Twilight Boundary

Cultivation, cultivation, and damn it, it's still cultivation!

Instead of being suspicious of ghosts and getting nothing done, it's better to focus on what matters, work hard on cultivation, and master your skills.

The skills of a Shousui man are lifesaving, bit by bit.

Now, he had already started cultivating the fourth organ, the crucial kidney.

It must be said that for other Shousui men, each organ was a minor checkpoint, and cultivation wasn't easy. Just precisely killing each organ and then slowly rejuvenating it was a major feat.

However, Hu Ma was now well-supplied with Blood Food and had long since died. Additionally, the old shopkeeper hadn't held anything back when teaching the dharma method, allowing him to cultivate smoothly.

Actually, he had already reached the fourth organ in his cultivation. If this got out, he feared he'd be immediately captured as an evil spirit.

It was just too fast.

Of course, the Shousui men had another advantage: the ability to hide well.

If one didn't use this life-to-death skill or certain specific trump cards in front of others, outsiders wouldn't notice.

To truly understand your potential, you'd have to dissect yourself.

This is the benefit of becoming the shopkeeper...

As Hu Ma thought about this, he retrieved another batch of Blood Food Pills, coupled with those awarded by the Red Lantern Lady's Club, and quickly began cultivating the fourth organ.

Outside Zhu Gate Town, there was a rather low wild hill, sparsely treed and littered with jagged stones.

In barren years, infants from the town who died prematurely were often tossed onto this hill. The homeless deceased were also abandoned here, leaving many white bones scattered.

Come night, ghostly fires rose and floated all over the hill.

The townsfolk wouldn't take the night road near the hill; even in the late afternoon, they would take a wide detour.

But now, on this desolate mountain, there were green-clothed children clad in greasy green pants, kneeling, bare-backed, enduring the chilling wind. They surrounded a sedan chair, which carried a fierce-looking Evil Ghost mask.

With its presence, even the ghost fires on the hill dared not show.

They had been waiting for a long time. Incense Master Zheng Zhi'en of the Red Lantern Society was usually insignificant in the eyes of Old Master Qingyi. Yet, he only arrived on the hill a full two-hour period after Old Master Qingyi had begun waiting.

He wore an untied coarse robe with disheveled hair and carried a long wooden frame.

The wooden frame held seven or eight long Yellow Banners, swaying in the night wind, adding even more ghostliness to the eerie hill.

"Zheng Zhi'en, you have quite the nerve..."

Watching Incense Master Zheng climb the hill, one of the kneeling green-clothed children near the summit looked up, saying grimly, "Just because of a single word from the esteemed, you've forgotten who you are? Daring to make Old Master Qingyi wait so long?"

"The one working for the esteemed is Old Master Qingyi. You're just a guide..."

"Brother, please trust me."

Even as Incense Master Zheng was being scolded, he didn't get angry. However, his face lacked the earlier look of flattery. He just gave a slight smile and said, "I am a Ghost Walker, and you are negative spirit people. You certainly know Old Master Qingyi better, but I understand evil spirits better.

"So, it was right that the esteemed one eventually asked me to help; I can find the person for him.

"Of course, I don't dare to steal credit from Old Master Qingyi. Right now, I am just at a dead end, looking for a way to survive."

"Survive?"

The green-clothed child listened, with sarcasm in his voice, "Wasn't it you who brought this upon yourself?"

"Haha, I suppose so." Incense Master Zheng didn't object. In the previous duel, he had won a merit. However, due to a protector's words, the Incense Burners were now full of hostility toward him. Furthermore, Yang Gong, who had recently caught the Lady's Dharma Eye with his excellent performance, was rising fast.

The merit he earned from the duel now made it difficult for him to even stay in the society.

Even the task of leading the green clothes gang to find people, a task destined to offend others, was deliberately assigned to him by the Incense Burner, who even claimed he volunteered for it.

He understood in his heart that once the fame from this merit faded, he would likely lose his position as Incense Master. With no other choice, he had made plans early on, deciding to follow Qingyi and seek an opportunity with the esteemed one.

Indeed, he seized it. But, was this outcome really what he wanted?

Seeing his somber demeanor, the green-clothed child held back further sarcasm and said grimly after a moment of thought, "What do you plan to do?"

"I picked a few places for Old Master Qingyi."

Incense Master Zheng planted the wooden frame into the ground, pressing it three inches deep with considerable strength, securely fixing it.

He turned around under the fluttering banners and said, "Places with thick Yin Ze may conceal people, but how to apply pressure there is up to Old Master Qingyi..."

"Just selected a few places?"

The green-clothed child couldn't help but coldly chuckle, "Didn't you deliberately include something you disliked?"

Incense Master Zheng surprisingly didn't deny it, only chuckling, "If there's something you dislike, Brother, feel free to add it now."

The green-clothed child was taken aback, "You..."

"The esteemed only asked us to find someone. Why would he care how we find them?"

Incense Master Zheng chuckled and said, "Besides, this method of finding people does not have a good reputation. If we make it a point to demand the esteemed's approval, should anything go wrong, whose fault would it be, ours or the esteemed's?"

The night wind was silent, and the wild hill was soundless.

The Evil Ghost mask placed at the center of the wild hill, upon the sedan chair, didn't move, but a faint cold laugh seemed to echo in the wind.

"Then thank you, Old Master Qingyi..."

With a long bow to the Evil Ghost mask, Incense Master Zheng rose and pulled a piece of yellow cloth from his sleeve.

He spread it on the ground, took out incense candles and an oil lamp, and even placed a few stones as offerings.

Standing by, the green-clothed child could hardly contain his anger. This Zheng, a Ghost Walker, was indeed adept at utilizing the power of evil spirits. But using such a simple Magic Altar, even with stones as offerings, was simply an insult to Old Master Qingyi.

But remembering the esteemed one's instructions, who dared to say anything?

Incense Master Zheng remained silent as he arranged everything. Once done, he stood up, sighed softly, and picked up a branch.

With his hair disheveled, outer robe untied, and buffeted by the night wind, his entire being exuded a ghostly qi. He looked like a Madman, waving his limbs and chanting:

"Wild grave, resentment harms, born beside the ancient wilderness way.

I now command you as Divine General, to aid me in casting magic and balancing yin and yang.

Majestic Mount Tai, magnificent yin and yang, wandering ghosts heed my command, become good spirits and receive offerings..."

The green-clothed child by the side became furious, glaring at Incense Master Zheng. This scoundrel! He wasn't performing Inviting Spirits, but Commanding Spirit! Was he ordering Old Master Qingyi around like a common wandering ghost?

But before they could say anything, Incense Master Zheng used the branch in his hand as a sword, suddenly thrusting forward, "The esteemed one's command is not to be defied, go quickly!"

WHOOSH!

On the wild hill, ghostly qi surged. Behind him, the seven or eight long Yellow Banners on the wooden frame were all simultaneously lifted by the wind.

Strangely, the Yellow Banners on the frame all floated in different directions simultaneously, swaying and beckoning, like guides from the Netherworld Road leading to the unknown lands around.

Hu Ma couldn't know about the other matters. He had to concentrate on cultivating the fourth organ.

He had always given particular attention to this organ; or rather, anyone in his situation would. Now that he began cultivating it, he devoted several times the effort compared to usual, diligently practicing day and night...

Finally, around the fourth or fifth day, Hu Ma woke up from a dream.

He looked down and suddenly felt an intense excitement prickling his scalp.

It worked!

Under circumstances where he did not use the Blood Tai Sui's essence forcefully, that banner stood up.

It stood up on its own!

I...

In this moment, Hu Ma was tempted to stand up and loudly declare, "I have come back to life!"

Of course, theoretically, his body was far from being truly alive, but at this very moment, Hu Ma felt a sense of renewed life, as if resurrected.

It was a feeling akin to rebirth.

This was not a resurrection of a former life, but himself coming to life anew.

Because Shousui was about transforming from life to death, then refining from death back to life. In this cycle of life and death, the old was discarded and the new embraced.

These parts that were brought back to life through refining—they were now solid, truly his own!

"Hahaha..."

Hu Ma, afraid of startling others, didn't dare laugh too loudly, but his expression already conveyed his excitement at this moment.

It just goes to show, having your own place is convenient. The Blood Food he'd schemed with Er Guotou and Miss White Wine to get, even the rewards from the Red Lantern Lady's Club, had all come to fruition. With unstoppable momentum, he refined the fourth organ. This meant he was no longer considered weak among the Shousui men. With the foundation of these Four Internal Organs supporting him, the Four Ghosts Salute would naturally be more powerful, and he was close to grasping the essence of the Five Thunders Golden Toad Roar. This joy was indeed indescribable.

Originally, he was always afraid something unexpected might happen, yet now, under pressure, his skills improved?

"Brother Ma Zi, something's wrong..."

But just then, Zhou Datong suddenly rushed in from the outer courtyard, nervously barging into the room. Seeing Hu Ma enwrapped in an outer garment, looking so excited, Zhou Datong jumped in shock.

He'd never seen Hu Ma so happy before. It dispelled his own tension and urgency, making him feel as if he were interrupting something important of Hu Ma's over a trivial matter.

"Next time, at least knock, even if you have to kick the door down..."

Hu Ma hastily rubbed his face to make his excitement less obvious, before asking, "What's with the nervous look?"

Zhou Datong, coming to his senses, quickly said, "Something strange happened in Ganzi Village, and they want someone from our Manor to go take a look..."

Strange?

Hu Ma had been on edge recently. It was only because of this morning's sudden surprise that he hadn't managed to adjust his mood. But seeing Zhou Datong's expression, his heart immediately sank.

The earlier joy vanished from his mind, and he hurriedly dressed, stepping out, "What kind of strange?"