Twilight Boundary

"What?"

Old Man Zhao had just resolved the evil spirit disturbances in Ganzi Village and hadn't even caught his breath. The anxiety that had been hanging over them hadn't yet dissipated when they suddenly heard such troubling news, startling the workers at the Manor. They couldn't help but turn to look at Hu Ma, and the villagers who had been assisting were momentarily stunned, blinking in confusion.

It really isn't that easy to resolve...

In Hu Ma's mind, his worst fears were gradually being confirmed. He couldn't help but grit his teeth slightly, his cheek muscles tensing. However, he couldn't let it show too much. He forced himself to remain calm, saying, "What's there to panic about? Didn't we just resolve the issues in Ganzi Village? Don't worry. Now tell me what's been happening, one by one."

"Hey, someone, please get a basin of water so I can wash my face and hands."

The villagers who had rushed over with the news immediately began to talk over one another in a flurry of words, making it hard to make out anything clearly. The gist was that the evil spirit disturbances were severe. Usually, the area around the Red Lantern Lady's Manor was relatively quiet with few, well-behaved evil spirits. Why were these evil spirits suddenly appearing now?

Hu Ma turned and washed his hands in the wooden basin that had been brought over, his mind racing. He used the washing as an opportunity to calm himself, then turned back, took the towel handed to him by an unknown villager, wiped his hands, and addressed the crowd, "I know everyone is anxious, but let's not be hasty."

"No matter what evil spirits are occurring around us, with so many of us here, what is there to be afraid of? We'll handle them one by one."

"I refuse to believe there's any evil spirit that can withstand our numbers."

"Other places may be far, and we can't manage them, but within a ten-mile radius, whatever it is, we'll make sure it quiets down."

"Let's go! Let's see what kind of mischief is happening!"

The villagers, who had been filled with apprehension, relaxed upon hearing Hu Ma's words. One by one, they picked up their hoes and sticks, ready to follow him and offer their help.

Zhou Datong and the others had also finished gathering the supplies in the donkey cart by now, even bringing along a large bucket of night soil. They surrounded Hu Ma and headed out of the Manor with large strides when, unexpectedly, they encountered Li coming from outside the village, swaying her hips.

"Little shopkeeper, there's big trouble..."

As soon as Li saw Hu Ma, she started shouting, "I'm here to beg for your help! Our San has a connection with your Lady, you can't ignore this..."

"Seventh Aunt?"

Hu Ma was momentarily stunned. "Haven't you already moved away?" he asked.

Li shook her head, swaying her body. "Couldn't move," she said. "Can't get out..."

Hu Ma was slightly surprised. "What do you mean, 'can't get out'?"

Li shuffled awkwardly, her eyes darting around. Since she was close to Hu Ma, no one else could hear their conversation. They only thought this worker from the Manor seemed effeminate, little realizing that she was confirming Hu Ma's worst fears:

"Not only did someone blow a breath here, but they also blocked the surrounding roads, not allowing the resentful spirits of this area to leave at will..."

"I can also hear a voice urging us to stir up trouble."

"Our family is fine; we have cultivation protecting us. But those with insufficient stability might not hold up..."

So even our escape routes are blocked...

Hu Ma gritted his teeth slightly, nodding slowly. He didn't know what Mo Hou was planning, but undoubtedly, Mo Hou had calculated their escape route.

A single breath from a Great Evil Spirit might be enough to stir up the minor evil spirits around here, turning things that weren't evil spirits into them, and making even the normally placid ones unable to hold back, starting to harm people...

But what is their real goal?

If they were truly after him and the workers in the Manor, why not just attack directly?

Why employ such tactics, like slowly frying them in oil over a raging fire?

His mind was a jumble of confusion, but time waited for no one. Many of those who had followed him into the village to eliminate the evil spirits were strong laborers from neighboring villages. Having just solved the problems in Ganzi Village, they now heard that trouble was brewing in their own homes and looked to Hu Ma, their eyes filled with pleading.

If he showed any sign of weakness now, this panic would surely spread.

But Hu Ma couldn't promise anything immediately. He had to remain composed, lowering his voice as he spoke to Li, "Seventh Aunt, the villagers are in trouble. Could you lend a hand?"

Li said, "We're not that close to them."

Hu Ma replied, "That's just how villagers are. You help me, I help you, and through helping each other, we become close."

"Later, I'll tell everyone about your righteous deed. After that, whose house could you possibly want to eat sugar eggs in and not be welcomed?"

Li tilted her head, looked at Hu Ma, then suddenly covered her mouth and giggled. "Little shopkeeper, you've got ulterior motives, trying to scheme against us..."

"But we don't help for free. How many chickens will you offer this time?"

Hearing she was interested, Hu Ma laughed heartily. "Just counting them out? How could that be enough to show sincerity?"

"Whenever you come to the Manor, there will be chicken for you to eat. I'll even specially raise the ones with the fattest combs for you. How about that?"

Li, or rather Seventh Aunt, her eyes instantly lighting up, eagerly replied while counting on her fingers, "A profit, a profit! We were stuck here anyway, and now we've earned so many chickens from the little shopkeeper! You all, tell me, isn't this a huge bargain?"

She had almost finished speaking when she suddenly realized she hadn't left Li's body yet and let out a cry of surprise.

Li's body went limp. From a corner, there was a rustling sound, and a string of yellow figures ran out.

Hu Ma hadn't expected this Seventh Aunt, who wasn't exactly clever, to lay out her calculations so blatantly in front of him.

But alas, this was a bargain he had to accept...

At least he had an ally now, which was some comfort. Hu Ma led the people onward, quietly instructing Little Hongtang to quickly head to Old Yin Mountain. Fearing she might not be able to get out, he even gave her a handful of earth he had previously dug from beneath the old tree stump.

First, she would try to see if she could get out and secure an escape route. Also, she needed to inform the old acquaintance at the tree stump beforehand; if escape failed, he would need their help to receive him.

Before long, they reached another village plagued by evil spirits. From afar, they could hear hysterical crying of children coming from a large house, creating a chilling sensation.

"Is it the Night Crying Man or some other kind of evil spirit?"

When Hu Ma arrived at this village, the village chief had already ordered people to gather all the children into one courtyard. The chief was anxiously pacing back and forth, surrounded by distressed parents. But the children were wailing loudly, and no amount of coaxing worked.

Even the yellow dog in the yard seemed frightened by the children's cries, cowering in its kennel with its tail tucked tightly between its legs.

Hu Ma approached, and a single glance made his scalp tingle.

On the way, he had considered that children crying incessantly at night were sometimes afflicted by a type of Wandering spirit known as the Night Crying Man. In such cases, one usually only needed to light incense and chant a spell for them to recover.

However, although the sky was gloomy, it was broad daylight. And with so many children crying simultaneously, how powerful must the tormenting evil spirit be?

More critically, he didn't even know the spell to banish the Night Crying Man...

Yet, he couldn't avoid coming, and he had to be the first to step forward, especially since children were involved.

"Adults, stand further back! Those whose homes have ancestral tablets, please bring them over. All the able-bodied men of the village, gather around as well."

With no other immediate solution, Hu Ma could only give these quiet instructions, ordering people to keep their distance.

He himself stood outside the courtyard. Facing the incessantly crying children, he took a deep breath and suddenly performed a gentle bow.

Four Ghosts Salute.

This trump card involved using the Shousui man's body to open a path to the Netherworld and draw upon yin qi. A single bow could kill or strip a soul, but used skillfully, it could also impact the yin souls causing the trouble.

Of course, this had to be done with extreme precision. The children were too young; one misstep in the bow, and instead of banishing the Night Crying Man tormenting them, he might harm the children themselves.

Hu Ma only dared to attempt this because, with the refinement of his fourth organ, his power had gradually deepened.

The surrounding villagers only saw Hu Ma stand steadily, bow gently, and it seemed as if a breeze swept past. The wind was yin but not cold, softly caressing their faces.

Even more astonishingly, as Hu Ma performed this bow outside the Manor, the children inside, whose loud cries had blended into a cacophony, suddenly fell silent. Some, who had been crying with great distress, began to cough loudly, their small faces turning red.

"Could this be an Immortal?"

Even the village chief, who had never witnessed such a technique, was stunned speechless, staring at Hu Ma as he straightened up.

The nearby parents, deeply worried about their children, were about to rush over to check on them.

"Adults, don't approach yet!" Hu Ma quickly warned. "Bring the ancestral tablets and place them around. Even if the ancestors' power is weak, they surely won't neglect their own descendants."

"Then, have the strong laborers—those with unspent yuan yang should be prioritized—sit in a circle around the children."

"Around the courtyard, light bright torches. Replace them as soon as they burn down. As long as the torches are burning, things should be fine. If all the torches go out, send someone to notify me."

This was the only way under the circumstances. If they were in Dayang Village, they could have simply taken the children to the old fire pit. But this village lacked the ancient traditions of Dayang Village. They had some ancestral tablets, but not many, so they had to make do.

"Brother Ma Zi..."

Just as this issue was being handled, Zhou Datong, who was being incessantly urged by the other villagers, hurried over. "Yellow Dog Village is also experiencing evil spirits!" he said anxiously. "Mazha Ridge reports people missing, and they say something is crying inside the empty houses at the Bean Shop..."

"All the villagers are pleading for help. What should we do?"

Hu Ma took a deep breath. "We'll tackle the nearest ones first," he said. "Resolve what we can, one incident at a time."