Twilight Boundary-Chapter 769 - 760: The House of Great Wealth

"Yes!"

Granny looked into Hu Ma's eyes and sighed softly. "Your grandfather never had the chance to tell me these things, because the Meng family somehow brought over an ancestor who was exceedingly powerful. Your grandfather, along with one of your uncles and your aunt, couldn't defeat him. Right up until his death, your grandfather never had the opportunity to speak of it. And your father—I questioned him countless times, but he never denied it. Later, I witnessed your birth, and I also saw people from the Daluo Dharma Sect appearing in Old Yin Mountain. That's when I started to believe the Meng family's words: the Hu Family had indeed traded you for certain things."

Hu Ma already knew what happened afterwards; many things Granny mentioned were already known to him. But now, his heart still surged with an endless upheaval.

Could the Hu family really be preoccupied with becoming immortal?

He appeared outwardly solemn, but he slowly raised his head, looking up at the vast expanse of black smoke and clouds. He saw the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall shrouded in eerie ghost qi. He looked toward the not-too-distant meditation mat where the guardian elder sat quietly, seemingly unaware of his conversation with Granny. Finally, his gaze settled outside, where the noble lords of Shangjing City stood in shadows, barely visible.

Granny gently patted Hu Ma's hand, urging him to look back at her, and said softly, "When I married into the Hu Family, it was because I admired their character. The Hu Family learned their magic among the villages and never forgot their roots. Your grandfather and I met while dealing with a harmful evil spirit in the countryside. It wasn't until we returned to the capital that we completed the proper marriage ceremonies. I was from the Bai Family, but once I became a daughter-in-law of the Hu Family, I always put the Hu Family first. The relationship between the main family and those who perform sword catching is one of utmost trust. Although I am a daughter-in-law of the Hu Family, I also handle sword catching for the Hu Family. But the things that followed, your grandfather kept hidden from me all along."

As she spoke these words, her tone seemed to grow somewhat somber. She looked at Hu Ma candidly. "So, if you ask this old woman, I don't believe your grandfather was someone who would aim to become immortal. But the Hu Family did indeed get involved in these matters twenty years ago and received more benefits than the other surnames. The Duyi Royal Family is not a very good entity. But in the eyes of many people, Duyi was a wealthy household. They were attacked by robbers, and their estate was divided. Those eight surnames were the thieves, while the Hu and Meng families acted as inside accomplices. The Daluo Dharma Sect was merely a foolish think tank... And the Hu Family took the largest share of the assets stolen from Duyi..."

Listening to Granny's account, Hu Ma was momentarily stunned and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

As Granny spoke these words, she seemed to relax a lot. She leaned over him, gently stroking his back, and said softly, "Over these years, you've done many things—debts left by the old man—and you could only be pushed along. But have you done anything that you regret?"

Listening to Granny, Hu Ma couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head. "No."

"That's right."

Granny, her eyes full of relief, whispered, "Then in the future, don't do anything you'll regret. Now, no matter what, you're back. The things the Hu Family obtained back then are now all for you to decide. Why ask what your grandfather did at the time? Listen to Granny: if your grandfather truly was such a muddle-headed fool preoccupied with those things, then you don't have to acknowledge him."

At that moment, a sense of shock finally stirred in Hu Ma's heart. He looked seriously at Granny's now somewhat blurry face, then smiled. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Granny truly held some resentment in her heart...

"Don't acknowledge him? That won't do."

By this point, he actually already knew the answer he wanted and understood why Granny had told him about the Hu family's origins. Ever since he woke up, ever since he fought his way back from death's door, he had been hoping for an opportunity like this to talk with Granny. He felt as if there were countless things to say and kept asking questions non-stop. He asked so much about the Hu Family and about Little Hongtang. He asked about the Hu family's past glories and its former status. Most importantly, since the Hu Family had already paid such a high price, he certainly needed to clarify what benefits they had received back then, to avoid being foolishly cheated or having debts denied.

He kept asking until even the elder before the ancestral hall started coughing lightly as a reminder, at which point he slowly stood up.

His father's coffin was transported into the fire pit behind the ancestral hall. Hu Ma hadn't realized until then that this burial method, representing the orthodoxy of the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall, was identical to those used in ancient villages like Old Yin Mountain.

Afterwards, Hu Ma offered incense. The faint incense smoke before him gradually dissipated, and along with it, Granny's shadow. She still looked at Hu Ma, unable to tear her gaze away, and advised him, "Next time you come to burn incense, don't come alone... At your age, in Dayang Village, you're almost considered undesirable..."

Little Hongtang gently tugged at the corner of his clothes, watching with him as Granny returned to the ancestral hall.

The funeral had ended.

When Hu Ma finally turned around slowly, the distant relatives and friends who had been waiting far off—long impatient but daring not to show it on their faces—crowded forward. The day before, they had been eager to see Hu Ma, but he had refused. Now that the funeral was finally over, they rushed to speak. His maternal uncle was the first to push to the front.

Mr. Ren of the Ren Family appeared somewhat ashamed, sighing as he said, "Your mother has shut herself away ever since she returned from the mountains. She spends her days burning incense and praying for blessings. When we heard you were returning escorting the spirit, we tried to persuade her, but she refused to leave the house. She... she was just very worried about you. Knowing you're alive and well makes her very happy. But no matter what, now that you're back, rebuilding the Hu Family's foundation is your rightful duty. Here in Shangjing City, our family still has some businesses. We'll transfer them to the Hu Family's name first, and then we can discuss other matters gradually..."

Before he could say much more, someone else helped another elder approach. This was the Second Ancestor of the Qingyuan Hu Family. He trembled as he grasped Hu Ma's hand, saying, "I only found out after the fact that those brutes went to Mingzhou to find you. What a disgrace! You killed them, and that was well done. If you hadn't, the Ghost Walkers across the land wouldn't respect the name 'Hu'! It's true we divided the family back then and established separate records. But the name 'Hu' is written the same for all of us; we are still one clan. Now you've returned, but of that large family, you are the sole remaining heir... But don't worry about lacking manpower; our family has plenty of people..."

Still immersed in his conversation with Granny, Hu Ma had to deal with these relatives.

He furrowed his brow slightly and said, "Manpower is indeed lacking, far from enough. Consider the world's chaos: dragons and snakes are rising, grasshead kings wage war everywhere, and evil spirits wreak havoc in the human world. People must guard not only against being eaten by ghosts but also by the living. How difficult it is! There are too many things that need doing. Never mind relatives; even if everyone in Shangjing City were given to me, I would still find it insufficient! But these tasks are all extremely dangerous, with countless deaths. Are the two elders willing to let their people take such risks?"

The relatives on both sides were taken aback.

With awkward expressions, they finally said after a while, "At such a critical time, who can afford to worry about others? Now that the Ten Surnames have all returned to Shangjing, we've all heard about the Stone Pavilion. The Hu Family made significant contributions, so its position is ahead of other families. However, you lack the necessary personnel... Since that's the case, why not open the path to Shangqiao? Let more members of our family gain immortal qi. That way, no matter what we do, it will be much more convenient."

Listening to their words, Hu Ma was somewhat surprised. "The path to Shangqiao, does it still need someone else to open it?"

This statement made the two elders assume he was deliberately mocking them. They smiled bitterly. "If you don't give your approval, who from our family can go to Shangqiao? It's not that there aren't those in our old families who want to go to Shangqiao and contribute to the Ghost Walking Sect. However, the Age Suppressing Book has always been in your hands. Without that mother form leading the way, others can't establish a firm footing even if they reach Shangqiao..."

"Age Suppressing Book, mother form?"

Hearing their hesitant words, Hu Ma suddenly understood. Ever since he had seen through his fate and finished his conversation with Granny, everything had become increasingly clear in his mind.

A smile began to appear on his face. He didn't need to maintain the stern expression he had worn with his relatives in Mingzhou. After all, in Mingzhou, he knew nothing and thus had to be cautious. But now, he understood even more than Granny...

Looking up, whether it was the Qingyuan Hu Family or the Shangjing Ren Family, their eyes flickered as they stared at him with eager hope. Behind them, countless unfamiliar yet expectant faces watched. Some belonged to Granny's maternal Bai Family, and some were old acquaintances of the Zhen Sui Hu lineage of Shangjing, along with various other distant relatives from all sorts of connections. They had all sprouted out like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

"I've noted the elders' reminder, but let's take things step by step!"

He laughed as he spoke. "After all, my father's funeral isn't even complete yet. Discussing these things now is indeed a bit early, isn't it?"

With that, he squeezed out of the crowd and walked slowly ahead. He felt quite emotional, thinking that the Hu Family couldn't truly be poor; in fact, they were likely wealthier than any other family in Shangjing...

The others, seeing this, dared not stop him. They exchanged glances filled with anxiety and anticipation. Although dissatisfied, they all hid their feelings deep inside at this moment, merely making silent, determined vows.

The Dharma Assembly was approaching, and the Ten Surnames were returning to the capital. Whether each family could get a share of the Stone Pavilion's benefits—a "bowl of soup"—all depended on whether this young man would give his approval...

This situation couldn't really be blamed on others. If it weren't for the State Preceptor's return, who would have known? Such a grand affair as the Stone Pavilion was still largely in the hands of the Zhen Sui Hu Family, which had supposedly waned for twenty years.