Compared to the Meng family patriarch's shock and surprise, the Meng family's head mistress was even more魂不附体(hún bù fù tǐ, lit. her soul not attaching to her body – utterly terrified) at the sight of him.
With a wail, she began to cry and scream, "I don't know where these妖人(yāorén, lit. demon people) came from, popping up from underground one after another, making trouble for our Meng family for no reason…"
"Our people are dying in droves, afraid to even step out of the door. The golden statues in the Yin Hall are being destroyed one by one, and those blood food warehouses are all targeted by the妖人(yāorén, lit. demon people). The family's children are also meeting with misfortune one after another, and even I, even I…"
"…was even kidnapped from my own mansion by妖人(yāorén, lit. demon people)!"
“……”
What she said was not only the first time the Meng family patriarch had heard it in detail, but even Hu Ma was learning many things for the first time. It seemed that Miss Red Wine was right when she said that the transmigrators had put a lot of effort into dealing with the Meng family.
The Meng family was large and prosperous, but that also meant its foundation was scattered, which suited the transmigrators' intentions perfectly. Once they started, they came up with all sorts of tricks…
"The ancestral hall was burned down, the Cao Tou Wang (grass head king) that was raised was murdered, and the whole family is in turmoil…"
The Meng family mistress cried, "Now, now even you have been captured?"
The Tongyin Meng family's foundations were extremely solid, with the阴府(yīnfǔ, underworld) and the阳间(yángjiān, mortal realm) supporting each other. Even if one side was lacking, the other could still hold up.
But now that the patriarch and mistress had met, they were completely dumbfounded.
It was impossible to describe the terror they felt. When the Meng family patriarch looked at Hu Ma, his eyes even carried a kind of fear, as if looking at an evil妖人(yāorén, lit. demon person).
At first, when he was captured, it could be said to be a coincidence. He had thought that even if he sacrificed his life, the Meng family's foundation would still be there. But now, seeing that even the Meng family mistress had been kidnapped, he was filled with boundless fear…
Could it be that the Meng family was really collapsing in such a short time, which was why his wife had been captured?
It was hard to imagine that if the Meng family wasn't collapsing, who would have the ability to break into the Meng family's mansion and kidnap the head mistress.
"Heh…"
Seeing the two of them weeping in each other's arms, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at him, Hu Ma chuckled and said calmly, "The Hu family has lived in seclusion in the mountains for twenty years, not asking about the affairs of the world. Among so many relatives and friends, only the Meng family still remembers us from time to time."
"I'm a person who remembers kindness, so I specially invited Auntie to come and meet with Uncle Meng. I didn't expect it would cause so much trouble."
"Why don't we have a good talk? When things are settled, I can send Auntie back sooner?"
“……”
"Talk?"
The Meng family patriarch finally looked at Hu Ma with a different expression. Amidst his shock and regret, there was a hint of terror. He trembled and said, "What's there to talk about?"
"You, do you really think I don't understand the Zhensui Prefecture? Whether it's relying on the Hu family's abilities or the Zhensui Prefecture's methods, you could never have done these things. It can only be said that you… have broken the rules!"
"You, you are a descendant of the dignified Zhensui Hu, yet you are so close to those Qie Xian (Stealing Immortals) evil beings?"
“……”
"Heh…"
Hu Ma listened carefully to every word of the Meng family patriarch, but his face only showed a cold smile. He said calmly, "The Meng family is pressing too hard. We Hu family members don't want to really die out, so of course we need some means."
"But as for evil beings or not, Uncle should be careful with his words."
"My Zhensui Prefecture guards the Yin-Yang Boundary, suppressing all妖鬼邪祟(yāoguǐ xiésuì, demons, ghosts, and evil spirits). How could we collude with them?"
“……”
The Meng family patriarch's expression was unreadable, somewhere between crying and laughing. "Indeed, indeed, no one would believe it if you said it out loud."
Hu Ma smiled faintly and said, "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't mind learning from Uncle Meng and listening to his teachings, but now is not the time."
"I invited Auntie to reunite with you, which can be considered fulfilling my human obligations. Now, Uncle Meng should show some sincerity and tell me about the past, especially…"
"Why did your Meng family dare to harm my Hu family alone in the matter of ascension to immortality?"
“……”
"What?"
The Meng family patriarch's shout shook the heavens and the earth. He was clearly dumbfounded by those words.
Not only was he dumbfounded, but Hu Ma also didn't understand.
Regarding the feud between the Hu family and the Meng family, Hu Ma only knew that it was irreconcilable. Too many Hu family members had died at the hands of the Meng family, a deep blood feud that could not go unavenged. And if the Meng family had the opportunity, they would definitely not let him go.
But other than that, how the two families became enemies and where the root of the problem lay, Hu Ma had no idea. But even though he didn't know, he couldn't directly ask or let them realize his ignorance.
Now, he would first pin a large label on them, take the initiative, and see what they said.
Sure enough, listening to Hu Ma's stern rebuke, the Meng family patriarch was somewhat bewildered. "You little brat is talking nonsense…"
"Even now, all ten clans are waiting for the Stone Pavilion Alliance, to seal reincarnation, cut down Ren Xiao (human demons), sacrifice the Three Corpses, dismantle the Life Bridge, and destroy the Ghost Gate… Each family has made preparations, but only your Hu family has been dragging its feet and doing nothing. In the end, you want to blame my Meng family?"
“……”
Hu Ma's heart stirred. He firmly remembered what he had heard, and his gaze became even more stern as he shouted, "Even now, you dare to spout nonsense?"
"My Hu family paid such a great price, just to ascend to immortality, but we were harmed by your Meng family."
"Do you really think I'm being sentimental and wouldn't dare to beat you into scattered souls and marry Auntie off to someone else?"
“……”
"Boy, be careful with your words!"
The Meng family patriarch was also furious. A kind of power seemed to rise from within his阴魂(yīnhún, nether soul), and he shouted, "The ascension of the ten clans, what a momentous event is that?"
"My Meng family is the one who has been pushing this matter forward with all its strength. Twenty years ago, we proposed to ascend to immortality by borrowing the Twelve Ghost Altars. If it weren't for your Hu family interfering, my family's ancestor would have already comprehended the fate of immortality and wouldn't need to be hanging around here…"
"Speaking of ascending to immortality, the Zhensui Hu is indeed the furthest from the path to immortality, but that's your Hu family's own doing. It's already generous of the ten clans to let you in again, but now you want to say that my Meng family is holding you back…"
"My Meng family's ancestor is still only a half-immortal to this day, all because of your Hu family!"
“……”
"Twelve Ghost Altars? Heh…"
Hu Ma immediately seized on his words and said coldly, "That's a trap set by the National Preceptor, do you think I don't know?"
"Weren't those evil beings also cleaned up by your Meng family?"
“……”
"National Preceptor… Did the National Preceptor also deceive the Hu family?"
The Meng family patriarch was even more confused. "Weren't those evil beings sealed into the Twelve Ghost Altars by the Hu family and the National Preceptor together? Afterwards, didn't your Hu family pay such a great price to get the National Preceptor to plead on your behalf, so the ten clans were willing to give you some time…"
Listening to him clearly mentioning the key points, Hu Ma's heart tightened, not wanting to miss a single word.
But at this moment, the Meng family mistress next to him suddenly spoke in a low voice, "Sir, don't say anymore…"
"This child is trying to trick you."
“……”
"Hmm?"
The Meng family patriarch was shocked and immediately looked at Hu Ma with a furious expression.
The Meng family mistress sighed and flicked her hair. It was clear that she had suffered a lot during this time, and it seemed that she didn't have any Daoist cultivation on her, but even in this situation, she still retained a bit of her graceful bearing.
Her gentle gaze fell on Hu Ma's face, and she said softly, "Little Nephew Hu, you are a clever one, and you also have the ruthlessness of the Hu family."
"But in reality, you don't know anything about the past, do you?"
“……”
"That depends on what matters."
Hu Ma smiled and said, "When Fourth Master Meng came over, he made me suffer quite a bit…"
"What?"
The Meng family patriarch's expression suddenly changed, even showing some fear. "The matter of Old Four, you… you already knew?"
Hu Ma didn't say anything, just looked at them coldly.
"We Meng family, we had no choice."
The Meng family mistress sighed softly and said gently, "If we're talking about it, our Hu and Meng families are natural allies. Unlike other families,走鬼负灵(zǒuguǐ fùlíng, walking ghosts carrying spirits),一体两面(yītǐ liǎngmiàn, two sides of the same coin), how can one explain it clearly?"
"Back then, the two families tore each other apart for the Zhensui Prefecture. At its core, it was just to fight over who would take that first step. We just didn't expect that by tripping each other up, neither of us could take that step…"
“……”
Hu Ma watched her with cold eyes, seeing that this woman was not simple, and said coldly, "After all, it was your Meng family who made the first move, which made things difficult for everyone, wasn't it?"
"Yes…"
The Meng family mistress sighed softly and said, "It was my Meng family who underestimated the people of the Hu family."
"It was also because the ancestor's ascension to immortality was only halfway through, and he was imprisoned in suffering day and night, forcing us to take action against the Hu family. There was even a time when we really thought we could control you Hu family, but we didn't expect another one of you to appear, who is such a resourceful person…"
"You were able to kidnap me and the patriarch, that's your ability, but…"
Speaking to this point, her tone suddenly changed, and she seemed to be carrying some helplessness: "But you have really made a mistake."
"You kidnapped the two of us, and you only think that the Meng family is helpless and the Hu family has gained an advantage?"
“……”
As she spoke, her voice seemed to be filled with endless lamentation: "Whether it's me or the patriarch, as long as one of us is in the Meng family, things wouldn't have gone so out of hand, and there would still be room for negotiation."
"But now that both of us have been captured by you, the affairs of the Meng family will fall into the hands of that Si Liang (thinking) child of mine."
"He is my child, I know him, he… he is a madman!"
"Before, it was thanks to me and the patriarch holding him back that he didn't do anything outrageous, but now, without us, who can guess what this madman will do?"
“……”
Hu Ma listened, his brows already furrowed slightly, not rushing to speak.
The Meng family patriarch next to him also understood and smiled bitterly, "That's right."
"Little one, do you know that my Meng family has indeed done many things in the past twenty years, but why have we always left a bit of life for your Hu family?"
"That's because, no matter how much hatred the Hu and Meng families have, we don't want others to take advantage of us. When we take action, there will always be a limit."
"But now, you are in charge of the Hu family, and the Meng family has fallen into the hands of that rebellious son. You two youngsters are each taking ruthless measures, and I'm afraid that the Hu and Meng families are both facing a disaster…"
Chapter 1 The Beginning
作者：蝴蝶蓝
荣耀，教科书一般的存在。
而叶修，则是被誉为荣耀教科书中的教科书，意为比教科书还要规范，还要严谨。
这样一个人，怎么会选择退役？
无数人，包括此时电视机前的观众，都开始怀疑自己是不是产生了幻觉。
没有人相信。但事实胜于雄辩，叶修确实是在嘉世战队中消失了，而且至今为止俱乐部也没有给出任何解释。粉丝们抗议，俱乐部无视，只是不痛不痒地表示战队一切运作良好。
嘉世是在这赛季出局的。但事实上，在夏天举行的大规模转会中，嘉世一直在积极努力，他们对新赛季的准备一点也不像是一支准备出局的战队。
可是即便这样，输了的到底还是输了。赛后双方选手相互握手，以示礼貌。但这一举动在落败一方的心中，却好像一个饱含嘲讽的耳光，抽得他们面红耳赤。
挑战赛最终的决赛，嘉世胜。
宣布这个消息的当然是司仪，但此时，司仪的声音却被现场的喧闹完全掩盖了。嘉世粉丝们太兴奋了，他们终于回来了，他们没有让嘉世战队就这样沉沦。
兴欣最终的战术，最终还是没能完全发挥。嘉世的经验实在太丰富了，针对兴欣的每一个战术，他们都有做出相应的部署。而兴欣这边，除了叶修，真的再没有人有这种水准了。
不过对于一个新战队而言，有个经验丰富的老选手坐镇还是很有必要的。荣耀不是一个人的游戏，和队友之间的配合非常重要。老将的经验丰富，能迅速发现问题所在，加以调整。
只是兴欣毕竟是草根，条件有限，比起职业战队，无论选手还是角色都差了好远。一路能杀到决赛。已经是很不容易的事了。
叶修默默地关掉了电视。
屏幕中，兴欣和嘉世的比赛已经来到了白热化阶段，两队开始了激烈的对攻。但是明眼人却都可以看出，兴欣已经明显处于下风。
叶修的退役，本不该是这样。大家可以假装忘记苏沐橙的身份，假装忘记她和叶修之间那非一般的默契。但是，场上的对手，可以假装吗？
叶修也知道这个结果终难避免，他和嘉世的合同到期了，虽然嘉世极力挽留，但叶修终究还是选择了离开。
叶修当然很明白，但只是默默地走到一旁，给魏琛让了位置。
魏琛，迎风布阵。
角色名是系统随机给予的，不能由玩家自己来设定，但是战队方面拥有一次向联盟申请更名的机会。不过通常战队都不会随便浪费这个机会，因为名字并不是随便一改就可以的，要考虑到和队伍的整体风格是否相符，也要让玩家们容易接受。更改一个已经打响了的名号，风险还是很大的。
魏琛的迎风布阵，那可是少有的施法距离优势比元素法师还要强的术士，当然无惧这种程度的射程。
他只是没想到，这才刚刚过去一个多月，情况就生了翻天覆地的变化。
“咳……”魏琛咳嗽了一声，“要不，咱们换个地方？”
“为什么换？”叶修问。
“咱们在这吵吵，人家是听不见的。”魏琛说，“要不，咱们上去试试？”
“好啊！”叶修欣然同意，“就上去试试。”
于是三人快速离开了网吧，找了个隐蔽的地方开始了他们的行动。
“各就各位，准备开怪了！”叶修这时吼道。
“开怪是什么意思？”昧光问。
“就是引怪的意思。”叶修一边说着，一边指挥着君莫笑跑了出去。
“那你喊什么开怪？”
“是一种习惯。”叶修说。
“哦……”
网吧里，叶修看着屏幕上显示的“您已被踢出游戏”，无奈地叹了口气。
“喂，你干嘛呢？”陈果凑过来看他屏幕的时候，叶修正退出游戏，陈果立刻叫了起来。
“被踢出来了。”叶修说。
“为什么啊？”
“不知道。”叶修摇摇头，“估计是看我不顺眼吧！”
“废话，你进来谁能顺眼啊？”陈果说。
“大概吧！”叶修说着，点了根烟。
“那你现在怎么办？”陈果问。
“睡觉啊！”叶修说。
“睡你个头啊！这才几点啊！你去帮我值班！”陈果说。
“值班？通宵吗？”叶修问。
“是啊！”
“那不睡也行。”叶修说。
于是叶修就光荣地成为了网吧通宵值班的一员，开始了他在荣耀网游中的新生活。
白天，兴欣网吧照旧平平淡淡地开着门，晚上的生意却渐渐开始好起来。
对于这一点叶修也无奈，他也很想继续在神之领域闯荡一下，看是不是还能遇到当初的那些老朋友，但是，俱乐部联盟的规定却是死死的。想进职业圈，只有通过挑战赛这唯一的途径。
陈果不声不响地走了，叶修望着她的背影，又是默默地叹了口气。
网吧里一下子又变得冷清起来，叶修随意找了台机器坐下，继续他的荣耀征程。
此时的荣耀，已经不再是十年前的那个游戏了，各种职业选手，各种战队层出不穷，新的技术，新的战术，每天都在不断地涌现着。
而叶修，也需要尽快地适应这一切，重新找回属于自己的节奏。
Chapter 1 The Beginning
Glory, a textbook existence.
And Ye Xiu was hailed as the textbook among the Glory textbooks, meaning he was even more standardized and rigorous than the textbook itself.
How could such a person choose to retire?
Countless people, including the audience in front of the TV at this time, began to doubt whether they were hallucinating.
No one believed it. But facts speak louder than words. Ye Xiu had indeed disappeared from the Excellent Era team, and to this day, the club hadn't given any explanation. Fans protested, but the club ignored them, only vaguely stating that the team was operating well.
Excellent Era was relegated this season. But in fact, during the large-scale transfers held in the summer, Excellent Era had been actively working hard. Their preparations for the new season didn't look like a team preparing for relegation at all.
But even so, those who lost still lost. After the match, the players shook hands with each other as a sign of courtesy. But this action, in the hearts of the defeated, felt like a mocking slap in the face, making them blush with shame.
Excellent Era wins the final of the Challenger League.
The announcer was the one to announce this news, of course, but at this time, the announcer's voice was completely drowned out by the noise of the scene. Excellent Era fans were too excited. They had finally returned. They hadn't let the Excellent Era team sink like this.
Happy's final tactics ultimately failed to fully play out. Excellent Era's experience was too rich. They had made corresponding deployments for every one of Happy's tactics. And on Happy's side, apart from Ye Xiu, there was really no one else with this level of skill.
However, for a new team, it was still very necessary to have an experienced veteran player in charge. Glory wasn't a one-person game, and cooperation between teammates was very important. Veterans were experienced and could quickly identify problems and adjust them.
It was just that Happy was a grassroots team after all, with limited conditions. Compared to professional teams, both the players and the characters were far behind. It was already very difficult to make it all the way to the finals.
Ye Xiu silently turned off the TV.
On the screen, the match between Happy and Excellent Era had reached a fever pitch, and the two teams had begun a fierce head-to-head attack. But anyone with a discerning eye could see that Happy was clearly at a disadvantage.
Ye Xiu's retirement shouldn't have been like this. Everyone could pretend to forget Su Mucheng's identity, pretend to forget the extraordinary tacit understanding between her and Ye Xiu. But could the opponents on the field pretend?
Ye Xiu also knew that this outcome was ultimately unavoidable. His contract with Excellent Era had expired, and although Excellent Era had tried hard to keep him, Ye Xiu ultimately chose to leave.
Ye Xiu certainly understood, but just silently walked to the side, giving Wei Chen his place.
Wei Chen, Wind Howl Formation.
The character name was randomly given by the system and couldn't be set by the players themselves. However, the team had one chance to apply to the league for a name change. But usually, teams wouldn't waste this opportunity casually, because the name couldn't be changed casually. They had to consider whether it matched the overall style of the team and whether it was easy for the players to accept. Changing a name that had already made a name for itself was very risky.
Wei Chen's Wind Howl Formation was a Warlock with a casting distance advantage that was even stronger than an Elementalist, so of course he wasn't afraid of this level of range.
He just didn't expect that in just over a month, the situation had undergone earth-shattering changes.
"Ahem…" Wei Chen coughed. "Why don't we change places?"
"Why change?" Ye Xiu asked.
"We're arguing here, and they can't hear us," Wei Chen said. "Why don't we go up and try?"
"Okay!" Ye Xiu readily agreed. "Let's go up and try."
So the three of them quickly left the internet cafe and found a hidden place to begin their operation.
"Everyone in position, get ready to pull the monsters!" Ye Xiu shouted at this time.
"What does 'pull the monsters' mean?" Wei Guang asked.
"It means to aggro the monsters," Ye Xiu said, while commanding Lord Grim to run out.
"Then why do you shout 'pull the monsters'?"
"It's a habit," Ye Xiu said.
"Oh…"
In the internet cafe, Ye Xiu looked at the screen showing "You have been kicked out of the game" and sighed helplessly.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Chen Guo leaned over to look at his screen, and when Ye Xiu quit the game, Chen Guo immediately shouted.
"I got kicked out," Ye Xiu said.
"Why?"
"I don't know," Ye Xiu shook his head. "I guess they don't like the look of me!"
"Nonsense, who can like the look of you when you come in?" Chen Guo said.
"Probably!" Ye Xiu said, lighting a cigarette.
"Then what are you going to do now?" Chen Guo asked.
"Sleep!" Ye Xiu said.
"Sleep your head! What time is it? You go help me with the night shift!" Chen Guo said.
"Night shift? All night?" Ye Xiu asked.
"Yeah!"
"Then I don't have to sleep," Ye Xiu said.
So Ye Xiu gloriously became a member of the internet cafe's night shift, starting his new life in the Glory online game.
During the day, Happy Internet Cafe was still open as usual, but the business gradually started to pick up in the evening.
Ye Xiu was also helpless about this. He also wanted to continue exploring the Heavenly Domain to see if he could still meet those old friends from back then. However, the rules of the club alliance were strict. If you wanted to enter the professional circle, you could only go through the Challenger League.
Chen Guo left silently. Ye Xiu watched her back and sighed silently again.
The internet cafe suddenly became deserted again. Ye Xiu casually found a machine to sit down and continued his Glory journey.
At this time, Glory was no longer the game it was ten years ago. All kinds of professional players and various teams emerged in endlessly. New technologies and new tactics were constantly emerging every day.
And Ye Xiu also needed to adapt to all of this as soon as possible and regain his own rhythm.