As for how to make Little Red Tang live more comfortably, Grandma had never taught Hu Ma about that.
In the past, Little Red Tang had always liked to sleep on the beams of the house or follow Grandma when she went out.
But later, Grandma left in a sedan chair, perhaps in a hurry, and only gave Hu Ma Little Red Tang's birth chart without teaching him anything else.
With this birth chart, Hu Ma could always keep Little Red Tang with him and see her.
If Little Red Tang wandered too far while playing, he could burn a stick of incense, and she would return.
But as for how to properly care for her or make her comfortable, Hu Ma had no idea.
When he asked Little Red Tang, she just drooled and said, "Little Red Tang loves meat."
"Of course, she loves meat," Hu Ma thought helplessly.
"I love meat too!"
As for meat, he still had the jar of blood food Grandma left behind, but that was for curing his illness, and he couldn't bear to give it to Little Red Tang.
Besides, he remembered that even when Grandma was around, she never gave Little Red Tang any of that.
"Once I'm cured, all the Tai Sui meat will be yours," Hu Ma promised, looking at Little Red Tang's eager eyes.
Kids forget things quickly, so he figured he could just placate her for now.
Starting with small issues, Hu Ma asked Little Red Tang about "old objects": "What are old objects? Why do you like them?"
"Old objects are just old objects. They're comfortable to live in, and sleeping in them makes me full," Little Red Tang replied simply and subjectively.
Hu Ma didn't fully understand but confirmed that she liked them.
"Alright, I'll find a chance to borrow one for you to play with," he agreed, then asked her a few more questions until he got clear answers.
As for Little Red Tang not wanting to sleep on the beams, it wasn't a big deal.
She was playful and didn't follow Hu Ma every day, often going out to play for a day or two.
She would only return when she was done playing or when Hu Ma burned incense to call her back.
What worried Hu Ma the most was whether Little Red Tang would be affected by coming to this red lantern courtyard with him.
After all, Master Wu seemed quite skilled, and if he discovered her, what if he posed a threat to her? Such a powerful figure likely had abilities to ward off evil spirits.
"Little Red Tang isn't scared," she replied, surprising Hu Ma.
"Second Master is different from the long-bearded master. Second Master can't get close; it gets too hot, and you can't touch him—it burns. The long-bearded master doesn't get hot when you get close, and he can't see Little Red Tang. But I can't get too close to him either. If I do, I get scared. Touching Second Master burns, but touching him feels like he might grab me..."
"So there's a difference?" Hu Ma gradually understood the distinction.
Second Master's methods might be simple, but his sixty years of refining in the furnace weren't.
Master Wu, on the other hand, likely had deeper techniques, but he had clearly broken his purity long ago, given how comfortable he was with the women around him.
So, while his methods were profound, his威慑力 (intimidation) wasn't as strong as Second Master's.
Or perhaps it had something to do with Little Red Tang's unique nature.
Hu Ma still didn't fully understand how powerful Little Red Tang was or what level of evil spirit she might be.
When it came to fighting, she had once battled a low-level wandering ghost in the forest, screeching and getting bruised.
But usually, she just wandered around, playful and carefree, and aside from Second Master, she didn't seem afraid of anyone.
"Regardless, avoid the old manager from now on, and don't go into the inner courtyard," Hu Ma instructed Little Red Tang for safety.
Even though she said the old manager couldn't see her, it was better to be cautious.
After giving his instructions, Hu Ma went back to sleep, more determined than ever to secure a private room.
He needed to get a single bed and beam for Little Red Tang.
That night, Hu Ma slept deeply, likely due to the blood food pills Grandma left him.
His cultivation had improved again.
In his dream, he returned to the temple and saw that the second stick of incense on his altar was almost complete.
He hadn't been suffering in vain—he was about to reach two and a half sticks of cultivation.
Feeling somewhat comforted, he suddenly wondered if, now that he was in a new place, he might encounter a new reincarnator.
"Maybe I could try calling out to one?" he thought, but quickly dismissed the idea.
His priority was still solving his own problems.
Everything else was just a waste of incense.
The next day, the young men woke up and went to the front courtyard to greet the manager and receive their tasks.
The steward who had brought them here the day before had already left, and this place had become their new domain.
"You're doing well—no one's lazing in bed. Start learning to work!" the old manager said approvingly, nodding at them.
He then settled into a reclining chair with a pot of tea, waiting.
The young man in brocade, Xu Ji'er, who had buried the yellow weasel the night before, had already arrived early.
Without waiting for Manager Wu's instructions, he began directing the new workers.
The large compound was divided into inner and outer courtyards.
The inner courtyard housed Manager Wu, his servants, the incense hall, and a few locked rooms.
The outer courtyard had stables, storage rooms, and the side rooms where they slept.
Xu Ji'er seemed very familiar with the place, directing Hu Ma and the other seven newcomers to clean the stables, sweep the courtyard, fetch water, and pick vegetables.
After that, they were to patrol the area at dusk, singing lantern songs to ward off evil spirits and bring honor to the Red Lantern Lady.
"Once you're part of the Red Lantern Society, you'll receive half a catty of blood food each month to sustain you," Xu Ji'er lectured sternly.
"But this isn't free. If you're not diligent, it'll be deducted!"
The workers all nodded obediently, not daring to object.
Even Hu Ma, who knew this place was different from Second Master's, followed along quietly.
After a few days, they gradually settled in, and their nerves calmed.
Manager Wu, who had watched them on the first day, didn't show his face again until the fourth day, when he emerged from the inner courtyard and addressed the group.
"You should all know by now that joining the Red Lantern Society means learning skills. After all, you'll be needed to escort blood food later. I don't like dealing with this hassle, but I won't hide what you need to learn. Today, let's see what you've got."
The workers, who had been waiting for this moment for days, were thrilled.
One by one, they demonstrated their skills, impressive physical strength, and sealed furnace fires.
It was only then that Hu Ma realized the boys came from different places and had learned different things.
The commonality was that they all had lit furnaces, but their techniques varied.
In Da Yang Village, they had learned complete and well-practiced techniques, but the other boys only knew how to light their furnaces and had no combat skills.
The brocade-clad young master and his two lackeys were particularly different.
Their techniques were more varied, heavy, and fierce, exuding an air of authority.
"Your foundations are decent," Manager Wu said after watching them.
"Before joining the Red Lantern Society, you didn't have a steady supply of blood food, so it's impressive you've reached this level. But no one probably told you that just lighting a furnace isn't enough. It only protects you from evil spirits—it doesn't help with anything else. From now on, you'll need more than just protection. You'll need martial skills too. I'll start by teaching you how to use them."
With that, he demonstrated a set of techniques and then broke them down for the workers.
Hu Ma and the others, including Zhou Datong, had never learned these moves before and were excited.
Hu Ma knew this was an inevitable step, so he quietly followed along.
Over the next half month, Hu Ma gradually noticed something odd.
Manager Wu was thorough in teaching them techniques, no less diligent than Second Master had been with him.
But the problem was, he only taught techniques! Whether it was punches, kicks, or eye gouges, they were useful but essentially the same as what Second Master had taught.
As for the higher methods of furnace lighting, Manager Wu never mentioned them.
This made sense, but Hu Ma's cultivation had already reached two and a half sticks thanks to the blood food pills Grandma left him.
She had told him that once he reached three sticks, he would need to learn the next level of techniques.
At the rate Manager Wu was teaching, Hu Ma feared he would still be learning basic techniques by the time he ran out of pills.
Money was flowing like water, and while Grandma had left him plenty of blood food pills, they wouldn't last forever.
He needed to find a solution soon.
Hu Ma kept his hopes up but didn't rush into anything.
He remained polite and cooperative, even with the brocade-clad young master Xu Ji'er.
He patiently waited until the thirtieth of the month, the day of renewal, when he finally heard a long-awaited voice:
"Old Bai Gan, did you miss me?"
Hearing this, Hu Ma felt a wave of relief and smiled.
"I did."
(End of Chapter)