Twilight Boundary
Chapter 44 Rules of the Village

Chapter 44: Chapter 44 Rules of the Village

The unexpected outcome suddenly silenced the surroundings, causing the villagers to be momentarily stunned.

Beside Hu Ma, Cui Xie’er was dumbfounded for a long time before losing his composure and shouting loudly, "No, this isn’t right."

"You’re unfair, unfair!"

It seemed as if this shout had awakened everyone, drawing their concerned gazes.

But the chubby Manager merely smiled, saying to Cui Xie’er, "Child, what’s unfair?"

Cui Xie’er, after speaking, realized his loss of composure. At this point, he had no choice but to muster his courage and shout, "I am the one with the strongest stove fire! I... I practiced better than them. They shouldn’t all have been chosen while I’m left out..."

Even the Second Master nearby seemed to want to speak but hesitated.

Honestly speaking, Cui Xie’er had indeed been with him the longest among these youths, and his mastery was also the strongest.

As for Hu Ma... well, there was no comparison. Even the Second Master himself couldn’t compare to him.

But before the Second Master could say anything to intercede, the Manager chuckled. He appeared very amicable, speaking unhurriedly but with a natural air of dignity, and said with a smile, "He is quite good."

"I can also see that you’re likely the one among these youths who has been stoking the furnace the longest and has put in considerable effort. However, if I, this old master, am not mistaken, you were recently possessed by an evil spirit, weren’t you?"

"Your stove fire isn’t pure anymore. It’s best you go back and recuperate, and wait for next year!"

"I..."

Initially, no matter what was said, Cui Xie’er was filled with defiance, but at the mention of this, his face suddenly turned pale.

His lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with malice as he glared fiercely at Hu Ma.

Hu Ma, understanding, pretended not to see, turning his head to chat with Zhou Datong.

"Ah..."

With that pause, the Cui Family members also reacted, quickly crowding forward. Cui Family’s third son, who had been in the crowd, hadn’t clearly heard what the Manager said. Still indignant, he shouted, "No matter what, our family’s Xie’er is still stronger than that Hu family boy, right?"

"He’s been with the Second Master for less than a month..."

Cui Family’s eldest son glared at his third brother. Seeing the crowd, he forced a smile, squeezed next to the Manager, and said in a low voice, "Manager, if it pleases you, could we speak privately?"

The Manager, looking agreeable, merely smiled without moving.

Such arrogance! ’I am a Manager from the esteemed Red Lantern Society; on what grounds should I grant you a private audience?’

He merely looked up at the sky and said to the villagers gathered in the Manor, "I came to our Dayang Village to see the children, merely passing through. I still need to go to Master Tai Sui’s place to burn a stick of incense and hang up our Red Lantern Society’s lanterns."

"I don’t have time now to get more acquainted with the villagers here. If you have any issues, talk to the Clan Leader!"

"I only need to see the five children sent from our village before the twenty-eighth of this month."

Saying this, he lifted the front hem of his robe and left the Manor, not even staying for the lunch the Clan Leader had arranged, and directly rode off on a donkey.

The Manager was about to leave, and the Cui Family members dared not stop him. Instead, they quickly surrounded the Clan Leader, all talking at once.

Meanwhile, apart from Hu Ma and Zhou Datong, the other three chosen children were still bewildered, but their family members were jubilant, overjoyed, holding and examining their children happily.

Some immediately took their children by the hand to go to the old fire pit and thank their ancestors for their blessings. Others called out to neighbors, inviting them for dinner and drinks that evening.

Indeed, this is as festive as when a child from the village got into university in my previous life.

"You, kid, are really lucky..."

The Second Master came over, patted Hu Ma’s head, and said with emotion, "I know you’re ambitious and unwilling to make a living by worshiping Tai Sui, determined to learn real skills. Who would have thought you’d actually get a chance to join the Blood Food Gang?"

He knew Hu Ma’s capabilities, so he wasn’t surprised at all that he had been selected.

He was just marveling at Hu Ma’s good fortune. Previously, the boy had always been pestering him with questions, clearly eager to learn skills. But he could no longer teach him, and joining the Lady’s Society wasn’t something one could do just by wanting to. Yet, fortuitously, the opportunity had arrived.

Hu Ma replied with a smile, "It’s all thanks to your excellent teaching, Second Master."

The Second Master beamed with joy, unsure how to praise Hu Ma. He suddenly turned and kicked Zhou Datong.

"You’re even luckier to have such a good grandfather."

"You can praise him, but why kick me..." Zhou Datong rubbed his backside, thinking, I’m not the only lazy one in the Manor...

"Clan Leader, this isn’t right..."

At this very moment, the Cui Family members had already pulled the Clan Leader to the side of a wall, speaking all at once in their agitation and anger.

"Our Xie’er has been with the Second Master for nearly three years. His mastery is definitely the best."

"Yes, why can others be chosen, but not ours?"

The Clan Leader, encircled and overwhelmed, said, "Do you still not know what’s going on?"

"Didn’t the Second Master mention earlier that your Xie’er was indeed possessed by an evil spirit? What can be done about that?"

Previously, when Cui Xie’er had encountered the White-faced Mountain Demon, the Second Master had specifically sent him back to the village to recuperate for a few days. The Cui Family naturally understood this, but now, full of unwillingness, they said anxiously, "He was possessed, so... let’s go find Granny..."

Suddenly remembering Granny was dead, he paused for a moment before continuing, "Then let’s go to Python Village and ask Old Man Yangpi to treat him! We can’t let this chance slip by."

"The Lady’s Society hasn’t opened the altar for years. Are you willing to see your grandnephew miss out like this?"

The Clan Leader, hearing this, also felt a headache and said, "What can be done? The Manager has already made his selection; how dare we interfere?"

"What if we offend the Manager, and he decides not to take any children from our village? What then?"

The Cui Family, upon hearing this, panicked even more. Cui Family’s eldest son told his brothers to remain calm. "Listen to the underlying meaning," he said. "Didn’t the Manager say he would listen to you, Clan Leader? If we’re sending children to the Red Lantern Society, we must send the best. Let’s get our Xie’er in and remove one whose mastery is lacking. Wouldn’t that solve it?"

The Clan Leader’s face fell upon hearing this. "My Datong is certainly not the worst."

The Cui Family members instantly looked embarrassed and quickly said, "We’re not talking about Datong. Datong is such a hardworking child; of course, he’s good."

He was the Clan Leader, after all. For such an opportunity, even if he pushed his own grandson in, the Cui Family wouldn’t dare object.

Yet, looking at the families of those selected, none of them were easy to provoke.

So, he lowered his voice and said, "That Hu family kid, he’s only been on the mountain for less than a month, right?"

"How could he have been selected? I suspect the Second Master secretly put in a good word for him with the manager."

The Clan Leader, hearing this, couldn’t help but frown again. He, too, felt that perhaps the Second Master had secretly put in a good word with the Manager for Hu Ma.

First, Hu Ma had indeed started training on the mountain late. Moreover, the boy had been extremely mischievous before, hardly looking like someone with promising prospects.

Furthermore, when the Manager tested his level of mastery, he did so perfunctorily, barely touching upon it.

Seeing the Clan Leader hesitate to speak, Cui Family’s eldest son quickly said, "I still think it’s better to let our Xie’er go. He’s older and more sensible. Once in the Lady’s Society, he can look after Datong and the other younger ones from the village."

"Otherwise, if five inexperienced children go, they might cause some sort of trouble and end up being kicked out and sent back..."

Upon hearing this, the Old Clan Chief hesitated even more. When it came to causing trouble, wasn’t his own grandson one of the primary culprits in this village, along with that Hu Ma kid?

Cui Family’s second son, seeing the Old Clan Chief’s hesitation, quickly leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear. Faint terms like "half a jar of Tai Sui" and "golden grain" could be discerned, making the Old Clan Chief’s eyes widen in surprise; he seemed clearly tempted...

Then, under the fervent gazes of the Cui Family, he said unexpectedly, "So your family has such fine things hidden away?"

Cui Family’s second son smiled without speaking, eagerly asking, "What do you think?"

"Very good, very good..."

The Old Clan Chief smiled and suddenly said, "With so many good things, why bother going to the city to work? Just save them for Cui to marry a wife!"

"As for this matter of entering the Lady’s Society, let’s leave it to little Hu Ma..."

The Cui Family was stunned into silence, somewhat unable to react.

"What are they talking about?"

Hu Ma, also noticing from a distance the Cui Family members chattering around the Clan Leader, curiously asked.

The Second Master snorted coldly, saying, "It’s certainly nothing good. I’ve never liked the Cui Family’s domineering ways."

"But it can’t be helped. Our village has always been this way: whichever family has more sons holds more sway. Granny Cui was formidable; she had five sons. Although one died in childhood, they’re still a prominent family in the village now."

"You must also remember what Granny said: When you get into the Red Lantern Society, learn skills as quickly as possible, marry, and have children. The more, the better. Granny is in the pond, pinning her hopes on you!"

To think that even at only sixteen in this world, I’m already being pressured into marriage.

Hu Ma could only smile. Catching a key point, he asked, "Once I’ve learned the Lady’s Society’s skills, I won’t need to preserve my child body anymore?"

"Of course not."

The Second Master glared at him, saying, "The managers and Shopkeepers of the Lady’s Society, which one of them doesn’t have several wives?"

"Their skills are truly formidable!"

"They come to the village to select you, these child bodies, for initiation because you are like blank slates with good foundations, making it easier to teach you skills. However, there is no rule that you must preserve your child body."

"Once you’re in the Lady’s Society, if you perform well and become a manager, or do even better and become a Shopkeeper, you’ll have a dedicated supply of Blood Food. With ample Blood Food, what skills couldn’t you master?"

"Even if you just work as an attendant for a few years, when you return to the village in the future, even the Clan Leader will have to look at you with high regard..."

Listening to this, Hu Ma became somewhat intrigued. After a slight pause, he asked, "Then what about the skills of the Shousui man?"

"Eh?"

When the Second Master heard him utter these three words, he was momentarily startled, then immediately understood that Granny must have mentioned it to him.

He sighed and waved his hand, saying, "You kid, you’re just too ambitious. This Path does indeed exist within the Lady’s Society. If you learn it, you won’t need to seal your furnace anymore. But it’s not that easy. Your Second Master here has waited a lifetime for it..."

Hu Ma vaguely sensed that the Second Master seemed rather displeased upon hearing about this Path.