Twilight Boundary-Chapter 637 - 628: Pushed to the Limit (Part 1)

"Tieguanyin?"

The sudden mention of this codename made both Hu Ma and Er Guotou shiver with a kind of chilling realization. They couldn't help but be shocked.

In the information left by Big Red Robe, one of the most critical points was to find Tieguanyin to unravel all the mysteries. From the moment Hu Ma first shared the information with Monkey Wine, Er Guotou, and Miss White Wine, finding Tieguanyin had been set as one oftheir four major goals.

But who could have imagined that the first clue would come from the mouth of one of the Ten Surnames, and she... had fallen into the hands of the Ten Surnames as early as twenty years ago?

For a moment, an indescribable horror enveloped his mind, and Hu Ma felt a frantic beating of his heart, as if dark clouds were looming over.

When he first met these two, Hu Ma had started to have doubts because Chen Abao let slip the word "traitor." He had even brought it up at the Reincarnator gathering. It was both a reminder and a reflection of the fear deep in his heart. The more hidden the Reincarnators were, and the more they banded together, the more he worried that even fellow Reincarnators couldn't be trusted... But now, had the nightmare truly become reality? Not only had someone been exposed and betrayed, but it was the very person holding the most crucial information?

As his heart trembled, he couldn't help but turn to look at Er Guotou. He saw his old friend sitting in silence, lightly twirling his fingers without speaking. To outsiders, it might have seemed like he had tremendous composure. Perhaps he had long harbored suspicions he was simply hiding.

Hu Ma knew, however, that this old brother was probably completely bewildered... Er Guotou was older and more skilled than him, but his ability to withstand shocking news was still less than his own.

So, amidst this intangible panic, he suppressed the turmoil in his heart. Slowly, he raised his head, looked at the two people before him, and asked, "So... the evil spirit you mentioned, is it in the City of the Dead?"

"More than that."

Zhao Sanyi glanced at Er Guotou opposite him. He seemed to slightly admire Er Guotou's Qi Cultivation Skills, yet also worried that he didn't fully understand the gravity of the situation. He said in a deep voice, "This time, the Zhang family and Meng family have pulled out all the stops. Various Qi Men experts and strange objects have already gathered in the City of the Dead. The Meng family even issued a Yin Decree, summoning many Lords."

"Such a vast movement only indicated that they indeed have great expectations for this matter. Even choosing the City of the Dead was a carefully considered decision."

"This was probably to guard against the Hu Family."

"Among the Ten Surnames, eight have deep roots in the underworld, with the Hu and Meng families being exceptions."

"But in the past twenty years, the Meng family found good ancestors and sent down more than half of their clan members to work in the underworld. Now, they have become the biggest presence there..."

At this point, since it involved some old matters of the Hu Family, Zhao Sanyi just glanced at Er Guotou and said no more.

Hu Ma instinctively glanced at Er Guotou before turning to Zhao Sanyi and Chen Abao, letting out a light breath, and said, "Thank you both for the reminder, but... I wonder, could you lend us a place to talk?"

Zhao Sanyi instantly understood and said, "Please, go ahead."

With that, he pulled up Chen Abao, who was sitting listlessly at the side, gave them a slight bow, and turned to leave the small courtyard, specifically leaving the place for them to talk. Hu Ma took a deep breath. Before he could speak, he saw Er Guotou shake his head slightly and then spread his sleeves wide. A few wisps of green incense flew out, landing around the courtyard.

Wisps of fragrance rose straight up, at most swaying with the wind, but none drifted towards the center of the courtyard.

Only then did Er Guotou gently slap his thigh and say irritably, "This is big trouble."

"Indeed, it's no small matter."

Hu Ma whispered, "Ever since the first gathering, I've been asking around for Tieguanyin's whereabouts, but I never thought she would end up in the hands of the Zhang family."

"No wonder there was a gap in information among the Reincarnators. Tieguanyin was the key to knowing all the secrets..."

"But..." Yet as he spoke, Hu Ma vaguely felt something was off. If she had already betrayed us, surely the Noble Zhang Family would have known everything about the Reincarnators long ago, maybe even more than we do... But why, in the past twenty years, has the Zhang family remained dormant, only acting now? Could it be that this fellow countryman is truly tough and hasn't said a word?

Hearing Hu Ma's speculation, Er Guotou suddenly let out a bitter laugh and said, "If it had been a short time, it'd be one thing, but this is twenty years... Are there not enough ways to torment people in this world? If it were you or me in the Zhang family's hands, do you think..."

Hearing his words, Hu Ma suddenly fell silent, his heart growing heavier. In this world, strange tricks abounded: methods to torment the body, methods to torment the Divine Soul, and even direct Soul Search techniques were numerous. Of course, they hoped that Tieguanyin had held out for twenty years without divulging any important information.

But upon careful reflection, even he found it hard to convince himself. Reincarnators might have great skills, quick wits, and many ideas, but their resolve... was it truly that strong?

"But no matter what, we must enter the City of the Dead..."

In the silence between the two, it was Hu Ma who reacted first. In terms of skills and time spent in this world, he was inferior to Er Guotou. However, having been born into the Hu Family, he was the first to access the information left by Big Red Robe and had initiated the first gathering. Therefore, in matters like this, he showed more decisiveness than Er Guotou.

"Go in and find her."

"We must see her with our own eyes to determine many things and figure out how to rescue her."

As he thought, he slowly spoke, "If she has indeed betrayed us, and even cooperates with Noble Zhang and Tongyin Meng in crafting the Demon Detection Mirror, we must be prepared..."

"To..." His heart was already full of ruthlessness. Since coming to this world, his hands were not without blood, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to say the harsh words.

"Enter the City of the Dead?"

Er Guotou, listening to Hu Ma, suddenly felt horrified and said instinctively, "Do you know what kind of place this is?"

"The City of the Dead was originally where the yin souls of the wronged and fierce were imprisoned. It could even be said it was the gathering place for the most malevolent Evil Ghosts in the underworld. Years ago, it had already gained such a fearsome reputation that no one dared approach. Now, because the Meng family lacks a foothold in the underworld, they've turned their attention to the City of the Dead. They've transformed this ghostly place into an impregnable and exceedingly dangerous fortress."

"Breaking into the City of the Dead is no different from breaking into the Meng Family's Ancestral Hall!"

"Brother, earlier you only said you were going into the City of the Dead to check some things, which was worrying enough. If you're going in to do such dangerous things, then..."

As he said this, he couldn't help but close his eyes slightly, a bitter smile on his face. "With our skills, it would be certain death!"

Seeing the despair on Er Guotou's face, Hu Ma exhaled deeply and said slowly, "Not you and me."

"It's just me going."

"You?"

Er Guotou snapped his eyes open, utterly stunned. "With your measly skills... are you crazy?"

"No."

Hu Ma, still thinking, said softly, "Brother, you know me. I'm not someone who enjoys looking for trouble."

"I've just learned a few things from interacting with our fellow Reincarnators. Brother Monkey Wine once said that when we encounter trouble, we tend to react with fear and panic, becoming emotional. Only when forced into a corner do we face reality and handle things rationally."

"Isn't that exactly the case now?"

"We've heard the news. Indeed, we're nervous and panicked. But we also understand that this can't be avoided. Someone must go to the City of the Dead to see her."

"You..."

Er Guotou was momentarily speechless, his voice trembling. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"Brother, you and I are just ordinary people, such a big matter..."

Hu Ma paused slightly, wanting to explain, but in the end, he just smiled and said, "Aren't we being forced into this?"

"If you don't go, and I don't go, are we Reincarnators just supposed to huddle together and wait for death?"

"I've already earned the first priority among the Reincarnators. Now that I have a clue, how can I retreat?"

"Moreover..."

He paused, then slowly continued, "The information from Big Red Robe was first brought out by me, and I also organized that big gathering. So, compared to others, I always feel like I bear a bit more responsibility..." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

His words were sincere and serious, though not entirely truthful. Of course, he had to enter the City of the Dead, but the most critical reason was that he was a descendant of the Hu Family. He had barely managed to take over the Zhensui Mansion, and the situation had slightly eased. If the Noble Zhang Family and the Meng family succeeded, wouldn't he be the most affected? The more crucial reason was that entering the City of the Dead indeed required being prepared to kill Tieguanyin if necessary. However, she was a veteran Reincarnator from twenty years ago. Add to that Noble Zhang and Tongyin Meng—who knew how much power it would take to kill her? Even though Er Guotou was on board, he had no confidence at all. Only he, Hu Ma, by using the Demon Suppression Golden Mace, could possibly kill her and then escape by leveraging his Hu Family identity. These internal and external factors were why Hu Ma could make this decision. However, neither of these reasons could be openly stated, so he had to try hard to find other justifications for himself. But he hadn't expected that while he was still pondering if these reasons were sufficient and would hold up, Er Guotou was already...

...moved.

Although he was currently in a yin soul out-of-body state, his eyes looked as if they had grown moist.

He took a deep breath, exhaling a gust of ghostly wind, then slowly raised his head and patted Hu Ma's shoulder. "You..."

"You silly, sincere little brother..."

"You say you're not someone who likes trouble? I don't believe a word of it! Ever since I met you, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, have any of the troubles you've stirred up been small?"

"But damn it... I'm truly a bit moved by you..."