Twilight Boundary

"I-it's hard to explain in just one sentence..."

Zhou Datong quickly helped Hu Ma grab the Wooden Sword and his own knife. While following him outside, he explained, "It all started with Old Man Zhao from Ganzi Village celebrating his sixtieth birthday. That's a significant occasion, so they decided to slaughter a pig and even invited us over. But who would've guessed? That pig just wouldn't die! It suddenly leaped up, ran amok, and knocked Old Man Zhao down. And as fate would have it, that one collision killed Old Man Zhao, who was watching the slaughter by the door. A joyous event instantly turned into a funeral.

"Still, the proceedings had to continue. It took four or five hefty men to pin the pig down and finally kill it. Then, they had people come over to set up the funeral hall and bought a coffin. But when Old Man Zhao was laid in the coffin, he refused to close his eyes. So, the person officiating the funeral rites mustered his courage and gently closed them for him. But then... just as the filial children were wailing in mourning, Old Man Zhao suddenly sat up! Well, that really did it. Everyone in the courtyard was scared stiff and fled. His family rushed over to call us to take a look."

As Hu Ma listened while finishing dressing, his expression grew slightly more serious. "You went to see it?" he asked.

"Didn't I tell you all to be careful?"

Zhou Datong replied, "We specifically waited until daylight before going. Who dares to go out at night these days?"

Hu Ma nodded and said no more.

He had observed them for some time; Zhou Datong and the others were becoming increasingly proficient. Ordinary evil was now beneath their notice. Even when encountering an evil spirit, they could employ a host of unorthodox maneuvers and generally resolve the situation successfully. During this period, although a constant worry gnawed at him, he had only instructed Zhou Datong and the others not to venture out at night and to ensure they had more people with them if they went out during the day. When the common folk from the surrounding manors came to them with problems, these matters still had to be addressed. Thinking of the Meng family's affairs, he believed that no matter what happened, it wouldn't spill over onto these ordinary people.

"This matter is truly difficult to explain..." Zhou Datong, listening to Hu Ma, also felt a headache coming on. He said cautiously, "But, alas... Brother Ma Zi, you should go see for yourself!"

Hu Ma listened, his expression turning serious. Now that Zhou Datong and the others had resolved a few issues, their courage had grown, and they wouldn't be so easily frightened. There weren't many things that could scare them to this extent now...

He didn't bother washing up, merely splashing some cold water on his face before following Zhou Datong out of the Manor. He didn't forget to whistle, calling Little Hongtang along as well. The more aspects of his Shousui man constitution he activated through refining life, the more he resembled a normal person. Consequently, some things of a yin and evil nature became harder for him to detect. Bringing Little Hongtang along would allow him to use her abilities to perceive certain things and gather information.

Outside the Manor, a carriage prepared by Zhou Datong and the others stood waiting, with several buckets loaded onto it. Hu Ma boarded the carriage, and Zhou Datong cracked the whip, urging the horses toward Ganzi Village, some seven or eight miles away.

From a distance, even before entering the village, Hu Ma suddenly felt a prickle of alarm, as if every hair on his body was standing on end. He frowned slightly and looked up towards the village, but his vision seemed to blur. The morning sun was now rising, bathing the surroundings in bright light, yet the village alone remained dark and gloomy, as if the sunlight could not penetrate it.

"Can you see anything?" he quickly asked Little Hongtang. He saw her also looking intently, but she just shook her small head.

"Let's go in and take a look first!" Hu Ma exhaled softly. The carriage continued forward. From a distance, he saw Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and two other helpers from the Manor, along with some villagers, all squatting at the edge of the village.

Seeing Hu Ma on the carriage, they all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and, along with the other villagers, hurried forward to greet him.

"Why did you all come out?" Zhou Datong asked. "Didn't I tell you to keep watch inside while I went to get Brother Ma Zi?"

"We couldn't stay in there..." Zhao Zhu said. "It's far too eerie inside."

The others nodded vigorously in agreement.

"Then let's head in. Everyone else, wait outside!" Hu Ma announced, jumping down from the carriage. If there was something dangerous inside, livestock could easily get spooked. Once they panicked, they would be hard to control and would only add to the chaos. These villagers waiting outside were in a similar situation. It was better for him to go in alone and get it over with.

With this in mind, he took the Wooden Sword in his hand and silently inserted the three incense sticks into the censer. Then, step by cautious step, he made his way into the village. He had been to this village before, so it wasn't entirely unfamiliar. But entering now, he felt an oppressive discomfort all around him.

GRRR... SNARL...

They had only taken a few steps when they heard a series of fierce whimpers and snarls from a nearby corner. Everyone's heart tightened. Turning to look, they saw two dogs—one spotted, one yellow—fighting. It was a true fight, not just snapping and biting. Both stood on their hind legs like humans, their front paws locked together, constantly roaring and tearing at each other. They looked exactly like two people brawling. Their grim, sinister canine teeth gleamed white, and their claws were stained with blood and fur; one dog's eye was already blinded.

"This..." Hu Ma stopped. He suddenly kicked out, sending a small pebble flying towards them, striking one of the dogs. The two vicious dogs simultaneously whipped their heads around to stare at them, their eyes filled with what looked like human hatred. However, they didn't charge. Instead, they slowly backed away and disappeared around the corner. A moment later, the sounds of fighting and snarling resumed, as if they had started again.

"Where is Old Man Zhao's family's funeral hall?" Hu Ma asked Zhou Datong, watching the spot where the dogs had vanished, then letting out a low breath.

Zhou Datong quickly pointed the way. The group quickened their pace slightly, heading in that direction. As they walked, the uncomfortable feeling grew stronger. Every breath seemed to carry a chill. They saw a little girl in green clothes walking towards them from the other end of the street, crying and wiping her eyes with both hands, repeatedly calling out that she was looking for her mother. Zhao Zhu was about to approach her when Zhou Liang grabbed his arm and whispered, "Look at her feet."

Everyone looked down and saw that the little girl was actually floating as she moved. Still crying, she drifted into a nearby courtyard. When they followed, she had vanished.

The eerie atmosphere in the village left Hu Ma bewildered. He quickened his pace towards Old Man Zhao's funeral hall. Since the matter started with Old Man Zhao, these strange occurrences must be related to him.

Yet, as they walked, the village path seemed to stretch on endlessly. The more anxious they became, the more it felt like they couldn't reach their destination. They walked in a daze for an unknown amount of time, sweat beading on their foreheads from exertion and worry.

"For so many of us to encounter a ghost wall together?" Hu Ma found it rather bizarre. Frowning, he suddenly spat out a "True Yang Arrow."

HOO!

Using his lungs, which had undergone refining life, to expel the True Yang Arrow was like truly spitting out a Flying Sword. The surrounding yin qi was blasted away by his internal stove fire. Their vision cleared, and they immediately saw the funeral hall draped in white cloth. Around it were temporary cooking stations set up for the funeral, cut pieces of pork, and tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks arranged together.

"This is the place..." Zhou Datong said hurriedly. "We were called over early this morning. The coffin was empty, and we couldn't find Old Man Zhao."

"If Old Man Zhao had turned into a reanimated corpse, it wouldn't be surprising if he had run off..." Hu Ma muttered to himself. "...but what about the villagers here? Why is there no sign of them?"

"Exactly!" Hearing him, Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and the others also grew alarmed. "When we retreated earlier, they were all still here."

"Be careful," Hu Ma could only remind them, slowly approaching the funeral hall.

"Chase!..."

They had just taken a few steps, nearing the area of the funeral hall, when a gust of icy yin qi suddenly blasted them in the face. As they tensed up, a piercing scream suddenly erupted beside them, scaring them into a cold sweat. Whirling around, they saw it was a bloody pig's head, hung by an iron hook on the nearby butcher's block, now screaming at the top of its lungs. Its dull eyes seemed to hold a deep resentment as they stared fixedly at them.

"The villagers said earlier that the pig couldn't be killed, and that's how it ended up knocking Old Man Zhao to his death..." Zhou Datong's voice trembled. "How is it that even now, with its head hung up, it's still not dead?"

Hu Ma remained silent, staring intently at the pig's head. He determined that it wasn't due to some magic similar to the kind Sweet Potato had once used to make pigs unkillable; rather, the pig itself possessed a bizarre, uncanny power.

He gripped his Wooden Sword tighter and approached step by step. Suddenly, without warning, tables, chairs, bowls, and chopsticks began to clatter and bang around him. He spun around, but saw no one. Then, the eggs in a basket began to crack open one by one, black, viscous fluid oozing out. On the stove where a fire still burned, steam suddenly billowed from the steamer basket on top, and from within came the crying sounds of small children.

These numerous strange occurrences sent a deep chill through the hearts of the helpers.

Hu Ma, however, suddenly frowned and ordered in a low voice, "None of you move! Stoke the stove fire for me, make it burn hotter!"

Saying this, he strode forward, used his knife to lift the steamer basket from the stove, and peered inside. There was no child in the steamer, only several steamed buns, split open, from which the cries of children emanated. Yet, as the steam wafted over them, the buns seemed to transform into the likeness of small children's heads, their mouths open in wails.

Hu Ma had no time to dwell on this. He resolutely put these bizarre phenomena behind him and strode purposefully into the funeral hall. The hall was set up in front of the Zhao Family's main door, connected to it.

Charging through the funeral hall, he burst into the Zhao Family courtyard. His eyes immediately fell upon Old Man Zhao's coffin. He also saw the villagers he hadn't been able to find earlier. However, the silent, unnerving scene before him sent a shiver down his own spine.