Love letters are not allowed in the exorcism notebook!-Chapter 474 - 52: I Define What is Black

"The expansion of Black Granny Temple in the Tianmen Region isn’t very fast, you could even say it’s quite low-profile, so at first it wasn’t included in the Special Service Bureau’s priority monitoring list." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Liu Zhihan placed the thick file on Principal Zhou’s desk and continued to explain, "It’s quite different in that it didn’t attach itself to any established religious factions from the start, nor does it have a complete and clear core ideology—in short, it’s just an empty shell."

"Specifically for those vinegar-soaked dumplings?"

"Hmm... that’s about right. The original purpose of this sect was to usurp the ’Dark Immortal’ faith native to Tianmen."

"Tianmen has always been a crucial grain transport hub in the North throughout history, which has given rise to the unique Canal Gang culture. Many grain transporters chose to worship the rat, hoping it wouldn’t nibble through their ship’s hulls and grain sacks. Around several hundred years ago, probably during the early years of the Former Dynasty, a Black-Haired Rat Clan followed the fleet northwards, enjoying the Canal Gang’s incense offerings."

"After arriving in the North, this Black-Haired Rat Clan was quickly assimilated into the local environment. From the initial worship by the Canal Gang, they evolved into the ’Home-Protecting Black Immortal’ with distinct Northern characteristics, not part of the traditional five Immortal Families of foxes, yellow weasels, white minks, and grey wombats; they became an entity unto themselves."

"So it’s the difference between Southern rats and Northern rats?"

"You could say that. Although they don’t have much reputation, and their power isn’t that great, the Dark Immortal actually has a quite sizable following in Tianmen. Therefore, it’s not surprising that those people have set their sights on them, ready to push out the occupant and take over the nest."

"Their initial plan was to bring the ’Dark Immortal’ faith to the public eye, to promote it openly through various channels, and then replace the original ’Dark Immortal’ with the ’Dark Mother Goddess,’ thereby taking control of the Dark Immortal’s followers."

"But last year, the Special Service Bureau executed Black-Fur Ancestor, and those left behind, grandchildren and the rest, are not capable of forming a power base; their plan completely fell through."

Principal Zhou put on his glasses, took out a document from the file, and read it carefully for a moment before frowning and saying, "So this is why they turned their attention to the Old Lady Black in Liaodong?"

"Old Lady Black, also known as Black Granny, Black Mother, is said to originally be a black bear enlightened by an Immortal, with her cultivation ground in Liaodong, one of the very few Earth Immortals in the regions beyond the Great Wall who had achieved cultivation success."

"Their original target was probably Old Lady Black right from the beginning, but as they didn’t have a strong base of followers in the country, it was hard to achieve their goal in one step. That’s why they settled for second best at first, aiming for the status of the Dark Immortal."

"After all, in their language, there is no difference between ’granny’ and ’grandma’, making their objective quite obvious."

"Which means to say— Dark Immortal is black, Black Granny is black, Black Grandma is black too, so they can be generally defined as one and the same?"

Principal Zhou couldn’t help but laugh, "That fits the stereotype I have of those people perfectly."

"The ancient saying goes, ’Longing for Shu when you have Dun.’ If we go by this logic, then Old Lady Black must also not be the end goal of their plan. Could it be that they want to seize control over the definition of Blackwater River next?"

"Beyond the Great Wall, Baishan and Blackwater refer to the ancient territories of the two great demon races of Changbai Mountain and Blackwater River. The Li Family of Blackwater River and the Ma Family of Changbai Mountain have long-standing ancient lineages, not easily infiltrated by outsiders, but there is still one place that has not been developed for many years and hasn’t received enough attention."

"Black Earth?"

"Correct, the Black Earth of the Northeastern Plain covers more than a million square kilometers. If it were to be developed, it could reproduce the former prosperity of ’When Huguang ripens, the world is fed.’ If this land were in Europe, it could very well give rise to a Gaia Level God of the Earth."

"From Dark Immortal, to Old Lady Black, and then to Black Earth Goddess? This does sound quite interesting..."

Principal Zhou picked up his tea cup, took a sip of strong tea, and gazed out the window into the night: "We need to find a way to delay this for a while."

Liu Zhihan frowned and said, "Another delay? I think Wang Yunxiao and the others can handle it, while it’s still before the school term starts..."

"It’s precisely because the term hasn’t started yet. Let’s leave it to the next batch of students for practice once the school starts. This batch doesn’t need to train anymore."

Principal Zhou turned back and asked, "When is the next special crackdown operation scheduled to begin?"

"September."

"Let’s push it back to October. By October, the new students should be able to be trained up."

"But if those few tumors aren’t excised, many tasks can’t move forward."

"What tumors? Dig one out, one less to deal with. If you dig them all out, where is the school going to find teaching resources? You don’t know the cost of firewood and rice until you run the household..."

"I know the cost, the workload of the Intelligence Division is nearly crushing me; you have no idea how many messes Qiao Hongyi left me with."

"Just hang in there a bit longer, young people shouldn’t be afraid of hardship."

"I’m not afraid of hardship, but what that guy left me with is all crap!"

...

"It seems they’ve got themselves into quite a bit of trouble as well."

Standing at the crossroads, Xia Yubing had her hands clasped behind her back, her gaze piercing through layers of dimensions, staring into the unknown darkness ahead.

"Max, this time you’ll play the leading role."

"Ah? Me?"

Max looked utterly confused, thinking wasn’t I just here to make up the numbers?

"Yes, you’re the only survivor of the previous Longevity Sect, so of course you’re the one to step forward. Let Old Zhang back you up while Reddy and I provide support from behind."

Xia Yubing seriously instructed, "Our primary purpose for coming here is to clarify their true identities and their real intentions. We can’t just let them cause trouble under the name of the Longevity Sect and then lay the blame on us."

"Unless necessary, before we grasp their strengths and weaknesses, try to avoid conflict with them as much as possible. However, we should also show our power appropriately so as not to be underestimated. After all, some people only understand the language of fists. And then... Reddy, do you have anything else to add?"

"We need to have an imposing presence! At the very least, we can’t be overshadowed in terms of momentum!"

Li Mumu thought to herself, I’m just here to watch the excitement; it would be best not to get involved if possible.

But the simplest way to calm the other side down and deter them from acting is to intimidate them with our momentum.

When it comes to setting the atmosphere, I’m definitely an expert.

"First, we need a grand entrance; when we arrive, it’s absolutely essential to leave a deep first impression on them!"

"First impression?"

Thinking about it, Xia Yubing looked toward Max, who still wore a confused and helpless expression: "How’s your acting?"

With a pained expression, Max said, "What do you want me to perform?"

"Since we’re operating under the Longevity Sect’s banner, naturally we must play the part of immortals with an aura of spirituality and virtue."

"No problem! I’m quite experienced in that!"

"Good, I’ll handle the grand entrance, and you focus on playing the part."

"What grand entrance..."

Before Max could finish speaking, he saw Xia Yubing raise her hands, transforming into dark, ghastly claws. She dug her fingers into the air and slowly, forcefully tore it apart on both sides.