"However, speaking of this Young Master Zhao, he and I do have some acquaintance. Therefore, his actions were restrained; if it were someone else, they might have aimed to destroy the Food Protection Army or kill Yang Gong."

The Reincarnator agreed to a duel with the Ten Surnames precisely because they didn't want to fight to the death, to avoid tearing apart this already scarred world.

But there was no restraint when it came to the pawns.

At this moment, listening to his words, Wu He hesitated several times, wanting to speak. To her, seeing Hu Ma again brought up many things she wanted to say.

But not seeing him for years and learning of Hu Ma's true identity made her feel even more distant.

Gathering her courage, she whispered, "Hu... Brother Hu, I took a job with the trick door and accompanied along the way. I heard and saw some clues and roughly understand how these mountains came to be."

"If you wish to break this magic, I will tell you everything I know, hoping it can help you somehow."

"..."

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma was slightly surprised and said, "Since you're a runner for the trick door, you're considered Zhao Family's person. Yet you wish to help me in this matter; are you aware of the consequences?"

Miss Wu He bit her lip and said, "Brother Hu, your kindness to me has been immense. Even my father says that the Wu Family owes you greatly and that we must find a way to repay you someday."

"Moreover, before I came, I told Young Master Zhao that Zhao Family saved me, and I am willing to serve like an ox or horse. But Brother Hu's kindness came before Zhao Family's. So passing messages is one thing, but I absolutely cannot oppose you, Brother Hu."

"Now that I can help you, even if I die from trick door's punishment, at least I would die as a human, without any regret."

"..."

Hu Ma gazed deeply at Miss Wu He, not doubting her words.

This foolish girl genuinely joined trick door to serve Zhao Family, yet she remembers his kindness and is willing to suffer punishment to help him.

Of course, he could wonder if she was just putting on a show, but doing so would be underestimating people.

Not only would he underestimate her but also that Young Master Zhao.

Maybe Zhao Sanyi understood her nature and intentionally sent her to watch over these two mountains, testing whether he would rather let such a girl suffer punishment or gather information. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

If he indeed did so, Zhao Family might be willing to reveal the secrets of these two mountains, but his dignity in front of the Ten Surnames would be utterly lost.

Winning the duel was a matter of dignity. Without dignity, what was the point of the duel?

So he merely raised an eyebrow slightly, smiled at her, and said, "I believe your words, but there's no need to act on them."

"Harming others is easy, but saving people is hard. Since you were saved, cherish your youthful days; it's not worth wasting it here on this duel."

"As for these two mountains, just pass another message to Young Master Zhao. The trick door's skills are indeed eye-opening, but his good intentions are in vain."

"I want Tengzhou. I also want the Quzhou he mentioned. I want the Li Family's territory. I want Zhao Family's territory too. Whoever stands in my way will be dealt with accordingly; I won't take detours."

"..."

"This..."

Wu He was slightly surprised after hearing Hu Ma's words. Deep in her eyes, admiration and excitement were apparent.

It seemed that today's Hu Ma was completely different from the Brother Hu in her memory.

But the pride on that face clearly belonged to the same person.

"Hey, being too bold, huh?"

Er Guotou, standing beside, couldn't help it. He pulled Hu Ma a couple of steps aside, nudged his elbow, and lowered his voice, saying, "We were worried about these two mountains, and now you're turning away a ready-made scout?"

"I must turn it down."

Hu Ma also lowered his voice and said, "This is not even Zhao Family's mother form, merely a mild dharma method for intimidation. If even this hurdle can't be passed, how can we win against the Zhao Family's mother form and handle the other families' true trump cards?"

"So the trick door has something fiercer than these two mountains?"

Er Guotou seemed somewhat incredulous now and whispered, "So what are you planning to do?"

Hu Ma smiled and said, "Since the trick door invited the Mountain God to carry over these two mountains, we shall invite the Divine Weapon Descending!"

Er Guotou understood Hu Ma's intention but was still a bit worried: "Those guys arrived at Shangqiao later than I did. If even I can't figure out the dharma method, can they really do it?"

Even with Er Guotou's worries, the common people, strange people across the Four States, and the Food Protection Army felt even more anxious.

With the Ming King taking over Huzhou, the Food Protection Army's capabilities became apparent, and now its reputation is rapidly spreading across the Four States, attracting talents from all over.

Not only various talents but even merchants, traders, and nobles would come to make contact, whether they are particular or not, judging by the grasshead king's background and deciding whether he is worth the investment.

If not particular, they wouldn't care about one's background, as having the ability to vie for dominance makes one worthy of placing a bet.

The current Food Protection Army is a place where they place their bets, yet the emergence of these two mountains stirs numerous rumors among the people, suggesting that the Ming King offended the ghostly gods, which is why two mountains were moved to block his path to becoming emperor.

These rumors are baseless yet particularly effective.

No matter how much the people trust the Food Protection Army's reputation, they worry whether the gods truly despise them, and fear that following him might bring disaster.