The old shopkeeper's face turned pale with shock and disbelief the moment he saw Hu Ma's face.
Clearly, too many things had happened that night that were beyond his expectations.
However, despite the overwhelming impact, as his eyes swept over the corpses of the Tantou Sect members and the shattered jars, and caught sight of the eerie gaze from the red lantern that seemed to be staring right at him, he suddenly snapped back to reality.
Struggling to support his battered body, he knelt down abruptly before the red lantern and shouted:
"Wu Hong, manager of the Qing Stone Town branch, greets the arrival of the Red Lantern Lady. Lady... Lady..."
"... Lady, you have saved my life. Wu Hong is eternally grateful and will never be able to repay your great kindness!"
"..."
Hu Ma simply held the lantern, standing calmly opposite the old shopkeeper, as if the kowtows were meant for him.
The light inside the red lantern appeared strange and lively.
The night wind swirled around the red lantern, and faint whispers seemed to reach his ears, as if an invisible woman was softly speaking to him.
He remained composed, looking down at Manager Wu Hong, and said, "The Lady asks, what has happened?"