Twilight Boundary-Chapter 537 - 528 Reasoning Hall Officer

Outside the manor, a black sedan moved in tandem with a dozen horse-riding Knights, drawing wails from ghosts all around and creating an ominous atmosphere for miles.

As they approached within three miles of the manor, they suddenly heard the bizarre sound of a suona being blown and a copper gong being struck. Out of nowhere, a group of figures emerged from the bushes by the roadside.

The sedan was carried by two robust yellow skins. Inside sat an old woman dressed in blue, adorned with flowers on her head. She was reeking of wine, a piece of egg skin hanging at the corner of her mouth, and held a pipe as she called out loudly, "Stop!"

"Where do you think you’re going? You’re disturbing the ghostly gods and unsettling the common folk. Don’t you know people have to go to the fields and work after the sun rises?"

"Hmm?"

The black sedan came to a halt. Everyone—from the one inside the sedan to the Maid beside it and the General on horseback—exchanged bewildered glances. The person holding the lantern beside them couldn’t help but shout, "How daring! To block the path of a distinguished person..."

"...And who might you be?"

This second question was unexpected but unavoidable, mainly because the one blocking their path was too peculiar.

"What am I doing?" Seventh Aunt suddenly became furious. She tapped the sedan’s armrest with her pipe and said, "Seventh Aunt is here to reason with you!"

Her words initially went unheard, but those who did hear them only grew more confused. From within the black sedan, a voice, laced with disbelief, called out, "So, that... person, actually sought out someone like you..."

"...to represent the Hu Family? To represent him in reasoning?"

"What? Can’t Seventh Aunt reason?"

Even the night breeze seemed to quieten. The person inside the sedan remained perplexed, while Seventh Aunt grew a bit angry. If it were any other accusation, the open-hearted Seventh Aunt wouldn’t have cared much. But to say Seventh Aunt was unreasonable was crossing a line.

Ever since Seventh Aunt had moved to this place a few days ago, she had lived by "reason," and many neighbors trusted her.

However, upon hearing Seventh Aunt’s words, the person in the sedan stayed silent, apparently thinking quickly. Beside them, the Heavenly Destiny General glanced down at the black sedan, his expression turning slightly cold, clearly showing some irritability.

He slowly urged his horse forward a few steps and said in a deep voice, "We have no intention of disturbing the common folk, nor do we wish to offend the Immortals. We merely seek someone in the manor ahead."

"That manor displays red lanterns; it belongs to the Red Lantern Lady and is not an Immortal incense ground. If the Immortals fear our commotion, we can extinguish our lanterns. We only wish to go to that manor and find the person. Would that be acceptable?"

"So what if it’s under the Red Lantern Lady?" Seventh Aunt grew impatient upon hearing this. "That Red Lantern Lady is my dear sister."

"You came to this place talking about following the rules, but you only behaved for a few days. Now you’re rampaging, killing people, and stealing grain, offending countless commoners and breaking who knows how many rules!"

"The local villagers are all cursing you for not even leaving them a mouthful of life-saving grain. It’s only because I, Seventh Aunt, am kind-hearted that I haven’t bothered with you. But since I’m here today, I won’t be giving you any face."

"I said no, and that means no! Go back where you came from!"

"You..." The Heavenly Destiny General frowned deeply at this.

Inside the sedan, a trembling voice spoke first, "Very well. Is this how you represent the Hu Family to reason?"

"You... since you’ve taken on this task of reasoning, can it be that you don’t even recognize me?"

"Eh?" Seventh Aunt squinted her small, beady eyes at the sedan. After a moment’s hesitation, she said suspiciously, "Is this person mad? You’re inside the sedan and won’t even lift the curtain. How am I supposed to recognize you?"

Hearing this belligerent and seemingly intentionally insulting retort, the person inside the sedan was momentarily speechless with anger.

Seeing that the argument was getting nowhere, the Heavenly Destiny General’s face turned cold. He suddenly shook the reins, urging his tall horse directly forward.

The horse was several times taller than Seventh Aunt. Its ominous approach in the night created immense pressure. This startled Seventh Aunt so much that her face changed color, and she nearly stumbled out of her shoes. The person inside the sedan was even more shocked by this movement.

But just as the Heavenly Destiny General was about to ride his horse right up to Seventh Aunt, a chilling gust of wind suddenly swept from behind her. In the deep darkness, a small girl appeared, clad in a red embroidered jacket, her hair in two horn-like pigtails.

The crucial thing was that the little girl carried a huge ghost head blade on her back. In a flash, she was before Seventh Aunt by the sedan, presenting the blade. "Here! For you."

Seventh Aunt had been startled by the rude man on horseback. She remembered Hu Ma’s earlier instructions: if she encountered those who wouldn’t listen, she should return to the manor to fetch the blade. However, the others had arrived so quickly that she hadn’t had a chance to break away.

When Little Hongtang delivered it, Seventh Aunt was overjoyed. She eagerly stretched out her hands to take it, but unexpectedly, the blade was too heavy. She couldn’t grasp it firmly, and it promptly fell to the ground.

With a SWOOSH, the blade separated from its half-sheathing wooden scabbard, its body plunging straight into the ground beside them.

The blade body emitted a BUZZ, and even the black bone held within the ghost head on the pommel trembled, instantly unleashing an overwhelming malice all around.

The Heavenly Destiny General’s face changed drastically. He quickly raised a sleeve to cover his face. The black sedan, the Maid beside it, and the Heavenly Destiny General’s subordinates were all startled by this sudden surge of malice.

It was as if they could hear the wails of Evil Ghosts reverberating from within their own bodies. The banners they carried behind them trembled violently, and their horses reared up, neighing in terror.

The Heavenly Destiny General was terrified. How can such a ferocious weapon exist? he thought, his eyes turning red as he reached for the weapon at his horse’s side.

"Stop!"

But at that very moment, amidst the chaos, the person inside the black sedan suddenly screamed. Her terror stemmed not only from the sedan curtain flapping violently due to the malice, but even more so from seeing Little Hongtang delivering the blade; she felt as if her very soul had fragmented.

For a moment, she even felt an overwhelming urge to rush out of the sedan and kneel. However, she wasn’t entirely sure and barely managed to restrain herself, though all her courage had utterly vanished.

When she spoke again, her voice was laced with panic and terror as she shouted, "Go! Retreat at once! Do not dare to be disrespectful!"

"What?" The Heavenly Destiny General jerked his head around, looking at the black sedan in disbelief, his eyes blazing with anger.

"I said, go!" The person inside the sedan had lost much of her composure, her gaze piercing through the sedan curtain. "Have you forgotten what we agreed upon before coming to Mingzhou?"

The Heavenly Destiny General remained silent. After a long pause, he slowly closed his eyes, as if using all his strength to suppress the fury within him. Finally, he pulled on the reins and slowly gestured to his dozen or so Knights.

Then, without a word, he allowed his horse, which had just barely calmed down, to slowly turn around and carry him, swaying, into the depths of the night.

"Eh? They’ve left?" Seventh Aunt, still on her sedan chair, was momentarily stunned. She curiously watched the departing figures and waved the shoe in her hand. "Lucky for you, you left quickly. Otherwise, Grandma here would have given you a taste of this sole!"

Thus, the sedan and the accompanying Knights, who had arrived with such imposing momentum, departed in oppressive silence. They traveled three or four miles before someone finally spoke, breaking the heavy atmosphere. The Heavenly Destiny General, listening, noted that the voice seemed normal, asking only three words: "Why is that?"

The person in the sedan remained silent, seemingly disinclined to respond. After a long while, she finally said, "What do you mean, ’why’?"

"You are a person of high status, while I was merely chosen by the Truth Sect." The Heavenly Destiny General, intentionally or not, maneuvered his horse closer to the sedan. His gaze, somewhat cold, was fixed on the roof of the sedan as he slowly said, "You are supposed to be of high birth, from a wealthy family, with keen judgment." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"But why, after all this time in Mingzhou, do I only see you cowering at shadows, afraid of everything? Matters that should have been long settled, you’re utterly unable to achieve?"

"Are you blaming me for stopping you?" The person inside the sedan replied after a considerable pause, her voice tinged with clear displeasure. In a low tone, she answered, "But in your eyes, that was just a little spirit. You don’t realize she was representing that person to reason with us!"

"If the one sent to reason with you fails, then sword catching will be next."

Hearing the words ’sword catching,’ even the Heavenly Destiny General paused gravely before saying in a somber voice, "I hail from the Truth Sect and have always held sufficient respect for the experts of the Path. I also know you are waiting for a certain expert here to make a statement..."

"...But his posturing is a bit too much."

Noticing the dissatisfaction in his heart, the person inside the sedan also fell silent. After a long while, she sighed softly, "Actually, I don’t know why he is so patient..."

"I could understand his distress, his pleas for help, even his complaints and tantrums. But why is he so stubbornly unwilling to show himself?"

"It’s not just you who is anxious; I am as well. And then there are the three venerable uncles, and the one they painstakingly invited to Mingzhou. Every day we wait, I don’t know how much patience is consumed..."

The Heavenly Destiny General let out a "Heh" but said nothing more.

However, the person in the sedan seemed to grow increasingly angry. "And we are willing to wait precisely because we all understand his grievances and are willing to indulge him..."

"But now, he has so casually given away the position of a Reasoning Hall Officer..."

"He has no idea what the Four Great Hall Officials represent. This also shows he is too immature, fundamentally unqualified to take up that responsibility..."

As she continued, even the Heavenly Destiny General was taken aback by the severity of her tone. He opened his mouth slightly, as if to speak, but then he heard the person in the sedan’s voice suddenly become stern:

"Stop complaining. Do your part. We also need to see him as soon as possible and make him understand a few things..."