Twilight Boundary-Chapter 551 - 542: The Mandate of the Noble

The cries grew louder, and the sound of galloping hooves rumbled like thunder, tearing through the oppressive silence of the night with flashes of light. The pounding hooves drew nearer, and the shouts echoed like thunder.

One really had to shout; this was not the time for embarrassment or shyness. Amidst the chaos of soldiers and horses, with so many people around, if you did not shout loudly, how would anyone know you had come to rescue the carriage?

But strangely, although they were calling out to protect the Red Lantern Lady, none of them stopped in Zhu Men Town. Without a moment’s hesitation, they rode on, one group after another, charging forward to confront the Truth Sect’s forces.

Along with these shouts, even the Red Lantern Lady in Zhu Men Town, who had been fuming all night without stepping out of the town, and the Left Protector Shen Hongzhi, felt a sudden rush of emotion bringing tears to their eyes. "What’s happening here?"

"The people who were in the town, the ones performing Worship, incense masters, fled when they saw things going awry, yet now, those from outside are all rushing here?"

"The Lady’s prestige is really... this high?"

"And Incense Master Xu, he... he clearly was the first to flee, and I even scolded him for being too cunning..."

"But who would have thought he did not run away; he actually went out to bring reinforcements for the Lady!"

"..."

At the brink of fainting from excitement, Sweet Potato, who was next to them, suddenly had a change in expression, as if remembering something. With a loud shout, they hurriedly sneaked out, though it was unclear what they went to do.

"The Food Protection Army, they arrived so swiftly?"

As the troops converged in front of Zhu Men Town, the Truth Sect’s forces, unsteady on the opposite side of the Truth Magic Altar, visibly tensed. Many of them were frightened by the scene, their eyes vacant and mounts restless.

Those secretly gathering information were dumbfounded. It was originally a struggle within the Path, at most only a matter of the case god level, but who would have thought? In the blink of an eye, it had turned into a battle of fortune, a standoff of armies...

Those people were shouting about protecting the Lady’s carriage – what family case god has thousands of soldiers coming to protect the carriage?

The subtleties were clear to the sharp-eyed people of Mingzhou Prefecture, who vaguely guessed some terrifying truth... They were all sharp-witted. When the troops started gathering here, from afar the momentum was overwhelming and indistinct. But now, upon closer inspection, the formations of the Truth Sect’s forces were scattered, their glances anxious, and each leader showed signs of fatigue.

In contrast, the Food Protection Army, although in tattered garments, showed high morale and an awe-inspiring presence, rushing in with looks of excitement on their faces.

Having arrived at a conclusion, it was hard to believe. The Truth Sect’s forces have always blocked the hill folks in front, but they have suddenly appeared here... Could it be they swept through like a hot knife through butter? Those hill folks, how could they have such capability?

"..."

"..."

This situation is turning out to be more interesting than I thought... Hu Ma mused. He did not need to turn around to know who had arrived and what expressions they carried.

He found it quite amusing; Incense Master Xu was quite capable, indeed...

But the Truth Sect was no joke, and there were many experts in their ranks. Hu Ma initially thought it would take until tomorrow or even the day after for Yang Gong to push to Zhu Men Town. He had not imagined Incense Master Xu could bring so many reinforcements that they arrived overnight.

This Incense Master Xu, he might just take off...

In such a tense situation, Hu Ma could not help but let his thoughts wander a bit:

On the side of the Food Protection Army, Incense Master Xu recruited many skilled helpers for them, mostly Shousui, precisely compensating for the army’s shortcomings. His contribution is unfathomable. And for the Red Lantern Society, Incense Master Xu brought the Food Protection Army, along with so many Shopkeepers to defend the carriage, giving the Lady both prestige and influence. But how should he be rewarded? Judging by merit, Incense Master Xu’s status might even rise above that of Brother Er Guotou, climbing to the top.

「...」

「...」

As Hu Ma allowed his thoughts to wander, on the opposite side of the Truth Magic Altar, the face of his cousin from the Hu Family, clad in a black dress, grew even paler.

Earlier, whether she saw Seventh Aunt or the Walking Ghost from the Great Sword Catching Sect, she was angry. But none of her dissatisfaction compared to seeing the Food Protection Army here.

"So... So..." Her eyes seemed to lose focus. "They are from the mountains... does that mean... they are also his people?"

"Are they the Emperor Seed he selected, competing for this fortune?"

"..."

The Walking Ghost from the Great Sword Catching Sect stood beside the food-protection general; some things did not need to be said aloud.

But she could not believe it. She had guessed before whether the food-protection general from the mountains might be the one chosen by her cousin, which was why they were blocked when trying to capture people in the Manor. But now that she was certain, she found it difficult to accept.

The Four Great Hall Officials were one thing, but how could even an Emperor Seed be chosen, and how could it be someone like this?

Upon seeing her expression, Hu Ma understood what she intended to say and scowled slightly.

Such contests of fortune could not be exposed publicly. In times like these, every noble among the prestigious families possessed their own selected Emperor Seed, and it was inappropriate to discuss it openly.

So he frowned minimally and said, "His choices are his own. As for me, my role is sword catching, and I only kill people."

"What?"

This was just a sentence in their conversation, but it left a group of people bewildered. "What sword catching? That masked fellow..."

"HOLY HELL... isn’t that my brother Hu Ma?"

"Did he really think wearing some shoddy mask would keep us from recognizing him?"

"..."

"Where is he?"

That cousin from the Hu Family no longer listened to what Hu Ma had to say. The changes in events were so vastly different from what she expected that she grew impatient. Looking straight at Hu Ma, she exclaimed, "I want to see him! I need to speak with him directly..."

"...Given my status, surely I deserve at least an audience with him?"

"..."

Looking at her anxiety-filled eyes, Hu Ma simply shook his head calmly and said, "Before I came, he also said that even relatives who have not been in contact for decades have grown distant. It is advisable to maintain some courtesy."

"You..." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

His cousin from the Hu Family was momentarily speechless, clearly displeased with terms like "distant" and "courtesy." But before she could voice any other opinions, Hu Ma interjected, "Do not waste time with superfluous words."

"Zhuo Dao Wenshi, Reason in Divine Incense Distribute."

"If you have something to say, go to the Reason Hall. I am just the sword catcher; even offering you this response is already a waste of time."

"..."

Such words suited the sword catcher, but their indifference caused his cousin’s body to nearly tremble with an anger she forcibly suppressed. "Things have turned out differently than we expected..."

"I came to Mingzhou with great sincerity just to see him and speak as family."

"Yet, I did not expect he would only use the word ’delay’ to push us into this situation."

"But I still wish for you to relay one message to him: we... we are not his enemies. Blood is thicker than water; we are the ones in this world who bear him the most goodwill."

"This involves the Walking Ghost Path, the world’s fortune, and the yin and yang realms—how many people are watching the Hu Family? In the end, you cannot write two ’Hu’s with a single stroke. Does he... does he truly believe he can hold up Zhensui Mansion on his own?"

"..."

Silence descended all around. Everyone felt as though a heavy stone pressed upon their chests, feeling burdened, a chill even running down their spines.

The ancestor of the Walking Ghost Path, one of the Ten Surnames, the Zhen Sui Hu Family—merely mentioning the name at a crucial moment was enough to scare off wandering gods and wild evil. Could their family’s secrets be spoken publicly like this?

You speak so lightly, but now that we have heard, are we guaranteed not to be silenced?

"On his own?"

After his cousin from the Hu Family spoke these words, Hu Ma chuckled softly. He saw an opportunity to reveal a few truths. He bent slightly and shifted his body to the side.

Amidst the gathering of opposing forces and the tense atmosphere, the sound of a distant suona suddenly echoed through the dark night.

In the next moment, eerie shadows appeared, and the Food Protection Army quickly made way.

In the night, a small sedan chair appeared, carried front and back by robust yellow skin. Seated inside was an old lady with a pipe, her small eyes squinting as she curiously observed those around her.

"Seventh Aunt! Seventh Aunt!"

Upon seeing the old lady, two shouts suddenly rang out from within the Food Protection Army.

From behind Zhou Datong, who wore crooked armor, popped twin dolls of gold and silver from a bundle.

They scampered to Seventh Aunt’s sedan chair, pointing at Zhou Datong and complaining about how he had bullied them.

Following that, a sudden gust of chill wind swept in, circling around the Food Protection Army’s formation, accompanied by a host of little ghosts escorting Aunt Zhang.

She, having raised the altar and spared Mingzhou’s Yin Ghost from its drudgery, was brought here. She still bore the majesty of the altar, with the faint shadows of two Golden Armored Warriors standing behind her, their gazes slowly turning towards Hu Ma.

Simultaneously, on the Zhu Men Town side, the glow of red lanterns flared up uncontrollably, illuminating a part of the night sky.

Finally, Hu Ma, holding his sword, slowly raised his head. He faced the Hu Family’s collateral branch, the Truth Sect soldiers, and by extension, seemed to address Mingzhou Prefecture, the three uncles residing within the city, the Meng family—indeed, all the most powerful figures in Mingzhou Prefecture.

He spoke softly, "He said, this Zhensui Mansion does not belong to him alone."

"It belongs to the world."

"Regardless of spirit or origin, whether Path insiders or outsiders, no matter the depth of cultivation—those willing to abide by the rules and protect this world of humans may all serve as officials in Zhensui Mansion."

"..."

Though his voice was not loud, it was carried by a wind blowing from Old Yin Mountain, straight into the vast Mingzhou Prefecture, undoubtedly sending tremors through countless hearts.

"And you..."

Hu Ma finally looked towards his cousin from the Hu Family and said softly, "He does not consider you his enemies."

"You are just outsiders."