Twilight Boundary-Chapter 761 - 752: The Matchmaker Still Matters

"Hmm?"

Inside and outside the city, the Pan Mountain King had been beheaded. Various generals and commanders were dead, their forces routed, and people died like wild grass. As for the pitifully few people left inside and outside Bull Heart City, or whatever grain remained, it all seemed like they were trapped in a nightmare. During this time, the Grain Searching Team was running all around. Ordinary people were dying indiscriminately or being captured, reduced to states where they seemed neither human nor ghost. It never occurred to them that this nightmare would deepen that very night, nearly beyond everyone's imagination.

The ghost soldiers passed, their weapons cold as ice. Strange skills were on display, and the dead covered the entire battlefield. The resentful ghosts, horrified, could only cover their mouths. Yet Hu Ma appeared exceptionally calm at this moment.

He didn't know why. But as he faced the dead Pan Mountain King and revealed his identity as Hu Ma, a mere commoner from the grassroots, he felt an incredible clarity in his heart. It was as if nothing could shake him anymore, nothing could leave him bewildered.

After kicking the Pan Mountain King's head aside with one foot, he paid no further attention to other matters and continued to walk forward slowly. The Yin General had emerged; naturally, there was much to be done. The more ghost soldiers, the better. Those who devoured humans would have to pay the appropriate price.

As for himself, his attention shifted to the area beyond the immediate battlefield, towards the surging Yin winds in the wilderness between the Pan Mountain King's forces and Bull Heart City. As one such wind swept past, he faintly heard a familiar laugh.

His heart stirred slightly. He wouldn't have minded meeting her, but he hadn't expected the laughter to come and go so quickly, fading into the distance in an instant. Immediately following was an earth-shattering commotion. Even with his current abilities, his heart tightened slightly.

Focusing his mind, he slowly looked forward. And with that glance, he saw swarms of white hemp garments drifting in the night sky. They swayed like shoals of fish, immersed in the darkness. Most observers would only see those white hemp clothes, like masterless souls, floating in the night air. Some were ordinary human-sized. Others were enormous, easily three to five times the height of a man. From within them came the occasional sounds of clashing chains. Gigantic white umbrellas and a few Red Lanterns drifted beside them like a tide. Their aura clashed with that emitted by the ghost soldiers led by the Yin General on the battlefield, and surprisingly, they seemed to possess a faintly overpowering momentum.

Retrieving his nine pillars of cultivation—no, that wasn't right, he had *reclaimed* his nine pillars of cultivation—and witnessing the kind intentions of those familiar friends, Hu Ma was in his most relaxed state of mind. Although there was one last problem that he needed to see Granny to be sure about, he was no longer afraid to meet them. However, the rolling tide of Impermanence swept through, scattering all the strange phenomena hidden within the battle formation.

Hu Ma furrowed his brows. Concentrating his gaze forward, he saw the rolling Impermanence slow down slightly. Just as Hu Ma couldn't ignore such a troop of uncanny beings, resembling servant ghosts of the underworld, they, in turn, couldn't ignore the Yin Army that was crazily reaping human lives on this battlefield. Both sides slightly slowed their actions. Beneath the floating white cloth and hemp garments, cold glances were cast towards Hu Ma. Then, two white hemp-clad figures, each towering over five times a man's height, floated slowly to the front of the battle formation. They seemed to possess some mysterious instinct; as they raised their eyes, their sharp gazes landed precisely on Hu Ma and Fourth Miss Zhou. And then, they bowed their heads silently, slowly saluting. The vast expanse of hemp clothes also seemed to make a polite retreat, slightly distancing themselves from the battlefield, effectively taking a detour around this path. Later, those two massive white shadows also drifted away, quietly departing.

"The ghostly things raised by the Impermanence Li Family..." Someone beside him sighed softly. Hu Ma turned his head and saw it was Fourth Miss Zhou. She too was staring wide-eyed as the endless hemp garments merged into the depths of the night. Still shaken, she whispered, "That scared me to death! I thought they were here to cause you trouble too. The Impermanence Li Family's methods are truly sinister, and the things they raise are just as sinister. But it's so strange; these things usually don't come to the human world."

"What on earth drew so many of them here? Did someone burn the Li Family's ancestral grave?"

"..."

Listening to her, Hu Ma suddenly recalled the bell-like laughter he had heard in the night just moments before.

If it were her, it wouldn't be impossible... But, considering the timing, could she have brought these ghostly things here to bail him out? Looking back, he saw that the altar flags previously placed around the battle formation had been collected. This indicated that old acquaintance had already left, choosing not to meet him for a detailed talk. Was it because they, too, had matters they needed to figure out?

Sighing inwardly, Hu Ma stopped dwelling on it and instead focused his gaze calmly on Fourth Miss Zhou's face. Fourth Miss Zhou had been peering outside with curiosity. Suddenly aware of Hu Ma's gaze, her body froze instantly. Pretending nothing was amiss, she turned around to survey the battlefield.

Hu Ma said, "Is there a need for me to take responsibility?"

Fourth Miss Zhou felt as if struck by lightning. She stood woodenly, her face flushing red to the roots of her ears. She kicked a small stone on the ground with her toe, her hands clasped behind her back. Pretending to be nonchalant, she said, "Look at you, where did that come from? We are all people of the jianghu; when saving someone, one must act according to the urgency of the situation..."

Hu Ma nodded, bowed deeply in salute, and said, "Then I thank Fourth Miss Zhou for the life-saving grace."

In truth, that particular method might not have been absolutely necessary at the time. However, the Method of Human Qi Transfer was indeed the most direct and effective they could devise. Hu Ma couldn't forget their kindness, nor could he downplay it, as that would seem insincere.

Seeing Hu Ma apologize so earnestly, Fourth Miss Zhou's face flushed an even deeper red, a hint of disappointment flickering in her heart.

Back then, she had truly acted solely to save him, hadn't she? She had no real connection with him; in fact, they were adversaries, destined for a confrontation sooner or later. It was just that the gap between them seemed to be widening... What did he mean by 'taking responsibility'? Was a lifelong commitment really that simple, especially with their different statuses? Just a short while ago, he had a falling out with her father, who had stormed off in anger... Of course, she was confident she could persuade her father, but him...! He hadn't even sought a matchmaker! Somehow, her thoughts spiraled out of control. Dazed, as if walking on clouds, she followed Hu Ma to the edge of the battlefield.

Far away, Immortal Miaoshan, Calculation, and the others were approaching. Seeing Hu Ma and Fourth Miss Zhou together, their expressions held a novel curiosity, many words clearly wanting to be said yet remaining unspoken. Only Little Douguan sighed deeply, slapped his thigh, and squatted down, looking distressed.

"You've worked hard," one of them said as they drew near.

Hu Ma looked at Immortal Miaoshan, nodding, a trace of astonishment in his eyes. Immortal Miaoshan had now risen, but the spirit tablet she had set up was still in place. On this battlefield, the vast blessings, though considerably scattered by the Yin General, still lingered faintly. Hu Ma could feel the source of these blessings.

This time, he had taken the risk of setting up this situation precisely to see his destiny clearly and to understand the attitudes of the various parties involved. His heart understood that the more chaotic the situation, the safer he was. Some people didn't want him to die and wouldn't truly let him fall into a desperate situation. Others wanted something from him, so they wouldn't miss this opportunity. It seemed risky, but it was actually safer. Even without the help of Fourth Miss Zhou and the others, his safety would have been guaranteed. If he had truly faced a mortal peril, the Daluo Dharma Sect would have intervened. And if the Daluo Dharma Sect had tried to use this opportunity to alter his destiny, it would have, in turn, provoked other forces to get involved. Although things had turned out slightly differently from what he had envisioned, he had managed to discern the intentions of all sides. Ultimately, this scheme had achieved its purpose. But there were surprises. Firstly, those friends from Mingzhou were indeed still his true friends, which was reassuring. Another surprise was Immortal Miaoshan. The accumulation of blessings had resonated with something within his own destiny, making it seem, for a moment, as if he had received divine favor. It had also influenced the battlefield, helping to alleviate some of the danger he faced. What puzzled him was that he knew Immortal Miaoshan was protected by blessings, but these blessings... weren't they a bit excessive?

It was precisely this curiosity that made him look towards Immortal Miaoshan. However, he saw Immortal Miaoshan looking astounded, her gaze flickering between him and Fourth Miss Zhou, her hand covering her mouth. Suddenly realizing he was focusing on the wrong person for his query, he shifted his gaze to Little Douguan.

"Alright, alright..." Little Douguan said, reacting to Hu Ma's gaze. He clapped his hands and laughed. "With Aunt Miaoshan around, everything indeed turns from danger to safety! Master, this major trouble you faced on the way to Shangjing is finally resolved, isn't it? Now you can proceed to Shangjing safely, right?"

Hu Ma nodded and said, "So, she..."

"Our Aunt is the most blessed person in our Not Eating Beef Path! All the senior uncles in the sect treat her like a little Junior Sister." Little Douguan, seeing that Hu Ma understood, hurried over. He pulled Hu Ma's hand, leading him a few steps aside, and whispered, "Our Eldest Martial Uncle mentioned this before."

"Aunt has a good destiny, born with natural blessings. She inherently seeks good fortune and avoids disaster. It's best if she just lives happily."

"..."

Listening to Little Douguan's words, how could Hu Ma not understand? A tremor shot through his heart. "So," he murmured, the realization dawning, "she's actually the one... left behind by the Great Virtuous Master..."

The only person in the entire vast Not Eating Beef Path who was pure to an almost unbelievable degree.

The publicly acknowledged Junior Sister.

The one who always liked to wear Daoist robes.

A person whose blessings were so profound they surpassed all imagination...

"Aunt doesn't know," Little Douguan said, anxiously shaking Hu Ma's hand, his eyes fluttering like a palm leaf fan. "This was also the Great Virtuous Master's wish. He had too many karmic ties and left behind too many entanglements of gratitude and grudges. He only wished for Aunt to escape this fiery pit, to the point where she wouldn't even know her real name or identity..."

"...The only thing he left her was enough Silver Coin to last ten lifetimes, an amount impossible to squander!"