Twilight Boundary

"Entering the Ghost Gate, is this truly a place for the dead?"

Hu Ma stood at the crossroads, watching a group of people being pulled by chains as they headed into the depths of the night. Their figures seemed to shift from reality to illusion, and he felt a strange sensation in his heart. Was it fear or anticipation that gripped him so tightly?

"I remember Xiang once mentioned that the dead from Lingshou Prefecture, even all of Anzhou, are brought to the Ghost Cave. Was she telling the truth?"

"Are these corpses just a fraction of them?"

As these thoughts crossed his mind, the two young men continued guiding Hu Ma forward, stepping around a pile of burning incense in the middle of the road as they walked straight ahead, getting ever closer to a massive stone that blended into the night sky.

He knew the stone lay in the darkness ahead, though he could not see it clearly. All he could feel was that the deeper they went, the colder he became, as a chill crept over him, breeding fear.

Gradually, however, the lanterns carried by the two young men illuminated a black cave entrance, where they came to a halt.

This entrance resembled a crevice in a huge circular rock cliff on the mountain, its mouth entangled with chains. As he peered inside, darkness prevailed, with only faint traces of light visible.

The two young men retrieved a few items at the cave entrance, handing them to Hu Ma one by one: a lit candle, followed by a thread. They said,

"The Old Master and Young Lady are inside. Take this candle with you. If the candle goes out, you must return immediately."

"Tie this thread to your arm, and use it to guide your way back. If the thread breaks, you won't find your way out."

"..."

"Why make it so complicated?"

Hu Ma looked at them and suddenly asked, "How many threads did you bring?"

The two young men paused. Hu Ma, peering at their hands by the lantern's light, saw clearly that there were three threads.

He laughed and said, "Tie all three around my arm!"

"Afraid?"

One of the young men said, "Tying three threads is the same as tying one."

"I understand."

Hu Ma gave them a smile and said, "But if just one breaks, it could be an accident or something. If all three break, then someone must be trying to harm me."

"?"

At this statement, the two young men seemed unsure. Who would harm a benefactor in the domain of the Dongzi Li Family?

Moreover, even if someone would, was it proper to speak of it out loud?

But Hu Ma just smiled, picked up the specially made, burning candle, and had them tie all three red threads to his left arm before walking straight into the cave.

He remained cautious at heart, daring not to let his guard down in the slightest. Yet at this point, showing any fear seemed unnecessary; it would only make him a laughingstock to these people.

The entrance was initially narrow, just wide enough for a person, but after walking several dozen steps, it opened up.

Using the candle for light, Hu Ma turned a corner and found himself in a more spacious and brightly lit area.

Looking ahead, he saw the cave walls lined with four or five thick chains, interwoven and connected to a man at the center.

He wore a wide robe and a tall hat. Unlike the other Li Family members Hu Ma had seen since arriving, who looked like farmers, this person seemed to have stepped out of an ancient painting, exuding a noble elegance and an aura of authority.

Hearing Hu Ma enter, the chained man gazed at him with gentle eyes and a smile on his lips.

Xiang, leaning beside him, also looked up at Hu Ma, a silent sweet smile gracing her face.

"Mr. Hu, you traveled thousands of miles to return my daughter, ensuring her safety. Such great kindness is beyond thanks, but Li Huaizhang deeply appreciates your noble deed, never to be forgotten..."

The man in chains rose to greet Hu Ma with a deep bow, speaking earnestly.

With only the two of them present, Hu Ma naturally knew who this person was and quickly returned the gesture, saying, "You're too kind."

"It was a small effort, hardly worthy of being called a noble deed."

"I come from a village and know little else, but my Granny taught me to be kind to others. What I've done is simply what everyone should do..."

"..."

He spoke while assessing this man, finding himself at a loss for words.

The Ghost Cave Li Family was so secretive; yet here was this mysterious and authoritative Old Master Li of Anzhou, now seen chained and lonely like a prisoner, far from being the head of a family.

Could this be why he was powerless to prevent his daughter's abduction?

"Ha-ha, that's why I couldn't come to thank you personally and had to invite you in," Old Master Li said, patting the chains on his body with a rattling sound. "I had myself locked with them; otherwise, I worried I wouldn't be able to endure it."

"You locked yourself?"

Hu Ma paused, then accepted the invitation to sit on a straw pile nearby.

Old Master Li sized Hu Ma up with satisfaction, nodding as he sighed, "I had no choice but to lock myself up."

"Guarding the Ghost Cave is a royal duty but not a favorable position. Those who guard it are doomed to this suffering, and it brings suffering to the Li Family as well."

"I suppose, as you came here, you noticed that our Ghost Cave clan has always been isolated from the world, living here for generations, farming to sustain ourselves with little interaction with outsiders. Even if a clan member leaves... ha, it's usually by sneaking out."

"..."

Even without him saying it, Hu Ma had observed as much.

He had noticed the humble hospitality from the Li Family earlier, thinking perhaps they were just stingy.

But now he realized it wasn't stinginess. They genuinely had little to share.

A family that had sealed itself off by the mountainside, difficult for outsiders to enter, and whose members rarely went out—how could their provisions be abundant?

As for Old Master Li, he was even worse off, trapped in this cave without a means to escape.

It was no wonder his daughter had been harmed and kidnapped...

Old Master Li glanced at Xiang beside him while explaining with a smile, "So when Mr. Hu sent word from Mingzhou that she was alive and well looked after, this worried heart of mine was finally put at ease."

"Since she has met a kind person, then even if she doesn't return, spending her life washing clothes and cooking meals, that would also be good."

"..."

"What?"

Hu Ma, who had been quietly listening, was suddenly taken aback, looking at him in disbelief.

Does this mean the letter I had sent via the Mule and Horse Market was actually received?

In that case, he...

Old Master Li noticed Hu Ma's skeptical eyes and smiled faintly. "I knew about their plan to have Yu'er kidnapped."

"They bet that taking her away would mean she couldn't survive in this world, or at the very least, tarnish the Yin Talisman to prevent her from taking my place as gatekeeper."

"But my hope was for Yu'er, having gone out, to at least have a chance to live like a human being outside."

"..."

Now fully aware of the truth, Hu Ma was even more shocked.

Not only had Old Master Li received the letter, but he even knew about the kidnapping?

And he wasn't afraid...?

"Once out, it's inevitable she will face hardships and endure misfortune," Old Master Li said, apparently reading Hu Ma's thoughts, and sighed softly. "Perhaps she will encounter life-threatening situations several times."

"I don't know the exact adversities Xiangyu might face, but I know she has yin virtue protecting her and isn't fated for an early death. Even in danger, she'll eventually turn calamity into blessing."

"Indeed, my foresight is not that clear, but my expectations weren't high to begin with. As long as she survives, that's enough for me."

"She has always been gentle and kind-hearted. If she survives outside, even if life is a bit bitter, with simple food and drink daily, farming to pass the days, it would still be a respectable way out."

"..."

Before returning Xiang, Hu Ma had anticipated many outcomes, but he had never imagined hearing such words.

He looked up at Old Master Li, saw the gloomy expression and deep helplessness in his eyes. How could this man view everything so calmly, even as his family's fate hung so precariously?

The people represented by Housekeeper Zhou wanted to avoid karmic entanglement and also ruin the Yin Talisman by having Xiang kidnapped, gambling that a lone girl in the hands of a kidnapper wouldn't come to a good end.

Yet Old Master Li was betting on her survival. As long as she survived, even if she faced hardships, it would be an acceptable outcome?

He claimed Xiang wasn't fated for an early death, but who could be sure of such things? What if she had really died?

For example, what if I hadn't intervened on that ship?

Did Old Master Li truly dare to gamble like this? Or was he, in fact, prepared to accept the outcome of Xiang actually dying out there?

A sense of dread filled his heart as he turned back to Xiang.

He saw her eyes were red, presumably because she and her father had already discussed these matters.

But why did she look not resentful, but rather touched?

"One must not defy imperial orders or deceive the ghostly gods..."

After revealing the truth, Old Master Li sighed deeply and said to Hu Ma, "Our Li ancestors were people who should have died. They survived by accepting the imperial order to guard the Ghost Cave, living here only to repay debts."

"Originally, the debt was repaid for seven generations. When it came to my generation, there should have been no more offspring. However, unexpectedly, this girl was born."

"She is the eighth generation and innocent. Yet, who could have expected her to be born with the Yin Talisman?"

"As the seventh-generation gatekeeper, I was to be the last to repay the debts. But now that she has entered the Ghost Cave, she is condemned to suffer this torment for lifetime after lifetime."

"I, ultimately, find it somewhat unbearable..."

"..."

As he spoke, Old Master Li glanced at Xiang with a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

Listening to him, Hu Ma began to understand some things. The entire affair was steeped in immense karmic destiny and manipulation. Was the entire Li Family, from top to bottom, gambling on something?

His mind momentarily struggled to digest it all, but Old Master Li looked over at him and said, "But no matter what, this girl's Life Grid seems more significant than I imagined. After all this, she has returned, so now..."

With a pause, he lowered his voice, "Mr. Hu, would you marry this girl and take her back to your Manor for a peaceful life?"

"..."

Truly taken aback, Hu Ma exclaimed, "What?"