Twilight Boundary

Suddenly, with this unexpected message, Hu Ma felt a bit unsettled.

Firstly, although he had some guesses, he wasn't really sure if the Meng family was looking for him. Secondly, even if they were, he had no idea what method the green-clothed evil ghost would use to find him, nor how he should defend himself. It felt like he was struggling against the air, utterly inefficient, only his inner anxieties consuming his mind.

Additionally, he carefully recalled Granny's words. At that time, Granny seemed very certain that as soon as she returned, she could temporarily solve the problem for him.

Also, because Granny was so certain, he hadn't considered going incognito. Of course, in such a world, if his opponent had his information, hiding his identity wouldn't have any practical use. But ultimately, even though he acknowledged this Granny, he still knew too little about those matters. Thinking about it now, he still had no idea where to focus his efforts.

Perhaps, as Miss White Wine had suggested, the priority was to simply wait and see how things unfolded?

Yet, Hu Ma didn't expect that he would only be troubled for a day. By dinnertime the next day, Li brought him his meal. He had just set it down and turned to leave when he suddenly returned. She stepped back in, leaning against the doorframe, giggling coquettishly and looking at Hu Ma with alluring eyes.

"What's gotten into you?"

Hu Ma looked at Li's coquettish demeanor, feeling a bit strange and somewhat creeped out. Then he suddenly realized: It isn't that he's sick; a 'good neighbor' has come.

This family is truly audacious! The previous rule was that they couldn't even stay within ten li of the Manor, but now things were different. Not only did they wander around nearby every day, but they also came right into the Manor as they pleased.

But he still smiled, looking at the possessed Li, and said, "Who is it this time? I've already given you the sugar eggs I owed you earlier."

The possessed Li giggled, saying, "I'm Old Qi..."

Hu Ma smiled and said, "Seventh Master, good day."

The possessed Li immediately rolled her eyes at Hu Ma. "I'm Seventh Aunt."

"Alright then..."

Hu Ma smiled helplessly and had no choice but to clasp his hands. "What message does Seventh Aunt have?"

"It's not an order. I'm just here to relay a message."

The possessed Li twisted her waist and, with an orchid-like hand gesture, said, "Today, our San went to patrol in Old Yin Mountain and encountered a gentleman."

"He asked us to bring you a message at the Manor. I was afraid San couldn't make it clear, so I came myself."

"The gentleman said he knew that something happened recently in Mingzhou Prefecture and asked you not to be afraid, not to be paranoid, and to focus on learning your skills safely."

"If you really get into trouble, go into Old Yin Mountain, burn three incense, call out three times for the mountain lord to descend, and he will come."

"..."

Old Yin Mountain? Inviting the mountain lord to descend?

This nonsensical message left Hu Ma stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he remembered someone, but wasn't too sure.

He hurried to ask for more details, but saw that Seventh Aunt, speaking through Li, seemed indifferent, only staring directly at the chicken on his plate.

Hu Ma quickly said, "Seventh Aunt, won't you sit down for a bite?"

The possessed Li said, "Wouldn't that be too embarrassing?" As she spoke, she shyly sat down.

Hu Ma quickly picked up the wine pot. "Would you like a drink?" This pot contained excellent Blood Wine, a gift from the Red Lantern Lady, which he drank regularly to relax his muscles and improve his Cultivation.

The possessed Li seemed even more embarrassed. "I'm not one to indulge... just a little, perhaps?"

Once he poured the drink, the possessed Li downed it in one gulp. Sticking out her tongue, she said, "So spicy! Good thing I don't usually drink this..."

She also ate a piece of chicken, but seemed to find it less flavorful than eating it herself, so she put it down.

She finally turned to the main subject. "I don't know anything else, and San doesn't know either..."

"He was just wandering in the mountains when he suddenly got lost, running around an old tree stump for half a day. It was only after hearing the message from that voice that he managed to get out."

"..."

An old tree stump? So it was indeed him!

Upon hearing this, Hu Ma was taken aback, suddenly recalling the stump that often appeared around Dayang Village. That stump seemed to know the most about Granny's affairs and was one of her closest acquaintances, a senior who was seemingly good-natured and always eager to join in on any excitement.

Previously, when he was in Juehu Village, it was this stump that helped him. Now, just as the Tongyin Meng family was approaching, it had contacted the Yellow Immortals family to deliver a message. Could it be that it already knew what would happen here?

He had many doubts, but asking Seventh Aunt further wouldn't yield more information. Besides, the senior had said to seek him in Old Yin Mountain when something happened. Since nothing critical had occurred yet, it wasn't appropriate to go looking for him immediately...

"Thank you, Seventh Aunt, for delivering this message..."

With these thoughts, he stood up and gave a courteous bow. Noticing the possessed Li's eyes still on the chicken, he smiled and said, "How about taking it home for your family to try?"

"If you keep being so polite, I won't come next time..." the possessed Li grumbled, then grabbed the plump chicken from the table, snatched the wine pot as well, turned, and left the courtyard, forcefully throwing them over the wall.

From the other side of the wall, Hu Ma heard a series of excited squeals as something was dragged off into the distance.

Li suddenly felt dizzy and fell to the ground. But he quickly got up again, looking around as if nothing was unusual. He patted the dust from his pants and turned back to the kitchen.

This family is truly... Hu Ma chuckled helplessly. So particular...

He didn't ask Li to remake the dish, instead settling for some green vegetables and a large bowl of rice, thinking silently.

Now he felt slightly relieved. That old tree stump was incredibly formidable, as had been evident outside Juehu Village. Since it had sensed something in advance and had the Yellow Immortals family deliver the message, it must have a plan. It could even be said that it was probably aware of many matters concerning Granny and the Hu Family. Perhaps because I haven't yet mastered the skills in the Age Suppressing Book, it hasn't shared these with me. Phew, its advice was truly reasonable. Rather than being paranoid because of something the Tongyin Meng family said, it's better to hone my skills first. Lately, I've been out working to earn Silver and haven't neglected my Cultivation. I've been practicing diligently every day, not daring to delay. But since I was away, I didn't have enough Blood Food, which hindered my progress. Now, I'm finally back at the Manor, a small, free world where I can make my own decisions. I'll take this opportunity to fetch some Blood Food Pills and begin intensive training on my Five Organs.

This time, he chose to refine life into the liver.

The Five Organs of Shousui each had their own wonders.

Refining life into the lungs extended breath and significantly increased resistance against yin qi. Additionally, in the jianghu, there were many low-class individuals who loved to use drugging methods. After refining life into the lungs, his resistance to such means became considerably stronger. More importantly, refining life into the lungs not only meant he excelled at prolonged battles, able to wear down opponents, but also at fleeing. He could run over a hundred li without stopping, making it hard for even someone on horseback to catch up.

Refining life into the liver helped stretch tendons and open apertures. The old shopkeeper's notes recorded that refining this organ allowed one to ingest poison without dying and live free of all diseases.

The spleen, related to the earth element among the Five Organs, upon having life refined into it, granted digestive abilities akin to those of strange people.

In the old shopkeeper's notes, there was a rumor recorded regarding this: It was said that long ago, when the Yi Dynasty still held the Dragon Throne, a Jianghu Strange Person entered the court to perform a skill for the Emperor—the trump card of Sealing Coffin and remaining Immortal. He was buried in a coffin for half a month; when he was excavated, his complexion was rosy, astonishing the whole court. They inquired about his secret. He merely laughed, saying he could live by eating soil and wouldn't die even after three years, let alone half a month.

Of course, the old shopkeeper expressed skepticism after recording this: "Earth can be eaten, but to say one can eat it until full, that's nonsense..."

Did he really try eating it? Hu Ma thought, rather astonished. This could also be considered part of the old shopkeeper's 'dark history,' couldn't it?

"..."

After reading this, he felt even more excited about other matters.

The kidneys, representing water, needed no further explanation; he had always been concerned with the Cultivation of this organ. The predecessor of a Shousui man was someone who sealed a furnace. Once such a person lost their virginity, their cultivation would deteriorate. However, Shousui men weren't as troubled as those who lit a furnace. The reason was that after Refining Kidney, one could reverse yin and yang. At that time, not only would that aspect truly come alive, but they could lose their virginity without losing cultivation...

I need to get on this! he thought excitedly. This absolutely has to be prioritized!

However, in all this deliberation, the heart remained the most important. The heart, chief of the Five Organs, represented fire. For Shousui men, refining life into the heart amounted to completing third-tier Cultivation, allowing them to touch the Mansion Gate. At that point, whether in the jianghu or on the Path of Shousui men, he could be considered a minor expert. He would have the skills to protect himself and make a living.

The only regret Hu Ma had was that while the old shopkeeper had methods for refining life into the Five Organs, there was no associated trump card. In other words, while he could enjoy the wondrous transformations brought about by imbuing the Five Organs with life, there was no trump card like the Four Ghosts Salute to decisively overpower enemies.

Did the old shopkeeper not learn one, or did he deliberately keep it hidden? Hu Ma thought carefully and felt the former was more likely; the old shopkeeper had already passed down the oil lamp, so there was no reason to withhold such a technique. Perhaps it was precisely because he lacked this kind of trump card that he suffered losses at the hands of the Tan'er Sect earlier.

Of course, regrets were one thing; these thoughts were still distant. Focusing on Cultivation was the most pressing matter.

Hu Ma simply settled his mind. With sufficient Blood Food and diligent practicing, he fully refined life into the second organ in just over ten days. Moreover, the cultivation he'd previously lost when the paper money hit his head had also recovered to the level of three incense.

The only thing that pained him was the considerable amount of Blood Food consumed during this process.

But just then, the rewards from the Red Lantern Lady's Club arrived.

Hu Ma, who was already feeling the pinch from the Blood Food consumed for his Cultivation, was immediately filled with anticipation and went out to receive them. The Red Lantern Lady had specially sought me out earlier to promise a generous reward. I just wonder how generous this reward will be?