Twilight Boundary

Pressing his legs against the horse's flanks, Hu Ma quickened his pace and left the boundary of the Old Yin Mountain. Upon emerging, he saw the outside of the mountain bathed in bright sunlight. In the distant fields between villages, people were coming and going. Some were cheering, some weeping; others, upon seeing Hu Ma approaching from afar, ran up to him, knelt before his horse, and kowtowed. They did not know about Hu Ma's battle with the Evil Ghost in the Old Yin Mountain, but they all remembered his recent exhausting journeys between the villages.

Hu Ma quickly bade them rise, not accepting their obeisance, and merely asked, "How has the matter been resolved?"

"How many people were injured in the villages?"

"Where are all the Ghost Walkers who came from afar to help?"

The villagers answered his questions, and Hu Ma offered them a few words of comfort before hurrying towards the village ahead.

Now that the yin qi that had blotted out the sun and sky was swept away, the calamity had still left the families and villages within a thirty-mile radius feeling utterly drained of vitality. It was as if all life had withered; the crops were yellow and wilted, and no one knew how long it would take for them to recover.

Arriving at the village ahead, he saw many Ghost Walkers still bustling about. Some were tending to the common folk affected by the evil spirits, brewing herbal medicine for them and instructing them on how to recuperate properly. Others were consoling the surrounding villagers, reassuring them not to be afraid; this severe outbreak of evil spirits was resolved, truly resolved, and would not recur. Still others had already gathered their belongings, preparing to depart.

Hu Ma quickly urged his horse forward, calling out, "Old Sir, Granny, Ma'am, there's no need to rush off. You've all worked hard today. Please, come with me to the Manor. I'll have some food and wine prepared so you can at least fill your stomachs before anything else."

Normally, when Ghost Walkers came to a village to help, the local villagers were expected to provide good food and wine in hospitality, and the donation should also be prepared proactively, without waiting for it to be requested. This time, however, the incident had been too severe, and the people were in such a state of panic that they hadn't been able to attend to these courtesies. But Hu Ma had to consider it.

"That wouldn't be appropriate..." one of the Ghost Walkers demurred, waving his hands hastily. "We are Ghost Walkers, and you are of the Blood Food Gang. There's no reason for us to eat your food."

"This..." Hu Ma hadn't considered this point before. Ghost Walkers hailed from the villages, whereas the Blood Food Gang was an organization centered around Tai Sui Blood and Flesh. The two factions indeed did not usually associate.

However, after a moment's thought, he turned to Little Hongtang and said, "Go find Datong. Tell him to fetch rice, flour, wine, and other provisions from the Manor. Have him set up a running feast in Yellow Dog Village and invite all the surrounding Ghost Walkers to come. These people came with kind intentions to help; we can't let them return on empty stomachs."

He added, "Also... ask him about the casualties, how many were killed or injured?"

Little Hongtang leaped off the horse and scampered away on her short little legs. She quickly found Zhou Datong. He and his men hadn't yet returned to the Manor to rest; they were in a neighboring village, helping to dig pits to bury those grotesque green-clothed children.

These green-clothed children had exploited the chaos to go on a killing spree, their malevolent aura so potent that none could withstand them. However, once the green-clothed Evil Ghost was captured, they suddenly became pathetically weak and were beaten to death by the enraged villagers.

Such individuals were typical demon people; once killed, that was that. They were buried, and stones were piled on top of their graves. The government office, which was little more than a decoration, would presumably not intervene. Of course, even if they had, the villagers, consumed by rage at the time, would have shown no mercy.

"Don't bury them yet..." Hu Ma instructed immediately upon learning this. "First, burn them. Pour oil on them and burn them thoroughly. After they're burned, crush the remains. Then bury the crushed remains under the pigsty to suppress evil!"

He demonstrated the process with one of them himself before sending Zhou Datong and his men back to the Manor to fetch rice, flour, vegetables, and meat.

When the men arrived, the village chief quickly understood Hu Ma's intentions. He resolutely gathered some manpower, and they set up canopies in the village, arranged tables and chairs, erected large cooking pots, and sent messengers to the various other villages to invite the Ghost Walkers who had assisted to come and eat.

However, once the arrangements for the living were made, hearing about the casualties among the Ghost Walkers still caused Hu Ma's heart to sink.

Among the Ghost Walkers who had come from various places to help, three were dead, and seven or eight were severely injured. Some had even been hit square in the face by a sudden blast of yin qi from an unexpectedly powerful evil spirit and remained unconscious.

Hearing this, Hu Ma could only let out a soft sigh and began to make arrangements, bit by bit. For those who had died, he had their bodies carefully shrouded. He then asked other Ghost Walkers to come and identify them, noting down their names and origins. These deceased individuals had to be sent back to their homes with due respect.

For the injured, he brought out all the curatives from the Manor that could see the light of day: black oil ointment, Blood Wine, white food, green food, and even Blood Food. He distributed these items for treating their wounds, intending to seek reimbursement from the Lady later.

The Ghost Walkers were quite astonished to see such items. Ordinarily, when traveling through villages, receiving even a bowl of meat and vegetables was considered good fortune. When had they ever experienced such generous treatment?

From this, Hu Ma truly perceived that although both groups belonged to the same Path, Ghost Walkers and Shousui men were vastly different. Shousui men, if not wealthy, were certainly not impoverished. Ghost Walkers, however, were genuinely frugal. Perhaps the only valuable things they possessed were certain artifacts used for walking ghosts, and these were valuable only within their specific circles.

Only after ensuring these people were settled did Hu Ma return to the Manor and fall into a light sleep. Two days and three nights had passed since he had last left the Manor gates. He had been continuously rushing about and fighting. Even with the constitution of a Shousui man supporting him, he was at his limit. The moment he lay down, he slept soundly for two full hours before waking with a jolt.

Walking into the inner courtyard, he saw Li also lying in bed, recuperating from his injuries, being fed porridge by someone. Zhou Datong and the others were nowhere to be found. Upon asking, Hu Ma learned they had gone to help with numerous matters in the various villages.

Hu Ma splashed some water on his face to clear his head and then left the Manor.

It was now well past midnight. Yet, after such a major upheaval, the night actually felt safer than the daytime. Nevertheless, he still saw many Ghost Walkers diligently occupied in various locations. Some were performing incense-burning rites, others were burning paper offerings, and still others had erected a Magic Altar, their voices low as they chanted incantations. Hu Ma perceived a devout and mystical quality in their expressions, so he merely stood silently to one side, waiting for them to conclude their rites before stepping forward to speak.

"Little Shopkeeper." The old man—the one who had brought his ox and young grandson to help with expelling evil—nodded and smiled upon seeing Hu Ma. They usually had few dealings with the Blood Food Gang, but their impression of Hu Ma was quite favorable.

Hu Ma observed him lighting a large bundle of incense and walking through the open fields. At every grave mound he encountered, he would plant a stick of incense. Puzzled by the meaning of this action, Hu Ma politely inquired in a low voice, "Old Sir, what is it you are doing now?"

"Expelling evil," the old man replied, his laugh revealing gapped teeth. "Ghost Walkers, you see, we don't just look after the living; we must also look after the dead. During this recent evil spirit disturbance, it wasn't only the common folk who suffered calamity; these spirits suffered as well. Don't be fooled by how fierce they seemed during the day. In truth, many weren't acting of their own volition. They were suppressed by the evil qi, forced to act against their will, and many were grievously injured..."

He continued, "After all, these are all souls unable to enter the underworld, pitifully stranded in this world, merely awaiting their end. When the evil spirits cause trouble, we must protect the living. But once the trouble is over, we can't just abandon these souls either..."

Souls that can't enter the underworld... Hu Ma listened, a slight tremor passing through his heart.

He took a deep breath and gazed into the depths of the night. In this era, lights were few; once night descended, everything was plunged into pitch darkness. Yet now, in the profound blackness, he could discern flickering points of fire at the entrances to villages and out in the wild fields. Occasionally, he could hear faint, low chants drifting from afar—ancient, mystical, yet imbued with a strangely reassuring quality.

The practices of these Ghost Walkers seemed to adhere to some ancient set of rules.

And this brought to mind something he hadn't previously contemplated: Does this world truly possess an underworld? If it does, why is there such rampant trouble with spirits? Why is the order of yin and yang in disarray?

In his Cultivation, he had always prioritized the dharma methods of the Shousui men, for those were things he could see, touch, and feel—tangible and real. Although the Age Suppressing Book was formidable, he harbored an underlying uncertainty about it. It felt like grasping a power that exceeded his own bounds, and as a Reincarnator, he detested the sensation of placing his destiny in the hands of others.

However, this time, with the aid of the mountain lord, employing a dharma method from the Age Suppressing Book had allowed Hu Ma to concretely sense the existence of that power. It felt like a form of authority, as if he were summoning a stern and solemn force. That was not his own strength; he was merely wielding it, akin to a county magistrate presiding over criminals in court.

Where did such power originate?

"Old Sir," Hu Ma began, organizing his thoughts and reining in his curiosity, "I am not a Ghost Walker, but I am simply curious. Do these souls of the deceased truly have a final resting place?"

"But of course!" The old Ghost Walker chuckled. With Hu Ma, he felt none of the discomfort he experienced when dealing with the shopkeepers of the Blood Food Gang; rather, it was like conversing with a junior from his own family, so he was inclined to speak more freely.

He laughed and said, "We have Impermanence for soul-hooking, the Judge for adjudicating sins, hell, and reincarnation—all of it exists, doesn't it?"

Listening to this, Hu Ma found it even more bizarre. "Then why is there so much evil in the world? And why do you say these souls cannot enter the underworld?"

"Because the gates of the underworld are closed, you see..." the old Ghost Walker explained. "They've been closed for many, many years. It's precisely because the underworld is closed and there are no rules that the number of Wandering spirits and Living Souls keeps increasing. And that's why we Ghost Walkers have more and more work to do..."

"Closed?" Hu Ma was even more astonished. "Why did they close? And if you say they're closed, does that imply they were open before? In that case, if an underworld exists, then there must also be soul-hooking envoys and the cycle of reincarnation? Old Senior, have you witnessed such things yourself?"

The old Ghost Walker, who had been smiling, now looked a trifle awkward. I thought this little shopkeeper was a good fellow, but it turns out he's here to needle me...

"And where would I have seen such things?" he retorted, casting a somewhat exasperated glance at Hu Ma. "The gates of the underworld slammed shut, Evil Ghosts poured forth, and the world descended into utter chaos. It was only much later that capable individuals emerged, establishing dusk as the boundary and setting down rules, so that humans and evil spirits could each keep to their own affairs and find some peace... At least, that's what everyone says!"