What was he trying to do?
The Eldest Son of the ng family was greatly shaken when he witnessed the Lord of Official Zhou being beaten to death and the subsequent anomaly in the land of Official Zhou.
But he understood the severity of the situation. Since things had already failed, getting angry was useless, and thus he paid attention to maintaining his composure. He couldn't comprehend why the other party's business was still unfinished, and his smile was almost impossible to maintain.
However, Hu Ma paid him no mind now. After letting go, the Demon Suppression Golden Mace still stood upright, unmoving. With a shake of his wide sleeve, the nine red copper rings on the mace began to spin and collide, emitting a heavy, hoarse clanging sound that slowly echoed.
Even the Bi'an patterns on it seed to co alive. An eerie, deadly aura quickly spread out, heavy and pervasive. The shadow of Zhensui Mansion appeared, almost tangible, before everyone.
To outsiders, although Zimsui Mansion seed illusory, it exuded an incredibly heavy and towering presence, even overshadowing the ng family's ceremony tent, making it appear like a vassal.
In reality, Hu Ma was rely standing on the altar, the Golden Mace touching the ground. Without needing a suppression object, he was setting up the altar on the spot, summoning rolling Mana.
Few present possessed the ability to see the true nature of the situation. They could only feel their souls uncontrollably floating upwards, dazed and bewildered, as if they saw Hu Ma within Zimsui Mansion, seated high behind a desk. He once again took out an order, throwing it to the ground with a heavy sound that shook people's hearts:
"Inquiry! Announce the Imperial Decree of Zimsui Mansion!"
"..."
Hearing these words, Aunt Zhang was so excited she seed to be trembling.
She was a great walking ghost, possessing inherited Path skills, and was naturally familiar with the Zimsui Mansion Order. When forced by the Five Evil, she had recited the Imperial Decree of Zimsui Mansion to suppress them.
Any Ghost Walker with a legacy knew the importance of the Zimsui Mansion Imperial Decree. It was another major skill of the Walking Ghost Path, aside from summoning deities. Once the decree was recited, it beca a curse.
Now, she naturally understood why the Master of Zimsui Mansion wanted her to announce the decree. Feeling both shocked and joyful, she held herself together and declared loudly, "The boundary of life and death separates the yin and yang realms; humans, ghosts, and evil spirits must all abide by the rules! Zimsui Mansion opens with an Imperial Decree: punishnts and rewards shall be ted out without rcy!"
"Now, with the Zimsui Mansion Order present, the heavens, the earth, the netherworld, and the Eight Sceneries of Netherworld shall each abide by their rules, without transgressing the balance of yin and yang! Those who cause chaos shall be apprehended and punished without leniency!"
"The first decree: Dusk shall be the boundary where yin and yang separate; the living and evil spirits shall each walk their own path!"
"The second decree: For karmic debts and sins, laws and punishnts shall apply. Grievances may be filed, and evildoers cannot escape!"
"The third decree: The world of the living, the domain of the dead..."
"..."
One by one, she recited these long-unseen rules and decrees, painstakingly speaking in the official dialect, their words reaching the ears of the people.
In the current land of Mingzhou, countless Ghost Walkers had set up altars, and spirits awaited commands. Thus, her voice, transmitted phrase by phrase, reached the various Magic Altars and entered the ears and hearts of spirits and evil demons alike.
At that mont, the candle flas on the Ghost Walkers' altars WHOOSHED and burned brighter, and the incense smoke before them rose straight as an arrow, piercing the azure clouds.
Those spirits and Vengeful Ghosts shivered, a chill gripping their hearts. They even felt the sun above had grown brighter because of this, making them uncomfortable and desperate to hide. However, still bound by the decree, they managed to endure for the mont.
This commotion, covering the vast expanse of Mingzhou, naturally startled countless people. They suddenly realized what this noble of the Hu Family was doing, and their hearts grew uneasy.
"Yes, yes..."
"This is indeed the most important matter for the reopening of Zimsui Mansion..."
"He... he was telling all the humans, ghosts, and evil spirits in the world: Zimsui Mansion is open, the Walking Ghost Family has returned, and so..."
"...the rules have returned as well!"
"..."
"Ridiculous!"
Yet, at this very mont, across the entire battlefield, countless people—be they hungry ghosts or soldiers of the Food Protection Army—found their knees going weak under the pressure of the woman's voice, and they knelt.
They were kneeling not to a person, but to the rules. Even Hu Ma did not stop them. However, this display first unsettled Young Master ng, making him unable to remain steady. His palms trembled, and he felt an absurd urge to laugh despite his anger.
"You just finished saying *you* violated all the rules, throwing Mingzhou into chaos, and now *you* want to lay down the rules?"
"..."
But, as if perceiving his thoughts, before Young Master ng could speak, the figure within Zimsui Mansion shot a cold glance at him.
That glance startled Young Master ng, forcing him to collect himself. Then, he heard Hu Ma speak slowly from the altar, "Under the Zimsui Mansion Order, no one can escape; even the demons and spirits of Mingzhou are no exception."
"Mingzhou is currently in distress, its people suffering amidst chaos, a situation even ghostly gods find unbearable. Though urgency may allow for expediency, hungry ghosts were once living people. Ghostly gods and evil spirits must not harm them. Every human life has its weight!"
"..."
These words bood out, striking fear into the hearts of countless evil spirits and nature spirits. I bloody knew it! It's never easy to get by under these nobles. They take the credit, and we get the bla, right?
This isn't even over, and they're already planning to discard us once we've served our purpose?
'...'
The Heavenly Destiny General, still lost in confusion, trembled upon hearing this. He looked towards the altar, a strange glint in his eyes, "The living... the living... Does anyone in Mingzhou truly still consider us living?"
"However, I previously issued the Seven Killings Order; the events in Mingzhou are my responsibility alone."
Amidst countless puzzled and suspicious gazes, Hu Ma sat high on the platform and quietly declared, "Ghosts and gods of heaven and earth, witness this! Do not hold back. The karmic consequences will fall upon , and I will bear them frankly..."
"..."
"Huh?"
This statent thundered like a bolt from the blue, causing everyone to look up in shock. Now, this noble of the Hu Family was on the altar! The altar was the closest place to the ghostly gods of heaven and earth. By speaking such words, was he not afraid of inviting so calamity?
The Eldest Son of the ng family, utterly astounded, exclaid, "You truly dare to bear this sin? Do you realize that such sins cannot be evaded!"
"Don't think it's just empty words! You carry such sins of the underworld that they can hardly be cleansed from heaven or earth! Just wait and see when the Impermanence Li Family cos for you!"
Even though the other party had done wrong, and I should be pleased, watching what he's doing is so hard to comprehend. Instead of joy, I'm filled with a sense of unease and consternation.
Hu Ma, however, rely gave him a cold glance from the altar and said icily, "A sin is a sin. It should not be evaded!"
"Even I am no exception."
"..."
Then he lifted his gaze, looking afar from the altar. His voice, amplified by the various local Magic Altars, echoed across the land, "The sin is mine to bear, but those with rit must not go unrewarded."
"All who protected the living and preserved provisions, who have shown kindness to the people, deserve to receive incense. By the Zimsui Mansion Order, anyone holding a Seven Killings Order, who has ritorious service to the people, and is willing to serve, may enter Zimsui Mansion as an official. Anyone willing to protect the peace of a region may build a temple to safeguard its blessings."
"..."
"WOW!"
Only when these words were spoken did an astonishing commotion erupt throughout Mingzhou. Countless spirits could hardly believe their ears.
Just monts ago, they worried about being discarded after their use. Now ca this promise—the shock and delight were almost too much to bear.
"Build temples, build temples..."
Within Niu Family Bay, an old turtle floated to the surface. Under the sun, its shell, as large as a millstone, reflected the light. Its voice trembled with disbelief and imnse joy, "Truly, build temples?"
"...It's not another trap, is it?"
"..."
Elsewhere, the wind rustled through mountain forests, branches swayed, leaves danced. The calls of foxes and the chattering of civets mingled—truly, Evil demons and monsters were celebrating everywhere.
"...Is he mad?"
As for Young Master ng nearby, forced to witness the Zimsui Mansion's re-establishnt, he could no longer maintain his composure. When it ca to distributing Incense Orders, their ng family was unparalleled, having issued countless of them far and wide.
But the crux of the matter was, even the ng family had never distributed them so freely! Does he think these are cabbages, to be given away so casually?
If your Hu Family sets this precedent, making temple construction so easy, then what becos of all the Incense Orders our ng family distributed before? What value do they hold now?
It was only because Zimsui Mansion had just re-erged and he was only issuing this decree in Mingzhou. Otherwise, forget himself; even the elders in his family would likely be unable to sit still. He kept reminding himself to maintain his dignity, but how could he possibly manage a smile?
"Acknowledging guilt and distributing rewards—both are as they should be."
But he hadn't expected Hu Ma to be unfinished. Still seated high within the vision of Zimsui Mansion, Hu Ma's gaze fell upon one person as he spoke in a deep voice, "The guilty shall be punished, the ritorious rewarded. And those with grievances may bring them before this Mansion! I am the Master of Zimsui Mansion. With this mace planted here, even if I am ground to dust, I will seek justice for you all!"
"Grievance? What grievance?"
Hearing this unexpectedly, others did not understand; indeed, it seed quite abrupt.
Yet, unexpectedly, within the crowd, there was one man, appearing dazed and almost forgotten, who shuddered violently upon hearing these words.
The Heavenly Destiny General, who had been bewildered and lost in endless self-doubt since Hu Ma had spoken to him earlier, was already touched when he heard Zimsui Mansion acknowledge the hungry ghosts of Official Zhou as living beings. Now, hearing this, he was jolted anew.
The resentnt, unwillingness, anger, and myriad complex emotions that had been suppressed in his heart for so long, feelings he could not express, all surged forth at this mont.
Suddenly, as if having made countless resolutions, he strode forward determinedly towards the Demon Suppression Golden Mace, which stood firmly planted in the ground. Resolutely, he bent his knees and knelt heavily.
He roared, "I have a grievance!"
"I... I do not plead for myself! I plead for the people of Official Zhou! They always abided by their duties, yet they encountered natural disasters, man-made calamities, and deceit from ghostly gods, starving to death! For this, I wish to lodge a complaint on their behalf!"
"..."
"You..."
In an instant, the surroundings fell silent. The Eldest Son of the ng family's expression changed drastically; he looked on in disbelief.
And on the altar—or rather, within the Zimsui Mansion as perceived by others—Hu Ma slowly leaned forward, gazing at the Heavenly Destiny General kneeling before him. He said in a deep voice, "You need to understand, the sin of Official Zhou's people resorting to cannibalism and attracting ghosts is unpardonable."
The Heavenly Destiny General's face was etched with sorrow as he said, "The sins of Mingzhou are already unpardonable, let alone those of Official Zhou! Let alone my own!"
"But I only wish to lodge this one complaint! If you dare to accept it, then co and take my head!"
"..."
Hu Ma's expression grew somber. His gaze fixed coldly on him as he said, "Very well. I promise you, and I promise the people of Official Zhou. You may write your petition. I will accept your complaint, and then I will take your head!"
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