Twilight Boundary

Now that this long-awaited rain had fallen, they couldn't contain their inner joy and all ran out to thank God. At such a height of emotion, even if there were any evil spirits, they wouldn't dare to enter the village. Even the young and strong men Old Master Zhao had left in the house to keep watch joined in the cheer. However, they didn't dare to leave the house because of the burning phantom in the yard. They just stood inside, watching the increasingly heavy rain, cheering excitedly.

"Master, where is the Master?"

Amidst the cheers, the sound of wet footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate. It was Old Master Zhao, rushing over, surrounded by several workers and young men. They held up umbrellas, lanterns in hand, their voices filled with uncontrollable joy. "It's raining, it's raining! So that phantom has been resolved, right...?"

Then, a shocked voice cried out, "...Oh my God, what is this thing?"

As they spoke and entered the courtyard gate, they suddenly saw the burning object. The stench of rot hit them, and they jumped back in shock.

"This is the phantom that caused the drought," Hu Ma said, washing his hands with the rainwater. He turned and smiled at Old Master Zhao. "If it were daytime, we could dry it in the sun to remove its yin qi and then bury it, just in another place. But there was no way around it. Since the phantom came at night, we could only burn it to ashes."

An explanation was necessary.

The tradition of placing the dead into the old fire pit existed only in Old Yin Mountain and some remote, ancient places. The customs of affluent towns and villages outside the mountains, and even in the city, were more in line with Hu Ma's imagination of ancient people. They emphasized burial for a peaceful rest, often consulting feng shui masters when someone died, and some even sold themselves for the price of a coffin for their ancestors. Of course, this indeed caused plenty of issues. But whether it was sending ancestors into the old fire pit in the village or performing grand burials outside, it was all tradition. Traditions were not easily changed, and outsiders had no right to comment. In the eyes of those living outside, Old Yin Mountain was a strange place, with mysterious, ancient traditions. The habit of throwing ancestors into the fire pit to be burned and keeping pond ash on their person all the time was simply preposterous!

"Alright, alright, let the Master go back and rest..." Old Master Zhao said, glancing from afar at the burning corpse. Even the rain couldn't extinguish the flames, which still danced. He took a large detour to reach Hu Ma's side, still somewhat worried. "Is that phantom truly settled?"

"Rest assured, Old Master Zhao. I'll make sure it's completely dealt with before I return."

Hu Ma also glanced at the drought ba. It indeed wasn't an issue once burned, but it was somewhat odd; this drought ba's corpse burned vigorously and became extremely dry and brittle very easily. Yet, he noticed that some strange fragments remained among the ashes. They were smooth, seeming to be neither bone nor metal, but rather like black jade. Since it was his first time dealing with such an issue, he was worried he hadn't cleaned up thoroughly. Not knowing the use of these strange items, he had Zhou Datong find a piece of cloth to wrap them up and put them away.

After doing all this, he gathered the ashes, along with the mud and water from the ground, stored them in a wooden bucket, and carried them back, intending to hand them over to the villagers the next day.

By now, it was already the latter half of the night. Hu Ma declined Old Master Zhao's offer of a feast, only requesting him to have someone boil a few pots of hot water so that he, Zhou Datong, and the others could wash themselves and cleanse away the bad luck. After washing, he enjoyed a comfortable sleep.

The next day, he was awakened by the sound of gongs and drums. When he went to the doorway, he saw that the rain hadn't stopped; it was still pouring down. Outside the Zhao Family's residence, however, a bustling crowd of people had gathered. Wealthy households from several surrounding villages had come, bringing the previously agreed-upon remuneration wrapped in red paper, which they politely delivered.

"Datong, take it!" Hu Ma said. He wanted to maintain some decorum; stuffing pieces of Silver one by one into his own robes would seem unbecoming, so he adopted a dignified tone.

Zhou Datong was dumbstruck. He extended his arms to receive the payment, and his hands sank slightly under the weight.

So much Silver... My grandfather served in the village for so many years, and he never earned this much...

After the payment was handed over, meals were arranged. It had to be said, ever since coming to this village, the Zhao Family's food arrangements had been excellent. On the first day, there was a banquet. On the second day, they had large, fluffy white meat buns during the day, and a four-course meal with wine at night. On this final day, since the wealthy families from the surrounding areas had all come, it was a day for the Zhao Family to gain much prestige. Moreover, with the matter resolved, Old Master Zhao no longer had to worry about anyone digging up his ancestral graves, so he was even more generous. The feast laid out was even better than on their first day, allowing Hu Ma, Zhou Datong, and the others to eat and drink to their hearts' content, satisfying all their cravings.

"Young brother, you did an excellent job with this task, and the reward is well-deserved. However, I'd like to discuss something with you..."

When the banquet was almost over, someone approached Hu Ma. It was the old man with the monkey, who smiled warmly at Hu Ma and said, "That phantom from yesterday, after it was burned, surely something was left behind, right? What do you say about selling that item to me?"

Seeing him, Hu Ma also smiled. "How much Silver would the old gentleman be willing to offer?"

He had always been wary of this old man. After all, those in the same trade are often rivals, and he had been concerned that the old man might cause trouble while he was dealing with the drought ba problem. Last night, while he was confronting that entity, he had Little Hongtang watch from the rooftop—not to observe the drought ba, but to guard against this old man's appearance. However, after the whole night of dealing with it, it seemed he had been overly cautious. The old man hadn't appeared. His monkey, however, had shown up in a tree and had a staring contest with Little Hongtang all night, but it hadn't done anything else.

The old man pondered for a moment and chuckled. "Ten taels of Silver?"

"Hmm?" Hu Ma responded.

Ten taels of Silver was not a small sum. Still, Hu Ma grew slightly more vigilant, smiling. "Some things indeed came out from the burning. But we already took the job of burning the drought ba, so it wouldn't be right to take further advantage of you, old gentleman. Why don't I just give you a piece?"

Then, changing the subject, he added, "But I also have one condition."

"Old gentleman, you must first tell me what this thing is and what its uses are."

The old man, upon hearing this, paused for a moment. He looked at Hu Ma and revealed a knowing smile, typical of a seasoned wanderer of the jianghu. Waving his hand, he said, "Alright, you young people are straightforward in your dealings. I'd be embarrassed to try and deceive you. The thing burned from this drought ba's body is called yin bone jade. It can cure poisons and be used in medicine. And in the hands of those who deal with walking ghosts, Negative Spirits, or Punishment Souls, it's an excellent item for casting... If I were to buy it from you for ten taels of Silver, you'd be losing out. Even if I give you one hundred taels, I'd still make a profit."

"Old gentleman, you are an honest man. Consider this piece a gift," Hu Ma said.

Upon hearing the name "yin bone jade," Hu Ma was slightly surprised.

So this is yin bone jade?

This item was also one of the "objects" mentioned in the Age Suppressing Book. Perhaps it should be called a material. When performing the age skill method, placing it at the four corners of the rice character circle could make evil spirits feel an oppressive aura, making it even harder for them to break through. However, while the Age Suppressing Book mentioned how to use such an item, it didn't specify how to obtain it. Hu Ma hadn't known it could be obtained by burning a drought ba.

If one were to buy it, wouldn't a single piece like this be worth the price of several taels of Silver?

He calculated silently, realizing he had burned out quite a few pieces and had unwittingly saved a sum of Silver.

Though he now understood the item's value, he didn't let it show. He still picked out a piece and gave it to the Old Beggar, saying with a smile, "I didn't realize this thing was so valuable. But since I promised you, old gentleman, please accept it."

Second Master always said that when roaming the jianghu, one shouldn't try to take all the benefits for oneself. If I hadn't arrived two days earlier, someone else would likely have taken this job of burning the drought ba.

"You're quite a nice young man..." The Old Beggar weighed the bone—or rather, the yin bone jade—in his hand, smiling at Hu Ma. "Actually, I watched you handle that phantom. Your Method wasn't quite right, nor was the timing. Do you want to hear why?"

Upon hearing this, Hu Ma's earlier suspicions were confirmed: this Old Beggar was indeed skilled. Otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to come alone for this job. Since Hu Ma was currently in a learning phase, and sensing the Old Beggar's intention to show off, he smiled and said, "I'm eager to learn more."

"First, let's talk about the Method," the Old Beggar chuckled. "Your idea of luring the phantom into the village wasn't wrong, but it was cumbersome and risky. It would've been better to take this child outside the village, set a trap there, and line it with dry wood and tung oil. Tie the child above the trap. It would surely cry out in fear, attracting the phantom to fall in. Then you could burn it thoroughly. Wouldn't that be much better than waiting for it in the village?"

"That Method does have some merit..." Hu Ma was slightly taken aback upon hearing this and thought silently: Although using a child to lure an evil spirit is somewhat risky, I could use a human pillar instead.

"Then there's the timing," the Old Beggar sighed. "You acted too soon..."

Hu Ma quickly asked, "What do you mean?"

The Old Beggar shook his head. "The phantom hadn't fully matured yet. The village was only suffering from a bit of drought. When you came to deal with it then, how could the villagers be willing to offer much money? You should have waited until it matured and started harming people. If you had come to deal with it then, never mind 300 taels, they would have had to offer one thousand taels. Besides, the yin bone jade burned out at that point would also be of better quality. So, for such a good job, you only earned 300 taels. You've rather wasted the opportunity."

"Ah?" Hu Ma exclaimed softly.

Listening to this, Hu Ma felt a chill in his heart. He glanced at the Old Beggar impassively, his guard already secretly raised. This Old Beggar clearly has skills, but his methods are too sinister. I'm afraid we're not on the same path.

However, he concealed his wariness and continued to smile, saying, "I've learned a valuable lesson. I truly lack experience in the jianghu."

"It's just different Paths, that's all," the Old Beggar said with a smile, waving his hand. "I have this experience, but I don't have the ability to deal with it at night. However, I see you're an honest lad. There's a profitable business venture I know of. I wonder if you'd be interested?"