Twilight Boundary-Chapter 602 - 593: Walking Ghost, Little Sword Catcher

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight..."

"All eight flags have been pulled?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"..."

The sudden scene left countless people in the Yan Mansion with changed expressions.

The Yan Family had treated them with courtesy, only aiming to invite the Ghost Walker Sword Catcher for a reasonable discussion. At worst, they expected each side to display their skills and determine a winner in a magic duel, not to directly draw weapons on each other.

Just seeing this Sword Catcher enter through the main gate without pulling flags or storming the formation made them think their plan was seventy percent successful. Who would have thought such a drastic change could occur?

Not only were the flags pulled, but all eight were taken. This indicated the newcomers had no intention of engaging in a magic duel or discussion. Were they really just here to kill?

The most frightening part was that the flag guards outside, all individuals of true skill, had apparently made no sound, nor was any disturbance heard as the flags were seized...

...Everyone said the Four Great Hall Officials of the Zhensui Mansion were a joke. How did they manage to recruit so many small hall officers?

This shocking and astounding development left everyone present feeling utterly unprepared. Gazing at the masked figures—the "Ghost Walker Small Sword Catchers"—coldly sneering at them, their expressions became even more flustered. In normal circumstances, shouldn't the Ghost Walker Great Sword Catcher be the one besieged when he arrived in Guazhou to kill people, not us being surrounded now?

"Good, very good!"

Amidst the chaos, Master Yan suddenly spoke.

As this unexpected change occurred and everyone stood in shock, Master Yan of the Yan Family slammed the table and rose to his feet.

This Master Yan wasn't from the Path world. He only read saintly books and studied the art of advising rulers, not involving himself in these jianghu abnormal magics. But when his face darkened, he appeared extremely authoritative.

"The Iron Gates of the Yan Mansion are not to be trespassed by petty jianghu hooligans! Seize them first, then we'll interrogate them for the crime of storming the mansion!"

"..."

"Eh?"

A group of Ghost Walker Small Sword Catchers had just gathered, their eyes glinting with excitement. They were somewhat surprised to hear this unexpected shout.

Damn, are we really going to fight?

The guests invited to the Yan Family mansion for drinks also grew worried.

They had attended out of respect for the Yan Family and largely didn't want an actual fight. However, with things having reached this point and Master Yan giving the order, they had no choice.

After all, who in Guazhou could ignore Master Yan's command?

As these thoughts raced, one man rushed out. With a raised hand, he lunged for one of the Ghost Walker Small Sword Catchers near the banquet, a heavy scent of blood clinging to the masked figure, shouting, "You've committed the most killings! I'll start with you!"

This was Master Gongyang, whose perception was keenest and reactions swiftest.

Once Master Yan spoke, even if those invited were still hesitant, they had to act. However, even when acting, they tried to avoid clashing with the Ghost Walker Great Sword Catcher, opting to deal with a Small Sword Catcher first. One reason was to be seen as the first to follow orders, making them look good. Another was that even if they offended the Zhensui Mansion by capturing a Small Sword Catcher, the offense would be lessened.

Even if a confrontation with the Ghost Walker Great Sword Catcher was inevitable, they didn't want to be the first to strike him!

The small hall officer Master Gongyang targeted wore a rabbit mask with two large teeth protruding, looking somewhat foolish and seemingly easy to capture.

He snorted coldly and grabbed for the opponent's chest, planning to use his trump card: seize their neck and slam them to the ground.

Unexpectedly, the opponent raised a hand, parrying the grab, then countered with a slap across Master Gongyang's face, cursing, "Who do you think you're grabbing?"

"Hmm?"

Master Gongyang was stunned by the slap.

What's happening?

His seemingly casual grab, intended to establish dominance and seize the initiative, had utilized all the skills he'd honed throughout his life.

In such an unexpected situation, he was usually certain to succeed. Even if his target were a Shousui man entering the mansion, they would first be caught and then have to find a way to escape. Yet, his attempt to grab this inconspicuous small hall officer had inexplicably failed. And the officer had even slapped him back?

How did they manage that slap? Why didn't I see it?

"Damn it, you dare to fight back? Cut him down!"

During this rapid exchange, while Master Gongyang was still reeling from the slap, he realized the Sword-catching small hall officers around him were far more hot-tempered and already enraged.

His grab seemed to have stirred up a hornet's nest. All the masked Sword-catching small hall officers roared in fury and charged forward to attack.

Throughout this, there was no sign of the Ghost Walker Great Sword Catcher issuing any orders...

CLATTER! CRASH!

Some wielded knives, some brandished spears, and others raised their hands, hurling silver needles. Some retreated behind the crowd, silently burning incense and drawing talismans, while others grabbed bricks from corners. In an instant, they charged the banquet tables, attacking indiscriminately regardless of who was seated, startling the jianghu Path experts and forcing them into a hurried defense.

"How daring!"

Sitting in the chief guest's seat was an elder with a long beard, Mr. Liu from the southern part of Guazhou City. Known for his excellent sword skills, and seeing so many of these Ghost Walker Small Sword Catchers acting so recklessly and ferociously, he slammed the table forcefully. He stood up, took a deep breath—his chest visibly rising—then shouted, spewing a white beam of light directly towards four or five people ahead of him.

This was precisely his sword pill trump card, cultivated over decades.

To his surprise, the Ghost Walker Small Sword Catchers, confronted with his trump card, were also startled. They yelled and leaped aside, pushing a slower comrade forward.

The man wearing a sheep mask, facing the sword light, broke into a cold sweat from fear.

He suddenly yanked his mask halfway up, revealing his mouth, and with a snap of his jaws, caught the Flying Sword in his teeth.

The next moment, he hastily pushed the mask back down, mumbling, "Scared the hell out of me..."

"Almost exposed my face..."

"..."

"?"

Mr. Liu trembled with anger. "That was my Flying Sword! To train this trump card, how many iron pellets did I swallow, and how many silver needles did I tie to my tongue?"

"After twenty years of arduous practice, I only managed to cultivate these three sword lights, and you just swallowed one?"

"...You swallowed my Flying Sword, and your only concern is revealing your face?"

"..."

Both enraged and shocked, he inhaled deeply, preparing to unleash his second Flying Sword.

However, before he could spit it out, something dark and messy was slammed onto his face, smearing his mouth and features, forcing him to swallow the second Flying Sword.

It turned out some fellow had grabbed a large bowl, complete with soup and vegetables, and clapped it over Mr. Liu's mouth, forcing his second Flying Sword back down.

Before he could even raise a hand to wipe his face, a brick slammed into the back of his head, making him see stars.

"Such audacity! How dare you cause a scene in the Yan Mansion?"

On another side, Aunt Li from the Skillful Hand Restaurant was also furious. She briskly reached for her waist pouch, and a stream of paper figures and horses flew out.

These were paper soldiers and Paper Horses, crafted from white and red paper. They flew into the air, growing larger with the wind, brandishing knives and swords, shouting battle cries.

They truly resembled an army charging towards the bizarre group of Ghost Walker Small Sword Catchers.

But from among the Small Sword Catchers, one figure wearing an ox mask casually leaped out. Facing the paper army, he snorted, and two jets of green flame erupted from the mask's nostrils, instantly incinerating the paper figures and horses.

Aunt Li's heart leaped to her throat in astonishment. "What kind of Strange Skill is that? How can it break my Magic?"

"Ignorant fools, courting death!"

Elsewhere, those seated at the same table as Master Yan were all extraordinary individuals, and they too began to make their moves.

The Protector General under the Iron Threshold King was the fiercest among them. Enraged, he suddenly drew an iron whip from his waist and swung it savagely.

His swing was powerful and heavy, augmented by his strength as a Shousui man. It could have cleaved three to five men in half, displaying a truly unrivaled force.

But to his surprise, the whip was caught mid-swing by someone casually extending a hand, stopping it dead.

The other person curiously examined the iron whip, recognizing it as a formidable, malevolent artifact. They immediately tugged at it, shouting, "Let go! Give it to me!"

The Protector General, astonished and infuriated, stood dumbfounded. He felt the iron whip about to be torn from his grasp and clung to it desperately, refusing to let go.

"Such audacity, such audacity..."

Seeing this chaos unfold, Master Yan trembled with a mixture of fury, utter surprise, and even a tinge of terror.

"Are these immortals descended to earth? Where did all these experts come from?"

"..."

Master Yan knew very well how many experts from the Paths there were in Guazhou. The most capable ones were seated right there at his banquet.

But the Walking Ghost Path was notoriously in decline. So where did all these Ghost Walker Small Sword Catchers come from? They seemed to be clowning around, yet every single one possessed unfathomably profound skills.

It seemed like any one of them, chosen at random, was more skilled than the several experts he had invited.

The crucial point was, among these numerous Ghost Walker Small Sword Catchers, they appeared to be a motley crew of all trades, yet, perplexingly, not one of them actually resembled a Ghost Walker...

"Good heavens..."

Hu Ma, the Ghost Walker Great Sword Catcher wearing a smiling mask, watched this lively scene, sighing quietly to himself.

Don't screw this up...

At that moment, a woman wearing a rat mask appeared beside him. Judging by her voice and figure, it was clearly Miss Red Wine. She whispered, "What is this nonsense? Is that foolish young master really so generous, tossing around the title of small hall officer as if it were worthless?"

"..."

Recognizing the resentment in her words, Hu Ma could only offer a sheepish smile. A position even dogs look down on hardly needs such meticulousness, he thought.

Miss Red Wine, lounging languidly, reminded him, "I know you set up this bounty to gauge the abilities of these Reincarnators first, but they're also observing you!"

"After all, you're the initiator of this gathering. If you don't display some skill to earn their respect, you'll struggle to maintain control when the meeting starts."

"..."

"Understood!"

Hu Ma took a deep breath, his Punishment Officer drawn from within his robes. He squinted at the White-clothed Scholar and smiled, "It's nearly midnight."