“I don’t know what the other half Master spoke of is, but I believe his words.”

“After Master passed away, for twenty years, I’ve had to lead these *Bu Shi Niu* (those who don't eat beef) disciples, waiting for the person who can complete the remaining half to return. It was also when I started learning to use my own brain.”

“I didn’t need to use my brain before because Master was always there. He always had ideas. When he didn’t have ideas, I certainly wouldn’t have any. Following him was enough.”

“But in these twenty years, I’ve figured out a lot of things. For example, *Bu Shi Niu* has many martial uncles. For example, *Bu Shi Niu* wasn’t born to be emperor. Rather than having someone from among us become emperor, it’s more important to stop certain people from becoming emperor.”

“Church Master, I can see that you’re also confused right now, but I really want to say something…”

“Your confusion is so similar to Church Master before he was suppressed by the Twelve Ghost Altars…”

“……”

“……”

Hu Ma had already left the manor, but the words of the Eldest Brother of *Bu Shi Niu* still echoed in his ears.

The first and second stages of Lao Junmei’s life were, in fact, largely the same as those of the current reincarnators.

Perhaps he was just more carefree. After all, the reincarnators back then weren’t as cautious as the people now, being suppressed by the Ten Clans.

So, what did he understand in the third stage of his life?

Was it because of the Twelve Ghost Altars that he figured things out and realized the debt he carried?

He had already seen the Twelve Ghost Altars in Old Yin Mountain. Indeed, it was a power he couldn’t shake. Perhaps, to understand these Twelve Ghost Altars, he could only use methods of worship and inquiry. This was what Lao Suanpan intended to teach him.

But after all, Lao Suanpan was ordered to guide him to become the High Priest of the Great Luo Dharma Church.

And since there were countless cultivation methods in this world, many of which could drastically change one’s temperament upon contact, he couldn’t be so obedient right now and explore the Twelve Ghost Altars according to the methods of the High Priest.

Silently considering this, he leaned out of the carriage window and waved into the distance.

Lao Suanpan, having changed into a new set of clothes, was riding a donkey, looking pleased with himself. Seeing Hu Ma waving, he hurried over.

Speaking of which, Hu Ma was also a bit helpless.

He never expected that Miao Shan would follow him so naturally.

He had only gone to the *Bu Shi Niu* manor to see what those people were doing and to learn about Lao Junmei’s life before he died. He hadn’t planned to borrow manpower from them.

But Miao Shan Fairy seemed to have prepared everything naturally. On the second day, when he was about to leave, she had hired workers, a coachman, and servants, and brought three or four large, comfortable carriages.

Not only did it save him from the hardship of traveling on foot, but even Lao Suanpan was given a donkey.

Someone was exploring the road ahead, someone was buying food and ingredients along the way, and even a cook was specially assigned.

Even his own biological father, now with black umbrellas shading the sun and white flowers adorning the coffin, she even planned to hire a few professional mourners, wearing sackcloth and mourning clothes, to follow the coffin all the way to the capital. It was just that Hu Ma felt it was inappropriate and sternly stopped her.

Helplessly turning his head to take a glance, he saw Miao Shan Fairy and Miss Zhou Si giggling and chattering in the exquisite carriage behind him. He didn’t know what they were talking about.

When they had just pulled the carriage over, Miao Shan Fairy and Miss Zhou Si had both wanted to squeeze into his carriage.

But with three people and two little imp-ghosts in one carriage, it was a bit too crowded.

So Miao Shan Fairy’s little imp-ghost Dou Guan jumped out and shouted, “No need, no need to squeeze! One carriage for each person! We can afford it!”

So, there was no need to squeeze.

But since the journey was boring, Miao Shan Fairy and Miss Zhou Si squeezed into one carriage, while he sat alone in his carriage, making it easier to think.

Seeing Lao Suanpan approaching, Hu Ma pondered and asked, “What exactly are the Twelve Ghost Altars?”

Lao Suanpan was slightly startled by the sudden question, and he whispered, “Didn’t I tell you? They’ve enjoyed one hundred and fifty years of incense!”

“I’m not asking about that. I’m asking how these Twelve Ghost Altars were refined?”

Hu Ma waved his hand and said, “The Ancestral Altar was destroyed, and the Twelve Ghost Altars replaced it. But can just anything replace it?”

“Isn’t it said that they were refined by the second High Priest of your Great Luo Dharma Church? Even if they were refined, there must have been something to refine them with.”

“……”

Lao Suanpan’s expression became serious. He waved his hand, first taking a bundle of incense sticks from his sleeve. While swaying on the donkey’s back, he lit the incense sticks and gently blew on them. The smoke from the incense spread out, isolating the coachman and others from Hu Ma’s carriage.

Only then did he whisper, “To ask about this is truly a secret of our Great Luo Dharma Church. I didn’t even know it before.”

“Have you heard of the *Wugu* (witchcraft using poisonous insects) methods?”

Hu Ma looked at him, narrowing his eyes. You don’t even know where your own disciple came from?

Lao Suanpan hurriedly smiled apologetically and said, “I’m saying this for a reason. The *Wugu* method is actually shallowly *Gu* (poisonous insects) and deeply *Wu* (witchcraft). It was once the most ancient術法(shufa, spells/arts) in this world.”

“But because it’s ancient, it has gradually been abandoned. Few people in the Central Plains cultivate it. There are still some places in remote areas where it’s still passed down. And the current Burning Incense Zhu family is actually Southern *Wu*. In this world, there was originally also Northern *Wu*.”

“Northern *Wu*?”

“That’s right. The ancestors of the former Du Yi were from the Northern *Wu* lineage.”

“Back then, it was they who used the methods of the Northern *Wu* lineage to summon *Taisui* (God of the Stars), strengthen their troops, and the Twelve Ghost Altars were originally the sacrificial objects they used to summon Lord *Taisui*. Later, they entered the Central Plains and were re-sacrificed and refined by the Great Luo Dharma Church to replace the Ancestral Altar!”

“……”

“Sacrificial objects?”

Hu Ma was shocked to hear this. He had originally thought that the Twelve Ghost Altars were just intermediate replacements.

Now it seemed that their role couldn’t be underestimated. If all this disaster started with the summoning of *Taisui*, then these Twelve Ghost Altars…

Wouldn’t they be considered the initial root of all evil?

“Beginning with the Twelve Ghost Altars, it should naturally end with the Twelve Ghost Altars. Is that why Master wanted you to see this thing?”

Lao Suanpan looked at Hu Ma and sighed, saying, “I won’t hide it from you. I actually don’t like this Master very much either. He doesn’t teach us anything. He’s like a divine dragon, showing its head but not its tail. He’s not as good as our Ancestral Master, who at least left behind a statue so we can ask him for help when we have problems…”

“…Of course, sometimes what he tells us isn’t that reliable.”

“……”

Hu Ma ignored the trivial matters of their sect, just frowning and slowly saying, “What’s in the altars?”

“I don’t know.”

Lao Suanpan answered very straightforwardly, saying, “Only the High Priest can know. Outsiders who take one look will probably go crazy.”

Hu Ma looked at him and said, “Are you saying that I can only see it if I become the High Priest according to your methods?”

“Don’t, don’t guess randomly.”

Lao Suanpan hurriedly waved his hand and said, “This has nothing to do with me, not even a penny’s worth!”

“I don’t care whether you want to be the High Priest or not. If I had a choice, I’d rather go back to Gunzhou to watch over the blood food mine.”

“Following you on this errand now was forced upon me. I’ll say what you want to ask. If you don’t want to ask, I can’t be bothered to pay attention.”

“……”

Hu Ma sighed helplessly.

He had no good feelings towards the Great Luo Dharma Church at all, and even felt anger.

But when he tried to vent this anger on Lao Suanpan, he couldn’t do it. He was too slippery.

He just pondered, thinking about everything he knew so far, and slowly said, “Then, have you ever heard of the matter of three lives?”

“No.”

Upon hearing this, Lao Suanpan immediately shook his head and said, “People only have one life. How could there be three?”

“Even some妖祟(yaosui, monstrous beings) who claim to have several lives, that’s not true either. It’s actually just several portions of lifespan, different from the usual life.”

“……”

This also aligned with Hu Ma’s thoughts. He paused and said, “Then, in your eyes, what is life?”

“This question is making things difficult for me…”

Lao Suanpan shook his head and said, “Different sects have different ways of saying it. Sometimes they can’t even explain it themselves, let alone someone like me who’s a half-baked amateur?”

“However, I do know that people in the sects, once they cross the bridge, will have their own understanding of this destiny.”

“But you seem…”

“……”

Hu Ma nodded.

The path to cross the bridge wasn’t suitable for him, or rather, it wasn’t the time yet.

He could have crossed the bridge earlier, but because his mind was in chaos and he had intangible worries, he didn’t take that step. Later, after seeing the National Preceptor, his vigilance increased even more.

According to what the other party said, once he crossed the bridge, he would be able to see himself clearly and also find some things that this body had lost, but before everything was clear, Hu Ma wanted to first maintain his current thinking and cognition.

Would a person become a different person because they suddenly regained their previous memories?

Similar topics seemed to have been discussed in his previous life, and the results varied. Hu Ma didn’t dare to gamble with himself.

“Originally, there was something that I definitely wouldn’t have said if you hadn’t asked…”

Seeing Hu Ma’s concerns, Lao Suanpan was also a bit conflicted, slowly opening his mouth, “The so-called crossing the bridge is actually transcendence. When a person’s abilities reach their peak, they always need a way out, don’t they?”

“This way out is crossing the bridge.”

“But now the ten great sects in this world are all finding a way out in the Yin realm (underworld). That’s what the world refers to as crossing the bridge.”

“But in our Great Luo Dharma Church, there’s actually a method that only the High Priest can take.”

“Not taking the narrow log bridge of the underworld, but walking the bright path of the human world.”

“In this human world, one can still cross the bridge and can still see oneself clearly, and find a way out for oneself.”

“……”

“Hmm?”

Hu Ma had indeed heard this saying for the first time, and he immediately looked at Lao Suanpan, “How do you walk it?”

“Cultivation!”

Lao Suanpan also looked at Hu Ma seriously, lowering his voice, “Pillars and pillars of cultivation, cultivated upwards.”

“Crossing the bridge is originally transcendence, and cultivating cultivation beyond the three pillars is also transcendence in itself, and the path is in oneself, not relying on external forces.”

“In this world, when one’s abilities reach entering the Underworld, they have also reached their peak. People who cross the bridge are no longer human and naturally have greater abilities than the guests of this human world, but if one seeks the righteous dharma and cultivates pillars and pillars of cultivation, it’s also equal to walking step by step on the road.”

“Not only are they not afraid of those bridge-crossers, but even their own abilities are greater than theirs!”