Chapter 60: Red Lanterns in the Night
Chapter 60: Red Lanterns in the Night
"Red lanterns in the night, all is well..."
In the pitch-black countryside, a red lantern swayed and drifted slowly from afar. The excitement and trembling in the voices of the boys broke the thick, oppressive silence.
Unseen creatures, upon spotting the red lantern, quietly retreated into the shadows of the night. Even the ghostly flames hovering over the lonely graves vanished as the lantern approached.
Hu Ma carried the red lantern, with Zhou Datong, who was brimming with excitement, occasionally stretching his voice to call out, on his left. Zhou Liang followed on his right, and behind them were a few other boys who had come out to patrol the night.
All of them were both excited and eager, their footsteps rustling on the dirt path. They didn't shy away from the graves they passed, but walked past them boldly, almost as if they were showing off.
"Whoo... whoo..."
After they passed the graves, a faint, mournful wailing could be heard in the wind. Turning back, they could see several shadowy figures sitting on the graves, staring at their backs with wide, unblinking eyes.
Hu Ma stopped, turned, and walked back. As the red lantern drew closer, a swirling cold wind rose around the graves. But when he got near, there was nothing to be seen.
"We are sent by the Red Lantern Lady to patrol the night. We have no intention of disturbing anyone's peace," Hu Ma said coldly, holding the lantern. "But everyone should recognize us, so we don't have any unpleasant incidents later."
The desolate graves remained silent, seemingly in agreement.
Hu Ma turned and continued on, the red lantern in hand, while the boys held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
This was the night patrol of the Red Lantern Society. Carrying red lanterns, they would walk through the village and fields at night, dispelling any malevolent spirits that had wandered in.
It was a rule of the Red Lantern Society that once the red lantern was lit, no other malevolent spirits were allowed to linger within ten miles. Even the lonely spirits buried in the graves were to stay in their resting places.
Of course, with their current abilities, Hu Ma and the others didn't have such authority. The power came from the red lantern itself. Most malevolent spirits would flee at the sight of the red lantern.
But if there were any who, like the family of yellow weasels, didn't know the rules, a confrontation would be necessary.
First, they would explain the rules, then reason. If that didn't work, they would resort to force. If they couldn't handle it, they would call for the boss.
This was the primary task for the boys who had joined the Red Lantern Society.
"The Red Lantern Society not only has territory and incense halls in the city, but also similar establishments in various places," Hu Ma thought as he carried the lantern and walked the long circle. "Is the Red Lantern Lady truly so powerful that she can make other malevolent spirits leave a ten-mile radius just by hanging a red lantern?"
"Or is her strength in the fact that these boys help her patrol, and she can manifest in the red lantern if real trouble arises?"
He remembered the faint laughter that had come from the red lantern when they drove away the yellow weasels. Now, holding the lantern himself, he felt it was just an ordinary lantern, devoid of any supernatural power.
But he didn't dwell on it. He would follow the rules and do his job.
Sixty miles at night in the wilderness was indeed a difficult task, but the patrol wasn't that strict. Besides, they were all young boys with stoves, so they moved quickly and soon completed their round, returning to the compound.
Hu Ma put the lantern back, checked the stables and the kitchen, and made sure everything was in order. Then he knocked on the door to the inner courtyard, and upon hearing a response, entered to report to the boss.
"Everything is arranged. Is there anything else you need to instruct, sir?"
"..."
The boss, Mr. Wu, was sitting on a stone bench in the inner courtyard, cooling off. It was chilly, and he seemed to be cooling off from something else. Seeing Hu Ma come in to report, he didn't seem surprised, just nodded and looked Hu Ma up and down.
Suddenly, he asked, "What's your name? How old are you?"
Hu Ma quickly replied, "My name is Hu Ma. I'm from Dayang Village in Laoyin Mountain. I'm sixteen this year."
"Um..."
The old boss nodded, then suddenly slapped his head. "I remember you now. You react quickly, which is good."
Hu Ma nodded, not saying much.
The boss then motioned him over with a smile. "Come, let me test your fire."
Hu Ma walked up and extended his palm. He had been tested by a manager when he was in Dayang Village and knew the procedure.
However, Mr. Wu didn't just pinch his fingers as the manager had. Instead, he grabbed Hu Ma's hand.
Smiling, he suddenly made Hu Ma feel a chill seep into his body.
He remained calm and quickly adjusted his own furnace fire to counter the threat.
But now, his first two incense pillars were already full, and the third one was growing steadily. It was just a bit short of reaching the next level. Hu Ma knew that for a young man from his village to have nearly three pillars of cultivation was quite extraordinary.
So, he reined in the other two pillars and used only the newly accumulated third pillar of life incense to counter the threat.
"Hmm?"
The old shopkeeper tried it out, released his hand, and said in surprise, "You have a very solid foundation..."
Hu Ma had already prepared his explanation and said, "My master went into the mountains and dug up some good things, and fed them to me."
"So, I started sealing the furnace faster than the others."
"..."
The old shopkeeper listened and slowly nodded, seemingly satisfied.
With his keen eye, he naturally knew that such a powerful furnace fire wasn't something Hu Ma could cultivate directly at his age.
Sealing the yang and honing one's strength, even by the age of thirty, having such a foundation would be quite good.
But Hu Ma wasn't just talking; as he spoke, he took out a paper-wrapped package from his chest and placed it on the stone table beside the old shopkeeper. "This is a piece that grew from a piece of Green Great Age flesh. It's a bit different."
"My master instructed me to bring it to you, old shopkeeper. Please don't find it too meager."
"..."
The old shopkeeper smiled and glanced at it, not taking it too seriously at first. But when he slowly unwrapped the paper and saw the dark red and green piece inside, his expression changed slightly.
After a closer look, he finally confirmed it and his face lit up with a genuine smile, his attitude much better than before.
He nodded repeatedly and said, "Good, good, your master has a heart..."
Then, he suddenly changed the subject, "Do you have more?"
"Yes!"
Hu Ma was prepared and quickly nodded, taking out another piece of Green Great Age flesh from his cloth bag. "My master was worried I might fall behind, so he gave me this to supplement my body, old shopkeeper. Please take a look..."
The knife marks were clear, showing that the piece on the table was cut from this one, rather than being a hidden stash.
The old shopkeeper saw this and suddenly laughed, waving his hand. "Keep it for yourself!"
"Take good care of your body. Your fire is already at a high level, and soon, it will be measured by your cultivation."
"Also, keep an eye on the village affairs."
"Come to my inner courtyard once in the morning and once in the evening. If there's anything, I'll instruct you."
"..."
Hu Ma agreed and left the inner courtyard.
From the old shopkeeper's words, it seemed there was a good chance for him.
Of course, Hu Ma wanted a guarantee from him, but such a guarantee was impossible to obtain.
He returned to his bedroom to sleep. Zhou Dazhong and the others were still very excited. In just one night, they had become night patrollers, which seemed to put them a step above others, making it all feel a bit surreal.
They were alternately excited and worried that Xu Ji might suddenly return and take away their new status. They all wanted to talk to Hu Ma, but he didn't feel like discussing it with them and simply waved them off to rest.
"Xu Ji and the others live in a three-person room, which is much larger. We could take it over."
He thought to himself, "That way, Little Hongtang won't have to wander outside at night and sleep during the day."
"After all, staying up late every night isn't good for the body."
"..."
"..."
In the same village, after Hu Ma left, the old shopkeeper excitedly picked up the piece of flesh and went into the main hall.
He lifted the curtain to the inner room and saw the listless girl in the lamp-lit jar, saying excitedly, "Good girl, I have something special."
The girl in the jar opened her tired eyes and saw the dark, muddy object in his hand. "Big Brother, what is that?"
"This is called Green Jade Ointment."
The old shopkeeper said excitedly, "The villagers in the village don't know the value of this thing. They probably just saw the red color and thought it was Blood Great Age flesh, so they gave it to me as a gift."
"But actually, this isn't Blood Great Age flesh. It's even more useful for us."
"It doesn't increase strength or cultivation like Blood Great Age flesh, which can actually damage cultivation. But it's excellent for treating pain, reducing fever, and calming the fire."
"Aren't you always complaining about the burning pain in your body?"
"With this, you'll feel better..."
"..."
The girl in the jar seemed excited and looked up at the dark, muddy object.
But when she spoke, she seemed hesitant, "Big Brother, are you going to teach your skills to someone?"
The old shopkeeper realized that the girl must have heard his conversation with the young man from Dayang Village.
He hesitated for a moment and said softly, "These skills are a big deal. Passing them on to anyone is a great favor."
"This young man is actually stronger than the Xu family's boy, and he's from the village, so his background is cleaner. It depends on whether he's willing to work hard..."
"If he's reliable, I might teach him."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
