Twilight Boundary-Chapter 511 - 503: Big Opportunity Has Arrived

Hu Ma quickly tilted his head, dodging Incense Master Xu’s hand; who knew what it had just touched...

Although he laughed and joked with Incense Master Xu, he also somewhat understood why the situation was so awkward.

Brother Er Guotou had blamed himself the last time in Shima Town for causing trouble, and accidentally got involved in the ambush of Second Young Master Meng. Regardless of how it was spun, since it happened, it had a significant impact on him.

It was like with Sweet Potato, whose debts piled up without worry; having already killed Second Young Master Meng, Er Guotou found it pointless to continue dealing so cautiously with Plum Blossom Lane.

So, with a resolute heart, he took drastic measures, drove away Plum Blossom Lane, and seized control of those two large Blood Food Storages.

These Blood Food Storages contained Blood Food that had been collected and prepared as offerings. The Red Lantern Society hadn’t actually expected to find anything in them, assuming it had all been handed over long ago. Yet, to their astonishment, when they opened them, they were filled to the brim with genuine articles, which greatly surprised them.

They initially thought they had accidentally struck a fortune. However, unexpectedly, the Truth Sect appeared at this very juncture, without any warning, putting the Red Lantern Society in an extremely tight spot.

Perhaps Plum Blossom Lane had left so decisively because they knew Mingzhou was about to descend into chaos and deliberately discarded the hot potato...

Having figured these matters out, Hu Ma slowly sighed and said to Incense Master Xu, "Alright, alright, whether my surname is Hu or not doesn’t matter. However, listening to you, Uncle Xu, our Red Lantern Society is truly stuck in an awkward position now, aren’t we?"

"I’ve only been in the society for three or four years, and I’ve already seen how difficult things are for everyone, from the top to the bottom. Are we to simply discard the reputation we’ve painstakingly built?"

"..."

"What can be done about it?"

Incense Master Xu said helplessly, "Their ambition is aimed at seizing the entire realm. Blood Food aside, they’ve mingled with the government, both openly and secretly. I’m afraid even the grain taxes might end up in their pockets."

"The government has already bowed to them, yet our Red Lantern Society refuses to yield. Are we planning to rebel?"

"Hehe, everyone here just follows the Lady to make a living. The fights and killings in the jianghu are unavoidable if they come our way, but as for this rebellion business... let’s just forget about it..."

"So, regardless of how our Lady ultimately responds, we subordinates must be clear-headed. As for whether the Red Lantern Society has Blood Food right now? Plenty! We’ve never been so wealthy. Yet, at this very moment, we can’t even cover our expenses..."

"..."

So, all this roundabout talk was just to tell me this?

It finally made sense to Hu Ma, who sighed softly and said, "I understand. It’s hard for those at our mine, and it’s hard for you all too..."

"It’s good that you know..."

Incense Master Xu said, "You understand now why this is hardly the right time to come asking for Blood Food, don’t you?"

"Got it."

Hu Ma nodded solemnly, lowered his voice, and said, "I’ll handle the issues at the mine myself. Right now, I only have one question for you, Uncle Xu..."

Seeing Hu Ma catch on, Incense Master Xu was pleased and said, "Go ahead, ask!"

Hu Ma took a deep breath, his eyes glinting slightly, "...About those two storages you mentioned, just how much Blood Food is in there?"

"..."

"Ah..."

Incense Master Xu hadn’t expected Hu Ma to ask this. Thinking it was youthful curiosity, he sighed and said with a hint of showmanship, "How should I describe it to you?"

"From all the dozen or so Blood Food mines developed in the Mingzhou Prefecture Mansion area, all the top-quality Blood Food handed over has now been sent to these two storages, awaiting transport. Yet, for some unknown reason, it’s all currently held up..."

"In terms of quantity... I’m afraid it’s... over ten thousand jin?"

"..."

Damn...

Hu Ma couldn’t help but shiver inwardly; what kind of concept was this?

The conversation had reached a point of utter clarity. Incense Master Xu, quite satisfied with Hu Ma’s stunned reaction to the figure, waved his hand. He had the servants in the residence light the lamps and arrange a few small dishes, inviting Hu Ma to stay for drinks and a meal.

According to their usual habit, after finishing the meal, they would go to the theater to listen to a song. Yet, on this particular day, after only a few small cups of wine, Hu Ma was arranged a room to sleep in, a clear indication of how tense the situation was.

However, Hu Ma, currently deep in thought, didn’t mind Incense Master Xu’s less than thorough hospitality. He drank a pot of wine with him, ate two large bowls of rice, and then rested in a guest room in the residence. After falling asleep, he entered his Lifebound Spirit Temple.

Slightly pondering, clearing his thoughts, he unexpectedly heard Er Guotou’s voice first, "Brother Old White, can you hear me?"

"Er Guotou calling Old White in Zhu Men Town, can you hear me?"

"..."

He immediately held his breath, not responding for the time being. He could well imagine why Er Guotou was calling him now.

Sure enough, after Er Guotou called several times without a response, he sighed softly and muttered to himself, "Is that kid still over at Shima Town?"

Having latched onto such a big connection, I can’t even ask him for news. Do I really have to go back to Shima Town to find him? If only I hadn’t been so cautious! Had I known, I would’ve found a way to break through the three incense...

"..."

The muttering gradually grew fainter and then disappeared, presumably as he removed his hand from the incense burner.

Because Hu Ma hadn’t answered, their Life Incenses hadn’t intertwined, so Er Guotou didn’t know that Hu Ma had heard him.

Hu Ma waited for his voice to fade completely before gently exhaling. He then called Sweet Potato, and they connected instantly, "Elder, Elder, where have you been?"

"..."

Hu Ma let out a low breath and said slowly, "Miss Sweet Potato, all this effort wasn’t for nothing after all. The big job I promised you earlier? There’s a lead now."

"Huh?"

Sweet Potato’s voice was instantly filled with delighted surprise, "So soon? Elder Old White, you’re truly reliable..."

"Quick, tell me, tell me! What’s the big job? How much profit is there? How many people in the target’s household?"

"..."

What kind of habit is it to immediately ask how many people are in the household?

Hu Ma silently grumbled to himself but maintained his elder-like demeanor, smiling faintly as he said, "What’s the largest amount of Blood Food you’ve ever seen in your life?"

"Blood Food?"

Sweet Potato paused for a moment, then said, "If you’re talking about Blood Tai Sui... I’ve seen over a hundred jin!"

Hu Ma stated blandly, "For this job, our target is a conservative three thousand jin."

CLATTER...

A faint sound of Sweet Potato falling over could be heard from the other side. Then, she stammered, "Wait, this stuff... can it also be measured in units of thousand jin?"

"Back then, I spent thirty jin of Blood Food just to get Grass Heart Hall to heal one of my legs. With the amount you’re talking about, Elder... wouldn’t that be enough to heal a hundred of my legs?"

"..."

"That’s right."

Hu Ma replied calmly, "Moreover, I’ve already figured out where the goods are, where to hide them afterwards, how to dispose of the loot, and how to manage the aftermath..."

"..."

"Professional!"

Sweet Potato was overjoyed upon hearing this, praising him repeatedly, "Elder Old White, you’re truly professional! You’re my role model!"

Being your role model doesn’t exactly sound like a compliment...

Hu Ma sighed inwardly and said, "But while I’ve arranged everything else, there’s still a major difficulty: how to actually pull off this job. I’m from the Shousui Path; I don’t have many Spells. Do you happen to know the legendary Five Ghosts Move Wealth Method?"

"This..."

Hearing this, Sweet Potato sounded a bit embarrassed, "Well... I do have quite a few little ghosts under my command, but little ghosts can’t be near Blood Food."

"They go mad at the mere sight of it."

"..."

"Then what about other methods?"

Hu Ma frowned slightly and asked, "Like borrowing a path through the underworld, or something similar?"

"Can’t enter the underworld either,"

Sweet Potato said, "I’ve heard that once Blood Food enters the underworld, it melts instantly. No matter how it’s preserved, it won’t work."

"Actually, I’ve considered targeting Blood Food many times before. I even thought about hijacking those large carts that our Red Lantern Society harvests and transports back each year. But this Blood Food stuff is just too peculiar. It’s not convenient for commanding little ghosts, and many Magic techniques become ineffective when they encounter Blood Food."

"So, most of the time, it has to be transported by manual labor..."

"..."

Hearing her explanation, Hu Ma also found himself in a difficult situation. He had heard similar accounts before. It was clear that this job was significant, but it would indeed be very hard to execute.

"Alright then..."

After pondering for a while, he sighed and said, "I’ve made all the arrangements, front and back, thinking I could save myself some trouble. But it looks like I’ll still be the one who has to figure out exactly how to carry out this job."

"How about this: you wait for now. Once I’ve come up with a plan, I’ll notify you to act together."

"..."

"Okay, okay, I’m really sorry, Elder... I’m so useless..."

Sweet Potato’s voice was clearly tinged with insecurity and self-reproach. She apologized repeatedly and then obediently disconnected.

In all the time he had known her, this was the first time he had seen her so humble.

She even seemed a bit remorseful.

After disconnecting from Sweet Potato, Hu Ma thought carefully for a moment and then directly called Er Guotou. He sounded slightly out of breath. Hearing Hu Ma’s call, Er Guotou was practically overjoyed, "Excellent! I was just about to look for you."

Hu Ma said, "I also had some business, just got back to the Mingzhou area. What’s on your mind?"

"Brother Old White, let’s put other matters aside for now. I’ve run into some trouble here, and I urgently need your advice..."

Er Guotou said hurriedly, "Didn’t you previously latch onto that esteemed person in the mountains? Back then, brother, I thought your idea was a bit too daring. Only now do I realize it was sheer foresight..."

"Now, I really need to ask for your help. A group of Truth Sect Followers has come to Mingzhou Prefecture Mansion. They’re unbelievably arrogant and have already started causing trouble for Little Red Lantern..."

"The most crucial thing is this group’s background..."

"..."

He spoke with some hesitation, then tentatively asked, "Would it be convenient for you to ask that esteemed person for me... are the Truth Sect really his people?"

"So it’s about this?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Hu Ma had already heard about the situation here from Incense Master Xu, so he knew Er Guotou would definitely come to him with this question. He pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "Old brother, actually, it was because of this very matter that the esteemed person called me back from Shima Town..."

"But before we talk about that, I actually have something to ask you..."

"You’re a great walking ghost, widely experienced and knowledgeable. So, do you know how Blood Food should be transported?"

"...The kind that needs to be moved stealthily, without anyone knowing?"