Chapter 5: The Old Matters of the Huo Family

Miss Qingli's expressionless: "I saw the incident at the Danxia Gang just now. The residence you mentioned is the original site of the Danxia Gang; no one has lived there for a long time, and it is on the verge of collapse."

Lu Xingzhou asked, "Is the size suitable?"

Miss Qingli said nothing.

Their "remnant forces" came to Xiazhou, so of course there were not many people. Since that place was originally a gang headquarters capable of accommodating hundreds, obviously the size was sufficient.

"Since the size is suitable, renovating and repairing it won't take much effort." Lu Xingzhou smiled: "I have money, you know."

You just blacked out quite a lot of money... Miss Qingli said coldly, "Why should we wait for renovation?"

"Because it's cheap. I believe you couldn't bring much money to flee; save what you can."

Miss Qingli closed her mouth.

Actually, they were quite wealthy and wouldn't fuss over this price. Of course, it wasn't appropriate to show off their wealth in front of a stranger. On the other hand, Miss Qingli herself would never haggle over money like a merchant, let alone with this smelly man who seemed to have other thoughts about her.

However, after Liu Yan'er's self-pitying laughter that made people's teeth fall out, Miss Qingli really dared not judge what this man meant; it would be ridiculous if she ended up being self-pitying too.

As a result, Shen Tang spoke with interest: "Take us to see the place first, so we can decide."

Miss Qingli frowned slightly, looking at Shen Tang with some surprise.

Do you really intend to continue mixing with this person?

The Huo residence was built against a mountain, an independent large manor with no neighbors. The so-called "adjacent to the Huo residence" at the original Danxia Gang site was actually separated by a vast expanse of fields.

The group arrived at the entrance of the original Danxia Gang site. Lu Xingzhou did not enter but turned his head to look back.

His gaze crossed the vast fields, vaguely seeing the continuous Huo residence in the distance, with green tiles and moss hidden under the willows.

Lu Xingzhou's gaze became somewhat deep and dark.

"Is this your residence?" Shen Tang's voice sounded beside him, quite interested: "The place is nice, quiet and secluded, with open surroundings, making martial arts practice very convenient. But if we were to practice martial arts, that neighbor over there..."

Lu Xingzhou withdrew 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, just this residence is not enough. You say, those continuous Tian She backed by mountains, isn't that an excellent direction for expansion?"

Shen Tang laughed: "That would certainly be good, but unfortunately, even if others were willing to sell, our strength couldn't handle it."

"Dreams must still be had..." Lu Xingzhou said: "Besides... that large residence has unique spiritual energy, hiding a miracle of reviving the dead and restoring white bones. Especially for external injuries like broken bones and tendons, treatment there is twice as effective with half the effort."

Miss Qingli was slightly stunned. Shen Tang's eyes suddenly flashed with sharp light, and she subconsciously placed her hand on her broken leg knee.

Sensing the condition of that manor carefully, there was indeed a vague feeling, as if it were true.

Whether relying solely on so-called unique spiritual energy could cure injuries was another matter... The key was, according to Lu Xingzhou's statement, was there a treasure under the Huo residence? If the treasure could be obtained, would there be more hope for a cure?

As if seeing her thoughts, Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "There is no treasure. Perhaps there was once, but it has been taken away; now only the residual spiritual energy remains undispersed."

Shen Tang said decisively, "We will rent it."

"Miss Shen needs to understand clearly; the place with residual spiritual energy is the old Huo family residence over there, not ours here."

"It doesn't matter." Shen Tang looked at Lu Xingzhou meaningfully: "Mr. Lu himself has difficulty walking; perhaps our goals will be very consistent."

Lu Xingzhou grinned: "Then we need to add money."

Miss Qingli: "?"

Shen Tang couldn't help but say, "Didn't you say this place was cheap?"

"If I didn't say that, how would you come to see the house and personally experience the spiritual energy over there?"

"..."

"With Liu Yan'er's precedent, Miss should not easily think anyone has taken a fancy to anyone, although I really like Bai Mao..." Lu Xingzhou signaled the Little Daoist to push the wheelchair away, leaving for a distance: "The renovation here is just replacing some beams and painting; we can move in within three to five days. Five days from now, we will meet here again."

The Little Daoist turned his head and waved: "Goodbye, sister."

Watching the master and disciple leave towards the city, Shen Tang and Miss Qingli stared at each other for a long time, both expressionless.

After a long while, Miss Qingli said softly, "Really mix with this person? He feels too mysterious and unpredictable, creating unnecessary complications."

Shen Tang said, "The Imperial Preceptor's divination guided us to Xiazhou... Isn't the more unpredictable one even more likely to fulfill the divination?"

Miss Qingli said solemnly, "Yes."

Shen Tang's gaze was deep: "Know the enemy first. Investigate all information about this person to the fullest extent."

"Commandant, there were no incidents in the Huo Grand Preceptor's family in recent years, nor any enemies." In the Demon Suppression Bureau, an old constable well-versed in Xiazhou's past reported to Sheng Yuanyao: "Back then, when the Huo Grand Preceptor lost imperial favor, the whole family retired to the old Huo residence in Xiazhou. In that situation, they were extremely cautious and dared not be too arrogant; how could they offend such a vicious enemy?"

Sheng Yuanyao didn't believe it upon hearing this and said coldly, "With their status in this remote border city, how cautious they could be was limited. There are no Huo family members here; do not cover for them."

The old constable was somewhat embarrassed: "If we say they slightly oppressed neighbors, it wasn't completely non-existent... Ahem. But if they offended someone because of such matters, it would truly be impossible to trace."

This sounded like there were so many they couldn't be found, let alone being cautious... Sheng Yuanyao frowned: "Anything else? No special events? Even I in the capital heard that the seventh young master of the Huo family died young ten years ago."

The old constable wiped his sweat: "Such internal Huo family matters, how could outsiders know the details except for the old servants who served the Huo family for over ten years? The news from the Huo family was just that he died young from a serious illness."

Sheng Yuanyao's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The old servants who served the Huo family for over ten years... In this murder case, weren't these the ones who died?

Sheng Yuanyao pondered for a moment and asked, "How much do you know about the life of this seventh young master before he died? I heard the Huo family members mention a name called Huo Shang when they talked in the capital; is that him?"

The old constable said, "Yes, it is Huo Shang. At that time, we also muttered about how the Huo family could name their child so... but it was said to be a name obtained through divination, so it wasn't that strange."

"Hmm, what else?"

"The biological mother of this seventh young master was said to be a lowly maid, the result of the Huo family head drinking after... afterwards she was elevated to a concubine. To say the Huo family was decent on this point, they treated this seventh young master equally and raised him well. Unfortunately, he died suddenly from illness at the age of eight, and his mother also died of depression."

Sheng Yuanyao stroked her chin, knowing why the old constable said the Huo family was decent on this point.

If it were a family with few offspring, such an unexpectedly obtained son might be a surprise. But the Huo family had abundant offspring; this was already the seventh son, not to mention the countless cousins from various branches. The situation was much more tragic.

Under the premise of abundant offspring, such an illegitimate child resulting from an accident and a lowly maid was not only inferior to a concubine-born son but even worse than an illegitimate child born to a mistress outside the house. After all, concubines and mistresses were generally quite favored. But such an accidental child, with a mother of low status, obviously had no favor to speak of. Such a concubine-born son was often no different in status from a house-born servant and was often the target of bullying by various branches.

To raise him equally was certainly a praiseworthy "benevolence."

But in this world of cultivation, under the medical and cultivation advantages of high families, children were not as easily prone to dying young as in ordinary families. To raise him to eight years old and still have him die suddenly, the care was likely limited. Whether this so-called "equal treatment" was merely for show to outsiders was hard to say...

"Around that time, were there any other incidents?"

The old constable recalled for a while and added, "Those years, disasters were severe everywhere, and harvests failed in various regions. It seems that shortly after the seventh young master died, the Grand Preceptor proposed to the imperial court to find sweet potatoes overseas. Later, they found them, and the Huo family was reinstated due to this merit, moving the whole clan to the capital. It was said that this policy beneficial to the nation and people was proposed by the eldest young master of the Huo family."

Sheng Yuanyao's heart stirred: "Are you sure it was shortly after the seventh young master died?"

"It should be about right, or perhaps not long before? In any case, it was definitely around that time."

Sheng Yuanyao narrowed her eyes and pondered for a long while before finally nodding: "Understood. Hmm... regarding the Danxia Temple that used to be on Danxia Mountain, how much do you know?"

"The Danxia Temple was just a dilapidated Daoist temple back then. Inside, there was only a lone old Daoist Priest, and no one knew his Daoist name. He made a living refining pills himself and also helped people divine fortunes and tell fates, though it was said he wasn't very accurate. No one knows when he disappeared, and no one paid attention."

"Did he take any disciples?"

"In those last few years, there seemed to be a Little Daoist by his side. He looked very weak, sickly, and was often seen sitting on the ground."

Sheng Yuanyao asked hurriedly, "Sitting on the ground—was it because of a disability?"

The old constable apologized, "Back then, I didn't pay attention to such details; I just saw him sitting on the ground and didn't know if he was disabled. If the Commander wishes to know the details, you can ask other elders who have been to the Danxia Temple."

Sheng Yuanyao nodded: "One last question... does the time when the Little Daoist appeared beside the old Daoist Priest coincide with the time of Young Master Huo Qi's death?"

(End of this chapter)