Twilight Boundary-Chapter 629 - 620: The Prestige of Er Guotou

"Where are we heading tomorrow?"

Hu Ma couldn't quite figure out why Er Guotou was complaining about Miss Red Wine. After all, theoretically, Miss Red Wine and Er Guotou had only met in Mingzhou when Miss White Wine introduced them. They shouldn't have been that familiar.

"Ye State."

Er Guotou laughed. "To be honest, this Reincarnator's first priority really works well. Smuggling through the Ghost Gate is a tricky business; it's not major, but not minor either, and it involves a lot of things."

"Trying to get someone to handle it isn't easy. But when I used your name and had Miss Red Wine ask around, someone immediately agreed. Now, Brother Five Skin has already returned to Ye State to wait for us."

"As long as he helps us enter the underworld, I can use the Yin Yang Two Sceneries Plate to take you to the City of the Dead!"

...

Five Skin, is that also a type of alcohol?

Hu Ma was puzzled for a moment, but it wasn't important. He just smiled. "Ye State isn't close to here. How are we getting there?"

"I do know a trump card travel technique from the Shousui Sect that can cover a thousand miles in a day."

...

"Those clumsy methods of you Shousui Sect folks, don't even mention them in front of a Ghost Walker."

Er Guotou chuckled. "It's a bit late today. You should rest well. When you get up, pack your things. Tomorrow, after dark, meet me at the west gate of Mingzhou City. I'll use my arts to take you there, and we should arrive before the rooster crows."

"Brother Er Guotou, you're really something..."

Hu Ma agreed, genuinely praising him in his heart. This old brother used to be so cautious, never using his skills casually even when he had them. Now that he knows the "Hu Family's esteemed person" can't leave the mountains, he's clearly become a bit bolder.

So, they rested that night. The next day, Hu Ma instructed Li and the others to transport all the Blood Food from the Manor to the blood food mine. After that, they could consider returning to Dayang Village for the New Year.

To be honest, I'm getting a bit carried away myself, entrusting tens of thousands of pounds of Blood Food to these few guys for transport just like that... Of course, it's best if nothing happens to this batch of Blood Food. Otherwise, our big client, Monkey Wine, will come looking... 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He waited patiently until dark, then used the ability of his Heaven Measuring Boots to rush to the west gate of Mingzhou Prefecture Mansion, beneath a tea house.

Because it was dark, the city gates were closed. There was no one around, except for a man in a black cloth robe with a bushy beard, sitting in the shadow under the tea house drinking tea. Who else could it be but Er Guotou?

The two of them had known each other for a long time, but it was like being online friends who had chatted for ages but rarely met in person, so there was still a slight awkwardness between them.

"So, this is the travel skill of you Shousui Sect folks?"

Er Guotou—or rather, Hu Shanchuan, the Right Protector of the Red Lantern Lady's Club—turned to glance at Hu Ma and chuckled, "You run quite fast, but it must be murder on your shoes!"

Hu Ma instinctively wanted to explain that he had used his Heaven Measuring Boots, so his shoes were fine.

But on second thought, Er Guotou knew far more than he did, so he just grinned. "Then I'll have to rely on the Right Protector to give me a ride."

"No problem!"

Er Guotou got up, went to a pile of straw nearby, and pulled out two bamboo sedans.

He laughed. "When I travel long distances, I'm used to borrowing the paths of the underworld. But you Shousui Sect folks are rather... cumbersome. Taking you via an underworld path would be like trying to swim with someone who can't; it's just easier to use little ghosts to carry a sedan!"

"Ghost Walkers use little ghosts to carry sedans too?"

Hu Ma couldn't resist showing off a little. "Isn't that a skill of the Punishment Soul?"

"The Ghost Walker Path has a particular characteristic: if it's useful, if it works, we'll adopt it, no matter which path it comes from. Didn't you know?"

Er Guotou chuckled and, as if performing a magic trick, fished inside his sleeve and pulled out two bundles of incense.

The crucial thing was that both bundles of incense were already burning. It was impossible to tell if they'd been lit beforehand or had ignited the moment he pulled them out. He stuck one bundle onto a sedan and, as the fragrant smoke and fire qi drifted upwards, began to chant.

"Incense is my command, gold and silver my reward! Soldiers from the four corners, come to my aid! Travel a thousand miles with Divine Skills!"

As he spoke, he pulled a handful of paper money from his sleeve and tossed it into the air. Instantly, a gust of eerie wind swirled around them.

Nothing visible could be seen, but the two sedans suddenly emitted a CREAKING sound, like bamboo poles rubbing together, and then slowly floated into the air as if lifted by unseen hands.

Hu Ma observed from the side. He noted that although it was the same Little Ghosts Carrying a Sedan Chair technique, Er Guotou's execution was quite different from Sweet Potato's...

Sweet Potato's version was so much grander. He even had attendants making witty remarks on the way.

Er Guotou sat in one sedan first, and Hu Ma followed his example. Er Guotou pinched a yellow talisman and waved it in the air. Faint, almost illusory HEIGH-HO, HEIGH-HO sounds arose around them, and the sedans shot forward.

It truly felt as if they were flying. The eerie wind buffeted their faces, making their skin tingle.

Most importantly, they moved faster and faster, as if more little ghosts were constantly swarming in from all directions to help.

With each new arrival, the sedan seemed to grow a fraction lighter and a fraction faster. Even Hu Ma, sensing the oppressive darkness and the layered, eerie wind all around, was inwardly astonished. This has truly broadened my horizons.

...

Gliding swiftly and lightly onward, they watched the fields and mountains in the night landscape fly past on either side. Occasionally, birds, beasts, and some evil spirits, startled by their rapid passage, would scatter into the distance. It truly felt miraculous.

Ye State was a full thousand miles distant, yet they arrived before dawn. Jumping out of the sedans, Er Guotou dispersed the little ghosts.

Even Er Guotou was somewhat surprised, muttering to himself, "In the past, when Zhensui Mansion was closed, using the Walking Ghost Path with thirty percent of my Mana would only yield about fifteen percent of its power. Now that Zhensui Mansion is open, thirty percent of my Mana can unleash sixty or even seventy percent of its power..."

"If it goes on like this, aren't my abilities improving too quickly?"

...

Hu Ma, standing nearby, couldn't help but nod silently. Indeed, this is impressive. Even when families of the Ten Surnames travel, their processions are probably no grander than this...

Looking into the distance, they saw a hazy mist rising from the fields ahead. Further on, a dilapidated city came into view. They had arrived at Ye State City in the Northwest Road.

Er Guotou didn't dwell on it. He pulled a prepared banner from his bundle. On it was written: "Miraculous Hands Bring Back the Spring, Tyrant of the Apricot Forest... We remove corns, pick out moles, and cure venomous sores. Especially skilled in treating intractable problems of the bedchamber!"

"Huh?"

Hu Ma was taken aback; the banner seemed somewhat familiar...

"Heh, how can you wander the jianghu without a cover identity?"

Er Guotou chuckled softly. "I got this from an old Worship member of the Red Lantern Society. When you're out on business, using this banner saves a lot of hassle, you know?"

Hu Ma nodded repeatedly, probing, "The old Worship member you mentioned... is he nicknamed Calculation?"

"Yeah!"

Er Guotou replied, "Have you met him too?"

Hu Ma immediately fell silent. The Right Protector is such an important figure, busy with many affairs; he doesn't even know that Calculation is currently at the mine I manage!

Upon entering Ye State City, neither was in the mood to admire the scenery—it was much the same as any other. They first found a teahouse, asked the Tea Doctor to buy two steamers of buns, brewed a pot of tea, and ate their fill.

When the sun had risen, they went outside the teahouse and squatted in a corner. Before long, a sedan chair actually approached, and someone from within asked if they truly possessed the skills they advertised.

Er Guotou glanced at the sedan, its curtains drawn, nodded with a smile, and followed them.

An hour later, he returned looking satisfied, tossing a couple of copper coins in his hand. "It was a young lady in that sedan."

"Pretty, with fair feet. If her corns weren't hurting so badly and so deep-set, she probably wouldn't have come out looking for itinerant healers like us. I dug out her corns and even threw in a foot massage..."

...

Just as he was speaking, a burly, well-built man approached. "How many coppers to remove a corn? Do you guarantee it won't grow back?"

Er Guotou replied, "One tael of silver. No guarantee."

The man immediately cursed and walked away.

Hu Ma felt his eyes had truly been opened. He looked at Er Guotou with a peculiar expression and sighed, "When is our friend arriving?"

Er Guotou searched the street with his gaze. "Should be soon, right?"

They waited until noon. Then, a well-dressed man on horseback rode up. He had already passed them when he glanced back a couple of times, then reined his horse around. "You, quack doctor," he said, "your banner says you treat venomous sores. Can you actually do it?"

Er Guotou raised his head. "I have the medicine, guaranteed to work, but it's expensive. Do you want to buy?"

The man asked, "How expensive?"

Er Guotou replied, "Ten taels of silver per plaster!"

The man's eyes subtly changed. He smiled. "Then come with me!"

Hu Ma and Er Guotou got up and followed behind the horse. After passing through two alleys, the man dismounted and pushed open a door, going inside. When Hu Ma and Er Guotou walked over, the man's face lit up with excitement, and he reached out his hands from afar:

"I've been waiting for you for ages! I patrolled the streets twice and never imagined you'd be squatting over there digging out corns for people! This must be the legendary..."

Hu Ma instinctively started to raise his hand, but the man walked right past him and grasped Er Guotou's hands, exclaiming emotionally:

"Brother Er Guotou, right?"

...

"Hush..."

Er Guotou hadn't expected Brother Five Skin to be so enthusiastic. He quickly shot him a look and whispered, "We still need to be careful."

"No need, no need."

But Five Skin just chuckled. "Ye State is a small place; there's no one here I can't eliminate."

Having said that, he finally turned to Hu Ma and nodded. "Hello, brother."

Hu Ma had the inexplicable feeling that the man wasn't as enthusiastic towards him as he was towards Er Guotou, as if Hu Ma were merely Er Guotou's attendant. This is confusing. I'm supposed to be the one with the first priority, right? Nevertheless, he smiled back at the man and said:

"Are you..."

...

Instead of saying the name "Five Skin" aloud, Hu Ma simply extended five fingers.

"The one and only, genuine article. I just got back from Guazhou two days ago..."

Five Skin nodded, then suddenly remembered something and whispered, "Still, just to be cautious, should we exchange the countersign?"

"Our side is managed by Brother Dazed Donkey. The countersign is..."

"Crayon Shin-chan?"