CHAPTER 357: CHAPTER 354 THE EMPEROR WITH SHALLOW FATE AND SLIM FORTUNE

The next day, Hu Ma woke up feeling refreshed, as if the gloom in his heart had been swept away. He got up and saw that Sister Wu He’s room was already empty, with the blankets neatly folded.

When he asked the attendant nearby, they all said that Aunt Zhang had gotten up early before dawn and left. She only said not to disturb Hu Ma for now, but if anything happened in the Manor in the future, to let the little ghost inform her, and she’d surely come to help.

Hu Ma just nodded, said nothing more, washed up, put on presentable cloth clothes and shoes, then went out of the Manor, looking around.

He hadn’t gone far when he saw that ahead was unusually lively; the neighboring villagers had all gathered, forming a crowd.

Last night, the battle had scared the surrounding villagers out of their wits, not daring to show their heads. But seeing that the day had calmed down, they all boldly came to watch the excitement.

The government had already sent a team of constables and civilian workers overnight. They were now transporting the ownerless bandit corpses killed yesterday to be buried on the spot, creating a new burial mound at the foot of Old Yin Mountain.

As for the stone statue that had fallen to the ground, no one dared to touch it; they only surrounded it with a red string, as if it were some kind of attraction, left for people to point and comment on.

At this moment, everyone was talking about that group of bandits who had come down from the mountains like Evil Gods, the Headless Divine Statue that suddenly fell from the sky, and the so-called Immortal Disciple, Master Yang Gong.

The incident of a Headless Divine Statue falling from the sky was mysterious enough in itself. With rumors spreading that people dreamed at night of a golden-armored god dragging evil gods through the village and parading their power, it only added to the fear and reverence of the surrounding villagers, causing them to kneel in worship.

Now everyone speculated that this group of bandits terrorizing the mountain was under the evil god’s orders.

But because the evil god committed an offense, they were slain by Mingzhou Prefecture’s Immortal, who even dragged them back from afar as a warning.

As for Master Yang Gong, he was even more enigmatic.

Villagers all said that Master Yang Gong was an Immortal Disciple. Knowing that bandits were causing chaos in the mountains and threatening the local villagers, he was specially sent down to help them remove the bandits.

As time went on, the mysterious aura around Yang Gong increased. With even people outside the mountains discussing him this way, it was hard to imagine how those in the mountains who had benefited from him or fought bandits by his side spoke of him.

A Guest can easily disrupt a place, and the Hu Family descendants can help change a person’s fate with just a word... Hu Ma, like an outsider, watched the various outcomes that the calamity sparked and reflected, wondering how some powers in this world were indeed amazing.

But for now, he still needed to go into the mountains to ask the mountain lord some questions.

Having slain the Five Evil, he needed to meet the mountain lord again and talk. But Hu Ma wasn’t in a hurry to enter the mountain. Instead, he patiently waited a few days to see if the slaying of the Five Evil would trigger any unexpected changes. Yet, the outcome was indeed surprising.

Slaying the Five Evil, and the Divine Statue falling from the sky, sounded like bizarre events. Mingzhou was troubled by bandits, with numerous deaths, which also seemed like a cruel affair. Yet these things happened and simply passed.

The fallen Divine Statue was cordoned off and left for people’s curiosity and discussion.

Those who died were buried. At most, some walking ghosts came to help with chanting, incense-burning, and help with expelling evil to prevent unrest, and that was all.

Of course, even these seemed redundant. Although many died this time, they were all well-behaved and quiet. Far from being restless and causing trouble, they would have to cover their mouths even to sob by their own graves at night.

The surrounding villagers didn’t know who actually slayed the Headless Divine Statue, and those who did know didn’t dare speak carelessly. This left the locals to guess and speculate on their own, chatting in the streets and alleys.

Some guessed it was the Red Lantern Lady, others, the Seventh Aunt...

In any case, it happened within the territory of Mingzhou, so it inevitably involved one of those two.

Of course, what the Red Lantern Lady would think after hearing these rumors later was a separate matter.

Having watched for two days and seeing nothing unusual, Hu Ma felt relieved, picked a time, and entered Old Yin Mountain.

He tied his donkey outside the mountain, entered the forest alone, found a clearing, and then lit three incense sticks, bowing deeply toward the clearing and chanting, "I respectfully invite the mountain lord to descend..."

This time, he only needed to chant once, not the previous three times, before he heard a faint voice behind him, "No need for the trouble."

Hu Ma promptly turned around and saw the familiar figure of the mountain lord sitting nonchalantly on a tree stump. The mountain lord sighed softly, "You just solved that Five Evil Ghosts problem and you’re already eager to come back into the mountains."

"Could it be you think you did a splendid job this time and came here deliberately to get some praise from me?"

...

Hu Ma heard these words and raised his head with a smile, "Does senior also think I did a splendid job this time?"

"From the moment you heard there was a way to kill the Five Evil Ghosts, you immediately set this plan. When it came to the critical moment, you were neither hesitant nor indecisive, nor did you waste a single word before eliminating it. I already thought highly of you."

The mountain lord sighed lightly, "Is that answer satisfactory?"

...

Listening to this, Hu Ma felt a bit helpless. He paused momentarily and smiled, "I didn’t actually come here seeking praise. I understood the events before and after this incident by and large, but there’s still one matter that I’m uncertain about."

The mountain lord was slightly startled, "Oh?"

Hu Ma sighed softly, "What exactly is this Emperor selection? And what is meant by the so-called Emperor destiny?"

"Just as you see now."

The mountain lord, hearing his question, chuckled lightly, "This world has been chaotic for a long time and needs an Emperor to clean up the mess."

"But as to who will be this Emperor, the Ten Surnames and the Chaebol, the inner court and the hall, all have different opinions and choices."

"This Chaotic World either never starts, or once it does, it erupts like a storm. All kinds of miracle men, family clans, and evil spirits will stake their bets, and the more they wager, the more Emperor destinies naturally arise."

"Of course, no matter how many there are at the start, in the end, there will inevitably be just one left standing."

"This time, you picked someone with insufficient fate attributes for breaking the Five Evil Formation, which served as a lesson for plum bossom lane. But now that the matter is done, perhaps you should consider whether you want to pick someone to play this round."

...

Hu Ma listened attentively, nodding slowly. Then, hearing the mountain lord’s last words, he chuckled, "Isn’t there already one? Why choose another?"

The mountain lord, hearing this, was somewhat surprised, "You really want him to ascend?"

"That Yang kid, after all, has no foundation. In the human world, he is impoverished, with no family elders to protect him, no brothers to support him; a lone and weak fate."

"In the Path, he has no known lineage and is abandoned by blood ties. He has no ancestral blessing and no Yin Gods in secret protection, making his fate light and shallow. Although you helped nourish his fate this time, if he were to enter this setup, it might still be far from enough..."

...

Regarding these Yin Ze destinies and such, Hu Ma could only be said to have a partial understanding. He vaguely sensed it, yet was unable to logically sort it out. Hearing the mountain lord’s words, he only smiled, "I haven’t considered who should or shouldn’t ascend, it’s just that..."

"This Emperor destiny was something he strived for himself, so how could I disrespect his fate? Although he is a mud-legged commoner, he is one who dares to fight and can seize wealth and nobility with his life."

"Since he could use his blade and his fierce spirit to break the Five Evil Formation, who can guarantee he can’t become an Emperor?"

...

Listening to these words, the mountain lord stayed silent for a long time. Hu Ma even felt that his gaze on him seemed to grow more solid.

After a long while, he sighed, "This attitude of yours is quite intimidating..."

Hu Ma was slightly startled and smiled, "What do you mean by that, senior?"

"Actually, I initially thought you were just asserting dominance."

The mountain lord candidly said, "You were just using this method to tell others that the Hu Family doesn’t care about whatever plum bossom lane or Emperor destiny. If the Hu Family people will it, even a beggar can have an Emperor destiny."

"At that time, when he couldn’t suppress the demonic aura and nearly died, wasn’t it you who changed his destiny for him?"

"You’ve already scared everyone, asserted your dominance. If viewed practically, after asserting dominance, you should start selecting someone truly suitable for the Hu Family to cultivate. But seeing your current demeanor, it seems you’re genuinely considering it. Don’t you think..."

He paused momentarily, then suddenly asked, "...that a mud-legged commoner is unqualified?"

Hu Ma furrowed his brow and looked at the mountain lord in surprise, "Wasn’t it you, senior, who initially..."

"I only knew you had this ability; I didn’t expect you to take this kind of matter seriously."

The mountain lord sighed lightly, "The chaos in Mingzhou is in disarray. Plum bossom lane intervening is reasonable. Those long-established nobles recruiting to eradicate bandits is also reasonable."

"If Zhensui Mansion were borrowed to dispel this demonic aura and suppress the countless vindictive souls, it would be feasible, although slightly overkill. But especially..."

...

Saying this, he sighed, "Officials are officials, and mud-legged commoners are mud-legged commoners. Using them occasionally is fine, but truly letting them enter this setup..."

Hu Ma, hearing this, couldn’t help but frown slightly. He smiled, "I haven’t seen anything about officials or mud-legged commoners. If the people above don’t care, naturally those below will. And if those below take charge, the ones above might not necessarily remain there."

"What’s unreasonable about something so justified by nature?"

...

The mountain lord looked at Hu Ma, as if listening to some of his inner thoughts. Yet the outcome even surprised him; he could feel the solidity of Hu Ma’s determination.

For a while, he didn’t answer directly, instead sighing lowly, "I have to say, you remind me of someone."

Hu Ma quickly asked, "Who?"

The mountain lord remained silent for a while before softly saying, "An Evil Ghost..."

"The Evil Ghost who dared to defy the entire dynasty, who crawled up from hell, hidden in the human world..."