Twilight Boundary-Chapter 414 - 408: The Rich Man of Liu County (Three Updates)
"Calling you ’Uncle’ is the proper thing to do."
Seeing Hu Ma’s somewhat bewildered expression, Old Master Sun laughed. "This is my youngest son," he said. "We brothers are of the same generation, so what else could he call you if not ’Uncle’?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
"With your great skills, there’s no need to act like a junior. If I were to pull rank today, treating you as a generation younger, how would I address your Master when I meet him in the future?"
Hu Ma was speechless. That actually makes a lot of sense... Although being called ’Uncle’ by someone older than himself felt strange, their sincerity was undeniable, so he decided to go along with it!
Knowing why Old Master Sun had come, Hu Ma quickly invited him into the valley. Old Master Sun had arrived with four or five horse-drawn carriages. Three were empty, while the other two were laden with various gifts. He instructed that the gifts be brought inside, while the empty carriages waited.
Upon reaching the entrance to the valley, they didn’t rush in. Hu Ma first led them to the side, where, from a distance, they could see several coffins on a nearby slope. These contained the remains of the men from the One Coin Sect, all properly laid out.
Old Master Sun sighed. His son quickly led some men forward to burn incense. Then, they opened the coffins to verify the identities. Once confirmed, they burned paper money before the coffins.
"Manager Hu is truly benevolent..."
Old Mr. Sun had come to retrieve the bodies of his two disciples who had been left in the valley, along with those of three members of the One Coin Sect. When he had departed earlier, he had to prioritize the living, so he had only taken the Magic King of the One Coin Sect and Zhuang Erchang with him. But the dead deserved to have their remains returned to their families for a proper burial and regular ancestral rites.
He had been worried that he might find the bodies exposed to the elements or already cremated. To his surprise, however, they were all properly laid out in coffins, with even traces of incense-burning and burned paper money nearby. This moved him deeply.
Our men perished here, yet these people treated their remains with such care. Even if it wasn’t repaying enmity with kindness, it was certainly a great favor.
"We are all martial artists, just trying to make a living," Hu Ma said respectfully. "Losing one’s life is a matter of ill fortune. Whatever past enmities there were, the dead deserve respect. Besides, they fell at the hands of the Witches, did they not? That’s why I had them properly interred from the start, ensuring they weren’t desecrated, just waiting for Old Mr. Sun to come and collect them."
"Martial artists, a martial artist’s fate. Manager Hu, you put it well. I am truly ashamed. Had I known there was someone like you at this mine, I would never have waded into this murky business..." Old Mr. Sun actually performed a deep bow to Hu Ma. Only then did he order his men to bring in the carriages that were waiting beyond the trees, load the coffins onto them, and prepare for the journey back.
"It’s as they say, ’no acquaintance without a fight,’" Hu Ma smiled. "Old Sir, please don’t be in a hurry to leave. Since you’re here, you must stay for some wine."
He then invited him into the valley. Old Mr. Sun readily accepted, happily following Hu Ma inside. However, before entering the valley proper, he noticed the red lanterns on the archway at the entrance and quickly stopped. "One must not neglect proprieties," he said. He bowed respectfully and then called his son over, ordering him to kneel and kowtow several times to the Red Lantern Lady.
After entering the valley, tea was served first, and then food was ordered. Before long, four tables were laden with dishes. Hu Ma and Old Mr. Sun shared one table, with Calculation keeping them company. Zhou Datong, Liang, and Zhu accompanied Old Mr. Sun’s son and their chief steward at another table. The other servants sat with a few newly selected, sharp-witted, and eloquent senior Meat Cutting Craftsmen. Their table was also laden with all the wine, dishes, fruits, and vegetables the valley could offer.
Old Mr. Sun discreetly glanced at the spread of food on the table, then raised his cup again. "Earlier, I was rash and offended the Red Lantern Lady’s dignity," he apologized. "I hope Manager Hu will be magnanimous and not take offense."
Hu Ma was somewhat surprised. Why is he bringing this up again when it’s already been settled?
Beside him, Calculation coughed, tapped his chopsticks on a dish, and said with a wry smile, "The spread is a bit modest, Old Sir, but please don’t think our mine is being deliberately inhospitable. It’s actually related to your disciple. Earlier, the Witches sealed the mine, so no food or supplies could get in. We nearly ran out of rice. What we have these past two days, we only managed to buy by taking silver to the nearby village. Also, I don’t know if you’ve heard, Old Brother, but a Corpse Demon escaped from the mine, and we’ve been searching for it recently!"
Hu Ma finally understood. Old Mr. Sun was apologizing again because he found the meal too meager. It wasn’t that he was greedy, but he suspected the mine had deliberately prepared such a poor table to slight him! However, discerning such thoughts required profound experience, and Calculation was more adept at this than Hu Ma.
"It’s all because of that good-for-nothing Zhuang Erchang..." Sure enough, when Old Master Sun heard that the mine was genuinely short of supplies and hadn’t intentionally prepared such a meager meal, he visibly relaxed.
He sighed softly. "I took that disciple of mine back. He was severely injured, so I sent him to Mingzhou’s Grass Heart Hall for medical treatment. Otherwise, I would have dragged him here to the mine to kowtow and beg for forgiveness. Regarding that Corpse Demon, I actually heard about it a few days ago. To be honest, I intend to offer some silver and have people search these mountains. After all, it was Zhuang Erchang who caused this trouble, and my grand-disciple was the one who got into trouble. We can’t let your mine bear this risk alone."
"It’s no trouble," Hu Ma replied, finally understanding. He secretly praised Calculation and took over the conversation. "However, regarding this Corpse Demon, we must give you an account, Old Sir. To be frank, if this creature hadn’t emerged from our mine, and if our Red Lantern Lady..." He gestured towards the red lanterns on the archway outside and lowered his voice. "...weren’t so petty and keeping such a close watch. Last time you visited, Old Sir, the things in the mine veins, well, we would have let you see what there was to see. Now that something from the mine veins has escaped, we naturally thought to inform you to prevent any misunderstandings!"
"Good heavens..." Hearing this, Old Mr. Sun’s beard trembled. He picked up his wine cup with both hands. "Manager Hu, what are you saying? Each serves their own master; that’s perfectly justified. Besides, it was all a misunderstanding. It’s not just me; even the Magic King of the One Coin Sect said upon his return that it was the Witches who were at fault. Both your mine and our side suffered losses! It was entirely due to the great abilities of the people at your mine and the Red Lantern Lady’s profound Mana that those Witches were dealt with. Otherwise, who knows what greater disaster might have occurred..."
He understood very well that, judging by the outcome of their previous encounter, his side had actually suffered a crushing defeat. In the jianghu, people talk about favors and connections, but ultimately, strength is what matters. The people from the mine possessed greater strength, and by speaking so graciously afterward, they were preserving his reputation.
Of course, as far as Hu Ma was concerned, if a few words could resolve this enmity, he couldn’t ask for more. After all, the Yin General had already fled, and their mine had supposedly suffered a "great loss." There was no need to incur further losses by prolonging a feud with the One Coin Sect. That would be too costly.
"It’s good that we’ve cleared the air, very good..." Calculation chimed in, raising his cup with a smile. "Our mine might be short on rations, but we certainly don’t skimp on wine. Since Old Sir is here, you must have a few more cups before you leave."
"Well said, well said!"
For a time, everyone was in high spirits. Old Mr. Sun drained his cup, then suddenly slammed it on the table. "Qi! Get in here!"
Outside, Sun Family’s seventh son, Qi, who was being plied with wine by Zhou Datong and the others, quickly wiped his mouth and hurried in. He bowed to Uncle Hu and Master Calculation, then said with a grin, "Father, what wrong have I done this time to earn another scolding from you?"
"What wrong have you done?" Old Mr. Sun glared at him. "I’m scolding you for your lack of perceptiveness! Can’t you see your Uncle Hu’s mine is short on food? This is all thanks to that fine mess your Senior Brother Zhuang made, leaving such a disaster behind. Since you know about it, why haven’t you gone to arrange things?"
Hu Ma was rather surprised. Does this old gentleman have a way to resolve the mine’s shortage? If so, it would indeed solve an urgent problem. Hu Ma quickly raised his cup to thank Old Mr. Sun. He continued to drink, but unexpectedly, Sun Family’s Qi returned in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. "It’s all been arranged," he reported.
"I sent a little ghost with a message. Our family’s trading company happens to have a mule train nearby with one hundred dan of fine grain and twenty head of pigs and sheep. I’ve instructed them to make delivering it here to the mine their priority. They can arrive within two days. I imagine that will be enough to supply Uncle Hu’s mine for a good while."
"What in the world?" Hu Ma was utterly astonished. Seeing the earnest expression on Sun Family’s Qi’s face and Old Master Sun’s nonchalant nod, Hu Ma was truly stunned. That amount of supplies wouldn’t just sustain them; it would be enough to last for three to five months, easily. The Sun Family just had to send a little ghost with a message, and all this would be delivered?
"Ah, it’s nothing much." Old Master Sun maintained a casual demeanor, but he was clearly pleased with how his son had handled things. He waved his hand dismissively. "For people like us who possess certain abilities, who would fret over such trivialities? I’m just an old martial artist. But my sons, most of them weren’t keen on learning my skills. They turned out to be quite adept at making money and doing business, though. Now, thanks to the goodwill of our friends in the jianghu, we’ve managed to acquire several mule trains, buy some land, and build a few warehouses. Manager Hu, please don’t stand on ceremony. In the future, if your mine needs any money or provisions, just let him run the errands. It would also be a good opportunity for him to visit the mine more often and learn a thing or two from you."
Then, he suddenly lowered his voice and added with a smile, "And it’s not just money and provisions. If you ever need salt, iron, talismans, or armor, just send word. We won’t be short of those either. The salt and iron business in the region from Gunzhou’s Liu County to Stone County is also under my control..."
"Ah, this..." Hu Ma was truly impressed. Hearing this unexpected revelation, Hu Ma truly saw Old Master Sun in a new light. He hadn’t expected that Old Master Sun was not only an expert at Entering the Mansion and Shousui, and an expert of the Path, but also a local tycoon of immense wealth.
