Yinshan Record

Chapter 347 Where Does the Confidence Come From? (Twenty-Four Directions)
"You're lucky; the person you met is a rare and precious person."

Old Niu was indeed tricked quite badly by Su Che in Xuanshan, and was almost sent to Wei Huaiwen's army in the north to be a mobile supply depot.

But the old ox was an old demon who had been wandering in Xuan Mountain for many years. He was just a bit simple-minded, not stupid. Before long, he revealed his own fate.

To be honest, Lao Niu doesn't resent Su Che now, and even feels a little grateful.

If Su Che hadn't intervened, Lao Niu would most likely have been killed by Feng Xingbu.

Putting aside others, Lao Niu watched Su Che rise rapidly, from his initial entry into cultivation when he first entered Xuan Mountain to his current position as a pivotal figure, having reached the fifth-grade Rejuvenating Core realm.

In Lao Niu's mind, Su Che was already the reincarnation of the ancient Azure Emperor.

Just kidding, with this kind of cultivation speed, if you said you weren't Ling Weiyang, would anyone believe you?

Zhang San still needed to go through a mental struggle, while Lao Niu had already made his choice.

Now that we've encountered the ancient Azure Emperor again, we must dutifully perform our duties for him.

Old Niu set himself a small goal: to become the mount of the reincarnated Azure Emperor.

As we all know, the ancient Azure Emperor currently does not have a mount, and his true form is an azure ox, well, perhaps not quite azure by strict standards, but rather a bit yellowish.

But the old ox believed that as long as he was willing to work hard, he would eventually become a fully-fledged blue ox.

Zhang San may not know that Brother Niu already has a place for him in his future plans.

In this plan, the old ox is the future mount of the Green Emperor, while Zhang San is the attendant responsible for taking care of the mount.

Even if an old ox like this establishes a firm foundation under the Azure Emperor, he can compete with the boy who watches the fire at the alchemy furnace.

Old Niu was very confident.

“Let’s go back to Sikong Tu’s side peacefully. This group of people has big plans and will do something big sooner or later.”

Old Niu calmly analyzed the situation, while Zhang San frowned as he listened.

Sikong Tu and his men have already surrounded the county town and are completely plotting a rebellion. What bigger thing could they possibly do? Storm into Jiankang City and kill the emperor?
Bulls and bears are great in every way, but I don't know why their minds sometimes work in very strange ways.

"Then that's the only way..."

Just as Zhang San was about to ask Old Niu if he had any further plans, he saw Brother Niu raise his fist, which was as big as a casserole dish, and wave it near his ear.

"Something's coming."

The old ox looked in the other direction.

Not far away, a woman dressed in white moved slowly with graceful steps. Her plain clothes were adorned with intricate patterns, and her skin was frighteningly white. Her long, black hair, like a waterfall, cascaded down her back and covered her face like a curtain.

Although it was daytime, she still held a vermilion lantern in her hand, raising it to her waist to slowly illuminate the path ahead.

Upon seeing this scene, Zhang San seemed to instinctively recognize some natural enemy. The hairs on the back of his head stood on end, and it felt as if a stone was pressing on his chest, making it difficult for him to breathe.

The streets were deserted, and a gust of wind blew by, causing the loosely latched wooden door to creak.

Old Niu looked at the woman, his fists clenched.

"Old Niu, you guys have been keeping me looking for you for ages."

The woman spoke, but her voice came from the lantern in her hand.

A crack appeared on the vermilion lantern, revealing gleaming white teeth and a bright red tongue inside.

"Hozuki, you have quite the nerve. Aren't you afraid the sun will shine on you, ruining your cultivation and destroying your body and soul?"

This thing is one of Sikong Tu's old crew members he brought out from the Yin-Yang Realm. Although its cultivation level is only seventh grade, it is highly trusted by Sikong Tu and is proficient in stealth and concealment. Therefore, it is often used by Sikong Tu as a messenger to do the job of making communication between them.

Old Niu looked at the ghostly creature before him. The creature's true form was the lantern in the woman's hand. As for the human body holding the lantern, it was merely a sacrifice this guy had chosen for himself, a "candle" he used to absorb essence.

"Hehe, what's there to be afraid of? Even the sun and moon are concealed by the Ghost General's secret techniques. Do you think I'm afraid of the city god of this county?" Ghost Lantern said arrogantly. "That guy can't even protect himself."

The City God is a righteous deity of the imperial court. The supernatural powers and magic of such deities are deeply connected with the hearts of the people and the imperial court.

The imperial court's prestige in Wenning County has now plummeted to rock bottom, and the county is now practically in rebellion, which has already affected the very foundation upon which the county's city god stands.

Hozuki was right. People's hearts have become chaotic. The power of vows that once provided the Wenning County City God with supernatural abilities is now like poison. The Wenning County City God can only close his doors to guests and make some adjustments, otherwise, all his years of good deeds will be in vain today.

"Why haven't we entered the city yet?"

Old Niu looked out of the city. Although he was not a great scholar who was proficient in the art of observing qi, anyone who wasn't blind could see that Wenning County was nothing more than an old window paper that had been pasted on for three years. It would crack on its own if you tried to poke it with your hand, let alone if a strong wind blew it open.

"Isn't it because we still need you?"

The lantern was slowly raised, and the mouth opened and closed.

"Outside, they're dividing up the troops. The Ghost Commander is organizing the mortals who have arrived into twenty-four teams, each with its own commander. Hehe, our Brother Zhang has already been appointed as the commander of one team?"

Zhang San's heart sank upon hearing this. He organized his troops, knowing that Sikong Tu had grand ambitions, but he hadn't expected his deployment to come so quickly.

The original plan was for Sikong Tu to first capture a few counties to boost morale and create momentum, and then gradually change course.

It now seems we really underestimated this ghost general's ambition.

Zhang San looked at Brother Niu's retreating figure, knowing he needed to report this news to Young Master Su as soon as possible.

How many people are in one team?

"The tentative price is five hundred."

"Goodness, my brother here has really made it big."

Old Ox stretched comfortably, but looked at Hozuki with considerable dissatisfaction: "I thought the Ghost General would give us an important position..."

"Same as always, you'll be our youngest brother's assistant."

Hozuki laughed.

That old ox is good in every way, except he's too obsessed with officialdom.

Leading a bunch of clueless ordinary people in rebellion, is that a good job? They even have to steal this.

In Hozuki's view, the twenty-four teams of ordinary people that the Ghost General had been causing trouble for were just for show, at most just to raise a banner and make a show of things.

Otherwise, it just doesn't seem right that a group of old ghosts are leading monsters in rebellion. It's more likely that the Taoist cultivators from the mountains are going to come down together to subdue the demons.

That's why the Ghost General had such foresight from the beginning, leaving all the important tasks to these mortals, and even refusing to be the leader, finding an ordinary farmer named Li Hong to handle it.

That's true wisdom. If it were this simple-minded ox in front of me, it would probably immediately call itself the Bull Demon King, fearing that the likes of Yuyang Mountain would come and kill it without forming a gang.

Hozuki looked at Old Ox with a pang of pity. Insufficient cultivation could be made up for through hard work, but a lack of mental fortitude was something that would probably never be resolved in a lifetime.

Pitiful.

Since Hozuki had come to deliver the message, Old Niu took Zhang San, who had already made up his mind, and left together.

The town of Wenning is now completely undefended; there are no guards on the city walls, not even any lights.

The gate was tightly closed, but it wasn't bolted, and there were no yamen runners on duty.

Zhang San felt that as long as he opened this door, Wenning County would completely change hands.

I really don't know where Sikong Tu got his confidence from, that he would let such a great opportunity slip by.

Isn't he afraid that the imperial court's reinforcements will arrive?
(End of this chapter)