Twilight Boundary
Chapter 53 Evil Spirit Assaulting People

Chapter 53: Chapter 53 Evil Spirit Assaulting People

"This is the counter set up by our Red Lantern Lady’s Club at this location."

The manager knocked on the gate, smiling as he introduced it to Hu Ma and the others. "Don’t be deceived by its small size; it’s an important spot. Every spring, so many things pass through here."

The surrounding youths nodded in confusion, unclear if they understood.

But Hu Ma had already figured it all out. The Blood Food Gang based their livelihood on Blood Food. Whether it was mining, harvesting, mule and horse transport, resting, or shipping, each link was extremely crucial.

Was this possibly a warehouse or a relay station for transporting Blood Food during the worship of Tai Sui?

Shortly, the gate opened, and a richly-dressed youth appeared, smiling. "Master has been waiting for you all for a while and was worried you wouldn’t arrive before dark. Come in quickly; Master has already prepared wine and food..."

The youths, hearing this, became anxious; they had been walking for most of the day and their stomachs were already empty.

After entering the house, they indeed saw a table of wine and food laid out in the main room. A slightly plump Master greeted them from afar, cupping his hands towards the manager who brought them.

The youths were eager to take their seats when suddenly, the richly-dressed youth who opened the door scolded them, "No manners! Who allowed you to rush inside? Your meal is in the kitchen; go serve yourselves!"

It was only then that the youths understood: the wine and food were to entertain the manager and not for them.

One by one, they silently went to the kitchen, where they found a basket with black, coarse cornbread. There wasn’t even a piece of pickle on the side; it was not even as good as Dayang Village.

Meanwhile, outside in the main room, the richly-dressed youth accompanied the manager and the slightly plump Master. They all sat down to drink and chat, the atmosphere lively.

Hu Ma and his companions either sat or squatted in the courtyard, each eating two pieces of the hard, coarse cornbread.

The cornbread was so rough and hard that it filled their mouths with crumbs, making it difficult to swallow.

After eating the cornbread, they fetched a bucket of cold water from the well nearby and shared it. The youths then waited bitterly in the courtyard. In the main room, the Master, the richly-dressed youth, and the manager conversed happily. These newly arrived youths did not dare to disturb them.

After more than half a two-hour period, the richly-dressed youth from the main room finally emerged with a smile.

But as he approached the youths, his smile vanished. He wore a stern face and said, "Come with me inside! In front of the Shopkeeper, you must know the rules."

The youths timidly, carrying their bundles, approached the main room door.

Looking at the spacious and bright room, which was not luxurious but still impressive, they felt intimidated. Before stepping over the threshold, they all wiped the mud off their shoe soles before carefully entering.

"Boys, open your eyes wide and get a good look."

The manager who had brought Hu Ma and his companions here was now red-faced from drinking. He said with a smile, "This is our Red Lantern Society’s old shopkeeper, Master Wu Hong. He takes care of this Manor for us, and his skills are remarkable."

"You will be working under him from now on. You must show diligence. If he is pleased, he might teach you some skills that will feed you for a lifetime."

Having said that, he turned to Shopkeeper Wu, smiling. "I’ve brought them over for you to train."

"No problem."

Shopkeeper Wu smiled kindly, his gaze sweeping over Hu Ma and the others before settling on the richly-dressed youth seated on the round stool beside him. "You, along with Xu Ji and some of his hometown folks, are the ones transferred here by the Red Lantern Society this time."

"Xu Ji arrived three days before you, and I’ve already taught him many of the rules. You can learn from him."

"I enjoy peace and quiet. Don’t come to disturb me without a reason, but as long as you work diligently, I will teach you what you need to know."

"But if you are lazy and cause trouble, I will send you back."

Hearing the Shopkeeper mention him, the richly-dressed youth hurriedly stood up.

The youths only then realized that this richly-dressed youth was someone just like them; he had only arrived earlier.

The manager, listening, interjected, "Why bother sending them back?"

"If they don’t listen and don’t follow the rules, it’s their fate to be beaten to death outright."

"Haha, I’m just a Shopkeeper after all. How can I decide on their lives?"

The old shopkeeper replied with a laugh, then waved his hand, indicating for the richly-dressed youth to take Hu Ma and the others out. However, before they could leave, they suddenly heard a quick rapping at the door, and someone cried out, "Save us, Red Lantern Lady! Save us, Old Master... Someone has been possessed by an evil spirit..."

"Hmm?" Everyone was bewildered, turning their heads towards the main room.

The old shopkeeper, who had just raised his cup, paused. He glanced at the manager beside him and rose. "Bring them in!"

The richly-dressed youth went to unlatch the courtyard gate, only to see torches flickering as a crowd of people surged in.

It was a group of ragged villagers, panic-stricken and tearful. Between them, they carried a person on a hard door panel, placing them before the main room.

Under the torch’s light, the person on the door panel appeared to be in their thirties or forties, tied to it with grass ropes. They were curled up, shivering as if from a severe chill.

The terrifying part was his right index finger, stuffed into his mouth. His teeth were exposed, gnashing over it, already worn down to the bone.

The old shopkeeper left his seat, walked over, and looked down at the scene. "What happened?"

"We have no idea..."

The nearby villagers mumbled. One bold soul responded, "It’s from Liu Dadong’s family. He went to the fields this afternoon, and by dusk when he returned, he was like this."

"He was incoherent and wouldn’t speak. If anyone touched him, he would bite. We tied him up, and he started gnawing on his fingers. We tried to bring him back, but he bit a few of us, so we had to tie him up and bring him for the Old Master to see."

The old shopkeeper paced around the door panel a couple of times, seemingly already understanding the situation. "Put him down. Untie the ropes!"

The villagers trembled; none dared to start.

But the richly-dressed youth suddenly drew his waist knife, slashing the grass rope with a flick.

As soon as the ropes loosened, the man from Liu Dadong’s family sat up, frightening the surrounding villagers into quickly scattering.

However, the man made no further moves, merely focusing intently on gnawing his finger.

Or rather, he wasn’t gnawing but tapping.

The tapping made crisp sounds, oddly similar to a rat nibbling on corn cobs.

Shopkeeper Wu lifted his sleeves, motioning the villagers to step aside. He circled the man, noticing that with the ropes untied, he gnawed faster, now on another finger.

He was in no hurry, saying pleasantly, "Stop eating for a moment; let’s chat."

"Whose family are you from, and where do you live?"

The man continued tapping his finger, ignoring everyone, not even lifting his head at the words.

"So ill-mannered..."

The old shopkeeper, seeing the man ignore him, slowly squatted down before him. Someone nearby couldn’t help but start to speak up to warn him.

Unexpectedly, the man, diligently gnawing his finger, suddenly looked up as the old shopkeeper squatted down close to him. A sinister gleam flashed in his eyes as he reached for the old shopkeeper’s shoulder, ready to bite.

But the old shopkeeper calmly reached out, revealing a pair of chopsticks in his hand, which he used to pinch the man’s finger.

Just moments before, the Shopkeeper had been eating when he came out, but no one had noticed he still held chopsticks.

The crucial point was how he pinched the man’s finger. It was like pinching a radish; it didn’t look like he used much force. Despite this, the man who was about to bite him immediately froze as if his acupoints had been struck. His body went limp, and he cried out, "Spare me, Old Master! I’m from the village under the big stone west of the town..."

The old shopkeeper, with a faint smile, simply asked while pinching the finger, "Just moved in? Why did you harm him?"

"I didn’t want to hurt him..."

The man’s voice was shrill and eerie, filled with an unsettling yin qi. "He was the one who first poured water into my house, set a fire, and smoked the place out."

"If I didn’t teach him a lesson, wouldn’t everyone in this ten-mile radius come to bully me?"

Strangely, listening to Liu Dadong’s family member speaking in that pinched voice sent chills down the villagers’ spines.

But the old shopkeeper’s smile remained. He said cheerfully, "You make a fair point. But when did your family move in? Have you paid respects to our Red Lantern Lady?"

"My family just moved in..." Liu Dadong’s family member tilted his head, his eyes rolling. "We only worship the Old Lady, not any Red Lantern Lady."

The Shopkeeper’s smile didn’t falter. "Well, then your family doesn’t understand the rules..."

As he spoke, his expression suddenly darkened. "East wall corner!"

At the same time, his other hand, which had been hanging at his side, abruptly lifted, slamming onto the man’s forehead.

PAK!

Though seemingly unremarkable, Hu Ma, with nearly two pillars’ worth of cultivation under his belt, was sensitive to yang qi. He keenly noted the move was akin to the ’Mountain Opening’ initial move from the old skill taught by the Second Master, where a hand raises and the stove fire ignites.

However, his skill was so practiced and fluid that the traces of the old skill were nearly imperceptible.

And after this strike, it seemed as if something was driven out of the wiry man’s body; a gust of yin wind swirled off to another location.

The wiry man, whose finger was being pinched, had his tensed body suddenly go slack.

Yet it wasn’t over.

Hu Ma distinctly sensed the evil qi being forced out of the man’s body, suddenly blowing towards a particular spot.

Looking at the direction, it was precisely where the Shopkeeper had mentioned: "East wall corner!"

A yellow shadow flickered there. Something, startled, leaped from the ditch, attempting to escape over the wall.

Hu Ma didn’t have time to think. WHOOSH! He stepped past Zhou Datong, simultaneously drawing the knife tied at Zhou Datong’s waist and striking with the sheathed weapon.

A piercing scream echoed, and something swiftly climbed over the wall, vanishing from sight.