Twilight Boundary-Chapter 706 - 697: The Lobbyist (Second Update)

Previously, various methods had been used to try and force Eldest Master Meng's mouth open, but none succeeded. Now, however, because of his son, he was telling everything without reservation.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hu Ma naturally pressured him as much as possible. He carefully asked about past events and the Meng family's dharma methods, taking meticulous notes. He even had Little Hongtang prepare pen and ink.

I'm not worried about any falsehoods; I can later verify them through the Lifebound Spirit Temple, he thought. He listened, questioning rigorously at key points, and learned many of the Tongyin Meng family's trump cards. I feel suddenly enlightened.

Particularly unexpectedly, he found a new understanding of the Age Suppressing Book.

Granny had given him the Age Suppressing Book. The first volume was about setting up the altar and Summoning Ghosts, mystical techniques, and strategies. The middle volume contained the Four Great Curses. The last volume was rather complex, mostly overlapping with the existence of Zhensui Mansion. The parts that did not overlap were too obscure, seemingly recorded merely for the sake of it.

But now, through Eldest Master Meng's narration, the content at the end of the Age Suppressing Book seemed to gradually make sense.

When Hu Ma emerged from the house with Little Hongtang, carrying a jar, daylight had already brightened the sky. The entire Dayang Village was bustling with people, paper effigies, offerings, and wine jars everywhere.

The young and strong men of the village were already girding themselves with red cloth, eating breakfast, and making preparations. The Sacrificial Mountain ritual wasn't like Summoning Ghosts, which needed to be performed in the early morning or late evening when yin qi was abundant. The Sacrificial Mountain ritual had to be carried out at midday, when yang qi was at its peak.

Although he had made all the arrangements, due to his status—both his Hu Family bloodline and the karma involving Zhensui Mansion—he wasn't suited to be among them. He was only prepared to burn One Incense at the appropriate time. The Sacrificial Mountain ritual was to be led by Second Master.

Frankly speaking, if Second Master hadn't walked this path of fire, by seniority, it should have been the Old Clan Chief.

Inside and outside the village, there were many unfamiliar faces. Hu Ma, not wearing a red silk girdle but a simple and tidy garment of green clothes, was quite inconspicuous as he strolled out of the village.

He was planning to go to Eldest Granny Meng's place when he suddenly heard a strange voice behind him, "Brother, things are incredibly urgent, and you're strolling around so leisurely, as if celebrating New Year's?"

Hu Ma found the voice familiar. He turned around and was somewhat surprised.

He saw it was a group of three. The one speaking wore a brocade robe and a red crown on his head, looking frustrated. Behind him followed a little girl wrapped in a black robe, munching on a twisted bread stick fried in the village.

It was Zhao Sanyi and Chen Abao, whom he had met in the underworld.

As for the one following them, Hu Ma was shocked. This person is...

"You vile evil spirit! So it was you!"

Before Hu Ma could get a clear look, the woman at the very back exclaimed.

Her eyes turned somewhat red, her body tensed, and her hands clenched into fists, as if she was about to throw a punch without saying a word.

With that shout, Hu Ma recognized her. She was none other than Fourth Miss Zhou, with whom he had fought in the City of the Dead.

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"

Seeing Fourth Miss Zhou's anger attracting so many onlookers, Zhao Sanyi hurriedly tried to stop her. Chen Abao, her little hands greasy, also grabbed Fourth Miss Zhou's sleeve, saying, "What did we agree on during the journey? When you see him, don't make a scene!"

"How can I not make a scene?"

Fourth Miss Zhou, her anger mixed with a touch of fear, exclaimed, "This is an evil spirit!"

"You..."

"..."

Practitioners of the Shousui Path... their brains really aren't very sharp, Hu Ma thought, having regained his composure. He didn't say much more, just cast a cold glance at Fourth Miss Zhou. "In the City of the Dead, you disrupted our Walking Ghost Sect's affairs, and I haven't even settled that score with you. Now you come to my village and dare to slander me?"

"What, do you think just because you're from the Yangming Zhou Family, I wouldn't dare to give you a harsh lesson?"

"..."

Evil spirits are supposed to die upon seeing the light, or at least cover their faces and flee, Fourth Miss Zhou thought.

But this 'evil spirit' stood brazenly in broad daylight, sneering at her, which left her completely dumbfounded.

Of course, the fright and the beating she had endured in the City of the Dead still left her with lingering fear. Otherwise, Zhao Sanyi and Chen Abao might not have been able to hold her back.

Zhao Sanyi also took advantage of her being momentarily stunned. "Hey now!" he said hurriedly. "I told you not to be so impulsive! This isn't an evil spirit at all!"

"Back when he entered the City of the Dead, I was the one who sent him in. Besides, you've heard what happened in the City of the Dead afterwards. If he were really an evil spirit, how could he dare to swagger around Young Master Hu's side?"

"..."

Chen Abao, beside them, also let go of her sleeve, picked up the twisted bread stick from the ground, and continued eating. "Even if he is," she said, "it just means this evil spirit is domesticated!"

"What... what are you two talking about?"

Fourth Miss Zhou felt her mind reeling, stammering, "I clearly remember him! In the City of the Dead, he was protecting that evil spirit imprisoned by Noble Zhang. When I tried to apprehend that evil spirit, he was the one who struck... who stopped me..."

"I remember his appearance, and I remember his eyes. Don't try to persuade me; I remember it very clearly. I wouldn't forget him no matter how he dresses."

"What good does remembering so clearly do?" Zhao Sanyi retorted. "That's a matter between the Hu and Meng families. Is it any business of your Zhou family?"

Chen Abao, having finished her twisted bread stick, licked her fingers. "Exactly," she chimed in. "It's not like you're looking for a husband. Why remember him so precisely?"

Their confident and righteous demeanor made Fourth Miss Zhou feel rather sheepish, and she blinked her large, uncertain eyes.

Hu Ma, however, looked impatient. "Regarding the events in the City of the Dead, you two indeed provided assistance, and the Hu Family remembers this. Our Young Master also intends to thank you properly, but you left so quickly that we didn't get the chance."

"But even if you've come around now looking for that thank-you gift, you should be seeking out our Young Master. What are you doing coming to the doorstep of my Great Sword-Catching Sect?"

"Jianghu matters should be settled in the jianghu. Bringing them to someone's home like this isn't according to the rules, is it?"

"..."

"Please, don't misunderstand..."

Zhao Sanyi grew somewhat flustered at this, hurriedly stepping closer. "We only came because we truly had no other choice..."

"Where is your Young Master Hu now? Please... could you ask him to come out and meet us?"

"..."

Hu Ma paused, gazing at him intently before asking, "Why?"

"You mean you still don't know?"

Zhao Sanyi's face was etched with terror. "The Hu and Meng families—they're about to fight to the death!"

"If we don't intervene to mediate soon, this whole world might be turned upside down!"

"And the most crucial part is, I was involved in this huge affair from the very beginning—I even dug the holes! If things escalate beyond control, my family elders will probably throw me out to take the blame. Being skinned alive would be getting off lightly for me..."

"..."

It wasn't me who begged you for help back then... Hu Ma thought. In that instant, he understood what they were up to. He turned to look at them and said, "Besides, it's the Meng family that wants a life-and-death gamble with the Hu family. So why are you coming to me? If you truly want to be peacemakers, shouldn't you be looking for that Eldest Young Master of the Meng family?"

"Someone has already gone to him!" Zhao Sanyi said anxiously. "That man is a complete madman! The elders won't let him carry on like this!"

"All of this now is because of the Stone Pavilion Alliance. We've searched everywhere but couldn't find that Young Master Hu, which is why we had no choice but to come to your door."

"Others may have no solution, but you definitely do. We just want to offer a piece of advice: he absolutely must not act impulsively at this critical juncture. That Young Master Meng is far too reckless. As long as you first release Eldest Master Meng, there's still a chance to salvage the situation!"

"..."

So, it's because of the life-and-death gamble between the Meng and Hu families that the other eight families are starting to get anxious? To prevent the Hu and Meng families from going through with it, they first come to persuade the Hu family to release someone. These Seven Families are quite interesting. Is it because they've seen how terrifying the Meng family's actions truly are? Perhaps if the Meng family had only invited one or two calamities, they would have been content to watch from the sidelines. It's only now that the matter has escalated to this extent that they've started to get nervous.

A cold smile touched Hu Ma's lips. "If you've come to act as lobbyists, then you've certainly found the wrong person. To be honest, even I don't know where our Young Master is."

Zhao Sanyi was shocked. "What?"

Hu Ma replied calmly, "It's true. We parted ways after the City of the Dead, and I haven't found him since."

As someone who navigated the jianghu with the Trickster Sect, Zhao Sanyi could naturally tell from Hu Ma's candid expression that he wasn't lying. This genuinely made him panic.

Hu Ma, however, frowned. "It's the Meng family who are eager to make a move. Couldn't your elders dissuade the Meng family?"

"The Meng family is willingly inviting disaster upon themselves! Who could possibly persuade them?" Zhao Sanyi's lips trembled. "If we were to forcefully intervene, wouldn't we first offend those... things in the holes? At this juncture, only if one of the two families takes a step back can mutual destruction be avoided..."

"As for what our Young Master is thinking, I truly have no idea..." Hu Ma said as he led them out of the village. The surroundings began to quiet down. He then asked curiously, "However, why don't you first tell me about the Meng family's current situation? And how did your family elders try to persuade that Young Master Meng?"

Zhao Sanyi, who had pinned all his hopes on Hu Ma, hurriedly recounted everything he knew.

...

"Ah, so I really did misunderstand?"

Meanwhile, Fourth Miss Zhou, who was following behind and listening to Chen Abao, kept glancing at Hu Ma. The more she heard, the more confused her expression became. "So... it wasn't that I was completely duped by the Meng family; I simply heard it was an evil spirit, so naturally, I had to intervene."

"I—I really didn't know the Hu Family was the mastermind behind this whole affair, or that it involved so many other things... So, does this mean this 'Great Sword-Catcher' isn't actually an evil spirit?"

"..."

Chen Abao casually grabbed a handful of fried dough balls from a nearby table. "Is your brain really that small?" she asked.

"Want me to crack it open and take a look for you? I can even stitch it back up neatly."

"..."

"I'm not! I don't have a small brain!" Fourth Miss Zhou protested. "It's just that after I mastered my skills, I... well, I stopped using my brain as much. But I used to be very smart, you know!"

"Alright, alright, let's just say you're smart then!" Chen Abao said. "So, can you finally tell us? Why did you insist on coming with us to find Young Master Hu?"

Fourth Miss Zhou suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

...

Meanwhile, walking up ahead, Hu Ma listened as Zhao Sanyi finished explaining the Meng family's situation. He couldn't help but feel slightly surprised. "Three conditions? That Young Master Meng certainly has some audacity to demand those!"