Twilight Boundary

Housekeeper Zhou no longer cared about anything else. He hurriedly swallowed the snake medicine, then rasped to Hu Ma, "Little Shopkeeper, you really have a nosy nature, don't you?"

"You are a good person, and righteous too, bringing our young lady back from so far away."

"But you never thought that our young lady might have been destined to wander ever since she was born with the Yin Talisman..."

Hu Ma seemed to take it more seriously, slowly furrowing his brow, and said, "Born with a Yin Talisman..."

"Is this really the reason why Xiang was kidnapped?"

"Yes."

The housekeeper, having swallowed the snake medicine, still had a raspy voice as he spoke softly, "The Yin Talisman emerged, regenerating the Netherworld Mansion. When the young lady manifested the Yin Talisman, in many Li Family members' eyes, she was no longer a young lady of noble birth."

"She was the enemy of the Li Family!"

"Enemy?"

Listening to the housekeeper, Hu Ma slightly furrowed his brows, asking, "What do you mean?"

The expression on the housekeeper's face seemed somewhat pitiful. He sighed heavily, saying, "The Li Family has suffered too much..."

"The old Emperor, when he was still influential in the court, issued an order for several families to guard the Ghost Cave. The other families gradually couldn't hold on. The grievances and debts in the Ghost Cave had harmed them, causing many families to lose their incense lineage. Those remaining did everything they could to flee."

"Only the Li Family; the Li Family continues to guard it."

"Even though that Emperor was flayed in court and no one takes the royal decree seriously anymore, the Old Master insists on it. He says that even if only one person remains from the Li Family, they must guard the Ghost Cave."

"But his loyalty doesn't mean everyone in the Li Family is willing to suffer along."

"Especially for those of us who entered their service, a daughter marrying into the master's family should be a good thing. But who would have thought that marrying off my daughter would push her into a pit of fire, and that even I would have to enter the Ghost Cave?"

"Who would be willing? Who would want to live like neither human nor ghost, generation after generation?"

"Who would want to live their whole life, only to end up filling the Ghost Cave, unable to die peacefully?"

Hu Ma could hear the desolation in his words and could only ponder slightly, whispering, "What exactly is this Yin Talisman you speak of? It sounds more powerful than any curse."

The housekeeper glanced at Hu Ma and calmly said, "Little Shopkeeper, you're still as curious as ever. But now that you're asking, I might as well tell you!"

"The Yin Talisman isn't something for the living to use."

"It is a token meant for underworld officials traveling through yin and yang, for soul-hooking, driving people to the Ghost Gate."

"With the Yin Talisman on the young lady, it means she's not of the mortal realm. Once she reaches maturity, she will take over from the Old Master and enter the Ghost Cave. In fact, she's even more rightfully entitled than the Old Master, as all Ghost Caves will be under her watch."

"If it were only her, it might be tolerated..."

The housekeeper sighed deeply, saying, "But according to the rules, it's the Li Family that guards the Ghost Cave. Initially, those people were ordered to guard it, with the understanding it would be for seven generations. They are almost at the end of that term now. Otherwise, which good family would want their daughter married into such a household?"

"But she obtained this Yin Talisman, which means taking on the duty anew. Not just for seven generations, but for all generations to come."

"Who would willingly accept this kind of fate?"

He showed a bitter smile. "What kind of world is this now?"

"A Chaotic World, an Evil World, but also a world where capable people can make their way!"

"With ability, one can possess a territory and become a carefree local tyrant. Look at the world outside; with a few evil skills, people can call the shots and lord it over others. They can even conjure an evil spirit, form a Blood Food Gang, build a temple, burn incense, and grandiosely claim titles like 'Lady' or 'Master'."

"The Li Family members have skills. They've guarded the Ghost Cave for generations and have earned their merit. So why should others enjoy comfort, while only the Li Family suffers this hardship?"

You don't seem too respectful to our Lady in your words, Hu Ma thought to himself, then slowly said, "So, the Li Family can't tolerate this young lady with the Yin Talisman..."

"But why not just kill her outright?"

"If only we could just kill her, it would've been a relief..."

The housekeeper gave a bitter laugh. "But the Yin Talisman carries great karmic consequences, consequences that would affect descendants and family. No one can bear such a heavy responsibility."

"Therefore, no one dares to kill the young lady. We don't even dare to harm her directly, or do anything to desecrate the Yin Talisman."

"We deliberated for a long time and came up with only one Method."

"The young lady was about to grow up. Customarily, before entering the Ghost Cave, she was to come out and experience some relaxation. Heh, this is the fate of the Ghost Cave Li Family—worse than being imprisoned."

"And for us to rid ourselves of this Yin Talisman, we only had this one chance."

"I didn't do anything. I just happened to look away while watching the young lady, allowing her to be kidnapped. But I didn't harm her."

"Godmother Cui was also coerced. Initially, she didn't know this was the Li Family's young lady. She only followed the rules of their trade, selling the young lady far away so she wouldn't remember anything."

"If the young lady died outside, or her purity was destroyed, tainting the Yin Talisman, that would be the karmic consequence of outsiders, having nothing to do with us."

This was similar to throwing a piece of plague-tainted gold or cloth outside, leaving whoever picked it up to suffer.

However, Hu Ma couldn't help but furrow his brows, curiously asking, "They say ghostly gods can't be deceived. Do you really think doing this can allow you to escape the karmic consequences?"

"What else could we do? Just wait for her to truly grow up, formally take possession of the Yin Talisman, enter the Ghost Cave, and thereby subject the entire Dongzi Li Family to this suffering for generations to come?"

The housekeeper coldly raised his head to look at Hu Ma, whispering, "Besides, we had already succeeded. The young lady was kidnapped, and the Li Family breathed a sigh of relief. Even the Old Master in the cave didn't come out."

"But who could have predicted there would still be a decent person like you, Little Shopkeeper, in this world?"

Housekeeper Zhou gave a bitter laugh. "Not only did you save the young lady, but you treated her with respect, protected her completely, and even kindly relayed a message to send her back..."

"Everything coincided so perfectly, it was as if arranged by fate. In this kind of world, who would believe that someone kidnapped could return unharmed?"

"Perhaps the young lady truly has ghostly gods protecting her in the unseen realm..."

What ghostly gods in the unseen realm? Hu Ma didn't know how to respond to the old housekeeper or those behind him.

He had saved Xiang almost by chance. If she had been just a little farther from his boat's railing back then, perhaps he wouldn't have reached out to her in the water, and she would have drowned.

Or if Yang Gong hadn't suddenly had the idea to go after that batch of Blood Food, how would I have ended up at Niu Family Bay, dozens of miles away?

As for deciding to send Xiang back, it was partly because at that time, he was focused on his cultivation and didn't want unnecessary complications. Partly, it was because he believed it was the right thing to do, without any other entanglements.

Yet these coincidences, strung together, made the Li Family think it was some kind of unseen intervention...

But in this world, could there truly be an unseen eye watching everything?

...Dammit!

Suddenly thinking of this last possibility sent an unexpected chill down his spine. He instinctively looked around but saw nothing.

This matter couldn't be pondered too deeply; dwelling on it truly cast an unsettling shadow. Hu Ma adjusted his expression and said to Housekeeper Zhou, "So, back in Mingzhou, when you hired me as an escort, you had already planned to silence me?"

"Why go to such trouble? You could have just shown your token to prove you were from the Li Family, taken Xiang back, and then couldn't you have done whatever you wanted on the road?"

"How would I do anything?"

Housekeeper Zhou heaved a low sigh. "Sell the young lady again, perhaps?"

"Hah, if the young lady truly has the protection of ghostly gods from the unseen realm, then selling her again might just result in her returning to the Li Family safe and sound..."

"It would be more practical..."

He paused, looking at Hu Ma. Having taken the snake medicine, he was slowly waiting for the poison to wear off and his strength to return, but he spoke unhurriedly, "Since the young lady wants to come home, then let her come back..."

"But what if the reckless little shopkeeper from the Blood Food Gang took the young lady's body and defiled the Yin Talisman? What could be done then?"

"There are plenty of beggars in this city; it would be their gain. Of course, after it's done, they'd have to accompany the young lady in death!"

"The Kidnapper Gang is eliminated by you, Little Shopkeeper—you dealt with them personally. Then, you also die at the hands of the Kidnapper Gang. The Dongzi Li Family might not even hate you; perhaps they'll even reluctantly accept you as their son-in-law..."

"Ah, there might still be some trouble, but I did my best."

"Ever since you sent the letter back to the Li Family, this matter became complicated. All that was left was to patch things up and try to cover it up as best as possible..."

His voice grew lower, and a fierce glint began to slowly surface in his eyes, a silver needle flashing in his hand.

Feeling the murderous aura emanating from him, Hu Ma wondered if he had any more questions. In the end, he only sighed, casually holding his knife without much preparation, and looked at the old housekeeper, saying, "Are you preparing to use your skills now?"

Housekeeper Zhou stared at him, giving a low chuckle. "The reason I chatted with you for so long was because I was waiting for the antidote to take effect..."

"Little Shopkeeper, what are you waiting for?"

"You Tricksters are very skilled. I was genuinely curious to witness it myself, but..."

Listening, Hu Ma also looked at Housekeeper Zhou and smiled. He paused, then took out a white porcelain bottle from his clothes, saying leisurely, "Your Tricksters' hands are indeed very fast. However, I think I made a mistake just now."

"This bottle is the one I took from the snake handler."

"What you just ate was taken from Godmother Cui..."

"You..."

Housekeeper Zhou's eyes widened, his face turning dark.

Hu Ma, gripping his knife, cautiously edged closer to him, chuckling, "So, I was also waiting for the poison to take effect..."