He knew my identity?

The moment Hu Ma heard the man announce his origins, he instantly became alert.

He took a small step back, the three life incense sticks in the incense burner within his body fully prepared.

He knew that doing these few major things would bring some trouble, but he had long since thought of how to deal with it. Now his cultivation was more than enough, and he only needed to take a step back to reach the Bridge.

This battle with the Soul-Bearing Great Executioner had also made him understand that the weight of his fate was beyond imagination, so he had some confidence even when facing an expert who had crossed the Bridge.

At least, he could escape!

After all, a Year-Keeper's ability to escape was also a skill, not something to be ashamed of.

However, seeing Hu Ma's vigilance, the state preceptor with the Daoist name Dongxuan did not make any unusual movements. There was no hostility on his face, only a smile as he turned back, picked up the wine cup on the table, and drank the village-brewed liquor in one gulp. Then, turning to Hu Ma, he smiled and said:

"With the revival of the Pond God and the presence of gods everywhere, this mountain area has become much safer, and it's not so easy to encounter evil spirits."

"Young friend, how about taking a walk with me outside the village?"

"..."

Hu Ma looked around, only to see that no one noticed his conversation with the state preceptor. The atmosphere was still lively, and it seemed that no one had noticed that he had gotten up. He quickly pondered in his heart and made a decision, smiling, "Since senior has the inclination, let's go!"

The state preceptor flicked his horsetail whisk slightly and smiled as he led the way. The two of them left their seats, and no one around them noticed.

They walked slowly towards the outside of the village. The state preceptor looked at the village with a sigh, observing the low thatched huts, the tall wooden walls erected to defend against evil spirits, the village's millstone and stone slab road, and the peppers and rough wooden window lattices in front of the houses.

Everything showed the simplicity of life in the village. As he looked, he sighed, "The Hu family has indeed suffered..."

"As a direct line of the prestigious Hu clan, one of the Ten Noble Surnames, they abandoned wealth and glory, grand halls and mansions, fine clothes and jade delicacies, and came to this desolate village to struggle for survival, constantly on guard day and night, with a bleak future. Now that I think about it, I admire the Hu family's ruthlessness."

"..."

Hu Ma only listened coldly, quickly guessing what he meant, and said, "You know a lot about the Hu family's experiences?"

"That's natural."

The state preceptor smiled, "The Hu family taking the Town Suppressing Prefecture, hiding back in Old Yin Mountain, blocking disasters and sealing altars, were all results discussed with me."

"Then..."

Hearing his words, Hu Ma's heart tightened, and he said in a low voice, "Why?"

Instinctively, he was extremely wary of this mysterious state preceptor. He still remembered that Senior Longjing had said that it was this person who had backstabbed the Reincarnator, leading to the cleansing of the first generation of Reincarnators.

He also remembered that after the Meng family's Old Master realized that the Meng family could not escape its doom, he repeatedly reminded him to beware of this person. But at the same time, he also understood that this person knew many things.

Many things about the Hu family, which was exactly what Hu Ma had been trying to figure out but couldn't find anywhere.

"Because the Hu family themselves chose to do this."

The state preceptor listened to Hu Ma's words and smiled, saying, "Back then, not only the Hu family, but the Meng family also had the opportunity to choose this path, but the Meng family didn't have the courage or the ruthlessness. So they chose to sacrifice their ancestors, and their path became different."

"But the Hu family didn't. The Hu family's courage was greater than the Meng family's. Therefore, now the Hu family has risen, and the Meng family has been destroyed."

"..."

As they spoke these words, they were already approaching the edge of the village, and happened to pass by the Hu family's thatched hut.

The Meng family's Old Master's jar was placed outside the house. Because it could be affected by disaster objects at any time, it couldn't be brought inside the house.

The state preceptor saw the jar and waved his hand gently. The jar flew into his hand, as if the Meng family's Old Master inside the jar had sensed something. The jar shook violently, and the resentment was so deep that Yin energy almost overflowed.

The state preceptor stuck the horsetail whisk into the back of his collar with one hand, and then used force with both hands, instantly crushing the jar to pieces. Along with it, the Yin soul inside let out an angry and desperate cry.

"Old friend, be on your way..."

The state preceptor smiled and clapped his hands, throwing away the jar shards as if he had just done something insignificant. He took the horsetail whisk in his hand again and explained with a smile: "The things in the cave have been deceived by us for many years and are gradually becoming dissatisfied."

"The Meng family was wealthy and extraordinary, which could probably make them endure for a while longer."

Seeing this scene, Hu Ma clenched his teeth slightly.

He had also wanted to attack just now, not to protect the Meng family's Old Master, but to test this person's skills.

But surprisingly, he couldn't attack.

It was as if something invisible was pressing down, and he had lost the thought of attacking casually in front of this person.

"Young friend, are you satisfied with the Meng family's fate?"

As he spoke, the state preceptor arrived at the entrance of the village. Here, the road was all dirt, with potholes and bumps. The state preceptor took out a wine pot from his sleeve, the same one that was used to entertain guests in the village just now.

Who would have thought that he had secretly hidden a pot in his sleeve?

He poured the pot of wine onto the ground, and the wine gathered in a pit. The moonlight from above was reflected in it clearly.

As he spoke, he lightly waved his sleeve, and the reflection of the moon in the pit rippled and then disappeared. What replaced it was the appearance of a gloomy mansion, as if one was in a dream and saw countless miserable scenes.

Someone was lying on the bed, screaming miserably, and someone had already hung themselves from the beams, swaying in the wind. The livestock were uneasy, and the servants were stealing gold and silver and running around.

Hu Ma suddenly realized that he was seeing the current scene of the Meng family.

He even saw in the hall of the Salt Prefecture mansion, the Meng family's Young Master was sitting on the master's chair, his face like a demon, with three nails hammered into his head. Chains of iron lightly bound him, and he cried and laughed at times, struggling and shouting:

"I won't go, I won't go, I won't go with you into the cave..."

"My Meng family's ancestor is the incarnation of Tai Sui, you must spare me for the sake of my ancestor, and leave me in the human world..."

"Protect me, protect me!"

"Is there anyone outside, hurry up and ask the Ten Surnames, hurry up and ask them to protect me..."

"Without the Meng family, the Stone Pavilion cannot be opened, no one can be free..."

"..."

"Alas, poor child, always unable to recognize himself."

The state preceptor looked at him in the reflection and sighed softly. With a gentle wave of his hand, the nails inserted into the Meng family's Young Master's forehead suddenly flew out, passed through the puddle, and flew into the state preceptor's hand, which he put into his sleeve.

The Meng family's Young Master, Meng Siliang, suddenly lost the nails on his forehead, and he seemed to be frightened: "Who is it? Who is it?"

But the Meng family mansion was empty, and naturally no one answered him. It was just that after the nails on his forehead flew out, a flash of white light suddenly appeared in his mouth, and a pill that had taken on a human form crawled out.

It looked at him with disdain and shouted, "Can't be saved, can't be saved..."

While shouting, it ran out of the Meng family mansion, leaving only the Meng family's Young Master alone in the hall.

The next moment, a strange wind surged and blew into the hall where the Meng family's Young Master was. There seemed to be joy in it:

"Found it, found it, it's here, it's here..."

"..."

Hands stretched towards his body, pulling him, turning into a gust of wind, and leaving the Meng family mansion.

At this moment, the Meng family mansion became completely empty, with only an empty wind blowing back and forth.

To describe it, it was that the Meng family mansion, at this moment, completely died, and there was no longer any sound.

"Just like that, killed?"

Seeing this scene, Hu Ma was a little shocked: 'Didn't they say that the Stone Pavilion Alliance requires the bloodline of the Ten Surnames?'

He wanted to cut off his bloodline, but the Meng family's Young Master was protected by someone and was not easy to kill. Now he was actually killed by this state preceptor...

"Actually, the Meng family has never been important."

As if explaining to Hu Ma, the state preceptor put away the nails, then smiled and said, "They thought that the Stone Pavilion Agreement couldn't be without the Meng family, but they didn't know that from the beginning, the Stone Pavilion Agreement never included the Meng family."

"The Meng family has worked hard for twenty years and has always been the most diligent family in promoting the Stone Pavilion Agreement, but they have never been qualified to enter the Stone Pavilion."

At this moment, Hu Ma actually needed to use a lot of strength to suppress the absurdity in his heart.

He was silent for a long time before saying, "Then, who is important?"

The state preceptor turned to look at him and said, "Of course, it's your Hu family."

Hu Ma gritted his teeth slightly and said, "Just because the Hu family carried the Town Suppressing Prefecture?"

"No."

The state preceptor smiled, "The Town Suppressing Prefecture is not important either. What's important is your Hu family."

"Or rather, it's you!"

"..."

In Hu Ma's heart, the questions had reached their limit, but the state preceptor walked faster and faster. He followed behind this person and unconsciously quickened his pace. Before he knew it, the two of them were walking in the mountains and forests.

The state preceptor walked calmly, but his steps seemed to have the magic of shrinking the earth into inches. Hu Ma also realized in a daze that this person was walking according to the method of the Harm-Head School.

In the eyes of the Harm-Head School, there are ten positions in the world, with good and bad omens, prosperity and loss, initiation and injury, emperor and deficiency. As long as each step is taken according to the corresponding position, then there is no need for Dao practice or magic power, and the earth can be shrunk into inches, and one can travel thousands of miles a day.

This person was relaxed and at ease, each step in the right position. Following him, he crossed mountains and ridges in an instant.

Unconsciously, they had arrived at a village in the mountains. Looking at the dilapidated village with collapsed houses and weeds everywhere, the two of them stood in front of the village's ancestral hall and saw a skeleton sitting on the ground, its flesh and blood decayed beyond recognition.

The state preceptor bowed slightly to the skeleton, then stepped aside and said to Hu Ma, "Young friend, you should come and pay your respects."

Hu Ma said, "Why?"

The state preceptor sighed softly and said, "Because he is your father, Mr. Hu Shan."
Chapter 1