Chapter 1 A Question that Shook the Immortals

A cry of “Slay the Immortals!” resonated throughout the scene. Hu Ma waved his wide sleeves, and the nine-section copper rings of the demon-suppressing golden mace before him rattled, the sound echoing in all directions.

The altar he had erected in the army formation with the demon-suppressing golden mace was put away as the mace left the ground. Now, the altars set up throughout Ming Province by the zougui ren (ghost walkers) also had their candle flames extinguished simultaneously. All the ghost walkers understood what had happened and hurriedly straightened their clothes, stood up from the altars, and saluted in the direction of Ming Province City.

The extinguishing of the altar candles signified that the ritual was over, and the heavy burden on the Zhensuifu (Demon Suppression Bureau) could be temporarily lifted.

Likewise, because so many altars were simultaneously deactivated, the gathered magical power dispersed in all directions, scattering into the surrounding mountains and forests.

One, two, countless streams of magical power spread out simultaneously, stirring up a rolling yin wind over the land of Ming Province, causing the surrounding mountains and forests to stir and the villagers to panic. The wind even blew out of Ming Province, unsettling the minds of many who were closely following the events here, and causing countless ghosts to cry out to their ancestors and run wildly in all directions.

Hu Ma's words and the events in Ming Province were destined to spread far and wide, though it was difficult to estimate the magnitude of the repercussions.

"Crack..."

Unlike the shock and speculation of ordinary people, the greatest reaction came from several doors that had remained unopened for years all over the world. As this gust of wind swept across the land, these doors opened.

Those inside, whether burning incense, divining fortunes, or playing with house centipedes, sighed softly, "After so many years of being closed, I thought we'd never open them again."

"But who would have thought that opening them would cause such a stir? Is it because they are too confident, or are they afraid and trying to create a big commotion to embolden themselves?"

"..."

At the same time as these doors opened, in a house with a door that was already half-open, the people painting paper figures frowned. "To take on so much karma right from the start?"

"Such a huge handle, handed over to my Wu Chang Li family, isn't this making things difficult for us?"

"...Close the door to refuse guests!"

"..."

He seemed to be struggling inwardly. In the end, while other families were opening their doors, he closed his own.

"Could that mace really have such great power?"

On the edge of Guan Province, there was an old man dressed like an accountant, but carrying a fortune teller's small flag and sporting a goatee. He was with a bright and charming Wu (shaman) girl with silver ornaments, but who appeared somewhat weak between her brows. They were looking up at the torrential rain in Guan Province, and the old man muttered to himself in puzzlement.

Guan Province had suffered from drought and plagues for several years, but now there was a rumble of thunder, and a heavy rain had started, continuing for three days.

His expression was uncertain. He gritted his teeth and led the Wu girl into the downpour. Then, he gathered some wooden sticks and dry firewood, built a small tent in the rain, and used two relatively flat stones to build a small incense table. He first placed his ancestral master's tablet on it and kowtowed respectfully.

"Teacher, what are you doing bringing me here to Guan Province?"

The Wu girl asked, looking confused, "Where's my brother? I haven't seen him. Also, what about the manager who saved my life, you said he was here?"

"Don't worry, you'll see them."

The old accountant sighed and said, "Since I've taken you as my disciple, I have to bring you here to broaden your horizons before you see them. Hand me the shovel."

The Wu girl obediently handed him a shovel. The old accountant dug two or three feet into the ground inside the tent before finally unearthing a handful of dry soil. He carefully placed the soil in a broken bowl and then took out a scale, weighing it meticulously for a long time.

When he saw the markings on the scale, his wrinkled old face tightened, and his eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment. After a long time, he took a deep breath:

"It's back..."

"It was really beaten back by that mace..."

"..."

The Wu girl had seen people weighing grain and meat, but she had never seen anyone weighing soil. She blinked curiously, watching from the side.

But the old accountant didn't dare to relax at all. He carefully put away the soil, wrapped it in oil paper, and then kowtowed to the ancestral master's tablet.

After performing a respectful ritual, he held three copper coins in his hand and whispered, "Ancestral Master, Grandmaster, give your disciple a clear answer, was all this within your calculations?"

He asked three times, then tossed the coins to the ground and stared at them, his expression blank.

The Wu girl asked cautiously, "Teacher, what is this?"

The old accountant said with a stern face, "Our sect's most fundamental skill, asking the ancestral master for guidance. They say he knows everything under heaven, nothing he doesn't know, nothing he doesn't understand, you can ask him anything."

"You toss the coins three times to look at the trigram. The trigram has yin and yang, yin-yin-yang-yang, representing whether the ancestral master is nodding or shaking his head."

"..."

The Wu girl said, "Then why is your face so ugly? What does this trigram mean?"

The old accountant suppressed his anger and said, "This trigram means he doesn't want to say..."

"?"

The Wu girl was a little confused. Seeing that the old accountant was in a bad mood, she didn't dare to bother him.

But the old accountant was unwilling. He thought for a while and then whispered, "The Zhensuifu's door has opened, the world is about to change, should our lineage also choose a side?"

As he spoke, he tossed the coins three more times, his heart filled with trepidation. He craned his neck and looked at the ground, and his face changed again, his chest heaving.

The Wu girl asked cautiously, "Teacher, what did the ancestral master say this time?"

The old accountant said, "He still doesn't want to say..."

Suddenly, the Wu girl didn't know what to say. She just blinked, and began to doubt her teacher's abilities.

These people's skills seem to be less useful than raising a few powerful insects for gu sorcery in our Wu lineage...

"Why is it so hard to be your disciple? At a time like this, can't you just give me a clear answer?"

Before she could speak, the old accountant became anxious. He pointed at the tablet and cursed, even glancing at the torrential rain and mud outside, as if he wanted to throw it out, but he didn't dare.

The Wu girl couldn't bear to watch any longer and said softly, "Teacher, when you accepted me as your disciple a few days ago, didn't you say that the most important thing in our sect is to respect teachers and value the Way, to be filial?"

"He has to deserve the filial piety!"

The old accountant, who was already angry, couldn't hold it back any longer. He gasped for breath, becoming more and more dissatisfied as he thought about it. "Some people deceive gods, some people deceive ghosts."

"Only you, you're just trapping your disciples..."

"Back then, your teacher, like the other fellow disciples, traveled the world, observing the dragon qi. It was because I saw that the Feng Shui in Ming Province was thicker than elsewhere, thinking there would be some anomalies. So, I settled in the Red Lantern Society, preparing to observe the situation here. If there was no movement, I would stay for a few years and then leave. If there was movement, and the movement was big, then I would quietly leave."

"..."

The Wu girl blinked, "So what was the result?"

"The result is that the movement was too big, it shattered the heavens. I can't leave..."

The old accountant almost cried, "I knew the Zhensuifu had the ability to manage these ghosts and gods, but who knew they were so capable?"

"That mace destroyed mountains and felled temples. The Guan Province City God, who had received incense for hundreds of years and was even blessed by the Meng family's ancestors, was just gone!"

"Even the land of Guan Province was beaten back. How can you Meng family people tolerate you? Isn't this bullying?"

"..."

As he spoke, the anger on his face gradually turned into fear, and he said nervously, "No, no, things are really too big..."

"Even the imperial decree can't suppress the Zhensuifu, who would believe it if you said that?"

"Such a big mess, if you say that our ancestral master didn't participate in it, I wouldn't believe it even if you beat me to death. But the key is that he didn't give me any hint beforehand..."

"What's even more incomprehensible is, what is he plotting?"

"What has the Hu family become now? A lone wolf. Even if you take the Zhensuifu and confirm the old saying that ghost walkers suppress spirits, what good will it do? The Meng family has been planning for twenty years, issuing incense orders everywhere, collecting how many divine cases and divine tablets, and how many City Gods have already bowed to the Meng family in the name of worshiping the emperor?"

"Even if you Hu family children are ruthless and use the name of the Zhensuifu to establish rules, accept grievances, and execute people, what good will that do?"

"Do you really think you can win the hearts of all the monsters and spirits in the world and follow you to fight the Meng family?"

"Miscalculation..."

"No matter how loud you shout this slogan, if there's only fame and no benefit, and if you have to follow the rules with you, then not many people will be willing to follow you..."

"Do you really think there are saints everywhere in this world?"

"..."

Hearing him say so much at once, the Wu girl didn't understand much. She just said timidly, "Then... then what do we do now?"

"Are we going to find my brother, or, or go to Ming Province to find the manager?"

"..."

"Nowhere!"

Hearing this, the old accountant hardened his heart and said, "That manager, does he have anyone good by his side now? Your brother isn't an easy person to deal with either..."

"Listen to me, let's avoid disaster. We won't go back to the blood ore mine, let's wander the world..."

"..."

As he spoke, he really wanted to pick up the tablet and head east, but just as he took a step, a muffled thunder rumbled above his head, causing his body to stiffen.

Trembling, he looked at the sky above, on the verge of tears, "Knowing it's such a big pit, can't I just not jump into it?"

"Are you really going to kill your own disciples?"