Chapter 725: Daoist Sage Hongxuan
Chapter 725: Daoist Sage Hongxuan
Upon returning to the mountain sacrifice site, all the guests had already risen and were invited back to the village for a feast.
The incense altar grass dragon remained, and the incense smoke lingered, creating a mysterious atmosphere in the mountains, as if shrouded in night fog. The tree shadows and the fragrant breeze seemed to dance around, giving an unreal and enigmatic feeling.
Lord Second was at the incense altar, distributing the fruits and melons used in the sacrifice to the village children. When Hu Ma brought Zhao Sanyi and the others over, Lord Second casually handed him a peach, asking, "Where did you run off to just now?"
"I was so exhausted from fighting the disaster that I wanted you to come up and help, but I didn't see you anywhere. It was Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu who took the whip from my hand and fought the disaster for me. Hey, our mountain sacrifice has strict rules, and fighting the disaster here is different from other places."
"Look, I had to destroy eleven straw men to drive away the disaster."
"..."
Hu Ma looked over and indeed saw eleven piles of straw on the ground, resembling gutted monsters.
Lord Second was different from the others. He had previously discussed the black wind disaster with Hu Ma and guessed the shadow in Hu Ma's heart, so this time, he was prepared for the mountain sacrifice.
As soon as he saw the malevolent wind gaining momentum and about to transform into the black wind disaster of that year, he immediately took the whip to fight the disaster. Now, letting Hu Ma see these eleven piles of straw was also to help this young man overcome his fear.
"My original father had such great power, yet he could only hold off one disaster and ended up with no remains.
"But today, these eleven disasters came together, and you, Lord Second, defeated them all by yourself?"
Hu Ma was also deeply moved and bowed deeply to Lord Second. However, Lord Second laughed and said, "You don't need to bow to me, kid. You should properly worship your foster mother. Without her help, fighting the disaster wouldn't have been so easy!"
As he spoke, he handed over a bundle of incense.
"Huh?"
Hu Ma took the incense and looked at his foster mother, only to be startled. "Why is Foster Mother bald again?"
Following Lord Second's suggestion, he offered incense to his foster mother and respectfully bowed.
At this moment, he noticed that Foster Mother's demeanor was different from before.
To be honest, Foster Mother was just an ordinary wild spirit who had absorbed the evil energy of heaven and earth in Old Yin Mountain. It wasn't anything special, or else, why would Lady Liu'er, a dignified lady, be tied here by Lord Second with a red rope?
But now, looking at her again, she seemed to have undergone a transformation, no longer resembling the previous evil spirit.
Foster Mother should have received a righteous seal, and this righteous seal might even be stronger than the one the Hu family had received.
Theoretically, Foster Mother should be able to transform, right? However, it was unclear what form she would take after transforming into a human and whether she would have hair.
"Hmph!"
As Hu Ma was thinking about these things and offering incense and bowing, Lady Liu'er trembled in anger, sensing his thoughts: "This kid is so unfilial!"
"After all, she's been my foster mother for three years..."
"..."
Zhao Sanyi and the others, standing behind Hu Ma, felt conflicted as they watched him burn incense and worship. Zhou Si, standing nearby, approached and gave Zhao Sanyi a questioning look.
Zhao Sanyi sighed, "After all, we are guests in their village. The etiquette we observe depends on how we view them. If we consider him just a Ghost Walker Great Swordmaster, then we are a generation above him, and there's no need for such formalities."
"But if we treat him as a friend, then we are of the same generation. If he bows to his elders, we should also follow suit!"
"..."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Si immediately understood and stepped forward to ask Lord Second for a bundle of incense.
Seeing her approach, Zhao Sanyi and Chen A Bao exchanged glances and followed suit, bowing after Hu Ma.
Of course, they didn't bow their heads.
As disciples of the Ten Surnames, they followed proper etiquette when traveling in the outside world, but they also knew their teachings well and would not bow their heads easily.
Mainly, there were few outside who could accept their bow.
Even though they had only bowed once, it carried weight in the realm of the unseen, causing Foster Mother's remaining few willow branches to tremble. The confidence she had gained from becoming a deity instantly crumbled, and she began to shiver again.
"Lord Second, let's return to the village. We'll clean up tomorrow. The General in charge of food reserves has had his wine, so we should return tonight."
Just as Lord Second was watching Hu Ma bow and curiously observing these well-mannered youngsters, someone nearby shouted, and it was the old clan leader, urging Lord Second. He arrived just as Hu Ma and the others were getting up.
He was also curious, "Huh? Hu, who are these people?"
Hu Ma hurriedly smiled and introduced them, "This one is Zhao, this one is Chen, and this one is Zhou."
"They are my friends who came to our village to observe the ceremony and gain experience. However, they arrived late and missed it."
"..."
"Oh, they are distant guests, distant guests."
The old clan leader quickly stepped forward and bowed, but his eyes kept shifting between Chen A Bao and Zhou Si. He couldn't help but glance at Lord Second, who also looked perplexed. Without words, the two brothers communicated their thoughts:
"Are these two girls..."
"I'm not sure."
"I think they are. Otherwise, why would a young lady from a respectable family come to a men's village without any introduction?"
"..."
Upon returning to the village, the atmosphere became even more lively. Hu Ma, of course, didn't want to reveal their identities in the village, as doing so would startle the villagers, and the people from the jianghu would be terrified.
So, they were only seated with the General in charge of food security, and the surrounding gazes immediately became more intense, shifting back and forth between Hu Ma and Chen A Bao and Miss Zhou Si, who were sitting beside them.
Zhao San Yi, being a sharp individual, quickly understood the situation. He hurriedly embraced Chen A Bao, who was beside him, and said, "This is my fiancee-to-be."
"We were betrothed since childhood."
"..."
Hearing this, the villagers heaved a collective sigh of relief.
When they looked at Miss Zhou Si again, they became even more enthusiastic. Even the bowl of fried meatballs that Chen A Bao had his eyes on was brought to Miss Zhou Si.
'This one is better. She has a waist like a waist and a bottom like a bottom. She's more like a proper young lady than that one with dark circles under her eyes...'
'...'
The wind was gentle, and the clouds were light. After the Mountain Sacrifice, blessings naturally arose.
At this moment, outside the Old Yin Mountain, the Thirty-Six Governors had all been defeated, leaving only a few large white lanterns scattered on the ground, creating a chaotic scene.
Just now, they had witnessed the Golden Armor Warriors slaughtering the Governors. The Senior Apprentice of the Ox-Free Sect and the Eighth Gate Disciple showed no intention of intervening. But as the sunlight reappeared outside the Old Yin Mountain, they led their disciples to sit in meditation right there.
"Senior Apprentice, aren't we supposed to pay our respects to the Sect Leader?"
The Eighth Gate Disciple said, "Why are we sitting here now? There's not a soul around, and no one to cook us a meal."
"Returning the gods to the people. The Meng Family's bridge is lost, and it seems like the trend has been suppressed for twenty years, all for this day."
The Senior Apprentice of the Ox-Free Sect sighed and said, "The Ten Surnames cannot accommodate the Water Spirit. Inside the Old Yin Mountain, the gods are reborn. But even if it's just for a day, borrowing half the world's incense offerings, it's like a fleeting flower. We, the Ox-Free Sect, must guard these gods for the people."
"Of course..."
He smiled and said, "We also need to shield our Sect Leader from unnecessary troubles."
The disciples understood. This was the reason why the Senior Apprentice had decided to come and pay respects to the Sect Leader from the start.
When he invited the Ox-Free Sect to prepare for the Mountain Sacrifice, he had already guessed this.
In the woods, as Hu Ma was drinking, he saw a flash of red. Little Crimson Elm ran in from outside, lifted the cloth covering the basket, and showed Hu Ma the Golden Armor Collection, which had been returned.
Not only had it been returned, but there was also an extra incense stick. Seeing Hu Ma's curiosity, Little Crimson Elm had originally intended to speak directly, but seeing Zhao San Yi on the side, offering a toast to Lord Second while his ears were perked up, she decided not to.
Not wanting this sly fellow to overhear, she tiptoed and whispered in Hu Ma's ear, "Mountain Lord Grandpa asked me to give this to you. He said that since you trusted him and lent him the Golden Armor Collection, he will trust you too."
"He knows you want to see what he's guarding. Now, he has agreed."
"..."
Hu Ma heaved a sigh of relief. He had originally thought that after completing this task, he would find Mountain Lord and have a proper talk.
Unexpectedly, this senior had agreed on his own initiative.
His doubts vanished, and anticipation grew. He was just waiting to send off Zhao San Yi and the others, planning to set off immediately that night. But at this moment, amidst the guests toasting and drinking, Hu Ma thought he might be seeing things, for he saw a familiar figure approaching.
He hesitantly approached Hu Ma and whispered, "Shopkeeper, I didn't want to come, but..."
He turned and looked back, his expression conflicted. "Master wants to see you!"
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma was startled. His gaze lingered on Old Abacus's face for a moment before looking past him.
In that instant, he saw an old man in a brand-new Daoist robe with silver beard and white hair, sitting at the table next to Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu. The old man turned towards him with a smile and said, "The bridge-seizing demon, summoning the gods to the altar, the Hu Family's disciple, what impressive skills you have!"
"You!"
Hu Ma's eyebrows furrowed upon hearing his words. He stared intently.
This sentence was as good as revealing his identity, but in that instant, he suddenly felt something amiss. He saw that everyone around was still eating and drinking, toasting and celebrating.
Not just others, but even Zhao San Yi beside him had his ears perked up, yet he seemed completely unaware, as if he hadn't seen the Daoist in front of him or heard his words.
"The Hu Family, known for their ruthless hearts and skilled hands, never expected this generation to be even more ruthless."
The Daoist smiled and stood up, saying to Hu Ma, "Using the feud between the Hu and Meng families as an excuse, you've poked a hole in the sky. Those reincarnates will surely remember this immense favor you've done them."
Looking at this man, Hu Ma's heart was filled with alarm. He said gravely, "Who are you?"
The Daoist smiled and waved his dust-sweeping whisk, saying, "I am Dongxuan, once the National Daoist Sage of Duke Yi. I suppress evil spirits, seal ghosts, and established the Stone Pavilion Alliance."
"Indeed, you are the Hu Family's guardian."
(End of Chapter)
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