https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-308-The-Authority-of-Seventh-Auntie/12918561/
Chapter 309: The Hall Official's Family Legacy
Chapter 309: The Hall Official's Family Legacy
The intimidating Black Robe Mage, after being addressed by Seventh Auntie, surprisingly didn't even attempt a trial and immediately retreated.
Seeing his cautious and respectful retreat, neither his subordinates nor the nobleman's servants understood the reason, and they dared not interrupt.
Even Hu Ma's companions were left bewildered, unsure of what was happening. Like the nobleman's elderly servant, they couldn't see Seventh Auntie, nor hear her words; they only vaguely heard the sound of a small trumpet playing in the distance.
Previously, Seventh Auntie was just a mischievous spirit who could only speak through a possessed person.
But now, with her increased cultivation and changed identity, she could speak directly to people, but not everyone could see her.
So, to most people, it seemed that the Black Robe Mage, who had intended to perform a blood ritual, was suddenly met with an evil wind, changing the situation. He spoke to the air for a while before quickly deciding to leave.
In the dim night, an air of mystery and solemnity hung in the air, causing unease.
"First, let's return the blood offerings to the village before discussing further."
Hu Ma, seeing the matter resolved, nodded in the direction of Seventh Auntie without explaining to his companions. Instead, he hurriedly unloaded the two large jars from the carriage and placed them in the warehouse, finally putting his mind at ease.
The next day, instead of rushing to transport the jars, Hu Ma went to inquire in Yellow Dog Village.
As expected, he saw the well where he had once tried to retrieve Li Wazi, now filled with stones and sealed with exorcism stones at the opening.
Yellow talismans were carefully placed on top, sealing it tightly.
It was evident that the villagers were extremely displeased, and from a distance, they would spit in disgust.
In Yellow Dog Village, every well was precious, and now that this one was filled, no one knew how difficult it would be to fetch water in the future.
This was why the villagers were grateful when Hu Ma had previously helped clear the well of malevolent spirits. However, they had barely enjoyed a few days of clean water when a group of mysterious people came and sealed the well without any warning. Who wouldn't curse them?
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that when the well was being filled, someone guessed the reason but didn't approach them. The groom didn't know that the dried bones in the well had already been moved.
Of course, there was another issue: even the groom himself was ashamed to speak of the past and wanted to cover it up. He didn't want to stir up trouble after so many years, and he kept a tight lid on the matter.
The people who came only checked if there was anything in the well and, regardless of whether there was or not, sealed it. They were unaware of the situation.
After inspecting the well, Hu Ma went to the official road and examined the small grave mound he had previously created.
Now, there was not a trace of activity in the grave.
After death, the Chastity Soul only guarded its own remains. As time passed, it eventually dissipated, but before doing so, it attached itself to the unfaithful man, leaving the grave peaceful.
It was only natural for a vengeful spirit to seek justice, but Hu Ma was curious about who this unfaithful man was.
Who had such connections to request help from Plum Blossom Lane?
It was well known that the people of Plum Blossom Lane, confident in their status, wouldn't even acknowledge the Blood Feast Gang's manager.
After pondering for a moment, Hu Ma returned to Yellow Dog Village to inquire. Fortunately, he was now familiar and respected in the surrounding villages, so when he asked, several toothless old ladies gathered around to whisper about the vengeful debt.
It turned out that the unfaithful man was surnamed Zheng, and his ancestral home was in the west of Yellow Dog Village, now in ruins.
This family used to own some farmland, and they had raised a child bride from a young age. Unfortunately, both her parents-in-law passed away early due to a plague. The child bride worked hard, farming, weaving, fetching water, and cooking, raising the Zheng family's children.
The bride-to-be deeply remembered her in-laws' instructions and didn't let her future husband do any work. She served him daily, encouraging him to study and even contributing money for him to take the imperial examinations.
The Zheng family's son was quite intelligent, and after studying diligently for over a decade, he managed to participate in the last imperial examination twenty years ago and passed as a scholar. Normally, this would have led to an official position, but soon, the court fell into chaos, and he had no choice but to return to the village and await his appointment.
He waited for several years, and as the world became more turbulent, malevolent spirits thrived, and the people suffered. It was challenging to survive, let alone pursue an official career.
At the villagers' suggestion, seeing that the bride-to-be was getting older and might become a target of gossip if she didn't remarry, he agreed. The neighbors helped prepare a wedding dress and a simple banquet, and they removed the wheels from a wooden cart to make a makeshift palanquin. They carried him around the village and then brought him back to his home.
To honor his late mother-in-law's only remaining bracelet, he had never sold it, even during the most challenging times. Only after getting married did he put it on his bride's wrist.
With the bracelet and the neighbors as witnesses, it was as if he had fulfilled his parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words, making this marriage the most legitimate.
The villagers praised the bride's good fortune, saying that after waiting for twenty years, she had finally achieved her goal.
However, on that very night, two men arrived, carrying bags and riding horses. They claimed to be from Huai'an, and the young master of the Zheng family eagerly greeted them. But upon seeing the flower decorations on his house, the two men shook their heads repeatedly, saying they were too late and it was a pity.
Later, no one knew what was said.
All they knew was that night, the young master of the Zheng family hastily packed his belongings and left with those two men.
The bride chased after him, crying, but her sobs were drowned out by the well.
From then on, the young master of the Zheng family disappeared for two or three decades, leaving no trace. As for the well, it was initially sealed by the villagers due to the lack of a proper burial and the heavy malevolent energy emanating from it. They dared not retrieve her body and could only fetch water from elsewhere.
However, later on, the stream often dried up, and the village's other two wells would occasionally run dry. The village elders had no choice but to reopen this well.
They thought that after so many years, things should have improved, but instead, the malevolent energy was overwhelming.
It wasn't until the manor's junior manager came and sealed the well, relocating the dried bones within, that the matter was finally settled.
"So, if we hadn't advised her to move, it might have remained sealed forever?"
Hu Ma secretly thought to himself, feeling that the retribution wasn't satisfying.
After recording these events, he returned to the manor, loaded two large jars onto the carriage, and transported them to Zhu Gate Town.
Once the Blood Feast Gang's patriarch had opened the jars and inspected their contents, storing them in the warehouse, this task was finally completed. Hu Ma turned around and headed to Xu Boss's place to greet him.
From then on, there would be no more errands to run to Green Stone Town for the time being.
After all, over the past few months, Hu Ma had led his companions on numerous trips without a single mishap, earning him substantial merit. He believed it was enough for him to take over the Blind Ridge Blood Offering Mine for the rest of the year.
"It's enough, but you initially wanted to make more trips to feel at ease."
Xu Boss was always accommodating to Hu Ma's requests, and he laughed, "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"Last night, we almost had an incident."
Hu Ma spoke in a low voice, "We encountered someone from Plum Blossom Lane who wanted to forcefully borrow blood food."
After hearing about the previous night's events, Xu Boss was clearly startled and immediately lowered his voice, "Was the one who asked to borrow blood food surnamed Yan?"
"The old master from Plum Blossom Lane is a good person. Every year, the blood food we offer to the Red Lantern Society is accounted for through him. He follows the rules, providing the necessary offerings and not accepting any other gifts."
"He has taught several disciples, but they usually stay outside the city, traveling between various counties. Their reputation isn't bad, except for his third disciple, who has a terrible reputation."
"It's not the first time we've had requests to borrow blood food, or for emergency aid from the rivers and lakes, asking for blood food pills."
"But he speaks sweetly, borrowing them without ever returning them."
"Of course, although this person has a bad reputation, you shouldn't offend him. He's petty, so just consider it a favor for Plum Blossom Lane!"
"..."
"That's not the case."
Hu Ma smiled, "But I'm curious, what kind of background does that so-called nobleman have?"
"Since he dares to call himself a nobleman, he must be from an aristocratic family."
Xu Boss let out a cold laugh and sighed, "There are many ways to refer to a nobleman..."
"You're part of the Blood Feast Gang. If you go to the villages below, the villagers will also consider you a nobleman, and they'll prepare a grand feast to welcome you."
"But in the city, it's different. A true nobleman must come from an aristocratic family."
"What is an aristocratic family?"
"Aristocratic families, hereditary officials, that's what they call an aristocratic family!"
"Look at our Red Lantern Society, we have good relations with many wealthy families, but the ones we deal with are wealthy landlords, merchants, and traders. But the aristocratic family's young masters are different. They reside in the city and only interact with hall officials. They have nothing to do with us."
"To put it bluntly, we're from the rivers and lakes, but they're not."
"Why did our RedLanternLady build a temple and leave the city? It's to avoid suspicion!"
"Before, everyone was in the city. One was a brother from the rivers and lakes, and the other was a noble who closed the door to discuss status. They didn't interfere with each other. But after building the temple, it wouldn't be appropriate for RedLanternLady to remain in the city."
"..."
After listening to Xu Boss's explanation, Hu Ma finally understood.
Aristocratic family, hall official.
The White Wine Miss had said that the greater one's abilities, the wider the world one would see, and the more one would encounter the mysterious and solemn aspects of this world. It seemed to be coming true.
Being in the Blood Feast Gang, he never encountered those high-ranking figures, but it turned out that they didn't seek protection from the Blood Feast Gang. Instead, they directly interacted with hall officials and were protected by them.
In this chaotic world, ordinary people plagued by malevolent spirits could only seek help from the Blood Feast Gang, while hall officials rarely appeared.
But when a nobleman from an aristocratic family was troubled, those hall officials wouldn't dare to remain idle.
No wonder the Wei family's son-in-law received such a swift response from Plum Blossom Lane.
"Damn privileged class, rich aristocrats..."
Hu Ma silently cursed them, instinctively feeling aversion and hostility towards these people. They deserved to be haunted by vengeful ghosts...
(End of Chapter)
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