Chapter 695: What Decorum?
Chapter 695: What Decorum?
"Haha, Hu Laodi, for your clan's Mountain Sacrifice, you didn't send an invitation to me. That's not very thoughtful of you!"
The two groups of people were riding horses, and they arrived quickly. As they approached, they reined in their horses and dismounted, laughing heartily as they walked forward.
One had gray, flowing beard and a broad back, while the other had a fair complexion and no beard, with narrow eyes. They were none other than the Left Flank General of the White Armored Army, Elder Sun Tong, and the Great Master of the Iron Cauldron, Master Tang.
Compared to the General Guardian of Supplies, the people in the village were unfamiliar with these two, and they weren't as afraid of them. However, the various leaders of the martial world around them were startled upon seeing these two and hurriedly came forward to pay their respects.
"I... my goodness..."
In the distance, the village's Elder Patriarch, Second Uncle, and Iron Fist Peng were already shocked, their bodies stiffening.
Why would a figure like the General Guardian of Supplies condescend to come to the Great Sheep Village to observe the ceremony?
The most crucial question was, this Hu family boy hadn't even held an official position, so why was the wife of the General Guardian of Supplies bowing to him?
"Oh no, oh no..."
Further away, Iron Fist Peng had just squeezed to the village entrance, and he was already dumbfounded. He took a deep breath and didn't dare to exhale for a long time.
His disciples beside him also realized something was amiss and hurriedly said, "Master, these two seem to be from our sect, but I can't tell the extent of their skills. Do you... do you recognize them?"
"That... that is..."
Iron Fist Peng stammered, "That's Elder Sun, the Guardian of Ganzhou, and the one next to him should be Master Tang of the Great Treasure, the Iron Cauldron. They are both Grand Masters who have entered the Duke's Gate and are among the top figures in our sect..."
"How did they come here as well?"
"..."
On one side, Elder Sun and Master Tang exchanged greetings with Hu Ma and the General. Elder Sun laughed and said, "Hu Laodi, I've been wanting to come to your village to pay respects to the esteemed master, but I didn't know if your teacher, Elder Zhou, was in the village."
Hu Ma smiled and supported Second Uncle, saying, "This is my teacher, Second Uncle Zhou."
Elder Sun was taken aback, "Really?"
"Is there any doubt?"
Hu Ma smiled, "I've only bowed to this one teacher. It's the real deal!"
"Oh my..."
Without another word, Elder Sun lifted his long robe and prepared to kneel, "Elder, please accept my bow."
Second Uncle's face turned pale, and he hurriedly said, "No, no, I can't accept this..."
"It's only right."
Even Hu Ma felt that Elder Sun shouldn't bow, as he seemed older than Second Uncle, and the bow seemed somewhat awkward.
However, unexpectedly, Elder Sun was an elder who valued traditions. He spoke seriously, "I am of the same generation as Brother Hu, and I admire his skills. I've long wanted to pay respects to the esteemed master, and now that I've met an elder for the first time and it's during the Mountain Sacrifice, how can I not bow?"
As he spoke, he bowed respectfully.
Beside him, Yang Gong, seeing this, also reacted.
Although he had a humble background and lacked education in his youth, he wasn't familiar with these formalities, but he didn't put on airs. Seeing that this person was Hu Ma's teacher, he knelt down and smiled, "So you're the teacher who taught my brother such formidable skills. In that case, I should kowtow as well."
As they knelt, Second Uncle couldn't support himself, and countless people at the village entrance were already stunned.
It was as if numerous necks had been choked, and not a single person made a sound.
The villagers of the Great Sheep Village and the neighboring areas were so shocked that many pinched themselves, wondering if they were dreaming in broad daylight.
The Second Uncle, currently being supported by Hu Ma and receiving bows from these esteemed figures, still looked like the familiar old bachelor of the Zhou family. But why did it seem like they were meeting him for the first time?
"Everything's gone haywire, everything's gone haywire..."
Iron Fist Peng, with his white beard blowing in the wind, was so shocked that he dared not even breathe.
His face turned pale, then flushed, and he felt a chill down his neck.
"Master, what should we..."
His disciples, equally stunned, asked, "Should we go up and greet them too?"
"Good heavens, the General Guardian of Supplies and the Guardian Grand Master are bowing to your disciple. Your prestige will surely soar to the heavens!"
"..."
"Go greet them, my foot..."
But Iron Fist Peng was trembling with fear. He lifted his sleeve to cover his face and whispered, "Let's go quickly, before anyone sees us. Hurry!"
"Huh?"
His disciples were startled, "But you said we should establish our position first so that we can speak later."
"That was before!"
Iron Fist Peng was already pushing through the crowd, his voice low with a hint of regret, "Logically, if he calls me 'Master,' we have the upper hand."
"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Great deeds override logic'?"
"Who knows what incense the Great Sheep Village's ancestors burned to have such prestige? If we forcefully insert ourselves, we'll only bring disaster upon ourselves..."
"Let's go quickly. Forget about that official position, and we can't stay in Mingzhou Capital. Let's find a new life elsewhere..."
"..."
As they spoke, they had already quietly slipped out of the crowd and were about to leave, not daring to pass through the village entrance but instead climbing over the rear fence.
Before leaving, he suddenly remembered something and asked his junior disciple in a low voice, "Do you still have the martial arts manual I left for you to study? Take it out quickly and leave this task to the village."
"In the future, it might just save your life!"
"..."
Seeing the seriousness in his words, the disciples hurriedly took out the manual and placed it on the mat, then quickly found a place to slip out of the village, leaving behind their carriages and sedan chairs.
Hu Ma invited everyone to return to the village and sit down. General Guardian of Supplies, Elder Sun, Master Tang, and the others sat outside at the open-air banquet, while the General's wife was in the inner room, chatting with several village women.
Although everyone was well-acquainted, with General Guardian of Supplies present, it was only right for him to take the seat of honor. But how dare Yang Gong take Hu Ma's place? Instead, he pushed Second Uncle Zhou, the host, to the seat of the honored guest.
With so many important figures praising him, Second Uncle Zhou felt uneasy. He kept stealing glances at Hu Ma, who was lowering his head to drink. Hu Ma seemed to take pleasure in Second Uncle Zhou's current embarrassment.
Where was the old man's bold and uninhibited air from his past as a wanderer? Now he seemed as shy as a young bride.
As he greeted everyone, he glanced around and noticed that Iron Fist Peng was no longer there. Instead, he saw a scroll that had been intentionally left behind. He quietly instructed Zhou Datong to take it, but he didn't rush to inform Second Uncle Zhou.
It was a joyous occasion, and there was no need to rush to find a venue. Now that he knew Iron Fist Peng's name, he wasn't worried about not being able to find him in Mingzhou Prefecture.
Second Uncle Zhou also wanted to ask about Iron Fist Peng, but Hu Ma told him not to worry. With everyone around him engaging Second Uncle Zhou in conversation, his unease gradually dissipated.
This day was the most glorious day in the history of Great Sheep Village. Not only did General Guardian of Supplies come, but also the formidable Elder Sun, Master Tang, and various other dignified elders whom they had only heard of but never seen before.
Not only did the people from other villages completely submit to Great Sheep Village's qualifications for the Mountain Sacrifice, but even the villagers of Great Sheep Village themselves felt like they were in a dream, filled with joy.
Now, as he stole glances at Hu Ma, he finally understood what Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu had said.
As the banquet began, the entire village was filled with bustling voices, joy, and bright lights. Even the deep and serene Old Yin Mountain seemed to become more peaceful.
"Second Uncle Zhou said that people's energy can ward off disasters and happiness can avert calamities. Although it's just an old saying from the countryside, the situation in the village right now seems to be able to ward off all troubles."
Hu Ma couldn't help but think of Second Uncle Zhou's words. For a moment, he instinctively believed them, but then he scoffed inwardly. If it were that easy, his father in his previous life wouldn't have lost his life.
During the banquet, as the atmosphere became livelier, everyone knew that General Guardian of Supplies loved telling dirty jokes. But with his wife by his side, he dared not speak them, so the conversation turned to the situation in the nearby areas of Mingzhou Prefecture and the affairs of the world, filling the table with an air of iron-blooded warfare.
Just at that moment, the candle in the center of the table suddenly burst into several candle flowers, interrupting the conversation.
Everyone was startled for a moment, then laughed, "The bursting candle flowers signify good luck. How fitting!"
Before they could finish speaking, the candle in the center suddenly burst into another candle flower, and the flame gradually dimmed and went out.
For a moment, everyone fell silent. A cold wind blew from afar, chilling them to the bone.
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma glanced at the extinguished candle, his eyes instantly turning cold. He slowly turned his head and looked towards the depths of the mountain, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.
Following the direction of the cold wind, everyone looked and saw several stiff-bodied, pale-faced figures approaching silently from the shadows.
At the front was Iron Fist Peng, his hands clasped behind his back, slowly walking step by step towards the banquet table. His eyes scanned the faces of the crowd with a chilling gaze, finally settling on Second Uncle Zhou. "Zhou Hui, you know nothing of etiquette."
"Since you bowed before me and called me Master, you are my disciple. Now that your Master is here, you set up a banquet without inviting me and even dared to sit in the seat of honor. What kind of propriety is this?"
"You've taught several disciples, but not one of them has come to pay respects to me, their Master. What kind of custom is this?"
"..."
The surroundings fell into dead silence as countless eyes fixed on them. In the dead of night, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, an inexplicable sense of terror.
(End of Chapter)
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