“So, you picked someone without any foundation like him, and then, when those relatives of your family came, you had them put on a big show first, all to pick out an emperor seed with such a clean slate?”

When the disturbance subsided and the Bao Liang Army entered the city, Hu Ma had already returned to the mountains, talking with the Mountain Lord, who looked deeply moved.

“Yes.”

Now that he was back, he didn’t need to play the part of the high-status, temperamental Hu family noble anymore, and Hu Ma felt much more relaxed.

Seeing that the Mountain Lord seemed quite bewildered, he explained with a smile, “The Zhen Sui Hu family has been alone for twenty years, so naturally, they are a bit stingy, unwilling to let others take advantage. The authority of the Zhen Sui Office is like that, and so is the emperor seed chosen by the Zhen Sui Hu family.”

“Of course, it’s only a matter of time before he gets entangled with those noble lords, and even before noble lords appear under his own command. No one can stop that.”

“I have no confidence that I can keep them clean forever, nor can I change this world. I just want to keep him clean a little longer before that happens, and try my best to pull him towards the common people.”

“……”

The Mountain Lord thought thoughtfully, seemingly with a hint of amazement, and said, “Your actions and thoughts are astonishing to even me. Where did you learn these principles? From your mother-in-law, or from the Zhen Sui Office?”

"It's the heavenly book..."

Hu Ma thought to himself, but he couldn't say that to the Mountain Lord, so he just sighed and said, “I’m just judging others by myself. When I first came out of the village and earned some money and blood food, I couldn't help but be a little greedy, feeling superior to others, and even getting used to it.”

“Let alone others?”

“I've always believed that people are neither that good nor that bad, so I'm just being more cautious.”

“……”

The Mountain Lord nodded, seemingly with great appreciation for the current Hu Ma, and sighed softly, “You are now the head of the Zhen Sui Office, so I have to be more careful when I speak to you.”

“To be honest, I commend what you've done this time, and I'm even somewhat amazed. But some of your methods are beyond my imagination, and I don't know if they are a blessing or a curse. For example, you've established rules and made a name for yourself, but you've also planted the seeds of future trouble.”

“In this difficult world, everyone needs to band together for warmth. A clan, a household, a village, all have accepted this way of survival. Helping family over helping reason is only human nature, but the first thing your Zhen Sui Office did was to cut off relatives…”

“…This reputation will naturally be loud, but I'm afraid it will also make outsiders feel that your Zhen Sui Office lacks a little bit of human touch.”

“Compared to the Meng family, the Hu family is naturally weak. So, you used the name of the Zhen Sui Office to invite all the different people in the world to join the game. I can see that clearly, but I'm not sure how many factions and extraordinary people will follow your Zhen Sui Office and place their bets on a Zhen Sui Office that lacks human touch…”

“…Next year's Ghost Festival, you can't possibly bring a nest of yellow weasels, a few wandering ghosts from the village, plus a timid and confused red lantern paste to Shiting to perform a grand opera, can you?”

“……”

As he spoke, even his somewhat blurred face seemed to have a bit more pressure. He sighed and said, “Hu Ma, you chose a difficult path twenty years ago…”

“It wasn’t easy for you to persevere until you successfully took over the mace, but taking over this mace is just the beginning. Leaving aside the Meng family for now, the attitudes of the other eight families are still unclear…”

“You took the blame for the monsters of Mingzhou earlier, which was bold, and I couldn't understand it either. But theoretically, the Impermanence Li family should send someone to find you. Aren't you worried?”

“……”

Listening to the Mountain Lord's words, Hu Ma was a little curious and asked, “Is the Impermanence Li family responsible for collecting debts in the underworld and taking lives? Now that I have taken over the Zhen Sui Office, does the Impermanence Li family have the ability to hook away the soul of the head of the Zhen Sui Office?”

“Each of the ten families has its own abilities. Never underestimate them.”

Hearing this, the Mountain Lord became a little more serious and said, “You have obtained the Zhen Sui Office, and no one among the extraordinary people in the world will dare to underestimate you. But you must not underestimate the abilities of the other nine families.”

“The Yellow Springs has eight scenes: Ghost Gate Pass, Naihe Bridge, Clothes-Stripping Pavilion, Looking-Homeward Terrace, Evil Dog Village, Broken Money Mountain, Blood Pool, and Granny Meng's Shop. Each scene represents its own authority and responsibility, and each has unfathomable powers. If you violate their rules, even the old ancestor of the Meng family will suffer.”

“You must be careful. If you don't want to capsize in a gutter, it's best not to break their rules.”

“Of course, now that you've taken the blame, you've actually broken the rules of the Impermanence Li family. But as I understand it, their people won't easily take on this responsibility.”

“……”

“Yes, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Faced with the Mountain Lord's warning, Hu Ma didn't seem to have too much pressure in his heart. He just sighed and said, “I have to admit that the young master of the Meng family has good insight and is very good at cultivating his composure.”

“The conspiracy they arranged this time was actually very vicious. Every item and every step made me hesitate. Although I finally gambled on a breath of air and made him uncomfortable, that was also because I was unreasonable and acted beyond his expectations.”

“Presumably, people like him have been taught from a young age to see the situation in the world, to deceive and betray each other. They are born to know how to play these tricks. The fact that he was willing to retreat temporarily this time was partly because he was afraid that I would really be unreasonable and use the Zhen Sui Mace to smash his head, and partly because he was confident.”

“He certainly believes that I can't attract the extraordinary people in the world, and it's even more impossible for me to have the ability to win against the Meng family's twenty years of planning in just half a year.”

“……”

The Mountain Lord listened, slightly surprised, “Since you know this, then…”

Hu Ma smiled and said, “But he's wrong.”

“Let alone twenty years of planning for the Meng family, even if they have another twenty years, they won't be able to suppress the Zhen Sui Office.”

“There's a saying that's quite right. I've only just begun since I took over the Zhen Sui Mace. This grand opera hasn't even revealed its opening scene yet…”

“And the wrongful accusation in Guanzhou is exactly the gift I'm going to give to the Meng family!”

“……”

“This…”

Seeing Hu Ma's confidence, the Mountain Lord's expression was quite surprised. He was actually very curious and wanted to ask him, but because Hu Ma's status was now different, he couldn't treat him as a junior anymore, so he couldn't say much.

He could only give Hu Ma a deep look and sigh, “It's good that you have such confidence, but unfortunately, as your abilities grow and you have your own opinions, I won't be able to help you much anymore.”

These words made Hu Ma pause slightly. Looking at that blurred face, his heart was filled with emotion. Even the Mountain Lord, who was so powerful, had begun to show this sense of helplessness, which made him truly feel the difference in the past few years.

When do people grow up?

Perhaps, it's when you see that the people you once thought were omnipotent also have their powerlessness and fatigue?

He chatted with the Mountain Lord about some small things, trying to fill in the gaps in his knowledge of the world as much as possible. The Mountain Lord was also happy to answer everything he knew, but Hu Ma could clearly feel that the Mountain Lord seemed to be hiding something in his heart, and he didn't reveal a single word about it…

For example, what exactly was hidden in this Old Yin Mountain that made him guard it here as if he were in prison?

Of course, since the Mountain Lord was unwilling to say, he couldn't hold the Zhen Sui Mace to his head and force him to speak. After chatting about some things, he bid farewell and left the mountain.

Back in the village, he wasn't in a hurry to do anything else. He just sat quietly, recalling the files and other things he saw when he opened the Zhen Sui Office, and carefully thought about the Mountain Lord's warnings, pondering his plan.

He wouldn't mention anything else for now. Only after figuring it out did he wait until midnight, silently practice his qigong, sink his consciousness into the dream, and then come to his natal spirit temple, press his hand on the incense burner, and make a call:

“Miss Sweet Potato Burn, can you hear my call?”

“……”

This time was a little strange. In the past, when he called Sweet Potato Burn, she would always jump out with a yelp at the first moment. It could be said that among all the reincarnated people in this world, she was the only one with the temperament of a second reply.

But this time, he had to call her three times before he heard her excited voice, “Ah, Senior…”

“Sorry, sorry, I'm refining souls, preparing to open a gate to a mansion. My response was a little slow…”

“……”

“What?”

Hu Ma was slightly startled when he heard this. This guy was also going to open a mansion gate? Logically speaking, this should be a good thing, so why did his heart tremble?

“Hahaha, I still have to thank you, Senior!”

Sweet Potato Burn said, “Mingzhou has been so lively these past few days. I also found an opportunity to snatch a resentful soul full of sins. This thing is rare. When it's alive, it's a human devil, and when it dies, it's a demon ghost. As long as I refine it, I can push open the first mansion gate.”

“Then, borrowing it and the treasure in my hand, I can catch a ghost king or something, and then I can push open the second mansion gate.”

“Then, I'll use this as a starting point to raise a nest of ghosts, making them all full of resentment, and then find an extremely fierce and remote place to set up camp. Then I can directly push open three mansion gates, hahahaha…”

“……”

“Holy crap…”

Listening to Sweet Potato Burn's words, it seemed very simple, but Hu Ma subconsciously felt a little scared. After a pause, he said, “Congratulations, congratulations… but the methods you're talking about don't sound like legitimate abilities?”

“Of course not!”

Sweet Potato Burn said, “Legitimate abilities are too slow…”

“Mine is fast!”

“……”

"That's really true..."

Hu Ma couldn't help but sigh. After calming down, he sighed and said, “You guys in the Execution Soul are also a big faction. I don't understand this ability, but listening to your simple explanation, I realized that I might also have some opportunities here that can help you…”

“…Would you be willing to come over and give me a hand?”

“……”

“Ah, this…”

Sweet Potato Burn cried out, “Senior, I'm only about to open the first mansion gate, and you're already creating other opportunities for me?”

“What's your surname and name? How many people are in your family? Just tell me directly, and don't worry about anything else…”