"Ah, what's that...?"
The villagers had been focused on the skinny man, but suddenly, a commotion from the corner of the wall startled them.
They all stepped back, unsure of what was happening.
Hu Ma quickly stepped forward and picked up the waist knife that had fallen to the ground.
He noticed a few drops of blood and some yellow fur on it, though he couldn't tell what creature it belonged to.
"What are you thinking about?"
The old shopkeeper stood up and glanced at Xu Ji'er, looking rather displeased.
His earlier shout of "East corner" had been directed at Xu Ji'er, expecting him to cooperate in dealing with the evil spirit.
Unexpectedly, Xu Ji'er hadn't reacted, and it was Hu Ma who had thrown the knife.
Xu Ji'er, realizing his poor performance, felt both ashamed and embarrassed, unsure of how to save face.
"Master!"
Hu Ma approached and showed the bloodstains and fur on the knife to the old shopkeeper.
The old shopkeeper picked up a few strands of fur, rubbed them between his fingers, and said indifferently, "Indeed, a group of immortals has arrived."
"You did well."
Hu Ma was momentarily stunned before realizing he was being praised.
"Alright, this man will be fine now."
The old shopkeeper turned to the still-dazed villagers and said, "He was just possessed by an immortal. It's not a big deal. Take him back, get him treated, and let him rest. For the next couple of days, don't let him work in the fields. When the weather is nice, take him out to bask in the sun... As for the offerings to the Red Lantern Lady, you don't need to give them to me. Just settle it with your village head."
The villagers finally relaxed, expressing their gratitude profusely as they carried the man away.
"The Red Lantern Society's branch actually handles these things?"
Hu Ma watched curiously, but before he could ponder further, the old shopkeeper turned to them and said, "You've arrived just in time. Put down your bedding! Light a lantern and head to the big rock west of the town. See what's there and make sure they leave quickly."
"Ah?"
Only then did everyone realize that the matter wasn't over.
But looking at the pitch-black night outside, they couldn't help but feel terrified.
It was nighttime, and even during the day, these evil spirits were frightening.
Who would dare provoke them at night?
But Hu Ma quickly understood that this was likely a test.
He was the first to place his bedding roll in the corner.
Seeing this, Zhou Datong and the others followed suit.
The boys who had come with them also hurriedly imitated.
However, after putting down their bedding, they weren't sure what to do next.
The young man in brocade, who had earlier failed to react, now eager to redeem himself, quickly went into the side room and returned with two others, carrying a red lantern.
"What are you waiting for? Follow me!"
Although they knew this young man in brocade was also new, having arrived just a few days earlier, he seemed more familiar with the rules.
Not daring to disobey, they huddled together and followed the eerie red lantern, stepping cautiously out of the village.
The town wasn't large, and since they were already on the edge, it didn't take long to reach the wilderness.
Under the dim moonlight, they could barely make out the path and fields with the help of the red lantern's glow.
After walking for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, they finally saw a large rock in the distance, standing at the foot of a mountain.
It was unclear if it was an old monument or something else, but beneath it was a hollowed-out space with a dark hole hidden among the thorns.
The young man in brocade raised his hand, and the boys following him stopped.
"Spread out and surround the rock."
The workers, caught off guard by his command, exchanged confused glances.
But the two who seemed close to the young man in brocade impatiently pushed and shoved, even hitting one slow worker to get him into position.
Finally, the workers understood and quickly surrounded the rock, standing about two paces apart.
To ensure a tight circle, a few even had to stand in the thorny bushes, though no one dared complain.
Once everyone was in place, the young man in brocade stood in front of the rock with the red lantern and signaled to his companions.
The two quickly lit three incense sticks and placed some offerings in front of the rock.
After finishing, the young man in brocade cleared his throat, raised the red lantern high, and shouted toward the rock:
"Humans have villages, ghosts have boundaries. You immortals must not be familiar with our rules here. The red lantern is lit, yet you still trespassed. Today, I'll make it clear: if you're just passing through, we'll offer incense and respectfully send you on your way, and we'll all be at peace. But if you intend to settle here, take a good look. This lantern belongs to the Red Lantern Lady. Once lit, the area within ten miles is her domain. If you intrude, it will mean war."
With that, he raised the lantern above his head, his eyes fixed on the base of the rock.
The boys held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
The surrounding weeds rustled, and the fields on either side were pitch black, hiding who knows what.
Hu Ma stared at the red lantern, feeling its glow grow increasingly eerie, as if even the night had been dyed red.
Gradually, the temperature around them seemed to drop, and a cold wind swirled around them, like invisible hands brushing against their bodies.
"Giggle..."
Just as they were feeling uneasy, a strange, high-pitched laugh echoed, similar to the one they had heard from the possessed Liu Da's house earlier.
But this time, the sound didn't come from beneath the rock—it came from behind them.
Startled, they turned to see one of their own.
He was twisting his body, his hand covering his mouth as if stifling a laugh, his eyes darting around mischievously.
"Red Lantern Lady? We don't know her. My whole family worked hard to move here, and we haven't even had a decent meal yet, and now you're trying to chase us away... You're being quite unreasonable..."
The workers were too terrified to speak, and in the dead silence, only the sharp, eerie voice lingered, making their chests feel heavy and their heads dizzy.
"The Red Lantern Lady's lantern is here, and that's the rule."
The young man in brocade frowned and raised his voice, "I'm being polite now, but if you refuse to listen, do you really want to fight?"
His words carried anger, and after a moment of silence, strange, high-pitched laughter erupted.
"Young man, you're quite arrogant. My family doesn't cause trouble, yet you come here trying to chase us away. If you had offered good food and proper offerings, we could have talked. But with just a few sticks of incense, you're forcing us to move, and you call that being polite?"
As the sharp voice spoke, two or three of the workers surrounding the rock began to sway.
It was unclear who was speaking, but the chilling wind in the wilderness made everyone feel cold and terrified.
"Hmph, playing tricks, are you?"
The young man in brocade, now furious, suddenly stepped forward and slapped the forehead of the boy who had spoken.
But as he moved, a cold wind rose from beneath the rock.
Unexpectedly, the young man in brocade reacted swiftly—or perhaps he had planned this all along.
As soon as he took that step, he drew a red object from his waist.
Hu Ma, standing nearby, saw it clearly: it was a wooden sword.
The young man in brocade swung the sword, and with a "whoosh," the cold wind vanished, as if something had been flung far away.
The boys all jumped in fright, and then they heard a series of strange noises.
The weeds around the rock rustled violently, and something seemed to dart away, disappearing in an instant.
They stood frozen, not daring to move, until the commotion subsided and everything fell silent.
"Consider yourselves lucky you ran fast."
The young man in brocade finally relaxed, a look of triumph on his face as he sheathed the wooden sword.
He gestured to his companions.
"Bring it!"
The two boys quickly ran to where something had fallen and soon returned, carrying a dead weasel.
Its body was limp, and its whiskers had turned white, suggesting it had lived a long time.
"So impressive..."
The workers looked on with admiration.
Hu Ma, however, felt something was off.
Having seen his grandmother and Second Master handle similar situations, he found the young man in brocade's approach overly aggressive.
The Red Lantern Lady seemed far more domineering than the old hearth.
Moreover, while these yellow immortals were indeed strange, they didn't seem entirely unreasonable.
Yet the young man in brocade had killed one without hesitation.
Additionally, the young man's skill left Hu Ma in awe.
In the village, he had been bossy, but Hu Ma hadn't thought much of it, assuming his cultivation wasn't particularly advanced—certainly stronger than Cui Xie'er, but not by much.
Yet now, seeing him wield that wooden sword with such terrifying power, Hu Ma was shocked.
"His cultivation shouldn't be stronger than mine. Could it be that wooden sword is what makes him so powerful?"
Lost in thought, Hu Ma followed the others as they carried the weasel's body back to the village.
The young man in brocade walked proudly at the front, offering no explanation.
Zhou Datong, unable to contain his curiosity, finally asked, "Brother, what exactly did we just do?"
"What did we do?"
The young man in brocade replied arrogantly, "This is what we do after joining the Red Lantern Society. Today, we just dealt with a passing group. In the future, we'll face even more powerful ones. Once you're part of the society, everything you do must follow the rules. Just learn well and don't get ahead of yourselves, trying to steal the spotlight!"
(End of Chapter)