Twilight Boundary

"A trump card? Hu Ma planned to dispel it?"

Although Zhou Datong and the others had decided to follow Hu Ma, how could they not be afraid upon witnessing these sinister skills? Seeing that Hu Ma seemed to have a strategy, they slightly regained some confidence and hurriedly retreated towards the inner courtyard.

At this moment, Hu Ma could only focus on the task at hand. If it were just a matter of dispelling the evil spirit, relying on the Manor's workers and the robust vitality of Zhou Datong and his men could have barely held things together. But if Aunt Tan made a move, it would be truly troublesome. He recalled his first encounter with the peddler Hua Shaozi; even with his cultivation of three incense, he had to fight with all his might. How could Zhou Datong and the others possibly keep their lives when facing such unseen and sinister tricks?

Helplessly, he could only look towards the square table inside the house. Now, in the entire Manor, only the main hall in the inner courtyard still held some light.

Outside the Manor, the wind blew, chilling to the bone. Layers of it swept through, extinguishing the torches that had been lit in advance in the inner courtyard. Chilling and eerie laughter echoed through the yard. They didn't know what had crashed in; they only saw the night shadows, as if alive, stepping closer and closer to the inner courtyard. Within the darkness that enveloped the entire yard, something slinked and crept about.

Little Hongtang no longer dared to rush outside. Even the Yellow Immortals who had delivered the message fled when they sensed trouble. Quite the display of loyalty—they tossed Li to the base of the wall before running.

This is the only way... Hu Ma thought to himself, then said softly, "Protect the lantern."

With that, he handed the lantern to Zhou Datong, then gritted his teeth and stepped boldly into the Array.

Everything seemed to be going according to the old shopkeeper's plan. The demon people of the Tan'er Sect were bound to snuff out the lantern, and Hu Ma, who had just become a Shousui man along with the Manor's workers, was certainly unable to withstand it. Unable to withstand it, they naturally had to step into his prepared Array, where the Four Ghosts Salute would be enacted.

If it wasn't for the warning between Reincarnators, he would have stepped in regardless of any doubts. But having received the warning?

"Of course, you have to go in."

That's what Er Guotou had told him at the time. "You have no reason not to enter that Formation, because you shouldn't understand these things."

"So, knowing it's a trap, you still have to go in."

"But after going in..."

"..."

Zhou Datong and the others clenched their teeth, hugging the lantern tightly. They felt the piercing yin qi surge in from outside like invisible blades scraping across their skin. In their hearts, they were somewhat puzzled. Could Brother Ma Zi really be so loyal, determined to protect the Red Lantern Lady's lantern?

Grandpa said before he came, usually try your best to pretend, but when real trouble comes, run...

"..."

Now's the time...

But after Hu Ma retreated into that Formation, he truly felt a sense of peace. The pots and jars the old shopkeeper had placed around seemed to exude a strange power at this moment, protecting him. Even the ominous winds ready to sweep into the house seemed to be blocked.

Then, Hu Ma stood firm, formed the Yin Yang Seal with his hands, and bowed forward, executing the Four Ghosts Salute trump card. Sister Wu He had warned him not to use this dharma method, but he still did.

After bowing, everything around him seemed to turn gray, as if an invisible door had opened. Hu Ma heard heart-wrenching cries by his ears as yin wind gusted around him. However, the sinister ghost qi rushing in from outside was blocked by the light from the oil lamp in this Array. With his Salute, the qi weakened significantly and retreated out the door.

The room seemed to have found temporary peace.

Zhou Datong and the others looked back at Hu Ma in joyful surprise.

"Brother Ma Zi, this Method works..."

"..."

Yes, it really works... Hu Ma thought silently, realizing this Array could indeed help resist Aunt Tan's ghost qi. Perhaps the old shopkeeper had genuinely prepared many strategies in the year awaiting the Tan'er Sect's return, and this Array was one of them, capable of weakening the ghost qi's intrusion. Using this Method, he could indeed help the old shopkeeper keep the lantern from extinguishing.

But then, suddenly, Hu Ma's body let out several cracking sounds.

Zhou Datong and the others turned their heads and were terrified, their faces turning pale.

Hu Ma was sitting beside the square table. Without warning, his left hand and right leg suddenly burst with blood, bones protruding. It was as though he had been struck by an unknown force, spraying blood all over the room as yin wind swirled crazily inside.

"Brother Ma Zi, what's happening to you..."

Startled by this incomprehensible change, Zhou Datong and the others shouted at Hu Ma.

"Paying a debt."

But his left hand and right leg had suffered such severe injuries; he could even feel a strange ghost qi seeping into his body through the wounds, layer by layer, like it was scraping against the bone. He could withstand the ghost qi from Aunt Tan outside the Manor, but clearly couldn't resist the ghost qi from the old shopkeeper's confrontation with Aunt Tan. The levels of ghost qi were simply not comparable. Neither this Array nor his Four Ghosts Salute could fend it off.

Hu Ma's face was pale, yet his expression remained extremely calm, even composed. He endured the impact of the ghost qi on his body but looked at Zhou Datong and asked calmly, "Datong, I usually study skills with the old shopkeeper. Do you know what I've truly learned?"

"..."

You're almost dead, and you're still thinking about that? Zhou Datong was already scared speechless, unable to utter a word.

Asking Datong to play along with this banter, even at this time, is a bit much...

But Hu Ma smiled, took a deep breath, and said, "From now on, this is our very own skill."

The next moment, his left hand and right leg suffered another severe blow as ghost qi tore through flesh layer by layer. Hu Ma gritted his teeth, finding the strength to stand. However, it felt as if his left hand and right leg were trapped in something. He could feel his already injured limbs sinking into what felt like a frigid mire, grabbed by something.

The old shopkeeper doesn't just want me as a stand-in; he wouldn't even let me escape at the last moment? A hint of absurd self-deprecation flashed in Hu Ma's heart. He understood the reason Sister Wu He had left him a note. Yes, in a past life, faithful bodyguards might shield their employers from bullets. But being dragged into it, chained to shield bullets—could that still be called loyalty?

Fortunately, he had tempered not just his left hand and right leg; he could break free.

Yet at this moment, he didn't plan to use that method. He merely forced himself to endure the excruciating pain and abruptly called to Zhou Datong, "Give me the lantern."

Zhou Datong, without thinking, pushed the desperately protected lantern towards him.

Taking the lantern in one hand, Hu Ma pushed it onto the square table and quickly pulled out a note from his chest. It was the old shopkeeper's note, and he pasted it onto the lantern.

"The favor is repaid, but I won't give you my life."

Hu Ma endured the intense pain in his arm and leg. Only then did he manage to use the Shousui dharma method to slowly heal the wounds corroded by ghost qi. However, he kept his eyes fixed on the red lantern with the note pasted on it.

He waited quietly. Suddenly, a wave of ghost qi surged from that note, instantly soaking into the red lantern. This ghost qi was so powerful that if he had absorbed it, he might have died on the spot.

But the qi soaked into the red lantern, causing it to abruptly dim, on the verge of extinguishing. Yet immediately after, the flame inside the red lantern rekindled, glowing brighter and brighter.

Not only did it rekindle, but it grew increasingly red. It was as if blood was spilling from the red lantern, casting an eerie crimson glow all around, transforming it into something like an eye.

"Hee hee..." An unusual female voice emanated from the lantern.

...

...

「WHOOSH! WHOOSH!」

By the time Hu Ma leaped out of the Array, Shopkeeper Wu had already slapped Ninth Grandpa's face askew, and the jar Ninth Grandpa carried had fallen. Shopkeeper Wu moved ruthlessly without hesitation and stepped forward. Ninth Grandpa, witnessing this, was terrified. He felt that even sacrificing his own body would be inadequate. Now, disregarding his life, he shouted loudly, "Aunt Tan, Aunt Tan, we'll offer you our stomachs, we'll feed you our Five Organs..."

"Save our lives..."

"..."

"Organ sacrifice?"

The old shopkeeper, hearing this, was also startled. The most fearsome dharma method of Nursing Altar Aunt was the organ sacrifice, feeding Aunt Tan with one's own organs. Normally, one died after a full organ offering. But feeding Aunt Tan wasn't like that. It involved the Five Organs; with each part sacrificed, Aunt Tan took over more of one's body. After five such sacrifices, one's body would be entirely hers.

Because of this, the power gained was terrifying.

The old shopkeeper definitely didn't want to face this ghost qi head-on, but, at this point...

It seems it's that kid's fate... he thought silently. He gritted his teeth and, not dodging or retreating, bowed forward. Ghost qi whirled around him as he charged towards the jar in front of Ninth Grandpa.

"WHAM..."

But as he swung his palm, he suddenly froze mid-strike. As he bowed, even before his ghost qi could reach the jar, his own skin was cut open, as if slashed by an unseen blade.

"You..."

That Ninth Grandpa, already severely injured by Shopkeeper Wu, was stunned for a moment, then spat blood and burst into laughter.

"Your stand-in is dead..."

He desperately crawled towards the jar on the ground, pressed his hand against it, and shouted, "Aunt Tan, Aunt Tan..."

"Kill him, eat him..."

"..."

Is he really so useless? Did he actually die? Shopkeeper Wu looked up dumbfounded, somewhat confused himself. Or was he...

Before this thought could finish, he suddenly shivered, feeling an unheard-of terror. Without seeing anything, he sensed an ominous and dreadful presence.

This silent pressure left both him and Ninth Grandpa momentarily frozen. They turned in shock. Some seven or eight miles away, in the direction of the Manor, a strange red light suddenly brightened. An eerie chill pierced them to the bone.