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Chapter 328: Grass Heart Hall's Young Master
Chapter 328: Grass Heart Hall's Young Master
Invisible changes occurred in various corners of Bright State, like five festering sores, breeding malevolence and creating a sinister atmosphere that affected people's luck.
Within the Bright State Prefecture, there were many who understood the ways of the world, and some of them could discern the changes through divination. They sensed the situation but felt anxious.
Although Bright State wasn't considered a paradise, it had always been peaceful and free from disasters. But now, within just a few days, several places with surging malevolent auras suddenly appeared, casting a shadow over the entire state.
Logically, since this matter affected everyone in Bright State, they should have gone to investigate.
However, these knowledgeable people weren't fools. Although they were worried, they didn't understand, "This surge of malevolent aura is so intense and rapid, there must be a major event. It's not just some ordinary malevolent spirit causing trouble."
"But if that's the case, why is there no movement in Plum Alley? Why hasn't the government office taken any action?"
"..."
When those above weren't concerned, but those below were, it made people feel that something was amiss. Some even sent small messenger ghosts to deliver a reminder, but these two places remained unresponsive, and the malevolent aura only intensified.
The clever ones immediately understood the situation. Even though they felt the impact on the surrounding areas growing, they dared not investigate. Those with lower cultivation levels and limited knowledge were even more clueless about what was happening, and their unease only increased.
Hu Ma's Green Stone Manor was located right in the middle of the five malevolent directions.
Currently, Hu Ma was out, and those inside the manor, like Zhou Datong, also didn't know what was happening. They only felt a sense of unease, as if something bad was about to occur.
Even the livestock in the manor seemed affected, refusing to eat their fodder, snorting, and kicking.
Only the horse that Brother Pockmark brought back from Anzhou behaved normally, eating and drinking as usual, occasionally raising its head to gaze into the sky, its large eyes filled with anticipation.
Amidst the vague sense of unease in various places, a group from Grass Heart Hall, led by their Five Demon Quartersmaster, was heading towards Old Yin Mountain, carrying a sedan chair.
At the front, leading the way, was Grass Heart Hall's Five Demon Quartersmaster. This trip to the mountain was to search for the Centenarian Pillow to use as a medicinal ingredient.
The Centenarian Pillow was the soil beneath a centenarian's bed. Taking a small pinch and mixing it into a medicinal soup could prolong life. However, centenarians were rare, and only one lived in Money Pod Village near Old Yin Mountain.
This elder had not only lived past a hundred but was already one hundred and seven years old.
After reaching a hundred, each additional year of the elder's life made the medicinal ingredient more miraculous and potent.
Now, at one hundred and seven, in a few months, he would turn one hundred and eight, an extraordinary age, a tea-drinking longevity, and a perfect number.
If this elder lived past one hundred and eight, the medicinal ingredient would become a divine elixir, worth a thousand gold per pinch.
The people of Grass Heart Hall knew how important this elder was. They visited him annually, aware that his robust health would ensure he lived to one hundred and eight without issue.
Such a blessed person was more precious than the Tai Sui Lord in the eyes of those who understood the ways of the world. How could they not pay attention?
However, as the Grass Heart Hall group entered the mountain and the porters carried the gifts into the village, they were surprised to find a crowd gathered in front of the elder's courtyard, whispering and pointing. From a distance, they heard a woman's voice crying:
"Great-Grandfather, please spare your great-grandson..."
"We know you don't want to die, but you can't steal your descendants' lifespans. Your son, my father-in-law, only lived to his seventies, and your grandson was barely sixty when he was licked by a blind bear..."
"These two poor souls didn't even live to eighty..."
"Now, your son's generation and your grandson's generation have all passed away. You can't keep thinking about your great-grandson's generation. Please leave this child with us..."
"..."
Looking into the courtyard, they saw the elder sitting there, leaning on a cane, silent. In front of him knelt a woman in mourning clothes, holding a twelve or thirteen-year-old child in her arms.
The elder was usually cheerful, full of spirit, and even at over a hundred, he loved to joke and tell stories to children.
But now, he sat weakly in his chair, looking at his great-granddaughter-in-law with a desire to speak but lacking the strength to do so. He struggled to lift his head and gazed at the gathered villagers, who were pointing and whispering:
"Borrowing life..."
"When a person grows old, they become a spirit, borrowing life from their descendants. The early deaths of their descendants allow them to live longer."
"In our village, there used to be people who lived a long time. Occasionally, young people would fall from the mountains, or get sick and not recover..."
"All of them had their lives borrowed by these old demons..."
"This Yao family must have had the most life borrowed. He's the oldest, and his descendants all died young. It seems he has borrowed all their lives, and now he wants to borrow his great-grandson's..."
"..."
In the end, the elder couldn't speak, but he leaned heavily on his cane and slowly stood up. Turning towards the house, it was noon, and the outside was bright with snow, but the small main hall seemed dark, and they couldn't see inside.
Upon witnessing this scene, the Grass Heart Hall members who had just arrived were also startled and hurriedly inquired with the surrounding villagers.
They then learned that the old man had lost his last son thirty years ago and had also lost two great-grandsons ten years ago.
Just the day before yesterday, his last remaining great-grandson, the husband of the weeping woman, had suddenly fallen ill and passed away, taking his child with him.
The villagers believed that the old man was borrowing longevity from his descendants, and having exhausted the lives of his children and grandchildren, it was now the great-grandson's turn. This terrified the woman.
With the funeral rites not yet completed, she had come to cry and beg the old man.
"How could such a thing be possible..."
As the Five Demon Quartersmaster listened, his brows furrowed with concern. How could they, as members of the Life Deciders Sect, not understand the absurdity of such a notion?
It was true that there had been cases of longevity theft in the past, but most occurred within the halls of wealthy and influential families, not among common villagers. How could this old man, a simple villager, possess such abilities?
Furthermore, aside from the absurdity of the longevity borrowing method, the old man had never even tasted blood feast pills, nor had he ever used any means to extend his life. Otherwise, his longevity would have been impure, and how could Grass Heart Hall have used the soil from beneath his bed as a catalyst for their longevity-prolonging medicine? Despite his urgency, he couldn't say a word.
The Life Deciders Sect had its rules, and while they could obtain catalysts, they couldn't interfere with the old man's fate. Whether they tried to extend his life or used their abilities to cure his illness, it would result in impure catalysts.
In his anxiety, he turned to look at his young mistress, but before he could say anything, a startled cry came from the main hall.
Everyone was shocked, and it was the great-granddaughter-in-law who had entered the hall, wanting to follow and offer more pleas. But upon seeing the scene, she was terrified.
Forgetting about the Grass Heart Hall members, they pushed through the crowd and rushed into the main hall, only to find the old man lying motionless on the bed, his walking stick discarded beside him.
Just three months shy of living to the age of 108, the old man had died without a sound.
The very soil beneath his bed, which could have served as a catalyst for longevity medicine, had failed to keep him alive.
"This is utter nonsense!"
The sudden sight of the old man's death filled the Five Demon Quartersmaster with indescribable rage and sorrow.
Seeing that the old man, who was just a few months away from completing his longevity, had passed away, it felt like years of Grass Heart Hall's attention and anticipation had been wasted. He also grieved for the old man, who had been blessed with good fortune, only to die from anger.
Unable to contain himself, he turned to the great-granddaughter-in-law, who stood there in shock with her child in her arms, and scolded her, "Where did you hear such nonsense about longevity borrowing? It's all because of your evil intentions that your family is suffering!"
"Your great-grandfather had accumulated virtue in his past life and lived a virtuous life in this one, earning his longevity and blessings. He was just a few days away from reaching the age of 108."
"At that age, he would have been a living immortal, revered by enemies and secretly protected by the deities of the inner hall!"
"With him alive, your family would have been blessed with the virtue of five generations, and your descendants would have enjoyed good health and protection from malevolent spirits. It's better than any other form of protection!"
"Others would have begged to have such a living immortal, but you've cursed him to death!"
"..."
The woman hadn't expected to see the Five Demon Quartersmaster, and she recognized him from his previous visits to the village. Knowing he was a noble from the city, and with the villagers already in awe of city folk, seeing his anger and fury, she felt a sense of wrongdoing and began to cry:
"It's not my fault, it's not my fault! I didn't know, everyone was saying it, how could it be false?"
"..."
Almost laughing in anger, the Five Demon Quartersmaster asked, "Who, who said such things?"
Terrified by his anger, the woman stammered, "The village doctor who came to fill the pond said so, how could it be false?"
"What?"
Startled, the Five Demon Quartersmaster immediately headed towards the direction she indicated, walking at first but soon breaking into a run. He quickly reached the northern edge of the village, where it bordered Old Yin Mountain, and his heart sank.
There was a wild pond there, not fed by a stream, but it had always been home to fish and turtles. Now, large stones had been pushed into the pond, and someone was filling it with soil!
"Oh no..."
The Five Demon Quartersmaster quickly lit a small bundle of medicinal herbs and waved it before his eyes, then looked again, his face turning ashen.
In the pond, now filled with stones, he saw a giant turtle, the size of a millstone, and beside it were several elderly figures, dressed in funeral robes, standing motionless and facing the village, slowly bowing their heads.
Dark yin energy swirled above the village, stirring up gusts of yin wind.
(End of Chapter)
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