Chapter 176 He Is Actually a Ruthless Person

At this moment, not only was the young master of the Meng family quite pleased with himself, but even the few Fu Ling Hall officials beside him had their own thoughts. They quietly glanced at the main stewards, each feeling a sense of regret.

At first, they really thought this young master was crazy.

Not hesitating to invite disaster and squander the family fortune just to bring the Hu family to its knees was not a clever move.

All ten surnames were respectable families. Even when fighting, they shouldn't resort to such cruel methods.

But now, after hearing the three conditions proposed by the young master, they finally understood his true intentions.

Now that the Meng family's master and mistress had disappeared, the family was in dire need of someone to take charge.

And the Meng family's leader was different from others. They not only had to manage affairs but also had to become the first incense burner before the ancestor to hold real power.

In theory, even if the young master was the嫡子 (dìzí, legitimate son), it wouldn't be his turn to take charge, because the Second Master and Third Master were next in line to burn incense for the ancestor. Even if the young master became the leader, it would only be a nominal title, and his words would still carry the weight of those below.

But taking advantage of the ancestor's slumber and with the recognition of the other families, the young master could legitimately become the leader of the Meng family. More importantly, he had secured the guarantee to enter the stone pavilion.

This was the most crucial thing.

And even afterward, the Second Master and Third Master wouldn't have any grounds to complain because their descendants had already been pushed forward to invite disaster and were cleansed. Now, the young master was the only remaining bloodline of the Meng family's generation.

Even if the two of them harbored resentment, they would have to swallow it.

In this way, with the power of the Zhao, Chen, Zhou, and Wang families, they could eliminate the妖人 (yāoren,妖=monster, 人=person) wreaking havoc everywhere, and the Meng family would have weathered this disaster.

Inside and out, they had secured guarantees.

From this, it could be seen that the Meng family's young master's seemingly crazy and reckless actions were actually meticulously planned and extremely precise.

If he hadn't invited disaster first, the other families wouldn't have been anxious. And if he had invited too few disasters, these families might have been happy to watch the show. Now, looking at the results, each step was carefully considered, precisely executed, and had achieved remarkable effects...

It was impossible not to marvel at the fact that scheming people also had their own skills.

"I have to admit, I'm convinced!"

The Fu Ling Da Zhuodao (大捉刀) and Wen Shi Hall officials exchanged glances, understanding each other's thoughts.

The Meng family was currently at its weakest, with妖人 (yāoren,妖=monster, 人=person) causing trouble, the leader missing, and the ancestor slumbering, both internally and externally.

For the young master to be able to turn the tide in this situation was already a testament to his abilities.

...

...

While they were pondering these things, the Zhou, Zhao, Chen, and Wang family stewards, after discussing, had no choice but to agree. Seeing their expressions, the Meng family's young master, Meng Silang, slightly adjusted his posture, smiling mockingly, ready to manipulate them.

But at this moment, suddenly, a bird fell from the swallow's nest on the beam.

Coincidentally, it fell into the hands of the Zhao family's steward, chirping incessantly.

Upon hearing this, the Zhao family steward was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Good, good, we have news of the mistress..."

"Hmm?"

Upon hearing this, the Meng family's young master's face suddenly darkened, completely unexpected.

Of the three conditions he had prepared, the second one was the least important. He never expected that there would be a response to this one?

But as his face darkened, he suddenly became angry, "Uncles, you all saw it, right?"

"It is indeed the Hu family who colluded with妖人 (yāoren,妖=monster, 人=person) to commit such a shameless act!"

"..."

"No, no."

The Zhao family steward hurriedly said, "Not only was it not done by the Hu family, but they were actually a great help in this matter..."

Meng Silang sneered, "You believe that?"

The stewards of the other families all had complex expressions. After a pause, they said, "We do indeed believe it... The Hu family has always been kind-hearted and has the best reputation. How could we not believe it?"

Whether they believed it in their hearts or not was unknown, but in this situation, they had to believe it.

Meng family's young master said coldly, "Then quickly bring my mother back. We can't let her suffer. But, Uncles..."

"You should also help my Meng family, right?"

"Those妖人 (yāoren,妖=monster, 人=person) are harming the Meng family, coming and going with the wind. But the other妖人 (yāoren,妖=monster, 人=person) are hiding, which is fine. Only that self-proclaimed Changsheng (Long Life) Grass Head King is the most visible, and can't escape. Since he has violated the rules, why don't Uncles eliminate this threat?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the stewards of the other families paused slightly and said to him, "What about the disaster collection?"

Meng family's young master smiled coldly, still calm and unhurried, casually playing with the teacup in his hand, "Uncles, you are righteous. If you help my Meng family eliminate the妖人 (yāoren,妖=monster, 人=person), I will naturally keep my word."

The others exchanged glances and were about to make a decision, but at this moment, a gust of Yin wind suddenly blew in from the courtyard.

This wind was ominous, faint and dim.

The exquisite porcelain cup in the Meng family's young master's hand suddenly shattered into pieces without warning, and the tea splashed all over him, startling him to his feet.

The scene was momentarily silent. Everyone looked at each other, and this ominous sign seemed to cast a shadow over everyone's hearts.

...

...

At the same moment, in Old Yin Mountain, Hu Ma sat upright on the altar. With a slight movement of his mind, he lit the fourth life incense stick.

Thanks to the Meng family's master, he had a thorough understanding of the Meng family's methods and disaster-inviting techniques.

Of course, merely understanding wasn't enough to invite disaster.

But coincidentally, when it came to the Meng family's direct blood relatives, he had one in his hands, whose seniority was even greater than that of the Meng family's young master.

And when it came to inviting disaster, what could the Meng family do with the few ghost caves they controlled? The Hu family's power wasn't as great as the Meng family's, but he also had acquaintances when it came to鬼洞子 (guǐ dòngzi, ghost caves).

He had even sent the copper coin along with the letter to prevent Xiang丫头 (Xiang Yatou, Xiang Girl) from acting rashly.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he started the altar, cast a spell, and took the life incense.

In terms of Dao practice, one incense stick represented thirty years. For ordinary people, refining it into oneself would make it inseparable, but Hu Ma was different. His life incense stick was made from stakes and could be taken from anywhere in his natal spirit temple.

Of course, inviting disaster in this way after it had been refined into life incense would also affect him to some extent. It wouldn't lead to a loss of lifespan, but it would definitely diminish his blessings...

...But the Hu family had no blessings to begin with, so where was there room for decline?

Thinking this, the altar had already begun to change. As he cast spells in the altar, there was a response in the blood food mine not far from Stone Horse Town on the other side of Old Yin Mountain.

At this time, Lao Suanpan (Old Abacus) sat in the blood food mine with a worried expression, constantly tossing copper coins, carefully observing the hexagram.

Ever since the ancestral master's wooden statue had developed a crack for no reason, he had been feeling uneasy from time to time. Even Wu Ya, his little apprentice, felt sorry for him and brought him good wine, but he couldn't bother with it. Only now, seeing a good hexagram, did he feel slightly relieved.

But at this moment, before he could examine it closely, he suddenly heard a loud crash in the courtyard. He saw the stone pier overturned, and a wooden stake flew out suddenly.

In the next moment, Yin wind billowed on the stake, and wandering souls could be vaguely seen floating around the blood food mine. After circling a few times, it suddenly seemed to sense something and flew rapidly towards the north of the blood food mine amidst wails and moans.

"That is..."

Old Abacus was shocked and jumped up. Looking down at the copper coins again, they had been turned over by the commotion.

The ominousness of the hexagram was now clearly visible.

He slapped his thigh, on the verge of tears, "Damn Meng family, go ahead and make trouble, make trouble, you always bring disaster upon yourselves..."

"The madness of your family is feigned, but the ruthlessness of the Hu family is real..."

"..."

"..."

"Hu Family Big Brother wouldn't use this copper coin to remind me unless it was absolutely necessary."

Now, in Ling Shou Prefecture, in the ghost cave, Xiang丫头 (Xiang Yatou, Xiang Girl) was also holding the letter and the copper coin, earnestly saying to Master Li:

"Moreover, he was able to think of this trick because when he left, I told him that the things inside this cave were too powerful and were about to become uncontrollable. I think Hu Big Brother also did this as a favor to help us."

Master Li listened, nodding slowly, and said gently, "The martial world has its own rules. People saved your life back then, so we gave this copper coin. In theory, when we see this copper coin again, we have to do whatever is asked, no matter how difficult it is."

"Dad, I know. I actually saw it. When the things inside the cave can't be suppressed, you're going to have to fill it with your life."

Xiang丫头 (Xiang Yatou, Xiang Girl) looked at Master Li earnestly and said, "So, no matter what, I have to help Hu Family Big Brother with this favor."

After saying these words, there was also some determination on her face. She slowly got up and went to the entrance of the cave.

A stick of incense was burned, attracting the souls floating in the air.

As early as when she received the letter, she had already asked someone to send a rooster here, hanging upside down at the entrance of the cave. When the soul floated over, the rooster struggled for a while, its body tensing up.

In the next moment, Xiang丫头 (Xiang Yatou, Xiang Girl) carried the rooster, burned incense, and kowtowed before the cave. From the depths of the cave, there was a sound of sinister laughter.

...

...

In Ling Shou Prefecture, there were not many villagers, mostly descendants of the Li family of the cave.

Now, west of this ghost cave, in a hole beneath a desolate slope, a nest of snake eggs was laid. When a gust of Yin wind blew out from the depths of the cave, a crack suddenly appeared in one of the snake eggs.

Immediately, a slender snake with strange scales crawled out, its movements stiff, its eyes dazed. Little by little, it struggled, crawled out of the cave, and swam south.

As the snake swam faster and faster, swimming out of the boundary set by the Li family of the cave thirty miles away, the sky suddenly darkened.

One disaster arises, and a second begins...

In other directions, eleven Meng family descendants were holding disaster objects, standing before the boundary, not stepping out.

They had not received orders, so they were just guarding here.

But at this moment, they were suddenly blown by a rolling gust of wind, as if pushed by an invisible hand, and involuntarily took this step.

In an instant, wind and clouds surged, the world cried out with ghosts, and an invisible roar shook the world.

(End of Chapter)