Twilight Boundary-Chapter 513 - 505: Hong Tang Moving Wealth

In the end, I still have to rely on Sister Hong Tang...

Actually, all along, the deeper Hu Ma had delved into the matters of the Path, the more he could discern the differences between Little Hongtang and other little ghosts.

Firstly, she was sensible. Little Hongtang always seemed slightly smarter than other little ghosts. Of all the ghosts he had encountered, in terms of intelligence, she should rank second.

The first was Miss Red Wine’s General Jinge. Not only could he charge onto the battlefield, defeat enemies, and subdue ghosts, but he also had the skills to cook and serve tea. Compared to him, Little Hongtang still had some way to go.

Another point was her greater ability to resist Blood Food compared to other little ghosts.

This was a deeply hidden trait. On the surface, Little Hongtang seemed just like other little ghosts. She was eager when seeing Blood Food, rushing to eat it once she had it. But as long as she was seriously told, she could resist and wouldn’t eat even if she craved it.

Of course, there were other peculiar traits, such as her considerable strength, her fondness for old items, and her habit of picking things up in a basket. These were oddities that Hu Ma couldn’t thoroughly investigate. When he asked her, she would look utterly bewildered.

Perhaps these things are also related to her background. It seems I’ll only find out when I see Granny again.

Nonetheless, this didn’t hinder the important task at hand. He first led Little Hongtang back to the Manor. Seeing a Blood Food Pill still in Little Hongtang’s basket, Hu Ma felt relieved and first went to instruct Li:

"Don’t ask anything else for now. Today, you take everyone, have an early meal, and after eating, stay hidden in your rooms and don’t come out."

"Remember, keep a close watch on them. Under no circumstances are they allowed to come out. Even if they need to urinate, they must do it in a bucket..."

"..."

Li listened as if facing a formidable enemy and hurriedly went to make the arrangements.

Meanwhile, Hu Ma took advantage of the afternoon to make careful preparations around the Manor. Setting up this altar wasn’t for any other reason than the concern that something might go wrong during the task, ensuring he could bring Little Hongtang back at any moment.

After setting up the altar, he carefully followed the method Er Guotou had shared with him yesterday, meticulously writing a ghost-expelling paper.

This ghost-expelling paper had particular requirements: it needed to have the direction, the Imperial Decree, and the two-hour period on it. Simply put, it told the little ghost what to do, ensuring it didn’t go to the wrong place or take the wrong thing. Another purpose was that it served as a certificate.

With this ghost-expelling paper, it could be proven that the spell-caster had invited the little ghost to perform this task, and it wasn’t the ghost causing trouble on its own initiative.

If trouble arose in the future and a lawsuit was needed in the underworld, this certificate would show who was responsible.

Hu Ma felt that he was so familiar with Little Hongtang that such detailed distinctions shouldn’t be necessary. Still, as it was his first time using the Five Ghosts Move Wealth Method, he was thorough in every step to avoid any mishaps.

Only after writing everything clearly did he call Little Hongtang down from the beam and, with a smile, ask, "Was the Blood Food Pill tasty?"

Little Hongtang nodded vigorously. "Tasty."

Hu Ma laughed. "Then, would Little Hongtang like to eat it every day in the future?"

Little Hongtang’s eyes shone even brighter as she responded loudly and firmly, "Yes!"

"Our good days are coming." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Seeing Little Hongtang happy made Hu Ma happy too. He laughed and said, "Tonight, will you help me fetch a batch of Blood Food, alright?"

Little Hongtang’s eyes brightened to their utmost, then she shook her head and said, "No."

"?"

Hu Ma was bewildered.

Little Hongtang said, "Granny said we mustn’t steal things. Previously, when you had me steal someone else’s cured meat, Granny scolded me."

"..."

This really is a surprise. I hadn’t expected that after all the preparations, the final obstacle... would turn out to be Little Hongtang’s moral compass?

So he let out a long breath and could only patiently explain, "It’s not stealing. How could we let a smart and adorable child like Little Hongtang steal things?"

"That batch of Blood Food is already ours. I earned it, and it’s for Little Hongtang as a snack for the future. It’s just stored a bit far away, so we need Little Hongtang to run an errand and bring that Blood Food to the Manor."

"Of course, we can’t let you make the trip for nothing. For every jar you bring back, you’ll get ten... one Blood Food Pill, okay?"

"..."

Little Hongtang listened, her eyes lighting up once again. "One for every jar?"

Hu Ma nodded. "Yes, one for every jar."

"It’s just that we’re worried others will get envious, so when Little Hongtang moves them over, you mustn’t be seen by anyone else. We’ll go quietly and come back quietly, then hide the Blood Food in the Manor and eat it slowly, alright?"

"..."

Little Hongtang grew more delighted as she listened, nodding vigorously, already full of motivation.

Hu Ma finally felt relieved; it was settled.

Thus, together with Li and the others, they had dinner before it grew dark, and then they quickly returned to their rooms.

Behind the Manor, Hu Ma waited until midnight. He then took out the incense table he had prepared, placed Little Hongtang’s Bazi Tie on it, and burned the ghost-expelling paper.

Holding a small flag in his hand, he slowly pointed forward. "It’s up to you, Little Hongtang!"

Little Hongtang had long been captivated by the scenes Hu Ma described of eating Blood Food every day. As soon as she received the order, she joyfully dashed out. The moment she passed through the door, she transformed into a gust of yin wind and drifted northward.

Hu Ma let out a low breath and sat down, keeping watch over a pair of incense candles, patiently waiting. With Little Hongtang’s help, performing the spell to move wealth wasn’t difficult. What remained to be seen was Sweet Potato’s capability in handling matters...

Little Hongtang’s only task was to transport the Blood Food, not to fight. Moreover, this Five Ghosts Move Wealth Method lacked stealth and was relatively easy for others to notice. Therefore, Hu Ma required someone to create chaos where the spell was being cast to facilitate Little Hongtang’s actions.

She agreed readily enough, but those Truth Sect Followers guarding the location seem quite capable. Can she actually handle them?

「...」

While Hu Ma was worrying, to the northwest of Zhu Gate Town, outside Mingzhou Prefecture, near a three-way intersection, stood the Blood Food Storage, disguised as an ordinary farmhouse. The Red Fragrance disciples of the Red Lantern Society and the Truth Sect disciples guarding the Magic Altar were each reaching their most weary state.

They glanced at each other from afar, complex emotions within them, then snorted coldly and looked away.

"This Red Lantern Society indeed has some nerve."

A team wielding a banner approached to relieve the altar guards. Casting a glance toward the Red Lantern Society’s encampment, one of the current altar guards sneered, "Since we followed Heavenly Destiny General here, even the Mingzhou Prefectural Office has to open its gates to welcome us and treat us with careful hospitality."

"Any petty official in charge of punishments or taxes gets whatever they ask for, yet this Red Lantern Lady, a mere minor case god, actually intends to seize the contents of this Blood Food Storage?"

"..."

"Heh, if she wants to guard it, then let her guard it."

Another altar guard, about to go off duty, lowered his voice. "We’re here for a big mission. Heavenly Destiny General embodies the Mandate of Heaven. Let alone Blood Food, everything in Mingzhou is ours."

"We’re just observing proper conduct now, conversing amicably with all parties."

"I’ve heard that in other places, troops are gathered directly to attack cities and temples. After capturing a city, they can even enjoy three days of festivities!"

"But this place is different; it’s mostly peaceful. Yet at critical moments, someone needs to be made an example of!"

"Our Heavenly Destiny General wants to establish his might. Who could be more suitable for that than this insignificant case god?"

"..."

The two of them spoke and then laughed together, clearly not taking the Red Lantern Society seriously. In fact, all the Truth Sect Followers felt this way; they never worried that anyone in this small Mingzhou would be audacious enough to provoke them.

Just as they were preparing to hand over their duties at the Magic Altar and leave for rest, they suddenly saw a banner floating in the distant, dark night. It wasn’t heading their way but was drifting toward where the Red Lantern Society was stationed. Colorful ribbons fluttered beneath the banner, and shadowy figures could be seen, though not clearly. The word "Truth" was visible on the banner.

"Eh?"

The two men were stunned. "The relief has already arrived. Which group of brothers does that banner belong to?"

"They’re not coming this way, but heading towards the Red Lantern Society. Is it so late at night that they’ve taken the wrong path?"

"..."

As they were pondering, they saw the banner had already neared the Blood Food Storage. The Red Lantern Society members immediately grew tense, raising their blades and spears, their eyes fixed on the banner.

Before they could say anything, they suddenly saw the figures beneath the banner clearly: a group of heavily made-up women, their postures extremely seductive. They wore not a stitch of clothing and walked towards them, laughing foolishly.

An eerie, lingering voice, accompanied by the yin wind, echoed in their ears: "Sun Erniu, come quickly! A bride has been arranged for you at home..."

"Shen Hongzhi, your family is calling you home! You don’t need to get married anymore..."

"..."

This sudden scene left the Red Lantern Society’s members momentarily dazed and losing their composure. Even Left Protector Shen Hongzhi showed some confusion.

She was so stunned that she almost responded. But just as the words reached her lips, she suddenly came to her senses. She quickly stepped back and rubbed her eyes. Only then did she see that there were no seductive women in the night, only two paper men with eerie grins, floating backward with the wind.

The next moment, a gust of yin wind rolled towards them. From beneath the banner, countless figures drifted out, flying towards them with stiff, eerie smiles. They were all paper men, a sight that made one’s scalp tingle.

"How bold!"

She suddenly shivered as she realized the issue and angrily shouted, "How dare the Truth Sect be so insolent as to use such Sorcery to harm people?"

"..."

Meanwhile, on the other side, the two Truth Altar Masters who were about to be relieved were dumbfounded. They stared blankly at each other. "Who is that? The General hasn’t given the order, so how dare they make a move against the Red Lantern Society?"

Before either side could fully react, chaos had already erupted. Amidst the pandemonium, deep in the darkness of the night, Sweet Potato was shouting, his eyes gleaming with excitement:

Senior Old White really looked out for me, only giving me such a small task. This is just too easy...

Isn’t it just a matter of stirring up some chaos...

We might not dare to provoke the Truth Sect, but surely we can handle the Red Lantern Society?