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Chapter 507: Qingyuan Hu Clan
Chapter 507: Qingyuan Hu Clan
The Red Lantern Society had three types of disciples: Red Fragrance, Green Fragrance, and White Fragrance, and the same applied to their attendants.
The attendants were distinguished by the color of the sashes tied around their waists, thus they were known as White Sash, Green Sash, and Red Sash.
Di Gua Shao had defected from the Green Robe Guild and joined the Red Lantern Society, but she wasn't assigned any real tasks. Instead, she was rewarded with the position of a junior attendant. However, her status as an attendant wasn't earned through the society's training, so she was only a White Sash junior attendant.
Of course, unlike disciples and managers, most of these attendants who joined the society mid-way were White Sash attendants, and their status within the society wasn't high. But this didn't necessarily mean their skills were inferior.
Moreover, they weren't in Shi Ma Town anymore; they had returned to Mingzhou, the territory of the Red Lantern Lady. Even the society's disciples wouldn't dare provoke anyone in the area, let alone an attendant who clearly possessed extraordinary skills? Normally, revealing such a title would prompt others to eagerly seek connections, and a White Sash junior attendant could still intimidate people.
"The Red Lantern Society?"
Unexpectedly, the person under the green banner, upon seeing the ghosts under Di Gua Shao's command, began to hurl vulgar insults at her, their words harsh and aggressive. They further witnessed Di Gua Shao introducing herself as a White Sash junior attendant, but her face only revealed a trace of cold ridicule.
"Driving away ghosts in broad daylight, the Red Lantern Society has gone mad!"
It was still early morning, and the thin mist had yet to disperse. The sun hadn't risen, but the roosters had already crowed.
Hu Ma had just finished his morning rituals at dawn, while Di Gua Shao was eager to continue their journey, and she hadn't sent away the ghosts yet.
As soon as the other party opened their mouth, they began to reprimand Di Gua Shao harshly, speaking from a position of superiority, which seemed a bit impolite. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to carry themselves with an air of authority reminiscent of the government.
Upon hearing this, Di Gua Shao glared, "Oh? Quite bold words. Are you looking for trouble?"
As she scolded, the ghosts carrying the palanquin joined in with their own curses.
The followers under the green banner didn't say much more. Instead, they pulled out a colorful flag from their sleeves and approached indifferently, ready to take action without uttering a word.
Although Di Gua Shao didn't know the other party's cultivation level, she wasn't afraid. She also grabbed a handful of spirit money and made a gesture to scatter it, all the while her eyes darting around, searching for Hu Ma's location to see how far away he was.
"Both of you, stop it! No more shouting, and definitely no fighting. Don't scare the villagers who are about to start their farm work..."
Just as both sides were about to clash, they heard a series of shouts from the side. A palanquin emerged from a patch of withered grass, carried by two robust yellow-skinned men. Sitting inside was an emaciated old lady holding a tobacco pipe, seemingly having just returned from a drinking session. As the carriers walked, the palanquin swayed, and she swayed along with it.
When they reached Di Gua Shao, the old lady knocked on her tobacco pipe and said, "You usually wander around here, and we don't bother you. But why are you so arrogant today, wanting to fight so early in the morning?"
"You better watch out. Although Seventh Aunt usually lets you off, if you anger me, you won't be able to handle the consequences!"
"..."
Seeing the old lady, the person under the green banner let out a cold laugh, knowing her status wasn't to be trifled with. However, they didn't want to show weakness in front of her, so they slowly put the flag back into their sleeve, gave a cold humph, and left with their followers.
Even Di Gua Shao found this strange, muttering to herself as she looked at the old lady.
"Hmm, this young lady is quite pretty..."
Seventh Aunt sat in her palanquin and approached Di Gua Shao, examining her for a moment. Her eyes still carried a hint of intoxication as she lowered her voice and said, "That group just now was very arrogant. They come here every day to pick fights, and they even took advantage of the darkness to measure the land..."
"Seventh Aunt, I'm also familiar with your Red Lantern Society, so I came to advise this young lady. They have a strong force, and even the important figures in your society avoid them. You shouldn't provoke them!"
"..."
As she spoke, she swayed and weaved her way through the imperial highway and into the withered grass on the other side.
Di Gua Shao was left standing there, dumbfounded. "How did our Red Lantern Society become so timid in just a few days?"
"If we can't act boldly here, then what's the point of joining the Red Lantern Society?"
"..."
As she pondered, she was about to look for Hu Ma to discuss the matter, but when she looked up, the road ahead was empty, and Hu Ma had already disappeared.
"It seems like this time, the visitors are indeed unfriendly..."
Hu Ma, upon seeing the arrogance and recklessness of the person carrying the Green Lotus banner, realized that the recent events in Mingzhou were not as simple as they seemed.
He had been considering whether to enter the village to check on Li Wa Zi and the others, but now he decided to save himself the trouble. He turned and headed directly towards Old Yin Mountain. After entering the mountain, he immediately lit three pillars of incense.
"Humbly inviting the Mountain Lord to descend..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a fragrant breeze stirred within the mountain, causing his body to float into the air.
Recognizing this wind, he allowed it to carry him away, his body swaying as his head spun. He quickly smelled the aroma of wine and meat, and heard the sounds of joy and laughter in his ears.
Opening his eyes, he found himself in a village, with three to five wooden tables in front of him, where people were toasting and drinking. He was sitting next to an incense burner.
The Mountain Lord sat upright behind the incense table, with three cups of plain wine placed before him.
"Another feast?" Hu Ma glanced around and noticed that this feast seemed to be a baby's full-moon celebration. A farming couple held their baby, showing it to the guests. On the offerings presented to the Mountain Lord, there were also three red eggs.
Of course, they were merely paying their respects and had no idea that the Mountain Lord was actually there, sitting behind the table, nor did they know that Hu Ma had joined them.
But Hu Ma was curious. He knew the Mountain Lord enjoyed festivities and would always appear wherever offerings were made. However...
...Would he even attend a baby's full-moon celebration?
"They've set up a feast in my honor, and since I have nothing better to do, why not enjoy it?"
The Mountain Lord seemed to read Hu Ma's thoughts and replied nonchalantly, glancing at him as he spoke. He slowly nodded, "This time, you've made significant progress. You've finally shown some of the Ten Surnames' demeanor!"
"Huh?" Hu Ma was taken aback by this statement.
What did he mean by showing some demeanor?
In just over a month, he had entered the mansion, pushed open two mansion gates, cultivated the Great Heavenly General Seal, forged the Punish Official Ferocious Blade, and broken through the Three Pillar Cultivation...
...This was more than just progress; it was a complete transformation.
He was like a different person compared to before he went to the Blood Food Mine. Elder, you wouldn't be exaggerating to say that I've undergone a rebirth. Why are you so calm about it?
"The Hu Clan's fortune now rests on you. With such progress, it's only natural, isn't it?"
The Mountain Lord continued to enjoy the simple wine offering from the mountain people, glancing at Hu Ma. "On the contrary, if you hadn't made this progress, I'd be worried about calling you back. I'm not sure if you could handle it!"
"I understand."
Hearing the Mountain Lord's words, Hu Ma's expression turned serious.
Recalling the recent disturbances caused by the banner and the strange person he had encountered in the mountains, his face grew somber. "Senior, you called me back because of an unsolicited guest. Are you referring to..."
"..."
"Of course, it's the Hu Clan."
The Mountain Lord spoke calmly, "They followed the Truth Sect to Mingzhou Capital. Needless to say, they came for you. You must have felt some discomfort these past few days, right?"
"Yes," Hu Ma replied softly, but his troubled expression was evident. "The Hu Clan... how can there still be members? I thought only I was left alive."
This had been a mystery to him ever since he heard the news from the Meng Family's second son.
The Mountain Lord explained, "The Ten Surnames are all prominent families. Since the Black Celestial's descent, they have received the world's fortune, and their descendants are numerous. The clan's ancestral hall is comparable to the combined fire pits of other counties. How could such a vast and mighty clan be left with only you?"
Hu Ma's heart was filled with confusion upon hearing these words.
He had wondered about this before. The Ten Surnames were renowned for their prestige and wealth.
Even a distant relative of the Shadow Bridge Meng Clan could wield power in the Mingzhou Capital. How could the Hu Clan, known for their ghost-summoning ancestors, end up with only him as the sole survivor? Yet, everyone he met had told him that the Zhen sui Hu Clan had only one remaining member...
...How could this be explained?
"But..."
Just as Hu Ma's doubts peaked, the Mountain Lord sighed softly, "The Zhen sui Hu Clan does indeed have only you left."
"Others with the surname Hu, though they share your surname, are no longer of the same Hu Clan."
"Even if they are closely related to you by blood, they could be considered your cousins."
"..."
Hu Ma was shocked. "Why?"
"They separated from the main family."
The Mountain Lord turned to look at Hu Ma and slowly explained, "It was a complete separation, even in the worship of their ancestors."
"So, only your family is the Zhen sui Hu Clan, and you are the sole survivor."
"..."
"Separation?"
As Hu Ma listened, his heart filled with even more astonishment.
In the countryside and villages, family separations were common. When a family had several able-bodied members, they would often split up and live independently once they came of age. This was the origin of the saying, 'Brothers keep separate accounts.'
However, such separations were more common among smaller families. In many large households, even after the children grew up, they would live in different courtyards but still respect and care for their elders together. Moreover, being of the same ancestor, they would naturally worship their ancestors together.
It was surprising that the Hu Clan had separated so thoroughly that even the worship of their ancestors was divided. Stranger still, the Zhen sui Hu Clan, being one of the Ten Surnames and the largest branch, had been the one separated.
He had heard of family separations, but never of a separation that excluded the main branch...
"They refused to take on that responsibility, so they didn't receive the decree from the Demon Suppressing Bureau. Technically speaking, they no longer belong to the Zhen sui Hu Clan lineage..."
The Mountain Lord understood his confusion and sighed, "But they are indeed from the Qingyuan Hu Clan, just like you..."
(End of Chapter)
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