“The National Preceptor is too kind…”

By this point, Hu Ma had no choice but to get off the carriage.

The city defense army welcomed the procession, the Ten Families’ descendants led the way, each clan opened its gates, and the National Preceptor himself held the reins of the horse.

Although he didn't fully understand the customs of these nobles, he knew they were deliberately praising the Hu family, even to an excessive degree.

He had no choice but to jump down from the carriage, hold the National Preceptor's hand, and laugh, "You're holding the wrong reins."

"My father is behind us. There's a distinction between elders and juniors. When escorting my father back, I should be the one to clear the way, but once we reach our hometown, I should step back behind the coffin."

"The National Preceptor respects the Hu family's hard work, but you shouldn't disrupt the proper etiquette for a junior like me…"

“…”

As he spoke, he walked to the back of the coffin and held it. The carriage he had been riding in was pulled to the side.

The National Preceptor was slightly surprised upon hearing this, but he just smiled and took the reins of the carriage pulling the coffin.

Matters like funerals, weddings, and betrothals were often intertwined with various rules, nominally etiquette, but in reality, a kind of power play.

Younger people often didn't dare to argue with their elders over such etiquette. Each person made an offer and the other responded, a subtle form of contest.

But he listened to Hu Ma, yielding on this point.

Hu Ma also turned to the crowd near the city gate. He could guess their identities, whether he knew them or not. He bowed deeply and said, "Esteemed uncles and elders, I am uneasy to receive such a welcome. Although I am a descendant of the Hu family, my late father has not yet been buried, and we still owe an incense offering to the elders in the ancestral hall. Without these rites, it's not yet time for me to act as the head of the Hu family…"

"Right now, I am just a junior in the Hu family, and you are my elders. There's no need to use such empty formalities to flatter me."

“…”

The people all smiled and nodded, not replying with words, but simply stepping aside.

The city gate had already been opened wide, but no one rushed past Hu Ma, or rather, the position of Hu Ma's father, Mr. Hu Shan, as the first to enter the city.

As the wheels rolled and entered the city, Old Suanpan jumped down from the donkey.

He glanced at the National Preceptor but didn't dare to speak, shrinking his head and quietly following behind the carriage. The other employees were frightened by the scene and dared not say a word.

The most composed person in the crowd was Fairy Miaoshan, who had also dismounted but was looking around with a curious expression.

The most bewildered was Fourth Sister Zhou.

Before coming to the capital, she had been thinking about her own affairs, considering the issue of her identity as a zougui dazhuodao (ghost hunter). Her father was fine with it, usually saying that he just wanted her to marry well, not caring about the family background of her spouse. But her mother loved to nag, always saying she wanted to find someone of equal status. She wondered if her mother would look down on her zougui dazhuodao identity…

But amidst these thoughts, she saw Hu Ma entering the capital with the honor bestowed by the Ten Families.

She also heard what Hu Ma said at the city gate.

She was instantly stunned and, after a long silence, asked Fairy Miaoshan in disbelief, "What did they just say?"

"What 'Hu family's descendants'?"

“…”

Seeing her bewildered, Fairy Miaoshan and Old Suanpan, who had deliberately fallen behind, were also stunned. Little Hongtang widened her eyes and looked back at her.

After a long while, Old Suanpan lowered his voice, "You… you didn't know all along?"

Fourth Sister Zhou stamped her foot, "He never told me!"

"This…"

Everyone was momentarily speechless and quickly and quietly entered the city.

Only Fourth Sister Zhou seemed dazed, staggering as if in a dream, following along in a daze.

Once inside the city, they saw neat streets and rows of houses in the distance. The streets had been cleared, and the shops on both sides were lined up, but none of them were open.

Only the alleys along the streets were crowded with people, all craning their necks to watch the people entering the city from afar.

Looking ahead, they saw a paifang (ornamental archway). Underneath it, people had set up a mourning platform. A dark mass of people, all wearing mourning clothes, looked like a field of white from afar. The one at the very front on the left was an elderly man. He seemed to be of a higher generation, not wearing mourning clothes, but with a white band tied around his arm. The one at the front on the right was a middle-aged man.

He wore light-colored silk and also wasn't wearing mourning clothes, but he did have a sackcloth draped over his shoulders.

When they saw the coffin entering the city, the two of them came forward to welcome it from afar, and the people wearing mourning clothes behind them followed.

Some people scattered paper money, and the wind instrument players raised their voices.

Seeing this scene, Hu Ma frowned slightly.

At this moment, someone quietly approached him and whispered, "Young Master Hu, my name is Tao Kui, and I am an official in charge of inquiries for the Zhou family."

"Knowing that the Hu family has just returned to the capital and that you may not be aware of many things, I have been sent here by my master to lend a hand and offer some guidance."

"The two people in front are both relatives of the Hu family."

"The one on this side is the Old Master of the Qingyuan Hu family, who just arrived in the capital a few days ago."

"They are no longer on the same family tree as the Zhensui Hu family, but in terms of blood ties, you should call him Second Grandfather. The other one is the Great Master of the Ren family, he…"

“…in terms of seniority, is your maternal uncle.”

"The Zhensui Hu family is a separate lineage, but they are all here to send Mr. Hu Shan off on his final journey, which is in accordance with etiquette."

“…”

Hu Ma listened, processing everything before he understood.

The Old Master of the Qingyuan Hu family was from the branch that had received the good fortune. He had killed several people from that branch himself, but he hadn't expected them to come now.

The other one was the Ren family… his own birth mother had long cut off contact with her family. He hadn't expected to see people from his mother's family.

But the Zhou family's representative was very thoughtful, arranging someone to guide him, fearing that he wouldn't understand.

Since they came in the name of mourning, he wouldn't be rude and would just follow the proper etiquette.

Amidst the crowd's support and arrangements, he proceeded forward, increasingly aware of the grandeur of this magnificent city. It was just that it was covered in an unshakeable and somber ghostly aura.

Now, along both sides of the wide roads in the city, mourning platforms were often set up. Some people offered incense, some burned paper money, some swept the ground, and some recited scriptures to pray for blessings. The Zhou family's official kept telling him who belonged to which family, which sect, who was an old friend of his ancestors, and who was a descendant of the Bai family…

As he walked slowly forward, surrounded by whiteness, Hu Ma was filled with emotion.

The Hu family had been isolated and struggling to survive in Old Yin Mountain, nearly dying out.

Now that they had just returned to the capital, he didn't expect so many relatives to suddenly appear…

In the coffin was a skeleton that had died in Old Yin Mountain, neglected for over a decade. Yet now, returning to the capital, the streets were lined with white silk, giving the deceased a respect he never had in life.

He was new to the capital and didn't know the way. Seeing the mourning platforms on both sides guiding his path, he was curious and asked the Zhou family official in a low voice:

"Where are so many people leading us to?"

The Zhou family official said, "Naturally, to the Hu family."

"Doesn't Young Master Hu know that the Hu family also has a residence in the capital?"

“?”

Hu Ma was surprised, "I really didn't know!"

Wasn't the Hu family's property just a few thatched huts in Old Yin Mountain?

Could it be that they actually had a large mansion in the capital?

It turned out they really did.

Gradually entering the city and reaching the high walls of the east district, they saw a large mansion in the distance.

Two large white lanterns with the character "奠" (diàn - offering) written on them hung in front of the gate. A group of servants, whom Hu Ma had never seen before, knelt in front of the mansion gate, wearing mourning clothes.

An old servant, who looked aged, came forward from afar, kowtowed to Hu Ma, and said respectfully:

"Master, you have returned."

"This old servant has been guarding this residence for the Hu family for twenty years. The gates have been closed for twenty years, and they are only opened today."

“…”

Because Mr. Hu Shan had not yet been buried, in the eyes of others, Hu Ma was only a "Young Master."

But in the old servant's words, there was no longer a master. He was the "Master."

Hu Ma took a deep breath, nodded in agreement, and the servants had already removed the threshold. The group supporting the coffin entered the mansion.

Instantly, a chorus of wailing echoed inside the courtyard.

The wailing came from the servants, who had only been bought from the brokers after learning that Hu Ma was returning to the capital.

Although the sound of their wailing was loud, it lacked sincerity.

Or rather, everything he had heard along the way was false. After all, the person had been gone for over a decade, and even Hu Ma couldn't cry sincerely.

The carriage entered the mansion, and the coffin was carried down and placed on a platform that had been set up with a white canopy. Hu Ma's journey north, supporting the coffin, had temporarily come to an end. The rest would be the actual funeral procession, going to the ancestral hall.

By this time, all the people who had been part of the funeral procession had followed them to the Hu family, and a steward was serving tea.

Hu Ma had just been led into the hall and sat down when a card was presented to him.

The person delivering the card whispered, "The Wang family invites the Young Master to a banquet at the Zhisou Pavilion to welcome the Hu family's Young Master."

"I won't go."

What Hu Ma had seen along the way had already made him aware of some things.

Most of the Ten Families were not in the capital. Only the Undying Wang family had their ancestral home here and were still in the capital.

Now, people from each of the Ten Families were rushing in from other places. Although they all had some businesses in the capital and people stationed here, they were actually unfamiliar with the place. Therefore, the Undying Wang family, which also belonged to the Ten Families, had become the de facto host in the capital.

The Ten Families wanted to invite him to a banquet and used the Wang family's name to send the card.

Hu Ma could guess that the Ten Families wanted to say something to him, but he refused directly.

"I came supporting the coffin from Old Yin Mountain. My birth father has not yet been buried, and I haven't burned incense before the ancestral hall. How can I be in the mood for a banquet?"

He waved his hand and said, "Decline it!"

"Tell them, they've waited twenty years. What's a few more days?"

"Tell the relatives outside that I won't be seeing them for now. Tell them that tomorrow morning, I will send my father to the ancestral hall and prepare offerings to pay respects to Grandmother."

"Until then, I won't see anyone!"

"I won't talk about anything either!"

“…”

The old servant listened and nodded quickly, going to deliver the message.

Everyone around was surprised to hear this. Only Little Hongtang, with her icy little hand, grabbed Hu Ma's arm and looked at him timidly:

"Brother Hu Ma, I… I can sense Grandmother. She's so close to us. She's watching us…"

“…”

Hu Ma stroked Little Hongtang's head and smiled gently, "We're going to see Grandmother soon. Nothing is more important than seeing Grandmother."

"Right?"

(End of this chapter)