Chapter 5: Old Matters of the Huo Family
Qingli said expressionlessly, “I saw the changes that just occurred at the Danxia Gang. The residence you mentioned is the former site of the Danxia Gang. It has been uninhabited for a long time and is about to collapse.”
Lu Xingzhou asked, “Is the size suitable?”
Qingli remained silent.
Their “remnants” came to Xia Province, so naturally, there weren’t many people. Since that place was originally a Gang stronghold capable of accommodating hundreds of people, the size was clearly sufficient.
“Since the size is suitable, renovating and repairing it won’t take much effort,” Lu Xingzhou said with a smile. “I have money, you know.”
You just scammed a lot of money… Qingli said coldly, “Why should we wait for renovations?”
“Because it’s cheap. I believe you couldn’t bring too much money when you fled. Every bit saved counts.”
Qingli closed her mouth.
Actually, they were quite wealthy and wouldn’t quibble over such a small price. Of course, it wasn’t appropriate to flaunt their wealth in front of someone they had just met. On the other hand, Qingli could never haggle over money with anyone, let alone with this annoying man who seemed to have ulterior motives for her.
However, given Liu Yan'er’s prior self-indulgent laughter that made a fool of herself, Qingli really couldn't determine what this man truly meant. It would be embarrassing if she also ended up being self-indulgent.
As a result, Shen Tang spoke up with interest, “Take us to see the place first, then we can decide.”
Qingli frowned slightly, looking at Shen Tang with some surprise.
Are you really planning to continue getting involved with this person?
The Huo Residence was built against the mountain, a large independent manor with no neighbors. The so-called “adjacent to the Huo Residence” for the former Danxia Gang site was actually still separated by a large area of fields.
The group arrived at the entrance of the former Danxia Gang site. Lu Xingzhou didn’t go in; instead, he turned and looked back.
His gaze swept over the vast fields, vaguely seeing the continuous Huo Residence in the distance, with green tiles and moss hidden among the willows.
Lu Xingzhou’s gaze became somewhat deep.
“Is this your residence?” Shen Tang’s voice sounded beside him, with a good deal of interest. “The place is good, quiet and secluded, with open space around, very convenient for martial arts practice. It’s just that if we were to practice martial arts, the neighbors over there…”
Lu Xingzhou retracted his gaze and said indifferently, “At least in the short term, that neighbor won’t have the leisure to inquire about our affairs.” He paused slightly, then suddenly smiled. “If your sect wants to develop, this residence alone isn’t enough. Don’t you think that the continuous fields over there, backed by the mountains, would be an excellent direction for expansion?”
Shen Tang laughed, “That would certainly be good, but unfortunately, even if others were willing to sell, our strength isn’t enough to take it on.”
“Dreams are still necessary…” Lu Xingzhou said. “Furthermore… that large residence has peculiar Spiritual Qi, containing a trace of the miraculous power to bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bones. Especially for external injuries like broken bones and torn muscles, treatment there is twice as effective.”
Qingli was slightly startled, and Shen Tang’s eyes suddenly gleamed, instinctively placing her hand on her broken leg’s knee.
Carefully sensing the situation of the manor over there, she indeed felt a faint sensation, as if it were true.
Whether the so-called peculiar Spiritual Qi alone could heal was another matter… The key was, according to Lu Xingzhou’s statement, was there a treasure beneath the Huo Residence? If they could obtain the treasure, wouldn’t there be more hope for healing?
As if seeing her thoughts, Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly, “There are no treasures. Perhaps there once were, but they have already been taken away. Now, only the residual Spiritual Qi has not completely dissipated.”
Shen Tang said decisively, “We’ll rent it.”
“Miss Shen needs to understand that the residual Spiritual Qi is in the Huo family old residence over there, not here.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Shen Tang gave Lu Xingzhou a meaningful look. “Mr. Lu himself is also unable to move freely, perhaps our goals will be very aligned.”
Lu Xingzhou grinned, “Then the price goes up.”
Qingli: “?”
Shen Tang couldn’t help but say, “Didn’t you say it was cheap here?”
“If I didn’t say that, how would you come to view the property and personally experience the Spiritual Qi over there?”
“…”
“Given Liu Yan'er’s precedent, young lady, don’t easily assume anyone has fallen for anyone, although I really do like white hair…” Lu Xingzhou gestured for the Little Daoist to push his wheelchair away, and they went far away. “The renovations here are just replacing some beams and painting. You can move in within three to five days. Five days from now, we will meet again here.”
The Little Daoist turned his head and waved, “Goodbye, older sister.”
Watching the master and disciple disappear in the direction of the city, Shen Tang and Qingli looked at each other for a long time, both expressionless.
After a long while, Qingli finally whispered, “Do we really want to get involved with this person? He feels too mysterious and unpredictable, which will only create more complications.”
Shen Tang said, “The Imperial Advisor’s divination led us to Xia Province… The more unpredictable it is, the more likely it is to align with the divination, isn’t it?”
Qingli said solemnly, “Yes.”
Shen Tang’s gaze was profound. “Know the enemy first. Do your best to investigate all information about this person.”
… … … …
“Commander, Grand Preceptor Huo’s Family had no major incidents in the past few years, nor any major enemies.” In the Demon Suppression Division, an old constable familiar with Xia Province’s past reported to Sheng Yuanyao, “Back then, Grand Preceptor Huo lost imperial favor, and his entire Family was idle in the Huo family old residence in Xia Province. In that situation, they were all cautious and did not dare to be too overbearing, so how could they have offended such a brutal enemy?”
Sheng Yuanyao listened with disbelief, saying coldly, “Given their status in this remote frontier town, their caution would be limited. There are no Huo Family members here, so there’s no need to cover for them.”
The old constable was a bit awkward. “If you’re talking about slight bullying of neighbors, it wasn’t entirely absent… *cough*. But if they offended someone because of such matters, then it would truly be impossible to trace.”
This sounded like there were so many instances that it was impossible to track them down, and yet he claimed they were cautious… Sheng Yuanyao’s face was stern. “Besides that? Were there no more unusual incidents? Even I heard in the capital that Seventh Master Huo passed away ten years ago.”
The old constable wiped his sweat. “How could outsiders know the details of such internal Huo Family matters, besides the old servants who have served the Huo Family for over ten years? The rumor from the Huo Family was simply that he died of a serious illness.”
Sheng Yuanyao’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.
The old servants who had served the Huo Family for over ten years… Weren’t those the very people who died in this brutal case?
Sheng Yuanyao pondered for a moment, then asked, “How much do you know about Seventh Master Huo’s life? I heard a name ‘Huo Shang’ mentioned by Huo Family members in the capital. Was that him?”
The old constable said, “Yes, that’s Huo Shang. We also wondered at the time why the Huo Family gave their child such a name… But it was said to be a name obtained through divination, so it wasn’t too unusual.”
“Hmm, anything else?”
“This Seventh Master’s birth mother was said to be a low-status maid, from one of the Huo Family head’s drunken nights… She was later promoted to a concubine. To be fair, the Huo Family was quite decent in this regard; they treated this Seventh Master equally and cultivated him well. Unfortunately, he died suddenly of illness at the age of eight, and his mother also died of depression.”
Sheng Yuanyao rubbed her chin, understanding why the old constable said the Huo Family was decent in this regard.
If it were a Family with few heirs, such an unexpectedly obtained son might be a pleasant surprise. But the Huo Family had abundant descendants; this was already the seventh son, and there were countless cousins from various branches, so the situation was much more tragic.
Given the abundance of descendants, a bastard child born from such an accident with a low-status maid, let alone being inferior to a legitimate son born to a normal concubine, was even worse than an illegitimate child born to an outside mistress. After all, concubines and outside mistresses were generally quite favored. But a child born from such an accident, whose mother was of low status, clearly had no favor to speak of. Such an illegitimate son often had little difference in status from a house-born servant and was often the target of bullying from various branches.
To still be able to cultivate him equally was certainly a commendable “benevolence.”
However, in this world of cultivation, with the advantages of medicine and cultivation in noble Families, children are not as prone to premature death as in ordinary families. To die suddenly at the age of eight, it’s likely that the care was limited, and whether this so-called “equal treatment” was merely for outward appearances is hard to say…
“Were there any other changes around that time?”
The old constable recalled for a moment, then said, “Those years saw severe disasters across the land, with poor harvests everywhere. It seems that shortly after Seventh Master’s death, the Grand Preceptor Huo proposed to the imperial court to search for sweet potatoes overseas. They were later found, and the Huo Family was reinstated due to this merit, moving the entire Family to the capital. It is said that this beneficial policy for the country and people was proposed by the Eldest Young Master Huo.”
Sheng Yuanyao’s heart stirred. “Are you sure it was shortly after Seventh Master’s death?”
“It should be roughly the same, or perhaps shortly before? Anyway, it was definitely around that time.”
Sheng Yuanyao narrowed her eyes and pondered for a long time, finally nodding. “I understand. Hmm… What do you know about the former Danxia Temple on Danxia Mountain?”
“The Danxia Temple used to be a dilapidated Daoist temple with only a solitary Old Taoist inside. No one even knew his Daoist name. He just lived by Alchemy and also helped people with divination and fortune-telling, though it was said to be not very accurate. No one knows when he left, and no one paid attention.”
“Did he take any disciples?”
“In his last few years, there seemed to be a Little Daoist beside him, looking very weak and sickly, often seen sitting on the ground.”
Sheng Yuanyao asked urgently, “Sitting on the ground, because of a disability?”
The old constable apologized, “I didn’t pay attention to those details back then; I just saw him sitting on the ground and didn’t know if he was disabled. If the Commander wants to know more details, you can ask other old people who visited Danxia Temple.”
Sheng Yuanyao nodded. “One last question… Did the time when the Little Daoist appeared beside the Old Taoist coincide with the time of Seventh Master Huo’s death?”