Twilight Boundary

Resurrection of the dead? Hu Ma was suddenly taken aback as he listened. The idea of a dead person coming back to life sounded akin to a fairy tale. In this eerie world he had been in for so long, there was only one known case of resurrection: himself.

But the process from his previous self's death to his own resurrection involved many complications. If it weren't for Granny's great skills, summoning his soul and using so much Blood Tai Sui to nourish his body, the resurrection wouldn't have truly succeeded.

However, the Dongzi Li Family could apparently revive the dead with just a Copper Coin. Such a thing... could the skills of the Dongzi Li Family be even greater than Granny's?

Impossible. However powerful the Dongzi Li Family was, they were not among the Ten Surnames, while Granny could contend with the Meng family. There's no reason Granny's skills should be weaker than the Li Family's. That leaves another explanation: could it be that the Dongzi Li Family was really guarding the Ghost Gate? Granny resurrected the dead with immense effort, yet the Dongzi Li Family directly returned souls from the underworld?

"Rest assured," as if seeing through Hu Ma's thoughts, Miss Red Wine said softly. "The Dongzi Li Family should not be guarding Yama Hall.

"There is no Ten Halls Yama in this world, nor is there an underworld."

"..."

Just as this thought emerged, Miss Red Wine voiced it, leaving Hu Ma slightly stunned. He turned to look at her, asking, "Why are you so sure?"

"..."

"Because I am from the Trick Door," Miss Red Wine sighed softly and said. "We of the Trick Door play the most elaborate games and see the truest things.

"Besides, people from the Trick Door are curious."

She chuckled lightly before continuing, "Most Reincarnators are lazy and cautious, but some are diligent. I am the diligent type. Besides working hard to learn these skills, I am also curious about this world.

"So I have always tried every way to gather information about this world, to understand its operations, and to look at the essence beneath its bizarre and absurd appearance.

"I always believed that Reincarnators could be cautious but should never stop exploring this world.

"Only by truly understanding this world can one escape the Ten Surnames' cleansing and even figure out how we came to this world."

"..."

"This..."

Hu Ma slightly tilted his head, seeing only Miss Red Wine's profile. She was unlike Miss White Wine, who was so exquisite. A dignified Reincarnator, yet she lived like a farmer's wife in this world. But she was attractive, with sculpted-like cheeks. Or perhaps, her beauty didn't come from her appearance? Most Reincarnators were lazy and bored; someone with such initiative was truly rare. Miss Red Wine's most distinctive quality was that while others avoided such matters, she eagerly embraced them.

However, thinking this, Hu Ma suddenly grew curious. Miss Red Wine's understanding of this world was very deep. Perhaps that was what he should be after? Before coming, he hadn't decided what reward to ask for after delivering the letter. Now he understood. Perhaps, rather than the Shousui man's trump cards, those two oil lamps he hadn't yet obtained, or even the Blood Food Pill, simply talking more with Miss Red Wine, uncovering those secrets, and understanding this world—that would be the most valuable reward for him...

"Let's not talk about it now. Let's clean up this mess!" But before Hu Ma could voice his curiosity, Miss Red Wine suddenly sighed lightly and said, "The thing you're hiding from has already reached outside the manor."

Hu Ma snapped to attention and looked up at the manor gate shrouded by the night. Everything seemed normal at the moment, except for a faint chill in the night air that made his skin tingle slightly. The livestock in the manor sensed something. Some raised their heads, looking around blankly. Others just lay there, chewing grass bit by bit.

All Hu Ma felt now was a slight chill; he hadn't detected anything else. Yet he immediately took out the Fire Stick from his pocket, gently blew on it until it glowed, and ignited a brazier at his feet.

Then, he watched as the flickering flame gradually turned green, and his expression grew solemn.

"Don't worry!" Miss Red Wine glanced at him, gave a faint smile, and suddenly stood up, grabbing Hu Ma's hand as she rose from the rattan chair.

With this motion of her standing up, Hu Ma felt as if he had suddenly awakened from a dream, startlingly finding himself standing with Lady Han in that previously dilapidated and eerie manor, a desolate emptiness around them.

The brazier he had lit and the screen Miss Red Wine had pulled over earlier were still there.

He dared not relax, instinctively surveying his surroundings. Everything seemed normal; even the color of the flames in the brazier hadn't changed. But he knew Miss Red Wine had sensed something, so he waited patiently.

Sure enough, after a short while, the RATTLING of iron chains came from outside the manor, then it seemed as though a gust of yin wind brushed past his eyes.

He saw a figure appear inside the manor, wearing a high hat and entangled in chains. It was at least twice the height of a normal person and walked slowly through the manor.

Previously, he had only sensed it. The first time he had seen it, he was hiding on the third floor of the inn, looking down from above.

But now, sitting inside the manor, he felt its intense pressure, carrying a dense yin qi, as it slowly walked from left to right, from the manor gate straight to the far end of the manor. At its closest, it was no more than ten feet away from Hu Ma.

But it didn't look at Hu Ma; it just walked silently past.

Hu Ma saw the face beneath its high hat: pale, rigid, and imbued with a Non-human eeriness.

His heart filled with anxiety, fearing it might stop by the small hut where Xiang was hiding. But as it walked past, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. It seemed Miss Red Wine's arrangements were exceptionally thorough.

When the thing reached the small hut, it seemed to hesitate but still went past. Unexpectedly, however, when it reached the end of the manor, it slowly turned back.

Hu Ma's heart leapt to his throat.

Previously, this ghostly thing would only search once when it came.

Yet now it had walked back and forth three times, persistently searching for something, even stopping by the small hut. Still, it didn't enter. It only paused briefly before leaving, then returned shortly after.

The air felt as if it had frozen; each breath exhaled seemed to be yin qi. The livestock in the manor appeared uncomfortable. Some raised their heads high and MOOED softly a few times.

Miss Red Wine stood quietly without speaking. But when the thing had circled the manor three times and still refused to leave, she sighed lightly and suddenly pulled the screen before her gently to one side.

With this movement, the surrounding yin qi surged in, intensifying, and the ambient temperature plummeted.

The thing wearing the high hat, hovering beside the small hut, suddenly looked up, its rigid gaze falling directly on Hu Ma.

"Stop looking." Lady Han put away the painting. She didn't look at the eerie Chain Ghost wearing the high hat but instead gazed towards the deep night outside the manor and said with a loud laugh, "There are quite a few people in this manor of mine who deserve to die, but now that they're in my circle, it's not their time yet.

"If you wish to perform soul-hooking, go somewhere else. Best not to startle my livestock."

"..."

Who is Lady Han speaking to? Hu Ma focused his gaze, also looking outside the manor, yet he saw nothing there. Meanwhile, the Chain Ghost with the high hat behind him stood stiffly, staring straight at him, making him feel uneasy all over.

"BOOM..."

At that very moment, the manor's wooden door was suddenly blown open by a strong gust of wind. The night's darkness outside seemed thick enough to squeeze inside. Vaguely, Hu Ma saw a black sedan chair appear in the dense night. It transitioned from blurry to clear, stopping quietly outside the manor, separated by the main gate, facing Lady Han. It was as if one could feel a cold, indifferent gaze from within the sedan chair.

"Lady Han, the one who skins and makes garments..." A chilly voice rang out from inside the sedan chair. "I know you're hiding people here.

"Many of Anzhou's great bandits and evil marauders are hidden here. The government clearly knows but dares not investigate.

"Hiding them is one thing, but there are some people you cannot hide.

"Our Ghost Cave Li Family has always lived in peace with friends on the path, like well water not interfering with river water, treating everyone with courtesy and establishing friendly ties. But if you insist on interfering with our family's grievances, you're breaking the rules of the jianghu. Can it be that Lady Han has an issue with our Li Family?"

"..."

"An issue?" Lady Han chuckled and said, "Not at all. Why would I have an issue with the Dongzi Li Family? On the contrary, I was just planning to visit the Li Family!

"I'll leave first thing tomorrow morning, and I'll even invite all our associates from Anzhou to go together. What do you think?"

"..."

The taunt in her words was perfectly clear. The person inside the black sedan chair flew into a rage. Suddenly, the sedan curtain was lifted, and two black talisman papers were thrown out. The talisman papers fluttered, seemingly blown by the wind, circling several times in the air before landing on the ground.

Upon landing, they instantly turned to paper ash, which was then blown away by a gust of wind, disappearing completely. But the command had already been issued.

The Chain Ghost with the high hat suddenly raised its head. With a series of sharp WHIPS, the iron chains on its body lashed out, instantly smashing the small hut where Xiang was hiding into smithereens. The walls, the roof, even the bed and cabinet inside, were all shattered to pieces.

Hu Ma's heart immediately lurched. The wooden hut wasn't large to begin with, and now it had been utterly wrecked. Xiang was a living person, after all; she couldn't possibly remain hidden any longer...