Twilight's Threshold Chapter 670: The Old Man of Five Deficits - Novel Cool

Chapter 670: The Old Man of Five Deficits

Chapter 670: The Old Man of Five Deficits

As the sixth arrow flew in from the City of the Wrongly Dead, a head administrator, a young master, and the Black-Headed Master, along with the Four Great Officials of the Noble Zhang Family, had already arrived at a mysterious wild mountain, leading a group of trusted minor officials who could be quickly summoned.

From the second arrow, the Noble Zhang Family's patriarch had made a decision. The Noble Zhang Family itself wasn't important, nor was its family prestige, ancestral mansion, or even the relatives living within.

The human sacrificial pawns who were currently taking the brunt for the Venerable Zhang, dying one by one, were naturally even less significant. He had considered the time difference and didn't even send anyone below to clarify the situation.

He merely entrusted the Meng family with dealing with the malevolent spirit and sent everyone to this location.

This mountain was extremely peculiar, with majestic peaks, pleasant scenery, and a vast expanse stretching for thousands of miles. Yet, it strangely lacked the fame of other renowned mountains and lakes.

There was no Mountain Lord receiving incense offerings here, nor were there any mountain spirits or wild beasts dwelling in its depths. Due to the scarcity of roads and thin soil, even people didn't gather in this place. Only at the mountain's base were there several village households, working from sunrise to sunset.

No one knew the name or the surname of this mountain, and it seemed as if the world had forgotten its existence.

Even the Noble Zhang wouldn't casually send people here.

Only in the middle of the mountain was there a stone cottage, where a blind, deaf, limping, one-armed old man with an amputated tongue lived. He had been here for years, relying solely on the villagers from the nearby village to bring him millet congee for sustenance each month.

However, on days when it rained or snowed, or for other reasons, if no food was delivered for several days, he would go hungry.

When the Black-Headed Master and the young master of the Zhang family arrived with their entourage, the old man was squatting in front of his stone cottage, eating his meal.

In his remaining hand, he held a cracked coarse porcelain bowl, containing a few grains of millet congee with a salted radish strip floating on top. There were also several round, blackened objects—sheep droppings that the boy who delivered his meals had picked up along the way.

The old man slurped the congee, not even bothering to chew, swallowing the congee and sheep droppings together, completely unaware.

A mischievous boy squatted beside him, watching with a delighted expression.

As the old man ate slowly, the boy grew bored and picked up small stones, throwing them from a distance into the bowl.

"What audacity..."

When the Black-Headed Master and the young master of the Zhang family reached the spot and witnessed this scene, they were instantly enraged, their pupils constricting in anger. "In the beginning, to have the people from the village below support Second Young Master, we gave them a hundred taels of silver!"

"And even then, we were worried it was too much, leaving a flaw. A hundred taels of silver, and it's used up so quickly? It's only been three years since we last came, and this is how they support Second Young Master?"

In his anger, he picked up a nail and was about to throw it.

But unexpectedly, as the sharp nail was about to strike the mischievous boy, it mysteriously vanished, only to fly back from behind him. He hastily turned his head to shoot, pinching the nail between his fingers. For a moment, he was both surprised and astonished, then he looked up.

Just then, the old man who had been drinking the congee slowly turned his head to look at him, his empty eye sockets meeting his gaze, causing everyone present to be greatly shocked.

The mischievous boy also turned around, and upon seeing so many people behind him, he immediately became more restrained.

The stones in his hand quietly fell to the ground.

The old man slowly finished his meal, eating every last grain of congee and radish, then put down the porcelain bowl. He extended his one arm, groped for the basket, and placed the bowl inside. The boy immediately picked up the basket and was about to leave, but the old man suddenly grabbed him.

Seeing strangers nearby, the boy was eager to return home and looked on impatiently.

Sometimes the old man would grab a handful of sour jujubes or something else for the boy to eat, but not this time.

He slowly retracted his palm, then surprisingly reached into his bosom, pulling out a blackened piece of gold, indicating it to the boy.

The boy recognized it; there was a small piece of gold hidden in his home, said to be for his future bride.

But this piece seemed even larger than the one at home.

Excited, the boy took the gold and skipped down the mountain. Those who had climbed the mountain stood frozen, not daring to stop him.

It wasn't until the boy had walked far away that the Black-Headed Master slowly signaled to the young master of the Zhang family, and everyone knelt down together, bowing to the old man.

The young master of the Zhang family, after bowing, stood up and cautiously approached the old man, saying respectfully, "Great Nephew Zhang Huanqiao, bows to Second Uncle. Second Uncle... you've suffered."

"..."

As he spoke, those behind him knelt even lower, not daring to raise their heads.

The Noble Zhang didn't dabble in techniques, but this old man was an exception. Not only was he a master of the Chief Dao of the Ten Doors of Harm, but his supernatural abilities were astonishing. However, it wasn't the Noble Zhang who pressured him; it was his own choice.

But it was also evident that because of his personal preference, he had paid a price beyond imagination. In the Noble Zhang family, the patriarch was the head administrator, but it was this Second Uncle who kept those in the Dao practice in check.

The old man didn't speak; he merely extended his palm towards his great-nephew.

The young master of the Zhang family hurried forward and wrote something in his palm.

After writing a few words, the old man suddenly furrowed his brows, his expression seeming displeased, and slowly shook his head.

The young master of the Zhang family hurriedly said, "Yes, Father also said that this might be the other party's trick."

"Everyone in the world, including the nine surnames, respects our Zhang family on the surface, but secretly, they all want to know where the Dragon's Lair is. If this place wasn't so crucial, Uncle, you wouldn't have to endure this hardship..."

"But Father also said that even if it might be the other party's trick, and they want to follow us to find this Dragon's Lair, we can't take the risk. Their Nightmare Technique is too powerful, our Zhang family can't afford to take this chance."

"Moreover, the Heavenly Mandate is approaching. Even if we're discovered, it won't be that important. At worst, we'll just find someone to sleep in the Dragon's Lair."

"..."

The old man slowly clenched his hand, as if in deep thought. After a long while, his hollow eyes suddenly moved from left to right, looking at the people who had followed him.

The young master of the Zhang family quickly wrote a few more words on his hand and then said hastily, "It's not that Father doesn't trust your abilities, Uncle. He's afraid you can't guard the Dragon's Lair. It's just that this matter is of great importance."

"That person's Nightmare Technique is formidable. It has already destroyed our Zhang family's prestige and summoned the resentful souls of the Dou family under the Life-Governing Tablet... Father said he has already guessed that person's identity, and it's different from what the National Master said."

"This person is the malevolent spirit that once severed the previous dynasty's destiny!"

"..."

The old man's body, like a withered tree, seemed to pause for a moment, then suddenly opened his mouth, laughing silently.

The half-remaining tongue trembled incessantly, as if it was evident that he was overjoyed.

"It's..."

Seeing the old man laughing, the young master of the Zhang family also became happy and said loudly, "Congratulations, Uncle! Congratulations!"

"You finally have a chance to face off against him..."

"..."

"..."

While they were talking, the mischievous child who delivered the food had already returned home with the gold. His parents were discussing, "Just now, a noble elder from a foreign land, wearing a silk hat, went up the mountain. I wonder if it has anything to do with that old thing."

"The food we send up tomorrow must be better. We can't let people think we're unreliable and not taking care of him..."

Just as they were talking, the child presented the gold like a treasure. The couple's eyes lit up, and they took the gold, rubbing and biting it in delight. "As expected, the noble elder is kind-hearted. He even rewarded us with gold. He's probably going to give us food money again."

"Quickly, quickly, kill a chicken, kill a chicken, slaughter a pig, slaughter a sheep. Tomorrow's meal must be better, with lots of oil!"

"..."

The woman was happy but also felt a pang of regret. She said, "The pig hasn't grown big yet. It's a pity to slaughter it now; we could sell it for more money during the New Year."

The man said, "Then let's slaughter a sheep!"

The woman was even less pleased. "The sheep is still nursing its young. It's about to give birth."

The man also took a look and frowned. "Then let's kill a chicken. That should be fine."

The woman had initially nodded, but as she prepared, she hesitated and said, "The chicken is still laying eggs. We rely on it for salt."

"Besides, would a noble elder lack chicken meat to eat? He probably cooks his own meals!"

"..."

The man thought for a moment and then said, "Then let's scramble a couple of eggs and stir-fry some fresh shoots of Toona Sinensis."

"Also, go to the river and catch some loaches and shrimp. The noble elder has had his fill of good food; he particularly enjoys these."

"..."

As they spoke, they happily hid the gold and then hugged their child, asking in detail about whether he had met anyone on the mountain, who gave him the gold, if there was more, and if he had any messages to deliver.

However, they didn't notice that as the gold entered the house, the ancestral tablet in the main hall gradually turned pitch black, making the inscriptions on it unreadable.

Outside, the sky seemed to darken. The chickens in the coop, the sheep in the yard, and the pigs in the pen all inexplicably froze in place, their bodies slowly shrinking, dying silently. Even the eggs laid by the chickens emitted faint sounds and oozed black liquid.

When they felt the sky suddenly turn pitch black, they experienced a sense of suffocation, struggling to breathe. Even their eyes began to lose their focus.

The man suddenly released the child and stood up, walking straight to the water jar and plunging his head into it, letting himself drown. The woman, with a fixed gaze, grabbed the child and threw him into the pot, adding water.

As the fire blazed in the stove, the mischievous child didn't struggle or cry, but his eyes were filled with terror.

Not only was this happening to their family.

As the wind blew through their house, the other villagers also began to show symptoms of hysteria.

When this wind reached the other villages, the bustling midday activities in those villages gradually faded into silence.

The scorching sun shone down on the human world, but the mountain villages had already lost all warmth.

(End of Chapter)

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