"Comrades!"

No one could have imagined the weight these two words carried when they echoed within a foreign spiritual world, including the person who spoke them and the one who heard them.

This world had laws, and words had weight, but it seemed that all the words combined were not as heavy as these two. In this dark and silent space, it was as if silent waves began to rise.

A long, long time passed.

Faintly, someone sobbed softly, someone sighed deeply, someone slapped their thigh forcefully, biting their teeth.

And some suddenly smiled in relief, then in an extremely soft voice, gave the most weighty answer:

"Understood!"

"..."

At that moment, Hu Ma seemed to be enveloped in a sudden sense of ease, and even his tense waist relaxed.

He couldn't describe the complex feeling; he wanted to cry, yet he also wanted to laugh.

Because Lao Junmei had given him that gift, he had long accepted his identity as someone from a previous life, and all those memories and beliefs. But because he was suddenly told his true identity, a sense of estrangement arose.

Although he knew the charm of these two words, when he spoke them, he felt a faint sense of inferiority, fearing he wasn't qualified to say them.

His earlier steadfastness, from Lao Yin Mountain to the capital, to claim the people's lives, to face the National Preceptor, to seize the Ten Incense Pillars...

It seemed unbreakable, but he knew in his heart how much of it was pretense.

He kept repeating, "What I see is what I think, what I think is where I am," but it was just a form of self-comfort.

His words were firm, he had seized the lives, and the path was clear, but frankly, his heart had been hanging in the balance.

Until now, when these two words were spoken, no one mocked him, ridiculed him for being unworthy; they even responded to him.

Finally, his heart became steadier.

With the most awesome group of people from that world helping him, what was there to fear?

The night passed in peace. The next day, as they continued their journey, they still seemed calm. Old Calculating Tray and Little Hongtang didn't know what had happened that night. The Grain Protection Army only had thoughts of returning home.

Only when the troops continued their journey did Erguotou dawdle, appearing before him near noon, a rough old man, but his eyes were red.

"You kid..."

He pointed at Hu Ma, hesitating, his face full of regret. After a long time, he only said, "Too ruthless."

Hu Ma felt a little apologetic and wanted to speak.

"Stop."

Erguotou suddenly stopped him, saying, "Don't say anything with personal feelings to insult us."

"Many people will help you; you don't need to be sentimental here."

"..."

Hu Ma understood what he meant, so he only nodded. The troops moved again, heading straight for Ming Prefecture.

The day the Grain Protection Army returned to Ming Prefecture was also the day the Grain Protection Great General left Ming Prefecture. The Six Surnames had already made arrangements in various parts of the world, setting up countless difficulties, but now that they had received the promise from the Transcendent, they felt confident.

Normally, it would take more than a month for a large army to travel from the capital to Ming Prefecture, but now this Grain Protection Army, having been cleansed by purple energy, had a solid foundation, and each carried a large package of Blood Tai Sui.

Even if they only ate a fingernail-sized piece during rest, they would be full of energy for the whole day. In addition, as the army passed, evil spirits scattered, and they returned smoothly.

In less than twenty days, they had crossed over Guan Prefecture, seeing the borders of Ming Prefecture in the distance.

Just as he saw that in a few more days they could return the Grain Protection Army, on this day, he saw an old fortune teller with a divination flag waiting by the road. Seeing Hu Ma riding towards him from afar, he suddenly rushed to the roadside and kowtowed.

The Grain Protection Army was well-trained. Before he could raise his head, weapons were pointed at his face, scaring the fortune teller with his two-stroke beard.

"It's me, it's me."

Old Calculating Tray saw the man's divination flag and the wooden frame on his back and recognized him, hurriedly telling the others to release him.

He said, "Why are you blocking the road? Do you want to replace me and serve by Lord High Priest's side?"

"No, I'm here to report."

The fortune teller quickly waved his hand, revealing his identity. After confirming which one was Hu Ma, he hurriedly came forward to kowtow again, "Disciple of the Great Luo Dharma Sect, paying respects to Lord High Priest."

"Don't kneel if you don't have to."

Hu Ma looked at him and said, "Do you have something to say?"

The man quickly got up, patted the dirt off his knees, and said, "Ming Prefecture is in chaos. I'm afraid Lord High Priest doesn't know, so I'm here to remind you."

Hu Ma was stunned, "Chaos?"

The man said, "Yes, someone under the Grain Protection Great General has rebelled."

Hu Ma's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.

To pursue the Mandate of Heaven, to fight against the Six Surnames, they needed someone to be emperor. The Transcendent couldn't be emperor because he wasn't from this land, and he himself was destined to carry something else.

Therefore, the emperor seed was a very important and crucial link. His "Chang" depended on him, and this battle also needed his help.

They hadn't even encountered the Ten Surnames yet, but his own subordinates had rebelled first. If he only had this little foundation, how could he compete with the other grass-roots kings that others were supporting?

After asking in detail, he learned about Yang Gong's situation.

In the end, it was related to the ten thousand soldiers he had borrowed.

Now, the Grain Protection Great General had a great reputation in Ming Prefecture and the surrounding Gun, Gua, and Guan Prefectures. He already had tens of thousands of troops under his command. If he added the friendly White Armor Army and the Iron Barrier Army in the south, he could easily gather an army of a hundred thousand.

But reputation was just reputation. In the end, his true elite troops and foundation were only those ten thousand soldiers.

With these ten thousand soldiers, he could suppress tens of thousands of proud and fierce generals and control a state of millions of people.

But Yang Gong was too generous. With a wave of his hand, he lent out these ten thousand personal guards. As a result, he suddenly found himself empty.

Although Erguotou had considered this and specially left many experts from his network to protect him, those newly joined, mixed-up dragons and snakes, fierce generals subdued by the Grain Protection Great General, developed thoughts they shouldn't have.

Taking advantage of a little oil, they wanted to rebel, forcing the Grain Protection Great General to abdicate and seize Ming Prefecture from within and without.

Of course, this also had to do with Yang Gong's strict military discipline. How could any grass-roots king raise troops as honestly as he did, truly remembering Hu Ma's words?

Remembering where he came from, strict laws and clear orders, not taking an extra grain of rice, not violating the people's property in the slightest. Unfortunately, "not violating the people's property in the slightest, strict laws and clear orders" was easier said than done.

The soldiers were also living people, with resentment in their chests and desires in their hearts. If they weren't satisfied, how could they be expected to give their lives?

Looking around, none of the grass-roots kings in the world didn't want to train a well-disciplined army with a good reputation, but many just didn't have the ability.

"Chaos in Ming Prefecture?"

Erguotou was immediately shocked and angry when he heard this, "These soldiers were borrowed by me, so I can't let anything happen to him."

"I'll rush back immediately and save his life first."

"..."

Seeing this, Hu Ma stopped him, saying, "The Grain Protection Army was borrowed with your signature; you should personally return them to him properly."

"Let me go ahead and rush to Ming Prefecture to protect him. You just lead the army and quickly come to Ming Prefecture."

"..."

Erguotou knew that whether he or Hu Ma returned to Ming Prefecture first, they would protect the Grain Protection Great General. So he agreed, and Hu Ma didn't waste any time, reining his horse towards the roadside weeds.

Everyone around watched, only seeing Hu Ma go deeper and deeper. When the weeds completely obscured Hu Ma's figure, they only heard a gust of wind howling, as if the sky and earth were turning dark.

After a while, the wind stopped and the clouds dispersed. The horse slowly walked back by itself, but Hu Ma was gone.

Various magic arts were somewhat affected when performed in front of people, so there were rules to perform them with one's back to people, or even using the cover of night. But Hu Ma's current abilities were no longer applicable to those rules.

He only slightly turned away from the crowd's gaze, then jumped off his horse, using the Measure the Heavens Boots to unleash the ability of Shrinking the Earth into Inches (suo di cheng cun).

In an instant, he saw the boundless wilderness in front of him being frantically pulled closer. The huge and towering mountain in front of him swayed, passing under his feet like a small mound. His qi was thick, like a giant running across the earth.

From here to Ming Prefecture was several days' journey for ordinary people, but he didn't even need half an incense stick's time to see Ming Prefecture City in the distance. He also saw that the city of Ming Prefecture inside and out was in a bit of chaos, with flags waving and shouts everywhere.

Perhaps worried that the Grain Protection Great General would send trusted men from the city to move reinforcements, the rebel army had tightly surrounded Ming Prefecture City. No matter where he went, he would have to pass through the rebel army.

This would affect the effectiveness of magic arts. Often, even those with real skills needed to find a place with fewer people in this situation before searching for a suitable method to enter the city.

But Hu Ma ignored it. Shrinking the Earth into Inches, he arrived in front of the city and revealed his figure. Ignoring the questioning of the rebel army around him, he only took a step, saw the city wall dozens of feet high in front of him, and with a tap of his toes, he had already soared onto the city wall, entering the city.

The rebel army behind him didn't even react, only seeing a figure in a cloth robe briefly appear in the army and then disappear.

Entering the city, Hu Ma slightly concealed his figure, existing between life and death. His figure flickered several times, and he came to the front of the city.

From afar, he saw that Yang Gong was now on the city wall, sitting next to the great banner.

He was guarded by experts from the Red Lantern Society and others, and several thousand soldiers were guarding the city gates, so he was safe for the time being.

He was still considering whether to see what was going on first, but before he could think, just as his figure flashed, passing through the soldiers guarding Yang Gong and arriving at the building next to him, he heard a cry of joy suddenly ring out beside Yang Gong:

"Lord Hu is auspicious, Lord Hu is blessed, Lord Hu is smooth sailing, Lord Hu's golden spear never falls..."

"..."

"This little thing is sometimes quite embarrassing..."

Hu Ma was speechless. He wondered, where did this little ghost learn so many new words?

Hearing the little ghost's cry, Yang Gong and the others were all startled, then turned their heads in surprise, seeing Hu Ma walking up the stairs from the side.

Greeting the happy little imp who rushed up to kowtow, Hu Ma paused slightly, took out an oiled paper bag from his pocket, and gave him a blood offering weighing at least a pound...

...Fortunately, he had cut off a large piece in the capital!

Otherwise, he would have had to borrow a blood offering from Sister Hongtang to reward it.

"Ah yo..."

The experts from the Red Lantern Society beside Yang Gong were all old acquaintances of Hu Ma, so they naturally recognized him.

Before they could greet him, they saw the large blood offering Hu Ma gave to the lame little imp, and their eyes widened.

Was this how someone who lived a normal life behaved?

Hu Ma, after rewarding the lame little ghost, walked up with a smile and said, "You haven't even been crowned king yet, and you can't even hold onto the position of Great General? Then what will you do when you are crowned king, or even emperor, leading these thousands of troops?"

"Brother Hu, you've come at the right time."

Yang Gong had already risen to greet him with a smiling and joyful face.

He knew that Hu Ma had encountered something when he borrowed the troops. Now that he saw him, he finally felt relieved.

He looked him up and down, hugged Hu Ma, and then said, "I'm just about to see who's not being honest, so I can sit firmly."

"This is also because we've taken in too many people here recently, so there's a lack of someone to establish authority for a while."

He smiled and looked outside the city, where, in addition to the rebel army surrounding the city, there were also several main attacking forces, each with several thousand soldiers, looking quite menacing, already showing signs of attacking the city.

Compared to them, the soldiers in the city were pitifully few, but at this time, Yang Gong was not at all panicked by the siege. Instead, he had a bit of disdain on his face, saying, "You've come at the right time."

"I want you to see how I've learned everything you taught me, step by step."

"..."

Saying this, he slightly raised his arm and said, "Bring up some good tea, let my brother sit and drink. I'll go out and meet them."

Everyone around was immediately shocked. Someone wanted to dissuade him, but Manager Xu first arranged for them to listen.

He saw someone really bring tea, inviting Hu Ma to sit and drink. Yang Gong went down the city wall, put on his armor, carried the treasured saber that Hu Ma had given him, put on the demon red cloak, and then the city gate opened wide. He walked out without a single soldier.

The outside of the city was in a fierce uproar, with some shouting for grain to be distributed, some shouting for troops to be sent out, and some shouting for the Grain Protection Great General to come out and uphold justice.

It was a noisy mess, but when they saw Yang Gong really come out, the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

"You're all being dishonest in the middle of the night, causing trouble, shouting to enter the city, and wanting to see me."

Yang Gong reined his horse out of the city, slowly walking forward, getting closer and closer to the rebel soldiers, his voice becoming more and more stern:

"Now that I'm out, what do you want?"

"..."

"Rattling..."

In response to his loud shout, there was only an eerie silence, but it was clear that someone was slowly gripping their weapons. The people on the city wall were already nervous, fearing that the rebel soldiers would rush up and chop the Grain Protection Great General into mincemeat.

But Yang Gong seemed to be oblivious, instead urging his horse forward.

It looked like one person's momentum was overwhelming the opposing four or five menacing forces.

His gaze coldly swept over the soldiers, sternly shouting, "I am the Grain Protection Great General, from the mountains. I gathered these troops to protect the grain in our mouths."

"I'm not one of those grass-roots kings. Taking you to war is not to steal other people's grain, but to prevent others from stealing ours. It's not to steal other people's wives, but to ensure that your own wives are not stolen!"

"From the first day you joined my command, you knew what kind of person I, Yang Gong, was, and you knew the temper of the Grain Protection Army."

"Now that we've finally gained a little fame, a little foothold, you're not satisfied."

"Want to slaughter the city and start bloodshed, want to divide the gold by the big scale, complain that the training is too hard and the discipline is too strict..."

"Do you think you're bandits?"

"Come, come, now that you've listened to a few words from others, you've even brought your troops to my city. Very well, very well, you want to see me, I'm here."

"You have arrows in your hands, sabers at your waists, and I'm here alone. Anyone who wants my head, come and chop it off!"

"..."

At this time, he was only a few dozen feet away from the rebel soldiers, well within arrow range.

Any volley of arrows could directly turn him into a hedgehog, so no one could help but be nervous.

But Hu Ma was just watching with interest.

Yang Gong wasn't stupid, he was cunning. Why hadn't he come down before?

It was because he knew that as long as he arrived, he would be protected from harm no matter what.

Under Yang Gong's aggressive shout, everyone was frightened, but looking forward, the rebel soldiers who had been shouting and yelling before Yang Gong left the city were now silent.

Many soldiers were quietly lowering their heads, as if afraid to look directly at him. Even some of the leaders seemed somewhat frightened and angry at this moment, their horses restlessly stirring.

"Good!"

Yang Gong waited for a few breaths. Seeing that no one moved, his expression suddenly darkened: "Since you won't kill me, then I want you to kill for me. Cut off the heads of those few guys who incited you to rebel and throw them before my horse."

"I will spare you from death and only punish you with thirty days without wine!"

"..."

This shout made the soldiers even more confused.

For a moment, some soldiers actually raised their heads and looked towards those few rebel leaders. The rebel leaders were also panicked and secretly cursed.

If the city was broken, or Yang Gong led troops to force them, they would have started killing each other long ago. Who cared about the Grain Protection Great General? But this guy came out of the city alone, actually changing the situation.

One of the reasons was that the Grain Protection Great General had too good a reputation in Ming Prefecture.

The villagers trusted him, and the families of his subordinates also trusted him. This riot didn't even dare to use the name of holding the Grain Protection Great General accountable, but only wanted to create some chaos with reasons such as insufficient food and clothing, or being wronged, and come to the city to add to the trouble.

"Listen to his nonsense!"

Seeing that things were not good, someone immediately shouted, "This dog thief has gold and silver mountains himself, but he won't let us get rich..."

"Take advantage of the moment and chop him down. We'll be the Grain Protection Great General ourselves..."

"..."

Someone didn't want Yang Gong's fear to ferment and immediately shouted, leading people to rush forward.

But only a few trusted followers were brought out by this rush. The main army didn't move, still looking left and right in the chaos.

Even some of the heads, seeing that things were not good, had already drawn their sabers, staring at the rebel leader's neck.

This head wasn't really rebelling at all, but had mixed in with the rebels, waiting for an opportunity to act. He was Yang Gong's mole.

Hu Ma could tell at a glance, after all, that guy was Zhao Zhu.

Seeing that this rebellion was about to be suppressed so easily, the few leading the rebellion panicked, but at this time, suddenly, someone in the army shouted: "The Grain Protection General is doing many unrighteous things. Today, we are here to eliminate harm for the people of Ming Prefecture!"

Everyone was caught off guard, and suddenly saw a group of black-clad soldiers rush out of the army. They had been hiding in the rebel army, dark and inconspicuous.

But now, they rushed out of the formation at the same time, looking extremely strange. When the others were still in a state of panic and confusion, they had already rushed to Yang Gong's side. On horseback, they all untied the robes from their bodies at the same time.

On their bodies, they were all wearing red bibs, covered with strange talismans.

Amidst the shouts, everyone picked up weapons resembling chicken claws from under their horses and surrounded Yang Gong, wanting to tie him up, man and horse, not knowing where they would be taken.

In the midst of the crisis, everyone on the city wall stood up in fear. Although they had expected this rebellion, Yang Gong's actions were too dangerous and he had fallen into danger.

"To use evil methods in the army, there is an expert behind this group of people wearing red bibs..."

Hu Ma sat on the city wall, frowning slightly, muttering to himself, "I was still hoping for this battle. Now, it seems they are more impatient than me, already making their move!"

He felt amused in his heart, slowly exhaling a breath.

A body of Ten Incense Pillar cultivation, though only slightly moved, caused the world to change color, and the horse's mane to become scorched and curly, like a huge furnace descending from above, onto the battlefield.

True Yang Arrow!

(End of Chapter)