Chapter 507 Qingyuan Hu Family

The Red Lantern Society had red, green, and white sashes, and disciples and offerings were ranked accordingly.

Because of the different belts tied around their waists, they were called White Sash, Green Sash, and Red Sash.

Sweet Potato was recruited from the Qingyi Gang midway. She didn't hold a real post but was given the position of offering. However, she wasn't personally cultivated by the Red Lantern Society, so she was just a White Sash Lesser Offering.

Of course, unlike disciples and shopkeepers, those who joined the society midway to make a living were mostly White Sash offerings. They didn't have a high status in the society, but that didn't mean they lacked ability.

Besides, this wasn't Stone Horse Town, but Ming Prefecture, the Red Lantern Goddess's territory. Even the disciples of the society were untouchable by any Jianghu (martial world) figures, let alone an offering with obvious supernatural skills. Under normal circumstances, reporting her title would have the other party scrambling to build connections. A White Sash Lesser Offering could still intimidate people.

"Red Lantern Society?"

Unexpectedly, the person under the green banner, seeing Sweet Potato's little ghosts cursing wildly, and hearing Sweet Potato's self-report as a White Sash Lesser Offering, only revealed a sneer: "Driving ghosts in broad daylight, the Red Lantern Society is really arrogant!"

It was still early morning, the mist hadn't dispersed, and the sun hadn't come out, but the rooster had crowed.

Hu Ma had stopped his spells at dawn, but Sweet Potato was trying to make up for lost time and hadn't sent the little ghosts away yet.

The other party's opening was an accusation against Sweet Potato, with stern and condescending words, which seemed rather rude, vaguely resembling the behavior of the government.

Sweet Potato glared at him: "Oh? Big talk, looking for trouble, are you?"

At her scolding, the little ghosts carrying her sedan joined in the chorus of abuse.

The flag bearer under the green banner stepped forward expressionlessly, and was about to attack without a word.

Although Sweet Potato didn't know the other party's cultivation level, she wasn't afraid. She also grabbed a handful of paper money, pretending to scatter it. Of course, the corner of her eye was searching for Hu Ma's location, to see how far away he was.

"Stop, both of you, stop arguing and don't fight, lest you scare the villagers who have come out to farm." Just as the two sides were on the verge of conflict, they heard a series of shouts next to them. A sedan chair emerged from the withered grass.

The sedan was carried by two strong yellow weasels, and sitting on the sedan was a thin old lady, holding a smoking pipe in her hand, looking like she had just come back from drinking. The weasels swayed as they walked, and she swayed along with them.

When she arrived, she knocked the ash from her pipe and said, "We don't care if you guys wander around here normally, but why are you so arrogant today, starting a fight so early in the morning?"

"Be careful, Granny Qi usually lets you get away with things, but if you make me angry, you won't be able to withstand my shoe soles!"

The person under the green banner sneered when he saw the old lady coming, knowing her identity was not to be trifled with, but unwilling to say soft words in front of her. He slowly retracted the flag into his sleeve, snorted coldly, and left with his men.

Even Sweet Potato felt strange, muttering something and looking at the old lady.

"Oh, this young lady is pretty..." Granny Qi came to Sweet Potato in her sedan, sized her up, her eyes still a little drunk, and lowered her voice: "Those people just now are very arrogant, they come to make trouble every day, and they even measure the fields in the dark."

"Granny Qi is only advising you, young lady, because I'm familiar with the Red Lantern Society. Their forces are strong, and the big shots in your Red Lantern Society are avoiding them. Don't provoke them!" As she spoke, she swayed, crossed the official road, and disappeared into the withered grass on the other side.

Only Sweet Potato was left stunned in place: "How has it only been a few days, and the people from our Red Lantern Society can't be arrogant anymore?"

"If I can't strut around here, what did I join the Red Lantern Society for?"

While pondering, she was about to go find Hu Ma to discuss it, but she looked up and saw that the road ahead was clean, and Hu Ma was nowhere to be seen.

"It seems that the newcomers are indeed unkind..."

Hu Ma, seeing the arrogance of the people with the green lotus banner, realized that the events in Ming Prefecture were not that simple.

He had originally considered going into the village to see how Li Wa and the others were doing, but now he simply skipped it, turned around and went directly to Old Yin Mountain. After entering the mountain, he burned three incense sticks.

"Respectfully requesting the Mountain Lord to descend..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw a fragrant breeze rising in the mountain, and he felt his body float up.

He recognized this wind and didn't resist, allowing the wind to carry him away. His body swayed, the sky spun, and his mind was confused, but soon, he smelled a rich aroma of wine and meat, and heard people talking and laughing happily.

Opening his eyes, he found himself in a village, with three or five wooden tables in front of him, and people were raising their glasses at the tables. He was sitting next to an incense altar.

Looking back, he saw the Mountain Lord sitting upright behind the incense altar, with three cups of vegetarian wine in front of him.

"Another feast?"

Hu Ma looked around, seeing that the feast seemed to be a baby's full-month celebration. A farmer couple was holding the baby for the diners to see, and among the offerings to the Mountain Lord on the altar were three red eggs.

Of course, they were just paying their respects and didn't know that the Mountain Lord was really here, sitting behind the altar, and didn't know that there was another Hu Ma here.

But Hu Ma was curious. He knew that the Mountain Lord loved excitement and would go wherever there were offerings, but... even a baby's full-month celebration?

"People specially set up an altar for me, and I have nothing to do, so why shouldn't I come and enjoy it?" The Mountain Lord guessed Hu Ma's thoughts and replied indifferently. While speaking, he glanced at him and slowly nodded: "This time, your abilities have improved quite a bit, you finally have a bit of the demeanor of a Ten-Surname descendant!"

"Ah?" Hu Ma was surprised to hear that.

What did he mean by having a bit of the demeanor? In just over a month, he had entered the Fu (mansion) realm, pushed open two Fu doors, cultivated the Great Might Heavenly Duke General Seal, forged the Punishment Official's Vicious Saber, and broken through three incense columns of cultivation... This was more than a bit of improvement, it was a world of difference.

Compared to himself before going to the blood food mine, he was completely different. It wouldn't be an exaggeration for you to say that I was reborn, so why are you acting so calm?

"The Hu family's luck is all on you. Isn't this improvement to be expected?" The Mountain Lord enjoyed the vegetarian wine offering from the mountain people, glanced at Hu Ma indifferently, and said, "On the contrary, if you didn't even have this bit of improvement, I should be worried for you for calling you back this time. I don't know if you can withstand it!"

"I see."

Hearing the Mountain Lord say this, Hu Ma also became serious.

Thinking of the disturbances he had suffered from the banner recently, and associating it with the strange people he had seen at the foot of the mountain, his expression was solemn: "Senior called me back, saying that uninvited guests had come to the family, are you referring to..."

"Of course, the Hu family members."

The Mountain Lord said indifferently: "They came to Ming Prefecture with the people from the Truth Sect. Needless to say, they came to find you. You've felt a little uncomfortable these past few days, haven't you?"

"Yes."

Hu Ma replied in a low voice, but the difficulty on his face couldn't be concealed: "The Hu family, how are there still people? Isn't I the only one left?"

This was something he had been curious about ever since he heard the news from the Second Young Master Meng.

The Mountain Lord said: "The Ten Surnames are all great surnames. Since the birth of the Tai Sui, they have gained the luck of the world and multiplied their descendants. The clansmen are numerous. A clan's ancestral hall is comparable to the sum of the fire ponds in other states and counties. How could such a vast and large clan have only you left?"

Hearing these words, Hu Ma's heart was already filled with strange thoughts.

He had thought about such questions before. The Ten Surname families, what kind of decency and wealth did they have?

The Tongyin Meng family, even a descendant outside the fifth degree of mourning, could boss people around in Ming Prefecture, how impressive. How could the Hu family, with such abilities, still be the ancestor of ghost walkers, end up with only himself as the sole descendant? But all along, the people he had met had told him that only he was left in the Zhen Sui Hu family... How could this be explained inside and out?

"But..." Just as he was filled with doubts, the Mountain Lord sighed softly and said: "The Zhen Sui Hu family, indeed only has you left."

"The Hu that others surname, and the Hu that you surname, are no longer the same Hu."

"Even if they are not far from you in blood relation, and can even be listed as cousins."

"I..." Hu Ma was shocked for a moment: "Why?"

"They separated."

The Mountain Lord turned to look at Hu Ma and said slowly: "And it was a complete separation, even worshiping ancestors separately."

"So, only your family is the Zhen Sui Hu family, and the Zhen Sui Hu family only has you left."

"..."

"Separation?"

Hearing these words, Hu Ma's heart suddenly became even more bizarre.

In rural villages, separation of families is extremely common. A family has several laborers, and when they grow up and get married, they have to separate. Clear accounts between brothers, that's how it came about.

But this kind of separation is most common among small households. Many wealthy families, even when their children are adults, only live in different courtyards, but they still have to take care of the elderly together. What's more, they are all from the same ancestor, and sacrifices must naturally be together.

Now, the Hu family has actually separated so thoroughly that even the matter of worshiping ancestors is separated? What's even more bizarre is that the Zhen Sui Hu family is the Ten Surnames, the largest branch, so how could they be separated instead? I've seen families separate, but I've never seen the mainstay of the clan separated...

"They didn't want to bear that responsibility back then, so they didn't receive that decree in front of the Zhenchong Prefecture, so, theoretically, they no longer belong to the Zhen Sui Hu family line..." The Mountain Lord also understood the doubts in his heart and sighed: "But they are indeed, like you, people who came out of the Qingyuan Hu family."