Twilight Boundary
Chapter 54th - : Yellow Immortals Move House

Chapter 54: 54th Chapter: Yellow Immortals Move House

"Whoa, what’s that..."

The villagers had their attention on the lean man, but they were startled by a sudden noise from the corner of the wall.

They retreated in confusion, not knowing what was happening.

Hu Ma, however, quickly stepped forward. He picked up the waist knife that had fallen to the ground and noticed a bit of bloodstain on it, along with a few strands of yellow fur. He couldn’t tell which creature it belonged to.

"What are you thinking?"

The old shopkeeper stood up, glanced at Xu Ji’er, and seemed quite displeased.

His shout of "East corner of the wall!" was originally directed at Xu Ji’er, expecting him to cooperate and eliminate this evil spirit.

Unexpectedly, Xu Ji’er didn’t react, while Hu Ma had already thrown the knife.

Xu Ji’er knew he hadn’t performed well and felt both ashamed and embarrassed, somewhat awkward.

"Master!"

Hu Ma approached and showed the bloodstain and fur on the knife to the old shopkeeper.

The old shopkeeper pinched a few strands from the knife and rubbed them in front of his eyes. He then said calmly, "It really is a nest of Immortals."

"You did a good job."

Hu Ma was taken aback for a moment before realizing he was being praised.

"All right, this man’s fine now."

The old shopkeeper turned to the villagers, who were still in shock, and said, "He was just touched by Immortals. It’s no big deal. Carry him back, see a doctor if needed, and treat the injuries if necessary.

"But for the next couple of days, don’t go to the fields. When the weather’s nice, carry him into the yard to get some sun. As for the donation to our Red Lantern Lady, you don’t need to give it to me. Just settle it with your village chief, and that’ll be enough."

The villagers were finally relieved. Endlessly grateful, they noisily carried the man away.

Does this branch of the Red Lantern Society even handle such matters?

Hu Ma watched from the side, finding it curious. But before he could finish his thought, the old shopkeeper turned to them and said, "You’ve come at the right time! Put down your bedding!

"Light a lantern and go to the big rock on the west side of the town. See what’s there and tell them to leave quickly."

A moment of silence passed.

"Huh?"

Only then did everyone realize that the matter wasn’t over yet.

But seeing the pitch-black night outside made them all feel a creeping fear.

It was night now. They were already scared encountering these evil spirits during the day; who would dare to provoke them at night?

But Hu Ma understood, guessing this must be some kind of test.

He was the first to put his bedding roll in the corner. Seeing Hu Ma do so, Zhou Datong and the others followed suit.

The youths who had traveled with them also hurriedly imitated.

However, even after putting their things down, they didn’t know how to proceed. The richly-dressed youth, who had reacted poorly earlier, was now eager to make a good impression. He rushed into the side room and soon came back with two people, carrying a red lantern.

"What are you waiting for? Follow me!"

Although they knew this richly-dressed youth was, like them, a recent arrival, he seemed to understand the rules better, having been there a few days longer. Not daring to disobey, they all crowded together, nervously following the eerily red lantern out of the Manor.

The town was small, and they were staying at its edge, so it took only a few steps to reach the wilderness.

In the distance, the moonlight was dim. They could only rely on the strange red glow of the lantern to vaguely make out the road and fields.

After walking for approximately the duration of One Incense burning, they finally saw a large rock in the wilderness, illuminated by the eerie red light. It stood at the foot of a mountain, resembling an ancient monument or something of the sort. Its base had been hollowed out, revealing a dark hole within the thorns.

The richly-dressed youth raised his hand, and those anxiously following him quickly stopped.

"Spread out and surround the stone."

These words caught the companions off guard. They exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what was happening.

But the two people who seemed close to the richly-dressed youth impatiently pushed and shoved one of the slower companions into position.

Finally realizing, the companions rushed to encircle the large stone, standing about two large paces apart. To make the circle tighter, two or three had to stand in the thorn bushes, but no one dared to complain.

Once everyone was in place, the richly-dressed youth stood in front of the stone, holding the red lantern, and motioned to those beside him.

The two knowledgeable ones lit three incense sticks in front of the stone, along with a few offerings.

After completing these rituals, the richly-dressed youth cleared his throat, raised the Red Lantern high, and shouted loudly toward the base of the stone:

"Humans have villages, and ghosts have boundaries.

"It seems a few Immortals don’t quite understand the rules here. The Red Lantern is lit, yet you still intruded.

"Today, I, your junior, would like to clarify with you Immortals. If you are merely passing through, we’ll offer incense and kindly see you off; we can live in harmony.

"But if you intend to settle here, please take a good look. This lantern is from the Red Lantern Lady. Once the Red Lantern is lit, a ten-mile radius becomes her sacred ground. Invaders will make an enemy."

Having said this, he lifted the Red Lantern high over his head, keeping his eyes fixed on the stone below.

All the youths held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

The wild grass whispered in the breeze, and the fields on both sides were pitch dark, hiding unseen things.

Hu Ma stared at the Red Lantern, feeling its glow grow more and more eerie, as if even the night was tinted red.

At some point, the surrounding temperature began to drop.

A chilling wind circled them, like invisible hands brushing against them.

"HEE HEE..."

Just as their apprehension peaked, they suddenly heard an extremely strange voice. It was similar to the one they had heard earlier from Liu Dadong’s household, which had been afflicted by an evil spirit. Yet, this sound didn’t come from beneath the large stone where they had focused their attention, but rather from behind them.

Startled, they turned and saw it was one of their own companions.

He twisted his body, his hand pressed against his mouth as if stifling laughter. His eyes sneakily swept over the group as he said, "The Red Lantern Lady? We’ve never met her.

"Our whole family painstakingly moved here, haven’t even had a proper meal, and now you’re trying to chase us away...

"You’re being quite unreasonable..."

The surrounding companions were so frightened they didn’t dare speak; in the deathly quiet, only that sharp, strange voice echoed around them.

It made their hearts heavy and heads dizzy with nausea.

"The Red Lantern Lady’s lantern hangs here, and that’s reason enough."

Listening, the richly-dressed youth furrowed his brow and raised his voice. "I’m advising you nicely now, and yet you don’t listen? Do you want to force a confrontation?"

His words carried anger. After a brief silence, various sharp, strange laughs erupted.

"You are quite arrogant, kid. We don’t stir trouble, yet you come to expel us.

"If you treated us with good food and drink as offerings, we could negotiate. But with just these few incense sticks, you barbarically demand we move out and still call your words kind..."

As that sharp voice spoke, two or three of the companions encircling the large stone swayed. It was impossible to tell from whose mouth the sound came. A chilling wind gusted through the wilderness, and everyone felt an icy coldness, their hair standing on end.

"HA! Playing tricks, are we?"

The richly-dressed youth was enraged and suddenly stepped forward, raising a hand to strike the forehead of the youth who had just spoken.

But unexpectedly, as he moved, a gust of chilling wind swept from beneath the stone.

No one anticipated that the richly-dressed youth would react so quickly. Perhaps he had purposely intended to draw the entity out. After taking just one step, he suddenly pulled a bright red object from his waist.

Hu Ma, not far away, looked closely. It seemed to be a Wooden Sword.

The richly-dressed youth, wielding the Wooden Sword, turned and struck. With a SWISH, the chilling wind vanished, and it seemed as if something had been flung into the distance.

The youths shuddered in fright, then heard chaotic screeching from around them.

The wild grass next to the stone shook violently, and they could barely see something running swiftly, vanishing in an instant.

They stood still, waiting for the surrounding chaos to subside into silence.

"Lucky for you, you escaped quickly."

The richly-dressed youth finally eased his vigilance, smugly sheathing the Wooden Sword, and nodded toward the others:

"Bring it!"

The two youths beside him quickly ran to where something had fallen, returning shortly with a weasel.

Upon closer inspection, its body was limp, clearly lifeless.

It was particularly unsettling to look at. The weasel’s whiskers had turned white, indicating an unknown, long life.

"So strong..."

The surrounding companions looked on, eyes filled with admiration.

Hu Ma watched from the side and felt something was odd. He was influenced by frequently observing Granny and the Second Master’s ways. Seeing the richly-dressed youth’s ruthless behavior now puzzled him.

The Red Lantern Lady is far more domineering than the old fire pit... Besides, this nest of Yellow Immortals, though malevolent, didn’t seem entirely unwilling to talk. Yet he killed them just like that? Also, the richly-dressed youth’s skill startled him. In the Manor, the youth had been bossy, but Hu Ma hadn’t thought much of it. He felt the youth’s stove fire wasn’t particularly strong—stronger than Cui Xie’er’s, certainly, but still limited, probably not yet reaching one Column of cultivation. But who could have imagined that his strike would be so terrifyingly powerful? He had slain that creature with a single sword strike—far more capable than himself.

His stove fire should be weaker than mine, he mused. Could it be that the Wooden Sword in his hand is just that powerful?

Silently, he followed the other youths, who were carrying the weasel’s body, back toward the Manor.

The richly-dressed youth, extremely pleased with himself, walked at the very front and offered no explanation.

Zhou Datong, however, couldn’t contain his curiosity and blurted out, "Brother, what exactly did we do just now?"

"What did we do?"

The richly-dressed youth, still full of arrogance, replied irritably, "This is the main kind of work we do after joining the Red Lantern Society.

"What we encountered today was just a passing group. More formidable ones await in the future!

"Once you’re at our counter, every word and action is regulated by rules. You all just focus on learning them properly. Don’t be ignorant of your own limitations and try to steal the spotlight whenever you please!"

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