Twilight Boundary-Chapter 703 - 694: One Open, Two Hidden

Disaster, formless and shadowless, can only be thwarted by blessing. But what exactly was a blessing?

Hu Ma remembered the words he had exchanged with Second Master: a blessing was something intangible and invisible. When God decided to bring calamity, no one had any means to stop it.

But the elders in the village always held to the belief that one must be a good person. Being a good person simply meant that the ghostly gods might see and bestow a bit more good fortune, and the fellow villagers might also notice, leading to a good reputation. When difficulties arose, someone would lend a hand, helping to overcome the hardship.

If one couldn't avoid misfortune and fell into bad luck, others would curse the heavens for being unjust. It was heaven that was wrong, not you.

This was the utmost goodness in the human world, and the Mountain Lord was born in response to this goodness. Whether called Hall God or Lord, the name didn't matter, nor did strength or weakness; acting in accordance with this goodness was what mattered most.

Thinking about it carefully, it all felt quite interesting. When I first came to this world, what I saw more often was the jianghu, the imperial court, and the deep secret skills within those Paths. Only now have I turned back to see the ancient and profound faith of this village.

The Mountain Lord was quite right. My heart *was* troubled. Too many doubts, too great a crisis. Everything I did had to be considered carefully, and yet I always felt something fateful weighing on my heart. But now I understand. Why bother with so many things? Born in the village, I'll live the life of someone from the village. What is there to fear from things I can't understand, as long as my conscience is clear?

So, after giving instructions to Little Hongtang, he returned to the village and found that everything had changed.

The fire pit Second Master had walked through was already filled in. However, the charcoal and ash from it were carefully collected into an incense burner, with incense sticks placed on top. This ash wasn't to honor Second Master, but to pay respect to the Mountain Master who had allowed Second Master to walk through the fire pit unharmed by the flames.

At this moment, Second Master was being helped to a seat, still in the place of honor.

Everyone in the village was respectfully compliant. Even his elder brother, the Old Clan Chief, only looked at him with a mixture of concern and gratification. He was gratified that his brother had weathered so many years and attained a good reputation. His concern was about his brother: now that he was famous, Does this mean I can't bully him anymore? 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"Old Second, Second Master, I really didn't mean to..."

In front of Second Master, Old Master Tie Shoupeng, his white beard and hair trembling, stood. He actually had an impressive appearance; just his beard and eyebrows gave him the look of an expert. But now he was shaking, as if the vitality of a Shousui man had been drained from him. He just kept lamenting, explaining to Second Master, "I had already left. I don't know how, but I ran into someone who looked like a beggar, and he asked me for directions."

"I pointed the way for him. He then looked at me and said I seemed troubled and wanted to talk about it. We only exchanged a few words before, inexplicably, my mind became muddled."

"I... I truly regret it. How could I have been so possessed, so foolish as to come back and tell you these things?"

"Look, look at this scroll..."

He held the scroll in his hands, trying hard to explain to Second Master, "I left it here just now. I originally intended to leave you a token of my goodwill..."

"Master Peng, I'm getting old, and you're even older."

No matter what Tie Shoupeng said, the villagers looked at him with cold eyes. Second Master sat in his chair, looking exhausted. After a long pause, he sighed and said, "I've lived in the forest and seen many strange things. I believe you were indeed confused earlier."

"I walked through that fire pit not to throw a tantrum at you, but simply because I didn't want the children in the village to have their reputations tarnished by association with me."

"After all, in your younger days, you showed me the world and taught me a few skills. Those skills, whether valuable or not, I've passed on to the boys in the village. So, when you come to our village, I still treat you as a guest."

"But take this scroll back with you!"

Second Master pushed the scroll that Tie Shoupeng was earnestly trying to offer back to him. It was something he had once yearned for, dreamed of, but now he felt no attachment to it. He sighed, "People always say I've led a hard life, but I don't think so."

"I've been blessed by the Mountain Master and have taken in a few good disciples."

"Your skills are undoubtedly good, but my few disciples have learned even better things. They wouldn't want yours."

Listening to Second Master's words, Tie Shoupeng seemed to lose his backbone all at once, his eyes filling with dejection. He understood that he had ruined his reputation and could no longer stay in Mingzhou.

Perhaps if he had realized sooner, left the village immediately with a few disciples, and departed Mingzhou overnight, he could still have relied on his genuine skills to make a living. But now, he had foolishly shown his face before such highly esteemed elders as the Food-Protection General and Old Master Sun. As a result, wherever he went, no one would accept someone with his ruined reputation.

As for his current disciples, those with some loyalty would have to prepare to return to the countryside with him. The skills they had learned would have to be hidden away, making their studies practically worthless. Those without a conscience would likely soon leave his tutelage, change their names, and seek apprenticeship under someone else.

He knew in his heart what his disciples would do. He also understood that this lineage, passed down to him through many generations, might now be struck from the rolls of the recognized Paths.

Only after Tie Shoupeng left the village in a daze, under countless contemptuous and disdainful stares, did Hu Ma approach Second Master to speak.

Initially, Hu Ma had wanted to stand up for Second Master. But now that Second Master had shown his own resolve, Hu Ma, as a disciple, wouldn't interfere. Seeing Second Master looking somewhat regretful, however, and knowing his inner pain, Hu Ma smiled.

"Second Master, you needn't feel regret. Their Path is nothing we care to enter. If you want to delve into the world of the Paths, I'll go out into the jianghu and establish a renowned name for you!"

"By then, you'll be the ancestral master of this Path, and I'll be the First Disciple."

"At this age, what can't we let go of?" Second Master said, "I don't really care about Paths or not. I'd rather teach a few more kids and wait for you to go to the mine, cut Blood Food, and earn us some wine money. When I can no longer cut it, if the kids have a conscience, they'll take turns buying me wine. That way, your Second Master won't starve."

"Tie Shoupeng has real skills, but look at his disciples—not one dared to speak up for him when trouble came. But with the skills we teach, the kids we've taught genuinely care about us."

Second Master's face showed unexpected clarity, a certain radiance, as he waved his hand. "Of course, these are matters for later."

"It's time for the Mountain Sacrifice."

He lowered his voice, saying, "You were right before. The Mountain Master has indeed been waiting for many years."

Hu Ma knew that Second Master, having walked through the fire pit, must have seen something mysterious. He smiled and nodded, "I always said the Mountain Master had a craving, right?"

"How can you speak like that?"

Second Master still glared at Hu Ma, then softly sighed, "Actually, it was I and the villagers who were wrong."

"The Mountain Sacrifice originally didn't require waiting for an official to emerge from the village."

"Nor would the village that performed the Mountain Sacrifice first snatch more blessings. The idea that one can only perform the Mountain Sacrifice after gaining high status—who knows when such nonsense started spreading, deceiving us suffering folk..."

"Eh?" Hu Ma was somewhat startled by Second Master's words. To think Second Master realized such profound truths amidst those flames! The title of Saint is truly well-deserved...

It was already the sixth day, and time was even tighter. Despite the recent incident, the villagers' enthusiasm was further heightened. This was because, through Second Master, they had confirmed the Mountain Master's real existence and that he had always watched over the mountain folk.

By the next day, as the news spread, even people from villages with no particular ties to Dayang Village rushed over. They all came to see the Saint and to participate in the Mountain Sacrifice.

In the village, people were bustling everywhere, making paper flowers and paper horses. However, because Hu Ma hadn't given specific instructions, the paper maidens weren't crafted, and the overall scale of these preparations also changed.

The village had originally planned to spare no expense, intending to slaughter cattle and pigs and gather all the finest goods from neighboring villages as offerings to the Mountain Lord. Now, however, Second Master had instructed them to replace these with millet, red beans, and shu grain.

Thankfully, his reputation had now risen; otherwise, no one would have heeded his words, fearing the Mountain Master might not be satisfied with lesser offerings.

Aside from the paper flowers, paper horses, and offerings, the altar for the Mountain Sacrifice was also erected.

Since this was no longer just an affair of Dayang Village, the sacrifice wasn't held within the village itself. Instead, it was moved to the place outside where incense-burning had been done in previous years. This was the spot near Hu Ma's Dry Mother in the forest. She, it seemed, was already accustomed to it. It's just once a year, isn't it?

She proudly drooped her densely grown branches. I'm used to it, she thought. If you dare to kowtow, I dare to accept.

But she gradually sensed something amiss. In previous years, just burning some paper offerings and kowtowing was enough. Why is the platform built so grandly this year, and why are so many people involved in the preparations?

Just as the village was bustling with these preparations, Little Hongtang returned from delivering the letter.

"Delivered!" Little Hongtang clapped her small hands, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at Hu Ma.

"I'll owe you for now!" Hu Ma replied candidly, looking at Little Hongtang. After all, I have no Blood Food left at the moment. Well, there are a few pieces left, but I have to keep them for my own nourishment!

Seeing a slight change in Little Hongtang's expression, he quickly added, "Actually, there's another letter I need your help to deliver."

The first letter was for Aunt Zhang. It requested her, in her capacity as the Ghost Inquiry Hall Official, to borrow the Magic Altar and inform all Ghost Walkers throughout the land of the Mountain Sacrifice. This was an overt request, with no fear of others discovering it.

But the second and third letters were secret; not even the Mountain Lord would be told.

It is an unalterable principle: people offer incense, and the Fire God averts disaster.

To think of the Mountain Lord—once an Old God of utmost supremacy, now reduced to dwelling in this Old Yin Mountain, merely struggling to survive. He bears a title of 'Lord' that he himself considers slanderous, lacks a proper divine temple or a legitimate investiture, and sometimes even has to scrounge a meal from a newborn's celebration feast...

This time, of course, Hu Ma was determined to ensure this elder ate well, ate his fill, and could once again display the grandeur of a former Hall God.

After all these preparations, the only remaining concern was rather simple: That mad young master of the Meng family... he truly is mad. He won't actually lose his nerve at the critical moment, will he?