The original palace of the Five Spirits had now become a wasteland.
This was not only due to the lingering effects of the previous battle, but also the fury of the freed slaves.
Qing Mangzi looked at the scene and nodded with satisfaction: “Hmph! That Five Spirits god was a fool to even ask me why I attacked Him.”
Wu Ming had ordered him to rescue souls in the Black Mountain Ghost Country, but the Black Mountain Lord’s forces were vast, and direct confrontation would be like dashing an egg against a stone.
At this moment, avoiding the strong and focusing on the weak, first eliminating local tyrants to accumulate strength, rather than recklessly confronting the Black Mountain army head-on, was the wise choice.
“The correct military strategy also advises avoiding the strong and striking the weak, defeating the weak first before challenging the strong!”
After finishing the tally of gains, Qing Mangzi looked at the remaining souls. There were still over a hundred of them, their dark aura significantly purified, and their faces showed a sense of relief.
“Hmm, your cultivation is shallow, so you cannot successfully ascend in one go. But as long as you remember the sacred sutra, recite it day and night, and persist with it, you will eventually attain liberation!”
Qing Mangzi scanned the group and then approached a cluster of about a dozen souls: “You, however, have sufficient cultivation and strong foundations. Why haven’t you entered reincarnation yet?”
“Because we still carry hatred!”
These dozen or so souls were strong and vigorous, clearly possessing good innate foundations. They had been captured by the Five Spirits and enslaved as ghost soldiers.
Now, they knelt before Qing Mangzi, led by a young man at the front: “We hate the injustice of heaven! We hate the unfairness of earth! We hate how this underworld has become a living hell, tormenting us for decades! Until we vent this hatred, our minds cannot be at peace, so how can we enter reincarnation? Sir, please accept us and let us seek vengeance against the Black Mountain Ghost Country!”
“Vengeance! Vengeance!”
The dozen behind him shouted loudly, their eyes burning with fiery determination.
“If that’s the case, you shall first follow the main army as attendants, and we shall promote you according to your performance!”
Internally delighted, Qing Mangzi maintained a stern expression as he waved his hand, and ghost soldiers below led over a dozen ghost horses.
“We are willing to die for the sir!”
The young man knelt without hesitation and shouted loudly.
“Good!”
Qing Mangzi turned his warhorse and laughed heartily, pointing his whip forward: “The Black Mountain is tyrannical, the City God is powerless. Only our Blackwater Celestial Lord is great and compassionate, willing to save the lost souls! My men, let’s move on to the next location!”
“Understood!”
The cavalry, now further expanded, shouted in unison, their horses galloping like dragons through clouds of dust, quickly vanishing from sight.
“Everyone, we have received this opportunity, and must not forget our roots. Let us each go our separate ways and spread this sacred sutra as that gentleman instructed!”
Among the remaining souls, an elderly man stepped forward, seemingly of some status, and loudly proclaimed: “Though we have received this blessing, the millions of wronged souls in the Black Mountain Ghost Country still desperately await salvation…”
…
“Ah?”
Wu Ming, of course, was unaware of the events unfolding in the underworld, but he was quite surprised as he looked at the land deity’s decree.
Just now, a large surge of green energy had descended, causing the land deity’s decree to tremble violently. At its center, a thread of red emerged, indicating an ascension in divine rank.
“It seems… Qing Mangzi, Huang Weiqing, and the others have been doing quite well in the underworld?”
He stroked his chin, his eyes flashing with contemplation: “They’ve accumulated such immense merit? Even I have indirectly benefited greatly. This land deity’s rank even shows signs of ascension… Hmm… If this continues, the prospects are limitless… Unfortunately… I do not cultivate the path of deities, so I cannot reap the greatest benefit…”
However, if this divine rank were to be obtained by a local deity, it would be an extraordinary opportunity.
“If that’s the case… then the previous dragon energy purification must have broken some restriction, thereby opening up infinite possibilities…”
Gazing at the increasingly mystical land deity’s decree, Wu Ming sighed and carefully stored it away.
Time waits for no one!
At this moment, the Black Mountain Lord had already set up his magical realm, and a grand conspiracy was about to unfold. The Heitai City God had no means of evasion, and soon, a decisive battle between the two was inevitable!
If given a few more years, with the mystical power of the land deity’s decree and the continuous influx of merit, it might have grown into a force capable of rivaling both sides. But as it stood now, time was far too short!
“Master Wu Ming!”
While pondering these thoughts, he returned to the Yunji Taoist Temple, where a disciple from the sect was already waiting anxiously by the gate: “The Grand Master has summoned all accomplished cultivators to attend a grand ceremony, saying that he has made contact with the Heitai City God and obtained the key to overcoming this calamity!”
“Oh? Is that so!”
Wu Ming immediately perked up: “I’ll go right away. Lead the way!”
…
The night deepened.
At this time, within the county town, at the Wei family mansion.
“Master, are you troubled by something?”
Wei Shouren had returned home and was pacing for a long while, his brows tightly furrowed. Even the ordinary maids and servants noticed something was amiss, so his wife asked with concern.
“Yes, I encountered something quite strange today.”
Wei Shouren looked at his wife, his expression slightly softening.
She came from a family of equal standing, had been virtuous and dutiful since entering their home, and had managed the household affairs with great efficiency. Their marriage had been harmonious, with mutual respect and affection, never once having an argument.
With a harmonious marriage and no worries about the household, he could focus more on his career, which was rare indeed.
Precisely because of this, when a lucrative position recently opened up in another county, having served long as the county clerk with a solid reputation and achievements, he had begun to consider applying.
Of course, this would not be easy and would require a substantial amount of money for bribes.
Despite having made connections and, as the deputy magistrate of Heitai County, managing all the county’s documents and effectively acting as the county’s prime minister, he had earned a considerable sum, but it was still insufficient.
Thus, he had considered selling off part of his estate, but this would carry a poor reputation, making him seem like a wastrel.
And yet, today of all days, he had run into Master Wu, which only made his hesitation grow deeper.
“Oh? What happened?”
His wife, eyes wide with surprise, poured him a cup of clear tea and asked curiously.
“This matter…”
Wei Shouren shared his doubts with her. His wife listened thoughtfully and then said: “I’ve heard of ancestral spirits giving messages before. Could this be a trap set by an enemy?”
“If it turns out to be stolen goods, we would be implicated…”
Wei Shouren said.
“If that’s the case, it’s better to act sooner rather than later, or else we’ll be caught off guard later!” His wife urged.
“Indeed!”
Wei Shouren’s body trembled: “I didn’t expect my wife to help me make this decision!”
He immediately walked to the door: “Wei Fu!”
“Master!”
The butler, who had earlier gone to invite Master Wu, stepped forward respectfully.
“Take two trustworthy household servants with you and follow me to the old garden of the ancestral home!”
Wei Shouren gritted his teeth: “Also, keep a close watch on the mansion. If anyone is caught spreading rumors, deal with them immediately with family punishment, no mercy!”
“Understood!”
The butler, hearing such a stern tone for the first time, responded loudly—so loudly that he even startled himself.
The Wei family mansion was quite large. Originally just an ordinary courtyard, it had grown over the years as descendants prospered, buying up neighboring land, tearing down walls, and expanding the estate. Its beautiful gardens rivaled those of generations-old aristocratic families, and it had always been a source of pride for Wei Shouren.
Now, accompanied by two household servants, his wife, and the steward, he arrived at the garden of the ancestral home. Seeing the worn threshold and slightly dilapidated air, he couldn’t help but run his hand over it, sighing: “Every time I come here, I’m reminded of my ancestors’ efforts to build this foundation. As my father told me, back then, the third ancestor was still a student, and to pass the scholar exam, he studied day and night until he coughed blood… And the fourth ancestor, Shan Chu Gong, was the one who truly brought glory to the Wei family, making it flourish and prosper…”
“Indeed, Master. Our ancestors worked hard to build this family, and we must not let it fall into ruin…”
His wife also spoke solemnly: “I’ll prepare offerings to honor our ancestors right away!”
“Good!”
Wei Shouren passed through several gates and arrived at the east gate. Sure enough, many osmanthus trees were planted there, their buds about to bloom, exuding a fresh and elegant fragrance.
“This is the spot!”
Kneeling before the third tree, Wei Shouren examined the soil color and finally gritted his teeth: “Dig!”
“Understood!”
The two household servants, both strong and muscular, immediately got to work with their hoes.
“Master, this soil is old; no one has dug here recently…”
The butler, being meticulous, examined the soil color and the surrounding terrain before confirming.
The hoes flew as they dug, quickly piling up two mounds of earth. When they reached about half a zhang deep, Wei Shouren chuckled bitterly: “Madam, it seems that Taoist today was just playing a joke on us…”
Bang!
“There’s something!”
Just then, after a couple more strikes, the hoes struck an object, producing a crisp sound.
“What is it?”
Grasping her handkerchief tightly, Madam Wei asked nervously.
“Reporting to the master, it’s two jars!”
One of the servants said.
“Bring them up!”
Wei Shouren hurriedly ordered. After some effort, two jars, one large and one small, appeared on the ground, their yellow clay surfaces weathered, clearly quite old.
“Open them and see!”
Such rough work was naturally not for Wei Shouren himself. The steward Wei Fu stepped forward immediately, broke the clay seal, and let out a startled cry: “Master, it’s silver!”
“Hmm?”
Wei Shouren stepped forward and saw silver gleaming inside the larger jar, filled with ingots, each weighing ten taels. This jar alone likely contained several thousand taels of silver.
His heart steadied slightly, but he was still puzzled: “Could this be stolen goods?”
He quickly ordered: “Open the other one!”
This time, the butler eagerly lifted the clay seal and exclaimed in surprise: “Master, there’s something here!”
He pulled out a bundle, wrapped tightly in high-quality waterproof ox skin paper, sealed with wax on the outside. Even so, after carefully unwrapping the layers, the paper and handwriting inside were somewhat faded.
But as soon as Wei Shouren saw the handwriting, his hands trembled, and tears nearly fell: “This is indeed the handwriting of the fourth-generation ancestor, Shan Chu Gong. I never imagined that the old master would be so far-sighted…”
Wiping his eyes, Wei Shouren then commanded sternly: “Move the larger jar to the family treasury. You’ve worked hard; each of you go to the accounting office and collect ten taels of silver! You all remember the rules, right?”
“Thank you, Master! We naturally understand and will not utter a single extra word!”
The men all replied solemnly.
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