A large crowd followed Ma Tianzheng through several streets.
They arrived at a secluded alley not far from the Prince of Chu's Estate.
The onlookers were completely confused.
Then they saw Ma Tianzheng lower his head and mutter toward a small dirt hole at the corner of the wall.
"There's no use hiding," he said calmly. "This humble Daoist has already seen you."
Everyone was stunned.
Suddenly, from the small dirt hole, a tiny metal hand shot out.
It was extremely small, yet it moved with eerie speed.
The Prince of Chu screamed, "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!"
His retainers followed, "Ah! Ah! Ah!"
The metal hand naturally belonged to the reconnaissance Heavenly Lord unit.
After scaring the Prince of Chu to death earlier, Li Daoxuan had left the reconnaissance Heavenly Lord unit hidden in a remote corner of Wuchang City. Now he simply instructed Ma Tianzheng to retrieve it.
The Heavenly Lord always enjoyed playfully manifesting in the mortal world, much like Monk Jigong. Since the Heavenly Lord told Ma Tianzheng to cooperate in this little prank, he naturally complied wholeheartedly.
Ma Tianzheng said in a solemn voice, "There is no need to hide in there. This humble Daoist knows that you are a monstrous entity formed from the resentment of countless commoners who died in and around Wuchang City. Thinking of your suffering in life, this humble Daoist will not use divine artifacts to destroy you. Leave on your own."
The small metal hand at the entrance made a strange gesture, then pointed at the Prince of Chu.
A sinister voice came from inside the hole.
"It was the Prince of Chu who caused my death. When the rebels wanted to kill me, I tried to enter the city, but he refused to open the gates."
Zhu Huadie cried out in panic, "Ah! Ah! Ah! It wasn't this prince! It wasn't this prince! That was this prince's twin brother! This prince is a good person! A good person!"
The cold voice replied, "I can't tell. I don't think he's a good person. I'm going to kill him."
Zhu Huadie wailed, "Ah! Ah! Ah! True Master, save me! Save me!"
Ma Tianzheng looked toward the hole.
"If the Prince proves that he is a good person, you will not harm him?"
The voice answered, "Why would I kill a good person? I only kill the wicked."
Ma Tianzheng turned to Zhu Huadie.
Zhu Huadie immediately understood.
"This prince will do good deeds at once! Immediately!"
Ma Tianzheng looked back at the hole.
"Are you satisfied?"
"Hmph," the voice snorted. "For Ma Tianzheng's sake, I will leave for now. But if the Prince of Chu commits evil again, I will return and take his life. Move aside. I am coming out."
The Prince of Chu and his retainers scrambled away in terror.
With a whoosh, a tiny figure shot out of the hole.
It was a small skeletal metal figure, its face smeared with black mud. It moved incredibly fast. In a blink, it reached the alley entrance and disappeared.
Zhu Huadie and his guards were completely numb with fear.
Only then did Ma Tianzheng turn back.
"The rebels bring disaster and the people suffer greatly. Too many wronged souls linger around this city. The former Prince of Chu failed to act with benevolence, oppressed the innocent, and caused deep resentment. These resentful spirits gathered and became such a monstrous entity."
Zhu Huadie stammered, "Then… then…"
Ma Tianzheng continued, "It dragged your brother's soul into the Underworld. He is now trapped in the eighteen layers of hell."
Zhu Huadie trembled. "He is in the eighteen layers of hell? Heavens… Heavens… What should be done? How can I save my brother? True Master, you must save me."
"There are two ways," Ma Tianzheng said. "First, practice benevolence and righteousness. Be a good ruler. Second, repel the rebels and protect the peace of this region."
"Repel the rebels…" Zhu Huadie said bitterly. "This prince cannot do that."
Ma Tianzheng nodded. "Since the second is difficult for you, let us speak of the first. That is not hard."
Zhu Huadie quickly said, "Yes! Yes! I will immediately distribute porridge to the hungry, give silver to refugees. I will give money!"
At that moment, from behind a distant wall, the metal entity's voice echoed again.
"Hehehe. You think giving a little silver makes you a good person? Everyone knows the Prince of Chu's Estate holds one million taels of silver. If you only give thirty or fifty thousand taels, that is like throwing scraps to beggars. Does that count as virtue?"
Zhu Huadie froze.
Even that was known.
The one million taels in the estate had not been accumulated by him. It had been hoarded by his twin brother, Zhu Huakui, the ninth-generation Prince of Chu. During his tenure, Zhu Huakui had beaten a circuit inspector to death, oppressed innocent citizens, and extorted heavy taxes.
It was dirty money.
To save his life, Zhu Huadie did not dare cling to it.
Since he had not earned it himself, giving it away did not truly pain him.
He hurriedly shouted, "I will distribute all one million taels to prove my sincerity!"
Ma Tianzheng smiled.
"Excellent."
He turned toward the distance.
"You heard him, did you not?"
"I heard," the voice replied. "If he truly distributes it all, I will no longer trouble him and will reincarnate peacefully."
"Distribute it all!" Zhu Huadie shouted. "Immediately! Go now!"
Just as his words fell, thunderous battle cries erupted from outside the north gate of the city.
The rebels were preparing to attack Wuchang City.
Zhu Huadie jumped in fright.
"What should we do now?"
Ma Tianzheng remained calm.
"With one million taels, generously reward brave men. How can the city lack defenders? Since you intend to distribute the silver anyway, why not use it to reward those who defend the city?"
Zhu Huadie's eyes lit up.
"Yes! Yes!"
He shouted loudly, "Pass down my order! The Prince of Chu's Estate will fund this. Any able-bodied man who volunteers to defend Wuchang will receive ten taels of silver. If the rebels are repelled, another ten taels will be awarded. If someone dies in battle, his family will receive thirty taels. Those who transport supplies and assist in defense will also be rewarded with silver!"
The moment the order was announced, Wuchang City erupted.
The common people rushed to the north gate walls.
"How dare these rebels attack our Wuchang!"
Outside the city, the rebel leader looked up and was stunned.
"So many people?"
Countless civilians stood atop the walls waving flags.
"Come on! Attack if you dare!"
The most feared situation for an attacking army was a united city where soldiers and civilians stood as one.
The rebel leader cursed, "Just you wait! We will settle this later!"
After leaving behind harsh words, the rebels quickly retreated.
Zhu Huadie let out a long breath.
"They have retreated… but what if they return?"
Ma Tianzheng calculated with his fingers and smiled faintly.
"Do not worry. Within three days, reinforcements will arrive."
Zhu Huadie was shocked.
"True Master, you can predict this?"
Ma Tianzheng smiled calmly.
"This humble Daoist serves under Dao Xuan Tian Zun. The Heavenly Lord knows the past five hundred years and the next five hundred years.
There is nothing under heaven unknown to the Heavenly Lord. Here is a copy of The Divine Tales of Dao Xuan, Demon Slayer. Study it diligently every day. You will surely benefit."