Twilight Boundary-Chapter 726 - 717: All Not Important

He knew my identity?

When he heard this person announce his family name, Hu Ma instantly became alert. He took a small step back. Inside the incense burner within him, the three Life Incense were all ready. He had known that after doing these significant things, trouble would come knocking, but he had also planned on how to handle these troubles. Now that his cultivation had progressed significantly, he only needed to take a step back to reach the Bridge. This encounter with the Negative Spirit Great Sword Catching Sect had made him realize that his fate was heavier than expected. Thus, he had confidence even when facing a Shangqiao Master.

At the very least, he could escape! After all, for a Shousui man, being able to escape was a skill and nothing to be ashamed of.

However, observing Hu Ma's wariness, the State Preceptor, known by the Dharma name Dong Xuan, showed no unusual behavior, nor any hostility. He merely smiled, turned to pick up a wine cup from the table, downed the village's crude wine in one gulp, then turned to Hu Ma with a smile and said, "With the pond god revived and lesser deities abundant, these mountains have become much more peaceful, and one is less likely to encounter evil spirits."

"Young friend, would you care to take a walk with me outside the village?"

Hu Ma glanced around. No one seemed to have noticed his conversation with the State Preceptor; the atmosphere remained lively. It was as if no one had even seen him stand up. After a quick mental assessment, he decided and smiled, replying, "Since Senior is in the mood, let's go!"

The State Preceptor lightly waved his horsetail whisk, then smiled and led the way. As he and Hu Ma left their seats, still, no one around them seemed to notice. The two walked slowly towards the village outskirts. The State Preceptor, his face filled with emotion, surveyed the village: the low thatched huts, the tall wooden walls erected years ago to ward off evil spirits, the village's millstone and stone-paved paths, the chili peppers drying in front of houses, and the rough wooden window lattices. Every detail reflected the simple life within the village. As he looked, he sighed, "The Hu Family has indeed suffered greatly."

"The esteemed direct lineage of the Hu clan, one of the Ten Surnames, yet they forsook wealth and glory, grand mansions, fine clothing, and exquisite food, to come to this desolate village. They struggled to survive, constantly on guard day and night, their future bleak. Reflecting on it now, I truly admire the Hu Family's ruthless determination."

Hu Ma listened coldly, his mind racing, and asked, "You seem to know a lot about the Hu Family's experiences?"

"Naturally," the State Preceptor chuckled. "The Hu Family obtaining the Zhensui Mansion, retreating to Old Yin Mountain, and sealing the disaster-averting altars—all these were decided after discussions with me."

"Then..." Hu Ma's heart tightened as he listened, and he whispered, "Why?"

His instincts screamed caution regarding this mysterious State Preceptor. He remembered that Longjing Senior had said it was this very man who had betrayed the Reincarnators, leading to the purging of the first generation of Reincarnators. He also recalled how Eldest Master Meng, after realizing the Meng family's inevitable doom, had repeatedly warned him to be wary of this person. Yet, he also understood that this man knew a great deal—many things concerning the Hu Family, things Hu Ma had desperately wanted to understand but had no way of finding out.

"Because the Hu Family themselves chose to do this," the State Preceptor said with a slight smile, hearing Hu Ma's question. "Back then, it wasn't only the Hu Family. The Meng family also had the opportunity to choose this path. However, the Meng family lacked the courage and that ruthless determination. So, they chose to sacrifice their own Old Ancestor, and their path diverged."

"But the Hu Family did not," he continued. "The Hu Family's courage surpassed that of the Meng family. Therefore, the Hu Family has now risen in power, while the Meng family has been annihilated."

As they spoke, they had nearly reached the edge of the village, coincidentally passing by the Hu Family's thatched cottage. The altar containing Eldest Master Meng was placed outside the house; because it could be affected by the disastrous object at any moment, it could not be brought inside.

The State Preceptor spotted the altar and beckoned lightly with his hand. The altar flew into his grasp. It seemed Eldest Master Meng within sensed something, for the altar began to shake violently, the deep hatred causing yin qi to practically overflow. The State Preceptor tucked his horsetail whisk into the back of his collar, then, with both hands, exerted force. In an instant, he had crushed the altar to pieces, and along with it, the yin soul inside let out a furious and despairing cry.

"Old friend, it is time for you to depart..." the State Preceptor said with a smile, clapping his hands and tossing aside the fragments of the altar as if he had done something utterly insignificant. He retrieved his horsetail whisk and, still smiling, explained, "The entities in the cave have been deceived by us for many years. They are gradually growing dissatisfied."

"The Meng family's vast wealth, being quite extraordinary, might have bought them a little more forbearance from those entities."

Witnessing this, Hu Ma clenched his jaw slightly. He had considered intervening—not to protect Eldest Master Meng, but to test this man's capabilities. But he found he couldn't make a move. It was as if some invisible force was pressing down on him; in this man's presence, the very thought of acting freely vanished.

"Young friend, are you satisfied with the Meng family's fate?" the State Preceptor asked as they reached the village entrance. The paths here were mere dirt tracks, uneven and pitted. From his sleeve, the State Preceptor produced a wine jug—the very same kind used to serve guests in the village earlier. Who would have thought he had filched a whole jug and hidden it in his sleeve?

He tilted the jug, pouring the wine onto the ground where it pooled in a hollow. The moonlight above reflected in it with perfect clarity. As he spoke, he gave his sleeve a gentle flick. The reflection of the moon in the puddle rippled and then vanished, replaced by the image of a large, gloomy mansion. It was like a dream, filled with countless tragic scenes: someone lay on a bed, screaming miserably, while another already hung from the rafters, swaying with the wind. Livestock were restless, and servants, having stolen gold and silver, were fleeing in disarray.

Hu Ma suddenly understood that he was seeing the current plight of the Meng family.

He even saw, in the main hall of the Meng Mansion in Salt State, Young Master Meng sitting on a grand chair, his face like that of an Evil Ghost. Three nails were driven into his head, and iron chains bound him loosely. One moment he wept, the next he cackled madly, struggling and screaming, "I won't go! I won't go! I won't go with you into the cave!"

"My Meng Family Ancestor is an incarnation of Tai Sui! You must show respect to my Ancestor and let me remain in the human world!"

"Save me! Save me!"

"Is there anyone out there? Quickly, go entreat the Ten Surnames! Beg them to protect me!"

"Without the Meng family, the Stone Pavilion cannot be opened! No one will ever achieve freedom!"—

"Alas, pitiful child, always failing to recognize his own situation," the State Preceptor sighed softly, watching the reflection. With a light flick of his fingers, the nails embedded in Young Master Meng's forehead suddenly flew out, passed through the puddle of water, and landed in the State Preceptor's hand, who then tucked them into his sleeve.

With the nails abruptly gone from his forehead, Young Master Meng Siliang looked terrified. "Who? Who is it?"

But the Meng Mansion was already deserted; naturally, no one answered him. After the nails flew from his forehead, a pill that had taken on a human-like form suddenly darted out from his mouth. It glanced at him with disgust, crying, "He's beyond saving! Beyond saving!" Then it scurried out of the Meng Mansion, leaving Young Master Meng alone in the hall.

The next moment, a strange, ghostly wind swept into the hall where Young Master Meng was, carrying with it what seemed like a hint of malicious glee: "Found him! Found him! He's here! He's here!"

Countless hands reached for him, grabbing and pulling, then transformed into a gust of wind that whisked him out of the Meng Mansion.

In that instant, the Meng Mansion became utterly desolate, with only the hollow wind gusting back and forth. If one had to describe it, the Meng Mansion, at that very moment, completely died. Not a single sound or sign of life remained.

He just killed him like that? Witnessing this, Hu Ma felt a chill run down his spine. Wasn't it said that the Stone Pavilion Alliance required the bloodline of the Ten Surnames? He himself had wanted to sever this bloodline, but Young Master Meng had protectors, making him difficult to kill. Yet now, this State Preceptor...

"Actually, the Meng family was never important." As if explaining to Hu Ma, the State Preceptor put away the nails and smiled. "They believed the Stone Pavilion Agreement couldn't proceed without the Meng family. What they didn't realize was that, from the very beginning, the Meng family was never counted as part of the Stone Pavilion Agreement."

"The Meng family toiled hard for twenty years and were always the most diligent in pushing forward the Stone Pavilion Agreement, but they never possessed the qualifications to enter the Stone Pavilion itself."

At this moment, Hu Ma had to exert considerable effort to suppress the overwhelming sense of absurdity rising within him. He remained silent for a long while before finally asking, "Then, who *is* important?"

The State Preceptor turned to look at him. "Of course, it is your Hu Family."

Hu Ma gritted his teeth slightly. "Is it just because the Hu Family took on the Zhensui Mansion?"

"No." The State Preceptor chuckled. "The Zhensui Mansion is not important either. What is important is simply your Hu Family."

"Or, to be more precise, it is you!"

The questions in Hu Ma's mind had reached an unbearable intensity. The State Preceptor, however, was walking faster and faster. Following behind him, Hu Ma subconsciously quickened his pace. Before they knew it, they were already moving through the mountain forest.

The State Preceptor walked with a composed gait, yet it seemed as if he employed the marvel of Shrinking Ground. It was only in a daze that Hu Ma suddenly realized the man was walking according to the methods of the Haishou Path. In the eyes of the Haishou Sect, the world is divided into ten orientations. These encompass concepts such as auspicious and inauspicious fortunes, Hidden Light, Wangsun, Fashang, and Emperor Deficiency. As long as each step taken aligns with the corresponding orientation, one can achieve Shrinking Ground and travel ten thousand li in a day, even without cultivation or Mana.

This man effortlessly took each step in the correct position. Following him, Hu Ma found himself crossing mountains and ridges in what felt like an instant.

Unwittingly, they arrived at a village deep in the mountains. It was long deserted and dilapidated, with collapsed houses and overgrown weeds everywhere. They stood before the village's Ancestral Hall, where they saw a skeleton sitting cross-legged on the ground, its flesh and blood long rotted away.

The State Preceptor bowed lightly to the skeleton, then stepped aside and said to Hu Ma, "Young friend, you should come and pay your respects."

Hu Ma asked, "Why?"

The State Preceptor sighed softly. "Because that is your father, Mister Hu Shan."