The Sacrificial Mountain ritual was indeed a significant event. In such matters, the younger generation could manage the proceedings, but it wasn't Hu Ma's place to interfere, which brought him so peace of mind.
In truth, if he had wanted to speak, he could have. For instance, he could have directly asked the Mountain Lord what kind of offerings he desired, or whether he'd like a couple of maidservants burned as an offering to serve him... But considering the Mountain Lord's temperant, he decided against it. Inviting soone to a feast, who asks what dishes to order or if they'd like a foot wash afterward? After all, soone with genuine intentions would have already made all the arrangents.
Besides, what truly mattered to him was the Sacrificial Mountain ritual itself. The Mountain Lord had repeatedly ntioned it, ostensibly due to a craving, yet Hu Ma knew very well he wouldn't urge him to perform such a pointless task.
If he wanted to understand certain matters clearly, he had to perform the Sacrificial Mountain ritual and see the issues for himself.
Of course, as long as it was the Sacrificial Mountain ritual, the thod and process didn't much matter. It was all up to the Second Master's preferences—rely to amuse the old man, not sothing to be taken too seriously.
Thus, while the entire village bustled with activity, Hu Ma, finding himself with no particular tasks requiring his effort, took advantage of the encroaching darkness to leave the village alone and head to the Second Master's manor.
It was the New Year period, so the Second Master had returned to the village, and those who studied martial arts with him were absent. Hu Ma surveyed the surroundings, first lighting incense and bowing towards the Old Yin Mountain. He waited quietly for a mont; the Mountain Lord did not appear, but the wind quietly subsided.
This was taken as a greeting, so Hu Ma felt at ease borrowing his place. He then placed the incense outside and took out the twenty-four Taoist flags he had brought from the Underworld.
These were items Er Guotou had left in the Underworld, and Hu Ma found them quite useful. He planted them one by one around the manor to isolate the inside from the outside, and then he set up an altar.
"Little Hongtang, go watch the door; don't let anyone in. If the Mountain Lord arrives..."
Hu Ma instructed, "...you should notify first."
Seeing Little Hongtang skip happily away, Hu Ma remained in the manor and began to arrange the stars and step on the stars, burn incense, and chant incantations.
Holding three sticks of pure incense, he bowed lightly. Then, from within the mountains, a sudden gust of eerie wind arose. Shortly thereafter, a thick fog gathered, obscuring the daylight.
Amid the sound of heavy footsteps, two figures in golden armor, holding iron chains, escorted a forlorn, miserable, and solitary soul through the thick fog. This was none other than the Eldest Master of the Tongyin ng family.
This once mighty and dignified Eldest Master ng had been suppressed by the incense burner of the Zhensui Mansion for so ti. As a result, his mana was not replenished, and his soul had grown faint, his spirit muddled. He appeared no better than the common yin souls found everywhere in the Underworld.
The two Golden Armored Warriors threw him to the ground and stood firmly on either side. Hu Ma, anwhile, sat in the Taishi Chair usually occupied by the Second Master, adopting an imposing, broad-legged stance. Looking down at the soul, he snorted coldly,
"Lift your head."
"..."
At his command, the flags on both sides of the magic altar flapped in the wind, and the scarecrows vaguely transford into figures in Soap Clothes.
They advanced in unison, issuing intimidating shouts.
Eldest Master ng, muddled and only semi-conscious, was startled awake by the shouts and looked up in a daze.
Within the magic altar, the yin soul could not discern his surroundings. He saw only grand courtyards and Soap Clothes Divine Generals surrounding him, layer upon layer. Ahead stood a supre figure, imposing and formless, exuding an oppressive aura like the Nine Nether Heaven.
He twitched, realizing what was happening, and weakly shouted, "You... impertinent child of the Hu Family! The Hu and ng Families have been friends for generations. Despite so minor disagreents, by seniority, I am your elder! You..."
"...How dare you insult so?"
"..."
"Indeed, an elder..."
Hu Ma listened, then gave a sinister laugh and a cold snort. "Then maintain your elder's dignity."
"The matter concerning Official Zhou has conclusive evidence. If I were to interrogate you in the Zhensui Mansion, obliterating your soul would be no problem at all. Inviting you here now is to give you a chance to explain things properly. At the very least, it might spare you excessive suffering before your demise."
"..."
"Haha, haha..."
Now rely a small, lonely soul, Eldest Master ng faced Hu Ma's imposing presence on the altar; the disparity between them was imasurable.
But facing Hu Ma's words, he suddenly laughed out loud. "Child of the Hu Family, are you trying to coerce ?"
"Born in the wilderness, you are truly ignorant! Even if I was careless for a mont and fell into your Hu family's hands, do you think such petty tricks can coerce ?"
"My ng family serves our great ancestor, commands soldiers throughout the land, and holds sway over half the Lords. We are blessed by Heaven's Mandate; our destiny and fortune are extraordinary! Once our great ancestor reopens his eyes, we will remain completely unscathed. Do you think your posturing here can frighten ?"
"..."
Truly, even after falling, he still has a sturdy backbone, Hu Ma couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration. He then smiled and nodded. "Uncle ng, you're right. I knew you wouldn't speak willingly, so I ca prepared."
"Heh heh..."
Eldest Master ng sneered coldly. "I know your Hu family possesses Execution Spells. The Hu and ng Families obtained them together from the Impermanence Li family. They are specifically for punishing souls and ghosts, and are exceedingly powerful. Since I've fallen into your hands, why don't you chant one and let have a taste?"
The Hu Family's Four Great Curses—the Punishnt Killing Shackles—were all-conquering.
He clearly knew of them, yet he deliberately provoked Hu Ma. He truly seed fearless.
"No need for that."
Hu Ma listened, then rely waved his hand dismissively and pulled out a small bell from his sleeve, clasping it.
In a low voice, he said, "First, I invite Uncle ng to taste this new sensation!"
As he spoke, he lightly shook the bell towards Eldest Master ng. JINGLE JANGLE! The bell chid incessantly.
This bell was borrowed from Miss White Wine. He had asked her for a thod to make yin souls speak obediently. She hadn't taught him anything else but had given him this item.
Honestly, before using it this ti, Hu Ma hadn't known its effects. But now, as he lightly shook it in his hand, he saw Eldest Master ng's expression change slightly. Wisps of mist seed to churn around his body, and his face turned deathly pale.
"You..."
It was evident that Eldest Master ng was suffering from an excruciating headache; his voice trembled. "You... you're forcefully extending my lifespan?"
"Is this a treasure that extends life by plundering fate?"
Hu Ma suddenly understood. Indeed, the Siming Path has the most effective thods for such things, he thought.
Eldest Master ng's cultivation was profound. Though he appeared as a re wisp of a yin soul, he was essentially as resilient as iron—untouchable and invulnerable. Shrunken in on himself, he was impervious to all techniques, which was why he feared neither Execution Spells nor Impermanence.
However, the Siming Path's thods were different. Shaking the bell in the standard way forcibly sustained a person's breath. Even a dying person, upon hearing its chi, would be unable to draw their last breath, thus forcibly extending their life.
Shaking it in reverse, however, would draw away a person's breath. For the injured, their wounds would deepen; for the dying, their end would be hastened. This was equivalent to shortening one's lifespan.
Eldest Master ng was a yin soul. When Hu Ma shook the bell in the standard way, he was effectively extending his 'life.' This made his yin soul feel as if it were being roasted by intense flas—an unbearable pain. This agony was a consequence of the laws of heaven and earth, sothing his cultivation could not withstand.
Moreover, being tornted by this Yang Fire would cause his very foundation to collapse, an irreparable damage.
Understanding the thod, Hu Ma continued to shake the bell while observing Eldest Master ng.
He was, after all, a Lord of the Ten Surnas, no ordinary figure. Yet, Hu Ma knew the ng family had risen to prominence through subservience—by kowtowing. He didn't believe that soone so adept at bowing could possess such unbreakable bones.
But after shaking the bell for a while, he saw that Eldest Master ng was indeed deeply tornted. Yet, even in his agony, he gritted his teeth and held firm, his eyes fixed hatefully on Hu Ma. "Child of the Hu Family, if you have such ans, why not use them more?"
"This body of mine is dedicated to our great ancestor! I do not fear sacrificing it for the sake of our family's enterprise!"
"Even if you obliterate my soul today, as long as the ng family's foundation stands, my descendants will offer sacrifices to year after year. What is there to fear?"
Amidst the ringing of the bell, his voice grew even more resentful. "Besides, do you truly think that capturing can harm the ng family?"
"Our ng family is different from your Hu family. We have people in charge in both the mortal realm and the Underworld. Even without , my two brothers can take my place. As for your actions, apart from enraging my ng family, what other great success do you think you can achieve?"
"..."
"Hmm?"
Hearing his words, Hu Ma suddenly stopped shaking the bell in his hand and gently placed it beside him.
Looking at the lonely shadow within the altar, he sighed lightly and said, "Uncle ng, your lesson is well-taken. The ng family's foundation is indeed not sothing that can be hard by such petty squabbles."
"You are the ng family's Lord in the Underworld, responsible only for serving your ng family's great ancestor. The family's foundation in the mortal realm, however, is overseen by others. Since that's the case, I should also show so courtesy. Allow , Uncle ng, to first introduce you to an acquaintance from the mortal realm..."
"..."
As he spoke, he stepped out of the altar. A talisman paper in his hand suddenly ignited, flaring into flas.
After a brief wait, an eerie mist suddenly gathered from the depths of the woods. The next mont, a throng of ghostly figures erged from the mist, scattering paper money wildly into the air as they advanced. Within this cluster of ghostly figures, a noblewoman was being escorted.
She was dressed luxuriously, but was bound hand and foot with a gag in her mouth. Though no longer in her first youth, she retained a captivating charm and grace, yet her eyes were filled with sheer terror.
"My thanks to all of you for your hard work."
Hu Ma borrowed so Blood Food from Little Hongtang and rewarded these little ghosts who had brought the woman. He then helped the noblewoman to her feet.
No introduction was needed. Lord Eldest Master ng, who had endured being battered to the point of his soul shattering and had suffered the tornt of the blazing fire without uttering a single word of weakness, refusing to bow even an inch—upon seeing this noblewoman, was utterly dumbstruck.
As he was a yin soul, when his attention concentrated, his form beca noticeably clearer. His eyes widened so much they looked as if they might pop out of their sockets.
Staring for a long mont, he finally spoke, his voice filled with disbelief, "You... how did you get here too?"
anwhile, the noblewoman, who usually feigned unconsciousness upon arriving anywhere new, hadn't fainted this ti. Instead, she saw the yin soul huddled within the altar.
She was instantly terrified. "Old... Old Master! You... how can you be here?"
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