Twilight's Threshold Chapter 804: Age-Pressing Festival - Novel Cool

Chapter 804: Age-Pressing Festival

Chapter 804: Age-Pressing Festival

"The so-called festivals and blessing assemblies are meant to drive away evil and spread blessings."

"If a place has unfavorable feng shui, excessive yin energy, and the breeding of malevolent spirits, which is detrimental to the living, then it's necessary to disperse the evil energy. This is called a blessing assembly."

"However, if a place is infested with evil beings that constantly cause chaos, no matter how good the feng shui is, the evil energy can never be completely driven away. In this case, it's essential to either drive away the evil beings or directly suppress them in place to prevent harm to people. This is called conducting a ritual."

After openly expressing his thoughts to the reincarnates, Hu Ma's steps toward the Hu Family Manor became noticeably lighter. Upon returning to the old mansion, he inquired about the relevant rituals.

This was relatively simple, as both the Elder Abacus and the Miao Shan Immortal Lady, as well as the little ghost Dou Guan by Miao Shan's side, had some knowledge of these matters.

Putting the pieces together, they explained, "Although there are differences between the two, there are also commonalities in organizing them."

"In essence, the key lies in three indispensable aspects: guarding, patrolling, and suppression."

"First, the chief priest stands in the altar, driving away evil and suppressing malevolent spirits."

"Second, invite the Heavenly Guardian Deities to provide protection, circling the city and safeguarding the people."

"Third, set up ground-pressing objects to ensure that whatever lies beneath the city can be suppressed, preventing it from causing trouble."

"..."

"We do have those things."

Hu Ma replied, "Then let's do it this way. I will guard the altar, and as for the patrolling, we'll invite our good friends to take on that role. As for the ground-pressing, there's no question about it. We'll invite the Twelve Ghost Altars to suppress everything."

The Elder Abacus hurriedly said, "The Twelve Ghost Altars have been receiving the world's incense offerings for a century and a half, so they can definitely suppress anything. But are you sure you can invite them?"

Hu Ma nodded and said, "The State Preceptor invited the Twelve Ghost Altars by borrowing my cultivation. I remember his method, and that subtle connection is still within me."

"If this is the case..."

The Elder Abacus pondered for a long time before speaking softly, "Then, the most important thing left to do is to convince the Ten Surnames to relocate their Ancestral Hall."

"..."

"Oh?"

Hu Ma looked at him, and the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall was the foundation of the Ten Surnames in the Imperial Capital. The Hu Family was also part of it.

"The Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall and the Twelve Ghost Altars—only one of them can remain in the Imperial Capital."

The Elder Abacus was also aware of the significant implications of these words and spoke cautiously, "To put it bluntly, both the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall and the Twelve Ghost Altars receive the world's incense offerings and serve to suppress the Imperial Capital."

"The Imperial Capital is filled with purple aura, almost occupying the weight of a vast realm. Why does it not disperse?"

"It's because the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall is suppressing it."

"But when you invited the Twelve Ghost Altars, the pressure became too heavy. The Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall needs to make room."

"When the State Preceptor held the festival, he didn't have to consider this matter because he intended to separate the Imperial Capital from the mortal realm, so he didn't have to worry about the two opposing forces. However, if you hold this festival to keep Jade City in the mortal realm, this problem becomes unavoidable."

"..."

"Then I'll go and talk to them."

Hu Ma heaved a sigh and moved on from the topic.

"Such a significant matter... it's not easy to discuss."

The Elder Abacus was concerned, feeling that the Ten Surnames would not easily agree to such a major decision. Relocating the Ancestral Hall was, to some extent, akin to relocating a grave.

But seeing Hu Ma's determination, he mustered his spirits and spoke softly, "In that case, there's only one thing left to do. This festival needs a name!"

"The festival held by the State Preceptor is his own, but now that you've taken over, this festival will be yours. If the name is not proper, the words will not be smooth, and if the words are not smooth, the rituals will not be effective. Therefore, giving a name to this festival is of utmost importance!"

"..."

This surprised Hu Ma a little. After a brief pause, he curled his lips and said, "Then let's call it the Age-Pressing Festival!"

"Age-Pressing..."

The Elder Abacus looked deeply at Hu Ma and quietly agreed. No matter how powerful Tai Sui was, to the Dalaofa Religion and the world, it was still a deity.

The name of this festival was indeed disrespectful.

Although the festival itself was meant to suppress the entity beneath the Imperial Capital, when dealing with ghostly matters, it was often necessary to make things sound better. For example, driving away ghosts was called inviting gods, and subduing ghosts was called calming evil spirits.

Hu Ma, however, didn't think much of it.

Whether it was Age-Pressing or Age-Pressing, the Hu Family ancestors had done it before.

Moreover, while this festival followed the standard format, the inner workings were based on the Year Protection Scroll, specifically the last Dharmic Technique mentioned by Second Pot Head.

After making all the necessary arrangements, Hu Ma changed into clean clothes the next morning and headed straight for the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall.

Knowing that there was something strange beneath the city, he couldn't sleep well. Even walking on the streets, he felt cautious, as if afraid that stepping too heavily might disturb something underground.

The Imperial Capital was still as bustling as before, with crowded streets and faces filled with laughter, creating a deliberately lively atmosphere.

However, upon closer observation, it seemed like even these unaware people had an innate sense of caution, with their feet half-tiptoed as they hurried along.

Recalling the old abacus master's reminder, Hu Ma understood, "With the Grand Master's departure, the Wang Family has also fled, and the Imperial Capital is no longer as stable."

"The common folk in the capital have only lifted half a foot, and when they start walking on tiptoes, the thing below will no longer be able to hold it back."

"..."

This religious rite must be held, and the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall must be relocated.

Hu Ma knew this wouldn't be easy, but he had prepared himself. However, upon arriving at the ancestral hall, he saw countless porters, palanquin bearers, and laborers gathered in the distance, with several officials in charge sitting in the pavilion.

Seeing Hu Ma from afar, they smiled and invited him to the pavilion for tea, even offering him a cup.

"What brings all of you elders together here?"

Hu Ma politely sat down and asked with a smile before taking a sip of tea.

Among those present, he only recognized Zhou Zhiming, the official from the Life-Saving Zhou Family, and another person dressed in a colorful manner, seemingly from the same style as Zhao Sanyi, likely the official from the Skillful Hand Zhao Family, Zhao Qizhi.

Although he didn't recognize the others, he could roughly match them to the Zhu, Sun, and Chen Families. The Wang Family official had fled, and the Zhang and Meng Families were no longer present, but the others had arrived.

Seeing Hu Ma's politeness, they smiled and said, "We are here to retrieve our ancestral incense, and we wanted to inform you."

"Retrieve the ancestral incense?"

Hu Ma was genuinely surprised, wondering if the ancestral incense they referred to was the same as what he had in mind.

"That's right," Zhou Zhiming, the Zhou Family official, smiled and said, "Twenty years ago, Duyi's bloodline was severed, and the Twelve Ghost Altars were on the verge of shattering."

"This world cannot be without its ancestral incense, so Grand Master Daoxuan borrowed a branch of incense from our Ten Surnames, establishing the Ancestral Hall in the capital to stabilize the world's fortune and ensure the world's stability for the past twenty years."

"But what's borrowed must be returned, and the time has come."

"This time, we intend to retrieve our ancestral incense and return it to our respective clans, no longer wishing to wade into the muddy waters of the capital."

"..."

Their words were spoken with utmost sincerity, but Hu Ma didn't believe a single word.

After a moment of surprise, he picked up the tea they had placed before him, took a slow sip, and then raised his head.

Drinking this tea represented his acknowledgment as the Hu Family official, indicating his desire for a straightforward and honest conversation.

The Zhao Family official smiled and said, "There's a very clever person outside the city who convinced us, so we decided not to get involved in this mess. We're making room for you, and it'll be interesting to see your capabilities."

"A very clever person?"

Hu Ma was intrigued by the Ten Surnames' reaction, and a thought suddenly occurred to him: 'Monkey Wine?'

"The Grand Master has accepted his defeat and retreated, and we were merely observers. We don't want to cause any trouble, but since the Hu Family has taken on this task, they should be more cautious."

The Zhou Family official seemed to notice Hu Ma's surprise and smiled, "In a few months, it will be the Ghost Festival, and the Stone Pavilion Alliance was an agreement made long ago. Now, looking at the Ten Surnames, several families are already missing. We just hope that the Hu Family won't delay any further."

Hearing them mention the Stone Pavilion Alliance, Hu Ma became even more puzzled.

With the Grand Master's defeat, was there still a need for the Stone Pavilion Alliance?

The Zhou Family official merely smiled faintly and said, "Young Master Hu, there are three types of people in this world. The first only cares about themselves, seeking benefits without contributing; the second contributes without receiving any benefits; and the third both receives benefits and contributes."

"Initially, we wanted to be the first type, but in the end, we became the third type."

"Twenty years ago, the Ten Surnames and the Grand Master established the Stone Pavilion Alliance, with numerous rules that have now become a joke."

"We agreed to resolve issues through discussion and avoid bloodshed, but this rule was broken by the Meng Family."

"We also agreed to protect each other's bloodlines in times of danger, but this rule was personally broken by the Grand Master, and it's not wrong to say that you were the one who broke it."

"However, among these rules, there are a few that benefit the world, such as maintaining order and preventing chaos, ensuring stability and extending life for twenty years."

"Another example is not privately dealing with those evil beings to avoid disrupting the world's life span."

"Of course, this rule was also broken by the Wang Family, which is why their official left without hesitation after the Grand Master's defeat, effectively reducing the Ten Surnames by one."

"However, in the end, there's still one rule: the ancestral incense of the Ten Surnames stabilizes the world. Now that we've decided to retrieve our incense, the rules set within the Stone Pavilion are considered nullified."

"But rules are rules, and the agreements within the Stone Pavilion Alliance still stand. Whether it's the Hu Family's Age-Pressing Festival or Evil Suppressing, as long as they no longer neglect their duties, we can still consider them as people of the same path..."

"Regardless of the outcome, we must still have a final word regarding the matters agreed upon in the Stone Pavilion."

(End of Chapter)

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