Twilight Boundary-Chapter 516 - 508

Everyone knew that the Red Lantern Lady was merely a newly consecrated case god with a modest shrine...

Meanwhile, the Truth Sect Leader, Zhong Benyi, was rumored to be the legendary Heavenly Destiny General. He was considered a figure ordained by destiny, protected by ghostly gods, and supported by nobles of mythology, renowned for his extraordinary Divine Skills. His followers all hailed him as a divine ruler descended from the heavens.

And now, this Heavenly Destiny General had appeared in public for the first time since arriving in Mingzhou, displaying his powers.

Yet, though a sudden, strong wind blew with great majesty, it couldn’t even extinguish a single red lantern, nor could it force back this minor case god. It suggested that his "destiny" perhaps held less substance than claimed...

In that instant, it felt as if everyone had a breath caught in their throats, unable to release it.

Amidst countless gazes, the man on the back of the Red Fire Bull remained silent, apparently surprised by the depth of the Red Lantern Lady’s strength.

He also regretted not using his full strength, fearing casualties. He felt that just a little more effort would have subdued the Red Lantern Lady.

But in front of so many eyes, it was no longer appropriate to press the attack. Thus, he merely paused, then slowly looked up at the red lantern floating in the air and said calmly, "Given the urgent circumstances, I must act as I see fit. I must ask the Red Lantern Lady for her understanding and hope she will not blame this general for any impoliteness."

"I have come to Mingzhou because the world suffers endlessly. Natural disasters and human conflicts are common, evil spirits are rampant, yin and yang are in disarray, and Evil Ghosts prey on people. I wish only to raise a Rebel Army, marching from north to south, to eliminate these blights and bandits, and restore peace and order to the people of the world."

"Now, with great ambitions and a following of one hundred thousand righteous men, I possess abundant passion but lack provisions. Therefore, I have come to Mingzhou to borrow one hundred thousand dan of grain and one thousand altars of Blood Food to sustain my forces and achieve this great undertaking."

"Once these blights and bandits are quelled, and I return to civilian life, I will repay this debt tenfold. I swear this on a blood oath, for heaven, earth, and all ghostly gods to witness!"

...

Upon hearing his words, everyone present—whether members of the Red Lantern Society or the nobles who had followed him out of the city—was visibly astonished.

The Blood Food Gang usually transported Blood Tai Sui in ten-jin altars. His request for one thousand altars amounted to ten thousand jin of Blood Food!

Even if the Blood Food Gang thrived on Blood Food, how could they possess over ten thousand jin of such a precious commodity?

The crucial point was that his polite demeanor and righteous pronouncements carried an undeniable pressure. This caused the various cults and factions to glance worriedly at the Red Lantern Lady, as if they could feel the invisible weight settling upon her.

The night air was cold and still. The red lantern’s glow was eerie and radiant, yet it remained motionless.

At this juncture, the Left Protector of the Red Lantern Society, Shen Hongzhi, could no longer remain hidden. She stepped forward coldly, wiping the blood splatters from her face, and sneered, "Heh, your words are pleasant enough. If you are truly here to borrow Blood Food, then it is not entirely out of the question for us to negotiate."

"But you sent men to attack us without so much as a word of warning. Explain yourself, what is the meaning of this?"

...

Upon hearing her, the Heavenly Destiny General frowned and glanced at her. His eyes were cold, possessing a frigid intensity that made one want to look away.

The Left Protector met his gaze, her heart trembling slightly, but she quickly recovered. Instead of flinching, she stared right back at him, glaring fiercely.

The Heavenly Destiny General’s brow furrowed slightly, his gaze sweeping over the two Altar Masters of the Truth Sect present. The Truth Sect was known for its iron discipline; they would not lightly forgive anyone who disobeyed his orders and rashly initiated conflict.

Meeting his stare, the two Altar Masters hurriedly knelt and said, "It must be a misunderstanding, General! We did indeed see someone waving the Truth Sect’s banner and causing trouble over at the Red Lantern Society’s grounds, but it was absolutely not our people. We implore the General to investigate thoroughly."

The Red Lantern Society’s Left Protector shouted, "All our brothers in the Red Lantern Society saw and heard it with their own eyes and ears! How could they be mistaken?"

These two, having been unwittingly dragged into the fight, were utterly bewildered. They couldn’t articulate a defense and could only kowtow to the Heavenly Destiny General.

"There must be something suspicious about this matter," the Heavenly Destiny General said. "Perhaps some audacious demon people impersonated our Truth Sect and disturbed the peace. Rest assured, Red Lantern Lady, I will investigate this thoroughly and give the Red Lantern Society a proper accounting."

Having spoken, he waved his hand grandly and commanded, "Seize these two! Strip them of their positions as Altar Masters and interrogate them rigorously. If it is true that they disrespected the Red Lantern Lady first, I will personally take their heads and offer them before the Red Lantern Lady’s altar!"

Hearing his grim pronouncement, those beside him immediately stepped forward, restrained the pair, disarmed them, and bound them securely. The two men looked utterly wronged, yet dared not resist in the slightest.

All around, those witnessing this scene were inwardly startled, somewhat intimidated by the True Destiny General’s imposing aura. At the same time, innumerable gazes turned toward him. Those with less insight merely perceived it as the True Destiny General humbling himself, seemingly losing face.

However, those with sharper perception understood that he had skillfully maneuvered the Red Lantern Society into a difficult position. He had given them ample face, yet simultaneously backed them into a corner. With this precedent set, would they lend the Blood Food or not?

"Leave some people here to stand guard," Shen Hongzhi ordered, taking a deep breath as she faced the countless gazes, both overt and covert. Though somewhat impulsive by nature, she was intelligent enough to recognize the pressure she was under and began making arrangements. "Help the injured brothers back to town and treat their wounds with black oil ointment."

"Incense Burners, mount your horses! Accompany me to escort the Lady back!"

"Yes!"

People bustled to carry out her orders. Someone approached and asked, "Should we open the warehouse to check if the Blood Food is alright?"

"No need."

The Left Protector shook her head. "There has been bloodshed here, and people have died. It’s too dangerous to open the warehouse in the dead of night. Wait until everything is cleaned up and the rooster has crowed, then you can open it and inspect the contents."

She actually felt the situation wasn’t too dire. After all, they had been guarding the area around the warehouse constantly, and her brothers had fought desperately to defend it. No one had managed to get near the warehouse doors.

With instructions given, she prepared to return to the temple in Zhu Men Town to discuss matters.

Before departing, she subconsciously glanced through the crowd. "Where is that very diligent Little White Waist from earlier? I think I’ve seen her before but can’t recall her name. If she’s found, she deserves a promotion."

I haven’t even started distributing anything, and I’ve already profited...

Sweet Potato, meanwhile, had already fled over ten miles amidst the chaos and found a quiet, deserted grave. Crouching down, she took out a thick stack of paper money and, after a quick count, exclaimed with elation, "It’s always better to profit from the lives of your own people..."

After returning from the mountain and racing Old White, I spent half the paper money I’d saved for years. Now, I’ve earned back quite a bit...

...

Beaming with pride, she took a handful of paper money, scattered it into the air, and chanted sonorously while stomping her foot, "I beseech the Five-direction ghost soldiers! May the Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Generals reveal their True Spirit! I request the True Spirit to lift my sedan; three blade paper money shall buy our passage and pave the way!"

With the chant complete, she stomped her foot again. As the paper money fluttered to the ground, countless tiny ghost heads popped up from beneath the earth, all looking jubilant.

"Grandma is hiring sedan bearers again?"

"Me, me! Grandma is so generous with her money! I even called my third aunt and eighth auntie over..."

...

Indeed, this Grandma’s reputation for generosity when hiring sedan bearers had spread far and wide. At her summons, hordes of little ghosts appeared. Even a little ghost from within that very grave popped its head out, enviously eyeing the paper money that had landed near Sweet Potato’s feet.

"Ha-ha, ha-ha..."

Seeing so many enthusiastic little ghosts, Sweet Potato was overjoyed. "Come on, everyone, come on! Grandma has plenty of reward money! Quickly, bring my sedan over..."

Instantly, a spectral wind howled, and a torrent of Yin Ghosts surged forward. From a distance, they resembled a black tide engulfing a paper sedan. An uninformed observer might have mistaken it for the Ghost King himself on a tour, escorted by the Hundred Ghosts.

At this rate, Elder Old White might not be able to beat me in a footrace anymore...

Sitting in the paper sedan, enjoying the adulation of the little ghosts, she grew even more smug. I just wonder how Elder Old White’s Magic is progressing. If we really manage to score thousands of jin of Blood Food from this, wouldn’t I need two sedans in the future?

「... ...」

After the crowds dispersed and the chaos finally subsided, Hu Ma found himself standing before a row of large vats, feeling somewhat dazed.

It wasn’t—really wasn’t due to ignorance, but rather... This haul was a bit exaggerated.

He had heard from Incense Master Xu that the Blood Food Storage might contain over ten thousand jin of Blood Food. This news had thrilled him, but he had remained level-headed, knowing it was likely an exaggeration. After all, Incense Master Xu managed personnel and couldn’t personally enter the storage to take inventory.

Realistically, he thought, seven or eight thousand jin in this storage would be an ideal amount. Since there were two such storages, one of them holding three to four thousand jin would be the absolute limit.

Yet now, looking at the contents moved from just one storage, there were ten large vats.

He roughly estimated that if each large vat held over a thousand jin of Blood Food, then ten vats would mean fifteen or even sixteen thousand jin!

Was there really this much Blood Food in Mingzhou’s Blood Food Storage?

He glanced at Little Hongtang. She looked exhausted and was leaning against the wall to rest. Yet, whenever her gaze fell upon the ten vats, a weary but blissful smile would spread across her face.

"Come, Little Hongtang, have some supper..."

His heart ached seeing her like this. Hu Ma casually opened one of the vats, took out an oilcloth-wrapped piece of Blood Food from the top, unwrapped it, tore off a small chunk, and offered it to Little Hongtang.

Little Hongtang’s eyes lit up instantly, but then she suddenly grew wary. "Ten pieces!"

"Yes, yes."

Hu Ma chuckled. "Little Hongtang has been so diligent, I’ll give you twenty pieces."

"But eating too much of this isn’t good for you. How about I save the rest for you, and give it to you when you’re hungry again, okay?"

Little Hongtang looked as if she had won a grand prize. Her usually grim, ghostly little face lit up with a smile so bright it seemed like sunshine. Hu Ma patted her small head contentedly, sneering inwardly, Heh heh, Little Hongtang, oh Little Hongtang, you’re still too naive...

Never mind twenty pieces; even if I gave you a hundred jin from each vat, I’d still be profiting immensely...