Chapter 51: Three Incense Sticks Under the Red Lantern Altar
Chapter 51: Three Incense Sticks Under the Red Lantern Altar
"Speak!"
Hu Ma's demeanor turned serious at his words. He knew that now that he was in the city, he was closer to the reincarnated soul known as Erguotou. If they were to meet, it would be easy to arrange, but he also sensed that these reincarnated souls were cautious about meeting in person, so he didn't have high hopes.
Now, hearing that Erguotou had some advice for him, Hu Ma didn't dare to be lax. In his confusion, he understood the importance of this information.
"You've probably noticed that the Red Lantern Society has opened an altar and recruited a diverse group of followers."
Erguotou chuckled. "Strictly speaking, the Red Lantern Society has many members from different backgrounds, but few are from the village."
Hu Ma had noticed this issue as well. Over the past few days, he had observed that the new recruits could be divided into several categories. The first were the burly, well-built types, who seemed to be descendants of the Red Lantern Society's members. They grew up in the city and were trained from a young age, making them quite solid.
After all, the Red Lantern Society had been operating in Mingzhou for decades, with substantial influence. Many members had families and children, creating a second generation of members.
Another group consisted of the children of merchants and commoners, dressed in fine clothes, who were the most playful and boisterous. They shouted and competed in everything, drawing the most attention. They joined the society to seek protection or to learn some skills.
Then there were those in tattered clothes, their origins unknown.
"First, don't take this as a gang of bloodthirsty killers when you join the society..."
Erguotou smiled. "The Blood Food Gang thrives on the Blood Food Mines. They are essentially a business. When you join the Blood Food Gang, they won't just feed you for free. They will first find ways to use you, and only then will they consider teaching you skills."
Hu Ma let out a light sigh and smiled. "I understand."
"That's good. Among us reincarnated souls, some still haven't quite grasped the situation."
Erguotou sighed in agreement. "There are also some things you need to be cautious about. Once you join the Red Lantern Society, the first thing is to burn incense at the altar. The incense you burn will determine your path."
"You need to be careful. There are three incense sticks under the Red Lantern Altar: White, Green, and Red."
"Red is the best, as you learn skills quickly and the food is good. White is the safest, but I must warn you..."
Hu Ma's heart stirred. "Burn the Green incense?"
Erguotou laughed. "Yes, only the Green incense is the right path."
"Only by burning the Green incense will you have the opportunity to learn what you want. Of course, the Green incense is relatively safe."
"..."
"Got it..."
Hu Ma took a deep breath. "Old friend, can you give me more advice?"
Erguotou smiled. "What else can I say? The sooner you learn some skills, the better we can work together on other things..."
...
...
That night, after talking with Erguotou, Hu Ma had a clearer idea of what to do. He patiently stayed, waiting quietly. He ate a Blood Food Pill every three days and practiced his techniques to strengthen his foundation.
Gradually, a few days passed. The surrounding houses were filled with noise and bustle. As the date approached February 28th, a few burly followers escorted a manager to the courtyard that night.
It was the old man with a mustache, who smiled. "Tomorrow is the day of the altar opening. You must have been waiting impatiently."
"Rest early tonight. Change into clean clothes tomorrow. Our incense master will host a feast for you..."
...
The young men were overjoyed at the prospect of a feast, scratching their ears in anticipation.
The next day, the young men gathered early. Some took out their clothes from their bundles to change into, while others shaved their heads to look more presentable.
However, they waited for most of the day, and it wasn't until evening that the manager returned, leading the young men out. They passed through several alleys and arrived at a large open area, where red lanterns were lit around the perimeter.
In the middle of the lanterns were several tables, some covered in red cloth, some in green, and some in gray...
...Perhaps in this world, white cloth was hard to come by.
...
As everyone gathered, the old man with the mustache stepped forward from a platform decorated with large red lanterns.
He addressed the young men, "Under the Red Lantern Altar, each person has their own destiny. You are all fortunate to join the Red Lantern Society. Today, our incense master will personally lead the altar opening and host a feast for you..."
"But the feast will differ."
"Look at the tables in front of you. If you want wine and meat, sit at the tables covered in red cloth. If you want steamed buns, sit at the tables covered in green cloth. If you want black wheat cakes, sit at the tables covered in white cloth. The rules are that simple."
"The feast will begin after one incense stick burns. Show us your skills, then."
...
The young men were taken aback by his words.
Without waiting for others to react, the sturdy young men in black robes suddenly dashed forward in silence.
They were all part of a gang, and their parents must have prepared them well. Not only them, but the young men in brocade robes also immediately fixed their eyes on the red-clothed tables and sprinted forward, having apparently received some prior information through various channels.
The ragged young men were the slowest to react, but once they understood what was happening, their eyes turned red with fury.
With a shout, they charged en masse toward the red-clothed tables.
"Good grief, we have to fight for food even here?"
Beside Hu Ma, Zhou Dazhong was stunned. "This is worse than our village!"
The other young men were equally tense, their hearts racing as they saw everyone else rushing forward.
"Follow me, and don’t scatter."
Hu Ma, who had been prepared, whispered and immediately took a step forward. The other young men, feeling anxious, hurriedly followed.
However, Hu Ma did not head for the red-clothed tables. Instead, he walked a few steps and claimed a corner table covered in green cloth, instructing everyone to gather around and not to run off.
At the red-clothed tables, a chaotic fight had already broken out, with heads bobbing and screams echoing. By contrast, the area around the green cloth table remained calm.
They easily claimed the table and then watched the others fight over the red-clothed tables.
The fight at the red-clothed tables grew more intense, with people flying out from time to time.
The sturdy young men in black robes struck with heavy blows, the young men in brocade robes were quick and clever, but the most striking were the ragged young men.
They were usually the most meek, living in the worst stables and waiting until the young men from Dazhong Village had taken their share before rushing to grab the leftovers.
But unexpectedly, they erupted with astonishing strength, striking ruthlessly and holding on with a death grip. They were also the most numerous, with dozens of them, and they fought fiercely over the red-clothed tables.
Hu Ma watched with growing unease.
These ragged young men, in terms of their background, were far inferior to the others. He even doubted if they had ever eaten meat.
Yet, they naturally exuded a ferocity that made them the dominant force at the tables, pushing others back.
At the same time, Hu Ma noticed that not everyone fighting for the red-clothed tables was fully committed. Some gave up after a brief attempt, and others sat at the green or even white-clothed tables, watching the scene with indifference.
As the incense stick was about to burn out, the number of people around the red-clothed tables stabilized, and those who had been defeated grew desperate.
The green-clothed tables quickly became the next target, and those who had been defeated at the red-clothed tables began fighting over them.
But Hu Ma and his group reacted quickly, having claimed the green-clothed table early on. Now, the five of them stood together, ready to defend their position. They had the advantage of having rested while others fought, and they managed to hold their ground despite the difficulty.
Seeing that this table was hard to claim, others subconsciously moved to the other tables.
Soon, the incense stick burned out, and many still hadn’t found a seat, their faces contorted with frustration and anger.
"Alright, alright..."
The manager in front chuckled and clapped his hands. "Millet buns can fill your stomach. No need to fight today."
Only then did the servers bring stools, and everyone finally had a place to sit.
A quick glance showed that most of the people around the red-clothed tables were ragged young men, their faces bruised but filled with a fierce determination. At the green-clothed tables, the young men were also dusty, with various footprints and torn clothes. At the white-clothed tables, most were young men in brocade robes, with a few ragged young men who were the most severely injured but also the most unwilling to accept defeat.
Hu Ma and his group of five sat at the green-clothed table, still relatively neat.
"Alright, let’s serve the food!"
The manager with the small mustache, seeing that the noisy young men had all taken their seats, clapped his hands with a smile.
One by one, baskets were brought forward.
To everyone’s surprise, these baskets did not contain food but incense sticks.
The red-clothed tables received blood incense, mixed with cinnabar and as red as blood. The green-clothed tables received green incense, colored green. The white-clothed tables received incense of an unknown mixture, half yellow and half white.
The young men, looking dazed, each took an incense stick. A large vat filled with incense ash and talisman scraps had already been placed by the front stage.
"Welcome the Incense Master..."
As the large vat was brought out, two rows of girls in white, holding red lanterns, escorted a man in splendid clothing onto the stage, which was covered in red cloth. He sat between two blood-red lanterns and slowly nodded to the crowd.
Then, the manager with the small mustache’s high-pitched voice echoed throughout the area: "Three incense sticks at the Red Lantern Altar, each person has their own fate!"
"Light the incense..."
(End of Chapter)
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