"The red lantern lights up the night, and all is peaceful..."
In the pitch-black countryside, a red lantern swayed gently as it approached from a distance.
The excited yet trembling voices of the workers broke the thick silence that enveloped the area.
Countless unseen things, upon catching sight of the red lantern, quietly retreated into the deep night.
Even the ghostly flames floating above the lonely graves vanished as the red lantern drew near.
Hu Ma held the red lantern, with Zhou Datong, who was brimming with excitement and occasionally let out a loud shout, on his left, and Zhou Liang on his right.
Behind them were three or five other workers who had joined the night patrol.
They were all filled with a mix of novelty and excitement, their footsteps crunching softly on the dirt road.
As they passed by the graves, they didn’t avoid them but instead walked right by, almost as if they were deliberately showing off.
"Woo woo woo..."
After they passed the graves, faint sobbing sounds seemed to drift over from the direction of the graves.
Turning their heads, they could vaguely see a few figures sitting by the graves, staring at their retreating backs with hollow eyes.
Hu Ma stopped in his tracks, glanced back, and suddenly walked back toward the graves.
As the red lantern approached, a cold, swirling wind rose around the graves.
But when they got closer, there was nothing there.
"We’re here on behalf of the Red Lantern Lady to patrol the night. We don’t mean to disturb the peace of our neighbors," Hu Ma said coldly, holding the lantern.
"But you all should recognize this lantern, so we don’t have any trouble later that’s hard to resolve."
The desolate graves remained silent, as if they had no objections.
Hu Ma then turned around and continued walking forward with the red lantern.
The workers all held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
This was the night patrol of the Red Lantern Lady’s sect.
Carrying the red lantern, they walked through the villages and fields at night, driving away any evil spirits that had wandered in.
This was the rule of the Red Lantern sect: once the red lantern was lit, no other evil spirits were allowed within a ten-mile radius.
Even the lonely ghosts buried in the graves weren’t forced to move, but they had to stay quietly in their graves.
Of course, Hu Ma and his companions didn’t have such power themselves.
The authority came from the red lantern they carried.
Most evil spirits would flee at the sight of the lantern.
But if they encountered something like the Yellow Immortal family from before, who didn’t follow the rules, they would have to confront it.
First, they would talk about the rules, then reason, and if that didn’t work, they would fight.
If they couldn’t win, they would go back and call the shopkeeper.
This was the most important task for these workers.
"The Red Lantern Lady’s sect not only has territory and incense halls in the city but also similar estates in various places," Hu Ma thought as he walked with the lantern.
"Is the Red Lantern Lady really that powerful? Does hanging a red lantern truly make other evil spirits retreat ten miles? Or is her power in the fact that these workers patrol for her, and if they encounter real trouble, she can descend into the red lantern?"
He remembered that when they drove away the Yellow Immortals, there had been faint laughter from the red lantern.
But now, holding the lantern himself, it felt like an ordinary lantern with no special power.
Still, he didn’t dwell on it too much and just followed the rules.
Patrolling sixty miles in the deep night wilderness was indeed difficult, but the patrol wasn’t too strict.
Besides, they were all young men who had lit their furnaces, so their steps were light, and they quickly completed the circuit, returning to the estate.
Hu Ma put the lantern back, checked the stables and the kitchen, and made sure everything was in order.
Then he went to knock on the inner courtyard door.
Hearing a response, he pushed the door open and reported to the shopkeeper inside, "Everything’s been taken care of. Is there anything else you’d like to instruct, Shopkeeper?"
The shopkeeper, surnamed Wu, was sitting on a stone bench in the inner courtyard, enjoying the cool air... even though the weather was already cold.
Seeing Hu Ma come in to report, he didn’t seem surprised.
He nodded, looked Hu Ma up and down, and suddenly asked, "What’s your name? How old are you?"
Hu Ma quickly replied, "My name is Hu Ma, from the Dayang Village in Old Yin Mountain. I’m sixteen this year."
"Hmm..."
The old shopkeeper nodded, then suddenly slapped his forehead.
"I remember you now. You’re quick on your feet. Not bad."
Hu Ma nodded but didn’t say much.
The shopkeeper beckoned him over with a smile.
"Come here, let me test your progress."
Seeing the shopkeeper extend his hand, Hu Ma stepped forward and offered his own palm.
Back in Dayang Village, he had been tested by the steward who came to inspect the Tai Sui, so he knew the routine.
But unlike the steward, who had only pinched his hand with two fingers, the shopkeeper grasped Hu Ma’s entire hand.
With a faint smile, Hu Ma immediately felt a cold, yin energy seep into his body.
He remained calm and quickly mobilized his furnace fire to resist.
Although his first two incense sticks were full and the third was growing strong, he knew that having nearly three incense sticks of cultivation at his age was too exaggerated for a village boy.
So he suppressed the other two and only used the newly formed third incense stick to resist.
"Oh?"
The shopkeeper released his hand, looking surprised.
"Your foundation is quite solid..."
Hu Ma had already prepared his explanation.
"My family found some good things in the mountains and fed them to me. That’s why my furnace lit faster than others."
The shopkeeper nodded slowly, seemingly satisfied.
With his experience, he could tell that such a strong fire energy wasn’t something a boy Hu Ma’s age could naturally develop.
Even with careful cultivation, most people wouldn’t reach this level until they were thirty.
As Hu Ma spoke, he took out a paper package from his pocket and placed it on the stone table next to the shopkeeper.
"This is something that grew on a piece of green Tai Sui meat my family harvested. It’s a bit unusual. My elders asked me to bring it to you, Shopkeeper. Please don’t think it’s too humble."
The shopkeeper glanced at it casually, not paying much attention.
But when he slowly unwrapped the package and saw the dark red, slightly greenish piece inside, his expression changed slightly.
After examining it more closely, he finally confirmed what it was and smiled warmly, his attitude much friendlier than before.
"Not bad, not bad. Your family has been very thoughtful," he said, nodding repeatedly.
Then he suddenly asked, "Do you have more?"
"Yes!" Hu Ma had prepared for this.
He quickly nodded and took out the green Tai Sui from his bag.
"My family was worried I wouldn’t keep up, so they gave me this to nourish myself. Shopkeeper, take a look..."
The knife marks on the Tai Sui were clear, showing that the piece on the table had been cut from this larger piece, not hidden away separately.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper finally laughed and waved his hand.
"Keep it for yourself. Use it to strengthen your body. Your progress is already at a critical point. Soon, we’ll be measuring your cultivation in terms of spiritual attainment."
"Also, keep an eye on things around the estate. Just come to the inner courtyard morning and evening each day. If there’s anything, I’ll let you know."
Hu Ma agreed and left the inner courtyard.
From the shopkeeper’s words, it seemed there was hope for him.
Of course, Hu Ma would have liked a guarantee, but such things weren’t easily given.
He returned to his room to sleep.
Zhou Datong and the others were still excited.
In just one night, they had become night patrollers, and it felt like they had risen in status.
They were both thrilled and worried that Xu Ji might return and take away their newfound privileges.
They wanted to talk to Hu Ma about it, but he waved them off, telling them to rest.
"Xu Ji and the others have a larger room for three people. We could take it over," Hu Ma thought silently.
"That way, Little Hongtang wouldn’t have to wander outside every night and sleep during the day. After all, staying up late every night isn’t good for her health."
...
Meanwhile, back in the estate, after Hu Ma left, the old shopkeeper excitedly picked up the piece of meat and went into the main hall.
He lifted the curtain to the inner room, where a girl sat listlessly under an oil lamp.
He said excitedly, "Good girl, I’ve got something special."
The girl in the jar tiredly opened her eyes and saw the dark, sticky thing in his hand.
"Dad, what is that?"
"This is called Green Jade Paste," the shopkeeper said excitedly.
"The villagers don’t know how precious this is. They probably thought it was Blood Tai Sui because of its color and gave it to me as a gift. But actually, this isn’t Blood Tai Sui. It’s even more useful for us. It doesn’t increase strength or cultivation like Blood Tai Sui. In fact, eating it can harm your cultivation. But it’s excellent for treating pain and cooling internal heat. You’ve been complaining about the burning pain every day, right? With this, you’ll feel better."
The girl in the jar seemed excited and looked up at the dark substance.
But when she spoke, there was a hint of hesitation.
"Dad, are you going to teach him your skills?"
The shopkeeper realized that the girl must have overheard his conversation with Hu Ma earlier.
After a moment of thought, he said softly, "Our skills are a big deal. Passing them on to anyone is a great favor. That boy from Dayang Village is actually better than Xu Ji, and his background is clean. It just depends on whether he’s willing to work hard. If he proves reliable, it’s not impossible to teach him."
(End of Chapter)