Twilight Boundary-Chapter 581 - 572: The Weight of Official Zhou

With a question potent enough to fell Immortals, the air crackled, stirring the entire scene. Hu Ma waved his voluminous sleeves. Before him, the Nine Copper Rings of the Demon Suppression Golden Mace chimed in unison, the sound reverberating across the land.

The altar he had established within the army formation using the Demon Suppression Golden Mace was retracted as the mace lifted from the ground. At this moment, throughout Mingzhou, the candles on all Magic Altars set up by Ghost Walkers everywhere extinguished simultaneously. All Ghost Walkers understood what had transpired. They hurriedly tidied their robes, rose from their altars, and saluted towards Mingzhou City.

The extinguished candles on the altars signified that the ritual had ceased; the heavy burden of the Zhensui Mansion could be temporarily set aside.

Similarly, as numerous Magic Altars were taken down at once, the Mana they had gathered dispersed into the surrounding mountains and forests.

Countless streams of Mana scattered simultaneously, conjuring a swirling yin wind across the land of Mingzhou. This wind swept through the mountains and forests, startling villagers far and wide. The wind even blew beyond Mingzhou, unsettling countless people who were anxiously following the events, and sending many a ghost fleeing in terror, crying out for their ancestors.

Hu Ma's words and the events in Mingzhou were destined to spread far and wide, though it was nearly impossible to gauge the full extent of the ensuing commotion.

CRACK...

Unlike the surprise and speculation of ordinary people, the greatest reaction came from several great doors across the world, some of which had not opened for years. They suddenly swung open as that wild gust of wind blew across the heavens and the earth.

Behind these doors, some were burning incense, others were divining fates, and still others lamented softly while tending to their crickets, muttering, "So many years since these doors last opened. I thought they might never open again."

"But who would have thought that upon opening, the commotion would be so immense? Is it overconfidence, or is it fear, prompting such an uproar to bolster courage?"

As these doors opened, in a house that was already half-open, a family painting paper men wrinkled their brows. "To be burdened with so much karma right from the start?"

"Such a heavy responsibility has fallen into the hands of our Impermanence Li Family. Isn't this putting us in a difficult position?"

"...Close the doors and decline all guests!"

He, too, seemed conflicted, ultimately choosing to close his door just as others were opening theirs.

"Is that Mace truly so powerful?"

At the border of Official Zhou, an old man dressed as an accountant, yet carrying a fortune-teller's small banner and sporting a goatee, was accompanied by a Witch Girl. She was adorned with silver ornaments and possessed a striking beauty, though a hint of weakness lingered in her eyes. They were looking up at the pouring rain over the land of Official Zhou, the old man murmuring to himself in doubt.

Official Zhou had suffered from drought and rampant disease for several years. But now, rolling thunder heralded a sudden downpour that had already lasted for three days.

His expression was indecipherable. Gritting his teeth, he led the Witch Girl into the torrential rain. He then gathered sticks and dry firewood to set up a small tent in the rain. Using two relatively flat stones, he fashioned a small incense table, first making an offering to his ancestral master with a solemn bow.

"Teacher, why did you bring me here?" the Witch Girl asked, her expression somewhat confused. "Where is my brother? I haven't seen him. And the manager who saved my life, is he here?"

"No rush, you'll meet them," the old accountant sighed. "I've taken you as my disciple, so I must first let you see a bit of the world before you meet them. Hand me the shovel."

The Witch Girl obediently handed him a shovel. Beneath the tent, the old accountant began to dig. Huffing and puffing, he worked for a good while, first clearing away the wet topsoil, then digging deeper. After digging two or three chi, he finally unearthed a handful of dry earth. He carefully placed this soil into a chipped bowl and then took out a scale to weigh it meticulously.

When he saw the reading on the scale, his wrinkled old face suddenly tensed. His gaze seemed to lose focus for a moment before he took a long, deep breath.

"It's back..."

"Damn it, that Mace really knocked it back…"

The Witch Girl had seen grain and meat being weighed, but never soil. She blinked her eyes curiously, watching from the side.

The old accountant, however, dared not relax in the slightest. He carefully put the handful of soil away, wrapping it in oil-paper, and then kowtowed towards the ancestral master's memorial tablet.

After performing a respectful kowtow, he held three copper coins in his hand and murmured, "Ancestral Master, oh, great Ancestral Master, grant this disciple a clear answer. Was all of this already within your calculations?"

He asked three times before tossing the copper coins onto the ground. He stared with wide eyes, but his expression turned to one of utter bewilderment.

The Witch Girl cautiously asked, "Teacher, what is this?"

The old accountant said with a scowl, "This is the most fundamental skill of our lineage: seeking answers from the ancestral master. It is said that he knows everything between Heaven and Earth; nothing is beyond his ken, and anything can be asked of him."

"We toss the copper coins three times to read the hexagram. The hexagrams, composed of yin and yang lines, indicate whether the ancestral master approves or disapproves."

The Witch Girl asked, "Then why do you look so upset? What does the hexagram say?"

The old accountant suppressed his anger. "This hexagram means... he doesn't want to say..."

"?"

The Witch Girl was also puzzled. Seeing the old accountant was extremely displeased, she dared not disturb him further.

Still unwilling to give up, the old accountant pondered for a moment, then whispered, "The Zhensui Mansion's gates have opened, and the world is changing. Should our lineage choose a side too?"

He tossed the coins three more times. Feeling extremely anxious, he craned his neck to look at the ground. His expression changed drastically again, and his chest heaved.

The Witch Girl cautiously asked, "Teacher, what did the ancestral master say this time?"

The old accountant said, "He still doesn't want to say…"

At this, the Witch Girl didn't know what to say. She just blinked, a seed of doubt about her teacher's abilities beginning to sprout in her mind.

These people's skills seem less useful than us Witch folk raising a few potent insects for gu...

"Why is it so damned hard being one of your descendant disciples? It's come to this, can't you just give a clear sign?"

Before she could say anything, the old accountant became agitated. He pointed at the memorial tablet and cursed, even glancing at the torrential rain and mud outside as if he wanted to hurl the tablet into it, though he ultimately didn't dare.

The Witch Girl found it hard to watch. "Teacher," she said softly, "when you accepted me as your disciple a few days ago, didn't you say that the most important principle in our lineage is to respect the master and honor the teachings, to be filial?"

"But he has to be worthy of that filial piety!"

The old accountant, already seething with anger, could no longer hold back. He panted heavily, growing more dissatisfied the more he thought about it. "Some practitioners deceive gods, others swindle ghosts!"

"But you! You're the only one who exclusively preys on your own disciples and their descendants!"

"Back then, I, your teacher, like my fellow martial brothers, traveled the world observing the flows of dragon energy. I settled in Mingzhou's Red Lantern Society because I perceived its geomantic qualities to be more potent than other places, thinking something unusual might occur here. I was prepared to observe."

"If nothing happened, I planned to stay for a few years and then depart. If something did happen, and the commotion was significant, I would also leave quietly."

The Witch Girl blinked. "Then what happened?"

"The outcome was that the commotion was far too great, earth-shatteringly so! I couldn't leave even if I wanted to!"

The old accountant almost cried out in frustration. "I knew the Zhensui Mansion was capable, tasked by decree to manage these ghostly gods, but who could have known they were *this* capable?"

"With that one strike of the Mace, mountains were broken and temples sundered! The Lord of Official Zhou, who had received incense offerings for hundreds of years and was even under the protection of the Meng Family's Ancestor, just vanished like that!"

"Even the very land of Official Zhou was struck back into existence! How can the Meng Family possibly tolerate you after this? This is outright bullying!"

As he spoke, the anger on his face gradually gave way to fear and trepidation. "This is bad, this is really bad. This matter is too immense..."

"Even an imperial decree couldn't keep the Zhensui Mansion in check! Who would believe such a thing if it were told?"

"Such a colossal mess! If our ancestral master wasn't involved in this back then, I wouldn't believe it if you beat me to death! But the crucial thing is, he gave absolutely no hint beforehand…"

"And what's even more baffling is, what does he stand to gain from all this?"

"What has the Hu Family become now? Just a solitary figure. Even if you seize control of the Zhensui Mansion and solidify the old saying that 'walking ghosts overcome Negative Spirits,' what difference does it make? The Meng Family has been scheming for twenty years longer than you. They've distributed countless Incense Orders far and wide, recruiting countless gods for their altars and cases. How many Lords have already sworn allegiance to the Meng Family under the guise of revering the Emperor?"

"Even if you, young Hu, are ruthless enough to use the Zhensui Mansion's authority to establish new rules, accept grievances, and mete out justice by beheading, what good will it do?"

"Do you truly believe you can win over the hearts of all the Paths and spirits in the world, persuading them to fight the Meng Family alongside you?"

"A gross miscalculation..."

"Your slogan may be earth-shattering, but if it only brings prestige without tangible benefits, and following you means being bound by rules at every turn, then very few will be willing to side with you."

"Do you really think this world is teeming with Saints?"

Hearing him rattle off so much at once, the Witch Girl couldn't quite take it all in. Timidly, she asked, "Then... what do we do now?"

"Should I go find my brother, or... or go to Mingzhou to find that manager?"

"Go nowhere!" the old accountant declared decisively. "What good could be surrounding that manager now? And your brother, he's no simple character either..."

"Listen to me. We'll steer clear of this disaster. We're not going back to that blood food mine. Let's just wander the world..."

As he spoke, he genuinely intended to pick up the memorial tablet and head east. But just as he lifted his foot, a muffled clap of thunder suddenly CRACKED overhead, freezing him in his tracks.

Gazing tremulously at the sky above, he was on the verge of tears. "I know it's a huge pit! Isn't it okay if I don't want to jump in?"

"Are you truly determined to lead your own descendant disciples to their doom?"