Chapter 117 - 116: Red Fragrance and Yang Gong

Chapter 117: Chapter 116: Red Fragrance and Yang Gong It was around March when the entire Manor welcomed the first batch of Blood Food. A manager, accompanied by two Red Fragrance disciples and seven or eight green incense disciples, escorted a securely sealed cart into the Manor. Hu Ma immediately led people to welcome them. The cart was sent directly to the warehouse without unloading, and the horses were led back to be fed and watered. The warehouse was then sealed, and a large red lantern was hung in front of it. The Manor’s attendants, armed, kept watch outside the warehouse all night, while Hu Ma arranged meals for the manager and the Red Fragrance and green incense disciples. They served good meat and rice, but no alcohol at all. On the second day, the seal was broken, the horses were harnessed, and they left the Manor, heading to the city. From beginning to end, Hu Ma never got a glimpse of what the Blood Food looked like. He analyzed that it was probably because this Manor had experienced incidents before, leaving those above suspicious. Only when absolutely necessary did Blood Food come to the Manor, and even then, it was often in small quantities or merely passing through. Moreover, the escort personnel never changed along the way, taking the goods straight back to the city in one go to prevent any risks. After all, this Manor had a troubled past. Previously, when the old Shopkeeper had his incident, it was these miners who first sent the Blood Food into the Manor. The old Shopkeeper would verify and log it, then arrange for people to deliver it into the city, while the others returned to the mines. It was much more efficient that way. However, this made life more leisurely than Hu Ma had expected. After more than two months of activity, it seemed this season’s work was finally concluding. During this period, he hadn’t undertaken much substantial work. He mostly prepared carts and horses when requested, opened warehouses upon demand, provided food, and logged accounts. It felt less like being a Shopkeeper and more like a warehouse manager. Though it was more leisurely and involved fewer risks, his desire to become the Shopkeeper diminished. The Shopkeeper had previously mentioned wanting Hu Ma to become the Shopkeeper. However, upon reflection, after spending a year with only hard work and no accomplishments, Hu Ma realized his foundation was too shallow. Aspiring for the Shopkeeper position was still too difficult. To think that the Red Lantern Lady’s Club’s annual earnings could be so substantial... In his spare moments, Hu Ma silently calculated and couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked. Though the Blood Food passing through his Manor was relatively minimal, with careful observation, he estimated that two or three Thousand Jin of Blood Food must have passed through into the city. Moreover, Hu Ma knew that his Manor was just one of the smallest branches of the Red Lantern Lady’s Club’s operations. Extrapolating from this, including other Manors, wouldn’t the Red Lantern Lady’s Club harvest fifty or sixty Thousand Jin of Blood Food in a year? According to the market price in this world, one jin of green food was worth several taels of Silver. Wouldn’t that mean the Red Lantern Lady’s Club dealt with hundreds of thousands of Silver annually? This didn’t even include the Blood Tai Sui, other rare and extraordinary Tai Sui, or Tai Sui blood and other scarce or additional products. The Red Lantern Lady’s influence in Mingzhou Prefecture has been growing for about ten years now; she must have amassed quite a fortune... Hu Ma sighed, not out of longing, but pure amazement. Seeing that the Blood Food coming into the Manor had gradually decreased in recent days, he finally felt relieved. He had no great merits to show, but at least a year of hard work was completed. But on this day, as dusk neared, the sound of galloping hooves suddenly echoed outside the Manor. Soon enough, someone hurriedly approached and told Hu Ma that a disciple with a red band around his waist had arrived, seeking the manager. Why are they coming when it’s almost dark? Hu Ma’s heart tightened. Escorting Blood Food typically occurred during daylight; it had to be sealed in the Manors at night. But the roads were complicated, and unexpected incidents could always occur. If an escort was caught on the road after dark, it was very dangerous. At such times, they would often immediately send people to nearby Manors for reinforcements. But even with more people, transporting Blood Food at night was still unsafe and risked incidents. Hurriedly making his way out, Hu Ma was somewhat surprised to see that the visiting Red Fragrance disciple was a familiar face. Well, not too familiar. Over the recent period of constant comings and goings for support, he had gotten to know quite a few Red Fragrance disciples, some of whom he had met several times. However, this visitor was someone he had met only once: one of the four Red Fragrance disciples who had come with Manager Xu to investigate after the Tan’er Sect incident. Hu Ma remembered his name was Yang Gong, a proud and ambitious individual. Moreover, he didn’t seem to be here to seek manpower. Upon seeing Hu Ma, he said, "I’m here to ask for your assistance." "Assistance with what?" Hu Ma was somewhat taken aback but invited him into the Manor, saying, "You probably haven’t eaten yet. Come inside and have a meal first." "I won’t eat inside the Manor." Yang Gong glanced at the Manor and said, "Is there something to eat outside? Anything will do; I haven’t eaten all day." Though his request was a bit odd, Hu Ma replied, "Yes, I can take you to eat in the town." He then had someone take Yang Gong’s horse to the stable to be fed and rested, while he himself walked with Yang Gong out of the Manor and to a tavern in the nearby town. This town, with a hundred or so households, had all the essentials: taverns, restaurants, and shops selling oil, salt, and sauce. These mostly catered to traders passing between here and Mingzhou Prefecture. They generally closed during winter and only saw some business once spring arrived. Upon entering the tavern, the innkeeper, who recognized Hu Ma, quickly came to greet them. Hu Ma asked him to serve some food and drinks first, then sat with Yang Gong at a square table and inquired about the situation. "I’ve acquired a batch of Blood Food and was thinking of passing it through your Manor. I don’t trust anyone else." Yang Gong ate a few mouthfuls of meat after it was served, then spoke softly to Hu Ma, "But I don’t have enough manpower. At a crucial moment, I might need you and your men to support me, so I came here early to ask you for this favor." "Blood Food?" Hu Ma found this rather strange. This Yang Gong had joined the Red Lantern Lady’s Club in the same year as him; it hadn’t even been a full year yet. Most of these Red Fragrance disciples were currently responsible for accompanying managers from various locations, escorting Blood Food, or going to the mines to prevent any trouble. Yet, listening to Yang Gong, it sounded like he intended to procure a batch of Blood Food himself. This piqued Hu Ma’s curiosity. Yang Gong had never been solely responsible for such a task before, had he? Besides, if he had such authority, why would he lack manpower? "Hmph, I just can’t swallow this insult!" Yang Gong downed a cup of alcohol furiously, slamming it on the table and gritting his teeth. "My parents died early, and my uncles sold me to human traffickers. Fortunately, I joined the Red Lantern Society. I’ve endured hardships, hoping to make something of myself and go back to kill those uncles." "Yet, despite my willingness to endure hardship and risk my life, those people still look down on me. They send us brothers to do the dangerous work, while their own men take the credit." "During the distribution of Blood Food, we’re placed at the back, assigned a little ghost, and even then, it’s a crippled one..." "Damn it!" "..." His eyes were bloodshot as he stared at Hu Ma. "Manager Hu, since joining the Red Lantern Society, you’re the only one I respect. Don’t laugh at me." "I wasn’t originally called Yang Gong; I was called Yang Danzi. No one gave me a proper name. But after burning the Red Fragrance, I changed my name. I am Yang Gong, and whoever dares bully me again, I’ll shoot that bastard with an arrow..." Sensing his intense hostility and hearing the suppression and grievances buried deep within him, Hu Ma sighed softly and poured him more wine. "Brother Yang Gong, I’m much like you. I only had my Granny who cared for me, and she passed away last year. But this world is always like this. Being schemed against, being bullied—isn’t it common?" "Why make things so hard for yourself? Try to let it go." "..." "I can’t let it go!" Yang Gong slammed his hand on the table, startling the innkeeper at the counter. Hu Ma gave the innkeeper a look, and he quickly understood, scurrying away to the kitchen, not daring to eavesdrop further. Yang Gong realized his voice had been loud. He blushed slightly and lowered his tone. "Those bastards keep suppressing me, not letting me get ahead. But I refuse to accept this fate! At the Society’s various Blood Ore sites, I’m just ordered around, doing menial tasks like running errands and patrolling." "So, I gathered some people and we’ve decided to seize an unclaimed blood food mine. If we succeed and bring it back, it’ll be a major achievement!" "An unclaimed blood food mine?" Hu Ma was shocked. Within a hundred miles, there were plenty of meat mountains, most of which contained Black Tai Sui. Any place yielding Green Tai Sui, Blood Tai Sui, or even White Tai Sui had long been claimed, mostly by established groups. He had heard of some smaller deposits, or those too difficult to harvest and transport, which were often fought over by people from all walks of life. Yang Gong actually dared to pursue such an idea? "Heh heh, you needn’t worry. I’ve investigated thoroughly and I’m absolutely confident." Yang Gong, thinking Hu Ma was scared, chuckled. "The only problem now is that I can’t trust any of the incense masters or managers in the Society. And we brothers are too few in number; we can harvest the Blood Food, but transporting it into the city will be a challenge." "I’ve thought about it a lot, and you’re the only reliable option. I plan to first send it to your Manor, then transport it to the city. Will you help me?" "Once this batch of Blood Food is delivered, those people won’t dare underestimate me anymore! And for you, it’ll also be a great accomplishment!" "..." Seeing Yang Gong’s face flushed red with excitement, Hu Ma sighed inwardly. However, on the surface, he responded solemnly, "How can this be considered a favor? It’s simply part of my duties. If you succeed and bring it here, I have no reason not to receive it." But he knew that such impulsive actions from a young man like this often ended in failure. Even if he did succeed, once the Blood Food was delivered to the Manor, Hu Ma would simply follow the established procedures: hang up the lantern, seal the warehouse, and handle everything officially. Refusing him would be against the rules of the Red Lantern Society. What he was actually marveling at was this Red Fragrance disciple’s anger and naivety. They had only met once, yet Yang Gong trusted him so readily. "That’s great! I knew I could rely on you." Overjoyed, Yang Gong raised his wine bowl to Hu Ma. "Brother, let’s achieve great things together and strive for a bright future!"