Twilight Boundary

Upon hearing this, Incense Master Zheng finally understood.

He truly wanted to save this little brother-in-law and had tried his best, but he never expected that this little shopkeeper was too greedy and too lucky. Upon going out, he actually ran into people from the Xinghun Sect and even brought back their duel information.

By rights, this shouldn't have been any major news. So how did it just happen to come at this moment, step by step, becoming the most crucial intelligence?

In this way, he had already made a great contribution.

Since he had made a great contribution, it became difficult for Incense Master Zheng to switch to someone else.

The Right Protector, who wore a smiling mask, had asked him one last question. To put it bluntly, he asked whether Incense Master Zheng was willing to offer up this little brother-in-law to bear this burden...

Could he possibly say no?

He knew well that the Red Lantern Lady's Club was not a good place; it was full of filth. The higher one went in any gang, the more awful the people were. Yet, they still had to maintain appearances.

The little shopkeeper and people like Yang Gong were originally at his disposal. But after Hu Ma brought back such crucial news unexpectedly, those above could no longer push him into a certain-death situation.

"Haha, please invite Shopkeeper Hu to rest in the side room, and bring the other three participants over as well."

At this moment, the two protectors, in good spirits, stood up and smiled. "We'll discuss a bit and settle this matter."

"Tonight, at last, we have something to report to the Lady."

With that, the two of them turned and headed into the main hall. Hu Ma vaguely felt that Er Guotou threw him a flirty glance...

Brother, you're truly formidable!

A tiny piece of intelligence, just through conversation, turned into a remarkable achievement.

The Execution Soul Path was planning to send someone to duel for the green clothes gang, but this wasn't particularly valuable information on its own.

This was especially true since it coincided with the Red Lantern Society's dueling failure. They were gritting their teeth, determined to win the upcoming three matches without fail. In this context, even bringing back Young Master Lu's head wouldn't have been as significant a contribution as this news.

"Brother-in-law, how is it?"

As soon as the two protectors left, Sun Niuzi, who had been kneeling behind, crawled over nervously to Incense Master Zheng's side. "How is it?"

He couldn't quite grasp some of the nuances, vaguely catching some hints, but needed to ask to truly understand and accept his fate.

Incense Master Zheng turned and looked at that fear-laden face. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped him heavily across the face, causing Sun Niuzi to jump. But before he could shout in pain, Incense Master Zheng grabbed his head. His voice was unspeakably heavy as he said, "Go with peace!"

Sun Niuzi was stunned for a moment and then burst into tears.

Incense Master Zheng's heart also felt like it was being twisted by a knife, but what else could he do at this point?

Now he didn't even know how to explain things to his three-hundred-pound wife at home. He felt deeply indebted to her, to his father-in-law who was obsessed with silver, and to this foolish, unaware brother-in-law.

Years ago, his enemies had beaten him and broken his legs, throwing him into a freezing, filthy ditch in the dead of winter to die. It was their family who saved him. He had vowed to bring wealth and fortune to their family.

But how could he bring them wealth and fortune now?

Things had reached this point, and now their family wouldn't even be whole...

As for Hu Ma, seeing their state, he merely looked away blandly and turned into the side hall the protectors had mentioned.

Due to the urgency, he initially didn't understand why Er Guotou was so excited upon hearing the news about the Xinghun Sect.

Seeing now that even the weepy-faced Left Protector was this excited, he understood.

In these duels, knowing which Path the opponent belonged to and who they were sending provided a significant advantage.

Moreover, he hadn't just brought back the information. He had also seen the siblings' techniques and described their trump cards. This allowed the Red Lantern Society to analyze the opponent's strengths and prepare accordingly.

After all, in a duel, though brutality and bloodshed existed, those on stage still had to rely on their skills.

Once one's trump cards were exposed, the opponent had a chance to prepare in advance and counter one's Magic.

Of course, there was a backup plan. Er Guotou had already discussed things with Miss White Wine and sweet potato. Perhaps Er Guotou already understood how the opponent would strategize and how they planned to win...

Arriving in the side room, Hu Ma sat down. A white incense disciple even served him tea.

Hu Ma relaxed, knowing someone would relay the news to Yang Gong and Manager Xu, so he wasn't worried about them being anxious.

The only discomfort was a plaster stuck to his forehead, its pungent smell overpowering.

Earlier, Er Guotou saw his comical appearance. Hu Ma wondered if he would be teased about it later...

After a short while, lunch was sent over: a large bowl of stewed green food, two big buns, a plate of greens, and even a pot of liquor. Hu Ma didn't stand on ceremony and ate right there. After eating, he drank some tea, and a white incense disciple came in to clear away the dishes.

By afternoon, three people came over.

One was a robust man with a bald head. Another was a woman, over thirty and dressed in silk, who still possessed some charm. The last was Sun Niuzi, his eyes red and swollen from crying, looking fearful and shrinking.

Hu Ma had no idea what Sun Niuzi and Incense Master Zheng had discussed, but Sun Niuzi seemed utterly deflated. After entering, he squatted in a corner, not daring to look at Hu Ma.

Hu Ma exchanged pleasantries with the other two, learning they were also shopkeepers from the Red Lantern Lady's Club.

Ten shopkeepers had been selected to fight. Now, including Sun Niuzi, only these three hadn't fought yet.

Though the two were courteous and didn't put on airs because of Hu Ma's youth, they looked deeply troubled, clearly under immense pressure.

"Hehe, how have the three of you rested?"

Shortly after they sat down, laughter came from outside.

It was the left and right protectors, who had disappeared for nearly a two-hour period. They were now returning, accompanied by a few Red Fragrance disciples with grim faces and red sashes, who seemed older than Yang Gong and the others.

Hu Ma guessed these were likely the Red Lantern Lady's most trusted and relied-upon Incense Burners.

Seeing the left and right protectors enter, all three, including Hu Ma, rose to salute.

Only Sun Niuzi was a beat slow, trembling all the while.

The left and right protectors ignored him and first looked at the middle-aged woman, saying, "Shopkeeper Hua, you calling out for that round, no problem, right?"

Shopkeeper Hua replied, "No problem, my treasure is ready for use."

The weepy-faced Left Protector nodded. "I've seen that treasure of yours, and it truly is impressive."

"However, you must be cautious. You should know the consequences if you lose."

Shopkeeper Hua nodded repeatedly.

The protectors then turned to the bald man. "And you, Shopkeeper Zhang?"

The bald man seemed a bit embarrassed. "That depends on what Path the opponent brings. In any case, I'm ready to do my best for the Lady."

They nodded and looked at Sun Niuzi. "You..."

Sun Niuzi immediately knelt, kowtowing repeatedly. "Protectors, please spare me! I... I'm truly scared."

The protectors exchanged a glance. The one with the smiling mask said, "Looks like he isn't confident."

He gently helped Sun Niuzi up, his attitude surprisingly gentle. "Don't be afraid. Standing up to serve the Lady is good enough. We discussed a foolproof Method last night; you'll surely be able to make a contribution."

Like coaxing a child, they calmed Sun Niuzi and had him sit down. Then, they turned to the middle-aged bald man and suddenly smiled.

"As for you, Zhang."

"You should properly thank this Shopkeeper Hu..."

The bald man hesitated, a bit bewildered, not knowing why he should thank this Shopkeeper Hu whom he had never met.

The weepy-faced Left Protector let out a light laugh. "What if I told you that you'll be up against someone from the Execution Soul Path?"

"How confident would you feel?"

"Huh?"

The bald man hesitated. "Shousui and Punishment Soul each have their strengths. Who wins depends on what Path the opponent brings."

He was an honest man.

The Blood Food Gang, due to its various activities, recruited the most Shousui men; eight out of ten shopkeepers were Shousui men.

The green clothes gang's power was less than the Red Lantern Lady's Club, so they recruited fewer Shousui men.

Normally, in this kind of direct duel, Shousui men had the advantage. But now, everyone was familiar with these Paths. The fear wasn't of Shousui men, but of those miracle men with unique trump cards.

Duel, duel; the Magic was still important.

If it were just about ruthlessness, both sides could have just sent Red Fragrance disciples and green-clothed children to pose as participants.

However, the methods of negative spirit people were limited, and both sides had clashed secretly many times, so they had long since figured out each other's capabilities. On stage, no matter how ruthless you were, if the opponent countered your weakness with their Path, you would just be giving the match away.

The protectors didn't mind his conservative answer and smiled. "Well then, what if I found an expert from the trick door to give you some pointers?"

"Or, what if they directly took your place in this match?"

"Huh?"

The bald man suddenly became excited and hurriedly said, "I've always heard that trickery counters Punishment Soul. If the opponent truly is sending someone from the Execution Soul Path, and we can find an expert from the trick door to help give some pointers, then this..."

"The chances of winning would be much greater..."

"Hehe."

Hearing this, the left and right protectors both laughed, appearing to be in an excellent mood. Still smiling, they said to the bald man, "That's why we asked you to thank Shopkeeper Hu. Do you understand now? Later, even if you win this match, the credit won't be yours. It will be his. How's that?"

"What!"

Upon hearing this, the bald man trembled with excitement. He turned and knelt before Hu Ma. "It's more than just credit!"

"Little brother, you saved my life! This immense favor, Zhang will remember it..."