Twilight Boundary

"Don't blame me."

"It's not that I don't want to save people; it's just beyond my capabilities."

Hu Ma quietly sat in the inner courtyard's main hall, his eyes downcast, a despondent look on his face. Little Hongtang was perched on the threshold, glancing outside, then back at Hu Ma in the main hall.

Zhou Datong and the others, as Hu Ma had instructed, had tightly shut the outer courtyard gate. They hid in the side rooms of the inner courtyard, leaving only the Red Lantern Lady's lantern in the outer courtyard.

Logically, the Red Lantern Lady's lantern was the most important item and should have been brought inside for protection first. But now, as the wind and rain battered it, no one seemed to care. After all, even the Red Lantern Lady herself could no longer concern herself with the Manor.

Because they had all retreated into the inner courtyard, they were farther from the main gate and, consequently, farther from the pleas for help from the people outside.

The people from the surrounding villages were now well-acquainted with the staff at the Manor. When they encountered each other outside, they would either address them as "Manager" or politely call them "young man." If the Manor needed to procure or exchange anything with them, the villagers would always bring their best items for the Manor to select first. The tofu vendor always saved the first block of tofu for the Manor.

Now, in the surrounding towns and villages, it was considered an honor if a little manager from the Manor attended their weddings or funerals.

But now, it was these very people crying for help outside the gate. They dared not pound on the gate too hard; instead, they kowtowed outside, their occasional sobs piercing through the two sections of the courtyard and gripping the hearts of those within.

The Manor staff knew that everyone was worried about their families. They also knew that Ganzi Village was becoming increasingly dangerous as evil spirits wreaked havoc, potentially harming many. But they felt powerless, shrinking into the inner courtyard, some already clutching their ears in agony.

What can be done?

The Red Lantern Lady took one look and fled. Hu Ma was certain this was the scheme of some powerful figure.

They might not have done the dirty work themselves, but their influence was surely behind it.

The machinations of such a powerful figure were unimaginably perilous.

So, he knew hiding was the right decision, even if it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Little Hongtang, do you think hiding is wrong?" he asked.

He remained seated in the main hall, not covering his ears, knowing it would be futile. But as the cries from outside the Manor continued to reach him, the spacious hall felt increasingly, unbearably oppressive. He felt a constant urge to speak, to break the tension, so he looked towards Little Hongtang on the threshold.

Little Hongtang was acting strangely too. In the past, faced with such danger, she would have fled long ago. Or, if there was any commotion outside, she would have been the first to climb the wall to watch. But this time was different. She remained on the threshold, looking frightened, unwilling to go out, yet reluctant to come inside and hide with him.

So Hu Ma was very curious about what she was thinking.

"I don't know," Little Hongtang said, shaking her head. "This has never happened before."

Her words were always crisp and simple.

Indeed, Granny would never have done what he was doing.

Just like in Dayang Village—not everyone there was simple and kind, but when a family needed help, Granny never cared whose family it was or whether they could afford to pay. She would simply, naturally, go and help.

Hu Ma wondered if Granny would be disappointed in him for hiding in the Manor at a time like this.

He couldn't find an answer and was reluctant to dwell on it. He only sensed that, as time wore on, the cries for help around him seemed to multiply.

He had hidden inside the Manor, shutting the disaster outside the gates.

But while the disaster could be kept out, the cries could not; they still pierced through the courtyard and into his ears.

These cries frayed his nerves, but what could he do?

Seek help from the elder of Old Yin Mountain?

That elder's attitude was already clear: his own affairs, the elder would naturally handle, but this current situation... this wasn't his affair...

So, was he just going to keep hiding?

Hu Ma looked outside, his gaze passing through the inner courtyard, seemingly staring directly at the tightly closed main gate. It felt like a prison, locking him inside.

A critical thought struck him: why did they come for *me*?

In theory, if this was the handiwork of that powerful figure, it should have targeted those under suspicion. But on the surface, he was just an ordinary little shopkeeper. Even Datong and the others weren't highly suspicious. Why had this calamity befallen them?

Incense Master Zheng?

The cold, silent face of Incense Master Zheng flashed through his mind...

...yes, only he would drag him into this mess, even after the old tree stump had helped provide cover. But as the thought of Incense Master Zheng brought a surge of intense hatred, another realization struck Hu Ma with the force of a blow.

Since it's Incense Master Zheng causing trouble, how could he allow me to simply hide away?

He was hiding now to avoid disaster. But while one could hide from evil ghosts, how could one hide from the schemes of a malicious man?

The more he thought, the more terrified he became. His mind raced, desperately trying to use the so-called advantages of an information-saturated era, to put himself in the shoes of that lofty Meng family member, to adopt Incense Master Zheng's perspective, to deduce their true intentions...

Figures of their stature, if they wanted to destroy his Manor, could have done so directly. Why expend their energy on the surrounding villages?

"Are they trying to force me, or another Hu family descendant, to act?" This answer flashed through Hu Ma's mind, and his pupils constricted slightly.

The Age Suppressing Book!

Besides the Yin protective power, the most significant characteristic of Hu family descendants was the Age Suppressing Book.

Perhaps, more than the Yin protective power, it was the dharma methods within the Age Suppressing Book that the Meng family truly sought.

If their ultimate goal was to force someone to use the Age Suppressing Book, then they must have already applied pressure to other suspected locations in Mingzhou City.

His Manor probably wasn't the primary target; it might even be collateral, something that fellow surnamed Zheng added to the list on his own initiative.

This calamity was aimed at him from the start; the villagers were the ones unfortunately dragged into it because of him...

The cries from outside the Manor continued unabated, filled with profound despair.

The evil spirits were wreaking havoc in the villages, and it was getting worse. The common folk would grow increasingly terrified. When people's courage is strong, it can suppress evil spirits; but when their courage weakens, the evil spirits become even more powerful and ferocious.

Sooner or later, it would reach a point where even hiding in the Manor wouldn't be enough to hold out...

What was he to do?

Take Datong and the others and flee into Old Yin Mountain?

Fleeing was an option, yes, but he also had to consider the possibility that they might not escape. Since that Zheng fellow had targeted him, would he really show any mercy?

And now… Hu Ma suddenly stood up, looking at the sky outside the courtyard.

The weather was gloomy, making it hard to distinguish day from night. The dark clouds in the sky vaguely resembled malevolent ghosts, staring intently at the Manor.

The cries from outside the Manor, the frigid air, and the heavy clouds seemed to form an immense, crushing pressure. The fear and wailing of the villagers amplified the aura of the evil spirits; the malevolent energy was even stronger than before. But at this very moment, paradoxically, Hu Ma's mind became crystal clear.

"Damn it all, they're slowly rendering oil here!"

"Someone is turning this place into a cauldron of boiling oil!"

"By hiding here, I'm like a frog in a slowly heating pan of oil. I'm not avoiding anything; I'm just getting closer to being fried alive..."

"If this goes on, forget about whether there'll be a chance to escape—even Little Hongtang and the Manor's staff will probably start looking down on me. So now..."

He pondered, his mind racing. No, I can't just watch them heat this oil to a boil. Even if things look bad and I ultimately have to escape to Old Yin Mountain, I need to go out first. That way, I'll be closer to Old Yin Mountain and have a chance to flee when the time is critical.

Having figured this out, he let out a long breath of pent-up frustration, his expression turning slightly cold. If hiding isn't an option, then I won't hide. What's more, I have to do this impressively!

He had analyzed countless reasons in his mind and now had his own understanding of the entire situation. He also knew the most prudent course of action.

Of course, perhaps a small part of it was simply because he didn't want to hide anymore.

There were too many absurd and tragic things in this world. If they didn't happen right before his eyes, he could pretend not to see them.

But when they were happening right in front of him, it was very hard to pretend they weren't.

At this very moment, Little Hongtang, perched on the threshold, and the Manor staff, hiding in the side rooms of the inner courtyard, were all surreptitiously watching Hu Ma.

Hu Ma had been sitting in the main hall with the door ajar, so by craning their necks, they could vaguely see him.

The desperate cries for help from the villagers outside the Manor made their hearts ache with anxiety. They dared not make any decisions themselves, their gazes fixed on Hu Ma. To them, Hu Ma also seemed to be wrestling with an inner torment, lost in deep contemplation.

Finally, Hu Ma suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, walking towards the entrance.

"He's out! Brother Ma Zi is out!" Zhou Datong exclaimed joyfully, nudging the other staff members as they too emerged from the side rooms.

They were all poor youths from the village. They were afraid of evil spirits, so they had always relied on Hu Ma in the main hall to be their pillar of strength.

But they were also seventeen or eighteen, young men with pent-up frustrations and their own sense of justice.

So, the moment they saw Hu Ma stand up, they couldn't help but feel their hearts tremble. Foolish smiles, the meaning of which they themselves couldn't quite articulate, spread across their simple faces.

"Brother Huma!"

Even Little Hongtang's eyes lit up when she saw Hu Ma finally get up. She beamed, her eyes curving into crescents, and called out happily.

Hu Ma nodded at Little Hongtang. Then, he took his red wooden sword and saw-toothed knife from the table and said to Zhou Datong and the others, who were peeking out, "Datong, do you still have your tools?"

Zhou Datong and the others paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

Hu Ma smiled and said, "Then grab them. We're going out to rid the villagers of these evil spirits!"