Chapter 60 Red Lantern Illuminates the Night

Chapter 60: Chapter 60 Red Lantern Illuminates the Night "The red lantern lights up the night, and all is well..." In the pitch-black countryside, a red lantern swayed as it approached from afar. The companions’ voices, tinged with excitement and trembling, shattered the thick silence. No one knew how many rustling creatures saw the red lantern from afar and quietly retreated, hiding in the depths of the night. The will-o’-the-wisps flickering over the lonely graves also vanished silently as the red lantern approached. Hu Ma carried the red lantern, with Zhou Datong excitedly calling out from time to time on his left and Zhou Liang on his right. Behind them were three or five more companions out on patrol. They were both new to this and excited, their steps crunching on the dirt road. As they passed by the graves in the distance, they did not avoid them but walked right past. From their demeanor, it seemed they were deliberately showing off. WOO WOO WOO... After they passed the graves, the wind from that direction seemed to carry faint sounds of sobbing. Turning to look, they vaguely saw several figures sitting by the graves, their eyes staring intently at their backs. Hu Ma stopped and turned to look, then suddenly walked back. As the red lantern approached, a gust of yin wind spiraled around the graves. Upon closer inspection, however, there was nothing there. "We were sent by the Red Lantern Lady to patrol at night. We didn’t mean to disturb the peace of our neighbors." Hu Ma lifted the lantern and said coldly, "But you all should recognize this lantern, so there’s no trouble in the future, making it difficult for everyone when things go wrong." The desolate graves made no sound, seeming to indicate no disagreement. Only then did Hu Ma turn around, continuing to carry the red lantern forward. Everyone else fell silent, not daring to breathe loudly. This was the patrol of the Red Lantern Lady’s Club. Carrying a red lantern, they roamed the village once night fell, driving away any evil spirits that had mistakenly entered. This was the rule of the Red Lantern Society: once the red lantern was lit, no other evil spirits were allowed to remain within a ten-mile radius. Even the wandering ghosts buried in desolate graves were not forced to relocate, but they had to stay quietly within their burial mounds. Of course, with the current abilities of Hu Ma and his companions, they didn’t possess such authority on their own. This authority stemmed from the red lantern in their hands. Common evil spirits fled upon seeing the red lantern. But if there were those, like the Yellow Immortals family before, who didn’t understand the rules, a confrontation was necessary. First, state the rules. Then, reason with them. If reasoning failed, take action. If they couldn’t defeat them, they would go back and call the Shopkeeper. And this was the most important task for these companions who had come here. "The Red Lantern Lady’s Club not only had territory and incense halls in the city but also similar Manors in various other places." As Hu Ma carried the lantern, completing his rounds, he couldn’t help but wonder, Does the Red Lantern Lady truly possess such great power that wherever she hangs a red lantern, all other evil spirits retreat for ten miles? Or perhaps her power lies in these companions patrolling for her, so if they encounter real trouble, she can manifest within the red lanterns? He remembered that when they were driving away the yellow skins, laughter had seemed to echo from within the red lantern. However, now that he held the lantern himself, it felt just like an ordinary lantern, devoid of any Divine Power. But he didn’t dwell on it too much and simply followed orders. Sixty miles in one night, deep in the wilderness, was indeed hard to travel. Fortunately, the night patrol didn’t need to be overly strict. Moreover, they were all young men whose stove fire had been lit; being light-footed, they quickly finished the round and returned to the Manor. Hu Ma put the lantern back, checked the stables and the kitchen area, taking note of the situation everywhere. Then he knocked on the inner courtyard door. Hearing a voice from within, he pushed the door open and went in to report to the Shopkeeper in the courtyard, "Everything’s arranged. Is there anything else you need to instruct, Shopkeeper?" Shopkeeper Wu was sitting by the stone bench in the inner courtyard, enjoying the cool air... The weather had turned cool. What ghostly coolness was there to enjoy? Seeing Hu Ma enter to report, he didn’t seem surprised, merely nodding and looking Hu Ma up and down. Suddenly, he asked, "What’s your name? How old are you?" Hu Ma replied quickly, "My name is Hu Ma, from Dayang Village in Old Yin Mountain. I’m sixteen this year." "Hmm..." The old Shopkeeper nodded, then suddenly slapped his forehead and said, "I remember you. You’re quick-witted, quite good." Hu Ma nodded without saying much. The Shopkeeper then beckoned with his hand and smiled, "Come, let me test the level of your fire." Seeing the Shopkeeper extend his hand, Hu Ma stepped forward and offered his own palm. He had been tested by the manager who came to Dayang Village to prospect for Tai Sui and knew the protocol. Unexpectedly, this Shopkeeper Wu didn’t just pinch with two fingers like that manager but directly grasped Hu Ma’s palm. With a slight smile, Hu Ma immediately felt a surge of yin qi seep into his body. He maintained his composure and quickly countered with his own stove fire. Currently, his first two Life Incense were full, and the third had also grown robust, though it was still a bit short of one full Column. Yet, Hu Ma knew that for a young man from his village to possess cultivation nearing three Life Incense was simply too much of an exaggeration. Thus, he concealed his other two Life Incense, using only the recently accumulated third Life Incense to resist. "Oh?" The old Shopkeeper tested it, then released his hand and remarked in surprise, "You have a very solid foundation..." Hu Ma had already prepared his explanation and said directly, "My family elders went into the mountains, found some good things, and fed them to me." "That’s why, from the moment I began to seal my stove, I progressed faster than others." The old Shopkeeper listened, nodding slowly, seemingly satisfied. With his insight, he could naturally see that such potent fire power was not something Hu Ma could have cultivated at his age. To seal one’s yang qi without leakage, and then diligently hone one’s strength—to possess such a foundation by the age of thirty would be quite remarkable. Moreover, Hu Ma didn’t just speak. While doing so, he took out a paper package from his chest, placed it on the stone table next to the old Shopkeeper, and said, "This grew on a piece of Blue Tai Sui flesh that an elder in my family carved off. It’s rather different." "An elder in my family instructed me to bring this for you, old Shopkeeper. Please don’t consider it too shabby." The old Shopkeeper glanced at it with a smile, not thinking much of it, and slowly unwrapped the package. When he saw the dark reddish-blue piece inside, his expression changed slightly. After examining it a bit more carefully, he finally confirmed it. A broad smile spread across his face, and his attitude was considerably better than before. Nodding repeatedly, he said with a smile, "Not bad, not bad, your family elder is very thoughtful..." Suddenly, his tone shifted, "Do you have more?" "Yes!" Hu Ma, well-prepared, nodded quickly and took out the Blue Tai Sui from the cloth bag, saying, "My family elder feared I wouldn’t be able to keep up and had me carry this to supplement my body. Shopkeeper, please take a look..." The knife marks on it were distinct, clearly showing that the piece on the table had been cut from this larger one. This proved he hadn’t hidden other pieces away, only cutting this one to offer to the Shopkeeper. Seeing this, the old Shopkeeper suddenly laughed and waved his hand, "You keep it for yourself!" "Use it to properly supplement your body later. Your fire power has already reached the top of a hundred-foot pole. Very soon, it will be measured in terms of cultivation level." "Also, you should keep a closer eye on matters within the Manor." "Just come to my inner courtyard once in the early morning and once in the evening each day. If there’s anything, I’ll instruct you then." Hu Ma agreed and left the inner courtyard. From the old Shopkeeper’s words, it seemed there was a great deal of hope. Of course, Hu Ma wanted to ask him directly for a guarantee, but unfortunately, such a guarantee was impossible to obtain. He returned to his room to sleep. Zhou Datong and the others were still very excited. In just one night, they had become night patrollers. In some intangible way, they felt a cut above the others, and the whole experience felt somewhat unreal. They were excited, yet also worried that Xu Ji might suddenly return and take back these privileges, making their hearts pound with unease. They all wanted to find Hu Ma to talk, but Hu Ma couldn’t be bothered to discuss these things with them and just waved for them to rest. Xu Ji and the others live in a three-person room, much more spacious. We could take it over. He thought silently to himself, That way, Little Hongtang wouldn’t have to wander outside every night and sleep during the day. ...After all, staying up late every day is bad for one’s health. Meanwhile, in the Manor, after Hu Ma had left, the old Shopkeeper excitedly picked up the piece of flesh and entered the main hall. Lifting the curtain to the inner room, he saw, by the light of the oil lamp, a listless-looking girl in a large jar. He exclaimed excitedly, "My dear girl, I have something good!" The girl in the jar opened her tired eyes and saw the dark, sticky object in his hand. "Papa, what’s that?" "This is called Green Jade Paste." The old Shopkeeper said excitedly, "Those country bumpkins from the village don’t know how precious this thing is. They probably saw its reddish color, mistook it for Blood Tai Sui, and sent it to me as a gift." "In reality, this thing isn’t Blood Tai Sui, but it’s actually more useful to us." "Its effect isn’t like Blood Tai Sui, which increases strength and cultivation; in fact, consuming it is detrimental to one’s cultivation. However, it’s excellent for treating illness, relieving pain, and drawing out fire power. Haven’t you been crying every day that your body burns with pain?" "With this, you’ll get better..." The girl in the jar seemed somewhat excited, looking up at the dark, sticky object. But when she spoke, she seemed hesitant, "Papa, are you going to teach your skills to that person?" The old Shopkeeper then realized that the girl must have overheard his conversation in the outer room with that young lad surnamed Hu from Dayang Village. He hesitated slightly, then said softly, "Our skills are a significant matter. Passing them on to anyone is an immense favor." "This lad, in fact, is somewhat stronger than that Xu family boy. Moreover, he comes from a village, so his background is relatively clean. It just depends on whether he’s willing to put in the effort..." "If he proves to be reliable, it might not be impossible to teach him."