Twilight Boundary-Chapter 725 - 716 National Master Dongxuan

When they returned to the Sacrificial Mountain, all the guests had already risen and were invited back to the village for a banquet.

The incense table and the grass dragon were still there, and the incense smoke lingered, making the mountain seem like a foggy night. The shadows of trees and the wisps of incense wind surrounded them, giving a sense of surreal mystery.

The Second Master was in front of the incense table, dividing the fruits used for the sacrificial ceremony among the village children. When Hu Ma brought Zhao Sanyi and the others forward, the Second Master casually handed him a peach, saying, "Where did you run off to just now?"

"I was driving away disasters and got exhausted. I wanted you to come up and give a hand, but you were nowhere to be seen. It was Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu who took the whip from my hands and helped me finish. Heh, our Sacrificial Mountain has strict rules, and our way of driving away disasters is also different from elsewhere."

"You see, we had to smash eleven straw figures to drive away this calamity."

...

Hu Ma looked in the direction indicated and indeed saw eleven piles of straw on the ground, resembling gutted monsters.

The Second Master was different from others. He had previously talked to Hu Ma about the black wind disaster and guessed the shadow in Hu Ma's heart, so he had been well-prepared for this Sacrificial Mountain ceremony.

At the first sign of a strange wind rising, threatening to become like the black wind disaster of that year, he had immediately taken the whip to fight the calamity. Now, showing Hu Ma the eleven piles of straw was also intended to lessen the young man's fear.

Back then, my original body's father, with such great Mana, managed to block only one path of disaster and ended up with no remains.

And now, these eleven paths of disaster have all been overcome by the Second Master alone?

Hu Ma felt quite touched and bowed deeply to the Second Master. The Second Master laughed and said, "Don't bow to me, young man. You should properly thank your godmother. Without her help, driving away this disaster wouldn't have been so smooth!"

As he spoke, he handed over a bundle of incense.

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma took the incense and looked at his godmother, only to be stunned. "Why is Godmother bald again?"

Following the Second Master's instructions, he offered incense to his godmother and kowtowed respectfully.

This time, he discovered that his godmother's aura was different from before.

To be honest, his godmother used to be just an ordinary mountain spirit tainted with the world's malevolent qi, nothing special here in Old Yin Mountain. Otherwise, a figure like Lady Liu'er wouldn't have been so easily bound here by the Second Master with a mere red string.

But looking at her now, she seemed utterly transformed, no longer resembling the evil spirit she once was.

Godmother, this should mean she has undergone a Sealing, and perhaps this Sealing is even stronger than those of the Hu Family members.

In theory, Godmother should be able to take human form now, right?

I just don't know what she would look like in human form. Would she still be bald?

HUMPH!

As Hu Ma was thinking these thoughts while offering incense and kowtowing, Lady Liu'er, apparently sensing his musings, trembled with indignation. "This brat is truly unfilial!"

"After all, he called me godmother for three years..."

...

Meanwhile, Zhao Sanyi and the others, following behind, felt somewhat conflicted as they watched Hu Ma burning incense and worshiping. Fourth Miss Zhou approached and cast Zhao Sanyi a questioning glance.

Zhao Sanyi sighed and said, "After all, we are guests in their village. The etiquette we observe depends on how we view him. If we consider him merely a walking ghost of the Great Sword Catching Sect, then we are a generation above him and need not follow this formality."

"But if we regard him as a friend, then we are equals. If he kowtows to his elders, we should also show some courtesy!"

...

Upon hearing this, Fourth Miss Zhou immediately understood. She stepped forward and also asked the Second Master for a bundle of incense.

Seeing her step forward, Zhao Sanyi and Chen Abao exchanged a glance and naturally followed, bowing behind Hu Ma.

Of course, they didn't kowtow.

They were disciples of the Ten Surnames. While traveling the jianghu, etiquette was indispensable, but they also deeply understood their teachings and would not kowtow easily.

Mainly, there were few outside who could receive such a kowtow from them.

Of course, even though it was just a bow this time, it invisibly carried significant weight. It caused the few remaining willow branches on Hu Ma's godmother to suddenly stand on end. The confidence she had just gained from becoming an attendant deity instantly crumbled, and she began to tremble all over again.

"Second Master, hurry back to the village! We'll clean up tomorrow. The Food-Protection General has had his wine and wants to return tonight."

Just as the Second Master was watching Hu Ma kowtow and curiously observing the background of these well-mannered youngsters, someone nearby shouted. It was the Old Clan Chief, coming to hurry the Second Master. He arrived just as Hu Ma and the others were getting up.

He too was rather curious. "Hey, young Hu, who are these people?"

Hu Ma quickly smiled and made the introductions, "This is Mr. Zhao, this is Mr. Chen, and this is Miss Zhou."

"They are all my friends, also here in our village to observe the ceremony and broaden their horizons. It's just that they arrived late and missed it."

...

"Oh my, distant guests, indeed distant guests."

The Old Clan Chief hurried forward, making salutations, but his eyes kept darting towards Chen Abao and Fourth Miss Zhou. He couldn't help but shoot a look at the Second Master, only to see the Second Master also wearing a peculiar expression. The two brothers completed their exchange of thoughts without a word:

"These two girls, could they be..."

"Can't say for sure."

"I think so. Otherwise, which respectable young lady would come to a men's village without any notice?"

...

After returning to the village, it immediately caused even more of a commotion. Hu Ma, of course, didn't want to introduce their identities in the village. Even if he did, the villagers wouldn't know who they were, but the Martial Artists would be alarmed.

Therefore, he simply arranged for them to be seated with the Food-Protection General. At once, the gazes of those around became even brighter, darting back and forth.

For a moment, they would look at Hu Ma, then at Chen Abao and Fourth Miss Zhou sitting beside him, their expressions puzzled.

Zhao Sanyi was a perceptive man; how could he not understand? He quickly put his arm around Chen Abao beside him and announced, "This is my betrothed."

"We've been engaged since we were children, a childhood betrothal."

...

Hearing this, the villagers all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

When they looked at Fourth Miss Zhou again, they appeared much more enthusiastic. They even took the bowl of fried meatballs Chen Abao had her eye on and placed it in front of Fourth Miss Zhou.

This one's much better! A proper waist, a proper backside. She looks more like a respectable maiden than that one with the dark circles under her eyes...

...

「The wind was clear and the clouds light; the Sacrificial Mountain rites concluded, and blessings naturally arose.」

At this moment, outside Old Yin Mountain, all thirty-six Lords lay defeated, leaving only large, white lanterns scattered across the ground, creating a scene of desolate chaos.

And just moments ago, they had witnessed the Golden Armored Warriors annihilating the Lords in a fierce and tragic battle. Senior Brother No-eating Cattle and the Eight Sects' Disciples had shown no intention of intervening. Instead, upon seeing the daylight reappear over Old Yin Mountain, they led the disciples to sit cross-legged on the spot.

"Big Senior Brother, weren't we going to pay our respects to the Sect Hierarch?"

The Eight Sects' Disciples all asked, "So why are we sitting here now in this desolate place? There's no one around to even give us a meal."

Senior Brother No-eating Cattle observed, "Returning the gods to the people, the Meng family losing the bridge... it's as if a momentum, suppressed and unchanged for twenty years, has all converged today."

He then sighed and said, "The Ten Surnames cannot tolerate the pond gods. Within Old Yin Mountain, new gods are born. But even if they borrow the incense from half the world in a single day, it is merely a fleeting bloom. We of the Not Eating Beef Path must safeguard these deities for the common people."

"Of course..."

He smiled. "We must also shield our Sect Hierarch from some unnecessary trouble."

The disciples then understood. This was the real reason their Big Senior Brother had decided to come and pay respects to the Sect Hierarch from the very beginning.

He had guessed this outcome from the moment he requested the Not Eating Beef Path to prepare for the Sacrificial Mountain.

Meanwhile, in the woods, as Hu Ma was drinking, he saw a flash of red. Little Hongtang ran in from outside, lifted the cloth covering her basket, and showed Hu Ma what was inside: the Golden Armor Collection had been returned.

Not only was it returned, but there was also an extra stick of incense. Seeing Hu Ma's curiosity, Little Hongtang initially wanted to speak directly. However, she noticed Zhao Sanyi, who was toasting the Second Master, pricking up his ears.

Not wanting this sneaky-looking fellow to overhear, she tiptoed, leaned close to Hu Ma's ear, and whispered, "Mountain Lord Grandpa asked me to bring this to you. He said that since you trusted him so much as to lend him the Golden Armor Collection, he now trusts you too."

"He knows you want to see the thing he's guarding. Now, he has agreed."

...

Hu Ma instantly breathed a sigh of relief. He had originally thought he would have to go and talk things over properly with the Mountain Lord after this matter was concluded.

Unexpectedly, the senior had proactively agreed.

With his doubts dispelled, anticipation welled up. He planned to send Zhao Sanyi and the others off and then depart that very night. However, amidst the guests toasting and drinking, Hu Ma wasn't sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he saw a familiar figure approaching.

He hesitantly approached Hu Ma and whispered, "Little Shopkeeper, I... I didn't want to come, but..."

He glanced back, his expression conflicted. "Master wants to see you!"

"Hmm?"

Hu Ma was instantly surprised. His gaze lingered on Calculation's face for a moment before moving past him to look behind.

With that one look, he saw, at the table beside Zhou Liang and Zhao Zhu, an old man in a brand-new Taoist robe, with a silver beard and crane-like white hair. The man was smiling as he turned to look at Hu Ma, and said with a chuckle, "The demon takes the bridge, the gods return to the altar. Young man of the Hu Family, what remarkable methods!"

"You!"

Hearing his words, Hu Ma's brow suddenly furrowed, and he stared intently.

That single sentence was tantamount to exposing his identity. Yet, in the next instant, he sensed something was amiss. The people around him were still eating, drinking, and toasting in celebration.

Never mind others; even Zhao Sanyi right beside him, whose ears were still pricked up, seemed completely unaware. It was as if he hadn't seen the Taoist at all, nor heard a word he'd said.

"The Zhen Sui Hu Family has always been ruthless yet skillful. I never expected this generation to produce one who is ruthless in both heart and hand."

The Taoist smiled, rose to his feet, and said to Hu Ma, "Using the feud between the Hu and Meng Families as a pretext, you've certainly torn a great hole in the sky. Those reincarnated souls, I imagine, will all be deeply indebted to you for this immense favor, won't they?"

Looking at this man, a strong sense of alarm rose in Hu Ma's heart. He asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

The Taoist chuckled, flicking his horsetail whisk slightly. "This old man's Dharma name is Dong Xuan. I was once the State Preceptor of Duyi, where I vanquished evil spirits, sealed the Ghost Altar, and established the Stone Pavilion Alliance."

"And I am also a protector of your Hu Family."