year, and time was even tighter. Although this incident happened, because they learned from Second Master that the Mountain Lord really existed and had been watching the people in the mountains, the enthusiasm in the village was even higher.

Even the village families who had little contact with the Dayang Village came to see the Saint and worship the mountain.

Inside the village, people were busy making paper flowers and paper horses. Because Hu Ma didn't specifically instruct them, maids were not made, and the specifications also changed.

Originally, the village was going to go all out, slaughtering cattle and pigs, emptying all the good things from the neighboring villages to offer to the Mountain Lord, but now, Second Master asked people to change them to millet, red beans, and millet.

Fortunately, his reputation has risen now, otherwise no one would listen to him if he said this, fearing that the Mountain Lord would not have enough to eat.

In addition to paper flowers, paper horses, and sacrifices, the platform for worshiping the mountain was also set up.

Because this was no longer a matter for Dayang Village alone, it was not worshiped in the village, but went to the place where incense was burned outside in previous years, next to Hu Ma's godmother whom he knew in the forest. She was now used to it: "Isn't it just once a year?"

Proudly drooping her dense branches, she thought to herself that she was used to it. If you dare to kowtow, I dare to accept it.

But she gradually felt something was wrong:

In previous years, it was just burning paper and kowtowing, but why is the frame so high and so many people preparing this year?

At the same time, when the village was preparing enthusiastically, Little Red Peony came back after delivering the letter.

"Delivered!"

She patted her little hands, looking at Hu Ma with some expectation in her eyes.

"Owed for now!"

Hu Ma also looked at Little Red Peony frankly, anyway, he didn't have any blood food now.

...Only a few pieces left, and he had to keep them to nourish himself!

Seeing that Little Red Peony's eyes were slightly wrong, he quickly said, "There is another letter that I need you to help deliver."

The first letter was to Zhang Agu.

Asking her, in the identity of the Hall Official of the Ghost Messenger, to borrow the altar to inform the ghost messengers of the world to worship the mountain, this was open and aboveboard, not afraid of others seeing it.

But the second and third letters were secret, even the Mountain Lord would not say it.

People offer incense and gods block disasters, it is a matter of course.

Thinking that the Mountain Lord, a former old god, was supreme, but ended up lingering in this Old Yin Mountain, carrying the name of a Prefecture Lord that he considered slanderous, without a proper temple, without a proper title, and sometimes had to mooch a confinement meal...

This time, of course, he had to let this senior eat well, eat his fill, and see the demeanor of the former Palace God.

After preparing adequately, the only thing that needed to be worried about was simple: The crazy young master of the Meng family should indeed be crazy, and wouldn't chicken out at the last minute, right?