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Chapter 504: The Upright Official Cannot Arbitrate Family Matters
Chapter 504: The Upright Official Cannot Arbitrate Family Matters
"What's that?"
After waking up, Hu Ma took a while to calm down the burning rage that had risen within him. However, the strange feeling of annoyance and the bizarre scenes from his dream lingered in his mind, like the shadow of a haunting ghost.
This feeling was peculiar. It wasn't as if he had been harmed by someone, nor was it an ill-intentioned curse, spell, or technique that caused substantial harm. It merely made one feel uncomfortable and constantly agitated.
He also realized that this didn't seem like a good dream, but he didn't know who to turn to for an explanation.
Moreover, after waking up, the dream gradually faded from his memory. He couldn't recall what he had dreamed or heard, but he felt a bit depressed.
For the time being, he decided not to dwell on it, knowing that the most important thing was to recover his health. In theory, now that his entire body had come back to life, he wouldn't need blood nourishment and could regain his first three pillars of cultivation within a short time...
... as long as he didn't consume blood food, get injured, encounter ghosts, break his body in such a weakened state, or over-exert himself.
Currently, he was in the Blood Food Mine, receiving meticulous care. Naturally, he wouldn't engage in activities that would hinder his cultivation, and he believed that within a few days, he could restore his first three pillars of cultivation. However, he never expected that from this day forward, similar strange dreams would occur repeatedly.
Every few days, he could hear that vague murmuring voice from his dream. The leaping flames and the white banner continued to flicker before his eyes.
Sometimes, even after waking up, the white banner still swayed.
After several days of this, he became increasingly restless and mentally exhausted. The first three pillars of cultivation, which should have been restored within three or four days, were still far from complete.
If restoring the first three pillars was this difficult, then the fourth pillar would be even harder to replenish. This extra life force was originally more challenging to regain than the first three pillars.
A strong sense of foreboding arose within him, so he went out to seek advice from Old Abacus. When he reached the outside, he saw Old Abacus playing chess with Zhou Datong. Zhou Datong's left arm was wrapped in cloth and hung around his neck, while Old Abacus's right arm was similarly bound and hung around his neck.
One of them had reached the stage of refining his left arm, and once he perfected this arm, he would move on to refining his internal organs.
The other had been playing chess with Zhao Zhu, and during a heated argument over a move, Zhao Zhu had grabbed the chess piece, causing Old Abacus's arm to break.
... Old Abacus had demanded ten taels of silver from Zhao Zhu as medical expenses, infuriating Zhao Zhu to the point that he stopped playing chess altogether and dedicated himself solely to practicing the Fork Technique.
"Old brother, having fun?" Hu Ma called out from a distance, his face beaming with a smile.
Upon hearing Hu Ma, Old Abacus's expression changed drastically. He suddenly reached out and knocked over the chessboard, saying, "I just remembered I have something to do. I'm not playing today."
Zhou Datong was stunned. "But I was about to win..."
"What's the rush?" Hu Ma blocked Old Abacus's path and smiled. "Old brother, there's not much going on at the mine. Let's play a game together."
"No need." Old Abacus immediately distanced himself and firmly refused, "Playing chess with you is the most boring thing. If I win, I dare not celebrate, and if I lose, I can't afford to. Either way, I'm at a disadvantage!"
Hu Ma's expression turned awkward, so he smiled again and said, "If we don't play, then let's chat. You've been longing for that fine tea that Sun Family's seventh son sent, haven't you? Today, I'll brew a pot for you to taste!"
"Do I need you to brew it for me?" Old Abacus gave Hu Ma a peculiar look. "I have hands and feet, and I'm not incapable of stealing it myself..."
"?"
Hu Ma couldn't hold back his laughter. Seeing that the old man wasn't taking the hint, he put on a serious face and said, "Datong, go inside and get my sword."
"Tonight's a perfect night for sword practice."
"..."
Zhou Datong, still lamenting the two taels of silver he had lost to Old Abacus, saw the old man's predicament and laughed. "I'll go right away."
Old Abacus suddenly softened his tone, looking embarrassed. "You see, you're bringing up the sword again..."
"..."
"Why don't we sit down and have a chat?"
"..."
"I was thinking the same." Hu Ma smiled and sat down with him. "Old brother, you've traveled far and wide and have extensive knowledge. Do you know how to interpret dreams?"
Old Abacus was taken aback. "What kind of dream interpretation?"
Hu Ma was also surprised. "Are there different ways to interpret dreams?"
"Of course!" Old Abacus said. "One type of dream interpretation is from the rivers and lakes. I used to do it when I was a fortune-teller. As long as the person was willing to pay silver, I would give them a positive interpretation. If they dreamed of a dead person, I would say it meant they would become rich after buying a coffin."
"If they didn't want to pay, and they dreamed of lying naked with their wife, I would say it meant they were impotent and on the verge of dying..."
"In short, I'd say whatever it took to earn a living without sounding pathetic, but I'd be quick with my words."
"..."
Hu Ma was rendered speechless by his honesty. Then he said, "What about genuine dream interpretation? Understanding what happened through the dream?"
Old Abacus shook his head. "I don't know how to do that.
"What?"
Hu Ma couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Those who wander the world, do they all have such thick skin?"
"I thought you were going to ask about your friend again..."
The Old Abacus, however, gave Hu Ma a sidelong glance first, then showed a hint of interest. His aged face was filled with curiosity, "Whether it can be interpreted or not, what dream do you want to ask me about?"
"It's very strange..."
Hu Ma slowly explained, "As soon as I close my eyes, I dream of a group of people holding white banners and chanting incantations, as if calling for souls..."
"That's not possible..."
The Old Abacus said, "Your destiny is so heavy, who in this world can summon you?"
"It doesn't seem like soul-calling. It doesn't intend to bind me to the past, nor does it harm me like a nightmare. I didn't even hear my name. It's just a group of people chanting incantations and shouting strange words..."
Hu Ma furrowed his brows as he spoke, encountering this problem for the first time and finding it difficult to clearly analyze anything.
As he spoke, the Old Abacus's expression changed slightly, and he stared deeply at Hu Ma, saying in a low voice, "I can't interpret dreams, but what you're experiencing now might not be a dream. Perhaps there really is someone out there summoning you with a banner..."
"But I can't handle this matter!"
He stood up from the nearby table, shaking his head and sighing, "No one can handle it. It's a family matter that even an upright official can't judge..."
"..."
"A family matter that even an upright official can't judge?"
Hu Ma was taken aback by his words, and his brows furrowed tightly. His mind flashed with the image of the white banner, the strange bonfire, and the Old Abacus's peculiar smile, which seemed to align with what the Meng family's young master had said.
For a moment, he was stunned, perhaps due to his weakened spirit and slow reaction, and it took him a long time to recover.
As night fell and it was time to light the lamps and eat, Hu Ma's mind was still in turmoil. Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew into the valley.
From this wind, he faintly heard the sounds of suona horns and drums, a cacophony of music and noise. As the cold wind blew from afar, he lifted his head in a daze and saw a team of people dressed in festive wedding attire approaching the valley.
Before and after the team, there were jumping little ghosts who surrounded them. They reached the valley and stopped.
"Huh?"
The valley workers, those cooking and doing laundry, all poked their heads out to take a look, finding it quite novel.
Hu Ma frowned. Usually, this Blood Food Mine easily attracted evil spirits, and now they had attracted another one? Just as Zhou Datong was excitedly bringing him the knife, Hu Ma picked it up and walked towards the valley entrance, not fearing the vague ghostly figures outside.
As he approached, the Executioner's Great Saber sensed the presence of the small knife, even though it was sheathed. It released a faint aura, instantly scaring the ghosts outside into wailing and howling.
Those little ghosts, not paying attention to the sedan chair, dropped their gongs and drums, scattering in all directions. Even the wedding sedan was abandoned on the spot.
Hu Ma was about to use the knife to lift the curtain and see which ghost was so bold as to cause trouble at the mine.
However, before he could touch the curtain, a cry came from inside the sedan, "I've never seen such a rude person..."
"Uncle Hu Ma, who is Uncle Hu Ma? Come and help me, please..."
"..."
Hu Ma was stunned, sheathed his knife, and said, "I am Hu Ma. What do you mean by that?"
The bride inside the sedan cried, "I'm from the other side of Old Yin Mountain. There's a Mountain Lord who asked me to deliver a message to a Mr. Hu Ma on this side. He said that some uninvited guests have arrived in the mountain, and he wants you to go back and respond."
"I thought that since the neighbors on both sides weren't afraid of missing the auspicious time, I'd come and deliver this message. Instead of thanking me, you're so fierce, drawing your sword at the slightest disagreement."
"You scared away my servants. Do you want me to run to my wedding on my own two legs?"
"..."
"Huh?"
Upon hearing her mention the Mountain Lord, Hu Ma realized his mistake.
Seeing her crying and speaking sadly, he quickly glared at the Executioner's Saber, telling it to retract its killing intent...
...You're the Executioner, why are you so fierce even to commoners? Then he quickly bowed and said, "I was indeed rash. Thank you, Miss Bride, for delivering the message."
"Don't worry, I also know how to summon ghosts. I'll call those little ghosts back for you."
"..."
He quickly set up a simple altar, lit incense, and made offerings. The scared little ghosts were summoned back, and he ordered them to properly carry the sedan chair and deliver the bride on time.
After wasting so much time, he ordered them to break their legs.
This finally appeased the bride, and she asked Hu Ma if he wanted to follow and attend the wedding banquet. Hu Ma declined but gave her some money.
After sending off the bride, Hu Ma returned to the valley. He received the letter from the Mountain Lord, and his previously confused mind became clear, along with the doubts in his heart.
Upon returning, he said to Zhou Datong and the others, "It seems I need to prepare to go back to Mingzhou."
(End of Chapter)
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