Twilight Boundary

Chapter 334 - 332 Emperor Seed (Three More)

"Choosing a new Emperor?"

When he suddenly heard this, Hu Ma was also shocked. In his mind, countless fragments of details suddenly pieced together in this moment, connecting with each other.

The main goal of the Five Evil Altar Envoys, who were creating evil spirits everywhere, was not to set up the altar but Evil Creation. The Five Evil Gods weren't there to increase their own Mana, because they were not there for a direct confrontation.

Only those who intend to kill sharpen their knives before striking. As for the Five Evil Gods, they were merely rebellious slaves—how could they have the guts?

Moreover, there was Son-in-law Wei, waiting for the Five Evil Gods to save him. He hid behind closed doors during the constant disasters. With Plum Blossom Lane and the government seemingly vanished, and chaos and disasters rampant everywhere, some things finally became clear to Hu Ma.

My previous concerns were indeed correct. The Life Evil Altar Envoy was too easy to deal with because I was seeing things from the perspective of the Blood Food Gang's little shopkeeper. But there were other matters that could only be seen from the perspective of a Hu Family descendant!

He had actually been feeling slightly tense for a few days, but at this moment, he only looked at the Life Evil Altar Envoy casually, saying indifferently, "I naturally know about this matter, but I'm just a bit unclear." He let out a slight, dry chuckle.

"What does this matter have to do with your Old Master?"

"So be it. You must understand that in my hands, you won't survive. But as long as you behave honestly, I can at least promise that you won't die bearing the Chains Curse. Surely, that is worth you revealing everything?"

...

With the situation as it was, how could the Life Evil Altar Envoy dare to hold back? He revealed everything he knew, including the old servant of the Wei Family's promise of a county's worth of incense offerings.

He even shared their own speculations, bluntly stating that the old servant of the Wei Family was originally from Huainan. How could he possibly know the method to invite the Five Evil Master? Undoubtedly, Plum Blossom Lane had provided the idea.

Of course, Plum Blossom Lane probably never considered that while the incense-burning followers under the Five Evil Gods could be easily killed, prying anything from their mouths was difficult. The betrayal of negative spirit people had far more serious consequences than that of ordinary people.

Not realizing this, they naturally didn't anticipate that Hu Ma could find out so easily.

"No wonder the jianghu is so lively this time, yet Plum Blossom Lane and the Mingzhou Prefecture government are still pretending to be dead as usual..."

Hu Ma listened and slowly nodded.

Mingzhou was originally a peaceful land. Although the common folk weren't wealthy, their lives were stable. But now, chaos had suddenly erupted from those five places, and this chaos spawned more of a baleful aura, further disturbing the peace.

If this trend continued, wouldn't the entire Mingzhou become a chaotic mess, utterly destroyed within a month or two?

And such matters should rightly be managed by Plum Blossom Lane and the government.

Disasters affecting the people required government intervention, and the chaos brought by the baleful aura required the Hall Officer to find ways to resolve it to prevent major catastrophes.

They usually kept a low profile regarding jianghu matters, but being low-key on such issues was suspicious from the start.

"I originally thought your Old Master's probing was to come to Mingzhou to seek a confrontation. I didn't expect him to have you engage in Evil Creation with such an intent..."

With a sigh, Hu Ma realized the gravity of the problem but did not panic. He called Little Hongtang over and quietly instructed, "Go and tell Senior Mountain Lord that there has been a slight change in the situation, and hear his opinion."

Hu Ma had been focusing on these Five Evil Altar Envoys, waiting for the Five Evil Gods to descend to have a bout with them. He hadn't expected the opponent to have already made a move, just on a different level.

This level was more sophisticated than himself, the Reincarnator, and even the mountain lord hiding in Old Yin Mountain.

But how should I handle this move to resolve it beautifully?

This time, Little Hongtang delivered the message and soon floated back like a breeze, crisply saying to Hu Ma, "He said it was bound to happen. When the Five Evil return, they're probably just using this to gauge your attitude."

Hu Ma frowned and said, "Then how did he suggest dealing with it? Did he not say anything?"

Little Hongtang said, "Grandpa Mountain Lord said, 'The Five Evil find their Dragon Seeds in lands of despair, while even the most auspicious feng shui locations can end up nurturing mere loaches. They can pick an Emperor, so why can't we?'"

"Ah?"

Hu Ma was utterly surprised by such words; he was even a bit dazed. "How do we pick one?"

"Go to the street, grab someone, and ask if they want to be Emperor?"

Hu Ma had just realized the true crux of the problem and eagerly sent a message to the mountain lord, though he hadn't yet figured out how to solve it. At that very moment, people were already complaining near the Big Stone Pit area, southwest of Old Yin Mountain.

"Brother Yang Gong, that guy is as slippery as an eel! We can't find him at all!"

They all wore red belts around their waists. The leader rode a horse while the others walked, looking quite exhausted and extremely disgruntled.

The Red Lantern Society had issued a jianghu pursuit order, deploying all its personnel to search for the Wealth Evil envoy. This naturally included the Red Fragrance disciples. Their inclusion came even though the Red Lantern Lady had recently built a shrine and taken over the green-clothed evil ghost's operations, which actually required less of their effort.

Having finally gotten this opportunity, they wanted to achieve something great. But the task proved futile—all thunder and no rain. They hadn't even seen what the target looked like. How could they catch him?

Many in the Society were just blindly running around or looking for a chance to get familiar with the left and right protectors.

But Yang Gong was different. Having finally come out, he genuinely wanted to achieve a significant merit. Yet, after several days of frantic searching, he still hadn't found the slightest trace of the target. And even if he did, could he really defeat them?

As frustration built, a commotion was suddenly heard. Zhu Changzi, who had been scouting ahead, hurried back, shouting, "Brother Yang Gong, there are bandits ahead attacking a manor!"

"Looks like there are many of them, dozens at least, on horseback with knives! We should turn back quickly!"

...

"What?"

The brothers around him hesitated.

They were out on a mission for the Red Lantern Lady. Dealing with turmoil in a village was a side matter that wouldn't earn them credit, only trouble.

"Wait!"

But just then, Yang Gong suddenly raised his hand, halting them. Thinking quickly, he said, "It's hard to earn credit now that we can't even catch a glimpse of that guy. But earning merit also requires skill! What does our Red Lantern Lady's newly built temple need now?"

"It's reputation!"

"We're idle and irritated anyway. If we can help the people of this village by eliminating the bandits and promoting the Lady's name, wouldn't that be a significant, if indirect, merit when we return?"

...

They were originally out to capture someone, and now they were to eliminate bandits?

This group of Red Fragrance disciples was momentarily taken aback. However, Red Fragrance disciples were never known for good tempers. Having been cooped up and frustrated for days, sore from running about without a single fight, they were already brimming with resentment.

Moreover, they all trusted Yang Gong. Hearing his words, their spirits immediately rose. They vigorously tucked the corners of their robes into their belts, thrust their red lanterns into their collars, and those without weapons snapped off sturdy wooden branches from nearby, charging forward with a great shout.

They hadn't run far when they indeed saw a group of bandits in the village, "borrowing" grain. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they struck with extreme ruthlessness, leaving a trail of brutal slaughter in the innocent village.

"Villagers, don't panic! Master Yang Gong is here!"

The Red Fragrance disciples, who had been stewing for days, became extremely excited at the sight, rubbing their hands in glee and charging forward with howls.

The bandits who had come to the village to "borrow" grain numbered in the dozens. However, before the Red Fragrance disciples, they were clearly outmatched. Soon, Yang Gong and his men had killed them all, seizing their horses and weapons.

Having finally had a satisfying fight, everyone was content. Looking at the crying, helpless villagers, Yang Gong was also very pleased and was about to take the opportunity to proclaim the might of the Red Lantern Lady.

Unexpectedly, before he could speak, countless villagers rushed to his horse, crying, "Thank you, master, for saving our lives! This area used to be so peaceful. We don't know how it suddenly became plagued by bandits..."

"Several villages ahead were burned! There's an even larger group of bandits there, burning houses and looting grain everywhere! They've even abducted young unmarried women to be their chieftains' wives!"

...

Yang Gong was furious upon hearing this. Damn it! I've never even done stuff like that! That used to be my dream...

Before joining the Red Lantern Society, he had particularly yearned to ride a large horse, wielding a great saber. If he saw a large granary, he'd move its contents to his own house. If he saw a grand house, he'd set it ablaze. If he saw a pretty girl, he'd...

Later, after joining the Red Lantern Society and learning the Path, he had abandoned these thoughts.

Now, seeing others doing exactly what he had dreamed of, he felt a great imbalance and was thoroughly enraged.

Just then, some able-bodied young men from the village rushed forward. They had dared to resist the bandits earlier but were caught off guard and unprepared, thus unable to stop them. Many of them were injured.

Seeing Yang Gong's imposing presence, they all started shouting, "We'll listen to the master! Let's follow the master and kill those bandits! My relatives are in that village!"

"Eh?"

Yang Gong was also a man of the jianghu. He hadn't initially intended to get so deeply involved in the villagers' affairs. While negative spirit people were powerful, their survival wasn't guaranteed if surrounded by a large force. However, seeing so many able-bodied villagers following him, his boldness surged.

SWISH! He drew his saber and shouted, "Then let's go! Any man worth his salt, don't be a coward! Follow Master Yang Gong and wipe out those bandits!"

Instantly, more able-bodied men from this village surged forward. The neighboring villages were all connected by kinship. They had recently been severely oppressed by the bandits. Although this particular group had been killed, their resentment lingered, and they eagerly followed behind Yang Gong's horse.

Charging forward like this, they passed through several villages, and the number of people gathering around them grew steadily. Within a single day, they had annihilated three groups of bandits. The number of people following Yang Gong had already swelled to several hundred.

And Yang Gong's fame, within that single day, suddenly resounded throughout the surrounding villages and towns.

Everyone knew that a Master Yang Gong was leading men to hunt down bandits everywhere. Anyone brave enough was urged to quickly join Master Yang Gong in the fight against the bandits!