Twilight Boundary

Was it the guy who annihilated the family?

Hu Ma watched, a jolt of shock in his heart.

Young Master Lu had painstakingly gathered these jianghu people to refine treasures for two primary reasons. First, these jianghu wanderers had no roots; if anything happened—if a few died or went missing—no one would report it to the authorities, so it wouldn't cause an uproar. Second, regardless of their skill level, these jianghu people were somewhat stronger than ordinary folk, making them convenient to control and use.

But Young Master Lu had underestimated this particular man. He appeared honest and simple, yet was, in fact, a ferocious individual. Consequently, Young Master Lu had temporarily decided against using him directly, opting instead to merely borrow his ferocity to combat the Evil Ghosts of the Majiawa Ancestral Hall, aiming for both sides to be gravely injured.

Just moments before, Young Master Lu had intentionally sealed the door, trapping the man outside the ancestral hall, hoping he would perish along with the multitude of Evil Ghosts.

But who could have imagined that, armed with only half of the Evil Blade, he had confronted so many evil spirits within the Majiawa Ancestral Hall and actually survived?

Now, looking at him, he seemed completely unharmed, though an astonishing ferocity flickered deep within his eyes.

The area outside the ancestral hall, which had been teeming with Evil Ghosts just moments ago, was now eerily quiet. Not even a hint of yin wind stirred, creating a stark contrast with the unsettlingly cold aura emanating from the man.

Hu Ma didn't possess the Ghost Viewing Method of the Execution Soul Path, so he couldn't tell how many vindictive souls now followed the man.

But mere intuition from a single glance told him that the ferocious, cold aura the man exuded when Hu Ma first saw him had intensified severalfold. Has he become even more terrifying after this whole ordeal?

His breath hitched for an instant; the three incense sticks representing fate were already firmly planted in the incense burner.

Hu Ma couldn't quite describe the feeling. Strictly speaking, this man surnamed Wang is just an ordinary person. Although he has killed people and has vindictive souls following him, he has never learned any specialized skills. He knows nothing about martial arts or weapons, nor does he know how to command the souls accompanying him. And I am a Shousui man, armed with a knife. Logically, I should be able to finish him off with a single strike. Yet now, standing face-to-face with him across this low wall, I still feel a chill creep up my spine. For a dizzying moment, it's as if an endless swarm of malevolent ghosts is rushing toward me.

From the corner of his eye, he saw that Little Hongtang had been so frightened by the man's appearance that she had already scrambled away, vaulting over the wall. Now, only half of her small head peeked back, watching him.

Stay calm, stay calm!

Hu Ma's mind raced with alarming thoughts, but he managed to force a smile. He clasped his hands in a salute toward the man and said, "Old Brother Wang, we've both been thoroughly deceived, haven't we..."

"Our employer has fled. Of us who came to earn Silver, some are dead, some are injured, and a few... well, their souls have vanished, who knows where."

"..."

"It's not exactly being duped..."

The man surnamed Wang, who had maintained a wooden, inscrutable expression while looking at Hu Ma across the wall, seemed to finally confirm from Hu Ma's helpless smile that they were on the same side. A good-naturedly simple smile slowly spread across his face.

He glanced at the Martial Artists with yellow paper talismans stuck to their faces, then at Old Monkey, lifeless on the ground, before saying to Hu Ma with a touch of awkwardness, "Well, at least I got the two hundred taels of Silver."

"It's just a shame no one's left to pay the remaining balance."

"..."

With that, he slowly turned around, as if to leave.

Hu Ma hesitated for a moment. Looking at the man's back, he mustered his courage and suddenly called out, "Wait a moment!"

The stoic man turned his head, his simple smile still in place, looking somewhat puzzled as to why Hu Ma had stopped him. Hu Ma let out a breath, retrieved the other half of the broken knife from the donkey cart, and tossed it across the distance to him. "This is for you," he said.

"It's a fine item Young Master Lu acquired. It should be useful to you. If you have the two halves reforged together, this knife will become quite valuable—certainly enough to cover that final payment you mentioned."

"..."

The stoic man looked at the half-blade that had landed at his feet, then at the one he carried, and finally understood.

A somewhat stiff smile touched his lips as he said to Hu Ma, "Thank you!"

"You spoke up for us earlier, and now you're concerned about the Silver I was owed. You truly are a good person..."

"..."

Saying this, he picked up the half-blade from the ground, tucked it into his coat, kept the other half in his hand, gave Hu Ma another smile, and then, just like that, started down the mountain.

Hu Ma was momentarily stunned by the man's words, trying to recall when he had ever spoken up for him.

After a moment's reflection, it dawned on him. Early on, when they had all met Young Master Lu, the young master had been extremely rude. In an attempt to make a stand, or perhaps just to distinguish myself, I had retorted a couple of times. That must have left a good impression on this man.

For a moment, I considered calling him back, perhaps to exchange names or establish some connection. But after some hesitation, I resisted the urge.

He's truly a formidable individual; I might have a use for him in the future.

But, to be honest, I'm also a bit intimidated by him. It's probably best if our paths don't cross again.

Hu Ma watched the stoic man descend the mountain path, ghostly shadows still trailing in his wake. A long moment passed before Hu Ma slowly exhaled. How many yin objects are following him? It might not be any less than the number gathered in the old fire pit back in Dayang Village.

This world is truly precarious. You never know when you might inadvertently provoke some powerful figure. And even though this world hasn't undergone an information explosion like my own, its people possess a chilling degree of seasoned cunning and ruthlessness. Take Young Master Lu, for instance. If I hadn't known his background beforehand, it's hard to say who would have ended up conning whom! And then there's this ferocious man. He doesn't seem to have learned any particular skills, but who could have predicted he'd be so terrifying?

"Brother Huma..."

Just as the man disappeared from sight and Hu Ma was about to turn his attention to his own affairs, a timid voice called out from beside him.

It was Little Hongtang, that disloyal little thing, who had returned. She was still staring wide-eyed down the mountain path with a frightened expression, her small hand tugging at the hem of Hu Ma's clothes.

"What exactly was the deal with that man?" Hu Ma asked reflexively, not actually expecting Little Hongtang to know the answer.

He figured Little Hongtang could probably see how many entities were following the man, but he didn't anticipate any specific details. He was mostly just voicing his unease.

To his surprise, Little Hongtang replied almost instinctively, "Servant ghost."

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma was taken aback. He looked at Little Hongtang. "What servant ghost?"

Little Hongtang blinked, her gaze still fixed on the downward path, and simply repeated, "Just... servant ghost..."

A servant ghost... like the ones that follow a tiger?

Hu Ma suddenly recalled Second Master mentioning back in the village that if a tiger devoured a person, a servant ghost would then attach itself to the tiger. This servant ghost would then help the tiger by luring other humans to become its prey.

Could it be that this man, Wang, is being followed by such servant ghosts? But he's clearly a human. Can humans also be attended by servant ghosts?

Confusion welled up inside him. Since Little Hongtang couldn't clarify further, he decided to commit the question to memory and ask someone knowledgeable about it later.

Confirming the man was long gone, Hu Ma sighed with a mix of emotions. He led over the now-docile donkey, re-harnessed it, and took up the reins. After a quick inspection of the large cart's contents, he finally departed from the ancestral hall, slowly making his way down the mountain path.

He knew where Sweet Potato had gone. On the other side of Majiawa, there was a place where their Master had hidden certain treasures.

Technically, the duel between her and her senior apprentice-brother wasn't over.

To obtain the treasure, they needed to overcome the Magic left behind by their Master. Sweet Potato still had one final dharma method to deal with, and she needed her senior apprentice-brother's help to overcome it.

Only when the two of them reached the old graves of Majiawa, successfully broke the Master's Magic, and retrieved the treasure would the matter be truly perfect from her perspective.

But Hu Ma's responsibilities in that regard were complete. What happened there was no longer his concern.

Not only could he not help, but if he were to encounter them, he would likely have to fight.

Although he had cooperated with Sweet Potato this time, on the surface, they remained unconnected—they could even be considered adversaries.

In my current role, I must convincingly play the part of a deceived Martial Artist, returning full of resentment. I need to perform well in the scenes to come.

Of course, even without putting on an act, the operation had been conducted with such secrecy that the chances of word leaking out were slim. However, being Sweet Potato's "senior" in this matter, he naturally considered things more comprehensively than she might.

Earlier, in the Majiawa Ancestral Hall, it had been deep into the night, with a heavy fog obscuring visibility. He hadn't realized it then, but now, descending the mountain, he found that twilight still lingered, a faint band of sunlight yet to fade from the foothills.

Leaving that place steeped in yin qi, the gentle warmth of the fading sunlight was a welcome sensation. He let out a long breath, feeling as if he'd been given a new lease on life.

Seated on the donkey cart, he began taking inventory of its contents as he slowly made his way back to Wutong Town.

I've had my eye on this cart for a while. It's filled with old objects that might seem worthless or even repulsive to others. But for someone like me, who aims to utilize the trump card of the Age Suppressing Book, these are rare treasures that even Silver might not easily procure. Consider the firepan Young Master Lu used to burn the paper man. Even if I had the Silver, I'd have to search high and low to find something suitable and then pay a hefty price for it. Getting it directly like this is a small windfall. There should be many similar items on this cart. Once I get back to the inn, I'll sort through everything carefully; there might be other useful things. Anything unsuitable or unsafe, I'll just burn later.

By the time he reached Wutong Town, night had fallen completely, and the inn's main doors were already boarded up. Hu Ma pounded on them until a young attendant, carrying an oil lamp, came to open up. Upon recognizing Hu Ma, the attendant jumped in fright, quickly raising the oil lamp to shine it on Hu Ma, checking if he cast a shadow.

He was afraid that Hu Ma had perished outside and that this was merely one of the wandering ghosts, returned because it couldn't bear to part with its luggage.

"What are you looking at?" Hu Ma glared at the attendant, grumbling, "Take my donkey and cart to the backyard and see that the animal is fed."

"And bring hot water for me to wash my face, along with whatever food you have available."