Twilight Boundary-Chapter 530 - 521: Chaos Begins to Emerge

In the village, people often worked at sunrise and rested at sunset.

Dusk was the boundary; life and death had their order. Before dusk, it was the world of the living; when night fell, it became the world of the dead. This boundary had long been chaotic outside. The living with skills, even at night, could do whatever they wished.

Bold evil spirits, even after the rooster crowed, dared to harm people under the glaring sun. However, in this village, these rules were usually adhered to.

But on this day, they could not be bothered. From the afternoon onwards, a lively, continuous feast was set up, inviting people to eat.

It was not only to send off the unfortunate young and old of Stone Box Village but also to slightly ease the oppression of the past decade.

Additionally, Python Village, represented by Old Yangpi, was truly grateful and even envious of Dayang Village for producing a talent like Hu Ma. Therefore, they slaughtered sheep and chickens, making quite a scene. Other villages that heard the news also came to celebrate.

Of course, it was not just feasting but also incense-burning. This took place not only at the old fire pit but also at the now-restored village boundary of Stone Box Village. They prayed to the mountain deities, thanking them for their protection and for dispelling the evil spirits and yin souls from Stone Box Village.

Hu Ma could have argued at this point, saying he solved it himself, so what did it have to do with the mountain deities?

But the village elders didn’t care for such talk. Regardless of who solved it, worshiping the deities was never wrong.

Watching the bustling village, and the incense smoke wafting outside it, Hu Ma remembered the mountain lord who had always been busy attending to matters for the Hu Family.

He thought of how such a stately Mansion God had not been properly worshiped in many years, and smiled as he said to Second Master, "When Datong and I, along with the others, come back for New Year and ancestor worship this year, shall we also hold a sacrifice for the mountain?"

"Ah..."

Second Master was clearly surprised by Hu Ma’s words. He whispered, "Don’t mess around. Second Master knows you’ve become successful, even going to the blood food mine to be a manager, but you should still weigh things properly in your heart!"

"Can you just decide to hold a sacrifice for the mountain whenever you want?"

"You need official status and a reputation before you can lead the entire clan, young and old, to kowtow and burn incense to the Mountain God!"

"Speaking of sacrifices for the mountain, our village is more eager than anyone. After all, the higher the status of the Old Master who enjoys our incense offerings, the greater the protection he bestows upon our village. If the Mountain God accepts our sacrifice, people from the village wouldn’t even need to carry pond ash when they go out."

"But this matter cannot be rushed. At the very least, it must wait until you younger ones have truly made a great achievement and earned a significant name for yourselves outside."

It seems the mountain lord will have to wait quite a while to enjoy this feast... Hu Ma thought, then smiled and said, "Make a name for myself? That could actually be quite fast. Maybe in a few months when I return, I’ll have enough standing..."

"This..."

Second Master listened but refused to believe, simply shaking his head. "People say the greater the skill, the more modest the words."

"But you’re the opposite. The greater your skill, the bigger your talk. A few months?"

"What, do you think you can become a Great General in just the few months before New Year?"

Hu Ma didn’t quite know how to explain it to Second Master for a moment. After all, Second Master had his own way of judging things.

For instance, Second Master considered Hu Ma’s greatest achievement to be becoming a minor manager within the Blood Food Society, specifically managing the Blood Food Gang. In Second Master’s eyes, even Hu Ma’s ability to resolve the evil spirits of Stone Box Village paled in comparison to this managerial status.

Little did Second Master know, the ability to resolve the evil spirits in Stone Box Village was considered an earth-shattering feat outside, almost enough to have the Red Lantern Lady herself come and make his bed.

But since Second Master was so pleased, Hu Ma certainly couldn’t contradict him and just laughed, "What if?"

Whether it could be achieved depended on how the Truth Sect outside the mountains acted...

After obtaining the Hu Family’s token, and before Second Master and the others found their way in, Hu Ma had a brief conversation with the mountain lord. From him, Hu Ma learned that the Truth Sect outside the mountains had already forced the Mingzhou Prefecture government to perform a sacrifice for the mountain. They were clearly intending to flex their muscles and begin collecting taxes.

Whether the mountain lord accepted their offering mattered little to them; once they had made their announcement, they spared no further courtesy.

However, it was visibly apparent that this grain collection was not proceeding smoothly.

After all, in Mingzhou Prefecture, grain hadn’t been collected for twenty years. The rural folk, scraping a living from the earth, tilled the Landlords’ fields; paying rent to the Landlords was considered natural and proper.

But having already paid for this harvest, why should they pay again?

Moreover, with grain prices soaring and the harvest being merely average, if they handed it over, what would they eat?

As for the Landlords, they certainly wouldn’t pay. The more conscientious among them might suggest sharing the burden: if the village had a hundred households, they’d pay their share for one household, regardless of how much land they owned. Why should they be asked for more? Those rascals and troublemakers, they have grain in their urns, let the collectors go get it from them...

Of course, in the eyes of the tax collectors, they might even feel they were getting a bargain. The wealth of Mingzhou was incomparable to other regions. Collecting a hundred thousand piculs from Mingzhou could solve their urgent needs, and for Mingzhou itself, it wouldn’t cause serious harm. So, why not pay?

Unfortunately, those with grain simply refused to pay, while those without grain were burdened with their share of these hundred thousand piculs. If they paid, they would starve.

It was precisely because of this—knowing from the start that the Truth Sect was surveying land and even checking how much grain was in household urns—that Hu Ma knew things would get out of hand. So, he had casually given Yang Gong a heads-up in advance.

Even when discussing this with the mountain lord, Hu Ma’s firm conviction on this point, without a shred of doubt, surprised the mountain lord somewhat.

"Regarding what’s happening outside now, it’s just as you predicted," the mountain lord sighed. "Those with grain are the ones who don’t pay, while those without can’t even protect their meager bit of grain. The more pressure applied, the greater the chaos. It makes sense."

"However, you’ve been in the mountains all this time, isolated from the outside. How did you foresee this so accurately?"

Isn’t this all clearly written in books? Hu Ma thought at the time, rather surprised by the mountain lord’s words. Even a poor student like myself can easily make such a judgment.

But in this world, it sometimes truly felt as if he possessed the foresight of an expert.

Could it be... he wondered, a vague realization dawning on him. Is this the content of the Three Volumes of Heavenly Books that Great Master Daliang spoke of?

He didn’t rush to leave the village, instead staying put for a few days. He took the time to sort through everything: the Hu Family’s token he had just obtained, the information acquired about Reincarnators, the current overall situation, and even the matter of the Hu Family’s distant relatives and the Truth Sect, who were eyeing everything fiercely, practically mad with hunger.

Meanwhile, he continually sent Little Hongtang to visit the mountain lord to understand the situation outside. He weighed the importance and urgency of each matter in his heart, gradually determining his most crucial current task.

A few days into his stay in the mountains, chaos had already erupted in Mingzhou Prefecture.

When Truth Sect Followers first arrived in Mingzhou, they were very disciplined and had quickly gained a good reputation. But as minor tax officials began venturing into the countryside, things started to change.

Mingzhou Prefecture had gone unnoticed for twenty years and had only a handful of tax collectors. They operated under the name of the Mingzhou Prefecture government, so even the mountain lord couldn’t interfere with their collection of grain and taxes. But what grain was ever easy to collect?

When tax officials were seen entering the countryside, people in some places with simple folk traditions met them with hoes. Even destitute families pleaded desperately, counting on their fingers the little grain in their urns, which wasn’t even enough to last until spring. If it were taken, people would die that winter.

These minor tax officials were powerless to collect taxes. It was the Truth Sect Followers accompanying them who began to take charge.

They still adhered to the rules, collecting exactly what was supposedly owed, no more.

But not a single grain less.

There was a family that had suffered from a mountain flood the previous year, reaping only half their usual harvest. According to their land ownership, however, they were supposed to pay four piculs of grain. The man of the house was fearful and willing to pay two piculs just to keep the peace, but the Truth Sect Followers merely laughed.

"Nothing in the world escapes reason. Paying the Imperial Grain is only right and proper. You haven’t paid for twenty years; that’s all being calculated for your family now!"

"Asking for thirty piculs wouldn’t be excessive. We’re only charging four, considering your survival, and you’re still dissatisfied?"

As they spoke, one of them made a move to snatch the grain. The man, in desperation, swung a broomstick at the Truth Sect Follower’s head. The Follower didn’t even turn; his waist knife flashed from its sheath and back again. CRACK! The man’s head split in two, and he died standing there, eyes vacant.

"Nothing in the world escapes reason. You hit me once, so I hit you once. That’s fair and square!"

As the Follower spoke, he waved his hand. "Collect the grain!"

The family was terrified; the wife and children cried together. Neighbors gathered around but dared not intervene.

It was one of the village’s wealthy Landlords, a benevolent man so rare he was like one in ten thousand, who couldn’t bear the sight. He came forward, weeping and pleading, "We are all fellow villagers; please spare this family..."

"Our granary has some grain. We’ll offer forty piculs to the Heavenly Destiny General..."

So, these Followers went to the Landlord’s house, opened his granary, and loaded up the forty piculs he had promised.

Then, they returned to the home of the man who had just died and said, "One is one, and two is two. His family volunteered to give forty piculs, so from now on, they must give forty piculs every season. Your family is only being asked for four; that’s already letting you off easy. Not a single grain can be missing."

Hearing this, the neighbors were outraged. With a shout, they rushed forward to attack.

The Truth Sect Follower, hand on his waist knife, seemed to have anticipated this. He let out a booming laugh, his figure resembling an Evil Ghost. Then, he exhaled a breath of yin qi, causing the dozen or so strong young men rushing at him to weaken and collapse, unable to move.

"Why should you here be well-fed and clothed, while we over there must starve so much that we consider trading our own sons for a pot of food?"

"If I were lenient with you today, would our folks back there deserve to starve to death?"

He spoke in a low voice, his demeanor sinister. "Not a single grain can be missing!"