Twilight Boundary
Chapter 56 Two and a half columns of Tao

Chapter 56: Chapter 56 Two and a half columns of Tao

Hu Ma wasn’t really taught how to make Little Hongtang comfortable.

Previously, Little Hongtang loved sleeping on the beams or following Granny out. However, when Granny later left in a sedan, perhaps rushed by the urgency of the situation, she only gave Little Hongtang’s Bazi Tie to Hu Ma and taught him nothing else.

With this Bazi Tie, Hu Ma could always have Little Hongtang with him and also see her. If Little Hongtang played too far away, he could burn One Incense, and Little Hongtang would come back.

But as for other things, like how to nurture Little Hongtang or make her comfortable, Hu Ma didn’t know.

He did ask Little Hongtang, though. She seemed to remember something, drooled, and said, "Little Hongtang loves eating meat."

"She really does love meat..."

Hu Ma sighed helplessly, "I love eating it too!"

Speaking of meat, he still had the jar of Blood Food left by Granny, but that was for treating his ailments, and he was reluctant to give it to Little Hongtang.

Moreover, he also remembered that when he was with Granny, she never fed Little Hongtang this stuff.

"Once I’m cured, all the Tai Sui meat will be for you."

Seeing Little Hongtang’s greedy gaze, Hu Ma could only promise her this. Children, after all, forget quickly; it’s best to placate them first.

He decided to start resolving the small issues first and asked Little Hongtang about the "old objects." "What are old objects? Why do you like them?"

"Old objects are just old objects. They make you feel comfortable, and you get full after sleeping for a bit."

Little Hongtang’s answer was straightforward and subjective. Though Hu Ma didn’t quite understand, he confirmed that she liked them.

"Alright, I’ll borrow them for you to play with when I get a chance."

He agreed to Little Hongtang’s request and asked her a few more questions, stopping only after receiving definite answers.

The issue of Little Hongtang not wanting to sleep on the beams wasn’t really a big one. Little Hongtang was playful and didn’t stick with Hu Ma every day, often going out to play for a day or two.

Once she was done playing, or when Hu Ma lit incense to call her, she returned.

However, what worried Hu Ma most was her following him into this Red Lantern Courtyard. Would she be influenced or affected? After all, that Master Wu seemed to possess considerable abilities. What if he discovered her and it harmed Little Hongtang?

Significant figures like him surely possessed skills in exorcising spirits; they were certainly not lacking in that department.

"Little Hongtang isn’t afraid..."

But Little Hongtang’s response surprised Hu Ma. "Second Master is different from the Bearded Old Master. Second Master can’t come near; if he does, it feels like being roasted. Touching him burns the hand."

"The Bearded Old Master doesn’t have that burning sensation when close. He can’t even see Little Hongtang."

"But Little Hongtang can’t get too close to him either. Getting too close is scary. Touching Second Master burns, but touching him feels like being caught..."

"..."

"So there is a difference here?"

Hu Ma gradually understood the nuances.

Although Second Master’s dharma method was simple, his sixty-year Great Furnace was anything but.

Comparatively, Shopkeeper Wu’s dharma method might be more profound than Second Master’s, but he had obviously lost his bodily purity long ago; otherwise, he wouldn’t act so familiar when the courtesans by his side poured drinks. Therefore, while his dharma method was profound, its deterrent power was less than Second Master’s.

Or perhaps, this was also related to Little Hongtang’s special nature?

In truth, Hu Ma didn’t quite grasp the extent of Little Hongtang’s abilities or where she stood as an evil spirit.

When it came to fighting, while he was searching for Granny in the woods, Little Hongtang had once gone toe-to-toe with a low-level wandering spirit baby ghost; both ended up SCREECHING AND YOWLING, bruised and battered.

But ordinarily, she just seemed playful, wandering here and there. Aside from Second Master, Hu Ma hadn’t seen her truly afraid of anyone.

"Anyway, stay away from the old shopkeeper in the future, and don’t go into the inner courtyards."

For safety’s sake, he admonished Little Hongtang thoroughly. Even though she said the old shopkeeper couldn’t see her, it was better to be safe than sorry, so he advised her to keep her distance.

After giving his advice, he went back to sleep, his determination to secure a single room soon even stronger.

He needed to at least secure a place with Little Hongtang where they could have a single bed and beam privileges.

...

...

That night, he fell into a deep sleep. Perhaps due to the continuous consumption of the Blood Food Pills left by Granny, his cultivation had progressed again.

He once again found himself in the temple, seeing the incense on his incense burner; the second stick was nearly perfect. His persistence had not been in vain, and he was soon to have over two columns of Tao.

Feeling a measure of comfort, he looked at the wisps of smoke drifting from the incense burner and suddenly pondered: Having arrived at a new place, was there a chance he might encounter a new Reincarnator?

Perhaps I could try calling out myself?

The thought arose in his mind but was quickly dismissed. The most pressing matter was to solve his own problems.

At other times, it would only waste Life Incense.

「The next day.」

When the youths awoke, they all gathered in the front yard to greet the shopkeeper and receive their instructions.

The manager who had brought them yesterday had already returned, leaving this place to become their own little world.

"Not bad, none of you were lazy in bed. Start learning to work!"

The old shopkeeper nodded in satisfaction at the group, then just pulled up a deck chair, brewed a pot of tea, and waited on the sidelines.

The richly-dressed youth Xu Ji’er, who had gone to bury the yellow skin the previous evening, was already there early. Without waiting for Shopkeeper Wu’s instructions, he began directing the group of new workers.

This large estate was divided into inner and outer courtyards. The inner courtyard housed Shopkeeper Wu and his servant, along with the incense hall and several rooms secured with copper locks. The outer courtyard contained the stables, storerooms, and the side room where they slept.

The richly-dressed youth Xu Ji’er seemed quite familiar with the place, directing Hu Ma and the other eight new workers. Some were assigned to clean the stables, some to sweep the courtyards, others to fetch water and pick vegetables. Afterward, they were to patrol the surroundings together every evening after dusk, singing the lantern hymn.

This patrol was their responsibility, meant to deter surrounding evil spirits and bring honor to the Red Lantern Lady.

"As workers of our Red Lantern Society, you’ll each receive a monthly allowance of half a pound of Blood Food," he sternly lectured the workers. "But this Blood Food isn’t given for free. If you don’t work diligently, it will be deducted!"

The workers listened, all nodding meekly, none daring to voice any objections.

Even Hu Ma, knowing this place was different from Second Master’s, obediently followed instructions and worked.

After a few days, they gradually became familiar with the routine, and their minds settled. Shopkeeper Wu, apart from appearing on the first day sitting in a Taishi Chair to watch them, hadn’t shown his face for the following few days.

「On the fourth day.」

He finally emerged from the inner courtyard and said to the workers, "You should all know by now that joining our Red Lantern Society means you have to learn skills. After all, we’ll need you for escorting Blood Food later on."

"I’m too lazy to bother with these troublesome matters, but I won’t hide the skills you need to learn, leaving you to complain."

"Today, let’s give it a try. I’ll see what your foundations are like."

"..."

The workers, who had been waiting eagerly for three or four days, were instantly excited.

One by one, they showcased the forms they had learned, their surprising physical strength, and their sealed stove fires.

It was only then that Hu Ma discovered that the youths came from different places and had learned different things. What they had in common was stoking the furnace, but their forms varied.

The youths from Dayang Village had learned a comprehensive set of forms and were very proficient in them. However, the youths from other places had only learned to stoke the furnace; when asked about forms, they knew nothing at all.

Distinct from them all were the richly-dressed youth and his two companions.

The forms they executed were different, but clearly more varied, powerful, and fierce than the rudimentary skills Second Master had taught, appearing quite formidable.

"The foundations are all pretty good."

Shopkeeper Wu observed each of them and smiled. "Before you joined the Red Lantern Society, none of you had a stable supply of Blood Food to supplement your training. To have achieved this much is already quite good."

"However, perhaps no one has told you before, but merely stoking the furnace is useless. It can only defend against evil spirits and can’t do much else. In the future, just defending against evil spirits won’t be enough. You’ll need combat skills as well. I’ll start by teaching you their application."

Saying this, he personally demonstrated a set of forms, then broke them down and explained them step-by-step to the workers.

These workers, including Zhou Datong and the others, had never learned these fighting methods before and were naturally thrilled.

Hu Ma knew this was an inevitable part of the process, so he just quietly followed along and learned.

He did notice the differences. Stoking the furnace was the same for everyone, but the forms each person learned were different. However, though the forms differed, the underlying principles were connected. They were all ultimately for drawing out the stove fire, guided by the forms to execute techniques involving internal and external power.

However...

After learning like this for about half a month, Hu Ma gradually sensed that something was amiss.

This Master Wu was very diligent in teaching them forms, no less thorough than Second Master had been when teaching him.

But the crucial point was, this man only taught forms!

Whether it was striking techniques, footwork, eye-gouging, or groin-kicking, they were useful, to be sure, but they were fundamentally the same as the forms Second Master had taught him.

As for the higher-level dharma methods for stoking the furnace, he never mentioned them at all.

This was somewhat reasonable, but now, by regularly consuming the Blood Food Pills left by Granny, his own cultivation had reached two and a half columns of Tao. Granny had instructed him that upon reaching Three Column Tao, he would need to cultivate the next stage of the dharma method.

At Shopkeeper Wu’s current teaching pace, Hu Ma feared he would finish all his Blood Food Pills and still be learning basic forms.

Money flowed like water. Granny had left him a considerable amount of Blood Food Pills, but they wouldn’t last long at this rate of consumption.

He needed to find a solution quickly...

He kept this hope in his heart but wasn’t in a rush to do anything. He remained courteous even to the richly-dressed youth Xu Ji, and followed all arrangements.

He patiently waited until the thirtieth of the month, the day ending in zero, when he finally heard that long-awaited voice:

"Old White Brother, did you miss me?"

"..."

Upon hearing this voice, Hu Ma felt a sudden wave of cheerfulness. He smiled and replied, "I did."