Chapter 457: The Legend of the Stone Horse
Chapter 457: The Legend of the Stone Horse
'Western Kunlun?'
Hu Ma's heart stirred, and although he had already entered the mansion and was not easily deceived, now that he had cultivated a Dharmic Form and his divine soul had grown stronger, he felt like a dignitary. Even if he was momentarily unaware, his mind quickly grasped the situation.
However, sensing something amiss, he didn't immediately reveal it. Instead, he looked at the old man with a smile and said, "Your hometown has a nice name, but it sounds like it's not very close..."
"It's not that far..."
Upon hearing this, the white-bearded old man smiled and waved his hand, saying, "It's just behind the mountain, on that hill covered with red sour jujubes. There's a dried-up pond there, where my young master grew up and lived before he brought it back to the mansion."
"When my young master was mischievous, he made up a story about a general who retired and returned to his hometown, riding a horse to slay plague spirits. Since the hill was in the west, he named it West Kun Cang, and the bald mountain in the east became East Huashan. The pond in the south became Jade Pool, and the pavilion on the northern hilltop was named Heavenly Pavilion..."
"I don't know what it's all about, but it sounds nice."
"I watched my young master grow up from a young age until he got into trouble and implicated our entire family. Everyone was cursed to death, except for me, who had no one to care for, and I survived."
"Later, the town became desolate, but some of the young master's friends and followers returned. They entrusted me with some of his old belongings. Then, a group of people came to exchange pine boards for blessings and moved into the mansion."
"I don't know how they did it, but within a year or two, the town became lively again. Watching them, I feel delighted, as if the young master has returned..."
"..."
Listening to the old man's words, Hu Ma's heart began to understand something. He looked deeply into the old man's eyes, which were blurry, and he smiled warmly at Hu Ma.
There was a hint of familiarity and closeness in his eyes, causing Hu Ma's heart to skip a beat.
"Have you been living here all this time?"
Hu Ma shook his head subtly, dismissing the strange sense of familiarity. He studied the old man and slowly asked, "Then you must know a lot about this town and the stone horse, right?"
The white-bearded old man laughed, "If anyone knows this town well, it's me. Several generations have lived here, but I've been the only one guarding this place."
Hu Ma's heart stirred as he looked at the old man and asked, "Have you ever heard of the legend of the stone horse in this town?"
"The stone horse?"
The white-bearded old man smiled and turned to Hu Ma, "It's just a mud statue, what legend could it have?"
"Of course, it's the legend of a retired general returning to his hometown, riding a horse to slay plague spirits..."
Hu Ma continued, recounting the story he had heard from the old abacus. "Now, the general has passed away, and his tomb cannot be found, but the stone horse still stands guard over the town, doesn't it?"
"Is there a way to awaken this stone horse again, so it can follow the general and continue slaying plague spirits, bringing blessings to the people?"
"..."
"You're asking about that..."
In response to Hu Ma's earnest inquiry, the white-bearded old man laughed and waved his hand. "This was all a playful tale made up by my young master."
"I clearly remember that there was no retired general, nor was there any horse-riding plague spirit slayer. The stone horse was originally created by a wealthy gentleman in town to guard his tomb. Initially, there were two horses, but one was later broken."
"The sculptor was just a rural craftsman, not a master at all. How could it be anything special?"
"..."
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma was taken aback by this revelation, as it seemed to contradict his previous assumptions.
If it was just a mud statue, how could it be awakened?
Why was the Great Crimson Robe so insistent on leaving this message for him? Was he confused and didn't truly understand the situation, or did he fail to explain it clearly?
Hu Ma hesitated and turned to the white-bearded old man, "But I heard that this stone horse can be awakened?"
"You'll have to ask my young master about that. He's the one who made up the story. My young master has always been clever and witty. Even at a young age, he would say things that others couldn't understand, but later they would make sense."
The old man continued, "For example, there was a plague spirit in the nearby mountain that caused an outbreak. My young master made up this story, and everyone went to worship the stone horse. Surprisingly, the plague was eradicated, and the people found peace."
"Later, the town's population died out twice, but for some reason, the practice of worshipping the stone horse persisted. Whenever there were people in town, someone would go to offer incense."
"..."
The old man's voice was rambling, making it difficult to discern the truth.
Hu Ma listened silently and then asked, "So, what about the items you mentioned earlier that were entrusted to you? What were they, and who gave them to you?"
"They were just some old belongings of my young master."
"Elder Pine, what happened after the Young Master got into trouble?" Hu Ma asked.
The white-bearded old man replied, "After the Young Master's incident, the entire family died, and everyone in the town fled. After a few years, some of the Young Master's friends came to pay their respects and left those old items."
"After that, people came one after another. Some of them even kowtowed to me, as if they wanted to ask for those old items. But I can't make that decision!"
"These were the Young Master's belongings. Of course, only the Young Master himself can take them. How could I give them to just anyone?"
"..."
Hu Ma furrowed his brows, staring at the old man's face, but he couldn't seem to see clearly. The sense of familiarity grew stronger, and he felt an inexplicable oppression in his heart. Exhaling slowly, he said in a deep voice, "What if your Young Master never returns?"
"He will come back..."
The white-bearded old man smiled and said, "The person who brought the Young Master's belongings back said that he would definitely return. The world will become lighter, and people will realize his importance."
"The world needs him."
"But he also said that he hopes the Young Master won't be too late in returning, otherwise, even if he comes back, there will be no solution..."
"..."
"The world will become lighter?"
Hu Ma's heart tightened at these incomprehensible words. "What does that mean?"
The white-bearded old man smiled and shook his head. "I'm just a gatekeeper, so I don't know about these things. But it seems that when the Young Master returns, he will surely understand..."
Seeing that Hu Ma seemed to have more questions, the old man waved his hand and suddenly said, "I'd like to say more, but this town is about to have visitors. Since the Young Master isn't here, could I ask you to help look after things for a while?"
"..."
"Guests?"
Looking at the amiable old man, Hu Ma felt like he could see many familiar things on his face. He steadied himself, and before he could respond, a cool breeze brushed his face, and he woke up.
Slightly surprised, he saw that the door in front of him was still closed. The white-bearded old man and everything else were just an illusion. Moved, he stood up, opened the door, and saw a towering tree outside that seemed to block out the sun.
The wind rustled the tree's branches, causing the few items hanging at the top to sway as if they might fall at any moment.
"Truth within illusion, illusion within truth," Hu Ma muttered as he gazed at the tree. After a long while, he sighed softly, "The One Coin Sect seems like a theatrical troupe, but even in a troupe, there's one truth among nine illusions..."
"You gave me the Grand Heavenly General Seal from the very beginning. Were you waiting for me from that moment on?"
"And the guests..."
"..."
"..."
"Sect Leader... no, Master, Master..."
Hu Ma stood under the old willow tree, deep in thought, when he suddenly heard joyful cries from outside. Turning his head, he was surprised to see Miao Shan Fairy approaching again, her expression a mix of astonishment and excitement.
Hu Ma frowned. "What's wrong?"
Miao Shan Fairy became more composed under his gaze, but she couldn't contain her excitement. "They're here! I never expected so many people to come..."
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma was also taken aback. He followed her out of the mansion and onto a high spot, looking out. He was amazed to see that the sun had already risen, bathing everything in a bright, white light.
On the mountain road leading to the town, there were unexpectedly large groups of commoners. Some were in tattered clothing, some pushed small carts, and others led skinny donkeys. They carried children, held the elderly, and supported the weak. From a distance, they looked like swarms of ants heading towards the town.
Stone Horse Town was already quite populated, but now it seemed even more bustling, with people crowding together. The number of people seemed to have increased tenfold in an instant, not to mention the continuous influx of more people into the town.
Hu Ma's expression changed as he exclaimed, "But the roads outside have been sealed off!"
"Yes!" Miao Shan Fairy quickly replied, "No one can leave, but surprisingly, there's no problem with people coming in. We had already spread the word about the Lantern Festival Fair. With the strong enemy outside, we were planning to keep a low profile."
"But since the news couldn't get out, the commoners outside didn't know. They came on this day because of the fair."
"What we didn't expect was that it seemed like all the commoners within a few hundred li had come. Just looking at it now, this Lantern Festival Fair is ten times more lively than we imagined."
"..."
"We've set a three-day agreement. The County Magistrate from outside is about to break in. With their skills, dispersing the incoming commoners shouldn't be difficult. Why did they let them in?"
Even Hu Ma found this strange. He focused his gaze for a long time on the vast crowd below, then sighed softly and said, "I'll go take a look outside. You can make whatever arrangements you need to..."
"Yes, yes, the matter of the Pavilion's Guardian Deity..."
"Wait!"
(End of Chapter)
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