Twilight Boundary-Chapter 643 - 634 Reincarnators Meet

"Turn left, turn right, stop, count to eight silently, then climb over that wall up ahead!"

Chen Abao wasn't lying; how could she merely be familiar with this place?

It could be said she knew it like the back of her hand.

She was cradled in Hu Ma's hands, constantly pointing out directions, precisely guiding Hu Ma step-by-step deep into the mansion. Not only was the direction crystal clear, but she could also expertly direct Hu Ma to bypass hidden sentries and roaming patrols.

In this mansion, clearly constructed with great effort, she moved with an ease as if she were in her own backyard, without a single mistake.

The most crucial part was that, as they entered the mansion, the two Negative Spirits Hu Ma had clearly killed—their brains smashed and gone—suddenly got up again at Chen Abao's command and resumed their patrol.

They simply walked stiffly, without speaking, their faces expressionless and deathly pale, mechanically moving in circles along the same route. However, from a distance, it was impossible to notice anything amiss.

The prowess of the Ten Surnames, truly remarkable...

Hu Ma watched carefully all the while, silently admiring in his heart.

The Trickster Zhao family, for instance; while the passage they ultimately fashioned for him to enter the City of the Dead was somewhat crude, costing them some prestige, Hu Ma was not without insight and could tell their greatest skill was creating resentful souls out of thin air.

Just a piece of black cloth and a straw man, and a profoundly miserable vindictive soul would be born—utterly miraculous.

The Tan'er Sect Hu Ma had seen before specialized in creating Aunt Tan, relying on grievances to harm people. But those grievances were produced through atrocious means, torturing individuals to achieve their outcomes. The Zhao Family, however, with just a casual maneuver, could produce something with grievances no less potent than Aunt Tan's from thin air…

This indeed was a heaven-deceiving technique!

As for Chen Abao…

Hu Ma sighed inwardly, I can only say the Chen Family, masters of Black Magic, truly live up to their name of 'living ghost'!

In this world, there were many dharma methods to extract information from the dead, whether through Soul Search or Asking Ghosts, and so on.

But the dharma method Chen Abao used did not belong to any of these; she truly, directly worked with the corpses. Or rather, her dharma method directly extracted every piece of information she wanted right from the brains of the dead.

Whatever those Negative Spirits knew about this mansion, she now knew. Whatever those two Negative Spirits understood about anything within the mansion, she completely knew it now.

When they reached the second layer of the mansion gates, the two patrolling Negative Spirits in front were only responsible for the exterior and knew less about the other side. So Chen Abao suddenly spoke with a man's voice:

"Reporting to Master Sun on duty! There was a disturbance outside the City of the Dead just now. Hall Officer Si has clarified the truth and sent us to deliver the message!"

...

Not only was the imitation perfect, but even the insinuated flattery in the tone was flawless.

It was as if the two patrolling Negative Spirits spoke themselves.

The people inside didn't suspect anything. They opened the mansion doors and came out, but were suddenly overwhelmed by Chen Abao's hair, which cascaded forward and pinned them down. Hu Ma stepped up and punched each person once, killing them all.

As he turned around, Chen Abao was already making a slurping sound on the head of the official in charge, licking her lips in satisfaction after a moment.

"It's in the mansion up ahead with the hanging lantern..."

Chen Abao savored the moment, then her expression became solemn. Lowering her voice, she spoke to Hu Ma, "This time, the Meng family has practically moved half of their resources over here: Yin Copper Iron Evil, Netherworld Water, white bone stone, and even a large batch of Purple Tai Sui."

"From inside this guy's head, I even saw that they brought a large batch of spirit tablets here, probably related to the Lord the Meng family is worshiping."

"However, the most critical part is the people from the Noble Zhang Family."

"It appears not many from the Noble Zhang Family have made an appearance, only about five or six, all residing in the courtyard ahead. It's also our luck, because some Evil Ghosts acting up just arrived at the City of the Dead, seemingly related to some rogue causing trouble up above."

"A large portion of both the Meng and Zhang family members went out to suppress them, so not many guards are left in the mansion."

"Such a commotion should naturally warrant alert, but the order this junior official received was merely to serve those people in the mansion well, give them whatever they want, yet guard them strictly, not letting them leave."

"If there's any disturbance, it cannot be handled privately; it must be reported to those above..."

Her eyes brightened slightly, and licking her lips, she added, "Being well-served yet watched like a thief... chances are, what's living inside is that evil spirit..."

"Then let's get going..."

In his heart, Hu Ma was already full of admiration for the Chen Family's dharma methods.

A mere head coming along had already helped tremendously; what more could he say.

It was a pity that the Chen Family's method was somewhat...

...disgusting.

Otherwise, if he could have learned a trick or two from her, it'd have been very convenient for anything he did in the future.

"Of course, we'll go, but I must make it clear: our Chen Family and the Meng family have long-standing ties. So even though I'm dissatisfied with what they're doing, we can't openly break ties. Hence, if you go in and do anything, it has nothing to do with us, as if I never set foot in there..."

Chen Abao's tiny head floated there, her sorrowful little face showing a rare, solemn expression.

"Understood, understood..."

Hu Ma nodded helplessly. "So you're saying that after bringing me there, you plan to slip away?"

"How could that be?"

Chen Abao said, "I am not like those slippery characters from the Trickster Sect. Our Chen Family always treats friends with heartfelt sincerity and loyalty. So not only will I take you in and find your target, but I will also provide you with some convenience."

"I still have a breath of resentment left, which I'll unleash shortly to ensure chaos in the City of the Dead. This is the time I'm buying you."

"Without the protection of that robe on you, I will be promptly expelled from the City of the Dead once I exhale this breath."

"I won't be able to help you even if I wanted to!"

...

Hu Ma took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "All right, let's do it like that."

After they spoke, they continued through the narrow, dark path before them, a bit anxious. They knew well that the deeper they delved into this vast mansion and the closer they got to the secret core of the Meng and Zhang families, the defenses would surely be more rigorous.

Although Chen Abao was there to help, there was still the concern of inadvertently triggering something critical and causing a complication. Fortunately, the passage wasn't long, and they had already reached the outside of the courtyard.

As soon as they approached, they felt a strong yin wind and resentful aura. While the mansion looked unremarkable from afar, upon getting closer, it seemed wrapped in a dense black mass of yin qi. A step closer, and one would inevitably be ensnared by the hidden yin spirits.

Looking up, Hu Ma saw the white lantern hung high above the courtyard, confirming the importance of those residing within this mansion.

He instinctively reached into his robes, feeling the three talismans Er Guotou had given him, and felt slightly reassured.

He turned to look at Chen Abao and nodded.

"Time is tight. I'll try to blow this breath deeper and wider to create enough of a ruckus for you! You'll have to fend for yourself then!"

Chen Abao's head slowly floated out from beneath his black robe into the air. Her hanging hair gradually flowed upwards as if an endless yin wind was rapidly converging towards her.

Suddenly, her small mouth twitched. The surrounding rolling, turbulent air, even the yin wind and baleful qi enveloping the mansion, were all sucked into her mouth in a swell.

In the next moment, her face glowed with an eerie green light, her hair standing on end. Her appearance was strikingly terrifying. Then, her mouth, full of sharp fangs, opened wide, emitting a shadowy roar that unleashed a burst of chilling wind.

BOOM! BOOM!

The rolling sinister qi affected the surroundings. This place, being in the City of the Dead, was mostly filled with vindictive souls and fierce ghosts whose grudges had been left to fester. Normally suppressed by the City of the Dead and trapped in perpetual torment, they were now suddenly stirred up by her.

It was like lighting a Fire Stick in a swamp, instantly causing an unimaginably huge commotion.

The entire City of the Dead shook as if an earthquake had hit, with wailing Evil Ghosts shattering the dead silence.

SWISH!

Hu Ma knew time was of the essence. At this moment, he used the Ghost Ascending Stairs technique to vault over the wall and enter the courtyard.

Without considering how Chen Abao was causing trouble outside, he urgently cast his gaze inside the mansion. Suddenly, a surge rose in his heart, his heart beating lightly; he knew he had indeed come to the right place this time.

The courtyard, though small, was exquisitely beautiful. Here in this underworld's City of the Dead, it even had flowers and plants.

It was as if there was some special arrangement; inside this courtyard, the incessant, swirling yin wind and resentment of the City of the Dead were entirely blocked out, leaving only an oasis of tranquility.

Amidst this quietude, a soft, mournful, faltering, and melodious voice eerily twisted through the air. The sound was extremely light and filled with a sorrowful beauty, but in Hu Ma's ears, it was no less than a thunderous roar.

The music and its timbre instantly brought a familiar object to Hu Ma's mind, his emotions churning into an infinitely complex state.

Phonograph?

After a long pause, he slowly descended into the courtyard, took several deep breaths, then gradually stepped towards the main hall's open doors ahead.

The closer he got, the more the light from inside the house spilled across his face.

Through the open doors of the hall, he saw the arrangement within: carpets, hanging paintings, and exquisite red-lacquered solid wood tables and chairs. He also saw a slender figure in a white silk robe, sitting silently with his back to the doorway.

As Hu Ma's footsteps ascended the stairs in front of the hall, the sound of the phonograph suddenly softened. The white-robed man, facing into the hall, gently put down the teacup in his hand.

Without turning around, a voice laced with amusement spoke, "Are you here to kill me?"

"...Reincarnator!"