Long before Hu Ma began to understand these matters, early one morning, Plum Bossom Lane in Mingzhou Prefecture was bustling with activity.
Plum Bossom Lane was just a small alley located in the western part of Mingzhou Prefecture, with only seven or eight families living on both sides.
These seven or eight families were quite affluent, with industries spread throughout the city. Yet, they rarely showed their faces, employing a group of specific servants and Shopkeepers to manage their family businesses. Their own offspring neither entered any Path nor concerned themselves with worldly affairs.
Every day, they only engaged in reading and teaching, cultivating their skills and morals, as if they had closed themselves off in their own little world.
Occasionally, they interacted with people from the Mingzhou governnt, but they were mostly low-key and often unknown to others.
However, when it ca to Plum Bossom Lane and the entire Mingzhou Prefecture, it actually specifically referred to one family: the family of Old Master i, who ran a pawnshop from their front premises and lived in a small, single-entry courtyard at the back.
This pawnshop was different from others. It never accepted cotton coats and pants from poor people, nor any gold, silverware, antiques, or paintings, only occasionally taking in so old items.
And these were always dead pledges, never live ones.
The items they collected were peculiar: ancestral plaques, incense burners, Copper Coins, broken bowls, and even so underworld tools. Yet, in this pawnshop, they were never short of buyers. People would occasionally co and redeem a broken bowl or an incense burner at prices unimaginable to ordinary people.
So even offered high prices to have the people in the pawnshop help continue their family genealogies or carve ancestral plaques.
The prices were exorbitantly high, but it was said that taking them back could ensure peace and ward off evil spirits.
Most of the ti, when outsiders visited, they first had to enter the pawnshop and state their purpose. In fact, the vast majority didn’t need to enter the small courtyard behind, as matters were resolved in the front pawnshop.
Yet, early this morning, soone hurriedly pushed a roofless carriage into the alley, urgently knocking on the door, a series of sounds that shattered the alley’s tranquility.
The green-clothed pageboy took a long ti to open the door, frowning and ready to scold.
"Where is the Master?"
The Black Robed Mage knocking on the door said urgently, "Hurry, I have an urgent matter."
Seeing who it was, the green-clothed pageboy refrained from scolding, opened the main door, and let them into the courtyard.
The small courtyard was not large, but with its ornantal rocks and flowing water, it was very elegant.
An old gentleman in a white inner robe was sitting in a rattan chair, sipping tea and fanning himself with a palm leaf fan. Beside him was an ancient well, its water deep and still, and surprisingly, it nurtured a red and a green goldfish.
He occasionally pinched what looked like red rice grains and tossed them into the well, watching the fish compete for food.
Upon seeing the Black Robed Mage enter, he didn’t speak, just continued to fan himself. But the Mage hurriedly ca over and knelt. "Master, sothing has happened!"
He seed afraid of being scolded and quickly explained, "It’s the son-in-law of the Wei clan of Huai’an, surnad Zheng. This man is originally from a family here in Mingzhou Prefecture. He once beca a Scholar and was later favored by soone from the fourth branch of the Wei clan, who took him in as a son-in-law."
"He has returned this ti intending to retrieve his family’s ancestral plaques, but he was unexpectedly entangled by malevolent entities from the village. My cultivation is insufficient, so I can only implore you, Master, to take a look..."
"The Wei clan..."
The old gentleman slowly raised his head, glanced at the roofless carriage surrounded by people in the back, a troubled look on his face. "If it were just ordinary evil spirits, you wouldn’t need to co to . But if it’s troubleso... our establishnt here is a Divine Incense Distribution Hall; we only distribute Blood Food to the Old Masters, you see..."
"Please save my Old Master’s life..."
Hearing this, the Wei family’s steward imdiately knelt. "My Old Master is in mortal danger! We have no other recourse!"
The old gentleman did not respond to the steward’s plea, only furrowing his brow.
The Black Robed Mage also hurriedly added, "Master, this entangling malevolent entity isn’t strong; I could have handled it. But sothing went awry."
"Last night, I was planning to help him resolve it, but I encountered a peculiar small hall officer..."
"...I rembered your instructions, Master, and didn’t dare to provoke them."
...
"Hmm?"
Upon hearing this, the old gentleman sat up a little straighter, speaking softly, "What exactly did they look like?"
The Black Robed Mage was taken aback for a mont, then hastily described the appearance of Seventh Aunt, particularly emphasizing her incongruous ceremonial escort.
Actually, he was also afraid he had misjudged or been bluffed, which would be a huge loss of face. However, he hadn’t expected that after hearing his detailed description, the old gentleman would take a sharp breath, look at him with a sowhat grave expression, and whisper, "You did right not to provoke them."
"Your cultivation is shallow. You don’t understand—the waters in Mingzhou run very deep!"
"Since the winter month last year, I haven’t been the only small hall officer in Mingzhou Prefecture."
...
"Ah?"
The Black Robed Mage was montarily stunned, then hurriedly asked, "Then who is it? How co I haven’t heard any news? Which Path are they from, and which incense hall?"
...
The old gentleman rely sighed and didn’t answer, only waving his hand and saying, "Bring the person over for to see."
The others quickly pushed the carriage over, allowing this old gentleman to examine the dazed noble on it. After just a brief glance, he too showed a worried expression and remained silent.
The old servant said, "My Old Master is rely plagued by evil spirits; they just need to be driven away. But last night, we encountered sothing unknown that blocked us and wouldn’t let us save him."
The old servant had been tense all night. Now, having reached the city, a hint of complaint was clear in his voice. He kowtowed again to the old man in Plum Bossom Lane, saying, "I beg you, Old Master Mage, to save him! Can it be that in this Mingzhou Prefecture, there isn’t even this bit of order anymore?"
"Old Master, you are a Hall Officer, specializing in these matters of evil spirits. Are you truly going to stand by and watch my Old Master be hard by them?"
...
The old man with a face full of wrinkles, dressed in a white inner robe, rely watched the noble in the carriage.
He had been entangled by the malevolent entities for so long that his face was already turning blue, and his eyes were vacant. One mont he would chuckle inanely, the next he would weep bitterly, and then suddenly, he would begin to hum and sing incoherently.
"First, bring an ink brush and inkstone!"
The old man didn’t rush to say anything more. He took up an ink brush and, on the noble’s forehead, drew a few strokes, vaguely sketching the shape of a simple talisman.
The noble suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze clearing slightly, quickly filling with anxiety and panic. But before he could utter a word, his eyes abruptly closed, and he sank into a deep sleep.
Only then did the old man turn back to the old servant, slowly shaking his head. "Although my duty is only that of Divine Incense Distribution, it’s not that I’m afraid of them. However, what you don’t yet know is that Mingzhou Prefecture today is no longer what it once was."
"Last year, Green Clothes caused a major disturbance, but an expert here slew the evil spirit and established new rules. Since then, who would dare act recklessly anymore?"
...
Of course, he understood that slaying Green Clothes itself wasn’t particularly remarkable.
What was truly terrifying was that soone, knowing Green Clothes worked for that noble of the ng family, still dared to slay them. And after Green Clothes was slain, that ng family noble was so frightened they didn’t even make a show of their usual procession and fled overnight. That was what was truly frightening.
But, of course, he wouldn’t reveal such secrets to a Wei clan servant, lest he inadvertently invite disaster.
Sighing slowly, his gaze swept over the kneeling Black Robed Mage beside him, a hint of reproach in his eyes. He shook his head again. "And as for that Hall Officer you encountered, so people had noticed them earlier, but no one knows their true origin or background..."
"Now that they have shown themselves, they were likely appointed by that personage."
"And that personage, who knows how long they’ve been hiding in Mingzhou Prefecture, never ddling in any affairs, has now suddenly sent soone to stop you from rescuing your Old Master. So if we..."
His face grew increasingly troubled as he sighed, "If we insist on getting involved, wouldn’t we be asking for trouble?"
"This... this..."
The old servant was sweating profusely from anxiety, his expression incredulous. After a long mont, he abruptly looked up, his gaze sowhat defiant, and said, "The son-in-law of the Wei clan of Huai’an—is he to die here in Mingzhou Prefecture at the hands of such a Vengeful Ghost?"
The old man in Plum Bossom Lane rely shook his head slowly, sighing, "Every person has their own destiny..."
"Even royal relatives can die from a common cold, can’t they?"
...
At these words, not only the old servant but even the Black Robed Mage was shocked.
Last night, when he encountered that strange small hall officer, he knew sothing was amiss, so he made the smart move and retreated.
He had thought that even if he himself was out of options, surely his Master would have a way?
But who would have thought that his Master—who had always been kind to others and maintained particularly strong ties with the prominent families and the governnt—would act so decisively cold and indifferent this ti?
This noble was indeed entangled by malevolent entities, and it was certainly a tricky situation. But he believed his Master would have a solution. Yet now, it seed his Master didn’t want to get involved at all, even saying things like ’every person has their own destiny,’ which were clearly words ant to shirk responsibility!
These words cast an extrely oppressive pall over the atmosphere.
In the dead silence, the old servant seed lost in thought. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and whispered fiercely, "The Young Master-in-law must not die!"
Everyone else was taken aback and looked at him, their eyes showing distinct displeasure.
As a servant, even a servant of the Wei clan, blurting out such words was rather disrespectful.
"The Young Master-in-law must not die."
But this old servant seed oblivious to the dissatisfaction in the eyes around him. His expression turned serious as he said in a low voice, "Perhaps the esteed Hall Officer doesn’t know. My Young Master-in-law’s return this ti wasn’t just to clean the ancestral ho and pay respects to his deceased parents. Actually... actually..."
As he spoke, he seed to be under great pressure, as if what he was about to say involved so hidden secret.
Steeling himself with a slight grit of his teeth, he continued, "Actually, he ca back to retrieve the ancestral plaques and then proceed to Huai’an Prefecture to take up an official post."
"Our Wei family has already secured for him the position of County Governor of Liyuan County in Huai’an Prefecture. The date has been set for him to report for duty. Now, at this critical juncture, he’s suddenly been entangled by malevolent entities. How can this possibly be resolved smoothly?"
...
"What?"
Upon hearing this, the Old Master’s expression changed slightly as he looked at the servant in disbelief.
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