Twilight Boundary

Hu Ma didn't explain to Zhou Datong and the others what he was going to do, because not even he could be sure.

Cries now sounded from every surrounding village, and all kinds of strange shadows faintly, incessantly appeared. It should have been midday, yet darkness enveloped everything.

Along the way, Hu Ma saw green-clothed children rampaging through the villages, causing chaos as if they were mad. He saw Ghost Walkers struggling to fight against the evil spirits that had suddenly emerged, whose cultivation had inexplicably increased countlessfold.

But he couldn't be concerned with that now; he just rode his horse quickly toward the Old Yin Mountain territory.

A heavy yin qi filled the air, and countless indistinct shadows followed him. Some were probably startled by the strong blood qi emanating from his galloping horse. Others were possibly sent by certain people to monitor the situation here...

"Get lost, all of you!"

Hu Ma cursed aloud, grabbing a handful of soil from his bosom.

It was soil dug up from beneath the old tree stump. Most of it had been used, leaving only a little.

Hu Ma, however, was unconcerned and sprinkled it around. He didn't know if the wispy forms trailing his horse were local evil spirits or ghost messengers sent by someone to observe. He simply treated them all to a handful of yin soil.

"ARGH! ARGH! ARGH..."

As the yin soil scattered, thin wisps of white smoke instantly appeared in the air around them.

Agonized shadows emerged one by one, writhing and tumbling, only to be swiftly left behind by the galloping horse.

In this environment, the horse was also terrified, already showing signs of panic. But Hu Ma, using his skills as a Shousui man, clamped his legs tightly to the horse's back and gripped its mane with one hand, controlling it to gallop madly in his desired direction despite its terror.

If it bucked now, at such a critical moment, who knew how much trouble it would cause him.

After a mad dash, he could already see the borders of Old Yin Mountain in the distance.

Strangely, outside Old Yin Mountain, the nearby villages and the entire surrounding area were already swept by chilling winds, the sky so dim it seemed the sun and moon were obscured. Yet Old Yin Mountain itself, usually thick with oppressive yin qi, remained clear and tranquil, seemingly unaffected.

The fine steed beneath him was panting heavily from the intense run. The further it ran, the more panicked and unsteady it became. However, as they neared the boundary of Old Yin Mountain, it seemed to be affected by something and suddenly calmed down. It was no longer so erratic. Once it rushed into the pine forest at the foot of Old Yin Mountain, it immediately slowed its pace, gradually coming to a halt within the woods.

"Senior?"

Hu Ma was eager to enter Old Yin Mountain, burn incense, and request the presence of the old tree stump senior. But as he lifted his head, he saw it.

The old tree stump was right there in the pine forest, near the edge. His vision blurred slightly, and he thought he saw a figure sitting atop it, calmly watching him.

"Senior..."

Hu Ma had been traveling for several days, endured a fierce battle with the green-clothed child, and then galloped on a terrified, wild horse. Even with the constitution of a Shousui man, he was now dizzy and on the verge of collapse.

Yet, he didn't even pause to catch his breath. Leaping off the horse, he knelt toward the old tree stump and shouted, "Please, Senior, lend me a hand!"

"Help you?"

Just as he spoke, Hu Ma heard a voice from behind him. He whirled around to find the old tree stump had appeared behind him, evading his bow.

The figure on the stump seemed somewhat cold. "I told you, if your life is in danger, I will help. But now, aren't you still fine and dandy?"

"..."

"I..."

Speechless for a moment, Hu Ma anxiously said, "It's not for me, it's for the Ghost Walkers."

"They..."

"They are as kind-hearted as Granny. They saw trouble here and came to help. But that green-clothed evil ghost has gone mad, and the person from the Meng Family has gone mad too! They... they're actually on a killing spree..."

"..."

"That's their business."

The figure on the stump cut Hu Ma off coolly, "The Meng Family understand the rules. They've already found a scapegoat."

Hu Ma's heart clenched. "Can something like this be dismissed with just a scapegoat?"

The old tree stump replied indifferently, "For the Ten Surnames, even considering finding a scapegoat is considered following the rules."

"You're anxious now? Look at Mingzhou Prefecture. There are many capable people, but at most, they only save a few lives. Who actually does anything about what *they* are doing?

"And you, just a little shopkeeper scraping by in the Blood Food Gang, you want to meddle in these affairs?"

"..."

A chill ran through Hu Ma's heart. Yes, the mountain lord is right. When it comes down to it, I'm just a little shopkeeper trying to make a living in the Blood Food Gang. I can't manage these things.

But in his heart, he couldn't bear to see the Ghost Walkers suffer.

They were different from him. He got involved because he had the mountain lord backing him, because he could retreat into Old Yin Mountain at any time. But those people had genuinely come to help, with no such assurances...

"Then..."

He managed to ask, though it was difficult, "If a little shopkeeper can't manage it, then... who can?"

The figure on the old tree stump was indistinct, only its eyes clearly fixed on Hu Ma's face as it said softly, "Naturally, only a descendant of the Hu Family can manage it."

"In fact, they did this precisely because they knew a descendant of the Hu Family would intervene."

"The method they used to force you out is actually very simple. The green-clothed evil ghost causes trouble, throwing a state into chaos. The Ghost Walkers are then bound to come; it's the rule of their Path."

"And if Ghost Walkers are in danger, and a Hu Family member is present, they cannot possibly hide and do nothing, because..."

"..."

He paused for a moment, his voice like a silent thunderbolt, "The Hu Family is the ancestor of the Ghost Walkers!

"The ancestor of the trick door is the Divine Hand Zhao Family, the ancestor of the Execution Soul Path is the Impermanence Li Family, while the ancestor of the Ghost Walkers—it's none other than your Zhensui Hu Family."

"..."

In that instant, Hu Ma's heart was shaken. An unimaginable shock surged through his mind.

Divine Hand Zhao, Impermanence Li, Zhensui Hu?

Zhensui... is that the Hu Family's designation?

The connection between the Hu Family and the Ghost Walkers... it runs that deep?

His voice was somewhat hoarse as he forced himself to meet the old tree stump's gaze. "Senior, then if... if I don't get involved in this, what will happen?"

"If you don't, it means there's no Hu Family member here."

The old tree stump spoke calmly, yet each word seemed to weigh a ton, "Compared to finding you, the Meng Family would much rather see that outcome."

But...

Hu Ma understood the old tree stump's words, and his heart was instantly filled with turmoil. Wasn't it said that the Hu Family's identity must not be revealed?

He had struggled to endure for so long, hidden for so long. After all this time, was he really going to step forward and admit he was a descendant of the Hu Family?

The crucial point was, he himself hadn't truly decided if he even wanted to *be* a Hu Family member.

After all, that meant shouldering all the grudges and obligations left behind by the Hu Family.

As he wrestled with his thoughts, the old tree stump merely sat there quietly, showing no intention of interrupting Hu Ma's deliberations.

But Hu Ma didn't ponder for too long. He simply struggled to raise his head and look at the old tree stump. "Senior, I... I haven't thought it through completely.

"This matter is too significant, and it's impossible for me to see it all clearly in such a short time.

"But I know that people are dying over there right now.

"Every moment I hesitate, more people will die. They are kind-hearted Ghost Walkers who came to lend a hand. They are the brothers from our manor who followed me out here to make a living. I can't accept that.

"So, even if I haven't decided, I must make a decision.

"Please tell me!"

He raised his head and stood before the old tree stump, saying in a low voice, "I want to intervene, but my abilities are lacking. So, what price must I pay to be able to help them?"

The old tree stump's gaze fixed on Hu Ma, seemingly filled with infinite majesty.

But Hu Ma met its gaze. His cultivation and mana were nothing compared to the old tree stump's, yet his expression was forthright.

Then the old tree stump laughed. Hu Ma could sense it was laughing heartily, and with great satisfaction.

Then it suddenly said, "No price is needed."

Hu Ma was taken aback. "What?"

"No price is needed."

There was a hint of laughter in the old tree stump's voice. "If you are not a descendant of the Hu Family, you are not qualified to interfere in such matters. If you *are* a descendant of the Hu Family, and you still need to pay a price to handle such a trivial affair, then this Hu Family descendant would be rather worthless, wouldn't they..."

Hu Ma had never expected it to say this and was momentarily speechless. "Then I...?"

"If you don't like it, just kill it."

The old tree stump said coolly, "The Meng Family wants to force you to show yourself. But why would you need to show yourself just to deal with a mere evil ghost?

"Since they want to find a descendant of the Hu Family, then let them know that a descendant of the Hu Family is indeed here. But just because they are from the Meng Family, what gives them the right to demand you show yourself, and how could they possibly have the ability to truly know who you are?

"If they don't know who you really are, then of course they won't mess up your Granny's plans."

"..."

"Then..."

Hu Ma took a moment to understand the distinction, a slight tremor in his heart. "Specifically, what should I do?"

"Naturally, you use your Hu Family's Magic."

The old tree stump said softly, "A descendant of the Hu Family using the Hu Family's Magic—isn't that perfectly natural and right?"

Listening to its words, Hu Ma felt struck by lightning.

He had indeed prepared to use a dharma method from the Age Suppressing Book; he had even retrieved the suppression object from the donkey cart.

But even though he planned to use it, he never thought he could handle the green-clothed evil ghost.

That was something almost as infamous as the Red Lantern Lady, a Great Evil Spirit capable of plunging an entire prefecture into chaos. And while the dharma methods in the Age Suppressing Book were powerful, they were also dangerous.

Earlier, he had only used one against the old turtle of Niu Family Bay and had nearly been found out, almost capsizing in the ditch. To use it against the green-clothed evil ghost now... Wouldn't that be like sticking his neck out for the enemy to chop?

"If you have truly put effort into the Age Suppressing Book, then you need not worry."

The old tree stump seemed to see through Hu Ma's thoughts and smiled faintly. "You just boldly perform your casting, and I...

"...will personally be your suppression object!"