Twilight Boundary-Chapter 541 - 532 Golden Carp Evil
"What in the world is this?"
The Red Lantern Society and the Truth Sect hadn’t completely broken ties yet. When the latter’s members arrived, the Truth Sect greeted them politely. Both parties wore smiles, utterly unprepared for what Gua Shao would say next.
In an instant, the two Altar Masters were dumbfounded, and so were the onlookers.
Yet Gua Shao just glanced around. She still appeared meek and gentle, as if unused to seeing so many people and somewhat shy. She said, "That’s what the Lady said. There’s no Blood Food left at all; it’s all been stolen."
"Stolen?"
The two Altar Masters in front of the government office finally reacted, immediately shouting angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting? Is Blood Food something that can be easily stolen?"
"What you’re saying does make sense." Gua Shao looked bewildered. "When I was a child, following my Master to learn skills, I also heard that Blood Food isn’t like gold and silver. Ghostly gods cannot bestow power upon it. No matter how great one’s abilities, it’s impossible to move it out of thin air..."
Even the two Altar Masters couldn’t help but look at her. Weren’t they saying...?
But before they could speak, Gua Shao continued, "But our Lady also said that the Blood Food in the Blood Food Storage was indeed empty. We don’t know how it happened; it just vanished overnight."
The two Altar Masters were so furious their mouths trembled. They simultaneously felt as if struck by lightning. What? Is the Red Lantern Society not even bothering to come up with a proper excuse?
"Not only that..." Gua Shao paused, then looked at the two Altar Masters with a smile. "The time it went missing coincides precisely with when your Truth Sect attacked the Red Lantern Society. Old Masters of the Truth Sect, didn’t you also..."
"How bold!"
"You concoct such a reason, and it’s one thing if you won’t hand over the Blood Food, but do you also mean to claim that our Truth Sect stole it?"
Not just these two Altar Masters, but even the onlookers understood. They looked at each other, their scalps tingling. Was the Red Lantern Society, by not only refusing to hand over the Blood Food but also using veiled threats, preparing to completely break ties with the Truth Sect?
Seeing the two envoys fuming, Gua Shao couldn’t help but shrink back, saying, "Old Masters, please don’t be angry. I’m just a humble messenger; I wouldn’t dare accuse the Old Masters of the Truth Sect. I’m just relaying what the Lady said..."
"...If you really can’t bring yourselves to admit it, just say I stole it!"
"You..." The fire in the hearts of the two Altar Masters surged uncontrollably. They glared at this Little White Waist, their eyes practically ready to devour her. But seeing her appear genuinely frightened, shivering, they realized she was just a scapegoat.
Perhaps sending someone of such low rank to deliver the message was the Red Lantern Society’s deliberate way to humiliate the Truth Sect. Otherwise, why hadn’t their two Protectors come? At the very least, if one of the Three Great Incense Masters had come, it would have been somewhat acceptable...
They now realized that the crowd was growing, and everyone wore expressions of surprise and bewilderment. The Red Lantern Society had indeed been gaining some momentum in Mingzhou recently, but compared to the Truth Sect, anyone with eyes could see they weren’t on the same level. Especially since the Truth Sect not only had its own strong foundations but, crucially, also had the support of the Hu family. Never mind the Red Lantern Society; even the nobles and government officials of Mingzhou had to be deferential to them.
But now, when all the nobles in Mingzhou City had already submitted, how was it that this mere jianghu sect was being so stubbornly defiant? Furthermore, recalling that the Red Lantern Society had once driven Plum Blossom Lane away, was it possible that they also...?
Even the two Altar Masters realized something was amiss. Too many people were gathering, and the situation’s impact was too large. This was a critical time when they needed people. A disobedient Red Lantern Society could potentially instigate others to have second thoughts. Thus, their faces turned sullen, and one said coldly, "Very well, very well indeed!"
"This is the message your Lady sent you to deliver?"
Gua Shao shrank back her head and spoke quietly, "There’s more, but the Old Master is so intimidating. I’m afraid you’ll hit me, so I dare not say it..."
The Altar Master on the left immediately glared and shouted coldly, "Who’s making things difficult for a messenger? Speak!"
"Alright then..." Gua Shao said cautiously, "Our Left Protector also said, if you really want it, a thousand altars are out of the question. But ten or twenty loads... if you really have the nerve to demand them, then we might as well give them to you..."
"Such audacity, humiliating our Truth Sect like this?" Ten or twenty loads wasn’t a small amount, but upon hearing this, the two Altar Masters felt their hair practically stand on end. They shouted, "And what if we don’t want them?"
"Then it’s war!" Gua Shao’s voice suddenly rose significantly. "Anyway, our entire society, old and young, numbers three to five hundred souls. We don’t believe your Truth Sect can slaughter every last one of us!"
BOOM!
Upon hearing this, the area erupted into chaos. Whether they were nobles, government officials, people from the jianghu, or even Truth Sect followers, everyone who heard this sentence turned deathly pale, as if struck by lightning.
Even the two Altar Masters just stared intently at Gua Shao. But after her loud declaration, she shrank back again, gestured vaguely, and said, "I... I’m just here to deliver a message..." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"Understood." At this point, the two Altar Masters didn’t even have the energy to be angry anymore. After a long moment, one let out a cold laugh and said, "Since your Red Lantern Society is so capable, there’s nothing more to discuss..."
"Go back and tell your Red Lantern Lady that tomorrow at noon, we will pay her a personal visit. Tell her to be prepared for the consequences!"
...After speaking, they flung their sleeves and left, heading straight back to the government office.
Only Gua Shao, this delicate little lady, was left behind. She muttered aggrievedly, They’re not giving any face at all...
Our Red Lantern Lady is a case god, after all. Although she’s kind-hearted, if she’s bullied too much, she’ll get angry too...
"A case god?" one murmured.
The people nearby, hearing this, no longer dared to linger. They quickly walked away, seemingly afraid to even glance at her again, though some hushed whispers could be heard: "She actually knows she’s a case god..."
"Looking at her, even a golden-bodied Mansion God wouldn’t put on such airs..."
The news that the Red Lantern Society refused to hand over the Blood Food and was preparing to fight the Truth Sect with its three to five hundred members spread like wildfire that very night. The entire Mingzhou City was filled with anxiety, and every household bolted its doors.
At night, the sounds of troop movements were clearly heard. Green banners flew everywhere, all converging on the government office. Some troops were even mobilized from the mountains. Everyone knew the Truth Sect was making its move, preparing to confront the Red Lantern Society tomorrow and settle accounts...
For a time, no one knew how the situation in Mingzhou would unfold, and a sense of unease filled their hearts.
The chairmen Gua Shao had hired were carrying her towards Zhu Men Town under the cover of night. They knew the little lady in the sedan had suffered a setback in the city and was likely in a bad mood, so they proceeded without a sound.
But as they walked quickly, the further they went, the stranger they felt. Why is this sedan chair so light?
Unable to resist, one of them peeked inside the sedan just as a gust of wind lifted the curtain. He discovered that there was no living person inside, only a paper figure with red lips and white teeth, wearing a false smile, sitting rigidly on the seat.
「At the same time, in Mingzhou Prefecture, as the Truth Sect members gathered their followers to discuss the Red Lantern Society affair, and while the populace, gripped by fear, kept their doors shut, paper figures began to appear one by one in the deserted streets and alleys, drifting gently on the spectral wind.」
They didn’t harm anyone, merely floated from left to right, south to north, as if measuring something.
They floated here and there, as if measuring, until late into the night. Ultimately, all the paper figures converged beside a well in an alley corner.
"Is this the place?"
A charming figure squeezed through the paper figures and came to the well. She peered down into it, then pulled out a gourd from her side, a happy smile on her face.
She removed the stopper from the gourd. Though its mouth was only thumb-sized, when she aligned it with the well and tipped it, a large, black carp as thick as a person’s arm poured out with a PLOP, splashing into the well water.
In an instant, a chilling, evil aura emanated from the well, swiftly spreading throughout Mingzhou Prefecture.
She was overjoyed. There’s no one around! Most of the Truth Sect’s men have been sent to the mountains, and those left in the city are gathered at the government office. With the city gripped by fear, it’s at its most vulnerable!
Then she leisurely scattered a handful of paper money. Immediately, ghostly winds swirled around her, and one little ghost after another emerged from her side. They cheerfully encircled her, calling out, "Grandma! Grandma!" nonstop.
This delighted Gua Shao. My human relations are usually terrible, but my ghostly relations are incredibly strong!
Saying this, she grabbed another handful of paper money and smiled. "Grandma has plenty of money and plenty of Blood Food. Asking you to do a few small favors shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Hearing this, how could the little ghosts refuse? They shrieked and clamored. Bribed with piles of paper money, they completely abandoned their ghostly principles. So, after about the time it takes for one incense stick to burn, a cold, eerie wind suddenly swept through the entire Mingzhou Prefecture.
Countless little ghosts swarmed through the streets and alleys. They surrounded a single red lantern that drifted eerily in mid-air. Beside people’s homes, along the streets, and even in their dreams, the uniform, chilling laughter of the little ghosts resounded everywhere:
"Invoke the Red Lantern, all ailments arise! Worship Truth, there’s no justice!"
"The Red Lantern Lady brings calamity!"
...
Good heavens...
「And outside the city...」
The chairmen had just stolen a glance at the paper figure in the sedan. Panicked, they threw down the sedan poles and were about to run when they suddenly heard a cry. A beautiful little lady rolled out from the toppled sedan.
Mrs. Lu, the Little White Waist, tumbled out, her hairpins and ornaments scattering, her hair disheveled. She shouted, "Can’t you even carry a sedan chair steadily?"
Scolding, she scrambled to her feet, climbed back into the sedan chair, and said with a hint of excitement, "What are you waiting for? Grandma is eager to get back to Zhu Men Town and deliver the news!"
Oh, my poor Red Lantern Lady! By noon tomorrow, the Truth Sect will attack...
