"Speak!" Hu Ma's expression turned serious as soon as he heard the man's words.
He knew that since he had arrived in the city, he was closer to meeting this reincarnator who went by the code name "Erguotou."
While it would be easy to arrange a meeting, he had a vague sense that these reincarnators were quite cautious about meeting in person, so he hadn't held out much hope.
Now that he heard Erguotou had some advice for him, he didn't dare to be careless.
In times of confusion, he understood the importance of such information.
"You must have noticed by now that the Red Lantern Society has opened its altar, and the recruits they've taken in are quite a mixed bunch," Erguotou said with a laugh.
"Strictly speaking, the Red Lantern Society has many members in various trades, but they rarely recruit from the villages."
Hu Ma had already noticed this.
Over the past few days, he had quietly observed and found that the recruits could be roughly divided into several categories.
The first were the burly and strong ones, who seemed to be descendants of Red Lantern Society members.
They had grown up in the city and had been trained from a young age, so their foundations were solid.
After all, the Red Lantern Society had been operating in Mingzhou for decades and had a strong influence.
Many of its members had married and started families, giving rise to a second generation of society members.
Another group consisted of the children of merchants and commoners.
Dressed in fine clothes, they were the most playful and noisy, always trying to stand out and be the center of attention.
They joined the society seeking protection or to learn some skills.
Then there were those dressed in rags, their origins unknown.
"First, now that you've joined the society, don't think of it as some bloodthirsty gang," Erguotou continued with a smile.
"The Blood Food Gang makes its living from the blood food mines. At its core, it's a business. They won't just feed you for free. They'll first think about how to make use of you before deciding what skills to teach you."
Hu Ma let out a light sigh and smiled.
"I understand."
"That's good. Among us reincarnators, some who have lived twice still can't figure things out," Erguotou said with a sigh of approval.
"Next, there are some things you can't afford to ignore. Once you join the Red Lantern Society, the first thing you'll do is open the altar and burn incense. The type of incense you burn will determine your path."
"You need to be careful about this. Under the Red Lantern Altar, there are three types of incense: white, green, and red."
"Red incense is the best. You'll learn skills quickly and eat well. White incense is the safest. But what I want to tell you is..."
Hu Ma's heart stirred slightly.
"Burn green incense?"
Erguotou laughed.
"Yes, only green incense is the right path."
"Only by burning green incense will you have a chance to learn what you want. Of course, green incense is relatively safer."
"Got it..."
Hu Ma exhaled deeply.
"Brother, can you teach me more?"
Erguotou chuckled.
"What else is there to say? The sooner you learn some skills, the better we can work together on other things..."
...
That night, after talking with Erguotou, Hu Ma had a clearer idea of what to do.
He patiently stayed where he was, quietly waiting.
Every three days, he would take a blood food pill and slowly cultivate his foundation.
As the days passed, the surrounding houses filled up, and the place became noisy and chaotic.
By the time the 28th of the second month approached, a few burly recruits, accompanied by a manager, suddenly arrived in the courtyard one night.
It was the old man with the small mustache.
He smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the day the altar opens. You must be getting impatient."
"Rest early tonight. Tomorrow, put on your cleanest clothes. Our incense master is hosting a feast for you..."
The young men were overjoyed at the prospect of a feast, their excitement palpable.
The next day, the young men gathered early.
Many took out their best clothes from their bundles and changed into them, while others helped each other shave their heads to look more presentable.
However, they waited until evening before the manager returned.
With a smile, he led the young men out, passing through several streets until they reached a large open area surrounded by red lanterns.
In the center of the lanterns were more than a dozen tables, some covered with red cloth, some with green, and others with gray...
...
Probably because white cloth was hard to come by in these times.
Once everyone had arrived, the mustached manager stepped forward from a platform flanked by large red lanterns.
He addressed the young men: "Under the Red Lantern Altar, there are three types of incense. Each person has their own destiny. You are all fortunate to have joined the Red Lantern Society. Today, our incense master will personally lead you in opening the altar and has prepared a feast for you..."
"But this feast is not the same for everyone."
"Look at these tables before you. If you want wine and meat, sit at the red-clothed tables. If you want steamed buns, sit at the green-clothed tables. And if you want black bread, sit at the white-clothed tables. The rules are simple."
"In the time it takes to burn one incense stick, the feast will begin. Now, show us what you're made of."
The young men were momentarily stunned.
Before anyone could react, the sturdy young men in black robes suddenly charged forward without a word.
They were already members of the society, and their families had likely prepared them for this.
Not just them, but some of the finely dressed young men also immediately set their sights on the red-clothed tables and dashed forward, having likely received some prior information.
The slowest to react were the ragged young men, but once they understood, their eyes turned red.
With a shout, they all rushed toward the red-clothed tables.
"Mother! We have to fight for food here?" Zhou Datong, standing next to Hu Ma, was dumbfounded.
"This is worse than back in Dayang Village!"
The other young men were equally tense.
Seeing everyone else charging forward, they grew anxious.
"Follow me. Don't get separated," Hu Ma whispered, having already prepared for this.
He stepped forward, and the other young men, panicking, quickly followed.
But Hu Ma didn't head for the red-clothed tables.
Instead, after a few steps, he secured a corner table covered with green cloth and instructed everyone to gather around it and not to scatter.
By now, the red-clothed tables were a scene of chaos, with people fighting and shouting.
The green-clothed tables, however, remained quiet.
They easily secured their table and only needed to hold their ground, watching coldly as others fought.
The fighting at the red tables grew fiercer, with people being thrown out left and right.
The sturdy young men struck with heavy blows, while the finely dressed ones were clever and agile.
But the most striking were the ragged young men.
Usually quiet and unassuming, they lived in the worst quarters and were always the last to get their meals, scrambling for scraps after the Dayang Village boys had taken their share.
But now, they erupted with astonishing ferocity, fighting with ruthless determination.
They were also the most numerous, with dozens of them battling fiercely for the few red-clothed tables.
Hu Ma watched coldly, his heart growing more uneasy.
These ragged young men, though lacking in foundation and likely never having eaten blood food, naturally possessed a fierce determination.
In their frenzied state, they managed to overpower the others and claim most of the red tables.
At the same time, Hu Ma noticed that not everyone was fully committed to the fight.
Some only made a half-hearted attempt before retreating, while others had already taken seats at the green or even white tables, watching the chaos unfold.
As the incense stick neared its end, the number of people at the red tables was set, and those who had been driven back grew anxious.
The green tables suddenly became the next target, and those who had lost at the red tables turned their attention to them.
But Hu Ma and his group had reacted quickly, securing their green table early.
With five of them standing together, united and fresh after the others had exhausted themselves, they managed to hold their ground.
Seeing that this table was too difficult to take, the others instinctively moved on to the next.
Soon, the incense stick burned out, and many were still left without a seat, glaring resentfully at those who had succeeded.
"Alright, alright..."
The manager clapped his hands with a smile.
"Even black bread can fill your stomach. No need to fight anymore."
Only then did the servants bring out stools, giving everyone a place to sit.
A quick glance revealed that the red tables were mostly occupied by the ragged young men, their faces bruised but filled with determination.
The green tables were also filled with dusty figures, their clothes torn and marked with footprints.
The white tables, however, were mostly occupied by the finely dressed young men, with a few ragged ones among them—those who had suffered the most injuries but also bore the strongest expressions of resentment.
Hu Ma and his group of five sat at the green table, their clothes still intact.
"Alright, serve the food!" The mustached manager clapped his hands again, and the servants began bringing out baskets.
Surprisingly, the baskets didn't contain food but sticks of incense.
The red tables received blood-red incense, mixed with cinnabar and as red as blood.
The green tables got green incense, while the white tables received a yellowish-white incense of unknown composition.
The young men each took a stick of incense, their expressions blank.
In front of the platform, a large vat filled with incense ash and talisman scraps had been placed.
"Welcome the Incense Master..."
As the vat was set down, two rows of girls in white, holding red lanterns, escorted a man in luxurious robes onto the platform.
He sat between two blood-red lanterns and nodded slowly to the crowd.
Then, the mustached manager's high-pitched voice rang out across the courtyard: "Under the Red Lantern Altar, three incense sticks. Each person has their own destiny!"
"Offer the incense..."
(End of Chapter)