“Are the Hu family's descendants crazy?”

Now, with a storm of bloodshed rising, Hu Ma could imagine the massive commotion within the gate.

If it were truly just a wild mountain spirit, killing it would be just that, perhaps bearing some karmic burden in the unseen world, but mortals wouldn't pay attention to such things. However, how could any spirit recorded in the *Register of a Hundred Ghosts*, even if it only occupied a mere four or five characters, be simple?

To be on the *Register of a Hundred Ghosts* proved that at least within twenty years, in the area of a prefecture, it was exceptionally outstanding, worthy of being noted by the higher-ups. Just like if they were remaking the *Register of a Hundred Ghosts* now, if Little Red Lantern hadn't become a Case God, it would be recorded on it.

And how could the killing of such spirits not be noticed by people within the gate?

Clearly, in a place like Ming Prefecture, no one dared to come and stop the Town Spirit Bureau's Ghost Walkers from carrying out their sweeping arrests, but as more heads fell and the news spread, it provoked discontent among many outside, who secretly began to discuss:

“How audacious, what is this young master of the Hu family doing?”

“Establishing authority?”

“Everyone knows that your Town Spirit Bureau is currently short of people, so short that it doesn't care about background, doesn't care about origins, even mountain spirits can enter the Bureau and serve, so short that you even kill your own relatives to establish this rule.”

“It's understandable that you're re-enlisting ghosts now, but instead of treating them with high positions and generous salaries, you're now unleashing a killing spree, aren't you afraid of offending the public?”

“……”

“……”

“What if I offend the public?”

Zhang A’gu had reminded him of such things, but Hu Ma only sneered: “Are they allowed to have large families and great enterprises, but we, the Hu family of the Town Spirit Bureau, aren't allowed to throw caution to the wind?”

He really didn't take it to heart. If he really thought about it, it was precisely these people's reactions that achieved his goal. What were those few he killed earlier?

He had deliberately chosen those who were close by and had poor abilities, so that they would be easy to kill and easily stir up momentum. And the list he gave to Sweet Potato Burn recorded those who didn't seem too smart and whose killings would appear less troublesome.

Now that he had this momentum, it was precisely the time when he should truly exert his strength.

Those who seize the property of the deceased are not only the Qingyuan Hu family. Those who took advantage of the Town Spirit Bureau's twenty-year closure to recruit the spirits and gods under the Town Spirit Bureau's name, don't they also belong to the category of those who seize the property of the deceased?

Now, it's just a matter of seeing who jumps out first.

And just after Hu Ma explained these things, someone indeed jumped out quickly. Zhang A’gu was just setting up the altar as usual, recording all those who were unrestrained and disrespectful to the altar, but some were far away, and besides, there were too many of them, and there wasn't enough time to kill them all.

But setting up the altar on this day was even more different. Just as she recited the incantation and performed the spell on the altar, a gust of cold wind suddenly blew, extinguishing all three incense sticks, and the two banners hanging on the left and right of the altar burst into flames with a whoosh.

They burned clean, and only then did the altar become quiet, while Zhang A’gu's face had become extremely pale, and because she was too angry, two red blushes quickly rose.

These banners were newly hung by her and she hadn't even told Hu Ma about them. The reason was that recently too many people had died, so she was a little more polite, hanging two banners, which was equivalent to more ceremonial garb, making the altar appear more respectful.

But now, the banners were actually burned?

This was equivalent to not giving the altar any face at all, not only refusing to come, but also directly severing ties with the altar, right?

“This is bad…”

She wanted to notify Hu Ma immediately, but hesitated again. She knew the shopkeeper's temper. If he heard about this, wouldn't he start another killing spree?

But just then, a hazy black mist suddenly rolled in from outside the altar. In the mist, she vaguely heard someone playing music, heading straight for the altar from afar. Zhang A’gu also quickly straightened her body and watched carefully.

She already understood in her heart that the thing she had invited by setting up the altar hadn't come, but something else was taking advantage of the altar's oil lamp to light its way and was following it all the way here.

“Eh?”

Just as she was thinking, she saw the procession coming through the night from afar. When it arrived in front of the altar, it paused slightly, seemingly thinking that it had come to the Town Spirit Bureau, but it didn't expect it to be just a simple altar set up by a Ghost Walker woman from the countryside.

Leading the way was a little ghost wearing a shroud, his face painted deathly white, but his lips painted bright red. His body was thin and lanky, swaying, but his bearing was extremely arrogant. He was playing with a paper fan in his hand.

He swayed and swaggered to the front of the altar. He didn't kneel. Looking at him, he was even taller than Zhang A’gu sitting on the altar. He closed his fan, and the surrounding music disappeared. He bowed to Zhang A’gu on the altar and said:

“Grandma who set up the altar, I am from the Yan family of Iron Gate in Guazhou, and I want to say a few words for Lord Chunsheng in the Three-Eyed Pavilion of White Sand Lake in Guazhou City. Lord Chunsheng was indeed named by the Town Spirit Bureau in the past, but now he has reformed and is wholeheartedly seeking blessings for the people.”

“My master also admires his benevolence and compassion, his broad knowledge and public spirit, and has become friends with him. Now that the Town Spirit Bureau has been reborn, Lord Chunsheng really doesn't want to commit any more murderous sins, so my master ordered me to specially send the ransom money here.”

“There are also a few words that I want to say to the master of the Town Spirit Bureau, Lord Hu, in person. Please, grandma on the altar, introduce me…”

“……”

“Ransom money?”

Zhang A’gu couldn't help frowning, looking at the little spirit messenger in front of her, whose bearing was quite extraordinary. She had already frowned. She had set up the altar to enlist ghosts, but the other party didn't come, but the ransom money had arrived. It was really unexpected.

The key point was that this little spirit messenger had come with a ceremonial guard, which was fine, but he even wanted to see the master of the Town Spirit Bureau?

Of course, she couldn't see him. Even she hadn't… officially met him.

She had helped people in the countryside to exorcise evil and pacify disasters before, and there were also very dangerous things, but she had never seen anything so complicated. She was already a little doubtful in her heart, and looked at Seventh Aunt next to her, saying, “Lord Hu is… busy. There is a spokesperson of our Town Spirit Bureau here.”

“Spokesperson?”

Seventh Aunt next to her was smoking her pipe, spacing out. Seeing Zhang A’gu looking at her, she was stunned for a moment: “Ah? Me?”

Even the thin and lanky spirit messenger turned around and looked Seventh Aunt up and down. He recognized her origin, and couldn't help frowning. He slowly walked forward.

He wanted to bow, but looking at Seventh Aunt's blank and dazed appearance, he couldn't muster any respect in his heart, so he only bowed halfway, saying, “This Immortal is above, please listen to the words of Spirit Messenger Hua Ping'er:”

“My master once said that Heaven has the virtue of loving life. The Town Spirit Bureau is only guarding Yin and Yang, so as to prevent the people of the world from breaking the rules. But it is ultimately only deterring those unruly village spirits and wild monsters, so as not to let them have the intention to harm people.”

“Now that Master Chunsheng has reformed, my master is willing to invite him into the Yan family's ancestral hall, to be enshrined as a guardian deity, to receive the Yan family's incense and protect the Yan family's fortune. Please, Lord of the Town Spirit Bureau, be merciful and open up, accept this ransom money, and cross out his name.”

“From now on, don't invite him to this Ghost Walker Altar again!”

“……”

He chattered and chattered, coming up with a torrent of words, his tongue was extremely smooth, but Seventh Aunt didn't understand at all.

Her expression was bewildered: “Why?”

This one sentence made the spirit messenger stunned. He was too lazy to say it again, so he just frowned and said, “Did the Immortal not understand after hearing so much?”

“Understood, understood.”

Seventh Aunt glanced at the boxes carried by the two ghostly shadows behind him, and stubbornly said, “I understood just now. You're here to pay the ransom money?”

The spirit messenger paused, and slowly nodded: “Yes.”

Seventh Aunt's expression was even more bewildered, and said, “Based on what?”

This one sentence immediately choked the spirit messenger. He reacted for a moment, and then said, “I just said…”

“What's the use of that…”

Seventh Aunt blocked him back with one sentence, saying, “Who told you to redeem yourself, you just brought the ransom money over. If you come to my house to buy a piece of tofu, you have to ask if they're selling it first. How can you just drop the money and leave?”

“Does the Hu family owe you anything?”

“……”

“You…”

The spirit messenger was really stunned by what Seventh Aunt said. He wanted to explain again, but suddenly realized that this weasel was being unreasonable, and the Ghost Walker aunt from the countryside on the altar next to him was also silent, and didn't mean to introduce the master of the Town Spirit Bureau to him, so he simply smiled.

He said, “The Immortal only needs to pass on my words. I think Lord Hu will understand. I'll put the ransom money here, and please pass on my master's name card. Farewell!”

Saying that, he actually cupped his hands, unwilling to say more, and turned around and disappeared with a gust of Yin wind.

“Could it be that what Seventh Aunt said was unreasonable?”

Seventh Aunt was a little anxious, stood up, and scolded in the direction where he disappeared, “Whose family is this, so rude?”

Zhang A’gu thought more and more that something was wrong. Just now, he kept saying that he was a small spirit messenger, but she had been a Ghost Walker for so many years, and had never seen such a spirit messenger. She quickly got up from the altar, picked up the name card on the box and took a look.

“The Yan family of Iron Gate in Guazhou…”

She pondered for a while, and vaguely remembered something. Although she was a Ghost Walker in the countryside, she had traveled north and south for so many years, but she still had some knowledge. Now her face changed several times at once: “Is this the Yan family, one of the three great families on the Eastern Township Road?”

“This is bad…”

“……”

Seventh Aunt next to her was puzzled. Before she could speak, she suddenly heard a voice in the night next to her: “The three great families on the Eastern Township Road?”

“So it's not the Ten Surnames…”

“……”

Along with this voice, Hu Ma was walking out of the night, carrying a head with a blue face and fangs in his hand. He threw it into the basket in front of the altar, then took the card from Zhang A’gu's hand, glanced at it, and threw it on the box again.

He said lightly, “Send the box and the name card back to him together!”

“Also…”

He thought for a moment, then took out a copper coin from his pocket and said lightly, “Send this copper coin over as well, so as not to let people dislike us for not knowing etiquette!”