CHAPTER 457: CHAPTER 451: THE LEGEND OF THE STONE HORSE

"West Kunlun?"

Hu Ma’s heart stirred. He had already entered the mansion, so he wasn’t easily bewildered. Now that he had cultivated his Dharma Form, his Divine Soul was significantly stronger. He was like a Guest in the main hall; even if caught off guard for a moment, his mind would quickly turn, and he would realize what was happening.

Yet, knowing something was amiss, he did not immediately expose it. He simply looked at him and smiled, saying, "Old man, your hometown has a nice name, but it sounds like it’s not nearby..."

"Not far, not far..."

Upon hearing this, the white-bearded old man immediately laughed, waved his hand, and said, "It’s right up on the mountain behind, on that hill with a large patch of red sour dates. There’s a dry pond; I was born there, grew up there, then was brought to the mansion by my young Master.

"Back then, the young Master was mischievous and gave things random names. The hill in the west he called West Kuncang. The bare mountain to the east was East Hua Mountain. The pond to the south he named the Turquoise Pool, and even the pavilion on the northern mountaintop he dubbed Lingxiao Hall.

"I don’t know what it means, but it sounds nice.

"I watched our young Master grow up since I was a child, until he later got into trouble. The whole family, including all the clan elders, was cursed and killed, yet I, having no one to mourn me, survived.

"Later, the town became deserted. However, some of the young Master’s friends and disciples came by a few times and entrusted some of his old scraps to me. After that, a group exchanging paulownia boards for blessings arrived and moved into the mansion.

"Somehow, over the past year or two, the town started bustling again. Watching them, I felt delighted, as if the bustling town meant the young Master would come back..."

Listening to the white-bearded old man’s words, Hu Ma found himself vaguely understanding something. He looked deeply at the old man, whose face remained indistinct, only smiling warmly at him.

Within those eyes was a hint of intimacy, and a deeply familiar feeling that made his heart skip a beat.

"Have you always lived here, old man?"

He subtly shook his head, dispelling that strange familiarity, and slowly pondered as he looked at the old man. "You must know a lot about Shima Town then?"

The white-bearded old man laughed, "If anyone understands, it’s surely me. The people in this town have been replaced several times, but only I’ve remained here guarding it."

Hu Ma’s heart stirred slightly. He looked at him and said, "Then, have you ever heard of the legend of the stone horse in this town?"

"Stone horse?"

The white-bearded old man also smiled. Looking at Hu Ma, he said, "It’s just a clay sculpture, what legend could there be?"

"Naturally, the legend of the Old General who, upon retiring, rode a horse to slay the plague ghost..."

Hu Ma looked at him, slowly retelling the legend he had heard from Calculation. "Now, although the Old General has passed, with even his grave untraceable, the stone horse remains guarding this town, doesn’t it?"

Is there a way to awaken this stone horse? Will it continue to accompany the Old General to slay the plague ghost and benefit the people?

"Oh, you’re talking about that..."

Seeing Hu Ma’s earnest inquiry, the white-bearded old man laughed, waved his hand, and said, "That was all a tale made up by the mischievous young Master back then...

"I remember clearly, there was no Old General, nor any ghost-slaying on horseback. This stone horse was originally created by a wealthy local to guard his relocated grave, and there used to be a pair, but the other one got broken later.

"The sculptor of the stone horse was just a rural craftsman, not even considered a Master. How could there be anything magical about it?"

"Hm?"

After hearing this, Hu Ma was a bit surprised. Things indeed seemed different from what he initially thought.

If it was just a clay sculpture, how could it be awakened? The hurried attention Big Red Robe had given to leave this message—Could it be he was mistaken, or perhaps unclear about the whole thing? Contemplating this, he looked at the white-bearded old man, "But I heard it is possible to awaken the stone horse."

"You’d have to ask the young Master about that; it was his invention. My young Master was clever from an early age, speaking in ways that made no sense at the time but seemed profound in hindsight."

The white-bearded old man laughed, "For example, back then, a plague ghost haunted this town and the nearby hills, causing an epidemic. But the young Master made up a tale, so everyone worshiped the stone horse, and the epidemic miraculously vanished, bringing peace to the people.

"Even after two waves of death swept through the town, somehow the practice of worshiping the stone horse persisted. Whenever there were people in town, someone would offer incense."

The old man’s voice rambled on, making it difficult to discern truth from lies.

Hu Ma just listened silently and slowly asked him, "Then, what were the items someone asked you to keep before? Who gave them to you?"

"Just some old items used by the young Master."

The white-bearded old man said, "After the young Master’s transgression, the entire family perished, and the townsfolk fled. But two or three years later, some friends of the young Master came to pay respects and left those old items.

"Later, some people came sporadically, and some even bowed to me, seemingly hoping to obtain those items, but I couldn’t make that decision!

"These were the young Master’s belongings, so only he can reclaim them. How could I just give them to anyone?"

Hu Ma furrowed his brow, staring at the old man’s face, only to find it increasingly obscure, while the familiarity grew stronger. A strange sense of pressure mounted in his chest. He exhaled slowly, speaking in a deep voice, "What if your young Master never returns?"

"He will return..."

The white-bearded old man laughed, "The people who returned the young Master’s items said he’d definitely return because the world will become lighter, and people will remember his importance.

"People need him.

"But he also said he hoped the young Master wouldn’t return too late; otherwise, even if he did return, there would be nothing that could be done..."

The words "the world will become lighter" stirred an inexplicable tension in Hu Ma’s heart. "What does that mean?"

The white-bearded old man just smiled, shook his head, and said, "I’m just a gatekeeper. I don’t know those things, but I imagine once the young Master returns, everything will be clear..."

Seeing Hu Ma seemed eager to ask more, he waved his hand unexpectedly and said, "I would like to speak more, but guests are coming to the town. Could you, sir, watch over things temporarily, as the young Master is not here?"

"Guests?"

Looking at the amiable old man, it was as if Hu Ma saw many familiar elements in his face. He steadied himself, and before he could respond, a cool breeze brushed his face, awakening him.

Slightly surprised, he realized that the door in front of him was unopened, and all the encounters with the white-bearded old man were mere illusions. His heart moved, and he stood up, pushed open the door, and saw a giant tree outside, massive enough to shield the sky and sun.

The wind swayed the tree’s top, rattling and quivering, shaking the objects hanging at the top, as if they were about to fall.

"In truth, there is falsehood; in falsehood, there is truth."

Hu Ma focused on that great tree for a long time before sighing softly, saying, "The One Coin Sect, one might say, resembles a trick door; but even within a trick door, there are nine falsehoods to one truth...

You handed me the Great Mighty Sky General Seal from the start. Were you waiting for me all along?

And the guests..."

"Sect Hierarch... no, Martial Uncle, Martial Uncle..."

Standing under the old elm tree, reflecting quietly, Hu Ma suddenly heard cheerful calls from outside. Turning to look, Immortal Miaoshan reappeared, her face a mix of astonishment and excitement.

Hu Ma frowned, "What is it?"

Seeing his gaze, Immortal Miaoshan immediately became more composed but couldn’t hide her excitement and said, "They’ve arrived! So many people came, unexpectedly..."

"Hm?"

Hu Ma was slightly taken aback and followed her out of the mansion to a vantage point. Looking outside, he couldn’t help but be a bit surprised. The sun had long risen, casting a bright sheen across the area.

A mass of people, peasants in ragged clothing, some pushing carts, some leading skinny donkeys, children in tow, elderly supported by the young, came from the mountain path leading to the town. From afar, they resembled groups of ants coming toward the town.

Shima Town already had a considerable population. Now, it was bustling like never before, a dense crowd of people filling the streets. It seemed as if the population had suddenly increased tenfold, and even more were continuously streaming into the town.

Hu Ma’s expression shifted immediately, and he asked in surprise, "But isn’t the road outside blocked?"

"It is!"

Immortal Miaoshan hurriedly said, "No one can go out. But unexpectedly, coming in is no problem. News of our Lantern Festival had already spread, and with strong foes outside, we were planning to keep a low profile.

"But because information can’t go out, the people outside don’t know, so they flock here for the occasion.

"It was just that no one expected that commoners from what seemed like hundreds of miles around would all rush over. Looking at it now, this Lantern Festival is already ten times livelier than we imagined."

"A three-day agreement has been made; the great hall officer outside will soon attack. With their abilities, it wouldn’t be difficult to disperse the incoming commoners. Why are they being allowed in?"

Even Hu Ma was a bit puzzled at this, gazing around at the throngs of people. He sighed softly and said, "I should go out and see. Whatever you need to arrange, go ahead and do it..."

"Yes, yes, and regarding the matter of the Protector God on the altar..."

"...Wait!"