Twilight Boundary-Chapter 497 - 489: Worship the Stone Horse, Hang Red Lanterns
"I never expected that a trip to the One Coin Sect would not only teach me Cultivation Techniques but also earn me two large animals," Hu Ma mused.
He had originally intended to hitch Master Ma to the cart and have Bai Shanzi lead the One Coin Sect’s two horses back. However, Master Ma now seemed quite displeased with him and completely ignored him, so Hu Ma could only proceed as he was.
CLIP-CLOP! CLIP-CLOP! As he rode out of Shima Town, the Sun Family’s Seventh Son, Master Hong, Bai Shanzi, and others accompanied him to the edge of the town, stopping there to watch him leave. Hu Ma could sense that there were more than just these few people watching him from within the town.
Thinking about the exchanges over the past few days, he could only smile wryly. He wanted to understand many things, but he couldn’t answer the questions posed by that Big Senior Brother.
What do you mean by "not eating beef"? How was I supposed to explain that?
Thinking that since "not eating beef" already had its own ideology, he just went along with it. Who couldn’t say something ambiguous? He hadn’t expected that Big Senior Brother to be so deeply moved by it at the time...
Great. Just keep that style. Otherwise, if you get any more profound, I really wouldn’t know how to answer you.
PHEW...
Finally reaching the outskirts of Shima Town, Hu Ma let out a long sigh of relief. He didn’t whip the horses, letting them pull the heavy copper coffin slowly forward. Along the way, he carefully examined the mountain villages and farmlands.
He found most houses intact and inhabited, seemingly unaffected by the Lantern Festival of the One Coin Sect.
Thinking over these past days, Yin General, Great Hall Officer, multiple confrontations, evil skills, and abnormal magic—everything was in chaos.
The fact that these ordinary people could preserve their lives and properties amidst such chaos was truly fortunate.
However, compared to when he arrived, things seemed different. Several villages had red lanterns hanging, the freshly pasted paper gleaming brightly.
As his cart passed one village entrance, he saw a vendor with a bamboo pole slung over his shoulder, from which more than a dozen red lanterns were dangling. He was selling them and teaching the playful children gathered around him to sing rhymes, coaxing them with sugar treats:
"Pray to Shima, hang a Red Lantern, a Copper Coin to invite the ghost soldiers." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮
"Invite millions of ghost soldiers, to retrieve grain for ancestors."
Hu Ma was astonished. How could such nursery rhymes be created in just a few days? The rhyme sounded simple, but it could be deadly...
As his cart passed by, he seized the opportunity to take a closer look at the vendor. The man appeared healthy and cheerful, seemingly unaware of Hu Ma’s gaze. But after Hu Ma passed, the vendor suddenly turned his head and smiled at him.
Hu Ma suddenly understood. This vendor might also be from the same Path, possibly even a Beef Avoidance Sect Disciple.
With their involvement, it all made sense. Where Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples go, things like fish hiding texts in their bellies, stone men by the sandy river, or foxes crying at night are basic operations.
They were expanding the influence of the Lantern Festival to the maximum extent. However, he hadn’t expected the Red Lantern Lady to have a place in it, even ranking ahead of the One Coin Sect?
Seeing these red lanterns hanging in the mountains, looking like a spreading wildfire, he knew that although they did not explicitly carry the Red Lantern Lady’s name, this would mysteriously bring about some influence, the nature of which even he couldn’t predict...
Anyway, the Red Lantern Lady has built a temple and is recruiting followers extensively. Helping her is the right thing to do, I suppose...
Deciding not to think about it further, he simply urged the horse cart straight to his blood food mine.
「Meanwhile」
Calculation, who had returned two days earlier, was in his small hut at the mine. He had killed a chicken, gathered some fruit, set up the incense table, and taken out the small flag he usually hid in his trousers.
He respectfully inserted it in the place of honor and sincerely prayed, "Ancestral Master above, your Disciple only seeks your guidance... This fellow is always causing trouble, beyond my meager abilities to manage him.
"I initially calculated that he had a strong fate and followed him for some benefits. Who could have expected him to be so troublesome, even mingling with the Beef-eating Demon People? I see the situation his family is in; I fear it will be very difficult for them to turn this around...
"Now I have nothing else to say. According to the old rules, if you nod twice, I’ll leave immediately, alright?"
Mumbling for a long time, he shook the Copper Coins in his hand a few times and threw them to the ground; they all landed tails up.
Unwilling to accept this, he picked them up and threw them three more times, but not once did he get a different result.
Calculation’s face changed. He picked them up again, forced a smile, and prayed, "Nodding twice is too much. Just nod once, and this Disciple will understand."
Saying so, with a JINGLE, JINGLE, he threw them ten more times.
But for ten consecutive throws, they still all landed tails up. Calculation flew into a rage, suddenly jumped up, grabbed the fat chicken offered on the incense table, and cursed, "Stop eating! Ten throws and not a single nod! Is this reasonable? According to those evil spirits back then, this completely defies probability! I offer you good food and drink every day, yet you insist on pushing me into a fiery pit when it’s crucial?"
The ancestral master ignored him. Only a gentle breeze blew, and the little flag seemed to sway.
Calculation was so frightened he stumbled and fell, crying, "You can’t screw over your Disciple like this! Have you... taken benefits from the Hu Family down there?"
The flag swayed but remained silent. Calculation suddenly had a thought, "Or maybe... you actually believe this family still has a chance?"
Quickly grabbing the Copper Coins, he threw them several more times, yet was dumbfounded by the results.
They still landed tails up.
As he sat bewildered in the room, not knowing what to do, he heard a commotion outside. Hu Ma had returned. Calculation hurriedly packed up the Copper Coins, placed the plate with the fat chicken back before the ancestral master’s flag as an offering, and went out, smoothing his robe.
"Place the copper coffin under the shade of the tree by the valley," Hu Ma was instructing some men. "Dig a pit to bury it, and surround it with sour jujube branches. Stick conspicuous red paper around it, and make sure no drunkards bump into it."
Hu Ma was arranging for men to drag the cart over, unload the copper coffin, and bury it, to be taken out when needed. He also ordered the two large draft animals he had earned to be tied in the stable and fed, before heading into the hall with his pack.
Just then, he spotted Calculation coming out and smiled, squinting his eyes. "Old brother, you’re unreliable. We went to town together, encountered trouble, and you rushed back early without waiting for me."
Upon hearing that, Calculation was even more exasperated than him. He replied with a mournful face, "You dare say I’m unreliable? You’re the unreliable one!
"You Shousui men run fast; I don’t. That night was so dangerous, with Decline Gods worshipping lanterns, Beef-eating Demon People lurking, and Shousui’s Great Hall Officer attacking the town! I, an old man, was so scared that I hid in a coffin all night. Did I see you helping?"
"...Fine then!" Hu Ma conceded. He had intended to tease him a bit but didn’t expect the other to feel even more wronged.
On reflection, it seemed their actions were six of one and half a dozen of the other, so neither had room to blame the other.
While asking someone to prepare a meal, he invited Calculation into the hall, even personally pouring him a cup of tea. With a smile, he said, "Honestly, I was quite worried I’d come back to find you gone. I didn’t expect you to still be here, loyal enough to stay and help me."
Calculation was instantly hit where it hurt. He tested the waters, "Why don’t you settle my wages for this period, and I’ll find you a younger accountant to replace me?"
Even though the ancestral master forbade me from leaving, if Hu Ma himself insists on sending me away, that would be justifiable, wouldn’t it? Calculation thought.
"No need," Hu Ma immediately smiled and declined, appearing even more amiable. "They say having an elder at home is like having a treasure. You’re my old brother, a peer, but still an elder, aren’t you?
"Actually, on the way back, I was thinking of discussing something with you. It’s about methods for cultivating the human Divine Soul. Do you understand such things?"
"Asking me?" Calculation froze for a moment. "Didn’t you learn powerful skills at the One Coin Sect?"
"I know what it is, but not why it is so," Hu Ma replied. "I did learn a bit. I can feel my Divine Soul strengthening, and my energy is abundant. However, I don’t understand the subtle aspects. Rough application is fine, but precise control is a bit of a struggle."
"The Shousui dharma methods are all like that," Calculation mused, sighing softly. "They only concern themselves with life, not with matters after death... But the Path of the Divine Soul is much more complicated. What do you want to know?"
"I have a friend..." Hu Ma began, looking directly into Calculation’s eyes. He had been considering this all the way back and now asked bluntly, "His family originally had a solid foundation, but his enemies nearly succeeded in killing him, their sole remaining heir. He was eventually saved.
"But his enemies weren’t so kind-hearted as to let him go completely. It seems that although he was saved, they tampered with his Divine Soul. Now, he has discovered the problem and is confident he can force this thing out...
"But he’s not entirely clear on the specifics of how to handle it. Old brother, you are widely experienced and knowledgeable. Do you have any good advice for your little brother?"
After saying this, he watched Calculation earnestly, a smile on his face. He then pulled the knife from his pack and began to admire it slowly, awaiting his old brother’s response.
This old fellow is secretive and evasive, Hu Ma thought. He has some skills, but I can’t quite gauge their extent. However, that Big Senior Brother of the ’not eating beef’ adherents has sharp eyes. He explained the recent events in town to me in detail. Usually, we get along like brothers, muddling through. But now that his true abilities have been revealed, if Calculation still refuses to speak, then...
"This..." Seeing Hu Ma’s earnest inquiry, Calculation’s heart quivered. I really should have left earlier, he thought. The ancestral master prevented me from leaving—was it for this troublesome matter? I’m tempted to avoid getting involved in this karmic entanglement, but he’s a Shousui man. A Shousui man, holding a knife, standing so close, asking for advice with a smile... How could I possibly refuse?
"This is outrageous!" Calculation declared, filled with righteous indignation. He smacked his thigh heavily and said, "Your friend has encountered someone in the Path who preys on the Juehu! By all that’s fair and just, who could tolerate such a thing?"
