Twilight Boundary

The depth of a Reincarnator's cultivation determined the range over which they could be called, and there was certainly a limitation.

For most, it was about the extent of one city. Miss White Wine, however, who had broken through to three Columns of cultivation, was different; she could be called from an entire Prefecture away.

But there was a condition: she could call upon her spirit, but her spirit couldn't call her.

Therefore, Hu Ma's plan was to first secretly travel to Mingzhou Prefecture without revealing his presence. Once nearby, he would try calling Er Guotou and then decide his next move.

In the afternoon, passing a roadside tea stall, Hu Ma dismounted to have a bowl of tea and asked the shopkeeper for two steamed buns. After inquiring about directions, he continued his journey towards Mingzhou Prefecture.

Traveling alone, driving a donkey cart laden with goods, he cut a somewhat conspicuous figure on the road. But now that his abilities had grown, and with Little Hongtang accompanying him, he no longer worried much about bandits and highwaymen.

If he encountered any sharp-eyed individuals staring too intently at his cart, a quick flash of his blade would usually be enough to scare them off.

After two consecutive days of travel, the donkey was thoroughly exhausted. Hu Ma was quite inept at caring for animals. One night, unable to find an inn, he sought lodging in a village. The villagers allowed him to sleep in a woodshed but wouldn't help feed his livestock.

Hu Ma had no choice but to cut some wild grass for the donkey. The animal didn't dare refuse to eat, but it suffered from diarrhea the next day.

Having finally reached a village northwest of Mingzhou Prefecture well before afternoon, Hu Ma decided to stop.

Upon entering the village, he inquired about the village chief's residence. He explained that he was a traveling merchant on his way to Mingzhou Prefecture and, concerned that night might fall before he reached the city if the road ahead was difficult, he was looking for a place to rest.

The village chief, after receiving some Silver, enthusiastically arranged for Hu Ma to stay with a young couple in the Manor.

The young couple was very hospitable. The wife prepared a meal and a hot foot bath for Hu Ma. The husband, who was skilled in caring for livestock, fed the donkey some high-quality fodder, providing some comfort to the animal after its days of travel.

His hunger sated and thirst quenched, Hu Ma finally settled down and slept soundly.

Once he entered his dreams, he found himself in his Lifebound Spirit Temple. Placing his hand on the incense burner, he called out to Er Guotou.

Receiving no response, he waited for a two-hour period and called again.

When midnight passed with still no answer, he waited patiently and called once more after another two-hour period.

"I hear you. You're back?" Er Guotou's voice sounded, somewhat weary.

"Miss White Wine introduced a job to me. I went to take care of it and have just returned to the vicinity of Mingzhou Prefecture," Hu Ma said. "You usually rest much earlier. Why are you up so late today?"

"Isn't it all because of this duel?" Er Guotou replied. "That green-clothed evil ghost has gone completely mad. He's invited who knows how many people to use underhanded tricks. Originally, we were almost certain of victory, but they still managed to make us lose a match. Now, the Red Lantern Lady is furious, and so none of us can afford to rest."

"We were discussing matters late into the night before finally getting some sleep."

"Tomorrow, during the day, we'll need to prepare thoroughly. Only after we win tomorrow night's match will she finally be able to relax."

The Green Clothes Gang has truly emptied their coffers this time...

Hu Ma thought of what sweet potato had said before and realized how important this opportunity was for the green-clothed evil ghost.

Or rather, it was important for the Red Lantern Lady, as the green-clothed evil ghost was sparing no effort to snatch opportunities from the Red Lantern Lady.

In such circumstances, the side with the apparent advantage often suffers more, because they have to consider the aftermath of winning and how to manage things. The disadvantaged side, however, is willing to pay any price, focusing only on winning first.

"So, is it time for me to make an appearance?" Hu Ma asked. "Also, there's something else I'm a bit unsure about."

"On this trip, I met another Reincarnator. I helped her scheme against someone. Coincidentally, when I previously set out, it was ostensibly to investigate a case—the massacre of the Big Shen Family. I actually found the person responsible..."

As he spoke, he recounted the events in detail.

He was prepared to claim the merit for this, but whether he truly should still required consulting those with more experience.

It was precisely to seek this advice that he held nothing back from Er Guotou, explaining everything.

"Yellow official paper? You've dealt with people from the Execution Soul Path?" Er Guotou sounded rather surprised upon hearing this. "Miss White Wine is certainly biased; she never introduced any jobs to me."

Isn't this the time to talk about this? Besides, why doesn't Miss White Wine pay you any mind? Don't you have a clue? Hu Ma thought.

"Perhaps it's because she knows you've been busy lately..."

"Busy? Of course, I'm busy," Er Guotou said quickly. "But are you really sure that the descendant of the yellow official paper is also coming to the duel soon?"

Hu Ma found this a bit odd but replied, "Yes."

"That's wonderful!" Er Guotou exclaimed, overjoyed. "I was just worrying about this. It's unclear what price the Green Clothes Gang paid this time, but they invited several veteran Worships who ambushed us, making the Red Lantern Lady extremely angry."

"More importantly, we know they've already found someone else and are preparing to ambush us again. If we lose this next round, the trouble will be immense..."

"Knowing who will participate in this round is a great help."

"That would be one of our fellow Reincarnators," Hu Ma stated. "And it seems she was planning to come over and win a match."

"That's easily handled," Er Guotou chuckled. "We'll just have to plan carefully and offer her sufficient benefits, won't we?"

"Besides, this isn't a personal matter for me; the benefits will come from the Red Lantern Society. As long as we can establish communication, there's no problem that can't be solved. We're all on the same side; these things can be discussed and resolved."

"To put it another way, even if she insists on winning, it's not out of the question. We just need to negotiate how she wins in a way that benefits everyone."

"Brother, this piece of news is valuable enough to repay the favor I did you by warning you to hide before."

"MWAH MWAH..."

Though Hu Ma could sense Er Guotou's excitement, those last two words still sent an involuntary shiver down his spine.

He could almost imagine Er Guotou, a grown man, pouting at the incense candle.

He quickly said, "I can't manage that. I'm too far away from her to communicate."

"You should find Miss White Wine; she can help pass on a message."

"That's only natural," Er Guotou laughed. "For such an important matter, an intermediary is essential. Neither side would feel entirely at ease without one, right?"

Listening to his incredibly excited and eager tone, Hu Ma suddenly wondered if Er Guotou's delight wasn't just about solving the problem, but also because he now had a legitimate reason to contact Miss White Wine.

"And what about my situation?" Hu Ma asked hurriedly, afraid Er Guotou might dash off in his excitement.

"Is it time for me to show myself?"

"Should I claim the credit for my hard work in investigating this case?"

"Of course, you should claim it! Why wouldn't you?" Er Guotou declared. "Not only should you claim it, brother, but you absolutely must come over at this precise moment. That's how you can turn this small merit into a major one."

"If you hadn't come to report this, I wouldn't have known how to arrange things!"

"What?" Hu Ma was quite surprised by this.

When he first discovered that Young Master Lu was the culprit behind the Big Shen Family massacre, he had felt conflicted.

He was just a humble Shousui man. Suddenly accomplishing something so significant would inevitably draw attention. So, he thought that even if he were to claim credit, he would only bring back the information, barely earning credit for his hard work.

But even for this credit for his hard work, he wanted to ask first.

But now, hearing what Er Guotou said, could his small contribution really be turned into a major one if he just timed his arrival right?

"How do we make that happen?"

Er Guotou chuckled. "Shouldn't we ask them first? Don't be hasty. I'll ask them clearly and let you know. Once it's settled, then you can come over!"

Seeing Er Guotou's demeanor, Hu Ma could only withdraw from the dream and wait for him to seek out Miss White Wine to deliver the message. He wondered how he could possibly obtain such great merit.

"Brother, it's done..."

When Er Guotou connected with him again an hour later, it was nearly dawn.

He sounded very excited, having evidently reached some agreement with sweet potato through Miss White Wine.

They then discussed how Hu Ma should make his return this time, what he should say upon arrival, and how to coordinate subsequent matters. Hu Ma meticulously inquired about every detail. Finally feeling relieved, he awoke in bed with a slight sense of absurdity.

The young couple was up early. They had already prepared washing water, cooked corn porridge, and steamed a basket of wild vegetable steamed buns with sweet potato flour dough, treating Hu Ma as a guest of their family.

While they weren't looking, Hu Ma buried most of the Silver from his donkey cart under the bed in the side room of their house. He left only about two hundred taels on his cart, having instructed Little Hongtang to find out how to get back so he could retrieve it later.

Having done this, he ate heartily without ceremony, placed two taels of Silver under their bowl, and then set off with his donkey cart.

His mood was excellent now; he even felt like singing a tune that the Second Master was always humming. Yet, as Mingzhou Prefecture drew ever closer, he put away two Columns of Life Incense, leaving only the most depleted one active.

As a result, he appeared listless, his eyes unfocused, and he broke out in cold sweats, looking as if he had just recovered from a serious illness and was on the verge of death.

Upon reaching the official road outside Mingzhou Prefecture, he didn't enter the city. Instead, he feigned making inquiries, then turned his donkey cart and headed straight for Zhu Gate Town. This town, only a two-hour journey from Mingzhou Prefecture, now had a strange atmosphere.

The east side of town was adorned with red lanterns, while the west side had lengths of green cloth, many feet long, fluttering, creating a ghostly and grim atmosphere.

"Who goes there and what do you want?"

Next to the red lanterns stood individuals with cold temperaments and red sashes tied around their waists. Spotting him from afar, they shouted out a question.

"I... I'm Hu Ma, the manager of the Red Lantern Society's Green Stone Town branch..." Hu Ma waved his hand frantically upon seeing them. "Quick, please fetch Three Fragrances Disciple Yang Gong for me..."

"Brother Yang Gong, save my life!"