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Chapter 348: The Hu Family's Descendants (Part Two)
Chapter 348: The Hu Family's Descendants (Part Two)
As the sky darkened and the wind howled, Zhang Aogu began the ritual. Two scarecrows transformed into the likeness of black-robed warriors, each wearing a scholar's cap and a belt dagger, one holding shackles and the other carrying manacles, appearing as if they were officials rushing out in the night to capture thieves.
The Yellow Dog Village was now teeming with countless little demons, all brought by the Five Sins Demon that had just arrived. However, due to the demon's hasty escape, it had no time to take these demons back.
All these little demons were now jostling and pushing, trying to squeeze into the well to follow the Five Sins Lord back. But it was too late. When they saw the two black-robed figures approaching the village, they shrieked in fear.
The two black-robed warriors paid no heed to the demons and marched forward. As they did, the demons around them suddenly caught fire, screaming in agony as they rolled on the ground.
In no time, the demons were burned to ashes and blown away by the wind. Those who had been forcibly brought here by the Mountain Lord were protected by his green tent and remained unharmed.
As the two black-robed figures patrolled the village, they surprisingly failed to detect the demon's trail. Only then did they realize that the Five Sins Demon had already left, leaving behind only Wei Jia's Young Master's corpse, which had been completely drained of its essence, looking pathetic and curled up on the ground. A blurry figure knelt beside the corpse, constantly knocking its head.
This blurry figure was the true form of Wei Jia's Young Master. Unfortunately, the two black-robed warriors merely glanced at him, causing him to emit a silent, agonizing scream before dissipating into nothingness.
Suddenly, a red shadow rushed over and scooped up the dried-up corpse, along with the guardian soul still attached to it, and threw them both into the well. The couple would forever sleep together.
"Did the demon escape?"
Zhang Aogu was unsure how her ritual could have such power, even summoning warding artifacts to capture demons.
But from her position on the altar, she could sense that the Yellow Dog Village was now empty. Realizing the demon had fled, she gritted her teeth and took out a black bone, holding it in her hand and silently chanting a spell.
This bone was the engagement token left by the demon when he forcibly betrothed himself to her. It was a bone from his life, and Zhang Aogu despised this object. Later, she used it for spellcasting, helping the common folk by summoning the demon, who would either beat or curse them.
Now, she intended to use this bone to forcefully summon the demon.
Hu Ma had been quietly observing all this time, admiring Zhang Aogu's quick thinking. As a master of summoning ghosts, her abilities were indeed remarkable. It was only because she encountered the formidable Five Sins Demon that she seemed to be at a disadvantage.
Hu Ma, wanting to support her, silently chanted a spell of his own—the shackling spell he had been practicing for some time. As he did, a pitiful cry echoed through the Yellow Dog Village.
It was the long-forgotten Life Slaying Altar Master, one of the Five Sins Deity's incense burners, who had been bound by Hu Ma's spell. His body gradually shrank into a ball, and a dark shadow emerged from within, bowing repeatedly to the two black-robed figures.
The straw rope tied around his body slowly untied itself, and as it did, it transformed into a chain, clinking as it slithered into the Yellow Dog Village and down the well, from which black water constantly flowed.
The two black-robed warriors, with their hands on their belt daggers, hurried towards the well.
The Five Sins Deity had already fled, never engaging in a proper battle with the Mountain Lord. Its malevolent energy instantly withdrew, retreating from Mingzhou Prefecture and back to its Five Sins Temple.
Even the usually overflowing Five Sins Temple suddenly restrained its malevolent energy, becoming silent and inconspicuous. It no longer resembled the awe-inspiring structure it once was, visible from afar.
"Enough," the Five Sins Deity thought to himself.
Although he had lost five of his incense burners, he had gained a rough understanding of the Hu Family's background.
While his knowledge was incomplete, it could serve as a foundation to approach the other Ten Clans and seek protection for himself.
As for his reputation, it was of little importance. He could simply avoid entering Mingzhou Prefecture again and hide.
Just as he was thinking this, he heard the clinking of chains, growing louder as if approaching from a distance with incredible speed. Startled, the Five Sins Deity saw the two black-robed figures suddenly appear before the temple.
The dark chains coiled towards him, and he was shocked beyond measure. He couldn't even fathom how they had managed to capture him.
"Huff!"
But he refused to be bound, and his cry shook the surroundings, causing the two black-robed figures to stumble backward, their bodies suddenly catching fire. The chains they held became uncontrollable, on the verge of snapping.
"I can't summon him..."
On the altar in the nearby Greenstone Town, Zhang Aogu's eyes snapped open. She saw the two scarecrows beside her suddenly catch fire, and her heart sank.
The ritual she had performed had already received assistance from a powerful figure, greatly enhancing its power.
However, using it to capture the Five Sins Demon was too much of a stretch. The two were simply not on the same level.
One misstep, and she would suffer backlash and die.
...
...
"This Five Sins Demon is truly formidable, even the spirit-binding spell can't control it..."
As the scarecrows on Zhang Aogu's altar also caught fire, Hu Ma quietly retreated with Xiao Hong Tang by his side.
This was not unexpected. Although he had not yet truly taken over the Hu family business, the skills he had learned from the Zhensui Book were useful against evil spirits and even Little Red Lantern. However, they were insufficient against the Five Sins Deity.
But he was prepared and remained calm. As he walked forward, he reached out his hand, and Xiao Hong Tang hurriedly took out three incense sticks from the basket and handed them to him.
Hu Ma took the incense and walked to an open space, facing the direction of the Old Yin Mountain and the Big Sheep Camp, with the surging malevolent energy behind him. He knelt down and lit the three incense sticks.
Then, he took out the incense ashes he had been carrying in his bosom and held them in his hand.
He silently bowed three times towards the direction of the Big Sheep Camp.
In a low voice, he prayed, "Grandmother, your grandson is unworthy. I've learned slowly and have a small heart. I've made you wait for so long."
"Today, an evil spirit is causing trouble, taking advantage of the Hu family's absence. I ask you, Grandmother, to temporarily lend me the warding artifact. After I eliminate this evil spirit, I will avenge you!"
"..."
As a descendant of the Hu family, he had the right to use that object.
However, because he was not yet capable of resolving the Extinct Village's situation and retrieving the family heirloom, he could only ask to borrow it for now.
This was also the most crucial part of the only way to kill the Five Sins Deity, as the Mountain Lord had said.
When Hu Ma first heard about this, he was taken aback, feeling a lack of confidence: "I haven't learned the skills to enter the Exorcism Bureau, nor have I resolved the Extinct Village's issue. It's as if I haven't passed Grandmother's test. How can I borrow the heirloom in advance?"
But when the Mountain Lord heard this, he suddenly laughed, "A test?"
"I will test you to see if you, the last descendant of the Hu family, are worthy."
"The Ten Clans will test you to see if you can bear the heavy karma of the Hu family and if they should consider you as one of them."
"Even the Five Sins Demon will test you to see how much of the Hu family's skills you have left, whether you are worth fearing, or if you can be used to gain other benefits."
"But only your grandmother will not test you."
"She trusts you."
"That's why she was willing to shoulder the heavy burden of the Hu family, protecting you from the storms, giving you time to learn some skills."
"..."
After saying this, he looked at Hu Ma with utmost seriousness, "If you act like a thief, only thinking of grabbing whatever you can, the Hu family's belongings will never be yours."
"But if you are willing to take on the Hu family's affairs, then their belongings are rightfully yours."
"Your grandmother left you the ash remains before she passed away. Did you think it was just a blessing?"
"..."
"..."
It was the Mountain Lord's reminder, coupled with Hu Ma's own realization that he should take action, that led to this plan from the start.
Using the Martial World Channels to kill the Five Sins Altar Master, and the Imperial Life Pattern to break the Five Sins formation, in a spell duel, he had already won. No matter how vicious and evil the Five Sins Deity was, at this point, it would surely flee.
Killing the dignitaries was extremely difficult. The opponent could transform into countless forms, and as long as the temple remained, they could not die. Even with the Mountain Lord's full power, defeating them was easy, but killing them was impossible. Fortunately, the Mountain Lord knew of a method, and he happened to be capable of executing it.
...
As these thoughts ran through his mind, he bowed and prayed with a solemn expression.
Just as his words ended, a sudden thunderclap seemed to sound in the air, and the chilly night wind blew from all directions, causing his robe and hair to flutter noisily.
Yet, the three incense sticks burning before him remained upright, seemingly unaffected by the night wind. The ash remains that had received his three bows suddenly rose, swirling and scattering into the air.
But instead of being blown away, the ash remains seemed to form a layer of mist.
This mist merged with the night sky, and Hu Ma's vision blurred, as if he saw his grandmother's figure appear before him. She was still hunched over, just as she had been when protecting him, with a kind expression and eyes filled with deep satisfaction.
"My grandson has grown up..."
Hu Ma seemed to hear her voice in his ear, smiling as she spoke, "If you're doing something important and need to use the family's belongings, why bother saying you're borrowing them?"
"Grandmother..."
Hu Ma saw his grandmother's shadow and straightened up abruptly, wanting to say something.
But there was too much he wanted to say, and at that moment, he was suddenly at a loss for words.
At the same time, the grandmother did not speak much to Hu Ma. She just kept looking at him, as if she couldn't get enough, nodding as she looked. She raised her hand to wipe away the tears that had overflowed from the corners of her eyes.
Slowly extending her hand, she caressed Hu Ma's head, and her figure gradually drifted into the night sky, growing larger and larger, until it seemed to merge with the entire night sky. A long-awaited sentence seemed to be the night sky's sigh:
"The Hu family's grandson has returned and is bowing to you all. Must you all pretend to be dead?"
(End of Chapter)
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