Chapter 729: The Fourth Generation Chief Priest
Chapter 729: The Fourth Generation Chief Priest
The State Preceptor left with the candlelight, and the cellar was plunged into darkness, as if all sounds had been devoured.
Hu Ma remained standing in the darkness, his emotions swirling endlessly.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, his thoughts weren't about what the State Preceptor had said, but instead, he was pondering the confusion that had plagued him since his appearance in this world, the doubts that weighed heavily on his heart.
No one had ever explained anything to him, so he had to feel his way through everything, and even when he was pushed to the limit and had to take action, he could only proceed with caution.
In fact, he had long been suspicious. Why did he reincarnate, yet his Life Spirit Temple was in ruins? Why was it so easy for him to cultivate the Lao Jun Mei technique? Why did it always seem like someone was arranging things for him, and why did he feel like he was being watched?
Most importantly, why couldn't he be as carefree as the other reincarnates and maintain that detachment from this world?
Only now did he realize with a bitter smile that he had been living in an illusion all along.
The Mountain Lord said his mind was in chaos, and it truly was.
Ever since he woke up, his heart had never been at ease!
If he was a reincarnate, then the Hu Clan's identity was something he had stolen. If he was a reincarnate, but his Life Spirit Temple was in ruins, different from others, then no matter who he became, he would never feel truly grounded.
"But..."
As he pondered these thoughts, a sudden surge of determination welled up within him. He clenched his fists and pounded his heart fiercely, forcing down the formless panic that was churning within:
"I've walked the rivers and lakes for several years. How could I be scared into losing my composure just because of his words?"
"What I see is what I know, and what I think is where I am."
He muttered these words to himself.
He had experienced a period of confusion and finally regained consciousness after seven days. He had also gone through the process of transforming from a dead person to a living one, step by step.
That feeling of rebirth gave him a sense of clarity amidst the chaos: "No matter what that old man said, I am still myself. What's there to worry about? When faced with a problem, I'll figure it out!"
Even the State Preceptor thought that upon learning this news, Hu Ma would feel lost and confused. So, he didn't rush to tell Hu Ma everything but instead wanted to give him time to adjust and accept it.
However, he didn't know that Hu Ma was a member of the Ghost Gate Sect.
But deep down, he was a Year Guard.
Instinctively, Year Guards only trusted the abilities they possessed, and with their abilities, they feared nothing.
Moreover, since waking up in this world and learning these skills for so many years, experiencing the rivers and lakes' battles, it wasn't a waste of time.
Even Hu Ma himself struggled to describe his feelings, but upon hearing this news, his heart felt somewhat suppressed.
However, in contrast, the intangible confusion and difficulty he had felt before seemed to dissipate, and he experienced a sense of clarity he had never known before.
"I don't have time to waste here!"
He quietly listened to his heartbeat, from chaos to rapid, then to firm and slow, and his eyes gleamed with determination: "Since he spoke so much without reason, I might as well figure it out."
"Truth and falsehood, right and wrong, can always be clarified. If I say I don't understand or don't know, then Lord Second knows even less and is even more clueless. Can't I still live with such clarity? I'm his first disciple; how can I not learn this?"
He stood in the darkness for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, going through a myriad of emotional changes.
After that cup of tea, he slowly walked out, leaving the ancestral hall. Under the moonlight, his face regained its calm and determination.
He turned to look at the desolate Fox Coffin Village, feeling as if this place had been forgotten by heaven and earth. In the Old Yin Mountain, the mountain sacrifice had just been completed, and incense smoke filled the air, but here, it seemed isolated and cold, as if even the Mountain Lord's gaze couldn't reach this place.
Taking a deep breath, he approached the skeleton and gazed at the remains of his biological father.
Perhaps, even the word 'predecessor' should be omitted.
However, due to the scarcity of memories about him, Hu Ma's current emotions were more complex than sorrowful.
He even thought of the State Preceptor's words, and a sense of resentment seemed to rise within him:
"If the Meng family had offered their ancestors as a sacrifice to gain a chance to kowtow, then didn't the Hu family also sacrifice their only descendant to obtain this opportunity?"
He sighed in his heart, but he still took off his outer robe and collected the skeleton, preparing to bring it back to the Big Sheep Camp for burial.
"You..."
Just as he was wrapping the skeleton with his outer robe, he heard the sound of hesitant footsteps nearby.
Hu Ma turned his head coldly and saw Old Abacus approaching cautiously.
Upon seeing his gaze, Old Abacus immediately stopped, closed his eyes, and raised his face slightly, his body trembling.
Hu Ma took a deep breath and asked, "What are you doing?"
"I..."
Old Abacus's voice trembled, "I don't know if your next move is to twist my head off..."
Hu Ma stared at him coldly without replying.
Old Abacus panicked and spoke with a whimper, "I didn't want to come, but I had to call him Master. I can't not come. Besides, there are plenty of people in our clan with lighter bones. If I don't come, there will be plenty of others who will."
Seeing his pitiful expression, on the verge of tears and snot, Hu Ma slowly exhaled and said calmly, "Why would I twist your head?"
"Your Master only told me some things, which made me a bit confused and unable to fully trust them. So, I'll investigate, and if he's lying, I'll just twist his head off."
"Ah..."
Hearing his tone, which was much calmer than he expected, Old Abacus gathered his courage and opened his eyes, saying cautiously, "But what if what he said is true?"
Hu Ma replied indifferently, "If it's true, we can still distinguish right from wrong. What's there to be confused about?"
Old Abacus was genuinely surprised by these words. He looked Hu Ma up and down as if trying to determine if he was faking it. After a long while, he whispered, "You seem...very calm."
"Actually, this attitude is even more frightening..."
"You...you might as well cry and scream, get drunk and forget your worries!"
"..."
As he spoke, he took out a wine flask from his waist, shook it, and said, "Look, I brought the wine for you."
Hu Ma took it, took a deep breath, but didn't drink much. He handed the flask back, saying, "Remember to return the wine flask to the camp. There are only a few of them, and we only use them when entertaining guests."
"Your Master has already stolen one flask. If you steal another, the Elder will surely scold you tomorrow..."
As Old Abacus reached out, Hu Ma suddenly grabbed his wrist and stared at him, saying, "Besides, compared to this State Preceptor, I'm more curious about you right now..."
"I've long suspected your identity. You pretend to be mysterious, claiming to be of the Eleven Surnames, but I didn't think you had ill intentions. So, we let it go. But now I want to know, were you sent to keep an eye on me from the start?"
"..."
"No..."
Old Abacus was startled, and he immediately shouted, "How would I know who you are?"
"Several times, I thought I knew who you were, but each time, it seemed like a mistake."
"Besides, our clan moves around the jianghu. I never know who I'll meet. Even you, you came to me first, right? Later, at the Blood-Eating Mine, wasn't it Elder Xu who asked me to look after you?"
"Of course, of course..."
As he spoke, his lips trembled, "But to be honest, in our clan, many have light fates, and they can be attracted by those with heavy fates."
"But I never thought your fate would be this heavy..."
"Think about it. Since following you, my life has been in danger several times, yet I haven't gained any benefits. Even my current salary is still from the Red Lantern Society..."
"..."
"You think I don't want to leave?"
"..."
"Hehe."
Looking at his conflicted old face, Hu Ma slowly released his hand and said calmly, "Now that your identity is exposed, and you want to leave, why did you follow me here?"
Old Abacus's face turned even more bitter, "Before, I wanted to leave, but Ancestor Master didn't allow it."
"This time, it's my Master's order. I can only follow you and serve you..."
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma glanced at him, "He wants me to follow you? Hehe, is he asking me to watch over you?"
"No..."
Old Abacus shrank back, whispering, "You're different now. You're the fourth-generation Chief Priest of the Dalaofa Religion!"
"In our clan, we'll worship you as an ancestor!"
"Chief Priest?"
Hu Ma had just heard the State Preceptor mention this, but with his mind in turmoil, he didn't have the chance to ask about it.
"This is incredible. I never thought it would be you..."
Old Abacus looked at Hu Ma with some resentment, as if he was also dissatisfied with him. But he still whispered an explanation, "The Chief Priest is the chosen priest of the Dalaofa Religion. In the past, only the leader was qualified to hold this position."
"One hundred and seventy years ago, our Ancestor Master held the Capital Grand Ceremony, receiving the Emperor's mandate to lead the realm's extraordinary individuals and manage the Ancestral Altar and the divine souls of various Temple Deities."
"For the next thirty years, I was the second-generation Chief Priest of the Dalaofa Religion, refining the Evil Repelling Mansion and establishing the Twelve Ghost Shrines to suppress the realm's fortune."
"Then, twenty years ago, our Master became the third-generation Chief Priest."
"He fought against the reincarnated malevolent spirit and involved the Ten Surnames. He also replaced the Twelve Ghost Shrines with the Ten Clans Ancestral Hall..."
"But..."
At this point, he glanced at Hu Ma and said, "I never thought he would choose you as the fourth-generation Chief Priest and...and pick me to lead you into the sect."
(End of Chapter)
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