Twilight Boundary-Chapter 627 - 618 Earth Book Heavenly Book

The Ghost Cave is alright; I have some acquaintances there...

Hu Ma was somewhat surprised to hear Er Guotou say, "Back when I sent Xiang back to Lingshou Prefecture, I mentioned I'd visit her when I had time, but I never got the chance. Now, this favor is being used for this?"

The only problem is that going to Anzhou is a long journey. Even if I use the Heaven Measuring Boots, I don't know how much time it will take. Besides, what I need to do is very complicated and not easy to explain to others. How will I explain it when I get there?

As he was thinking, he heard Er Guotou laugh. "Worrying again, aren't you?"

"Brother Old White, it's not that I'm trying to lecture you, but those with little experience, like yourself, tend to be this way. You're diligent in learning skills, true. In just a few years, you've pushed open three layers of the Mansion Gate. Across the entire Path, that's quite rare.

"But with only brute strength and lacking worldly wisdom, tasks won't be handled smoothly. But don't worry. Since I've promised you this, I'll naturally arrange it all properly for you."

"..."

"That's great..."

Hu Ma was pleasantly surprised for a moment and chuckled. "Old brother, why does it seem like you've suddenly turned over a new leaf and found motivation?"

Previously, Er Guotou was always evasive; his sudden enthusiasm now was indeed rare.

"Isn't it because of the good news you brought?"

Er Guotou didn't hide it. Even across the Lifebound Spirit Temple, Hu Ma could almost picture him beaming, unable to contain his joy. "To be honest, ever since I obtained that Purple Tai Sui, I've found it increasingly useful, but my heart has also grown increasingly uneasy.

"I was afraid that Young Master Hu of the Hu Family might come looking for it, and I worried that when I went back in during the middle of the seventh month next year, the treasury full of treasures would already be locked...

"...But now, it's all good!"

He heaved a long sigh of relief. "Since that old gentleman in the mountains doesn't come out easily and only has eyes for the Meng family, it makes it much more convenient for me to handle other affairs.

"Never mind this bit of Purple Tai Sui; other ideas might not be impossible either..."

"..."

"Right, right."

Just listening to his elated voice, I get this feeling that a thief is eyeing my back door. Still, after thinking about it, I have to prioritize the important task, especially since Brother Er Guotou trusts me now. If I can't lock the door for the time being, at least if he sets his sights on something later, I'll get a heads-up. That's a good thing too...

Having settled this matter, Hu Ma felt relieved and shifted his attention to Guazhou City.

Looking at it now, Guazhou City had changed drastically in just a few short days.

A few days ago, it was chaotic; the Yan Family was annihilated. The Iron Threshold King and two thousand personal soldiers were turned into grotesque displays, like bonsai, in an alley next to the Yan Mansion. After all, with the entire Yan Mansion and an additional two thousand personal soldiers, three to four thousand lives were lost in an instant.

The sheer scale of the event was unimaginable. Word spread rapidly, claiming an evil spirit had appeared in Guazhou City. Even within the jianghu, those privy to the inside story remarked that the Walking Ghost of the Great Sword Catching Sect had, perhaps, been too heavy-handed.

However, such talk quickly died down.

The Walking Ghost of the Great Sword Catching Sect departed, but the Little Inquiry Hall Officer of the Zhensui Mansion appeared atop the ruins of the Yan Mansion. He sealed the evidence and invited the citizens of Guazhou and various jianghu heroes as witnesses, quickly uncovering the truth.

It turned out that Old Master Yan, in his pursuit of longevity through alchemy and seeking immortality, had refined an evil spirit that ended up causing the deaths of the old and young of the Man Clan. The Walking Ghost of the Great Sword Catching Sect and the Iron Threshold King, driven by a sense of justice, had come to capture the evil spirit. Unexpectedly, the evil spirit was powerful and killed the Iron Threshold King and his two thousand personal soldiers as well.

The facts were all there; the truth was out!

All evidence and letters of grievance were submitted before the Guazhou Prefecture's Lord Temple, and the Prefecture Lord didn't dare object.

Thus, the name of the Zhensui Mansion spread throughout Guazhou City in an instant. No one cared anymore about the Lord of Guazhou Prefecture or the Iron Gate Yan Family. The common people passed it by word of mouth; everyone only knew that the Zhensui Mansion upheld justice, inquired into matters of ghosts and gods, and would cut down anyone or anything that dared to harm people with a single strike.

It wasn't just Guazhou City. Previously, the Yan Family had issued a grand call for heroes, attracting countless jianghu figures. As they departed, the news of the Zhensui Mansion's Walking Ghost of the Great Sword Catching Sect slaying snake ghosts and apprehending Old Master Yan spread like wildfire.

Whenever people brought up the matter, their faces would flush with excitement as if they'd drunk two taels of liquor, and they would passionately recount the exploits of the Walking Ghost of the Great Sword Catching Sect in Guazhou with vivid detail.

Many, in the telling, even claimed to have been one of the mysterious "Little Walking Ghost Sword-Catchers" of that time.

"Ha, you ask me, brother, why after accepting the Yan Family's Heroic Invitation and going to Guazhou, I became a Little Walking Ghost Sword-Catcher for the Zhensui Mansion?"

"For the sake of justice, that's why!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"You should have seen how the common folk of Guazhou suffered under the Yan Family! We're heroes who lick blades and swallow iron courage—how could we stand by and watch?"

"Do you know how many masked people appeared in Guazhou back then?"

"To tell you the truth, I was wearing a mask myself, fighting against the Yan Family's fiends..."

The stories spread further and became more intense. Initially, some doubted the identities of the Zhensui Mansion's Little Walking Ghost Sword-Catchers, but now the case was solved—they were everywhere in the jianghu.

Such accounts were so numerous that many strange tales emerged.

It was said that as several jianghu heroes were returning from Guazhou, they took shelter from the rain overnight in a remote temple. There, they encountered a group of bodyguards also seeking refuge.

With nothing else to do at night, they gathered, warming themselves by the fire and roasting dry rations, while discussing the events in Yanzhou. As these jianghu heroes spoke of the Walking Ghost of the Great Sword Catching Sect's might, describing how he had decapitated Old Master Yan with a single blow, one of them, caught up in the excitement, forcefully slapped his thigh.

"SLAP!"

"Let me tell you, once the Zhensui Mansion arrived, that evil spirit..."

As the bodyguards and jianghu heroes in the temple were excitedly talking, the cobweb-covered divine statue beside them suddenly tumbled to the ground with a GURGLE. It trembled violently and, despite the thunder and rain outside, scrambled out of the temple in a pathetic state and fled.

Only then did the bodyguards and jianghu travelers realize that an evil spirit, which preyed on passing merchants, had been hiding in the temple.

Terrified by the heroes' accounts, it had actually run away...

Because of this incident, the tales spread even more fervently through the jianghu, with everyone saying that the mere name of the Zhensui Mansion could suppress malevolent evil spirits.

「」

Meanwhile, the fame of the Zhensui Mansion spread far and wide. The huge prize of Guazhou City had fallen into the hands of the Beef Avoidance Sect. Originally, upon the Iron Threshold King's death, his subordinates immediately fell into dispute, all vying for the position of grasshead king. But once the Beef Avoidance Sect arrived, there was naturally no contest.

They quickly propped up a minor leader to succeed the Iron Threshold King, though the real power remained in the hands of the Beef Avoidance Sect.

Only after handling these matters did Immortal Miaoshan, guided by the little ghost Bean Official, come before Hu Ma and praise him loudly, "Uncle Master, you're incredible!

"Worldly justice is upheld by those who value justice.

"Now, these words 'public justice' are in people's hearts, and the news of overpowering the Yan Family's iron threshold has spread throughout our order. Hearing it was your handiwork, Uncle Master, countless fellow disciples, senior and junior, are deeply impressed and wish they could immediately drink three great cups in celebration.

"They all say that when you handle matters, Uncle Master, your spirit is extraordinary. Your first move established the Food Protection Army; your next move took down the Iron Threshold Army.

"So many of us in the Beef Avoidance Sect have worked painstakingly for twenty years, yet it doesn't compare to the impact of this single action of yours!

"When will you return to Mingzhou?

"I've prepared a large residence in Mingzhou Prefecture. Please come and stay at my place, let me have the chance to show my filial piety, and also let our fellow disciples come and listen to your teachings!"

"There's no need to mention these empty formalities anymore."

Hu Ma simply waved his hand at Immortal Miaoshan. "If they are truly sincere, they should focus on learning properly.

"I supported the Food Protection Army in Mingzhou because I knew that if people have no way to survive, they will naturally seek one. Therefore, the Food Protection Army was bound to appear. If not a Food-Protection General, then a General of Food Protection or a General of Food would emerge. This is the certainty of people's hearts."

Miaoshan listened, nodding repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes! Right, right, right!"

Beside her, the little ghost Bean Official listened intently, mulling over the words. His eyes lit up. "The certainty of people's hearts... Earth Book?"

"Now, let's talk about Guazhou," Hu Ma continued.

"The Yan Family considered their control over Guazhou to be an iron plate, with the Prefecture Lord being theirs and the Iron Threshold Army also theirs. All the nobles in the city colluded with them. But why couldn't they secure the Emperor's Mandate?

"Because the Yan Family forgot the fundamentals and did not follow the course of Heaven. Their foundation was sufficient, and their momentum was rising like a fire fed with oil; it was time to advance further. But the people within the Yan Family dared not...

"It was clearly time to expand outwards, yet they chose to stubbornly guard their little plot of land, waiting for that Emperor's Mandate. They even directed their strength inwards for this so-called Emperor's Mandate, persecuting the people. What do you call that?

"They cut themselves off from the people!

"Heh, in the end, the Yan Family's swift collapse also stemmed from this: strength not used externally will inevitably be turned inward. This is dictated by natural law and cannot be changed.

"The Yan Family probably didn't realize that an Emperor's Mandate is not something one can simply wait for..."

Immortal Miaoshan nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, right! Yes, yes, yes!"

The little ghost Bean Official beside her, however, kept pondering silently, a sense of awe gradually growing within him. "Not following the course of Heaven... Heavenly Book?"

Just as Immortal Miaoshan was listening with partial understanding, primarily concerned about whether Hu Ma would return with her to the large residence in Mingzhou, more and more Beef Avoidance Sect disciples were arriving in the vast Guazhou City.

Listening to the rumors circulating in the streets and seeing the ruins of the once-arrogant Yan Family, the more they pondered, the more astounded they became. Some were even moved to the brink of tears.

Hu Ma and the Reincarnators paid little heed to the saying that "Justice Triumphs Over the Iron Threshold."

For them, it was merely a matter of holding a meeting and taking care of something incidentally.

However, the Beef Avoidance Sect disciples who followed, having toiled in vain for twenty years and suffered countless setbacks, were deeply moved to their core by the sight of the current scene and the bustling atmosphere.

Is justice truly in people's hearts?

Amidst these voices of confusion, Senior Brother No-eating Cattle, who rarely showed himself, appeared in his old farmer's guise, carrying a couple of baskets of vegetables, slowly walking through the streets of Guazhou. He walked from one end to the other, listening to all the discussions and taking in all the sights of Guazhou.

Finally, stopping at the entrance of the Yan Mansion, he slowly set down his carrying pole and sighed softly, his face filled with endless melancholy. "Using unorthodox methods to enact the world's greatest principles..."

"The Teacher probably will never return, but the Uncle Masters... they have returned!"