Twilight Boundary

Everyone was there: the adults and children from the village, along with people from the Zhao Family dressed in mourning clothes.

They all surrounded a black coffin, filling the entire yard. The scene was silent; everyone continuously kowtowed toward the coffin, merely kneeling without any other movement.

Hu Ma saw some people's foreheads were smeared with dirt, while others were already crimson, having struck their heads on loose stones or steps below. They made no effort to avoid them, determinedly splitting their own heads open.

What is happening?

Watching this silent and eerie scene, Hu Ma actually found himself somewhat at a loss. He couldn't even get closer to investigate, as the entire yard was packed with kowtowing people, leaving no space to set foot.

"Wake up!"

He gritted his teeth, swung the Wooden Sword in his hand, and channeled the stove fire into it. The Wooden Sword created an invisible line of fire that swept through the kneeling villagers, dispersing the yin qi.

Within the sweep of this fire, a few villagers stirred slightly, dazedly lifting their heads. But they only managed to raise their heads in panic, and before they could say anything, their eyes glazed over once more. They continued to kowtow towards the coffin with the others.

My swing, already equivalent to thirty percent of the True Yang Arrow's power, couldn't even affect them?

Hu Ma also found it rather bizarre. Confirming that the coffin in the yard was the source of the trouble, he lightly gritted his teeth and suddenly employed the Ghost Ascending Stairs technique. He directly stepped onto the surrounding earthen walls, dashed into the yard, then with a forceful leap, jumped over the kowtowing crowd and landed directly on the coffin. Looking down, he saw the coffin was not yet closed. Inside lay an elderly man with a kindly face, dressed in burial clothes, a smile on his lips.

Clearly, it was Old Man Zhao. According to Datong and others, he had supposedly become a reanimated corpse and run off. Now, having had his fill of fun, he had actually lain back down. He died while preparing for his longevity celebration, watching others slaughter a pig for him. He was all smiles when the pig knocked him, and the impact killed him; the joyous expression on his face hadn't even had time to change.

However, this smile now seemed inexplicably horrifying.

The strange events in this village started because of him, and the people in the yard are kowtowing to him... An idea flashed through Hu Ma's mind: Should I just try stabbing him with the Wooden Sword? Or carry him out and burn him?

Although he had this thought, he hesitated. Dealing with these evil spirits required the correct approach. The right approach saves worry and effort. The wrong approach might render great efforts fruitless, failing to achieve a perfect resolution. Even some actions that seem clever could provoke great chaos.

"Oh no..."

Amidst his indecision, he suddenly heard the frightened cries of Zhou Datong and others from outside. Startled, Hu Ma, relying on his Ghost Ascending Stairs skill, quickly leaped onto the nearby wall and then out of the yard. From a distance, he saw Zhou Datong and others surrounding a person.

He thought it was some evil spirit, so he rushed over with his sword, only to find it was Li, who had just been cooking in the Manor, still wearing an apron. His face was deathly pale, fingers pinched in an orchid gesture, his waist swaying as he scolded, "What are you staring at?"

"Have you never seen Seventh Aunt?"

"Not even a word of greeting. Truly a bunch of ill-mannered brats."

"Why is he here?"

Hu Ma landed silently. The moment he spoke, Zhou Datong and the others noticed him and hastily said, "We don't know! He just appeared out of nowhere, scared us half to death..."

"Don't panic. Keep an eye on the surroundings," Hu Ma instructed them, then walked into the crowd. Seeing Li's appearance, he knew a 'good neighbor' had arrived.

He also acted courteously, bowing with hands clasped as he said, "Seventh Aunt, my respects."

"I was just thinking of finding someone to consult with. What's going on with the Manor? It's so strange and bizarre."

"I can't make sense of it..."

Seventh Aunt seemed to appreciate Hu Ma's polite demeanor. She gave him a sidelong glance and said in a delicate voice, "Didn't you ask us before to keep an eye on the surroundings for you? I remember!"

"Yesterday, in the dead of night, it seemed like someone blew a breath of air this way. I knew then that something was amiss. I wanted to see who blew it, but I couldn't spot them. So I hurried over to tell you, this place is very sinister..."

Even Seventh Aunt thinks this place is sinister? Hu Ma couldn't help but frown. If even an evil spirit finds it sinister, what could it be?

She said someone blew a breath of air here... Just one breath, and it turned this village into such a disaster? But how was this caused, and how can it be resolved?

While his mind was in turmoil, Li (as Seventh Aunt) spoke again, "Anyway, I've observed for you, and I've told you."

"You attend to your business first. I have things I need to do..."

Hu Ma was in dire need of information. Hearing this, he quickly asked, "What does Seventh Aunt need to be busy with?"

"Packing up," Li replied. "This place feels like it's become sinister. We need to hurry up and move away..."

Even the Yellow Immortals are moving? Hu Ma was even more astounded. He knew very well what kind of characters this family was. Previously, they had a feud with the Manor and weren't even afraid of the Red Lantern Lady, still rampaging in the vicinity. They even seized an opportunity to bite Xu Ji to death. Now, just because something blew a breath of air here, they're so scared they want to move out immediately.

Could it be that the thing that blew a breath of air here is more terrifying than the Red Lantern Lady... or perhaps, more ferocious?

Actually, he still had many questions he wanted to ask, but Li's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed to the ground. He woke up quite quickly. Seeing himself in a dazed state in an unfamiliar place, he asked strangely, "Has Seventh Aunt left?"

"She used to place me in soft spots, afraid I'd fall and get hurt. Why did she put me on broken stones today?"

She left so quickly... Hu Ma also realized something from Seventh Aunt's reaction and let out a soft sigh.

He turned his head and saw Zhou Datong and the others looking at him expectantly. Around them, the unkillable pig's head, the wailing steamed buns, and the occasionally rattling tables and chairs created disturbances from time to time. The little girl, floating around and crying for her mother, had also drifted over at some point and was now pushing open doors of houses one by one to peek inside.

Inside the courtyard, the villagers were still continuously kowtowing to the coffin...

After several moments of hesitation, Hu Ma hardened his resolve and ordered in a low voice, "Go! Everyone retreat!"

"What?" Zhou Datong and the others could also see the critical nature of the situation. They were hoping Hu Ma would come up with an idea to save people, but they hadn't expected him to make this decision. Stunned for a moment, they quickly regrouped and rapidly withdrew from the village.

Outside the village, some villagers who had managed to escape in time had already hurried over, anxious to ask what was going on. But Hu Ma found it difficult to answer them at that moment. He only told them to wait patiently and not to return to the village for now, as he needed to go back and make some thorough inquiries.

He had to make this decision. There were too many strange occurrences in the village. While he could certainly try to resolve them, and it wasn't certain he couldn't handle them, he had already realized that the superficial hauntings were secondary. Behind these events, there was something even more sinister.

This matter is too big. We need to ask someone from above to take a look...

He led his men and hurried back to the Manor. He then had people prepare the incense table and lit the Red Lantern in the room.

Invite the Red Lantern Lady!

Encountering such a situation, trying to show off one's ability would be tantamount to being foolish. It was imperative to have the Red Lantern Lady come and see what should be done. After all, to put it bluntly, he was looking after this Manor on behalf of the Red Lantern Lady. The rule that no evil spirits were allowed to cause trouble within a ten-mile radius was also set by the Red Lantern Lady. Now that a problem beyond his capabilities had arisen, it was most appropriate to ask the Red Lantern Lady to come and help resolve it.

Of course, in this situation, although he possessed an incense stick that could directly summon the Red Lantern Lady, it was still more appropriate to use the normal method to invite her.

The incense table was set up, and the Red Lantern was lit. Hu Ma then stood before the incense table, holding three incense, and bowed towards the Red Lantern, chanting: "Red Lantern hides the fated ghost E Jiao, the Lady's sacred carriage crosses the Nether Bridge. I invite the Lady to descend with her mana, to carry the Red Lantern and illuminate the four directions..."

"...Hu Ma, Shopkeeper of the Green Stone Town branch of the Red Lantern Society, respectfully requests the Lady's descent!"

After chanting this three times, he sensed a faint, eerie red glow appear on the Red Lantern before the incense table. But before Hu Ma could state his purpose for inviting the Red Lantern Lady, the Red Lantern swiveled around as if sizing things up, then emitted a questioning sound:

"Hmm?"

Then, as if it had discovered something, it showed a hint of surprise: "Ah!"

Immediately after, that eerie red glow suddenly vanished, leaving only a solitary lantern hanging forlornly.

Gone... She's gone? Hu Ma was also stunned for a moment. What in the world?

He already had some suspicions in his mind and realized that the haunting in this village was not simple. But no matter how he thought about it, he had never imagined that the Red Lantern Lady, after being invited by him, would take one look, not even leave a single word, and then just slip away.

This is just too much! He felt it was incredibly bizarre; this was, after all, a deity for whom a temple had just recently been established...

Seeing the surrounding assistants, none of whom dared to speak now, all just staring at him wide-eyed, Hu Ma was also momentarily unsure of what to do. The three incense in his hand, he didn't know when, had long since extinguished. It seemed the Red Lantern Lady was also using this method to tell him not to try inviting her for this matter, but to decide for himself and think of a way on his own...

After a long silence, Hu Ma finally spoke in a low voice: "Shut the gates!"

Zhou Datong and the others were already a bit panicked, looking at him helplessly.

Hu Ma waited a moment, then could only explain to them: "Close the main gates. No one is to leave the Manor. The situation is serious; it's beyond what we can handle."

"But the people in that village..." From the crowd, an assistant couldn't help but speak up, but he stopped himself in time.

"This issue is not as simple as it appears." Hu Ma glanced outside the Manor and said in a low voice, "The haunting itself is a small matter. The thing behind it, the thing that caused the haunting, that's the most terrifying. In the face of that thing, I'm afraid we are no different from those villagers."

Hearing Hu Ma's arrangements, all the assistants fell silent.

And now, outside the main gates of the Manor, the villagers who had been waiting anxiously had already started to press with questions: "Is the Mage Old Master ready yet?"

"The people in our village are waiting to be saved..."