In his past life, Hu Ma had heard of groups like the Pai Gang, the Cao Gang, and the Yan Gang.
From the perspective of his past memories, these groups often had shady or gray reputations.
But in reality, they were just groups of hardworking, struggling people banding together to survive.
This world was quite different from his past life, but the Blood Sacrifice Gangs, whose core business revolved around "worshiping the Tai Sui," shared some similarities with those groups.
It wasn’t easy to categorize them simply.
In this world, these Blood Sacrifice Gangs were like the lifeblood of the villages.
They were the ones who brought extra income to the village every year by worshiping the Tai Sui.
For the villagers, joining a Blood Sacrifice Gang as a worker was like hitting the jackpot.
It was the difference between being a temporary laborer and a full-time employee.
For the villagers, it was indeed a good opportunity to rise above their humble beginnings.
After all, throughout history, those who toiled in the fields were always the ones who suffered the most.
Knowing that too much talk could lead to trouble, Hu Ma didn’t ask too many questions.
He walked quickly with Zhou Datong to the village.
From a distance, they could see that the road was bustling, and the village itself was even livelier.
Countless people were pushing and shoving, trying to squeeze into the usually quiet village.
Elder Second stood at the entrance of the village, kicking out those who tried to force their way in.
"Lai Zi, stop pushing! The Red Lantern Society’s recruitment has nothing to do with you this time."
"You did help me light the furnace back in the day, but you’re married now. What are you doing here?"
In the crowd, some people were unwilling to give up.
One shouted, "Elder Second, I’m not married yet!"
"I lost all the money I earned from cutting meat in gambling. I couldn’t afford a wife. Let me join the Red Lantern Society, and I’ll buy you a pig’s head for the New Year!"
Elder Second glared at him angrily.
"If you didn’t get married, how did you vent your fire?"
Hearing this, the man who had shouted earlier looked dejected, almost on the verge of tears.
"It’s all Lai Zi’s wife’s fault…"
The scene became even more chaotic.
Some were fighting, others throwing shoes, and a few were trying to sneak in while the commotion continued.
The news of the Red Lantern Society’s recruitment had spread far and wide.
Normally, the Society would pick its members from those who had been learning from Elder Second.
So, even those who had studied under him years ago were trying to squeeze in, hoping to catch the eye of the manager.
But Elder Second knew that the manager wasn’t easily fooled.
He kicked them out one by one.
Hu Ma and Zhou Datong, who had been studying under Elder Second, almost couldn’t get in.
Luckily, they were smaller in size and managed to slip through while Lai Zi and Er Gou were fighting.
As they entered the village, they accidentally bumped into someone helping Elder Second maintain order.
The man sneered at Hu Ma, "You’ve only been learning from Elder Second for less than a month. What are you doing here?"
Hu Ma looked up and saw that it was the third son of the Cui family.
He had no fondness for anyone from the Cui family in the village, so he just sneered back and didn’t respond.
"Hmph, the outsider’s getting cocky. Can’t even call me uncle…" The third Cui son was displeased, but the chaos around them didn’t give him a chance to say more.
By mid-morning, the crowd surged as the manager arrived, accompanied by the village chief and a group of elders.
The villagers weren’t afraid of Elder Second, but they were terrified of this manager from the city.
They quickly made way, watching nervously as the manager entered the village.
"It’s quite lively…" Hu Ma observed from a distance.
The manager was a plump man in his forties, dressed in fine clothes and riding a green donkey.
He had two attendants with him, giving him an air of importance.
As he entered the village, the manager dismounted with the help of his attendants and chuckled, "But our Red Lantern Society can’t take in so many people."
The village chief, who usually carried himself with the dignity of a leader, now wore a flattering smile.
"Please pick the best ones and take them to be trained."
"Of course," the manager replied.
"In Mingzhou, there are at least thirty or even a hundred gangs that rely on blood sacrifices to survive. But our Red Lantern Society is known for its strength and generosity. Once you join, you’ll be treated like family. We’ll provide food, shelter, and even wages. Most importantly, we’ll teach you skills. But whether you can join depends on how much effort you’ve put into your training."
His words made the young men nervous.
Many of them had only followed Elder Second to earn some money as miners.
They had lit the furnace, but not too vigorously—just enough to change the talisman once.
But now, to be selected by the Red Lantern Society, the furnace had to burn as fiercely as possible.
Those who had been lazy or indulged themselves too often were now filled with regret.
"Alright, you all seem to have good energy," the manager said as he approached the group of young men.
"Stretch out your hands."
The young men hesitated, but Elder Second kicked the one at the front, causing him to stumble.
"What are you waiting for? Stretch out your hands!"
The young men quickly extended their hands, some wiping them on their clothes before doing so.
"Let’s start with you," the manager said, walking to the leftmost boy, whose face was dirty.
He reached out with two fingers and gently pinched the boy’s palm.
Without any visible action, the boy suddenly shivered and collapsed to the ground.
The manager frowned.
"This one’s not suitable."
Elder Second hurriedly helped the boy up and, seeing that he was unharmed, said with a smile, "He’s only been learning for a year. His foundation isn’t strong yet."
"Then we’ll see next year," the manager said, moving on to the next boy.
This one was a bit dazed, thinking there would be another chance next year.
But his family knew better.
The Red Lantern Society had been thriving in recent years and didn’t need to recruit from small villages like theirs.
Missing this opportunity meant they might never get another chance.
When the manager reached the second boy, he again pinched the boy’s palm with two fingers.
This time, the boy shivered but managed to stay on his feet.
"Not bad," the manager praised before moving on.
He went through each boy, pinching their palms with two fingers.
Some trembled and fell, while others turned pale but remained standing.
After testing over a dozen boys, about seven or eight were still standing.
The rest grew increasingly anxious, fearing that the manager would pick enough people before he reached them.
"Cough, stand straight!" Hu Ma and Zhou Datong had arrived late and were at the back of the line.
Hearing a light cough, someone stepped in front of them.
It was Cui Xie’er, who had been helping Elder Second maintain order and had now taken a spot ahead of Zhou Datong.
Hu Ma chuckled inwardly but didn’t say anything.
Soon, it was Cui Xie’er’s turn.
He solemnly extended his hand, as if handing over his fate.
When the manager pinched his palm, he shivered violently and let out a muffled groan, but he remained standing without swaying.
The manager gave him a surprised look, smiled, and moved on without comment.
When it was Zhou Datong’s turn, he eagerly called out, "Grandpa Qian!" He had already met the manager the day before with the village chief.
"Ah, the chubby kid. You’re good," the manager said with a smile.
"I already tested you yesterday. No need to do it again. Just wait."
Zhou Datong beamed with joy and stepped aside.
The village chief visibly relaxed, stroking his short beard with satisfaction.
"Your turn," the manager said, turning to Hu Ma at the end of the line.
He nodded and pinched Hu Ma’s palm with his thumb and index finger.
Hu Ma had seen the reactions of the other boys but didn’t know what to expect.
When the manager pinched his palm, he suddenly felt a cold, eerie energy rush into his hand.
It was as if he had encountered a malevolent spirit, with whispers of ghostly voices filling his ears, threatening to drag him into another world.
But then, the furnace within him flared up.
As the cold energy invaded, the furnace’s fire naturally ignited, pushing back against the cold energy.
The two forces clashed, and the fire managed to expel the cold energy from his palm.
In reality, the fire that surged out was only from Hu Ma’s second incense stick.
The first one had also reacted, but Hu Ma held it back, realizing that the second stick was enough.
In other words, he had only used half of his cultivation.
"Hmm?" The manager’s fingers were pushed back, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, soon replaced by a smile.
The onlookers didn’t understand what had happened.
They only saw that the manager had barely touched Hu Ma’s palm before withdrawing his hand.
They couldn’t tell if Hu Ma had passed or failed.
But since all the boys had been tested, everyone craned their necks, waiting for the results.
"These are good times…" The manager straightened up, took a cloth from his attendant, and wiped his hands.
He smiled at the crowd.
"The young men in this village have solid foundations. If it were up to me, I’d take them all. But alas, I’m just following orders. I can only pick a few of the better ones."
"Alright then, you, you, and you…" He pointed to a few boys, and when he said "and you," his finger skipped over Cui Xie’er and landed on Hu Ma.
"Come to the city in a few days to burn incense," the manager said with a smile.
(End of Chapter)