Twilight Boundary-Chapter 554 - 545: The Regret of the Mountain Lord
"All rise!"
Staring at the black sedan chair that had disappeared into the misty fog, feeling the chilling, bone-piercing cold wind, Hu Ma finally understood what kind of gift this distant relative had brought him.
He took a deep breath, then vibrated the Punishment Officer’s Great Saber in his hand and suddenly spoke.
The sound was like thunder, seemingly awakening the people around him from a deep sleep. These people jolted awake, influencing others. The large crowd, which had been kneeling in a daze, finally rose, opened their eyes, and looked around, their faces full of confusion.
Just moments ago, they clearly remembered a great victory, even witnessing that Heavenly Destiny General trapped within the formation, seemingly about to be captured in one decisive blow.
Why had they suddenly fallen asleep? Now, looking again, the troops of the Truth Sect were gone, leaving only a pervasive sense of bewilderment.
The recent charge and fighting felt more like lingering shadows in a dream.
Moreover, looking at one another, their faces all appeared pale. In the recent dream, there had also been an image: a gigantic deity hovering above the entire Mingzhou Prefecture, overlooking everyone. Its majesty still lingered in their minds, oppressing them to the point they could barely breathe.
But when they looked towards Mingzhou again, they couldn’t even see Mingzhou City. That image now seemed like an illusion.
But what did such a phenomenon truly represent?
"The real opponent of the Food Protection Army has arrived..."
Amidst the crowd, Hu Ma also let out a low sigh. After waking everyone up, he clasped the saber and turned around, saying to Seventh Aunt and Aunt Zhang, "I need to return to the mountain to report to our esteemed guest. The matters here will be entrusted to Lord Reason and Lord Inquiry."
"Everything depends on one’s heart. As long as one holds to reason, there is nothing to shirk or fear."
...
While speaking, he didn’t talk further with anyone. He stepped forward instantly, passing through the soldiers quickly. He didn’t even exchange words with Yang Gong, Incense Master Xu, or Zhou Datong nearby, merely exchanging soft glances.
"Hu..."
Yang Gong, upon seeing this, instinctively wanted to call him, but Incense Master Xu hurriedly pulled him back. "Don’t shout, don’t ask."
"Why?"
Yang Gong still hadn’t reacted. "He’s one of our own..."
Incense Master Xu whispered, "You’re not familiar with the rules of the jianghu. You saw who came, I saw him, Zhou Datong and the others saw him too. Perhaps even the Red Lantern Lady knows...
"...Of course, she might not know either.
"But as long as he wears that mask, you cannot acknowledge him. As long as he wears that mask, he is not the little shopkeeper of our Red Lantern Society. This isn’t feigning ignorance; this is how we show respect to that esteemed personage in the mountains!"
After carefully admonishing him, Incense Master Xu sighed. "But at least now I understand why he urged me to help you."
"Kid, you sure have good fortune..."
...
With that, he clasped his fists to all sides and said, "Old comrades, we followed the Food-Protection General to escort the Red Lantern Lady’s sacred convoy. Now that those Truth Heretics have fled at the mere sound of our approach, isn’t it time we went into town to pay our respects to the Red Lantern Lady?"
The surrounding Shopkeepers and several Retainers echoed his words, flocking with Yang Gong towards Zhu Men Town.
Now, as Hu Ma turned around, he moved quickly. Not far ahead, he borrowed the Heaven Measuring Boots, and his pace suddenly quickened.
Under the cover of night, his movements seemed almost mystical. In an instant, he had vanished from sight. Even the Red Lantern Lady in Zhu Men Town could only dare to glance at him quietly before turning back, continuing to watch the bewildered youths.
Just as she was puzzling over the commotion, that little head with pigtails poked into her temple again. "There now, watch over them properly..."
The Red Lantern Lady shivered, vaguely seeing a woman in courtly attire gently curtseying within the red glow:
"Understood..."
...
Leaving Zhu Men Town, Hu Ma utilized the Heaven Measuring Boots. Within a mere two hours, he arrived in the Old Yin Mountain. This time, without the need for incense-burning to invite him, the shadow of the mountain lord quietly appeared beside him.
It seemed the shadow had always been at the edge of Old Yin Mountain, observing the happenings on Mingzhou’s side, and had been waiting for Hu Ma to enter the mountain to speak.
"Now, are you clear about the situation on Mingzhou’s side?"
...
Seeing the mountain lord, Hu Ma turned around and offered a half-bow. Even this half-salutation caused the mountain lord to frown.
Hu Ma said, "I knew they had been keeping something in reserve for a long time, so I dared not meet them before forcing this reserve out. However, I didn’t expect their reserve to be so domineering. Mingzhou should be your domain for incense, shouldn’t it, senior?"
"Not just Mingzhou, but also Gunzhou, Qingzhou, Guazhou... Three paths and fourteen states, all lands connected to the fortune of Old Yin Mountain are my territories for incense."
"But that was before, when the world was not yet in chaos. Twenty years ago, or even earlier, people from the Tongyin Meng family visited me. I refused them. It made things hard for them, but seeing I was old, they didn’t trouble me further. As a result, I lost my freedom..."
The mountain lord gently sighed. "From that time on, I could only stay within this mountain."
"Since I couldn’t get out, those three paths and fourteen states could be seen as no-man’s lands. Some places had new Lords established by the Meng family, taking the names, while others got occupied and couldn’t be reclaimed."
"As for Mingzhou, nestled as it is within the mountains and so close to Old Yin Mountain, they did grant me some face by not directly appointing a Lord here."
"But now..."
His voice carried a hint of bitter laughter. "It seems they no longer feel the need to grant me this courtesy."
"Being restrained everywhere, forced to hide in Old Yin Mountain..."
Hu Ma had heard the mountain lord’s stories before; many watched his every move. Now, he realized the pressure on the mountain lord was greater than he had imagined. After a moment of contemplation, he quietly asked, "But why did this Lord of Official Zhou come to Mingzhou?"
"Moreover, I took the chance to see the Dharma Form of the Lord of Official Zhou, and it seems... not very pure..."
The mountain lord listened, sighing softly with a sense of sympathy.
After a while, he quietly said, "If it were pure, how could Official Zhou have fallen to its present state?"
"This Lord was once sealed with me. But although the domain of Old Yin Mountain is challenging for self-preservation, constantly beset by calamities, it still retained some blessings, managing to survive. However, Official Zhou has faced years of disaster; its significance had dwindled."
"The people struggle to survive, even resorting to exchanging their children to eat. This has burdened the Lord of Official Zhou with sin, his golden body polluted. Now, it’s no exaggeration to say he’s virtually a puppet of the Tongyin Meng family..."
"However, someone of his status shouldn’t have been able to come to Mingzhou so easily."
"His current arrival can only mean someone invited him. And the only ones in this world capable of inviting the Lord of Official Zhou are those most skilled at summoning gods and spirits, which is..."
...
Stopping slightly, Hu Ma already understood. Exhaling softly, he said, "The Hu Family."
Speaking with a slightly cold expression, he continued, "Not only did they bring the Lord of Official Zhou’s golden body to Mingzhou, they even seem to want it to supplement the deficiency of the Five Evils."
"Seeing I wouldn’t comply, they’ve now grown impatient. The Lord has revealed himself, and thirty thousand soldiers of the hungry ghost army have entered Mingzhou. This clearly shows they’ve dropped all pretense and intend to turn Mingzhou into a replica of Official Zhou."
"Yes."
The mountain lord nodded slowly. "What happens to Mingzhou concerns you, me, and even the Food Protection Army. They, on the other hand, won’t care."
"But they understand one thing: you are in charge of Zhensui Mansion and hiding in Mingzhou. With the arrival of the Lord of Official Zhou and the hungry ghost army, Mingzhou’s blessing will be utterly corrupted and lost. Your destiny is significant, your fortune potent, yet your blessings are critically shallow. In this case..."
Hu Ma sighed deeply. "I won’t be able to stay here."
The mountain lord nodded, whispering, "This is truly a Juehu plot, meant to force you out if they can’t persuade you. Perhaps they know they can’t prevent you from taking over Zhensui Mansion, so right when you’ve just taken the role..."
Hu Ma understood, accepting it with a smile. "Tricking me into using the Jade Seal to crack a nut."
The mountain lord, hearing this, was slightly taken aback and smiled. "A bit irreverent, but an apt metaphor."
Hu Ma sighed again, whispering, "Yet I must admit, when they set up that altar and brought in that entity, I truly got angry and nearly struck with the Demon Suppression Mace."
The mountain lord glanced at Hu Ma. "Being able to see through their tricks without taking the bait deserves praise indeed; your insight has certainly improved greatly."
It wasn’t about being insightful... Hu Ma thought with a slightly bitter smile. He knew he had restrained himself only because he was aware the Meng family was behind the scenes. This informational advantage made him cautious when dealing with this branch of the Hu family, prompting him to draw things out as much as was reasonable.
Unaware of this, the mountain lord continued slowly, "Regardless, the altar in Mingzhou and the infiltration of the hungry ghosts are methods that can ruin fortune and sever blessings. You should seriously consider this."
"I have ideas."
Hu Ma nodded lightly, saying to the mountain lord, "I came this time also to ask you one thing, senior: would you be willing to leave the mountain?"
"Hmm?"
The mountain lord paused for a moment, then said softly, "Logically, I should help you confront the Lord of Official Zhou. But the other side has likely anticipated this."
"Moreover, I do have important reasons to remain in the mountain, guarding certain, more important things."
...
Hu Ma, having anticipated this, wasn’t affected by the mountain lord’s dilemma. Instead, his final doubts dissipated. With a smile, he said, "Senior, you need not worry. Just sit back comfortably and enjoy this grand spectacle."
...
He rose slowly, smiling at the mountain lord. "Moreover, senior, you previously said you didn’t want the calamity of war to befall Mingzhou. Please rest assured, I have always kept those words to heart."
Upon hearing this, even the mountain lord was left startled, his expression filled with lament. The shadow on the tree stump slowly rose and bowed to Hu Ma. "My thanks to the Zhen Sui Hu Family Head..."
Hu Ma hurriedly stepped aside. This old fellow usually never accepted his bows, yet now he was bowing to him?
