Twilight Boundary

"Shopkeeper Hu Ma of the Green Stone Town branch, you have performed your duties diligently. Your reward includes ten Blood Food Pills, two hundred pounds of green food, gold, silver, and silks..."

Upon hearing the rewards from the Red Lantern Lady, as announced by Shopkeeper Xu from the city, all the attendants in the Manor erupted with excitement.

Their main concern now was whether Hu Ma could secure his position as Shopkeeper.

Seeing how the envoy from the city addressed Hu Ma while presenting the rewards, it was clear that his position was indeed confirmed. Moreover, the rewards this time... They were incredibly generous, weren't they?

Yet Hu Ma, upon hearing the rewards, was slightly taken aback. "Is that all?"

By rights, merely bringing back a piece of information shouldn't warrant such a lavish reward. But his intelligence had indeed helped the Red Lantern Society win a round, so it seemed the reward intended for that old Shopkeeper had truly been given to him. In this duel, the Red Lantern Lady had won six rounds, each a significant achievement. An achievement of this magnitude hadn't been seen in years. For there to be six such victories, and for him to have played a part in one, was incredible. However, because he had only brought back information, his reward was half of what the others received. For instance, those Shopkeepers who had truly relied on their own abilities to fight on the platforms and win a round had received twenty Blood Food Pills. Of course, he had no complaints; this was already an unexpected windfall. But the key was that the Red Lantern Lady had personally promised him a substantial reward. Was this small offering really all she had in mind? ...Was the Red Lantern Lady really this stingy?

Just as he was pondering this, Manager Xu, having recited the list of rewards in one breath, suddenly paused. He then chuckled and looked at Hu Ma. "Additionally, before we came, the Lady personally had the Incense Burner bring something over, specifically designated as an extra reward for you."

"Shopkeeper Hu... you're truly blessed!"

"An extra reward?"

Hu Ma quickly took it. It was a small, exquisite purple wooden box. Inside lay a stick of Red Fragrance, about the thickness and length of a little finger. He didn't recognize it and looked puzzled.

"A life-saving item."

Manager Xu, however, knew. He gestured for Hu Ma to quickly put it away and whispered, "No matter where you are, if you burn this incense, the Lady will surely descend to save your life."

"Thank the Red Lantern Lady for her reward, and thank you, Manager Xu..."

Hu Ma was overjoyed. He accepted the reward and smiled at Manager Xu, saying, "Uncle Xu, please come inside the Manor and take a seat."

Manager Xu had sent word before his arrival, so Li had been up since early morning preparing the banquet. All the attendants were bustling about, slaughtering chickens and sheep, a joyous atmosphere filling the Manor.

"Haha, sit and have some tea first. There's no rush for the feast."

Entering the Manor, Manager Xu smiled at Hu Ma and said, "A good friend of ours will be arriving shortly!"

"We actually agreed to come together to congratulate you."

"Senior Brother Yang is currently busy at the temple; otherwise, he would surely have come along."

"A good friend? Who?"

Hu Ma was a bit stunned. Currently, in the Red Lantern Society, his closest acquaintances were Yang Gong and Manager Xu. Could it be that old man who swindled twenty Blood Food Pills from him?

Seeing Hu Ma's curiosity, Manager Xu deliberately smiled but said nothing. After a moment, just as Hu Ma had finished half a cup of tea, the sound of horses' hooves echoed from outside the Manor. Everyone hurried out to see a bald head gleaming in the sunlight.

The man arrived outside the Manor with a large cart and several Disciples. He smiled and called out, "Shopkeeper Hu, I've come unannounced to scrounge a meal. Hope you don't mind?"

So it's him... Hu Ma quickly smiled, went forward to welcome him, and bowed deeply. "Senior, please come inside."

The visitor was none other than Shopkeeper Zhang from Baizigou, who had originally been slated to fight in the tenth round of the duel, fully prepared to die. It was the left and right protectors who had introduced Hu Ma to him, even joking that Hu Ma had saved his life. Shopkeeper Zhang had genuinely kowtowed to him back then. The Red Lantern Society had already given him the due rewards, so it was unexpected that he would also come personally.

"Haha, Shopkeeper Hu, you saved my life! You lot, move the things inside."

This Bald Shopkeeper was quite magnanimous. He dismounted his horse and had the attendants following him bring the large cart in. The attendants at the Green Stone Town Manor stared, dumbfounded.

On the large cart, they saw jars upon jars of wine, bolts upon bolts of fabric, and also salt, tea, pigs, and sheep, as well as two large slabs of dried Green Tai Sui meat. At first glance, this array of gifts seemed even more generous than the rewards from the Red Lantern Lady.

Is our Manor celebrating New Year's today or something?

They were somewhat intimidated by this display and hastily opened the warehouse doors, helping to unload the items.

"These things aren't worth many taels of silver."

The Bald Shopkeeper then approached Hu Ma, quietly slipped an oil-paper parcel into his hand, and said, "Take this."

When Hu Ma saw the oil-paper parcel and the Bald Shopkeeper's secretive expression, he knew instantly that it must contain Blood Tai Sui. Judging by its size, it looked like it weighed at least a pound. He was astonished and hurriedly tried to refuse, "This won't do—it's too valuable."

"Valuable?"

The Bald Shopkeeper pressed it into his hand, lowering his voice as he said, "You saved my life, Zhang's life!"

"You have no idea; watching that final round made my blood run cold."

"I was unlucky enough to be assigned that. I originally planned to rely on my unique skills as a Shousui man to tough it out against my opponent. But when I saw the Magic they used, I couldn't even comprehend it. I could easily kill a pig, but fulfilling the specific requirement of that round—to 'kill' it without it *actually* dying—that was beyond me."

"If you hadn't brought that information at that time, I would have undoubtedly lost that round."

"It would have been the kind of situation where I wouldn't even have had the chance to sacrifice myself to show my loyalty to the Society before I was forced to admit defeat, utterly dumbfounded. Imagine what a predicament that would have been!"

"After that, I wouldn't have been able to make a living in this Society any longer. My whole family would probably have starved to death out there!"

"I must accept this token of your kindness. Otherwise, everyone in the Society will say that I, Zhang, don't know how to conduct myself properly."

"This..."

Seeing how earnest Zhang was, Hu Ma reflected on it. He could understand the lingering fear in the man's heart, so he accepted the gift.

However, he found an opportunity to tell Li to add a few more pounds of green food to the banquet later.

Whether it was Manager Xu delivering rewards on behalf of the Red Lantern Society, or this Bald Shopkeeper, their gestures were all exceedingly generous. The banquet he was hosting for them had to be upgraded accordingly. Otherwise, if word got out, people would say he was too stingy.

"Senior, please have some tea..."

After inviting the Bald Shopkeeper into the inner courtyard to sit, and after the Bald Shopkeeper had exchanged greetings with Manager Xu, Hu Ma poured tea for them.

Although this Bald Shopkeeper had come to return a favor, he was extremely hearty. He laughed and said, "Shopkeeper Hu, that way you address me needs to change. We're all just trying to make a living in the Red Lantern Society; there's no need for this 'senior' business. If you call me 'Old Bro,' it'll make us seem closer, like brothers."

Hu Ma, somewhat embarrassed, smiled. "Well, that would mess up the generational order a bit."

"Uncle Xu is a good friend of the Second Master in our village, and I've always regarded him as an elder."

"Haha, then we'll each address each other as we see fit."

The Bald Shopkeeper laughed and said to Manager Xu, "When did you meet such an expert (referring to Second Master), and not introduce him?"

Manager Xu had only met the Second Master a few times. It was only when Hu Ma and the others returned for the New Year that they brought some gifts from the Second Master for Manager Xu. If they were to meet again, they might not even recognize each other.

But he laughed without any trace of embarrassment, "Next time I go into Old Yin Mountain for Blood Food, I'll take you to the village. Then you'll meet him, won't you?"

"That old fellow is a man of particular tastes; we should all get to know him better."

He then turned back to Hu Ma and said, "But from now on, in our Society, you really don't need to consider yourself a junior. You've become a proper Shopkeeper now. The seal and contract documents are all ready; I've brought them along for you."

"From this moment on, this Manor is officially in your hands. A dignified Shopkeeper of the Red Lantern Society, you'll have considerable standing even in Mingzhou Prefecture."

Hu Ma smiled and said, "This is all thanks to Uncle Xu's help in managing things. It's just that my cultivation is still shallow, and I lack confidence."

"Just cultivate slowly."

Manager Xu said, "In the past, if you were to watch over a Manor, it meant dealing with evil spirits within a ten-li radius. During Blood Food transport, you also had to guard against evil spirits trying to rob you. The pressure was naturally immense; without some skill, one couldn't guard it."

"But things are different now. The Red Lantern Lady has obtained the Incense Order and has even had a temple built. So what undiscerning evil spirit would dare provoke us? As long as someone is keeping watch, it's fine."

"Besides, your contributions have been significant, and you've received Blood Food rewards. It's the perfect time to advance your Cultivation quickly."

"Speaking of which, you have the subsequent Cultivation dharma methods, right?"

Hu Ma quickly said, "Shopkeeper Wu Hong has treated me very well; he has already passed them all on to me."

Manager Xu smiled and said, "That's good. With Blood Food and dharma methods, how could your abilities not grow stronger?"

"In our Red Lantern Society, most of the Shopkeepers from various regions are Shousui men. Many of them were already renowned figures in their respective Paths before joining our Society."

"Take Shopkeeper Zhang here, for example. His Five Thunders Golden Toad Roar has intimidated and broken countless evil spirits; his fame shook Mingzhou Prefecture. We paid a considerable price to invite him into our Society..."

"This time, he was originally scheduled for the final round precisely because we thought his abilities were great and he was the most reliable choice."

Shopkeeper Zhang interjected with a laugh, "Now you're just teasing me. Arranging for me to be in that final round nearly ruined my reputation and almost cost me my old life."

The Bald Shopkeeper chuckled again. "But we do indeed walk similar Paths. Brother Hu, if you encounter anything you don't understand in your Cultivation in the future, you can always come and discuss it with me."

"Although my specific techniques differ from Shopkeeper Wu Hong's, when it comes to the fundamentals of Cultivation, we're pretty much the same."

Hearing this, Hu Ma felt a stir of interest, but he was somewhat hesitant. So, he just smiled and said, "Thank you, Old Bro. I have so much to learn!"

The Bald Shopkeeper caught his expression and chuckled, saying, "Then let's spar and exchange pointers often when we're free."

With that, he turned to Manager Xu and asked curiously, "Speaking of which, how are the plans for the Lady building a temple coming along? Does it have anything to do with us?"

Hu Ma understood, so he didn't press the matter further and listened along. He, too, was very curious about this.