Twilight Boundary-Chapter 520 - 512: Return to the Village to Retrieve the Treasure
Perhaps the Truth Sect, having been chosen, possessed some remarkable qualities. Or perhaps the Qingyuan Hu Family, now that they had arrived, harbored many plans. Or it could be that the Tongyin Meng family, after painstakingly orchestrating this whole setup, had a series of follow-up moves prepared.
But Hu Ma didn’t have the mind to stay outside and duel with them anymore. Now, he had mastered the skill of Entering the Mansion, broken through the Three Column Tao, and refined the Meng family’s Evil Ghost.
His reputation was clear and clean, making it the best time to retrieve the Hu Family heirloom.
So he went to retrieve it.
No matter what tricks or schemes the other side had, they couldn’t surpass the serious task of retrieving the Hu Family heirloom first.
It was because of this that after seeing Yang Gong’s current state and gaining a rough understanding of Mingzhou’s situation, he didn’t delay at all. Instead, he strode forward, borrowing the ability of the Heaven Measuring Boots, and headed deep into the Old Yin Mountain, back to Dayang Village.
With this extraordinary skill for traveling, it was no longer like before when riding a donkey or horse would take three to four days to get home; traversing the deep mountains and old forests took just over half a day.
He didn’t return to the village immediately. Instead, he found his way to the manor outside the village where the Second Master was staying. After returning the Heaven Measuring Boots, he tidied up his wind-blown robe at the foot of the mountain. Then, he took a piece of Blood Food weighing over four pounds, wrapped in oil paper, from the jar Little Hongtang was holding, and balanced it in his hand.
"Second Master, how has your health been lately?"
Upon entering the manor, his voice preceded him with a laugh. "I came back to visit you."
Inside the manor, the Second Master was with a group of youngsters, grandly instructing them in practicing. Upon seeing Hu Ma enter, he almost knocked over the teapot in surprise and exclaimed, "It’s not New Year or any other festival, why are you back?"
The group of children in the village looked up and saw Hu Ma, also quite astonished. They knew he was the most promising young man in the village, and their eyes were full of curiosity and awe.
"There’s nothing much, really. I just noticed that there’s famine everywhere outside. People who could eat their fill before are now hungry one meal and full the next. I didn’t know how our village was doing, so I came back to check and brought some food with me."
Hu Ma laughed. "Look, this is the meat I cut for you before coming, brought to replenish your health."
"Why are you bothering with such formalities?"
The Second Master hurriedly rose and invited Hu Ma into the house, speaking with disdain. "When did your Second Master ever lack meat if he wanted it? I could hunt in the forest; I wouldn’t be short this piece of meat from you."
After entering the house, he turned around and gave Hu Ma an up-and-down glance, an inexplicable satisfaction in his brow. Then he lowered his voice. "Did something happen to you, kid?"
"How come you came back to the village empty-handed this time?"
"And where’s your horse?"
"In the past, when you came back, it was in style with carriage and horse. Yet this time, it seems you just ran back?"
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Suddenly feeling anxious, afraid the kids outside might hear, he whispered, "You weren’t chased out by the Red Lantern Society, were you?"
Second Master’s concerns remain as straightforward as ever... Hu Ma couldn’t help but smile wryly. "What’s there to worry about, Second Master? I get along well with the Red Lantern Lady..."
"I said I brought food back, but the carts carrying the food are slow. I told them to take their time following behind. I’m not riding because I’ve been practicing my skills. Now that I’ve learned real skills, it doesn’t even take a day to return from the city."
He remembered and smiled. "Oh, right... Recently, I’ve been valued more by the society and have been promoted a bit..."
"What?"
The Second Master was puzzled by what Hu Ma said—about getting along well with the Red Lantern Lady and returning in one day. He thought this kid was just blowing hot air now. How could the Red Lantern Lady even know who he was? Covering such a large distance in a day? Did Hu Ma think he was a Flying Leg?
But none of this was as impactful as hearing the last sentence, which startled him. "Promoted again? Are you the Shopkeeper now?"
Hu Ma was just about to answer, but upon seeing the Second Master’s surprised expression, he held back. He realized that he needed to be considerate of the elder. If he laid out all his experiences from these years outside, the Second Master might not believe it and would just start worrying.
So he smiled and said, "Not exactly. I’m still a manager. It’s just that I was managing at the manor before, and now I’m managing at the Blood Food Mine... Of course, I’m getting paid more."
"Manager at the Blood Food Mine?"
The Second Master’s mind was immediately filled with images of the big, hearty Old Masters he dealt with every year. He felt slightly dizzy with joy, finding it a bit unreal, and quickly asked, "You aren’t just making this up, are you, kid?"
"If you’ve become a manager, doesn’t that mean you can take our village people to harvest Blood Food? Then who would dare withhold our wages? And we’d save a lot on tribute money every year!"
Hu Ma laughed. "I indeed have this plan. How about this, Second Master, next year you can lead the workforce to my mine to harvest Blood Food!"
Now the Second Master didn’t even question the truthfulness of the statement; even if it was false, he was happy.
As for the piece of Blood Food Hu Ma gave him, he didn’t even look at it and just tossed it into the jar for storing green food. Hu Ma saw this and wanted to remind him, but suddenly it didn’t seem necessary, so he let the Second Master leave it as it was.
Immediately after arranging for the group of young ones to work diligently in the manor, the Second Master locked the doors and went out with Hu Ma to see him back to the village.
On the way there, he asked, "What is this famine you mentioned? Nothing seems different in our village; it’s the same as every year. It’s not possible to have full meals every time, but we’re not at the point of starvation either..."
"In the Old Yin Mountain, the mountain lord ensures blessings. It’s definitely not the same as other places..."
Hearing the Second Master say this, Hu Ma felt slightly relieved. He pondered as they walked back together.
These mountain villages had little interaction with the outside world and had been impoverished for generations. However, this very trait allowed them to avoid harsh taxes and military disasters. In peaceful times, they couldn’t enjoy prosperity, but in times of chaos, they were less affected. This demonstrated a perfect balance of gains and losses.
Now, the villages and counties surrounding the Old Yin Mountain were starting to show some signs, but compared to other states and counties, they were still better off.
It was the mountain lord’s watch that brought such fortune to the eight hundred leagues of the Old Yin Mountain.
But because of this, it had turned into a granary in the eyes of others. Those with grand ambitions were the first to set their sights on such a place.
Back in the village, with the Second Master making a commotion, everyone soon knew Hu Ma had returned. The Old Clan Chief and several elders in the village also dropped what they were doing and came over.
Initially, seeing that Hu Ma had come back empty-handed—without a mule or horse for travel and not bringing anything—they felt a bit sad. It wasn’t that they were greedy for those things. They were just worried that something might have happened to Hu Ma outside, yet they couldn’t ask right away.
"Stop standing there gawking..."
The Second Master saw this and laughed in exasperation. "You all have such small minds! Let me tell you!"
"Little Huma has done well for himself now. He’s learned skills and is even a manager at the Blood Food Mine! He bought several cartloads of food, and they’re on their way to the village now. Why isn’t he riding a horse? Because he learned a Spell, and traveling with it is much faster than riding."
"Years ago, when I was out and about, I heard about people summoning Little Ghosts Carrying a Sedan Chair, and they ran amazingly fast!"
The Old Clan Chief and the elders in the village, upon hearing this, immediately turned their worries into joy. They surrounded Hu Ma, asking for details.
"I’ve only just started learning; I’m not that impressive yet... I can’t really summon Little Ghosts Carrying a Sedan Chair."
Hu Ma tried to make himself sound less boastful, explaining with a smile, "But it’s true I’m now at the Blood Food Mine, which will make future actions more convenient. I’m actually in need of some helpers, so people from the village could come over too..."
"...All this can be managed by the Second Master."
The villagers finally rejoiced, eagerly inquiring about how the others were doing.
Hu Ma told them one by one, mentioning Zhou Datong and Li. Both were doing well and had become managers, especially Li, who could now handle affairs independently.
Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu both studied diligently. Zhou Liang had become more mature and had good ideas when encountering problems. Zhao Zhu was even more formidable; his fork technique was extremely powerful, and since his return to the village, no one was his match.
In their joy, the Second Master arranged a feast. The families of Datong, Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and Li sent wine and food, leading to a lively celebration. During this, Hu Ma found a chance to ask, "Second Master, I have a little business on this trip back. How’s Old Yangpi Grandpa doing over there?"
The Second Master, hearing this, grew a bit worried. "Over there... the haunting is getting worse..."
"Back then, your Granny left some arrangements, so most things inside can’t come out. But the yin qi keeps getting denser. You can hear things crying inside even during the day, and at night, it’s as bustling as a fair..."
"Many people in Python Village can hardly stay and want to move out. Old Yangpi couldn’t hold back and went over once himself. He ended up bedridden for two months as a result."
"Actually, just a few days ago, he came to our village. He was hesitating, wanting to ask something, but I advised him to leave."
The Clan Leader and elders present also agreed. "It’s indeed true!"
"Even here, evil spirits seem to be more frequent."
"Now, if we go out, we need to carry twice as much pond ash. And as soon as the sun dips below the treetops, we have to hurry back. We’re afraid something will happen after dark."
The issue at Juehu Village shouldn’t be influencing us here, Hu Ma thought quietly. It might be for different reasons. In troubled times, evil spirits become more rampant, and even remote mountain villagers can’t escape that. It’s just that the Clan Leader doesn’t realize this and blames Juehu Village. Then he slowly said, "This can’t be blamed on Old Yangpi Grandpa."
"Our Granny promised them she’d help solve it within ten years. And now, it’s almost been ten years, right?"
"If he came to ask, it must have been about this?"
Upon hearing this, the Second Master lost his enthusiasm for drinking. He looked at Hu Ma worriedly. "But are you confident now?"
"I am."
Hu Ma didn’t say any more than necessary, just slowly nodded. "This trip back, I intend to go over and take a look."
