Chapter 502 The Trip to Mingzhou

Amidst a chilling sneer, Hu Ma sat before the stone bowl, chanting incantations all night long. Little by little, he refined the curse, transforming it into his own power. He vaguely felt thunder rumbling between his spirit and soul, a strange and shocking sensation born from nothing.

But at this very moment, in Xiaojin City, Pingbei Commandery, within a sprawling and imposing mansion, the main hall was ablaze with candles. A group of richly dressed individuals sat in the hall, deep in discussion.

Many were gathered in the hall. The three grand master chairs at the head were occupied, the first two by hazy figures whose features were indistinct. Only their general shapes could be discerned. The third chair was occupied by an old man in a silk robe. Opposite them, the first of three grand master chairs was taken by the matron in charge of the Meng family of Tongyin.

Further down the line, sat Meng Silang, the eldest young master of the Meng family of Tongyin, as well as the Dao Speaker, Questioner, and Executioner—the three chief officials of the Fulings Gate. The Dao Speaker had come from Zhen County, while the other two had arrived as wandering souls.

Now, the old gentleman seated at the very head of the table was saying in a somber tone, "Sili's death was exceedingly strange. I was about to reprimand him face-to-face for his lack of manners, for kowtowing without permission."

"But unexpectedly, after he kowtowed, he never got up. This matter is already bizarre enough. Furthermore, the Ancestor is greatly angered, only scolding us for being useless. Now, his fury is difficult to appease. In the future, we must prepare even better offerings, lest we upset his health."

"The Meng family's children have been studying the sages' teachings since they were young, yet such a thing happened. It is truly a disgrace to the Meng family, the first in many years."

The matron in charge of the family's affairs in the mortal realm furrowed her brow and said, "I sent people to investigate, and I finally got confirmation from the Zhou family that he died at the hands of those rebellious *bu shi niu* (non-grain-eating) demon-men."

"If it were anyone else who dared to harm a young master of the Meng family, I wouldn't believe it. But if it were the *bu shi niu*, they might indeed have the audacity to attack a member of the Meng family."

"It is true that the *bu shi niu* demon-men dared to kill a young master of the Meng family, but do they have the ability to escape the Ancestor's punishment? I think this matter is not so simple."

At this moment, another voice, sounding somewhat angry, rang out. It was Meng Silang, the eldest young master of the Meng family. He said sternly, "We will set out at dawn and personally go to Gunzhou to eliminate that Qian Sect, and also to investigate the cause of my brother's death."

As the eldest young master, and already of age to participate in family affairs, even the matron in charge did not interrupt him, merely watching her son.

"Nonsense!"

But then, a sharp shout, an undisguised reprimand, came from the Meng family's old gentleman. He roared, "Do you think this is child's play? Going wherever you please?"

"As the eldest son of the Meng family, your every word and deed is watched by the world. How dare you leave the manor without permission? Moreover, Gunzhou is close to Mingzhou, both on the Xiling Road. Do you know what your going there would represent?"

The eldest young master, having been rebuked, turned his head away and said nothing. But others could see that his eyes seemed slightly red.

Knowing that he and the deceased young master Sili, though not of the same mother, were brothers with deep affection for each other, they all sighed with regret.

The matron quickly said, "My lord, it's not easy for you to come up here. Don't get angry again. Silang has always valued his younger siblings. Even if his temperament is a bit soft, you can teach him when you come up more often in the future. As for this matter..."

"As for this matter..." The Meng family's old gentleman's shadowy form glanced at his son, but he did not continue. He pondered for a long while, just as he was about to speak,

suddenly, he heard someone outside shouting, "It's bad, Matron! Fourth Master's life lamp has suddenly gone out..."

"What?"

Everyone was startled. "Another one?"

Hurriedly, they rose and came to the door, but none dared to go first. The handmaidens beside them took the white pennant and handed it to the matron. She led the way with the pennant, first inviting the old gentleman out of the door, for fear that he would get lost in the mortal realm.

The others followed behind, hastily heading in the direction of the ancestral hall.

For a time, everyone felt uncertain, with a vague sense of unease. For many years, the Meng family's sons and grandsons had not encountered trouble outside. How was it that now there was a feeling of one thing happening after another? Hastily arriving next to the ancestral hall, before they could even step inside, they saw that of the five lanterns hanging at the head, one had already gone out, but then suddenly, it burst into flames, illuminating the area.

"Ah?"

The clansman guarding the lamps and the handmaidens beside him were all startled, looking at each other, stunned.

The matron came in and, seeing this, immediately rebuked them, "Nonsense! How dare you curse your Fourth Master? Do you want to be skinned alive?"

The clansman guarding the lamps quickly knelt down and said, "Just now, I saw it getting darker and darker, until there was only a flicker left. But I don't know why, it suddenly lit up again..."

"Drag him out and beat him."

The matron ordered sternly, then held the pennant and led the old gentleman to the life lamp, carefully examining it. She turned her head slightly, her eyes revealing a questioning look, clearly knowing that the life lamp's dimming and then brightening must mean that something had happened.

"It's good, it's good. Old Fourth isn't so useless after all."

The old gentleman carefully examined it for a long time, then sighed in relief and said, "That family must not be able to tolerate Old Fourth. I don't know what they would do. To be able to do this, it's hard for him."

The matron beside him was curious and whispered, "My lord, what's going on with Fourth Uncle? He suddenly disappeared three years ago. Where did he go?"

The old gentleman, who was only a shadowy figure, glared at her and said in a deep voice, "Don't pry into things you shouldn't."

"I only ask you, how are the preparations for the matter of arranging to meet the descendants of that family in Mingzhou, as ordered by the Ancestor earlier?"

"..." The matron quickly said, "The Hu family, guarding the branch of blessed descendants, has been found and introduced into the True Doctrine Sect. It's just a pity that the Wu Chang Li, Yang Ming Zhou, and Jiang Tou Chen families are unwilling to come with us."

"If only our family goes, won't it seem a bit unreasonable and lacking in strength?"

"..." "Those families are all very shrewd!"

The old gentleman, hearing this, was clearly displeased. The surrounding yin wind seemed to deepen, and it blew the Fourth Master's life lamp, causing it to flicker a few times.

At this moment, the servant following behind, keeping an eye on the time, boldly interrupted their conversation and said, "In the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the rooster will crow. My lord, you should prepare to return..."

The old gentleman coldly nodded, then turned to the matron and the Meng family's eldest young master, Meng Silang, and said, "The trip to Mingzhou cannot be delayed. The ten surnames are all anxious for the Hu family's descendants to return, but they are cunning and unwilling to come forward."

"But in this world, some things are not urgent, and there must always be something urgent. We will listen to the Ancestor's words and insist on being the first to act."

"You don't need to worry about Sili's matter. The trip to Mingzhou is the most important. If you go to Mingzhou and handle things properly, then it's okay to take a look and find the cause of his death."

The living people beside him all knelt down and kowtowed, agreeing. The old gentleman and the others who had come to discuss the matter waved their sleeves and walked out. Little ghosts had already raised the sedan chair, and they sat down and headed into the dark night.

"Mother..." The Meng family's eldest young master, Meng Silang, seeing that the old gentleman had left, sighed softly and looked at the matron.

The matron took his hand, rubbed it a few times, and comforted him, "Your father saw that you were distressed for your brother. Although he scolded you, he was happy in his heart. What are you afraid of?"

"As for the matter of going to Mingzhou, your father is not a person who likes to take the lead. Now that he has agreed to us taking the lead, there must be a reason. We just have to listen to him."

"Of course, we don't need to worry. Hasn't the Hu family been found?"

"Dogs biting dogs, all covered in fur. Anyway, it's all the Hu family's mess. Let them howl for a while before we talk!"

"..." "It's done..." At the same time that the Meng family finished their discussion and were heading back to the mansion, Hu Ma, in the blood food mine, chanted incantations to the stone bowl all night, resulting in a body covered in cold dew and a pale face. But when he raised his head, his eyes were slightly bright.

Using the power of the Zhen Luo Book to dispel curses, the might of the Great Might Heavenly Duke General Seal, and the art of the living stake, the "Fourth Master" that the Meng family had buried in his spirit and soul had been refined, but not killed. Instead, it was as if his spirit and soul had "eaten it."

A soul outside the soul, a life outside the life, he already had four incense pillars.

Not only that, but he had directly refined it into a part of himself, even digging out some of the things in his heart.

And the most crucial thing was that he had not only broken through the three incense pillars, but even though this method was a dark art, it was far more stable and safe than others.

A person only has one life, and it is extremely difficult to break through the three incense pillars. It can even be said that it depends entirely on chance. Moreover, even if one breaks through the three incense pillars, they often have a fatal weakness.

Like Monkey Wine, his method was the simplest, most effective, and most straightforward that Hu Ma had ever heard of. But if someone could destroy the parasitic worm that he used to entrust his life, he would immediately suffer severe damage that would be difficult to measure.

But now, using the living stake method, he had planted this incense pillar in the ground, and then pressed it down with the stone bowl. Only someone holding the General's Seal could remove this stone. Therefore, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven for someone else to destroy his incense pillar.

"Hoo..." He took a deep breath and staggered to his feet, feeling that there were still many important things to do. Even some of the things that the Meng family's Fourth Master carried in his soul needed to be carefully studied and digested. But as soon as he got up, he felt dizzy and almost fell directly to the ground.

Just then, a gust of yin wind blew, and Little Red Tangerine, who had been out wandering, returned at dawn, just in time to catch him and carry him back into the house.