Twilight Boundary-Chapter 418 - 412: The Missing Yin General

"Master Ma, would you like to stay here and relax, or join me for a stroll into town?"

On this day, Hu Ma had prepared his gear early in the morning. He took a walk around the valley and glanced at Master Ma, who was lying there.

Master Ma turned his big eyes to look at Hu Ma, then turned away again, not even bothering to acknowledge him.

"Well, if you’re not going, I’ll just take the donkey then."

Hu Ma had no choice. Master Ma had recently survived several life-threatening incidents in this valley, leaving him in a foul mood, likely feeling deeply frustrated. Clearly, it was such a dangerous situation, with the whole valley being perilous enough to cause imminent death, yet he, being so large, miraculously avoided any harm. This was even more devastating than a person working hard for thirty years and achieving nothing.

Leaving Master Ma to rest in the valley, Hu Ma went to the stable and led a donkey out.

Lately, it had nothing to do but leisurely hide in the stable, admiring the mares with a lecherous gaze, visibly gaining weight. If it wasn’t taken out for a stroll soon, the mine might end up with several mules by next year.

Just as he was about to leave the valley with the donkey, Calculation emerged. He was dressed in a wrinkled new outfit, carrying a tobacco pipe, and wearing a black fox fur hat.

Hu Ma laughed. "Aren’t you supposed to keep watch over the mine? What are you doing following me? If something happens, at least there’ll be someone on-site to handle it!"

"What could possibly happen?" Calculation replied. "I’ve already sorted out the matters of money and grain. Most of the Meat Cutting workers at the mine have received their pay and returned to farming. Nowadays, the Tai Sui Blood and Flesh at the mine are still withered, so there’s nothing profitable to gain. Whatever minor issues there might be, your fellow disciples seem quite clever... except for that one who loves to use the fork!"

Hu Ma was speechless. "Was that you who handled it?"

Hu Ma found this incredulous. "That was brought here by the Sun Family’s Qi..."

"If I hadn’t brought up the point back then, would their family have given it?" Calculation said confidently. "You can’t abandon me this time. I’ve got to follow you and take a look. I’ve recently uncovered the details of that One Coin Sect. They’re making quite a stir in the West Ridge area. Their followers are restless, intent on rebellion. You’re young and dealing with them. What if you’re coaxed into joining their troublemaking? That could implicate our Red Lantern Society, which prides itself on staying on the straight and narrow. I’m going to help you scrutinize things, so you don’t get tricked into their sect and find yourself unable to get out."

Hu Ma was silent for a moment, then said, "Fine then..."

This world might truly be descending into chaos, Hu Ma thought. The once notorious Red Lantern Lady’s Club was now considered law-abiding. The key was, considering those he was currently interacting with, this statement didn’t seem too far-fetched.

So he waited for Calculation to fetch a horse from the stable. But, just as he’d expected, Master Ma—the very horse he couldn’t get to move earlier—slowly and leisurely stood up upon seeing Calculation. The horse gave Calculation a deep stare, as if wanting to follow him.

Hu Ma was surprised. "What’s going on?"

Calculation looked awkward. "I promised him something last time, but haven’t fulfilled it yet..."

Curious, Hu Ma asked, "What was it?"

Master Ma immediately turned his head, glaring at Hu Ma with unfriendly eyes. Hu Ma had to wave his hand. "I won’t ask."

Thus, the two men, with a donkey and a horse, finally ambled out of the valley. Hu Ma sat sideways on the donkey’s back, following the small mountain trail with Master Ma trailing beside him. Calculation carried his small bundle, following behind Master Ma.

After walking a few miles, Hu Ma couldn’t help his curiosity and asked, "Since the horse came along, why are you walking behind? Are you reluctant to ride him or something?"

Calculation, his face dark, jogged breathlessly. "Isn’t it because I haven’t handled that matter I promised him last time? He’s not happy. If I try to ride him now, he’ll definitely throw me off..."

Hu Ma was speechless. Bringing this horse along seemed almost pointless...

Not understanding the grudge between them, he continued to ride his donkey. Calculation hesitated several times, hinting with his eyes for Hu Ma to give up the donkey, but Hu Ma pretended not to see. Anyway, they were just strolling leisurely. He figured Calculation, despite his age, could keep up.

They walked most of the day, journeying through the mountains, with rolling hills as far as the eye could see. Occasionally, they would see one or two small villages by streams in valleys—likely settled by people fleeing from external chaos, with only dozens of households. It was nothing surprising.

However, Calculation, who had come out with Hu Ma, seemed very interested in these mountain villages. Every time he saw a village, he would stop and take a closer look. Sometimes he even went into the village, checking out chicken coops, pigpens, and such. He startled a farmer’s wife holding a child. She regarded him warily from a distance, rolling pin in hand, clearly thinking a chicken thief had intruded into the village.

Hu Ma stayed outside the village, waiting for him. When he saw Calculation emerge, looking disgruntled after being chased by a dog, Hu Ma laughed and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Isn’t it the Yin General?" Calculation said, annoyed. "These small-minded villagers have no discernment! I, your old man, was trying to save their lives, and they thought I was sneaking in to steal chickens..." He cursed under his breath, all the while tucking an egg he had hidden in his sleeve into his robes.

This really was one hell of a thief who never left empty-handed... Hu Ma watched, at a loss for words. "Are you worried the Yin General might go to the villages to harm people? Weren’t people organized to search for it before? They found no trace, did they?" Hu Ma was puzzled.

This creature escaping from the mine had caused quite a commotion for a while. Zhou Datong and Zhou Liang had both led teams to patrol near the Blood Food Mine. Later, it was said that Old Master Sun also arranged for people to search the mountains several times. Of course, to Old Master Sun’s people, it wasn’t described as a "Yin General" but rather as an "escaped Demon Corpse." The workers at their mine didn’t know what it was, only that everyone else should be cautious. But after searching for so long without any trace, gradually everyone relaxed and even forgot about it.

Calculation listened to Hu Ma, his brow furrowed. "That’s what’s unsettling," he said softly. "That Yin General didn’t fully form, but its inherent nature is still there. How ferocious was it when it first escaped? And it couldn’t have run far. So how could there be no sign of it at all?" His voice carried a hint of doubt. "Its nature is similar to a zombie, driven by instinct to eat people and drink blood. It shouldn’t be able to hide this thoroughly."

Earlier, seeing that it wasn’t found, and given how occupied he was now, Hu Ma hadn’t paid it much mind. Listening to Calculation’s reminder, he frowned slightly. "Zombies and drought ba have a habit of seeking out those connected to them by blood or grievance to settle debts. This creature was Zhuang Erchang’s senior disciple. Could it have been drawn to harm his family?"

"No." Calculation frowned. "I already asked. Zhuang Erchang’s senior disciple was surnamed Cao. His only family is an elderly mother, who is still alive and well. She doesn’t even know her son is dead. Moreover, the tendency to seek out blood debts is formed by a zombie’s own bloodline. This one is different; it was influenced by the malevolent aura from the Tai Sui Blood and Flesh. This aura suppressed its natural bloodline instincts, so it wouldn’t necessarily harm its relatives."

Hu Ma listened, growing more confused, and said with a laugh, "Then according to you, this matter is becoming quite eerie?"

"Anything related to Master Tai Sui is bound to be eerie, isn’t it?" Calculation clapped his hands and sighed, looking out at the wild mountains and forests. "Anyway, as things stand, there’s truly no trace of it. I reckon there are two possibilities. One, the creature was more fragile than we thought. It might have disintegrated somewhere out of sight as soon as it escaped. The other possibility..." He shook his head slightly. "TSK, it’s unlikely, but not impossible. If it had gained cultivation in the ore veins, it would have emerged as a Yin General—malevolent, yes, but a proper entity. Since it didn’t fully form, it might have transformed into a demon. When people die and their spirits linger, they can become low-level drought ba. Those can be found and burned. But not all drought ba are so easy to deal with. Some grow hair all over their bodies and become increasingly powerful. If a Demon Corpse or a wicked corpse’s bones don’t decay, it becomes a calamity. You youngsters are all so carefree, ignoring everything. But I, this old man, have to toil away, keeping an eye out everywhere, precisely because I’m worried it might undergo such a transformation."

Listening to his detailed explanation, Hu Ma felt a chill. "If it really turns into that kind of thing, how powerful would it be?"

"HEH HEH. ’A thousand li of scorched earth, no living thing survives...’" Calculation chuckled, though it sounded a bit forced. "But it’s not certain. It was in the ore veins before, nourished by the Tai Sui Blood and Flesh, which is how it transformed into such a sinister thing so quickly. Now that it’s out, transforming further will be difficult. Without the nourishment of Tai Sui Blood and Flesh, it would have to consume people and drink their blood. And not just one or two—it would take a massacre, enough to make corpses float like a river. That kind of commotion would be immense; there’s no way we wouldn’t notice it."

"Then we’ll still need to pay more attention to this later," Hu Ma nodded. "However, if we’re to search again, we’ll need to arrange for more people. Just relying on you poking around like this, I’m afraid we won’t even reach Shima Town by nightfall."

"That’s enough, that’s enough..." Calculation waved his hand. "I was just checking these few villages for any traces of that thing. It seems fine for now. Let’s hurry to Old Master Sun’s place for the feast."

Saying this, he quickened his pace. The two men, one horse, and one donkey CLIP-CLOPPED along the mountain path, heading into the distance. Behind them lay the vast, deep mountains, where gloomy forests choked the land, and the undulating canopy seemed to rise and fall like the breathing of some mysterious entity. Flocks of crows swarmed above, constantly circling. By the roadside, solitary graves amidst wild grasses cast faint, flickering shadows. It was only after the travelers had gone some distance that figures suddenly rushed onto the mountain path from both sides, kneeling on the ground, extending their long tongues, greedily licking at the path the group had walked.