Twilight Boundary-Chapter 604 - 595: Yan Family Old Evil Spirit

"Was he really killed?"

As the cries of the night watchman spread one after another throughout Gua Prefecture Mansion, the entire city was shaken.

Meanwhile, the jianghu heroes, drinking and partying in the city's inns and wine shops, were startled by the shouts, as if waking from a dream.

"Who? Who's dead?"

"We came to this city, still waiting for the Yan Family to call us to fight that great evil spirit seeking revenge in Guazhou. We've been drinking for days and haven't seen anyone yet!"

"We were supposed to be the vanguard, and we haven't lost anyone. How did the Earth Snake God die?"

"Could it have been caught off guard and assassinated?"

In the midst of this stupor, someone suddenly reacted, abruptly smashed a wine jar, and shouted, "Quick, quick!"

"If the person we're supposed to protect has been assassinated, the Yan Family certainly won't take it lying down. This might be the time when they need our help!"

Then, they called out to each other, rushing out from the inns and taverns. They had originally come voluntarily as jianghu heroes, so marginal that the Yan Family hadn't even bothered to inform them of anything, but now they were suddenly enthusiastic. Shouting and bustling, brandishing swords and knives, they boldly headed toward the Yan Mansion, a place they usually dared not approach.

"Dead... dead..." Master Yan stammered.

Meanwhile, at the Yan Mansion, he had just had his face splattered with his concubine's brains and then drenched in the blood of the Earth Snake God. The experience thoroughly washed away his scholar's pride. His eyes looked forward, spiritless, his heart seemingly dead with despair. His body crumpled as he muttered, "It's over, it's over..."

"They even arranged for a night watch?"

Hu Ma, having slain the Earth Snake God, wasn't particularly shocked. Instead, upon hearing the commotion outside, he was slightly surprised.

Curiously glancing at Miss Red Wine beside him, he saw her smile softly and say, "Old Sorghum arranged it. As he's gotten older, he handles matters more reliably than we do."

"Since you're working for the Zhensui Mansion and even brought out a hundred pounds of Blood Food, we can't take it for free."

"Not only do the people of Guazhou need to know that the Snake Ghost was killed by you within the designated two-hour window, but everyone along the Path needs to know as well. Otherwise, wouldn't it have been killed in vain?"

Reliable indeed... Hu Ma internally praised her. He hadn't actually given Miss Red Wine such detailed instructions, but as a grandmaster of the jianghu, she had guessed everything perfectly.

Now that the Snake Ghost was dead, he pricked up his ears, eager to see the reactions of other Reincarnators.

He had, with just a few moves, severely injured an Entering the Mansion Shousui guard, killed a Siming Path practitioner, and was now holding the Earth Snake God's head. This clearly demonstrated his formidable skill, yet the small hall officers of the Walking Ghost Path merely nodded slightly, as if it were nothing extraordinary. Some even whispered, "Is this the skill of a great hall officer?"

"...Not impressive at all!"

"No wonder they say the Four Great Hall Officials of the Walking Ghost Path are utterly useless..."

"It seems our group of small hall officers will be needed to revive the Zhensui Mansion..."

"Bro, we're just temporary help. Are you already thinking about a permanent position?"

"But to be fair, even though the great hall officer's skills are a bit lacking—he couldn't even push open the three mansion gates—his Dharma Form does have some substance..."

"He kills without hesitation; that truly resonates with me..."

"That's it? Let's disperse. Anyone up for a visit to the brothels?"

"?"

Hu Ma felt both angry and amused. "So, you think killing a case god isn't impressive enough? And isn't talking about visiting a brothel a bit much?"

But just as these thoughts flickered through his mind, a heavy breathing sound had already emerged from deep within the chaotic and oppressive Yan Mansion. Initially, this sound was inaudible amidst the cacophony, but as the night watchman's cries faded into the distance, it became increasingly prominent. Louder and louder, like rolling thunder, it surged from the unfathomable depths of the Yan Mansion. Within it, one could hear an emotion of extreme rage. The roar rose in intensity until it suddenly made the onlookers' bodies tingle, their hairs standing on end.

"Hmm?"

The small sword-catching members of the Walking Ghost Path, who had been losing interest, were momentarily stunned, craning their necks curiously to look.

Hu Ma slightly narrowed his eyes. He recognized the sound. It was the same one that had been lured out when Wuya cured the child of the toad disease, when a breath of evil energy, attracted by immortal qi, was expelled from the child's stomach. It indeed resided within the Yan Mansion.

"Child, you... you've caused a terrible disaster!"

Amidst the horror, a gasping voice was heard. Everyone hurriedly looked over to see Master Yan, who had collapsed on the ground. He glared fiercely at Hu Ma, gasping for breath, his expression a mixture of anger and fear, and growled, "It doesn't matter if you're a great sword-catching lord or something else! Even if the Master of Zhensui Mansion himself came, he'd pay a heavy price! You... killed the Snake Ghost, and you've angered Old Master Yan!"

"This..."

Clearly, the Guazhou jianghu experts, who had just suffered a major setback at the hands of the small sword-catching members, showed expressions of astonishment upon hearing Master Yan's words. The Life Pavilion's shopkeeper, in particular, had a drastic change in expression. Having sensed the unfavorable situation earlier, he hadn't taken action and thus avoided a beating. Now, he was already frantically looking for an escape route.

"Angered him?"

Amidst all this panic and astonishment, Hu Ma let out a cold laugh. Holding the Earth Snake God's head in one hand and the Punishment Officer's Great Saber in the other, he slowly advanced, stepping on the headless, writhing body of the Earth Snake God. The eyes beneath his smiling mask appeared particularly deep as he pointed the great saber toward the depths of the mansion and shouted, "Angered him? I, the great sword-catching lord of the Walking Ghost Path, came here specifically to take him down!"

Then, his voice suddenly sharp, he declared, "Old Master Yan, you old reprobate! For expelling gu to harm people, for breeding snakes and practicing alchemy, you must be brought to justice!"

"Stop your mystical charades in there and get out here to face me!"

With that loud shout, the sound echoed and rippled, surging into the depths of the Yan Mansion, resonating between the buildings.

"What?"

This shout made countless people within the Yan Mansion tremble to their core.

An old man hiding in a corner outside the Yan Mansion, too frightened to even breathe, shivered at the shout. "Are they really going after the entire Yan Family as well?"

"You..."

Although many were shocked by what Hu Ma shouted, most didn't quite comprehend what was happening. Master Yan, however, had initially been filled with fear and despair upon hearing the enraged roar of Old Master Yan. But with Hu Ma's shout, this fear suddenly turned into utter panic. His face turned deathly pale, and he even forgot to retort, only gasping, "How do you know?"

Underneath the smiling mask of the great sword-catching lord of the Walking Ghost Path, Hu Ma's voice was filled with boundless fury and chilling coldness. "How could I not know?"

"The Yan Family conspires with the Snake Ghost to commit such vile deeds. You may deceive the common people, but can you deceive the ghostly gods?"

Among the shouts, he turned to Miss Red Wine beside him and said, "Small hall officer, it's time for the people of Guazhou to understand, to know the truth!"

Miss Red Wine was momentarily stunned, then obediently said, "Yes... sword-catching lord!"

As she spoke, she gently clapped her hands.

With a thunderous CRASH, an endless, violent wind suddenly began to howl through Gua Prefecture. All the doors and windows of the houses rattled in unison, and every lamp flame turned a lurid, oily green.

The various jianghu figures and startled government officials, who had just been roused by the night watchman's cries, were making their way through the streets and alleys towards the Iron Gate of the Yan Family. They were all shocked by this sudden gale, breaking out in a cold sweat. It felt as if the wind pierced them to the bone, and a chilling dread welled up from the depths of their hearts.

They hastily stopped and raised their lanterns to look ahead, only to see ghostly shadows flickering everywhere in the streets and alleys. Vaguely, countless vindictive souls could be seen wailing, "The Yan Family deserves to die! The Yan Family deserves to die!"

"Old Master Yan wanted to be Emperor! His destined lifespan wasn't enough, so he risked his life to extend it! Destined for one hundred and nine years, he would have died at eighty-one..." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Refusing his fated death, he extended his life, colluded with the Snake Ghost, and used gu in his alchemy..."

At the sudden chorus of ghostly cries, even these seasoned jianghu individuals were terrified, their legs frozen, unable to take another step.

"Teacher, what... what is this?"

Outside the Yan Mansion, concealed in the shadows, Wuya also heard the countless cries of the ghostly gods and asked curiously.

"No wonder, no wonder..." Old Calculation's voice trembled with fear and anxiety. "Did he really uncover it?"

"That Old Master Yan aspired to be Emperor is not surprising. Which of the noble masters across the land doesn't wish to advance further?"

"It's just that some people want to choose an emperor to support, thereby striving for wealth and nobility, while others aim to become emperor themselves. However, not everyone possesses the capability to be Emperor."

"The Yan Family lacks the destiny for an Emperor; it's a futile ambition. However, Old Master Yan possesses considerable skill. He even knows some divination and is aware of one thing:"

"Actually, everyone possesses the potential destiny of an Emperor. Regardless of one's specific fate, if it aligns with the cosmic calculations of this world, one can indeed be deemed an Emperor."

"He calculated that his destiny as an Emperor would manifest at the age of one hundred and nine. But he was fated to die at eighty-one, rendering this Emperor's destiny essentially void."

"Yet, he was so incredibly ambitious that he forcibly extended his lifespan, determined to live until he was one hundred and nine..."

"Is this why he used those children to refine Snake Pills?" Wuya asked.

"Not exactly..." Old Calculation replied, shaking his head slightly. He even seemed somewhat bewildered as he continued, "How did he manage to uncover such a deeply hidden secret so quickly?"

"And how could he even persuade so many ghostly gods to cry out like this all over the streets?"