Chapter 46: The Past of the Huo Clan
Hodu still familiarly put his arm around Huo Yunqi's shoulder, tilting his head to look at the tense-looking girl beside them.
"Is this your little girlfriend?"
"That's right," Huo Yunqi replied through clenched teeth.
Hodu smiled, his tone as casual as if he were asking about an insignificant triviality: "She won't go and report us, will she? Otherwise..."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand and made a slashing gesture toward the girl.
The girl's face turned pale, and she quickly stepped back, her eyes seemingly welling up with tears.
"She won't!" Huo Yunqi quickly chimed in.
"Haha, I'm just teasing you." Hodu withdrew his hand and said with a chuckle, "How about this, you go back first. Nephew, keep me company and walk around here. In case she really blabs about us, I'll take you along to run away together."
This sounded like a joke, but both of them understood the meaning behind it crystal clear.
Huo Yunqi looked at the girl and softened his voice: "You go back first. If Professor asks, just say I went home. This is my own uncle, nothing will happen."
The girl hesitated for a moment before turning and leaving.
Until she walked far away, Hodu finally released his hand resting on Huo Yunqi's shoulder. He reopened his fan and fanned himself casually a couple of times.
"Let's go, show me around here. By the way, tell me everything you know." Hodu strode toward the depths of the garden, "I'm a wanderer who has been away from home for many years. Since you know about my affairs, don't hold anything back."
The scenery in the garden was indeed beautiful, no wonder it was called an imperial garden. Hodu looked around along the way, and his mood became slightly more relaxed.
Huo Yunqi followed behind him with a helpless look on his face, having no choice but to start from the things he had heard about: "My mom occasionally mentioned before that after the Third Master died, the Third Madam took you and left. At that time, the Third Master had already been expelled from the Huo Clan, so no one stopped you."
Hodu's eyes flickered slightly.
Listening to this passage alone, it did match what he knew.
Huo Yunqi looked at his face and couldn't suppress his curiosity: "However, you should be younger than me, right? How did you end up looking like this? Did you drink the shape-shifting potion?"
From his explanation, Hodu also figured out what the shape-shifting potion was. Put bluntly, it was just the Polyjuice Potion, only that both sides called it by different names.
"Sort of." Hodu didn't explain much, changing the subject: "Tell me about the Huo Clan first. You described them as so impressive, is there any exaggeration at all?"
A simple question completely opened up Huo Yunqi's chatterbox.
"Of course they're impressive! The Huo Clan is one of the five major surnames in the world. At its peak, the entire Magical World had to listen to us!"
Next, Huo Yunqi began to recount the history of the Huo Clan.
The inheritance of the Huo Clan had lasted for more than two thousand years, and it had been a prominent surname in the Magical World since ancient times. In its most powerful years, the Huo Clan even controlled nearly half of the power in the Magical World, and its heritage had never truly been broken.
The Magical World here was different from the West; it did not regard pure-blood theory as a rule, but instead encouraged Wizards to interact with Muggles. This was also an important reason why the Huo Clan was able to survive generation after generation.
They didn't compete on bloodline quality; they competed on numbers.
Isn't the probability of a Wizard being born low? Then have more children.
The ancestors of the Huo Clan discovered very early on that the probability of a Muggle child giving birth to a Wizard was different from the probability of Wizards and Wizards, or Wizards and Muggles, giving birth to a Wizard. Since magic was regarded as a mysterious power bestowed by the heavens, they figured out a way to keep it in their bloodline.
Therefore, taking wives, taking concubines, and having children became the most direct methods. A single ancestor alone left behind a staggering number of descendants, among whom were Wizards and Muggles alike.
His children did the same, continuing to take wives and concubines, with houses full of wives and concubines and a large bunch of children. Relying on this method, the number of Wizards in the Huo Clan quickly accumulated.
Of course, things wouldn't always go smoothly.
After a few generations, the Huo Clan found it increasingly difficult for Wizards to be born. It seemed that after the bloodline kept scattering, the magical talent was also diluted along with it. Later, another ancestor set a rule: the legal wife of every Wizard must also be a Wizard.
Only in this way did the chances of Wizards appearing rise again.
Through generations of management, the Huo Clangradually grew into a massive family. However, only Wizards were qualified to be written into the Huo Clangenealogy.
In order to concentrate the family's strength, the Huo Claninternally divided into main branches and branch lines, as well as direct lines and collateral lines. The clan leader was served by the direct line of the main branch, responsible for commanding the entire magical family.
This family system twisted the Huo Clan into a single rope. In some places, even the people of an entire village all shared the surname Huo and were all Wizards. This was not only convenient for mutual protection, but also made it easier to hide themselves.
Wizards with foreign surnames would not be turned away either. Whether they married into the family as a resident son-in-law or married into the Huo Family, they could be absorbed by this massive surname and ultimately become the strength for the Huo Clan to continue growing.
Those wild Wizards who awakened alone from among the Muggle population found it even harder to contend with family Wizards. That era was all about clustering together, and once they were treated as heretics, they were often besieged.
Therefore, most wild Wizards would eventually be absorbed by the family, and even their children had to change their surname to Huo.
As for the Muggles in the family, no matter how distant their relationship with the Huo Clan was, they could only be considered affiliates. The past clan leaders held the power of life and death, so who dared to run and report them? Back then, anyone who dared to expose the clan leader's background would often be beaten to death alive, and even the government wouldn't intervene.
Even if the news really leaked, the Huo Clan could dispatch Wizards to erase the memories of the insiders.
However, for a family that had lasted so long, of course it was impossible not to have any trouble at all.
During the peak period of the Huo Clan, the clan leader at that time controlled half of the Magical World, and began to become arrogant, even attempting to control the mortal emperor.
After the matter was exposed, the emperor flew into a rage, mobilized a hundred thousand troops to encircle and suppress the Huo Clan, and ordered the extermination of the nine familial generations.
There were also ill-intentioned Wizards secretly leading the way for the army, causing heavy losses to the Huo Clan. The clansmen could only finally flee into the deep mountains, and after years of hiding and development, they slowly recovered some of their vitality.
Huo Yunqi finished telling these things, and Hodu clicked his tongue in amazement upon hearing them.
This Huo Clan really had some substance.
They didn't discriminate against pure-bloods or half-bloods, nor did they exclude Muggle Wizards; instead, they would try every means to incorporate people into the family. At the end of the day, what the Huo Clan valued was never bloodline, but power, status, and strength.
No matter what Muggle Wizards were like, they wouldn't become an obstacle to the family. Since they could be absorbed, why would the Huo Clan bother to discriminate against them specifically?
Even the direct line of the main branch could not be considered pure-blood Wizards in the true sense. In history, it was not uncommon for legal wives to be unable to give birth to Wizard children, in which case they could only let the children born of concubines inherit the position of the head of the family.
Under this circumstance, the fight for the succession was naturally indispensable, but it didn't happen many times. Most of the time, the Huo Clan still followed the primogeniture system. Even if fights really occurred, the person who finally inherited the position of the head of the family was still a member of the Huo Clan.
"Tsk tsk tsk!"
Hodu couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Those so-called pure-blood families in the West were simply far inferior compared to the Huo Clan. At least during most periods of the Huo Clan, as long as the clan leader still had a say, a casual wave of his hand could mobilize a large group of Wizards.
Wasn't this even more majestic than the Minister for Magic?
More importantly, the direct line of the main branch could not only command the Wizards of their own clan, but also firmly controlled the family's property rights and clan school.
Ancient magical knowledge was not something to be shared. Wizards of the direct line of the main branch could access all magical knowledge, while others could only learn limited content, and had to be taught to varying degrees according to their closeness or distance to the main branch.
Over time, the gap in strength between the main branches and branch lines, as well as the direct lines and collateral lines, became more and more obvious. After the bloodline developed to the fringes, some knowledge would indeed spread out, but the truly recognized orthodoxy always remained firmly in the hands of the direct line.
Chapter 47: Sights and Sounds of the Ancient Capital's Ruins
"Out of all the families that have passed down their surnames to this day without a single break in between, there are only five. Our Huo Clan is precisely one of them."
When Huo Yunqi said this, his face was full of smugness.
Families with such a long heritage as theirs are actually not that few.
But after thousands of years, very few have managed to preserve their foundations and continue to the present day.
After hearing this, Hodu immediately seized upon the problem within it.
"Since the Huo Clan has its own family school, why come to United Academy? This place doesn't sound like somewhere belonging to your Huo Clan either."
The pride on Huo Yunqi's face instantly froze, and his whole body looked like a deflated balloon.
"Strictly speaking, this can also be considered our family school."
He paused and could only continue to explain: "It's just an academy run jointly by the Huo Clan and four other surnames. Our Huo Clan is also a member of the board of directors."
"Oh, just directors," Hodu raised an eyebrow, "Then which family actually calls the shots?"
"This…"
Huo Yunqi hesitated for a moment before saying rather reluctantly: "Neither of them. The Dean of the academy is a Muggle-born Wizard."
As soon as these words came out, his expression became even uglier, as if admitting to this matter itself was very shameful.
Hodu looked at him suspiciously.
Just moments ago, he had described the five major surnames as immensely imposing and majestic, yet their own academy actually let a Muggle-born Wizard be the Dean. The two statements really didn't match up.
Huo Yunqi looked left and right, and after making sure no one around was paying attention to their conversation, he lowered his voice to defend the other party.
"Although the Dean is of Muggle-born origin, he is a once-in-a-millennium genius and the strongest Wizard alive today."
Hearing this, Hodu almost thought he was talking about Dumbledore.
"That Dean suddenly appeared more than forty years ago, leading a group of Muggle-born Wizards to suppress the power of the five clans. Later, he established the Wizards Federation, re-integrated the Magical World, and served as its first president himself."
Speaking up to this point, Huo Yunqi mysteriously lowered his voice even further.
"After that, he made the five major clans hand over their respective family schools and changed them into a unified institution. Regardless of their background, everyone could learn magic equally."
Hodu listened with his eyes wide open, directly interrupting him: "Wait, this is completely different from what you just said, right? Didn't you say the five major clans are very strong? The five families joined forces, yet they were actually overthrown by a group of Muggle-born Wizards?"
Since it ended up like this, why boast so fiercely just now? He almost actually believed it.
"I also think it shouldn't have happened," Huo Yunqibottled up a bellyful of melancholy, "but the facts are just like this."
To this day, he still couldn't figure out how the five clans lost back then.
It's just that this matter belonged to the secrets of the older generation, and given his status, he wasn't qualified to touch upon the truth of it.
From his narration, Hodu roughly figured out the layout of the Magical World here.
Simply put, the five major clans had a deep foundation, but right on top of their heads was pressed a Wizard of Muggle-born origin.
Over the years, the Wizards Federation had been weakening the privileges of the clans, wanting to make everyone equal, but it hadn't completely wiped out the five clans either.
To this day, the five major clans still possessed considerable influence.
Hodu asked casually: "Since your dad will become the head of the Huo Clan in the future, what about you?"
After listening for so long, he could tell that Huo Yunqi's status was indeed extraordinary, being the son of the future family head.
"I rank fifth at home."
"Got it."
Hodu immediately understood.
Huo Yunqi's most honorable identity in the future would probably just be the son of the family head; as for the position of the family head, it basically had nothing to do with him.
"Let's not talk about this," Hodu raised his hand and rested it on his shoulder, "Since you're my biological uncle, take me around. Are there any shops in the academy?"
He certainly hadn't forgotten his original purpose.
Huo Yunqi had indeed been arrogant before and almost wanted to silence him, but Hodu was an elder after all; how could he truly hold a grudge against a younger generation?
"There aren't any inside the academy, but the nearby ruins of the ancient capital have them."
The biological uncle who had just wanted to kill him was now suddenly hugging him tightly and refusing to let go, making Huo Yunqi feel completely uncomfortable all over.
He twisted his body wanting to break free, but Hodu's arm firmly clasped his shoulder, and no matter what he couldn't shake it off.
The ruins of the ancient capital were a gathering place for Wizards situated near the former imperial palace.
According to Huo Yunqi, that was the most prosperous place in this area, gathering over ten thousand Wizards.
The Wizards Federation was also set up there, and under the Federation, there were the four departments of Rites, Works, People, and Punishments, which together were equivalent to the Ministry of Magic here.
Hodu nodded.
If he really went to that ancient city ruins, doing things might be more convenient for him.
However, staying at the academy wasn't a total loss either, as he gained a relative out of nowhere.
Even if it was just a blood relationship, the other party was crying and shouting to acknowledge him, so it wouldn't be good for him to pretend he didn't hear.
Before leaving, Hodu lowered his head to take a look at his clothes.
This outfit was clearly not suitable for wandering around outside.
With a thought, his clothes rapidly changed on his body, and in the blink of an eye, they had become the same gray long robe as Huo Yunqi's, with another layer of clothing nested inside.
Huo Yunqi was dumbfounded.
"How did you do that?"
"Transfiguration," Hodu answered casually, "Your place doesn't teach this?"
"But you didn't even chant a spell!"
"Wandless and non-verbal casting, your place doesn't teach that either?"
Instead, Hodu showed a puzzled expression, feeling that this child's reaction was overly exaggerated.
Huo Yunqi's face turned beet red all at once, but he had no way to refute.
Of course he had heard of wandless and non-verbal casting, but that was Transfiguration, not ordinary minor spells.
Let alone students, even many adult Wizards might not be able to complete it as effortlessly as Hodu.
What's more, Hodu looked several years younger than him.
After changing clothes, Hodu grabbed Huo Yunqi's arm.
The next instant, the figures of the two directly disappeared from United Academy.
When they reappeared, Huo Yunqi looked at the scene before him, his entire person completely bewildered.
Of course he recognized this place, but the problem was, he was clearly still at the academy just now; how did he arrive at the ruins of the ancient capital in the blink of an eye?
Could it be that Hodu had just used a Memory Charm on him, making even the memory of that middle period disappear?
He stared at Hodu, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Was this really that cousin-uncle he had never met before?
Huo Yunqi even began to doubt whether that jade pendant in the clan was broken.
Otherwise, everything happening before his eyes simply couldn't be explained.
"How on earth did you do that?" he asked out loud, one hand tightly grabbing Hodu's arm, "United Academyclearly prohibits the use of Apparition!"
"Maybe the teaching methods here are different from ours."
Hodu brushed it off with a perfunctory sentence, but his gaze had already swept around their surroundings.
The ruins of the ancient capital seemed to still retain their appearance from the past; in the distance were tall palaces, but underfoot was an ancient street paved with bluestone.
Old-style buildings stood on both sides of the street, and they looked quite aged. At first glance, it almost felt like accidentally wandering into an ancient city.
There were quite a few Wizards coming and going on the street, and the clothes they wore were all different.
Some wore Muggle clothing, while others wore silk robes, dressing like wealthy gentlemen from ancient times.
Hodu instantly became interested, pulled Huo Yunqi up, and started strolling around the street.
Before long, his eyes were dazzled by the goods on both sides.
The things sold here were completely different from Diagon Alley.
Wands alone came in all sorts of different styles, and many still retained the style of ancient Wizards.
Whisks, writing brushes, hair buns, and even Zen staffs—surprisingly, all of them could be used to cast magic.
Seeing him looking like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, Huo Yunqi took the initiative to explain. Although he secretly despised him in his heart, he didn't dare show even a shred of it on his face.
"Wizards in the past thought of many ways to hide their identities, making wands into things they could carry around normally without making ordinary people suspicious. I heard that back then, quite a few people would disguise themselves as Taoist priests or monks just to carry their wands with them."
He pointed at those weird wands.
"Of course, most of these nowadays are just for novelty and aren't really convenient to use."
Chapter 48: Uncle-Nephew Welcome Gift and peach wood sword
The women's hair buns adorned with green beads on the counter suddenly made Hodu think of a gift for Hermione.
But he quickly remembered Hermione's hair and figured she wouldn't have any use for such a thing at all, so he had to push the thought aside.
His eyes rolled, and he reached out to pat Huo Yunqi on the shoulder, his tone instantly becoming much more familiar.
"Good nephew, since this is the first time we uncle and nephew are meeting, we've got to have a welcome gift, right?"
A wave of resistance instantly welled up in Huo Yunqi's heart.
Their meeting this time could hardly be called pleasant, let alone the fact that Hodu was from the Third Branch who had been expelled from the family.
If he got too deeply entangled with him, no matter how he looked at it, it wouldn't be a good thing.
"A welcome gift won't be necessary."
"Between uncle and nephew, why be polite?" Hodupointed toward the wall, "That fan looks quite suitable."
Hanging on the wall was an unfolded paper fan with a sunset and flying birds painted on the surface, which actually had quite a bit of artistic conception.
"I already have a fan; there really is no need to buy another one."
Huo Yunqi immediately found a reason to refuse.
But Hodu smiled very naturally.
"But I don't."
Huo Yunqi was stunned for a moment, then, as if he finally understood something, his finger pointed directly at himself.
"You mean, you want me to give it to you as a gift?"
"What else?" Hodu looked entirely justified, "Wasn't it you who cried and shouted, insisting on acknowledging me as your dear uncle? It wasn't like I forced you. What, are you planning to turn your back and renege on your word now?"
Huo Yunqi clenched his teeth tightly, his face flushed red.
He stared at Hodu for a long time, and finally, resigning himself to his fate, he took out his money and bought that paper fan.
When paying, Hodu noticed the coins Huo Yunqi took out.
That thing looked similar to ancient copper coins in shape, but its color was golden, presumably the currency circulated in the Magical World here.
After the paper fan landed in his hands, Hodu was overwhelmingly satisfied, looking at it back and forth, just like someone who had just gotten a new toy.
Huo Yunqi told him that this fan could be used as a wand when folded, and could also block sneak attacks of spells when unfolded.
Ordinary spells were basically no problem, but attacks with slightly greater power could only be blocked once; fire-type spells had no effect on it, and truly lethal spells couldn't be stopped either.
Although there were quite a few limitations, Hodu already felt it was worth it.
At least in terms of appearance, it was much more pleasing to the eye than that bare wand.
A cyan tassel hung from the end of the fan handle, looking quite pretty.
If the fan was placed near the trousers, the tassel would tie itself, making it convenient to carry.
"Let's go, keep shopping!"
Having just gotten his new item, Hodu instantly had higher expectations for the shops ahead.
Not long after, the two of them arrived in front of a shop selling flying artifacts.
The name of the shop naturally wasn't called Flying Broomsticks, but when Hodu passed by the entrance, he still spotted the flying broomsticks hanging inside at a glance.
So the Magical World here also used this kind of thing.
"I've never seen anyone use this gadget." Huo Yunqi said expressionlessly, "If you don't believe me, ask the boss how many items he has actually sold here?"
In the academy, if anyone rode this kind of flying artifact and flew around everywhere, they would probably be laughed at for a lifetime.
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper not only didn't get angry, but instead laughed out loud.
"I just thought it was novel back then, so I thought about bringing it in to sell. Who knew not a single piece would be sold? Good thing I didn't stock up much, otherwise I would have lost a fortune."
Hodu paid no more attention to the flying broomsticks, his gaze quickly being attracted by other things in the shop, and his eyes lit up.
The Magical World in Britain seemed to only popularize one kind of flight tool, but here there weren't so many restrictions, and the flying appliances in the shop were obviously varied and diverse.
He reached out and picked up a peach wood sword, gently drawing in a breath first.
This actually turned out to be something used for flying too!
Before Huo Yunqi even had time to explain, Hodu already knew how to use it.
Those ancient legends about immortals might have been passed down from here.
Flying on a sword turned out to not be some immortal art at all, but magic?
This discovery excited him, but along with the excitement came a bit of disappointment.
The flying objects in the shop were more than just the peach wood sword.
In the corner, there was also a carriage, but that thing had to be used in conjunction with magical creatures; besides that, there were a few sedan chairs with very spacious internal spaces, mainly used for multiple people to fly together.
As for personal imperial chariots, there were also a few placed there.
Although these things each had their own characteristics, Hodu's attention remained glued to the peach wood sword.
Because the peach wood sword was naturally more popular here.
According to Huo Yunqi, the academy even established dedicated sword-flying competitions.
Of course, even among peach wood swords, prices and qualities were divided into several tiers.
The most ordinary styles had nothing special about them, while the more expensive ones were engraved with shrinking charms and anti-shrinking charms.
Usually, the peach wood sword could be shrunk and carried on one's body, and when needed, thrown out directly to make it return to its original size.
By this comparison, an ordinary peach wood sword simply felt like a wooden gadget completely devoid of a soul.
Hodu stared with wide, unblinking eyes, as if a luxury car was placed before him.
With such a good thing delivered right before his eyes, how could his heart not be moved?
He raised his hand again, preparing to pat Huo Yunqi on the shoulder.
However, Huo Yunqi had been guarding against him all along and had long guessed this move, sliding his body to the side to dodge that hand in time.
"Don't try that again!" He looked at Hodu vigilantly, "I can't afford this sword either, I really don't have money!"
The cost required for this peach wood sword was much higher than a wand, so what Huo Yunqi said wasn't completely unreasonable.
But Hodu didn't believe it at all.
Huo Yunqi was of the direct lineage of the Huo Clan, the son of the future head of the family, and even the biological grandson of the current patriarch of the Huo Clan.
For such a person to say they had no money, wouldn't that be a joke?
Of course, he wasn't completely without a way; if he really wanted to exchange, he could still pull out some money.
It's just that the exchange process was troublesome, and more importantly, he simply didn't want to pay out of his own pocket, hoping right now that this dear nephew would foot the bill for him.
Ideally, driving Huo Yunqi to financial ruin in one breath.
"You can't just say things like that." Hodu straightened his face, taking the matter straight to a serious level, "You are the direct lineage of the Huo Clan. If outsiders heard this, wouldn't they think the Huo Clan has fallen to the point where they can't even afford a peach wood sword?"
Huo Yunqi's expression instantly turned ugly.
But Hodu hadn't finished yet, and continued to earnestly persuade him: "Besides, don't you have a little girlfriend? That also counts as my niece-in-law. We're still missing a welcome gift for her between us. But your uncle here is currently single; since ancient times, when has a bachelor ever been responsible for paying this money? When she marries in later, she'll still have to give me, her uncle, a red envelope."
Huo Yunqi shook his head rapidly, clearly having no intention of accepting this rhetoric at all.
Since soft tactics didn't work, Hodu had no choice but to switch to hard ones.
He leaned close to Huo Yunqi's ear and lowered his voice to say: "With my Apparition skills, if I snatch the peach wood sword and run, nobody should be able to stop me. But you're different; by then, you, a direct lineage descendant of the Huo Clan, definitely won't be able to run away and will only get caught, waiting for your dad to come and claim you."
He paused, his voice full of threat.
"As for me, I drank Polyjuice Potion now. Once the potion wears off, whether they can still find me or not is hard to say."
Huo Yunqi's face turned pale instantly.
Following the outcome described by Hodu, he would most likely have to stay behind to take the blame for the other party, and then be sent to the Ministry of Punishments.
Relying on his identity as a direct lineage of the Huo Clan, paying money to bail someone out wasn't much of a big deal, but if it caused the Huo Clan to lose face because of this, that would be the truly unexplainable matter.
After a moment of silence, he finally compromised and shouted to the boss: "Boss, that peach wood sword!"
As he spoke, Huo Yunqi pulled a jade pendant out of his pocket. That wasn't the one Hodu had seen before.
With the matter accomplished, Hodu immediately beamed with joy, casually putting his arm around Huo Yunqi, and offering his nephew a sweet date.
"Rest assured, based on our relationship, if you want to fight your eldest brother for the head of the family in the future, I will definitely help you. Not to mention your eldest brother, even if you want to fight your old man for it, I'm on your side."
He patted his chest in guarantee.
"Acknowledging me as an uncle will definitely not be a loss."
Chapter 49: The Bai Family Shop and True DragonRemains
Huo Yunqi's expression changed on the spot, as if he were deathly afraid of Hodu continuing.
If those words really reached his father's ears, getting a beating would be the least of his concerns.
"I didn't mean that, stop talking nonsense!"
He quickly cut him off.
Hodu raised an eyebrow, casting him an "I understand everything" look.
"Got it, you're planning to give everyone a surprise without a sound."
Huo Yunqi's expression became even uglier.
He didn't have those thoughts in his head at all, but before he had time to continue explaining, the shopkeeper had already walked over holding a peach wood sword.
To prevent the other party from hearing, he had to shut up immediately.
The boss's face was piled with smiles as he handed the sandalwood box containing the peach wood sword to the two of them with both hands, along with the jade pendant.
"So it's the young master of the main Huo Clan branch, disrespectful, disrespectful. According to the shop's rules, this item will be given to you at a thirty percent discount."
Huo Yunqi reached out to take the jade pendant, but another hand snatched it away ahead of him.
Without guessing, he knew who did it.
Huo Yunqi looked at his empty hand and could only reveal an expression of having no way to deal with him.
Hodu pinched the jade pendant, turning it over and over to look at it, his face full of new discoveries.
"This thing can even be used for discounts? It looks like a good thing."
He quickly noticed another problem.
When buying the peach wood sword just now, Huo Yunqididn't pay any money at all, yet the boss directly accepted the jade pendant.
In other words, this thing wasn't just a jade pendant, but also something that could be used for payment in the shop.
"The jade pendant isn't money," Huo Yunqi had to explain, "The Huo Clan started by making magical artifacts, and shops selling artifacts in the Magical World all have some connection to us, so family members can buy things cheaper. As for this jade pendant, the shop only keeps it temporarily; after taking it back to the clan for verification, the Huo Clan will pay them the money."
He paused and added, "If outsiders use it recklessly outside, the clan will directly report it to the Ministry of Punishments. Don't go around paying bills with it everywhere."
Thinking of this expense, Huo Yunqi's voice lowered by a few fractions.
"When my dad finds out I spent so much money all at once, he's definitely going to discipline me again."
After hearing this, Hodu finally truly realized just how exaggerated the Huo Clan was.
Almost all artifact shops in the Magical World couldn't avoid them; this kind of power and financial resources made them practically an overlord of a region.
A question popped up in his heart: How on earth was such a behemoth overthrown back then?
If it weren't for the myriad things fusion system, given his status of being expelled from the family, he might have really entertained thoughts of succession.
As long as he sat in that position, he wouldn't have to worry about food and drinks in the future.
But on second thought, with his current small physique, what could he use to go head-to-head with such a big clan?
Without the system backing him up, if he really went to fight for succession, he probably wouldn't even be able to touch the door.
"Haha, just looking around, don't be nervous."
Hodu gave two dry laughs, completely showing no signs of embarrassment, and casually tossed the jade pendant back into Huo Yunqi's hands.
Afterwards, he happily picked up the long box containing the peach wood sword, moving as carefully as if he had just gotten a new toy.
Britain's Magical World clearly had restrictions on this kind of flight-type artifact, but Hodu didn't take that matter to heart at all.
Since the item was already in hand, he would hug it first and talk later.
Holding the box, he continued to drag Huo Yunqi forward to stroll.
Huo Yunqi was too lazy to struggle anymore; anyway, from this moment on, he was already clear about his identity: a money pouch temporarily responsible for paying.
After strolling for a while, Hodu found a suitable gift in an alchemy shop.
That was a pen, looking similar to an ordinary pen on the outside, but when actually used, it could write on its own according to the master's thoughts.
Britain's Magical World seemed to have similar things, but the biggest use of this pen was that it allowed people not to hold the pen to write themselves, and the right hand could be completely freed up.
Hodu thought about it and simply bought five in one go.
Anyway, he was swiping his dear nephew's small treasury, so not spending it would be a waste.
By the time they strolled until close to dusk, Huo Yunqicould no longer raise his spirits at all, obviously annoyed to the extreme by the matter of shopping.
Hodu originally planned to stop, but found a shop in a remote corner.
What was displayed in the shop seemed to be some magicmaterials.
Only then did he realize that after shopping for so long, he hadn't even encountered a shop specializing in selling magic materials, so he immediately asked the "tour guide" beside him for the reason.
"Isn't this very normal?" Huo Yunqi said matter-of-factly, "Those materials are all held in the hands of the Five Great Families. We make them into finished products and sell them to make more money. If ordinary shops want to open for business, they just need to stock goods from the Five Great Families."
"What if someone wants to make them themselves?"
"Then the cost will only be higher, and the price can never be lower than ours."
Hodu thought about it and found that it was indeed the truth.
The Huo Clan controlled most of the artifact shops, and even if someone wanted to compete with them, they could easily squeeze the other party out.
This kind of business could no longer be said to just have an advantage; it was clearly a monopoly.
He turned his head to look at Huo Yunqi, his gaze quietly changing.
The clan treasury of a monopolized industry should have been piled full long ago, right?
In this Magical World, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for the Huo Clan to say they were wealthier than a nation.
Making him fight for the Huo Clan's heir position himself was simply too troublesome.
After all, he had already been struck from the roster, and wanting to return to the family tree would require going through a bunch of struggles afterward.
How could it compare to just taking it directly?
If he supported an obedient heir, he could even save the trouble of stealing.
When he lacked money in the future, he could take it directly from the other party's hands. Would this dear nephew refuse?
Huo Yunqi felt his hair stand on end from being stared at, instinctively feeling that Hodu was plotting something again.
Last time the other party was just talking casually, but looking at this gaze now, no matter how he looked at it, it didn't look like a joke.
Could he be buying some ridiculously expensive thing again?
"Rest assured," Hodu raised his hand and patted his shoulder, his tone very serious, "What you spent today will sooner or later be exchanged for a return that satisfies you."
"I don't want it!"
Huo Yunqi hurriedly refused.
His only wish right now was to quickly use this bit of money to send this great ancestor away, and absolutely not let him continue spending.
Hodu didn't argue with him either, his gaze falling back onto that shop.
"Since the materials are all monopolized, what's going on with this shop?"
"That's the Bai Family's property." Huo Yunqi was obviously very familiar with this place, "The Bai Family is mainly responsible for purchasing materials, and selling materials is just something they do on the side. There won't be any truly good things appearing in the shop."
The Bai Family?
Just hearing this surname, Hodu knew the other party must be a member of the Five Great Families.
"The Bai Family usually cultivates magic herbs and raises some magical creatures, then sells the materials out. When other families have needs, they usually purchase directly from the Bai Family. However, truly precious things are never displayed in their shop."
Speaking up to here, Huo Yunqi's tone also carried a bit of rumor-like flavor.
"I heard that the Bai Family's clan treasury hides True Dragon remains, only I don't know if it's true or false."
"True Dragon?"
Hodu's brows knitted tightly all at once, and his voice unconsciously raised.
"That's right, that kind of magical creature from legends," Huo Yunqi nodded, "It's just that no one has ever truly seen one. Let alone now, even in the Huo Clan's records of over two thousand years, no one has ever witnessed a living True Dragon with their own eyes."
He thought about it and added, "However, a certain matter was recorded in the Huo Clan Chronicles: a certain ancestor once personally witnessed the remains of a True Dragon, it's just a pity there was no opportunity to get it into hand. If it weren't for the clan chronicles leaving behind this record, we would only treat the True Dragon as a made-up story."
No matter which family people belonged to, they were all convinced that the True Dragon had long disappeared from history, and the time it disappeared was even longer than the respective heritages of the Five Great Families.
"If the True Dragon were still alive, how could those so-called dragons in the West be worthy of this name," Huo Yunqi sighed.
Hodu, however, could no longer hear the words that followed.
His breathing gradually grew rapid.
A True Dragon had once existed, and there were even remains left behind!
If he fused it using the myriad things fusion system, I wonder what characteristics he could get in the end?
"Where is the Bai Family's clan treasury?"
When these words came out of Hodu's mouth, his voice was already a bit hoarse.
Huo Yunqi was startled into a shiver, hurriedly looking around.
Fortunately, there was no one else nearby, and that fatal sentence just now wasn't heard by a third person.
Lowering his voice, he hurriedly reminded him: "Stop talking nonsense! If these words spread out, others will take it as you provoking the Bai Family, and a huge issue will break out then."
Inquiring about the location of a major clan's treasury was no different from directly sticking your face out to be beaten.
That was something to risk your life over.
Chapter 50 Poison Bee Valley and Library
"Then where do you think the Bai Clan's ancestral treasury is hidden?" Hodu didn't give up, continuing to stare at Huo Yunqi and press him.
Huo Yunqi fell silent for a moment before lowering his voice. "Something like an ancestral treasury doesn't necessarily have just one location.
The more precious an item is, the fewer people know about it, and ordinary clan members can't touch it at all.
If there really is the kind of thing you mentioned... I'm just saying it's possible, then probably only past family heads know. Its location might be near the clan's stronghold, or it could be hidden somewhere else."
These were all his guesses; he couldn't say for sure where the Bai Clan's true treasure vault actually was.
An ancestral treasury was sometimes a trump card used by the clan to turn the tables; how could they possibly let outsiders know so casually?
Even if someone knew, they wouldn't easily betray their own clan.
Hodu frowned.
What Huo Yunqi said indeed made some sense; hidden vaults like this might even use magic like the Fidelius Charm.
"Then where is the Bai Clan's stronghold?"
"Are you really planning to go look for it?"
Huo Yunqi's heart skipped a beat.
Judging from Hodu's tone, the other party had clearly already formed the idea.
He didn't think Hodu could actually succeed, but on second thought, Hodu wasn't a member of the Huo Clan, so even if some trouble broke out on the Bai Clan's side, it wouldn't implicate them.
So he looked around, confirmed no one was listening, and then whispered, "It's in the Poison Bee Valley in the southwest.
I heard that around that valley, there are man-eating poisonous bees, and ordinary people don't dare to approach at all.
The Bai Clan previously used the peril of this place to hide their stronghold."
Hodu memorized the name Poison Bee Valley.
Since he already knew a general range, afterwards he just needed to rely on Treasure Perception to screen it bit by bit.
He didn't think the Fidelius Charm could block his perceptual ability.
In fact, he had used Treasure Perception long ago.
Hodu had already scanned the old home inside and out, yet he hadn't found anything resembling the remains of a True Dragon.
Now he could only continue screening based on the strength of the fluorescence, and wanting to search thoroughly would probably still take some time.
If the Bai Clan's treasure vault wasn't in the southwest at all, then the places that needed searching would be frighteningly numerous.
The two of them subsequently entered a nearby Bai Clan shop.
Huo Yunqi was right before; there really weren't any particularly high-end goods in the shop, but some of the magic materials displayed inside were things that simply didn't exist in the West, and Hodu hadn't even heard of quite a few of them.
His gaze fell upon a glass jar.
Soaking inside the jar was half a yellowed fingernail, which looked like it had been placed there for a very long time.
"What is this?" Hodu turned his head to ask.
Huo Yunqi looked closely. "A zombie's fingernail, which can be used to brew antidote potions."
"A zombie?"
Hodu's voice suddenly pitched up.
Of course he knew what a zombie was, but knowing was one thing, and seeing the materials of such a thing with his own eyes was quite another.
Huo Yunqi glanced at his unworldly expression, curled his lips slightly, and explained, "It's a very dangerous humanoid magic creature whose body is full of poison.
After being bitten by it, if you drag it out without treatment, after a while you will be assimilated into a zombie, and it's irreversible.
A long time ago, this poison couldn't be cured at all, but now there is a way: using their fingernails to brew an antidote potion, and drinking it in time will prevent any trouble.
They usually like to burrow underground to sleep, so they aren't very common."
Hodu listened with his mouth slightly agape.
This thing was rather similar to a Werewolf, but upon careful thought, magic creatures like zombies didn't seem to have any suitable places for fusion.
"Merfolk fish scales..."
His gaze swept across the neighboring shelf again.
"Tengu teeth..."
After recognizing several materials in succession, Hodufinally discovered that his understanding of Magical Creatures was truly too little.
The knowledge he had been exposed to before came from nothing more than textbooks and memories of his past life; regarding the magic creatures here in his hometown, he knew almost nothing.
However, Huo Yunqi had also said that this shop was just a place used by the Bai Clan to collect materials, and the stock in the shop wasn't very much.
Yet Hodu still waved his hand grandly and bought everything he could lay his eyes on.
Huo Yunqi was long used to this; anyway, the places that truly cost big money had already been settled, and this petty cash wasn't worth caring about at all.
Hodu packed all the purchased materials into his money pouch, planning to study them slowly after returning.
The most urgent matter right now was still to make up for his knowledge regarding the magical creatures of his hometown.
He turned his head and asked, "Where is the bookstore? I want to buy a book introducing magic creatures."
Huo Yunqi's answer made Hodu freeze on the spot.
"There is no bookstore here."
Hodu looked over with a puzzled face, obviously not understanding what this sentence meant.
Huo Yunqi's expression was calm. "Knowledge has always been a very precious thing.
Before the establishment of the United Academy, all kinds of knowledge were entirely grasped in the hands of the clans.
Later, although the situation changed somewhat, the change only happened inside the academy.
If you want to learn deeper things, you must study diligently and then pass examinations.
Only in this way will students know that knowledge does not come easily, and this is also a philosophy that the Deanhas always insisted on."
He paused and added, "Of course, descendants of the clan's main branch are another matter; they have corresponding privileges.
The establishment of the United Academy naturally had the support of the clan schools of various families.
But your Third Branch has already been removed."
Hodu's gaze fell upon Huo Yunqi, lingering for a long time without moving away, as if he were plotting something.
Huo Yunqi immediately saw through his thoughts. "It's useless for you to stare at me.
Most of the knowledge in the clan school has already been transcribed into the academy's Library, while the originals have been completely sealed and put into the ancestral treasury.
We family descendants normally have to go to the Libraryif we want to look up information."
"You can certainly set your sights on the Library." He glanced at Hodu. "However, let me remind you first, the Dean's office is right above the Library."
From the time the two of them came into contact until now, Huo Yunqi had roughly figured out Hodu's temperament.
This person was bold, lacked reverence, and exuded eccentricity everywhere.
With his personality, after hearing about a place like the Library, it was indeed hard for him not to have ideas.
Hodu couldn't help smacking his lips.
This defense was really thorough enough.
However, sneaking in quietly wasn't entirely impossible either.
It was just that this matter wasn't urgent; at least he would wait until a fusion slot opened up before considering it.
The sky unknowingly grew dark, and the lanterns hanging outside the shops on both sides of the street lit up one after another, driving away most of the surrounding darkness.
Hodu prepared to leave, turned around, and flashed Huo Yunqi an unusually brilliant smile.
"I'm planning to leave. How about it, do you want to come over to my place for a stroll?"
"No."
Huo Yunqi refused cleanly, without even hesitating.
"Is that so?"
The smile on Hodu's face suddenly turned somewhat malicious.
One of his hands rested on Huo Yunqi's shoulder, not giving the other party time to react, and the next second, both of their figures directly vanished.
By the time Huo Yunqi came to his senses, he was already standing in another place.
He hurriedly looked around, only to discover that he had unexpectedly arrived at the United Academy, and Hodu's shadow was long gone from his side, leaving only him alone in the empty space.
After returning to the academy, Huo Yunqi didn't act immediately, just standing blankly in place.
Everything that happened today was simply too outrageous; even if he were to experience it one more time, he would still find it hard to believe.
An external Apparition magic could actually break through the United Academy's anti-Apparition magic?
You must know that the family head with the strongest strength in the clan—which was his grandfather—could only honestly come in from the front gate when arriving here.