Twilight Boundary-Chapter 694 - 685: Forcibly Occupying a Title

"Heh heh, Tie Shoupeng..."

Hu Ma followed behind, silently making a mental note of this person.

He knew the Second Master's struggles, and he especially remembered the old tears streaming down the Second Master's face when he shared the key to Shousui with him.

Admittedly, the Second Master couldn't say anything now. In this jianghu, a Master had the right to decide whether or not to teach his disciple true skills. Having learned those few skills, the Second Master had no choice but to call him Master, even if resentment lingered in his heart.

But while the Second Master was the Second Master, Hu Ma was inherently disdainful of this system. He had already hatched a plan in his heart.

Their arrival subtly changed the atmosphere, especially for those who were concerned about the Second Master. They vaguely sensed something was amiss, but in the village, according to tradition, they still invited them in and served them tea.

"Oh dear, Master, what happened earlier was..."

One of the disciples under Tie Shoupeng also sensed the unusual atmosphere. Seizing the moment when no one was nearby, he quickly inquired.

"This is really just bad luck, a great misfortune..."

The white-bearded old man, Tie Shoupeng, showed a somber face, and with a hint of regret in his eyes, he said softly, "That guy named Zhou Huai, a naive kid from the village."

"When he was young, I saw he was strong, full of yang qi, and still a virgin. This meant I could use his Blood Yang Arrow to ward off evil spirits. So, I took him along the jianghu path and taught him a few tricks, but I never led him into the true Path..."

"To enter the Path, one has to spend money to buy a life lamp. How could I have the Silver to just cater to him?"

"Later, seeing he was getting older and his talents were fixed, I sent him back to the village. I hadn't seen him in all these years, and who would have thought I would run into him here?"

...

"Ah?"

The few disciples understood what was going on. In the Path, there were many who didn't teach real skills.

But such awkward situations were rare.

Someone reacted quickly and said, "If he didn't learn any real skills, then how did he teach those disciples of his?"

"Could it be that they are just following the food-protection general to make a living?"

...

"Use your brains!"

Tie Shoupeng snorted coldly and said, "The status of the food-protection general was earned through real battles. Do you know about the major battles this grassroots hero fought when he was just rising? Could one get through those without real abilities?"

"Perhaps this nominal disciple of mine has some secrets within his sect that we can't figure out..."

...

The disciples, upon hearing this, also felt some concern and said, "Master, why don't we leave? We haven't figured out a position under the food-protection general yet, and we're already offending his people."

"The offense is already committed. Do you think leaving will solve anything?"

Tie Shoupeng sighed, "Had I known he was here, I wouldn't have come. But now that I'm here, I've shown my face and declared my name. There's no turning back. I have to push forward regardless."

"Now that we've seen this disciple, if we recalculate, the people under the food-protection general are no longer your peers."

"They now have to call you Martial Uncles, and call me Grandmaster!"

"Seniority is seniority. No matter what else, they have to acknowledge it."

...

One of the disciples started to worry, "Won't this make us lose face?"

"It's no longer a matter of looking good or not..."

Tie Shoupeng said, "Now that we've been recognized, if this seniority isn't established, we'll suffer a great loss."

"That Zhou fellow was with me for seven or eight years and didn't learn real skills. You think he isn't resentful? If his disciples can't stand it for his sake and come looking for trouble, what will we do then?"

"Never mind about gaining a position; we might not even be able to stay on the Mingzhou jianghu path..."

"Instead, we must cling fiercely to this status. Bound by this status, even if they harbor resentment, they'll have to swallow it!"

...

The disciples understood his words, but they naturally felt anxious inside.

They then put on airs, swaggering with a splayed-foot gait as they walked over when it was time for the banquet.

In recent days, as many guests arrived, Dayang Village held a continuous feast. The top two tables were reserved, with the Second Master in charge of entertaining the jianghu guests and the Old Clan Chief taking care of the officials and wealthy gentry. Seeing the banquet starting, Tie Shoupeng naturally wanted to sit at the head table.

Nearby, Manager Xu Wensheng, though he counted as part of the officials now, was originally from the Red Lantern Lady's Club and was familiar with the Second Master, so he sat among the jianghu folk.

He was originally seated at the head table, but Tie Shoupeng took his place, causing him some surprise. He asked Bald Zhang beside him, "Who is that old guy, and why did he take my seat?"

"I thought this seat was mine until the food-protection general arrived..."

...

Bald Zhang, who had been chatting with the Second Master, had already noticed and snorted coldly. In a low voice, he said, "A fellow from the Mingzhou Shousui Sect, surnamed Peng. He's known in the jianghu as Tie Shoupeng."

"Previously, he worked in Mingzhou City, escorting Red Lanterns for those wealthy Old Masters in plum bossom lane, earning Silver. Who could have known he turned out to be Second Master Zhou's master here?"

"I absolutely detest these jianghu seniority games!"

"I'm on equal terms with Shopkeeper Hu and have even exchanged trump cards. But when meeting Second Master Zhou, we are his juniors."

"But this Peng, back then, was of the same generation as my old father-in-law. Now, doesn't that make him a generation above me?"

...

"Him?"

Manager Xu immediately noticed the problem and lowered his voice, "How could anyone from their sect have taught someone like Shopkeeper Hu?"

Bald Zhang whispered, "He didn't teach him. He's just here to assert his status!"

"I reckon he didn't know Second Master Zhou was here. This old fellow originally intended to seek a position from the food-protection general, only to hit a brick wall!"

...

Manager Xu, upon hearing this, sneered, "The fame of the Food Protection Army was forged through our countless battles against the hungry ghosts."

"What gives him the right to come and reap the rewards?"

...

The two conversed, understanding the jianghu rules, so they didn't say much openly, yet they were unwilling to sit at that table.

As the eight cold appetizers were served, the hosts from the village began inviting people to take their seats. Though the Second Master was somewhat reluctant, constrained by the recognized status, he still had to step forward to serve Tie Shoupeng.

But at that very moment, someone suddenly ran in from the front of the village, both excited and thrilled, shouting, "The Great General is here! The food-protection general is here!"

"Oh my..."

The unexpected announcement startled everyone present.

For a moment, they didn't even react. "Which Great General?"

Upon realizing it was the food-protection general from Mingzhou Prefecture, reputed to be a god-like figure, the entire village erupted. Whether they were villagers or the wealthy gentry and jianghu guests there for the ceremony, they all hastily jumped to their feet.

Gathering in a cluster, they hurried to the village entrance to welcome the food-protection general, though their faces showed some disbelief.

"The food-protection general is here?"

Old Master Tie Shoupeng was also startled by this. "This food-protection general is no ordinary figure," he said. "He has risen to prominence and has many skilled individuals under him. Even if not granted the title of King in the future, he is destined for a seat at the imperial court."

"Why would such a person come all this way for a Sacrificial Mountain ceremony at the homes of two leading generals under his command?"

...

A large crowd gathered noisily at the village gate. Sure enough, they saw a troop of soldiers approaching, escorting a palanquin and several large carts. At the front, a person rode a horse, clad in iron armor, with a large saber at his waist, and wearing a bright red cloak. Who else could it be but Yang Gong?

"We greet the food-protection general! We kowtow to the Great General!"

The fastest to react were the wealthy gentry, who had already kneeled in a hurried mass. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The village clansmen, seeing this, also quickly followed suit and knelt. Manager Xu, Zhou Liang, Zhao Zhu, and others all performed a half-kneel.

The Second Master, standing beside Hu Ma, was already startled and about to kneel when Hu Ma held him up with one hand.

The Second Master said anxiously, "Hurry, kneel and kowtow! That's the food-protection general, you..."

"Second Master, just stand firm," Hu Ma said, steadily supporting him and speaking in a low voice. "Your seniority is established here. Logically, he should be the one kowtowing to you."

The Second Master couldn't understand what Hu Ma was saying, but he wasn't as strong as Hu Ma, so he couldn't kneel even if he wanted to. He was filled with trepidation as the soldiers drew near. The food-protection general dismounted, and the nearby palanquin was lowered.

A woman dressed in a dark red brocade robe, her face veiled, exuding an air of nobility, walked out. The two of them walked side-by-side and approached Hu Ma and the Second Master.

Seeing the people around looking flustered and greatly astonished, Yang Gong proudly raised his eyebrows at Hu Ma, feeling quite clever.

"Alright, alright, everyone rise. We don't go in for such formalities here," he said, laughing heartily as he extended his hands towards Hu Ma for a hug.

It was the veiled woman beside him who reached out and tugged his arm, her eyes signaling him not to misbehave. Then, she herself gracefully walked over, approached Hu Ma, and curtsied lightly to Hu Ma and the Second Master, saying gently, "Greetings, Brother Hu."

Hu Ma extended a hand to help her up, smiling. "We don't go in for such formalities here either. Please rise, Sister-in-law."

Due to the propriety maintained between men and women, Hu Ma could only make a gesture of helping her.

But the woman insisted on completing her curtsy before she said solemnly, "Brother Hu, it is only right for you to receive this gesture from me."

"My husband, Yang Gong, calls you brother because you don't expect repayment for your kindness and you hold him in high regard. But in truth, you saved his life and taught him valuable things. For that, this simple-minded husband of mine should rightfully call you Teacher."

...

Seeing the clarity and logic in the woman's words, Hu Ma couldn't help but regard her with increased respect. He smiled and said, "Such words create distance between us. Yang Gong and I are kindred spirits; we don't bother with such things."

"Don't just stand there talking, please come inside and sit!"

...

Beside him, Yang Gong waved his hand and smiled. "Let my wife go in and rest first. We'll wait a bit longer."

"On the way here, we ran into a few old acquaintances also coming for you. But since we are in Mingzhou, they showed me deference and let me come ahead."

...

Saying this, he looked back. In the distance, the thundering sound of hooves could be heard as two more groups of people approached in a grand procession.