Chapter 23: Ancestral treasure, passed down from father to you

Qian Hua laughed and said , " What descendants of the demon race? Those are only in novels. How can they exist in reality?"

Hua Duxiu picked up the orange juice and took a sip , " It's boring!"

Hua Qian said , " Haven't you always wanted to know what your father wears around his neck since you were a child?"

Hua Qian said this and gently took off the pendant hanging around her neck.

Hua Duxiu was stunned, took the pendant, and looked at it carefully over and over again.

A flat golden ball.

Ever since Hua Duxiu could remember, Hua Xin almost never took it off, and even though he had doted on Hua Duxiu since she was a child, he would not allow Hua Duxiu to touch it.

Over time, Hua Duxiu lost interest in the pendant and even forgot its existence.

"The secret of our Hua family's eyes is hidden in it. Not only that, it has been passed down from generation to generation. It is said that it also records the secret of the devil from a thousand years ago!"

Hua Duxiu was shocked , " What...what on earth is this?"

"This golden ball is a little light, is it hollow?"

Huaqian nodded , " Yes, you can open it."

Hua Duxiu narrowed his eyes and found a faint fine line on the little golden ball.

Gently open it and you will find a piece of tattered animal skin hidden inside.

The hide is extremely thin, and when unfolded is about the size of a pigeon egg.

It feels strange to the touch.

Hua Duxiu looked again and again by candlelight, but could not see anything special.

“What…what is this?”

Qian Hua said seriously , " This is a fragment of a map."

"map?"

"That's right. It's said that as long as the map is pieced together, the greatest secret of the Trapped Demon Valley can be solved! Of course, the secret of our Hua family's eyes can also be solved at the same time. Even the secret of why our Hua family has only one son for nine generations can be solved."

Hua Duxiu thought to himself: What's wrong with only one son in the family for nine generations?

Good eugenics and good upbringing, fewer and better births, isn’t that good?

Hua Qian said , " Take the broken piece close to your eyes and try it."

Hua Duxiu looked at Hua Qian in confusion. Hua Qian smiled, so Hua Duxiu had no choice but to do as he was told and slowly brought the small piece of animal skin close to his eyes.

His eyes were fixed closely on the hide.

If you get closer, can you see any special details inside?

What textures are there?

Any tiny handwriting?

The animal skin was within a palm's distance from Hua Duxiu's eyes. Hua Duxiu's body suddenly shook and he dropped the animal skin in his hand!

Damn it!

If it weren't for his natural great composure and calmness, Hua Duxiu would have almost jumped up.

A strange feeling of déjà vu surged over me!

Deep in his memory, in a place that had been forgotten for a long time, he seemed to find a familiar feeling?

There is a vague feeling of discomfort.

"Dad, this...what the hell is this?!"

Hua Duxiu said this, rubbing his eyes gently, and then looked at the small piece of animal skin that he had spent money to pick up.

Qian Hua said mysteriously , " What you feel is the so-called 'devil'!"

"'Demon spirit'? You're not telling a story, are you?"

"Of course not. Everything Dad said tonight is true."

Hua Duxiu looked at the tattered animal skin again, handed the animal skin to Hua Duxiu, and whispered:

"Xiu'er, you are amazing. Even at my old age, my father could only sense the demonic energy on the map from a distance of about a punch."

Hua Duxiu chuckled , " You're comparing yourself to me again, don't you know your own weight?"

Hua Duxiu said this, holding the map close to his eyes again, trying to feel that special feeling once again.

The sky seemed to be covered with thick ink. The white clouds turned into black clouds, the rosy glow turned into a faint purple light, and even the light became crooked.

Sometimes it is inky black, sometimes it is dark purple.

Hua Duxiu stood under such a sky, looking up at the changes in the sky.

The blood-red thunder suddenly struck down, silently but terrifyingly.

suddenly!

A thin figure was walking towards Hua Duxiu from afar!

Hua Duxiu didn't pay attention at first, but when he paid attention, he was shocked!

“Qing…Qingyue!”

Hua Duxiu couldn't see the face of the thin girl clearly, but he knew very clearly that this girl was Shen Qingyue who had appeared in his dreams many times in the past three years!

Three years, countless times!

But every time Hua Duxiu woke up, he couldn't remember what he saw, he only remembered Shen Qingyue looking at him from afar!

Just like now!

No, it’s different from now. At this moment, Shen Qingyue is slowly approaching him!

Hua Duxiu's body was shaking violently. He wanted to speak, but something was stuck in his throat and no sound came out!

He wanted to raise his hands, but his arms felt like they were filled with lead and he couldn't lift them at all!

Shen Qingyue slowly walked to a place three meters away from Hua Duxiu and stopped.

Her figure is still the same as it was several years ago.

Her face was hidden in a cloud of white mist, and no matter how hard Hua Duxiu tried, he couldn't see through it.

And behind her, on the ground, a wide ancient well slowly formed!

Hua Duxiu was horrified and his body shook even more violently!

All of this seemed to be the truth of the nightmare that he could not remember no matter what!

Hua Duxiu screamed silently , " What on earth happened! Qingyue, what on earth happened!"

But he couldn't shout it out, and Shen Qingyue couldn't tell him either.

Slowly, the picture faded.

Hua Duxiu watched all this slowly disappear and felt extremely sad.

Hua Duxiu slowly moved the map away, and the scene in front of him immediately faded and finally disappeared.

Hua Qian asked anxiously , " Did you...did you think of something? Are you okay?"

Hua Duxiu then realized that he was soaked in sweat.

Hua Qian didn't dare interrupt him.

This is Xiu'er's first time coming into contact with evil energy. If she intervenes decisively, it may lead to worse consequences.

Hua Duxiu shook his head and said softly , " This thing is so evil."

Huaqian nodded , " Yes."

Hua Duxiu didn't want to say more and handed the animal skin to Hua Qian.

He decided to keep it secret.

After smiling, Duxiu returned to his handsome appearance.

He took it, carefully folded the hide, and stuffed it back into the golden ball.

The golden ball is only the size of a fingernail, flat, and looks no different from ordinary jewelry.

Hua Qian put the pendant in Hua Duxiu's hand and said:

"Now that you have the ability to protect it, Dad will pass it on to you today!"

Hua Duxiu said , " It doesn't matter if you lead me or I lead you."

"It's different. It's different."

Hua Qian said , " Our Hua family's ancestors have always loved to venture into the martial arts world. Do you know why?"

Hua Duxiu said , " I like freedom and don't like being constrained, just like me."

Qian Hua shook his head , " No. Our ancestors traveled through the nine realms of the world in order to find other fragments of the animal hide map, complete the map, and then explore the secrets within!"

Hua Duxiu was stunned , " Is this really the case?"

"You can't guess it, right? That's right. We must never let others guess this. There are too many conspirators in the world, and too many powerful and knowledgeable people. Who knows if there are others who are also working tirelessly to dig out the secrets of thousands of years ago?"

Hua Duxiu nodded.

But then he frowned and asked:

"Then hundreds of years have passed, and our ancestors haven't found a single piece of animal skin? Could the other fragments be buried in some ruins that no one has ever seen? Or maybe they were eaten by rats, or burned by fire, so how can they be found?"

Qian Hua shook his head , " No, you underestimate the talented people in the world."

“Although our ancestors did not obtain the other fragments, they have roughly explored the locations of the other fragments.”

", our eyes can not only see everything slowly and clearly, but also can keenly detect the 'devil' contained in the fragments of the map."

Hua Duxiu said inwardly, yes, he had just verified it.

That feeling is very strong.

"Of course, the degree of sensitivity varies from person to person. Why did Dad run the escort business honestly all his life and never leave the Devil Valley to travel around the world? It is because Dad is not very sensitive to the 'devil energy'. Going out to look for it is simply a waste of effort."

Hua Duxiu thought to himself: It’s because you have no ideals and no aspirations.

Hua Duxiu looked at the pendant in his hand. Ever since the fragments were stuffed into the golden ball, that feeling seemed even more distant.

Hua Qian said , " Did you notice? Once the fragments are hidden in the golden container, this feeling will be greatly weakened."

Hua Duxiu nodded.

"You are naturally more perceptive than your father. As your strength grows, you will definitely become stronger and stronger. I, Xiu'er, am not an ordinary person. If one day you want to travel around the world, remember, don't forget to secretly explore what you have in your hands."

Hua Duxiu nodded.

He had no interest in making money through business, no interest in practicing martial arts or swordplay, and even less interest in becoming an official.

Not even interested in women.

But he is very interested in searching for rare treasures and uncovering huge secrets.

Not to mention, the impact and message this thing brought to him were so shocking!

Even if this is an extremely boring task, he will do it!

For so many years, that nightmare buried deep in his heart, that girl he could not forget.

Hua Duxiu secretly decided that he would definitely do this!

"I understand. Tell me the clues to the other map fragments. When I decide to go out and explore, I will find them one by one!"

Hua Qian nodded, his face full of satisfaction: My Xiu'er, you are finally motivated!

So relieved!

…

Three days later, a guest from the City Lord's Mansion came to visit the Hua family.

Qian Hua recognized this person and said politely , " Master Wang, long time no see!"

Master Wang bowed and said , " Manager Hua, long time no see!"

The two entered the lobby and sat down as host and guest.

Master Wang said , " Shopkeeper Hua, we are old acquaintances, so I will just get straight to the point and state my purpose."

I have a vague bad feeling about spending money.

"Speaking."

Master Wang said , " Manager Hua, news came from the Princess's Mansion today that the date for paying taxes in Yanyu County has been set."

Hua Qian was stunned , " Oh? The mission of escorting an important person requires an open bidding?"

Master Wang shook his head and said , " No."

"The tax payment date of Yanyu County coincides with that of Shushen County in the west, and your escort agency has already obtained the contract for escorting the taxes of Shushen County, so..."

Huaqian frowned , " So what?"

Master Wang coughed lightly and said , " So, the Princess's Mansion has sent a clear instruction that in order to ensure the safety of taxes, we cannot allow one escort agency to undertake the task of escorting two counties at the same time."

Qian Hua said coldly , " Does that mean we can't do it anymore?"

Master Wang looked apologetic and said , " We are all old acquaintances. You understand some things."

"I am just a small guest of our Shenquan City. How can I make the decision on these matters? Even our Li City Lord has no say. These are all orders passed down from the Princess Mansion."

Qian Hua had a bad look on his face and didn't respond for a while.

Master Wang added , " Although the Hua Escort Agency is full of experts, the escort of a county's taxes is of great importance. If there is any mistake, even the Governor-General will directly punish you. It is very serious!"

"So this time... Shopkeeper Hua, the princess's consideration is not unreasonable. After all, the tax payment dates for Yanyu County and Shushen County overlap, so how can one escort company split into two groups?"

Qian Hua asked solemnly , " Did Shenwei Escort Agency get the escort contract?"

Master Wang said , " Yes."

Hua Qian angrily said , " Shenwei Escort Agency has already obtained the escort contract for Tiannan County, and now they have also obtained the contract for Yanyu County. Isn't it considered splitting up the troops?"

Master Wang was a little unhappy . " Manager Hua, the Shenwei Escort Agency is backed by the Heqi Sect. All the masters of the sect will be sent out to escort the escort. How can it be the same? Besides, the tax collection time in Tiannan County is half a month later than our Yanyu County. There is no need to split the troops into two groups."

The whole Aikido?

Do you think our Hua's Escort Agency doesn't have enough people?

Do you look down on our Hua family's strength?

Qian Hua snorted heavily, picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Master Wang shook his head, stood up and said , " Brother Hua, we are old acquaintances. I advise you to let go of everything!"

Hua Qian's face was gloomy. He stood up and bowed , " Brother Wang, thank you for your guidance."

After seeing off Master Wang, Hua Duxiu and Shen Lijia walked out of the inner room.

Qian Qian said , " Xiu'er, it's just as you expected!"