Twilight Boundary-Chapter 597 - 588: A Breath of Immortal Qi (Third Update)
The Zhensui Mansion did not kill living people; this was the rule, and many knew it.
Hu Ma was also uncertain if this was one of the reasons the Yan family dared to provoke the Zhensui Mansion, but he understood that the Mansion's rule of not killing living people had three exceptions. The first exception applied to those who walked the Walking Ghost Path: if they revered Zhensui Mansion but broke its rules, they could be killed. The second applied to those who disrupted the order of yin and yang and violated taboos; Zhensui Mansion could apprehend them and execute them as criminals. The third was if any ghostly gods appealed for injustice; after investigation, a human head was required to bring justice to the ghostly gods.
Earlier, the Yan family had gathered so many martial artists, piling them everywhere and causing trouble. Naturally, Hu Ma felt irritated.
But to be fair, this kind of action was merely a matter of jianghu rules; for Zhensui Mansion, it didn't constitute a violation of taboos.
However, if the Yan family truly dared to allow such Wild Gods to build a temple and privately accept incense, not only would he himself have to intervene, but even the Meng family, upon learning of it, would not let them off lightly.
Previously, Hu Ma had wondered if the Iron Gate Yan family's arrogance stemmed from instigation by the Meng family. Now, it seemed that wasn't the case; the Iron Gate Yan family was simply severely overconfident. They only thought it was a casual act of building a temple for a minor Snake God, yet unknowingly, they had violated the taboos of two of the Ten Surnames.
Seeing Hu Ma speak so solemnly, Calculation, who was beside him, also grew momentarily restless. Initially, Calculation had only thought that if, under the Yan family's watch, they killed that Wild God, the Walking Ghost's Great sword catching would establish their prestige.
But now, considering directly killing someone from the Yan family… Terrifying!
He couldn't imagine what a huge commotion this would cause.
If it were a minor matter, he would have spoken up to dissuade them. But this kind of issue, touching upon the fundamental responsibilities of each family, was not something he could advise against.
After much internal hesitation, he could only look helplessly towards the courtyard outside and mutter, "Why haven't they served the food yet?"
Just as he was thinking this, he saw servants swarming in from outside, carrying bowls of food.
This household had only temporarily arranged some ordinary food and drink, which wasn't neglectful. But just as they were preparing, Wuya and Zhou Datong came out. Wuya asked, "Is there a snake market here? Or one from a large restaurant would also do."
"Go buy a few. The more venomous, the better. Just remember not to make it public; if word gets out, it won't be effective."
The Old Master, who had been waiting outside, heard this and looked troubled. "In our city, some people worship earth gods, so they don't dare to eat snakes, and no one dares to sell them."
Wuya listened and said, "Then there's no need to buy them. I'll summon them tonight. Have your people go to bed early, sprinkle realgar and lime by the doors and windowsills, and don't come out, no matter what noises you hear."
"Also, before they sleep, prepare a large vat, mugwort, clean cloth, and clear a spacious area on the ground."
"Tonight, I will heal your young Master!"
The Old Master of the mansion, upon hearing this, widened his eyes in surprise. He finally realized his guests weren't asking for snake soup. He hurriedly ordered his staff to prepare and quickly instructed the kitchen, "Don't serve that simple fare! Bring out the good wine and fine dishes!"
"Also, go to the accounts, have someone take out four hundred taels of silver. Once the illness is cured, present it immediately…"
The steward, hearing this, was shocked. "Ah? Old Master, are you giving that much?"
The Old Master said, "Are you a fool? If you don't offer the silver before the skilled person speaks up, do you really want me to give half of my family property?"
A group of people rushed to prepare and give instructions, everyone on edge. They didn't know if this pretty Witch Girl truly had the ability to cure the young Master. But considering he only had two or three days left to live, they had to proceed, confidence or not. Fortunately, the young Master was carried to the back courtyard. When they were about to lift the quilt from him, he suddenly started crying and fussing, making those nearby feel distressed yet helpless.
Wuya saw this and simply said, "Fill that vat with water. Use pond water or river water, not well water."
"Then put him in, and he won't cry."
A group of house servants rushed to fetch water from the river. They filled more than half the vat and placed the crying young Master into it. Sure enough, he stopped crying. He even crouched inside the vat, letting the water cover his head and blowing bubbles.
Seeing how accurate Wuya's words were, the household staff's confidence grew. Not only did they serve good wine and food that night, but they also carried out all other instructions meticulously, daring not to be careless. Except for the Old Master, everyone else in the mansion retired early.
After three rounds of drinks, it was late. Wuya, needing to save someone that night, ate only a few bites before squatting outside the main hall. She lit a small incense burner, took something unknown from her pouch, placed it inside, and gently fanned it. Soon, even those in the hall could smell a cloyingly sweet scent spreading from the incense burner.
Before long, they also sensed a fishy stench wafting from outside the house, accompanied by HISSING sounds all around.
When the time was right, Wuya held an oil lamp and looked outside. Lo and behold, the entire courtyard was crawling with snake bugs—some crimson, some emerald green—all flicking their tongues and writhing towards the incense burner.
She singled one out, took out a bone whistle, and blew it with a soft WOOO.
A crimson venomous snake followed her steps and crawled towards the room. Wuya put down the whistle and reached out to grasp the snake at its seven inches point. Unexpectedly, the crimson snake was exceptionally fierce. It suddenly turned and bit Wuya on the arm. Hu Ma, who had been watching, quickly stepped on the snake, pinning it. Its head flipped over and bit him on the leg.
"It's nothing." Seeing the concerned looks around him, he waved his hand, grabbed the snake, and handed it to Wuya.
He was a Shousui man, after all. What was there to fear?
However, the nearby Zhou Datong said, "Brother Ma Zi, don't be so careless. Just now, if the snake bit two inches higher…"
Hu Ma heard it and involuntarily glared.
What kind of abilities did he possess now? He was a Shousui who had officially joined the Mansion; he wasn't afraid of such things… But, to be fair, it really did hurt quite a bit when it bit him.
Wuya caught a few venomous snakes and drove the others away. Then, in front of everyone, she pinned the snakes' heads, skinned them, and asked Zhou Datong to help lift the young Master, who was still blowing bubbles in the water vat. She wound the fresh snakeskins around his body, layer by layer, then wrapped him in cloth strips, bound his hands and feet, and lit mugwort to fumigate him repeatedly.
The fumigation continued for some time. Initially, the young Master's body trembled violently as if he were struggling with all his might. Later, his movements slowed. Finally, with a sudden GURGLE GURGLE from his stomach, his mouth opened wide, and a stream of Purple Qi rapidly spurted out…
"Oh my!" Seeing the Purple Qi, Wuya was startled and hastily covered her mouth and nose, stepping back two steps.
Hu Ma also shot up, positioning himself in front of her, and stared intently, his expression turning exceedingly strange.
The stream of Purple Qi was bizarre, twisting and turning in the air before slowly drifting into the night, dissipating very slowly, like a spirit snake. Most crucially, as the Purple Qi merged into the night sky, they felt the ground beneath them tremble slightly. In their ears, it was as if they could hear heavy breathing and the eerie laughter of some strange, mysterious entity.
It was as if deep within Gua Prefecture city, some bizarre entity had been instantly awakened by this Purple Qi and was now drooling with anticipation. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Calculation and Zhou Datong were also frightened by this, their bodies stiffening, unable to move.
Fortunately, this disturbance seemed merely instinctual; nothing actually emerged, even after the Purple Qi had completely dissipated.
"Papa…Papa…"
It wasn't until the young Master, wrapped up like a zongzi, weakly called out that everyone snapped out of the mysterious and oppressive illusion. Old Master Liang, who had nearly hidden his head under the table, frantically rushed over. He looked at his young son calling for him, completely at a loss. Wuya then helped remove the cloth strips and two pieces of snakeskin from the young Master's face.
Everyone craned their necks to look. The young Master had awakened, though he appeared extremely weak. The pustules and bumps on his face were still there but were noticeably smaller, looking as if they were healing and not quite as ghastly.
"Oh dear…" The Old Master was torn between rushing to embrace his son and turning to kowtow in gratitude, extremely agitated.
"The young Master's ailment is cured. From now on, he just needs to recuperate."
After a silent exchange of glances with Wuya for confirmation, Hu Ma pulled a small strip of meat from his sleeve. "Boil this into a soup and feed it to him. I know you're anxious, so there's no need to stay here with us. Quickly take him to his room and take good care of him!"
The Old Master, not knowing what this strip of meat was, yet full of gratitude, took his leave.
Only after he left, Hu Ma glanced towards Wuya, having earlier sensed she seemed to have something to say.
"Shopkeeper Brother, he… that gu in him… it's being deliberately nurtured…" Wuya looked at the night sky outside, appearing a bit unsure, hesitant, unable to articulate clearly.
"I noticed." But Calculation suddenly chimed in, turning to Hu Ma. "Did you see that last breath he exhaled? That's called 'Blight.' It's typically a person's last breath before death, the most crucial breath for the living. But this child's breath was forcibly expelled, and because of the toad gu, this breath was altered…"
"So, was I not mistaken?"
Hu Ma slowly nodded, his face grim. He whispered, "The breath he exhaled… doesn't it resemble the immortal qi we spoke of before?"
"And in this city, I fear there's something feeding on this immortal qi…"
「PS: Recommending a new book by Platinum Author Zhai Zhu, *On the Great Path*. It's a fantasy folklore work about protagonist Chen Shi's mythical adventure straddling the two worlds of yin and yang. The story begins with the protagonist's grandfather standing before his own spirit tablet, eating candles…」
