CHAPTER 359: CHAPTER 356 NOT EATING BEEF SECT

"Zhensui, Zhensui, so this is how the name Zhensui Mansion came to be?"

Just a moment ago, Hu Ma had been able to converse calmly with the Mountain Lord, but upon hearing this, he felt a profound shock.

Zhensui Mansion. He had just gained access to it a couple of days ago, and it had filled him with hope and anticipation for the future. But now the Mountain Lord was telling him that Zhensui Mansion was actually meant to suppress Reincarnators?

No way! Am I, such a prominent Reincarnator, about to take over the Hu Family’s token and inherit such a significant Zhensui Mansion? What am I supposed to do after taking it over? Kill Er Guotou, trample on sweet potato, then force Miss White Wine to be my wife and send Miss Red Wine to tend sheep?

This news truly frightened Hu Ma, but the Mountain Lord seemed to have merely mentioned a trivial piece of information. Perhaps he also thought that Reincarnators were too far removed from Old Yin Mountain; besides, this was one of the significant deeds Zhensui Mansion had accomplished in the past.

After so many years, it was probably irrelevant to the current descendants of the Hu Family.

Sensing the shock in Hu Ma’s heart, the Mountain Lord simply smiled at him and said, "What, scared now?"

"I just didn’t expect such significant karma to be hanging over the Hu Family’s head."

Hu Ma took a shallow breath, trying to compose himself, and said to the Mountain Lord, "But I’m also curious. If Zhensui Mansion is meant to suppress these evil spirits, then why haven’t I noticed any special arrangements within Zhensui Mansion?"

"Moreover, hasn’t Zhensui Mansion been unheard of for many years? I recall Aunt Zhang mentioning it. If that’s the case, then how does it suppress these evil spirits?"

Hearing his question, the Mountain Lord frowned slightly and said, "That’s something I’m not too clear about myself. I only know that after the duel in Shangjing, the State Preceptor was severely injured, and blood flooded Shangjing. It took a considerable toll in manpower and resources to finally seal the Evil Ghost into the Blood Altar."

"Since then, each of the Ten Surnames took on a responsibility. The Hu Family received the order to suppress these evil spirits from the outer world, and they indeed accomplished many things."

"However, I don’t know the final outcome or why they fell out with the Meng family. The Emperor was skinned alive, and the dynasty’s fortune dissipated. We all fled into the mountains to escape these feuds, leaving only the Ten Surnames to guard this human world."

"Yet, what happened among the Ten Surnames is not for outsiders like us to speculate. Thinking back now, it probably has something to do with the legendary Stone Pavilion Alliance."

"..."

The Stone Pavilion Alliance again. It seems many important matters were discussed in that Stone Pavilion...

Hu Ma’s thoughts raced as he mulled things over, trying to sort out the various questions in his mind. He slowly said, "Since these evil ghosts are related to the Hu Family, then what you just said, Senior..."

He paused slightly, then asked, "What is the name of that evil spirit that wreaked havoc upon the world?"

The Mountain Lord nodded, finding Hu Ma’s reaction reasonable, and said softly, "That evil spirit was very powerful and had a mysterious origin. His background was thoroughly investigated—he was just an orphan from some village who somehow learned some skills of the Path and started making a name for himself."

"Now, the village he came from has long since been massacred. Since he was identified as being subject to possession by an Evil Ghost, his original background and name are meaningless. However, one of his titles is still remembered."

"He once called himself the ’Great Virtuous Master’!"

"?!"

Hu Madou was dumbfounded. Fortunately, he had mentally prepared himself while discussing this issue, so he managed to control his emotions and not get agitated again.

Great Virtuous Master... You might as well just call yourself the Heavenly General! Honestly, the moment I hear that name, I know you’re planning a rebellion...

"The Zhensui Mansion had a great reputation and immense power back then; it certainly accumulated a lot of karma."

The Mountain Lord observed Hu Ma’s contemplative expression, sighed softly, and said, "Although I don’t think it’s necessary, it’s right for you to be cautious. Even though that demon person is dead, it’s rumored he left behind many disciples who are now stirring up trouble everywhere."

"Disciples..."

This suddenly reminded Hu Ma, and he asked curiously, "The disciples of a demon person must also be demon people. But I wonder, which Path do they belong to?"

"The names of demon disciples are also strange..."

At this point, the Mountain Lord’s brow furrowed slightly. "I only remember that branch of the Tao seemed to be called something like ’Not Eating Beef.’ They apparently have a tradition of not eating beef."

"The Not Eating Beef Path? What kind of name is that?"

Hu Ma listened, slightly dazed for a moment, then it suddenly clicked. Not eating beef, not eating beef... they don’t eat beef? Damn... This guy is really arrogant...

"Yes."

Hu Ma forced himself to collect his thoughts and nodded.

He realized this conversation had caused quite an internal stir, and not wanting the Mountain Lord to notice, he pretended to be silently committing it to memory. Then he asked, "One more thing, regarding that plum bossom lane in Mingzhou Prefecture, what are your thoughts, Senior?"

The Mountain Lord chuckled upon hearing this and shook his head. "We mind our own business; it’s no concern of mine."

"If we’re talking about who can manage it, it’s your Hu Family. If you truly dared to reveal your identity, go to plum bossom lane, and demand they hand over the Divine Incense Distribute that is due to you, I doubt they’d dare refuse; they might even be eager to do so."

"The people behind them wouldn’t dare utter a single word. But since you haven’t truly obtained the Hu Family’s token yet, it’s premature to discuss this."

"..."

Actually, it’s quite useful... My Shousui, Entering the Mansion, really needs a large amount of Blood Food...

The thought of Blood Food instantly calmed him.

Distant matters were headache-inducing, tinged with mystery and a fear of the unknown. But the thought of Blood Food was tangible. So, he asked the Mountain Lord a few more questions about Yang Gong and Hall Officer matters before taking his leave from the mountain.

After exiting Old Yin Mountain, the wind blew against him, and his restless thoughts gradually settled.

Perhaps this isn’t a bad thing?

Initially, hearing that the "Zhensui" in Zhensui Mansion was related to Reincarnators had truly frightened him.

However, after calming down to think, Hu Ma’s perspective suddenly shifted.

It seems the point I should focus on isn’t how the word ’Zhensui’ in Zhensui Mansion came to be, but what the Mountain Lord said before that.

This plot to kill the Five Evil Gods had indeed caused quite a stir, involving the jianghu of Mingzhou and even selecting the Emperor’s fate. While the surface logic was sound, on a deeper level, it still exposed aspects that made him different from the people of this world.

Certain imprints on Reincarnators couldn’t be erased.

Just as the reverence for nobles and disdain for country bumpkins in this world couldn’t be erased.

The people of this world, even if they knew about the Emperor Seed, would only think it would appear among noble families, within the government, or even from a Path. Only a Reincarnator wouldn’t care about such distinctions.

The Emperor’s throne is up for grabs, this year it could be my family’s turn! Those nobles aren’t born with an extra jewel in their crown, so why should everything cater to them first?

This was a characteristic of Reincarnators, impossible to completely conceal.

The Mountain Lord had worked with him in this matter. Given his status and insight, he could easily detect some subtleties. But he had no doubts about Hu Ma. Wasn’t the Zhensui Mansion the reason?

He genuinely believed from the bottom of his heart that while other places might attract such evil spirits, the descendants of the Hu Family absolutely would not.

So, for himself and the Reincarnators around him, wouldn’t this be a natural disguise?

He let out a soft breath, quickened his pace, fetched the donkey tethered outside the mountain, patted it a few times, and with a CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP, returned to the Manor.

He vaguely began to understand that Entering the Mansion and obtaining the Hu Family token were extremely important.

However, studying the other Reincarnators, especially those who came before him, like Miss Red Wine and Miss White Wine, was equally important. At the very least, he had to figure out the grudges and entanglements between that batch of Reincarnators and the Hu Family’s Zhensui Mansion!

Silently, he sorted through these thoughts and then headed to the Lifebound Spirit Temple. After some hesitation between sweet potato, Miss White Wine, and Er Guotou, he decided to call on Er Guotou.

This fellow, though cautious, is reliable...

"Senior Er Guotou..."

"Brother Er Guotou, can you hear my call?"

"..."

"Hey, brother, no need to be so formal. Just call me Er Guotou. We’re peers now..." Er Guotou’s voice quickly responded. "Didn’t I tell you to be careful during this time? I’m busy myself. What do you need from me?"

"I went into the mountain..." Hu Ma began, considering what he wanted to ask without being too obvious, and pondered how to start the conversation. "I went to see that noble, burned some incense, and kowtowed to him."

As expected, Er Guotou’s interest was immediately piqued. "So, what was the outcome?"

"That’s what’s strange..." Hu Ma said deliberately. "I did meet him, but unfortunately, he didn’t say much to me. He only nodded, said that I could find that small hall officer if I needed anything, and then he gave me a peculiar task..."

Er Guotou pressed eagerly, "Quick, what is it?"

Hu Ma said, "He actually assigned me a peculiar task. He said a Three-Legged Golden Toad had escaped from Old Yin Mountain and asked me to find it when I had time..."

"Brother Er Guotou, you’re knowledgeable and experienced. Have you ever heard of such a thing?"

"..."

"What?"

Er Guotou was so excited his voice trembled. "A Three-Legged Golden Toad? Brother, you’ve hit the jackpot!"

Hu Ma quickly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Er Guotou sighed. "There are quite a few toads with cultivation, but those worthy of being called Golden Toads are rare. A three-legged one is even rarer. But you’re young; you don’t understand the deeper meaning here..."

"Since he asked you to find the Three-Legged Golden Toad, he’s essentially giving you an official reason to run errands for him. If you don’t find it in a day, search for two. If not in two, then just keep searching indefinitely..."

"My god, you really struck it rich! You wanted to ride his coattails, and you actually got the chance!"

"He’s considering you one of his own..."