In his previous life, Hu Ma had heard of gangs like the Boatmen's Gang, the Canal Gang, and the Salt Gang. Through the lens of his memories from that life, most of them seemed connected to the criminal underworld, or at least to the gray areas of society. But in reality, they were just groups of poor, hard-working people banding together to keep warm and scrape out a living.
This world differed from his previous life in many ways, but these Blood Food Gangs, whose main business was Worship Taisui, had something in common with those groups.
They could not be neatly categorized. In this world, these Blood Food Gangs were the ones who provided food and clothing. It was only because they came to Worship Taisui each year that the village earned a little extra income. And for the villagers who joined the Blood Food Gang as workers, it truly was a leap into the heavens.
After all, joining the Blood Food Gang meant the difference between being a full-time employee and a temporary worker hired to cut flesh for a short spell.
For the villagers, it really was a fine way to get ahead.
After all, in every dynasty and age, those who scratched a living from the soil had the hardest lot of all. No exceptions.
Knowing that loose lips could sink ships, Hu Ma did not ask any more questions. He teamed up with Zhou Datong and hurried to the manor. Even from afar, he could see that the road was bustling, and the manor was even more crowded. He had no idea how many people were fighting tooth and nail to squeeze into this place, which was usually ignored by everyone.
Second Master was standing at the manor entrance, kicking out everyone trying to force their way inside.
"Lai Zitou, quit shoving. There's no way the Red Lantern Society will choose you when they open the altar this time."
"You did tend the furnace with me before, but you've got a wife now. What are you doing here?"
"..."
Most of the crowd was unwilling to give up, and someone called out, "Second Master, I'm not married..."
"I gambled away every copper I earned cutting flesh these past two years. I still haven't found a wife! Let me into the Red Lantern Society, and I'll buy you a pig's head for the New Year!"
"..."
Second Master glared at him angrily. "You haven't found a wife? Then how have you been putting out that fire?"
At that, the man calling to get in wilted, looking as if he might cry. "It's all Lai's wife's fault..."
Good grief, that only made things more lively. Some people were fighting, some were throwing shoes, some were groping other men's wives, and some were looking for a chance to slip inside.
Word had spread that the Red Lantern Society was opening its altar. Normally, the Society would choose people from among those currently learning the craft from Second Master, so even those who had studied under him in previous years wanted to squeeze in.
What if one of the stewards took a liking to them?
But Second Master knew that Steward Lord was not so easily fooled. He kicked them out one by one.
Hu Ma and Zhou Datong, who were properly studying under him, nearly failed to squeeze inside themselves. Fortunately, they were small, and when Lai and Ergou started fighting, they seized the chance to slip into the manor. Just then, they happened to run into someone helping Second Master keep order. He sneered at Hu Ma.
"You've been studying under Second Master for less than a month. What are you doing here?"
"..."
Hu Ma looked up and saw that it was the Cui Family's Third Son. He had no fondness for anyone surnamed Cui in this village. He gave a cold laugh and ignored him.
"Heh, an outsider's getting cocky now. You can't even call me Uncle..."
The Cui Family's Third Son was displeased, but things were too chaotic for him to say much more to Hu Ma.
The clamor continued until the sun was high in the sky. Then the crowd stirred, and Steward Lord arrived, accompanied by the Clan Leader and a group of village elders.
The villagers were not afraid of Second Master, but they were terrified of this steward from the city. They hurriedly moved aside, sheepishly watching him walk all the way into the manor.
"What a lively scene..."
Hu Ma watched from afar. The steward looked to be in his forties, with a plump build and fine clothes. He rode a blue donkey and had two attendants with him. He cut quite an imposing figure.
Once he entered the manor, the attendants helped him down from the donkey. He smiled and said, "But I'm afraid our Red Lantern Society can't take on this many people."
In Hu Ma's eyes, the Old Clan Leader usually had all the bearing of a village chief.
But now he was smiling obsequiously, with a hint of ingratiation in his manner. "Please pick the best ones and take them back to train."
"Of course."
The steward smiled. "There are no fewer than thirty and perhaps as many as a hundred gangs in Mingzhou Prefecture that live off blood offerings, but our Red Lantern Society has always been renowned for its great skills and kindness to people."
"Once you join our Society, you're one of our own. We provide food and lodging, pay wages, and most importantly, teach you our craft. But whether you can get in still depends on how well you've trained your strength and how much effort you've put in."
Those words made all the boys feel uneasy.
They had followed Second Master before simply to get work in the mines and earn a few coins. So long as they kept the furnace burning, it did not need to burn too hot; changing the talisman once was usually enough.
But now that the Red Lantern Society was choosing people, the hotter their furnaces burned, the better their chances.
Quite a few who had slacked off or could not resist rewarding themselves with a quick release were now regretting it bitterly.
"Enough. You all look to be in good spirits."
Steward Lord came before the boys with a smile. "Hold out your hands."
The boys looked at one another. Second Master kicked the one at the front, sending him stumbling. "Why aren't you holding it out?"
Only then did the boys come to their senses and hurriedly stretch out their hands.
Some had dirty hands, so they quickly wiped them on their clothes before awkwardly holding them out.
"Let's start with you!"
The steward went to the far-left boy, whose face was smudged with grime, and reached out with two fingers, carefully pinching his palm.
He did not seem to do anything, yet the boy whose hand he pinched suddenly shivered.
He could not keep his balance and fell onto his backside.
Steward Lord frowned. "This one's not quite up to it."
Second Master hurriedly helped the boy up. Seeing that he was unharmed, he smiled apologetically. "He's only been learning for a year. His foundation isn't strong."
"Then he can try again next year!"
Steward Lord moved on to the second boy. The boy seemed completely clueless and truly thought he would still have a chance next year.
But his parents were heartbroken, knowing that "next year" was only an excuse. The Red Lantern Goddess Society was thriving these days. Why would they need to come all the way to a place like Great Sheep Village to find workers? If he missed this year, he might never get another chance in his whole life...
When he reached the second boy, Steward Lord did as before, lightly touching him with two fingers. The boy shuddered.
His legs seemed to weaken, but he managed to stay on his feet.
"Not bad."
Steward Lord praised him and moved on.
He went to each boy and lightly pinched them with two fingers. Some shuddered all over and fell flat on their backs.
Others turned pale but managed to hold their ground.
Before long, he had tested more than a dozen boys. Seven or eight had managed to stay standing. The rest grew even more nervous, afraid that Steward Lord would fill his quota before he reached them, leaving them with no chance.
"Ahem, stand properly!"
Hu Ma and Zhou Datong had arrived late, so they were already near the back of the line. They heard a faint cough, then someone stepped in front of them.
Looking up, Hu Ma saw the tall, thin Cui Xie'er.
The fellow had been helping Second Master keep order, so he had naturally ended up at the back. Now he had somehow moved in front of Zhou Datong.
Hu Ma sneered inwardly but said nothing.
Soon, Cui Xie'er was up. His expression solemn, he held out his hand as if surrendering his fate.
But when Steward Lord pinched him with two fingers, he shuddered violently. A muffled sound came from his throat, yet he still stood perfectly straight. His body did not even sway. Steward Lord looked at him in surprise, then smiled without comment and moved on.
It was Zhou Datong's turn. He eagerly called out first, "Grandpa Qian."
The day before, he had accompanied the Old Clan Leader and had already paid his respects to Steward Lord.
"Chubby boy, you're not bad."
Recognizing him, Steward Lord smiled. "I tested you yesterday, so there's no need to test you today. Just wait."
Zhou Datong's face lit up, and he stepped to one side.
The Old Clan Leader in the crowd visibly relaxed. He stroked his short beard, looking pleased.
"Your turn."
Steward Lord smiled at Hu Ma, who was at the end of the line. He nodded and pinched the edge of Hu Ma's palm between his index finger and thumb.
Hu Ma had only seen how his companions reacted and had no idea what was going on. Now, with Steward Lord pinching his palm, he had no time to make any special preparations before a wave of icy energy suddenly seeped through his hand.
It felt as though he had collided with an Evil Spirit. A stream of chilling, sinister whispers rose in his ears, as if his whole being were about to be dragged into another world.
But then, the furnace fire blazed to life on its own.
As the icy energy invaded, the furnace in his belly was naturally stirred into action and sprang outward.
It only barely managed to fight the Yin Qi off, pushing it back bit by bit until it knocked the cold energy out of his palm.
In truth, the force of that burst of flame had come only from his second stick of incense.
The first stick of incense had reacted too, but Hu Ma realized that the second stick alone would be enough to handle it, so he kept the first in check and did not draw on it. In other words, he had used only half a stick's worth of cultivation.
"Hm?"
Steward Lord's two fingers were knocked away. A hint of surprise flickered in his eyes, then his expression gradually warmed into a smile.
The people around them had no idea what had happened. They only saw that Steward Lord had examined everyone else seriously, but when it came to Hu Ma, he had barely touched him with two fingers—or perhaps had not touched him at all—and had already withdrawn his hand. They could not tell what the result was.
But since he had already examined every boy, they all craned their necks, waiting to see the outcome.
"These are good years..."
Steward Lord straightened and took a cloth from his attendant to wipe his hands. He smiled at the crowd. "The boys in this village have stronger foundations than the last. If it were up to me, I'd take every one of them back."
"But I'm only following orders, so I can choose just a few of the better ones."
"Very well, then. You, you, and you..."
He pointed to several boys in a row. When he said, "And you," his finger skipped over Cui Xie'er and pointed at Hu Ma.
"Your group. In a few days, come to the city to burn incense!"
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