Chapter 1 Entering the Mountains

The moment Hu Ma stepped out, he had already transformed into a being between life and death, half-human, half-ghost. He strode forward, melting into the night as he hurried toward Old Yin Mountain.

The journey was quiet. He strode for more than twenty *li*, and he could already see the massive silhouette of Old Yin Mountain in the distance, a dark, hulking presence rooted to the earth, reaching towards the heavens, silent and still.

Like a ghostly manor prostrating itself on the ground, it possessed a vast and mysterious aura.

With the wild, untamed pines and cypresses at the foot of the mountain as a boundary, it seemed to form a clear demarcation with the world outside, dividing the living from the wicked.

"This place is now within the domain of Old Yin Mountain, but it's still several days' journey from Da Yang village!"

Hu Ma walked, thinking silently, "But according to the message that senior had the Huang Xian (Weasel Immortal) family deliver, as long as I enter the territory of Old Yin Mountain, no matter which side of the mountain or how far away, burning incense and reciting his name will be enough to summon him, right?"

Old Yin Mountain was originally his home, but now, with worries weighing on his mind, he felt an inexplicable pressure as he approached.

Outside the mountain, apart from that hooligan family, the other evil beings were very well-behaved, but as soon as he entered the territory of Old Yin Mountain, he suddenly felt a surge of activity.

He didn't know how many rustling things were startled, quietly unfolding, secretly watching him.

Even though he was now half-human, half-ghost, he still retained a living human element, and this aura was detected by those things lurking in the dark.

Hu Ma took a deep breath, mustered his courage, and walked forward silently.

He knew that there were many powerful beings in Old Yin Mountain, and his own skills were probably not enough to be taken seriously.

But thinking that this was also his home, his own territory, he couldn't afford to lose heart, lest he be looked down upon by the neighbors.

Seeing that he had already entered the edge of the forest, and the place was about right, he wanted to find a secluded spot to burn incense, but unexpectedly, he suddenly heard a burst of laughter.

Hu Ma's heart jolted, and he turned around abruptly, only to see a peach tree not far away, blossoming with a tree full of peach blossoms in the dark night.

But with just a glance, the peach tree disappeared.

Replaced by the shadows of the trees, a small farmhouse appeared, with two exquisite and elegant thatched cottages. In front of the fence was a rattan chair, and on the chair, half-reclining, was a charming woman in loosely draped silk robes, her demeanor graceful.

She slowly stretched out her two slender jade legs on the chair, the exquisite curves vaguely visible, and looked at Hu Ma with a giggle:

"Little husband, where are you hurrying off to in the middle of the night?"

"So late at night, a lonely man and a solitary woman, why not come into my courtyard and while away this pleasant evening?"

"..."

Hu Ma was also encountering this kind of situation for the first time. He couldn't help but widen his eyes to take a closer look, sighing with admiration, and then smiled: "I have something to do, maybe another day!"

"If you're really in a hurry, how about I introduce you to an old furnace that's been burning for sixty years?"

"..."

The woman was immediately taken aback. She looked at Hu Ma carefully, then spat suddenly and rolled off the rattan chair.

A gust of yin wind swept through, and the thatched cottage, rattan chair, and woman in loosely draped silk robes disappeared.

"Why did she spit on me for no reason?"

Hu Ma thought to himself, if it weren't for having something to do today, he would have taught her a lesson.

He turned around again, walked further away, found a secluded mountain hollow, and took out three sticks of incense from his bosom, lighting them and sticking them into the ground.

Then he whispered, "Please, Mountain Lord, descend!"

"Please, Mountain Lord, descend!"

"Please, Mountain Lor... ah, Senior, you're here?"

"..."

The fragrance of incense drifted, burning quietly, the red sparks flickering faintly.

Hu Ma's low calls echoed faintly in the night wind, somewhat mysterious and strange, and even seemed to summon some of the things that were already around.

They crouched on the branches of trees, behind the grass and trees, staring at him with a sinister and bizarre gaze.

But after Hu Ma called out twice, before the third call was finished, a fragrant breeze suddenly arose around him.

It seemed to carry the scent of incense and sandalwood, and the surroundings suddenly became quiet, as if all the things that had been quietly peeping at him had disappeared.

Hu Ma felt the strangeness and quickly turned around, only to see that behind him, a tree stump had appeared at some point. On top of the tree stump sat a black shadow that he couldn't see clearly, looking at him with a faint smile.

Without a doubt, it was indeed the old tree stump he had seen outside the Juehu (childless) village before.

He had actually crossed hundreds of *li*, meeting him on the other side of Old Yin Mountain.

"Your cultivation has improved somewhat."

Hu Ma couldn't see the figure of the old tree stump clearly, and he didn't dare to stare rudely at it, but he could clearly hear his voice, with a hint of the kindness and satisfaction of an elder: "It seems that you haven't wasted your time in the past six months."

Hu Ma quickly bowed, like greeting an elder, and respectfully said, "Yes."

"After all, Granny said before she left that the Hu family still has enemies. I know the danger, and I have never dared to neglect it."

"..."

"You don't need to be too afraid of that."

The figure on the tree stump smiled faintly and said, "Your Granny's Daoist skills are extremely high, and her seniority is also high. With her return, the situation can be stabilized in the short term."

"Of course, the Meng family is not to be underestimated either. They can always think of some methods that your Granny didn't anticipate. Now they don't dare to enter Old Yin Mountain to find you, but they are sure that you won't stay in Old Yin Mountain all the time."

"But you don't have to worry. Your Granny came to me before she left and spoke of old favors."

"I have received her kindness, so I have promised her that if someone really comes to look for you, I will help her watch over you."

"..."

"Yes."

Hu Ma heard the meaning of protection in his words, and his heart was slightly relieved.

He had been somewhat uncertain before, but now he was sure from the words of this senior that the person the Tongyin (spirit-channeling) Meng family wanted to find was indeed himself.

This also confirmed that the Hu family's enemy was this Meng family?

But he was also a little puzzled: They had once sent a ghost to Old Yin Mountain to hunt him down, so why didn't they dare to enter Old Yin Mountain to find him now? Was it because Granny had done something after returning?

Also, since the Hu family's enemy was the Tongyin Meng family, did that also mean that the Hu family was actually one of the so-called Ten Surname Families?

What exactly happened between the two families that led to such a deadly feud?

Moreover, if the Hu family he belonged to was one of the Ten Surname Families, were there any other members of the Hu family? Was he really the only one left?

These questions had been accumulating in his heart for a long time, and he had wanted to ask them, but he hadn't had the opportunity.

Without Hu Ma speaking, the old tree stump seemed to have sensed his thoughts and said softly, "I only promised your Granny that I would watch over you if the Meng family came looking for you."

"But I have no intention of getting involved in the conflict between the Ten Surnames, nor will I interfere with you learning skills. Moreover, I cannot leave Old Yin Mountain, so I can't help you with anything you encounter outside."

"But the matter of the Tongyin Meng family is different. I owe your Granny a favor, so I can't ignore it."

"..."

"Junior understands."

As soon as Hu Ma heard this, he knew that this senior was reminding him that he and Granny seemed to have only reached an agreement regarding the Tongyin Meng family. This meant that he should not ask him about other matters?

After a slight pause, he said, "This time I entered the mountain because the Meng family has already begun to move. They sent a Qingyi (green-robed) evil ghost to handle this task."

"Now, they have moved a lot of people in the Mingzhou city's underworld, and now they have begun to operate in the Red Lantern Society."

"Junior doesn't know how to handle this matter, so I came here to ask senior for guidance."

"..."

"The real members of the Meng family will not condescend to come in person, so whoever comes should only be a nephew or niece beyond the fifth degree of kinship. You don't need to worry too much."

The old tree stump said, "In addition, the Ten Surname Families have the Shiting (Stone Pavilion) Alliance. Although the Hu family and the Meng family have a great feud, after your Granny returned to the ancestral shrine, the Meng family should not attack you anymore."

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma was stunned when he heard this. The Meng family would no longer attack him?

Then what were they looking for him for?

Also, what did this senior mean by the Shiting Alliance?

"The Ten Surname Families once made an alliance in the Shiting, involving many things."

The old tree stump said lightly, "One of them is that they cannot attack each other. Although alliances are made to be broken, it shouldn't happen now."

"Of course, don't be careless. Perhaps they didn't come to take your life, but for other purposes. Maybe there are some benefits."

"But no matter what their purpose is, it will lead to one thing."

"That is, it will disrupt all of your Granny's arrangements."

"..."

Hu Ma couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart as he listened. He quickly said, "Then what should I do?"

He didn't understand what the Shiting Alliance was, and he didn't understand why the Meng family was looking for him since they couldn't kill him now.

In fact, he didn't even know what Granny had planned for him, because Granny had only told him to learn skills before she left, and didn't say anything else.

However, regarding the mysterious and strange Ten Surname Families, the only thing he was sure of was that Granny wouldn't harm him.

So no matter what he did, he couldn't mess up Granny's arrangements.

"Continue doing what you're doing."

The old tree stump said, "Even I can't see through some of your Granny's arrangements and thoughts, but I know how much effort she has put in. You can't go wrong by listening to her."

"It's right for you not to meet with the Meng family, no matter what their intentions are."

"And no matter what they come to do, if they can't find you, they will just move on, and that's that."

"If they don't hit the south wall and turn back, then..."

"..."

He paused slightly, and Hu Ma immediately raised his head curiously.

Then he heard the old tree stump smile faintly, "...then I'll have to go there."

(End of this chapter)