Twilight Boundary-Chapter 696 - 687: The Shadowless Skill

"What's going on with these people?"

The once bustling and joyful banquet suddenly turned indescribably strange with the appearance of these bizarre figures.

Everyone present turned to look at them. Some recognized them, others didn't. Regardless, seeing them in the dead of night stirred a deep sense of unease.

Under the visitors' dark gazes, all cheer drained from Second Master's face. He slowly stood up, supporting himself on the table, as if his shoulders were being crushed by a heavy burden. After much effort, he stammered, "How dare I? Master Peng, you... you should sit further inside."

"Sit further inside?"

Tie Shoupeng sneered grimly. His face, barely illuminated by the flickering candlelight, looked grotesque. He said coldly, "I don't deserve such a seat. A table seats ten, yet you occupy the head. I ask you, do you even acknowledge me as your master?"

These words startled Second Master. A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he realized the gravity of the situation.

I'm currently sitting at the head, but by rank, it should be the food-protection general. By age, it should be Old Master Sun. And if it's by skill... He now surmised it should perhaps even be one of his own disciples. But those who came to witness the ceremony were too courteous, insisting that I, an old man, sit here. How could I let Tie Shoupeng take this seat?

As Tie Shoupeng pressed aggressively, Hu Ma frowned deeply, casting a glance at Tie Shoupeng and his disciples, then whispered to Old Master Sun, "Alive or dead?"

"Or perhaps possessed by something?"

There was no time to worry about anything else. A quick glance confirmed something was off about these returning individuals; their aggressive demeanor carried an eerie vibe.

"Not dead. They're alive." Old Master Sun immediately understood Hu Ma's question. Shousui men possessed sharp intuition and could easily spot anomalies. He added, surprised, "I recognize this man. How did he end up here?"

"This person is a Shousui man. He wouldn't be easily possessed by evil spirits of the mountains."

"Even if evil spirits forcibly possessed a Shousui man, they couldn't hide their demonic aura so completely."

Old Altar Master Tang, sitting nearby, also cast a quick glance, whispering, "This doesn't look like the Puppetry Technique from the Execution Soul Path, nor the Life Borrowing Technique from the Siming Path. The Execution Soul Path manipulates souls, but it requires needles inserted into the third eye."

"The Siming Path allows one to borrow life, but the person whose life is borrowed would speak and act like the borrower. This man's joints are stiff, and his face is shrouded in a dark aura; he's clearly fallen victim to something. But... how strange that there are no obvious signs."

He shook his head slightly as he spoke. "How is it possible to not see any signs at all?"

Listening to their conversation, Hu Ma confirmed his suspicions. Besides what these two had noted, there was another method to determine if someone was controlled—look into their eyes. This was the most common method, applicable both inside and outside the various Paths.

No matter how normal an enthralled person's speech and actions were, staring into their eyes would reveal slightly dilated pupils, a dull gaze, or some peculiar color emerging from the depths.

However, although Tie Shoupeng's walk was rigid and his breathing chaotic, clearly indicating something was amiss, his eyes remained exceptionally lively.

To solve a problem, one must first identify its root. Yet now, with three grandmasters present, along with many other skilled individuals, no one could discern what was wrong. This made everyone hesitant to act rashly.

"It's definitely Tie Shoupeng. We can't let him spoil the mood of the banquet."

Hu Ma whispered to Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang, signaling Little Hongtang to check the surroundings of the village. He himself prepared to get up and deal with this person first.

But Old Master Sun gestured to him, whispering, "When things are abnormal, it indicates something spirit-related. Do not act rashly. I'll test him with a few words."

Saying this, he stood up, feigning surprise. He scrutinized the visitor for a couple of moments, then suddenly said, "Oh, it's you? Peng Tieshou, you also came to witness the Sacrificial Mountain ceremony?"

"It's only been a few years since we last met. Surely you haven't forgotten this old fellow? How come you didn't even offer a greeting?"

Hu Ma immediately understood. Practitioners of the Shousui Path didn't ordinarily wander around like he did; they typically interacted with others from the Shousui Sect. Mingzhou and Gunzhou were close, so people within these circles mostly knew each other, or at least knew of each other by reputation.

Since no issues were immediately apparent, they had to treat him as a normal person for now and try to uncover problems through conversation.

"Heh, Old Master Sun, of course I saw you."

Tie Shoupeng stepped forward and said, "I not only saw you, but also Old Master Tang. You two are Great Grandmasters. Ordinarily, upon meeting you, I would have to bow."

"But today is different. Even though I saw you, I had to pretend I didn't. And why is that? Because the one sitting next to you is supposed to call me Master!"

"In that case, you two should be the ones to come over and bow to me first!"

Listening to him, Hu Ma and Altar Master Tang were slightly surprised. Unable to find any flaws earlier, they could now confirm that Tie Shoupeng was indeed still Tie Shoupeng—not controlled, and even his thoughts were his own.

Could it be that he was being forced? However, his expression clearly showed no sign of unwillingness.

"Master?" Old Master Sun looked even more surprised. He laughed, "I'm well aware of your skills. Tell me, after all these years, have you achieved Entering the Mansion?"

"Speaking of skills, there's a great Shousui man right here in this village. He could probably take down both of us with a wave of his hand. They have such a great Shousui man beside them to learn from, yet you expect them to go out and acknowledge you, a second-rate practitioner, as their master?"

Tie Shoupeng detected the mockery in Old Master Sun's tone and visibly struggled to maintain composure.

But he was well aware that Old Master Sun considered him second-rate. Gritting his teeth, his face cold, he retorted, "My level of skill is irrelevant! And whatever experts this village might have is also irrelevant!"

"I am here today simply to ask..." He took a step forward, his voice suddenly rising, "Zhou Huai! Did you, or did you not, kowtow and call me Master?"

Second Master's heart was in turmoil. He was seated in a place of honor at a banquet filled with respected guests, people invited through connections and face. Dayang Village had never experienced such a glorious day. But to lose face at such a glorious moment was all the more unbearable.

He lowered his head, his voice barely a whisper, "Yes... I did."

Hearing this affirmation, Tie Shoupeng grew more confident. He pressed on, "And those few techniques I taught you, did you pass them on to your disciples?"

Second Master, trembling, could only nod. "Yes."

Tie Shoupeng's expression suddenly turned stern. "And did I give you permission to teach them to others?"

Second Master's lips trembled; he was unable to speak.

Nearby, even those who hadn't noticed anything amiss with Tie Shoupeng earlier could now sense the charged atmosphere. Yang Gong's face turned cold. He shot a questioning glance at Manager Xu, who was seated at the far end of the table.

Manager Xu, inwardly alarmed, slowly shook his head. He was signaling to the food-protection general that this was not their business to interfere in; it wasn't time to start chopping off heads yet.

"Heh heh, whether you passed them on or not is of little consequence..." Seeing Second Master remain silent, Tie Shoupeng let out a cold laugh. His gaze suddenly shifted to Hu Ma as he bellowed, "I won't hold it against you for passing on the method! But I ask you, since you did pass it on, shouldn't they call me Grandmaster?"

"You..." Upon hearing this, Second Master, usually resolute, wavered.

He definitely didn't want Hu Ma and the others to address Tie Shoupeng as Grandmaster. A wave of guilt washed over him, the feeling that he had become a stumbling block for the younger generation.

But just then, as an oppressive silence filled the air and Hu Ma, unable to sit still any longer, was about to rise and speak, a liquor jar suddenly smashed on the ground right in front of Tie Shoupeng. THWACK! Wine splashed everywhere, startling everyone.

It was the Old Clan Chief, seated next to Second Master, who had already had quite a bit to drink.

While the other guests were either confused or hadn't grasped the full situation, the Old Clan Chief was already seething. Smashing the liquor jar hadn't vented his anger. He roared at Second Master, "Second Brother! I've figured it out! This is the man you went to learn skills from when you were young, isn't he?"

Second Master, with some difficulty, nodded.

Hearing this, Tie Shoupeng looked even more smug. But before he could utter a word, the Old Clan Chief, his anger boiling over, grabbed a nearby rock and looked ready to charge. "I'll smash you, you goddamn son of a bitch!" he cursed.

"Bullying my brother, huh?

"You lured him away when he was young, claiming you'd teach him skills! He followed you for eight or nine years! He was a robust young man, nearly nine chi tall, and when he returned, he was practically knocking on death's door, sickly and weak! Do you know how long it took to nurse him back to health?

"You have skills, you say? Fine, teach them or don't, that's your business! But why did you have to swindle people like this? 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Even if you raise an animal for seven or eight years, you have to feed it well if you expect it to work for you!

"You took him away, gave him no silver, taught him no real skills! Even if you were just a conman, after using him for all those years, couldn't you have at least given him a clear word before he left? Let him give up hope! Then this fool wouldn't have kept waiting, wasting his entire life!"

This furious tirade stunned everyone present. They all turned to look, their expressions grim.

The Old Clan Chief, after his passionate outburst, was restrained by others before he could actually charge with the rock. He threw it aside angrily and yelled at the able-bodied young men of the village, "What are you all standing around gaping for, with your eyes wide as saucers?"

"Your Second Master is being bullied! Aren't you going to beat that old bastard to death?"

A sudden uproar!

The villagers, especially the younger men, were incensed. They surged forward, some immediately going to grab pickaxes and dung forks.

Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu couldn't hold back any longer, standing up as they cast a look at Hu Ma.

This sudden turn of events clearly startled Tie Shoupeng. His expression changed, eyes bulging as he retorted loudly, "Whether I taught him or not is my business! I only ask him one thing: that kowtow he gave me back then—I didn't force him, did I?"

"He kowtowed, called me Master! Yet now there's no respect, no decorum! With things like this, how does your Dayang Village have the audacity to hold a Sacrificial Mountain ceremony?"