Red Lantern Attendant

Blood Ridge Black Market?

Chen Mo, with no memories, had never heard of this place before.

Fortunately, in his past life, he was an internet surfer—hadn't eaten pork, but he'd seen pigs run, right?

A black market was certainly a good place, with all sorts of things available. But it also hid dangers—robberies, bandit troubles, plenty of that.

Chen Mo, new to this world... was naturally afraid of dying.

But letting go of the chance to buy a Qi and Blood Pill? He wasn't willing to do that either.

Ma Tie seemed to read Chen Mo's hesitation and said, "With the Second Young Master's status, ordinary bandits in Honghe County wouldn't dare target you easily. Just bring a few guards, and there'll be no worry."

Qiulan added at that moment, "Young Master, Xie Dong, the young master of the Xie family, is your close friend. I recall the Xie family has many shops in Blood Ridge Black Market. Why not ask Young Master Xie to guide you?"

Chen Mo steeled himself. "Ma Tie, prepare the carriage, and also make a trip to Xie Manor. Qiulan, help me change clothes."

After Ma Tie left to carry out the orders, Qiulan said, "But the Master doesn't want you to practice martial arts, Young Master. He hopes you'll inherit the family business and learn more about trade. If the Master finds out..."

Chen Mo smiled. "That's no problem. I'll just say I'm going out to inspect the family estates. Father will be pleased to hear that. Just get me changed."

Only then did Qiulan agree, thinking to herself that the Young Master was truly different from before—his mind was sharp.

During the changing of clothes, Chen Mo, wearing only his inner garments, just stood before the full-length bronze mirror, arms outstretched. He didn't need to handle anything else; Qiulan attended to it all.

A blue silk brocade robe, a leather belt, a jade pendant hanging from it, hair tied up with a hairpin, and a pair of cloud-pattern boots.

Though only fifteen, he stood one meter seventy tall, handsome and spirited.

Qiulan finished dressing Chen Mo, looked him over, and her face flushed slightly. "The Young Master looks much more refined and scholarly now, with the air of a learned man."

Chen Mo snorted inwardly.

After all, in his past life, he was a college student—even if it was a diploma mill... still a college student.

Having a bit of a scholarly air was only natural.

Once everything was in order, Chen Mo led Qiulan and Ma Tie out the door to inspect the family estates.

He also wanted to see just how big the inheritance he'd one day take over was.

Going out naturally meant taking a carriage. Qiulan wasn't just a maidservant; she was skilled in riding, and together with Ma Tie, she drove the carriage to take Chen Mo out.

They visited fertile fields, seeing countless tenant farmers working the land.

They went to the pharmacy, seeing a line of merchant customers.

And other shop businesses—Chen Mo inspected each one in turn. Every shopkeeper greeted Chen Mo with utmost respect, calling him "Second Young Master" repeatedly.

After a full round of inspections, Chen Mo had a rough understanding of his family's assets.

A solid, wealthy clan.

The only regret was that the Chen family hadn't set up a martial arts school or any related businesses. This was likely tied to Chen Yin Fu's personal views.

And according to Qiulan's account, the Chen family's current wealth was all built by Chen Yin Fu from scratch. There were even many tales of his glorious deeds circulating in the county.

Listening to Qiulan talk about his father's achievements, Chen Mo felt there was some exaggeration, but he genuinely admired Chen Yin Fu.

Just born in the wrong era.

If he'd been born in the past life, with Chen Yin Fu's business acumen and drive, he'd have been the founder of a listed company at the very least.

Chen Mo lifted the carriage curtain, glanced at the sun—it was just noon—and said, "Qiulan, it's about time. Head to the West Gate and wait for Young Master Xie."

Chen Mo was all about caution.

He wouldn't go to the black market until he'd met up with Xie Dong.

The carriage drove out through the West City Gate and waited at the gate.

Chen Mo lifted the curtain and watched the merchants and villagers queuing to enter the city. Some vendors had set up stalls by the gate, selling snacks, cotton candy, candied hawthorns, tofu pudding, and the like. Their rising and falling cries of hawking filled the place with the flavor of mortal life.

Chen Mo looked up sharply and saw the words "Honghe County" carved into the city gate. At the top of the five-zhang-high gate hung a bright red lantern, striking even in broad daylight.

This reminded Chen Mo of the red-veiled statue enshrined in the family's Ancestral Hall, and he couldn't help asking, "Qiulan, what's that red lantern for?"

Shh!

Qiulan quickly made a silencing gesture and lowered her voice. "That's a Red Lantern Society lantern. Hanging at the city gate, it wards off evil spirits. It's because our county has the blessing of Goddess Hong Deng that everyone can live in peace. Young Master, be careful not to say the wrong thing—if you offend Goddess Hong Deng, you'll bring great misfortune."

Though doubts lingered in Chen Mo's mind, seeing everyone keep their mouths shut, he didn't press further.

Before long, another luxurious carriage pulled up beside them. A slightly chubby young man in fine brocade clothes stepped out. Seeing Chen Mo with the curtain lifted, he unceremoniously jumped onto Chen Mo's carriage and gave him a big hug.

"Brother Chen, I've missed you to death. Where have you been all these days? You've left me to go to Spring Breeze Tower alone—so boring!"

Chen Mo had already asked Qiulan and knew this fatty was his close friend Xie Dong.

The Xie family was also a prominent clan in Honghe County, with official connections—many of their sons had become officials. Xie Lianghong, the coroner at the County Office, was Xie Dong's third uncle.

As for Chen Mo's Mad Demon Disease, Chen Yin Fu had long ordered it kept secret.

So outsiders knew nothing.

Chen Mo found an excuse and smiled. "I caught a chill recently and was recovering at home. Another day, I'll treat Dongzi to some wine and fun at Spring Breeze Tower."

Dongzi...

It was Qiulan who told Chen Mo how to address him. The original body used to call Xie Dong "Dongzi."

Hearing the word "Dongzi," Xie Dong immediately grinned. "That's right, that's the flavor."

With that, Xie Dong reached out and felt Chen Mo's forehead. "You don't have a fever either. What's gotten into you, wanting to practice martial arts and buying Qi and Blood Pills... Why not just enjoy life as a rich young master? Why bother with training? You're just like my sister—can't stand a good life, has to go waving spears and clubs around, asking for trouble. Pure nonsense."

Chen Mo couldn't be bothered to argue with Dongzi. "Cut the crap. Just tell me if you're helping or not."

It wasn't that Chen Mo was putting on airs—this was exactly how the original body had interacted with Xie Dong before.

Sure enough, Xie Dong found the familiar vibe and slapped his forehead in exasperation. "Stuck with a friend like you, I swear. Fine, you win. I'll help. But you're treating at Spring Breeze Tower later."

Chen Mo stuck to the original's style. "Stuck with a friend like you, I swear too. Fine, I'll treat."

Xie Dong burst out laughing. "Now that's more like it. Qiulan, let's head to Blood Ridge Black Market."

It was clear Xie Dong and Qiulan were pretty familiar with each other.

Blood Ridge Black Market.

As the name suggested, it was located in a place called Blood Ridge.

Blood Ridge sat in a canyon twenty li outside the city's western suburbs.

By the time they reached the canyon entrance, it was already early afternoon. Through the carriage window, Chen Mo spotted two burly men in black guarding the entrance with blades at their waists, each broad-shouldered and radiating a menacing aura.

Xie Dong was clearly a regular here. He stuck his head out and tossed them a token, and the two blade-wielding men smiled and waved them through.

"So it's Young Master Xie. Please, come right in."

Once inside the canyon, it was a whole different world.

From the outside, the canyon looked small, but inside it was vast. Rows of wooden houses and buildings stood tall, along with all kinds of shops. People came and went, bustling with activity. Many, however, had their faces covered or wore masks—clearly afraid of being targeted by thieves.

Whenever someone came here for high-stakes deals, whether merchant or buyer, getting tailed by bandits after leaving and ending up dead... such incidents were all too common.

But this place offered high selling prices with no extra taxes, and many illegal goods could only be unloaded here.

So plenty of people were still willing to take the risk.

The group got off the carriage and followed Xie Dong on a stroll, but they didn't spot any shop selling Qi and Blood Pills.

Xie Dong said, "Looks like we're out of luck. We'll have to buy from Old Master Li."

Chen Mo asked, "Old Master Li?"

Xie Dong led the way as he explained, "Yeah, Old Master Li is a native pharmacist here. He used to refine Qi and Blood Pills. But his family met with misfortune..."

Mid-sentence, Xie Dong suddenly spotted something terrifying, clamped his mouth shut, and pulled Chen Mo and the others to the roadside. "Get down on your knees—the Goddess Hong Deng's attendant is coming."