Chapter 54: The Yellow Immortal Relocates
Chapter 54: The Yellow Immortal Relocates
"Ah, what’s that…?"
The villagers’ attention had been on the lanky man, but they were suddenly startled by a movement in the corner of the room. They all stepped back, unsure of what was happening.
Hu Ma quickly moved forward, picking up the waist knife that had fallen to the ground. He noticed a bit of blood and some yellow fluff on the blade, but he couldn’t tell what it was from.
"What are you thinking about?"
The old shopkeeper stood up and glanced at Xu Ji, his expression rather displeased. His earlier call to "the northeast corner" was meant for Xu Ji, asking him to help deal with the evil presence.
However, Xu Ji didn’t react, and it was Hu Ma who threw the knife.
Xu Ji, realizing his poor performance, felt both ashamed and embarrassed, unable to face the others.
"Master!"
Hu Ma walked over and showed the blood and fluff to the old shopkeeper.
The old shopkeeper pinched a few strands of the fluff, rubbed them between his fingers, and said calmly, "It seems we have a nest of immortals."
"You did well."
"…"
Hu Ma was taken aback for a moment before realizing he was being praised.
"Alright, this person will be fine."
The old shopkeeper turned to the still-dazed villagers and said, "He was just affected by the immortals. It’s not a big deal. Take him back, treat his injuries, and if he needs a doctor, take him to one. For the next few days, don’t let him work in the fields. When the weather is good, have him sit in the sun. As for the offering to Lady Red Lamp, there’s no need to give it to me. Just settle it with your village head."
The villagers finally relaxed, expressing their gratitude and bustling to carry the man back.
"This Red Lamp Society branch actually handles such matters?"
Hu Ma, watching from the side, found it quite curious. But before he could finish his thought, the old shopkeeper turned to them and said, "You arrived at just the right time. Put down your bedding!"
"Light a lantern and go to the large stone at the west end of the town. Check if anything is there and make it leave."
"…"
"Ah?"
The group realized the task wasn’t over yet. But looking at the dark night outside, they felt a chill in their hearts. It was nighttime, and even seeing these spirits during the day was scary. Who would dare to provoke them at night?
But Hu Ma understood that this was likely a test. He was the first to place his bedding in the corner, and Zhou Datong and the others followed suit. The other young men who had come with them also mimicked the action.
However, they still didn’t know what to do next. It was the young man in the brocade robe, who had performed poorly earlier, who now tried to make up for it. He rushed into a side room and returned with two others, carrying a red lantern.
"What are you all standing around for? Follow me!"
Although they knew this brocade-robed youth had arrived just a few days earlier, he seemed more familiar with the rules. No one dared to disobey him.
They gathered together, mustering their courage, and followed the eerie red lantern, stepping carefully out of the village.
The town was small, and they lived on its edge, so it didn’t take long to reach the open fields. Under the dim moonlight, they could only see the path and the fields by the eerie red light of the lantern.
After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they saw a large stone in the wilderness, standing at the foot of a hill. It was unclear if it was originally a monument or something else, but it had been hollowed out, and a dark, thorny cave was visible beneath it.
The brocade-robed youth raised his hand, and the others, who had been following him silently, stopped.
"Spread out and surround the stone."
The apprentices looked at each other, unsure of what to do. But the two who seemed close to the brocade-robed youth pushed and shoved, even hitting one slow-to-react apprentice to move him aside.
The apprentices finally understood and quickly surrounded the stone, standing about two steps apart. To make the circle tighter, some had to stand in the thorny bushes, but no one dared to complain.
Once everyone was in position, the brocade-robed youth, holding the red lantern, stood in front of the stone and gestured to his companions.
The two understood and burned three incense sticks and placed a few offerings in front of the stone.
After completing these actions, the brocade-robed youth cleared his throat, raised the red lantern, and shouted loudly towards the stone:
"Man has his village, and spirits have their boundaries."
"Great Immortals, it seems you are not familiar with our local customs. The red lantern is lit, yet you still intruded."
"Today, I will make it clear. If you are just passing through, we will offer incense and respectfully send you on your way, and all will be well."
"But if you intend to settle here, then look carefully. This lantern is Lady Red Lamp’s. Once the red light is lit, the ten-mile radius becomes her sacred ground. Enemies who enter will be considered foes."
"…"
He held the red lantern high above his head, his eyes fixed on the stone.
The young men held their breath, not daring to make a sound. The surrounding grass rustled, and the fields on both sides were pitch black, hiding who knew what.
Hu Ma stared at the red lantern, feeling the crimson light grow increasingly sinister, as if the very night had been stained red.
At some point, the temperature around them seemed to drop, growing colder and colder. A chilling wind swirled around them, as if invisible hands were caressing their bodies.
"hee hee..."
Just as they were starting to feel uneasy, a strange and eerie voice echoed through the air, similar to the one they had heard in the village, when Liu Dadi's family was possessed. But this voice didn't come from under the large green stone they were focused on; it came from behind them.
They all turned in shock, only to see one of their own companions. He was squirming, his hand covering his mouth as if he were trying to stifle a giggle. His eyes darted around the group, and he said, "Lady Red Lantern, we don't know you."
"My whole family worked hard to move here, and we haven't even had a full meal yet, and now you want to chase us away..."
"You're being too unreasonable..."
"..."
The other companions were too terrified to speak, and the air was deathly silent, save for the sharp, eerie voice that lingered in their ears. It made their chests feel heavy and their heads spin with nausea.
"The presence of Lady Red Lantern's lantern here is reason enough."
The young man in the brocade robe frowned, raising his voice, "I'm trying to reason with you, but you won't listen? Do you want to force a fight?"
His words were tinged with anger, and at first, there was silence. Then, a variety of sharp, strange laughter erupted.
"You're a brash kid. Our family doesn't cause trouble, but you come here and try to chase us away."
"If you had offered us food and incense, we might have talked, but just lighting a few sticks of incense and forcing us to move is too much..."
"..."
As the sharp voice continued, a few of the companions standing around the large stone swayed, unsure from whom the voice was coming. The wind grew colder, and everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
"Ha, playing tricks, are you?"
The young man in the brocade robe was infuriated. He took a step forward and raised his hand to slap the forehead of the boy who had spoken. But unexpectedly, as he moved, a cold wind suddenly swirled from under the stone.
To everyone's surprise, the young man in the brocade robe reacted incredibly quickly. He might have been trying to lure the thing out, because he had only taken one step before he pulled out a red, glowing object from his waist.
Hu Ma, who was not far away, saw that it was a wooden sword.
The young man in the brocade robe, wielding the wooden sword, turned and struck. There was a "swoosh" sound, and the cold wind disappeared, as if something had been thrown far away.
The other boys were so startled that they all jumped, and then they heard a series of strange noises. The grass around the stone rustled, and they could see something moving quickly, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
They stood frozen, waiting until the chaos subsided and the area grew quiet again.
"You ran fast enough."
The young man in the brocade robe, now less on guard, put away his wooden sword with a smug look and nodded to his companions, "Pick it up!"
"..."
The two boys next to him ran to where the thing had fallen and soon returned with a weasel in hand. It was limp and lifeless, its whiskers turned white, a sign of its great age.
"Too powerful..."
The other companions watched with awe and admiration.
Hu Ma, observing from the side, felt a sense of unease. He had seen enough of Grandma and Second Grandpa's actions to be influenced by them. The young man in the brocade robe's arrogance seemed out of place, and Hu Ma was taken aback.
Lady Red Lantern is much more domineering than the old fire pit...
Moreover, while the weasel was certainly strange, it didn't seem completely unreasonable. Why did he kill it so quickly? And the young man's abilities were astonishing. In the village, he had been condescending, but Hu Ma had thought his fire was not very strong, certainly stronger than Cui Xie'er, but not by much, certainly not at the level of a single pillar of Dao.
But who would have thought that his first move would be so powerful? One strike and the weasel was dead. He was far more skilled than Hu Ma.
"His fire should not be as strong as mine. Could it be that the wooden sword is the key?"
Hu Ma pondered this as he followed the other boys, carrying the weasel's body back to the village.
The young man in the brocade robe, looking very pleased, led the way without further explanation.
Zhou Datong, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, "Big brother, what did we just do?"
"What did we do?"
The young man in the brocade robe was arrogant and dismissive, "This is what we mainly do after joining the Red Lantern Society."
"Today, we only encountered a passing group. In the future, we'll face even stronger ones!"
"Once you join our guild, every word and action is governed by rules. You must learn well and not act recklessly, trying to steal the spotlight!"
(End of Chapter)
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