Twilight Boundary-Chapter 546 - 537: The Responsibility of the Servant Ghost
As a summoned swarm of ghosts rushed towards Zhu Men Town, Aunt Zhang, renowned in the villages of Mingzhou’s southwest corner, was descending the mountain. She carried a bundle and led a headless little ghost.
She had originally planned to visit Hu Ma at his manor. However, her family was poor and lacked a mount, so she had to carry the bundle herself. After a two-day journey, she finally left the mountains. She was just about to head to the manor to inquire about Hu Ma.
But while she was walking along a narrow path between fields, an eerie wind constantly blew around her. In her peripheral vision, she occasionally glimpsed little ghosts hanging from trees nearby, kneeling by the road in the fields, or squatting on tombs.
Aunt Zhang was a great walking ghost. She had encountered such things many times, so she paid them no mind. But seeing the ghostly shadows and eerie wind growing ever thicker around her, she had to stop. Finding a high spot, she set up a Magic Altar. Using the candlelight from the Magic Altar to see, her heart suddenly leaped in alarm.
Before the Magic Altar, she saw that the hills and fields were teeming with wandering souls and vindictive souls. They were all kneeling, kowtowing towards the Magic Altar, and crying, "Great Mage, save us..."
"The Truth Sect commits atrocities, plundering Mingzhou’s blessings. Its karmic fortune has already been exhausted through their rites. We, the remaining souls, do not wish to associate with these luckless individuals, fearing we will be implicated and find no peace in the afterlife..."
"But these people possess Strange Skills and forcibly compel us. We are not our own masters and can only beg the Mage to show us a way to survive..."
"..."
How can such things happen?
Aunt Zhang had walked through villages and past hamlets, handling numerous affairs involving both the living and the dead. Such vindictive souls seeking her out was not unheard of, but seeing hundreds or thousands of resentful souls still active in Mingzhou Prefecture coming for help all at once was indeed unprecedented.
She was even confused. Such forced compulsion was a skill mastered by people from that Path. If these vindictive souls were unwilling, what could she possibly do for them?
While she was pondering, she heard a faint vibration, and a familiar voice echoed beside her ear, "Aunt, it’s time to use the decree..."
"Young Shopkeeper..."
Aunt Zhang was slightly surprised, but she immediately understood. These vindictive souls had been guided by some unseen hand to seek her help, and there was a reason for it.
So she nodded slowly, took out the Token hidden in her bundle, and placed it in the most significant position for a suppression object on the Magic Altar. Then she retrieved a scratched bronze mirror, silently chanting spells, and gazed deeply into the mirror.
Her gaze went deeper and deeper. In the blurred vision, she saw that on the land of Mingzhou, there was a Warrior in ragged armor, with countless iron chains in his hands, transforming and stretching out in all directions.
Countless lonely and resentful souls were all being dragged away by these iron chains.
Some even extended directly in front of her, dragging away the resentful souls who were complaining to her.
Only at this moment did she understand the purpose behind Zhensui Mansion giving her this Token. She spoke slowly, "The Truth Sect came from outside, showing disrespect first. Since you haven’t received their Worship and are unwilling to be compelled by them, it is understandable..."
"I permit you not to obey their commands!"
"..."
When she spoke these words, she put down the mirror, gently picked up the Token, bit the tip of her tongue, and lightly touched it to the Token.
The next moment, the Token in her hand suddenly trembled, emitting a burst of divine light. From the countless resentful souls before the Magic Altar, it seemed as if some unseen bond had been severed. Instantly, the air filled with ghostly laughter, and gusts of eerie wind swept out in all directions.
In Zhu Men Town, they saw more than ten red lanterns floating in mid-air, illuminating all around. Yet, they were already enveloped by the surging resentful aura from all directions. It was almost visible to the naked eye: one by one, resentful ghosts climbed onto the lanterns, pulling, gnawing, and fiercely blowing at them.
In an instant, half of those red lanterns floating over the town swayed and fell to the ground, becoming dim and looking utterly desolate.
Even in the temple below, although the red lanterns desperately emitted an eerie red light, illuminating the night sky and protecting Zhu Men Town which was enveloped in the roiling resentful aura, they too were suppressed by the overwhelming resentful aura surging from all directions.
Neither Left Protector Shen Hongzhi nor Sweet Potato dared to breathe too heavily. The Mana displayed by the Red Lantern Lady had already vastly exceeded their imagination, but this horde of ghosts snatching the light was something beyond their power to stop.
But right at this moment, amidst the chaotic night winds, the sudden clatter of iron chains split the air.
At that instant, the resentful ghosts that had accompanied the rushing eerie wind suddenly halted their actions. They stood stupefied on the rooftops, outside the town, and before the temple gates, utterly bewildered.
Then, their faces filled with joy. They knelt, kowtowing to the night sky and cheering loudly. They stretched their bodies, and in the next moment, transformed into eerie winds, vanishing into the hazy night.
What was that?
Three miles away, the expressions of the Truth Sect followers, who were holding the Ghost Capturing Order and casting spells, changed dramatically. They stared in disbelief at the circle of banners before them.
Now, only six banners remained, and they had suddenly gone still.
It wasn’t like earlier, when the Red Lantern Lady’s struggle and resistance had caused a backlash that damaged the banners. These six banners were still intact, but they slowly drooped, seemingly becoming ordinary cloth banners.
How dare he?
Before their shock and doubt could settle, an angry cry suddenly came from inside the sedan chair. They all turned to look, just as the curtain was violently flung aside. A woman in a black dress, slightly plump and exuding an air of nobility, tumbled out.
She had the appearance of someone accustomed to a pampered life, but her expression was now fraught with anxiety, devoid of any noble composure. Her eyes were fixed intently on the arrest token.
The Truth Altar Master holding the Token only then realized that, at some unknown point, several cracks had appeared on it. He panicked and dropped it. The Token instantly shattered into pieces on the ground.
Her face flushed crimson with extreme rage. Clenching her teeth, she looked up at the night sky, her voice filled with resentment, "How could you disregard all ties of kinship?"
This sudden turn of events left the surrounding people too afraid to speak loudly; they just stared blankly at her.
Beside her, however, the Heavenly Destiny General showed no surprise. He merely pressed lightly on his saddle and asked, "What happened?"
"It’s the Inquiry Hall Officer of Zhensui Mansion!" the woman in the black dress said, gritting her teeth slightly. "The Inquiry Hall Officer has absolved those yin souls of their forced labor."
"Now, not only are your banners useless, but it’s feared that all other soul-summoning and ghost-summoning techniques will be ineffective in this place. The Truth Sect’s abilities in the land of Mingzhou are more than half crippled!"
"..."
What?
The surrounding people listened, finding it utterly bizarre. Losing a magic duel wouldn’t be strange, but for their own magic to become ineffective—what on earth was going on?
They were even eager to test if their skills still worked.
Meanwhile, the woman from the sedan chair paid no heed to the thoughts of these few Truth Sect Followers. She only stared at the shattered Token on the ground. The Token, made of iron, shouldn’t have shattered so easily, even if old. Yet, it had.
She understood the reason, and her voice trembled, "First, it was insisting on Reason and disregarding personal connections; then, it was distributing Divine Incense while privately consuming Blood Food. Now, even the Inquiry has come, and you’ve even destroyed our Token..."
"Could it be that next, you intend to send the sword catchers after us too?"
"Could it be that our Qingyuan Hu clan is to be expelled from the Walking Ghost Path?"
"..."
Her voice was so strange that it left the nearby Truth Sect Followers dumbfounded. They were momentarily unsure whether the failure of their ghost-summoning methods was more serious, or if the information revealed in her words was.
"Earlier, even just a moment ago, weren’t you claiming to represent the Zhen Sui Hu Family?"
Beside the sedan chair, the Heavenly Destiny General, mounted on his tall horse, listened to her words. For some reason, a faint sneer touched his lips. He said slowly, "And now? It seems the esteemed Walking Ghost Family can’t even summon a single ghost?" 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
The woman in the sedan chair suddenly looked up, glaring angrily at him on his horse. But the Heavenly Destiny General merely met her gaze with a cold smile, not flinching in the slightest.
The woman’s eyes flickered for a moment before she looked away first. "This is my family’s affair," she said coldly. "It’s no concern of yours."
"It is your family’s affair," the Heavenly Destiny General sneered. "But it also concerns the lives and fortunes of the hundred thousand followers of my Truth Sect. If you lacked this standing, you shouldn’t have spoken with such confidence or put on such airs when inviting me to Mingzhou."
"Since you intend to marry me, you shouldn’t have constantly put on the airs of a pampered young lady in front of me. You should have dutifully cleansed yourself and waited for me to come to the bridal chamber."
"..."
These words shocked everyone. The Maids and servants accompanying the sedan chair were instantly enraged. Seeing their mistress insulted, they surged forward, ready to act.
Simultaneously, the dozens of cavalrymen with the Heavenly Destiny General also leaned forward slightly, their hands resting on the hilts of the weapons at their waists.
The atmosphere instantly turned frigid. The resentful ghosts were gone, but a bone-chilling wind blew relentlessly, as if intending to strip away the last vestige of warmth from everyone present.
Everyone was on high alert, no one daring to make a rash move, fearing that the next moment someone might lose their life. In this oppressive atmosphere, the Heavenly Destiny General let out a cold snort, breaking the silence. He commanded in a deep voice, "Bring the Hundred Child Cauldron!"
"..."
Hundred Child Cauldron?
The moment these three words were spoken, the previously tense and dangerous atmosphere vanished. In its place, a bizarre, almost grotesque expression appeared on everyone’s face. Even the woman who had emerged from the sedan cried out involuntarily, "How dare you use such an evil object?"
"Evil object?" The Heavenly Destiny General shot her a cold look. "The objects you use are supposedly righteous. And what use are they now?"
The woman in the sedan stared at him, words caught in her throat. Ultimately, she said nothing. She turned slowly, sat back in the sedan, and even let the curtain fall, murmuring softly, "Then do as you wish!"
