Controlling the Five Thunders and the Two Worlds

Chapter 551 Picking up Hoshino Rima along the way

Midnight, the hour of Zi (11 PM - 1 AM).

North of Juye City, on Chun Street, at Lianqing Tower.

A cool breeze blew by, and a window on the third floor of Lianqing Tower was blown open a crack. Several loose silver ingots were then blown out and fell into a dark alley next door.

Ma Huai reached out and scooped up the silver in his hand, weighing it slightly. "It's about six taels, which should be enough."

After speaking, Ma Huai listened carefully to the sounds upstairs, and after confirming that Master Wei was still asleep, he looked around and then wrapped the few pieces of silver in a tattered piece of burlap he had picked up.

He lowered his head and walked quickly away, passing through several alleys before entering a secluded alley.

This alley was the back alley of Liu's restaurant. He arrived at the back door of the courtyard where Liu and his wife lived, and then waved his hand, and the paper package in his hand flew out in an instant.

"Boom!"

A soft sound, quite abrupt in the night, woke up the restaurant owner and his wife who were sleeping, but did not cause any disturbance in the neighboring courtyard.

The boss told his wife to go to sleep, then grabbed a stick and quietly went to the bedroom door. He opened the door and soon found a paper package lying on the floor.

The paper package was torn, and it shimmered with a silvery light under the moonlight.

The shopkeeper reached out and picked up the paper packet, immediately spotting the silver inside. He casually weighed it in his hand and said, "Six taels and seven mace!"

The boss looked around and saw that the moon was bright and the stars were few, the night breeze was gentle, and apart from the chirping of insects and birds, there was not a sound of human voices.

Looking at the paper packet in his hand, the shopkeeper's eyes flickered for a moment before he took the money back into the house and closed the door tightly.

"Shopkeeper, what's wrong?"

"What happened during the day was witnessed by a chivalrous knight-errant, who gave us more than six taels of silver, enough for next month's allowance."

……

Ma Huai handed over the silver and then turned and left the alley.

However, as soon as he turned the corner, he saw three figures standing under the eaves not far away: one man and two women. They were the three people he had seen fall from the sky that morning.

With a sudden jolt, Ma Huai pretended not to see them and turned to walk in another direction.

Then he heard the man in the middle ask, "I'm curious, that Master Wei isn't a good person, why don't you teach him a lesson?"

Ma Huai paused, knowing he couldn't hide it any longer. After a moment of silence, he finally said, "What if he gets injured, and the person who replaces him is even worse?"

Gu Zhao was taken aback, thinking to himself that this monster had no trace of malevolence and was quite kind.

Zhuo Qingyan said, "You can teach Wei Ye's forces a lesson and demand that they stop collecting protection money from ordinary people."

Ma Huai replied, "If they don't collect protection money, they won't have enough manpower. They'll be defeated by other gangs soon. What if an even worse gang comes along?"

Zhuo Qingyan was also a little stunned, not expecting that this monster was a pessimist.

Li Qingshuang asked with a smile, "Then why don't you set up your own gang so you can protect more people?"

Ma Huai shook his head. "I don't want to show my face in public, and I don't care about people. They will only use my power to do evil."

Li Qingshuang raised an eyebrow. This man was an honest fellow and a lone wolf.

But to be honest, this was the first time she had ever met someone with such profound strength who was also so honest.

"So you're hiding your identity, helping whoever you can?" Gu Zhao asked curiously.

Ma Huai frankly said, "I'm not that kind. I only help those who are good to me."

Gu Zhao thought for a moment and continued to ask, "You just happened to be there yesterday. If you hadn't gone to the restaurant to eat noodles yesterday, you wouldn't have known about this. The restaurant owner couldn't come up with the money, and he might have been forced to ruin his family by that Master Wei."

Ma Huai fell silent.

He was just a solitary monster who lived in seclusion among mortals; what could he possibly do?
“I’ll show you my solution,” Gu Zhao suddenly said.

Ma Huai asked, "How do we resolve this?" Gu Zhao, holding the two women's hands, turned and left, saying, "You'll know in a couple of days."

Looking at the three people's retreating figures, Ma Huai couldn't help but ask, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Gu Zhao waved his hand, "I'll come find you again once the matter is resolved."

Ma Huai was puzzled. When these three people descended from the sky, they revealed a trace of their aura. Their majestic and righteous aura almost made his own aura unstable. In his opinion, they were at least great demons and gods who had lived for thousands of years.

So he carefully concealed himself and was extremely cautious in his actions tonight, but it was all in vain. The other party actually blocked his way, seemingly coming specifically for him.

But Ma Huai was puzzled. He was just an honest demon living in seclusion in the mortal world. Even though he had more than a thousand years of cultivation, he didn't actually have a name in the demon circle.

The other party's cultivation level is much higher than mine. Apart from refining the soul and intimidating the spirit, and absorbing blood to refine the bones, I am of no value to them at all.

Ma Huai had just prepared to flee in panic, but the other party didn't seem to have that intention.

……

The next morning, after Ma Huai had breakfast, he heard some news from his laborer friend.

A customer at Lianqinglou lost his purse and, unable to pay his bill, tried to frame Lianqinglou. However, he was taught a lesson by the well-connected Lianqinglou and only managed to escape the building after his underlings scraped together the money.

The following evening, Ma Huai went out for dinner and heard more news from a friend who worked in the city.

The guest was the leader of a small gang in the city. He lost his money and his reputation. Enraged, he went to several merchants he was responsible for protecting and swindled another five taels of silver from them.

On the morning of the third day, Ma Huai heard that there had been some commotion in the backyard of the prefectural government office the night before, and that fighting had taken place at the strongholds of several gangs in the city, suggesting that outside forces had entered the city.

Ma Huai found it strange. He was also a great demon with hundreds of years of cultivation, yet he hadn't sensed any fighting in the city last night. At least, the Tongxin Sect, the real big boss behind Juye Prefecture, hadn't made any moves.

On the afternoon of the third day, when Ma Huai returned from working at the dock outside the city, he learned that all the gangs in the city had been transformed into escort agencies, engineering teams, and patrol teams.

It is said that merchants on the street still have to pay money, but the amount is not much, and the patrol team will actually maintain order and protect them when they encounter thugs causing trouble.

On the morning of the fourth day, Ma Huai was eating noodles at the noodle stall at the South Gate again when he saw patrol teams in pairs patrolling the city. The martial arts masters who had previously established gangs in the city had become bodyguards soliciting business, and a group of former thugs were working hard to repair houses for the city's residents.

"How did they do that?" Ma Huai was dumbfounded.

"Of course, it depends on the system and reliable manpower." Gu Zhao led Zhuo Qingyan and Li Qingshuang into the noodle stall and ordered three bowls of vegetarian noodles.

"An elder from my palace went to the Tongxin Sect and talked to the twin infant ghosts. Another group of inner and outer disciples went into the city and talked to the city's gangs with the prefect. The problem was solved," Gu Zhao said calmly.

"May I ask your Excellency?"

"Daluo Palace, Gu Zhao."

Upon hearing Gu Zhao's answer, Ma Huai's eyes lit up. "You are the Palace Master Gu of the Daluo Palace on Cuiluo Mountain in Changping Prefecture, Jiangzhou, who transformed Jiangzhou into a golden age?"

"That's me." Gu Zhao nodded.

Then he saw Ma Huai look at him like he was seeing an idol, move over and sit down, then move away a little more because he was afraid of getting dirty.

"You are a sorcerer? You are neither a demon nor a spirit?"

"How did you transform Jiangzhou into a prosperous and peaceful place?"

"It is said that people there do not pick up lost items on the road, do not lock their doors at night, everyone is honest, and commerce is booming!"

"It is said that the area is known for its clean and honest government, the wealthy are benevolent and righteous, the young are cared for, and the elderly are supported!"

Seeing Ma Huai's idol-like gaze, and with Zhuo Qingyan and Li Qingshuang beside him secretly smiling with admiring eyes, Gu Zhao felt a little embarrassed.

"It's not actually that good yet, but that's the direction we're striving for."

Gu Zhao chuckled and then extended an olive branch to Ma Huai, "The Twenty-Eight Guardian Star Officials of the Great Luo Palace are still short of a Star Sun Horse. I wonder if Brother Ma would be willing to take the position?"

Ma Huai nodded decisively, "I'm willing!"

(End of this chapter)