Twilight Boundary

This night was destined to be very long.

Sitting in the yard, Hu Ma silently pondered what he had to face tonight.

He knew that the demon people of the Tan'er Sect were merely harassing and probing for now, likely trying to cover for those seeking Blood Food. They still didn't know that the old shopkeeper wasn't at the Manor. Before figuring out the Manor's true situation, they wouldn't dare reveal their true abilities.

But once they ran into the old shopkeeper and realized the Manor was just an empty bluff, that would be when they would truly go all out. It would also be when he, Hu Ma, had to step up and take charge.

And calculating the time, it was coming soon.

Hu Ma let out a soft sigh, pulled the half-full jar of wine closer, took a large swig, and wiped his mouth.

Some things were completely unclear from his perspective. He didn't know the old shopkeeper's intentions, nor what he truly had to face.

But Er Guotou and Miss White Wine could easily see the old shopkeeper's true purpose and had given him guidance from another perspective. However, they couldn't do anything for him directly.

Outside the Manor, a chilling wind blew in, seemingly carrying some inexplicable, strange sounds and laughter.

The workers had all retreated into their rooms, not even daring to light the lamps. They had performed very well tonight. After all, even if they were spirited, they had their limits. Having pushed themselves with surges of effort multiple times, their morale had now hit a low point. At this moment, their courage was even less than usual.

But it didn't matter; he would hold out.

"Brother Ma Zi..."

Hu Ma was bolstering his own courage when he suddenly heard a call. Zhou Datong had appeared behind him.

Hu Ma had requisitioned his saber, so Zhou Datong had, in turn, requisitioned the sabers from Xu Ji's two henchmen—one for himself and one for Zhou Liang. Zhao Zhu, meanwhile, carried his most beloved dung fork. Smelling the overwhelming stench, it was clear the fork had already been enchanted.

"What are you three doing here?" Hu Ma asked in a low voice, glancing around the courtyard. It seemed quieter than a moment ago. Who knew what the ghost temple club was plotting, but the feeling was even more dangerous now.

"To help, of course..." Zhou Datong snatched a peanut from the table, tossed it into his mouth, and said slyly, "We don't quite understand what's going on, but when even you start talking about 'soft targets,' we know this situation must be serious."

"Don't keep us in the dark, brother. We face things together. If we don't help you now and something happens to you, wouldn't our good days in this Manor be over too?"

"Well..."

Hu Ma had been about to urge them to go back and hide, but seeing their earnest expressions, he paused.

Then he smiled and waved his hand. "Alright, stay here and keep watch then!"

"But you must listen to me. Don't be afraid. If you feel scared, you'd be better off going back to your rooms to sleep!"

"..."

Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, and Zhao Zhu flushed red as if they'd been scolded, and all shouted, "We're not afraid!"

"Second Master always said, why should the living fear the dead?"

"But..." As he spoke, Zhou Datong couldn't help but show a hint of nervousness and asked quietly, "Where did Miss He and the old shopkeeper go? When will they be back?"

Hu Ma could only offer a wry smile and whisper, "Who could possibly know?"

Having successfully endured the first half of the night in the Manor, they were already prepared to face what lay ahead in the second half. Around the Manor, everything had already fallen into a deathly silence.

Even those who were earlier performing tricks outside the Manor seemed to have heard something. After exchanging glances, a few quietly packed up their stalls and slipped into the pitch-black night. Others looked toward the Manor with expressions that suggested they understood everything.

The night was silent and still. A pale, waning moon watched over the desolate wilderness.

About One Incense ago, less than ten miles from the Manor, two figures walked silently along a country path that had been trodden out by people but was now overgrown with weeds and roots.

Both wore Cai Yi, stitched together from ragged strips of cloth. Each walked on one side of the path, cradling a jar, and approached slowly from the direction of Old Yin Mountain without making a sound.

When they reached an intersection, they simultaneously placed the jars they held beside them on the ground.

Sitting down silently, one lit a pipe of dry tobacco and puffed away, while the other plucked a grass stem and chewed on it.

When the pipeful of tobacco was finished, they both stood up and waved their sleeves behind them.

Slowly, a few more figures emerged from the darkness. They wore rough cloth jackets and carried shoulder poles.

Despite the bitter cold of midwinter, they all had their jackets open. Their skin was blue from the cold, and their hands and feet were chapped. They walked barefoot over the rock-strewn, frost-covered ground without showing any sign of discomfort, mechanically carrying their poles forward as they walked.

The two figures in Cai Yi remained still, holding their jars and waiting.

After a few more moments, a tall, portly shadow finally emerged from the darkness, its footsteps heavy as it moved forward, bit by bit.

As it drew closer, it became apparent that this too was a person, a man with a jar strapped to his back—a jar so large it was almost a vat. It was so large it would take two people to encircle it with their arms. It was fastened securely to his back with thick ropes and a wooden frame.

"Great Aunt..."

Seeing the figure with the large jar on his back, the two figures in Cai Yi bowed respectfully.

However, their bow was first directed to the jar—or rather, vat—on the person's back. Only then did they bow to the man himself. "Ninth Grandpa..."

"Is that fellow Wu still in the Manor?" the man carrying the vat asked. He slowly steadied himself and, after catching his breath, spoke with a slight sneer.

"The lantern hasn't gone out." One of the two figures in Cai Yi whispered, "The children are still working hard. It's just not the right time yet to ask Great Aunt to take action. For now, let's first test and greet Shopkeeper Wu's old flame."

"Heh, since that's the case, then let's open the granary!" Ninth Grandpa, still carrying the large vat, chuckled coldly. Then, without any further ado, he slowly moved forward.

Carrying such a heavy burden, his pace was naturally extremely slow, but no one dared to rush him. They could only follow silently behind. After walking for an hour, they finally arrived at an inconspicuous small burial mound in the wilderness.

It was completely overgrown with grass and had no tombstone. There were no signs of burnt paper offerings or funerary banners either. It looked like nothing more than an unremarkable small earthen mound.

Ninth Grandpa stopped before this grave mound and extended his hand.

One of the figures in Cai Yi hurriedly handed him a broom, while the other quickly lit incense nearby.

Taking the broom, Ninth Grandpa began to slowly sweep the earth in front of the grave mound.

As he swept, he muttered, "Sweep once, and the gods will not see; sweep twice, and your enemies will close their eyes."

"Sweep thrice, and your ears will be clear and quiet; sweep four times, and the master arrives at the door..."

"..."

The burial mound looked unremarkable. Countless villagers must have passed by it throughout the year without noticing anything odd.

He didn't sweep with much force, merely brushing away the top layer of dust with back-and-forth motions.

But a strange scene unfolded. As he swept back and forth, chanting quietly, an eerie wind gusted before the mound. The surroundings seemed to grow quieter. Even the dim crescent moon overhead gradually became obscured by a layer of black cloud.

The night deepened. However, the dirt before the burial mound grew thinner as he swept, gradually revealing two wooden doors. The wooden doors were set slanted into the ground and even had two rusty iron rings on them.

Seeing the doors appear, Ninth Grandpa stopped sweeping. Looking rather pleased, he glanced around and said softly, "Open the granary!"

The figures in Cai Yi on either side became visibly excited. Each grabbed an iron ring and pulled open the doors.

Below was a dark, gaping hole—it was an earthen cellar.

"Quick, get inside!"

Seeing the earthen cellar, both figures in Cai Yi were somewhat agitated. One of them turned, took out a small bell from his bosom, and shook it, producing a very faint, thin sound.

The porters standing woodenly behind them reacted as if startled. They slowly moved forward and entered the earthen cellar. Shortly after, they emerged carrying seven or eight sacks. This content is hosted at M|V|LE^MPYR.

These sacks were a yellowish color, and their material couldn't be identified.

Strangely, once they were brought out, something inside the sacks seemed to be wriggling, as if trying to break free.

Both Ninth Grandpa and the two figures in Cai Yi smiled until their eyes crinkled at the sight.

He waved his hand at the porters. "Load them up and let's go!"

"After guarding it for a year, this Blood Food is finally in our hands..."

"..."

The porters, who had been waiting, numbly and stiffly shouldered their poles. They picked up the sacks and formed a line, ready to follow the sound of the bell.

But just then, in the dead silence of the night, a cough suddenly sounded right behind them.

Everyone was startled and hurriedly turned around. In the heavy darkness, where the path they had taken lay, two figures had appeared. One was an old man with his hands clasped behind his back; the other was emitting low growls—it looked like a large black dog.

"Sweeping a grave and calling at the door in the dead of night." The old man's face could not be seen clearly, but his voice was heard sighing lowly. "The Tan'er Sect's repertoire certainly has grown."

"Who's there?" the two figures in Cai Yi asked, shocked, hurriedly clutching their jars to their chests.

Ninth Grandpa, however, was not flustered. He gave a cold laugh and said, "Shopkeeper Wu, you've gotten smarter, haven't you?"

"Leaving a bunch of your workers as bait while you yourself hide outside?"

"Your work was too crude," the newcomer, Shopkeeper Wu, said in a low voice. He strode forward, and as they drew closer, their faces became clearer. The smile on Shopkeeper Wu's face had vanished, replaced by a sneer. "If I hadn't helped you cover your tracks, did you really think the people of the Red Lantern Society are all fools? Did you believe they wouldn't discover your scheme?"