Becoming Prominent

In his past life, Hu Ma had heard of organizations like the Pai Gang, Cao Gang, and Yan Gang. Looking at them through the lens of his past life, they were mostly associated with the dark or gray underworld. In reality, however, they were just groups of unfortunate souls trying to band together for warmth and a difficult livelihood.

This world was quite different from his past life, but these Blood Food Gangs, whose core business was "Worship Taisui," bore a striking resemblance to them.

They couldn't be simply categorized. It could only be said that in this world, these Blood Food Gangs were their benefactors. It was entirely thanks to their annual Worship Taisui ceremony that the village brought in some extra income. And for the villagers who joined the Blood Food Gang as employees, it was truly like reaching the heavens.

After all, joining the Blood Food Gang was the difference between short-term flesh-cutting laborers and formal employees.

For the villagers, it was indeed a good start in life.

After all, throughout history, those who toiled the land were the most miserable, bar none.

Thinking that too much talk could lead to mistakes, Hu Ma didn't ask further. He paired up with Zhou Datong and they hurried to the village. From afar, he could see the road was bustling, and the village was even more so. Countless people were scrambling to get into this village that was usually ignored.

Second Master was standing at the entrance of the village, kicking away those trying to push their way in.

"Laizi Tou, stop crowding. The Red Lantern Society's altar opening this time definitely has nothing to do with you."

"You did tend the furnace for me, Second Master, in the past, but you're married now, so why are you still here?"

"..."

A large portion of the crowd was unwilling. Some shouted, "Second Master, I'm not married..."

"I gambled away all the money I earned cutting flesh these past two years, so I haven't gotten married. If you let me into the Red Lantern Society, I'll buy a pig's head to honor you during the New Year!"

"..."

Second Master glared at him angrily, "You haven't gotten married, so how did you release your 'fire'?"

Hearing this, the one shouting to get in also deflated, on the verge of tears, "It's all Laizi's wife's fault..."

Good heavens, it became even more chaotic. There were fights, shoes being thrown, wives being groped, or people looking for opportunities to sneak in.

Now that the news of the Red Lantern Society's altar opening had spread, it was logical that the Red Lantern Society would choose people from those currently learning skills from Second Master. Therefore, those who had learned from Second Master in previous years also wanted to squeeze in.

What if they were noticed by the Steward Lord?

Second Master knew the Steward Lord wasn't easily fooled, and he kicked them all out.

Hu Ma and Zhou Datong, who were genuinely learning, almost couldn't get in. Fortunately, they were small. Taking advantage of Laizi and Ergou getting into a fight, they quickly entered the village. They accidentally bumped into someone helping Second Master maintain order, who sneered at Hu Ma.

"You've only been learning from Second Master for less than a month, why are you here?"

"..."

Hu Ma looked up and saw Cui Family's third son. He had no good feelings towards anyone surnamed Cui in this village, so he sneered and ignored him.

"Heh, outsiders are getting arrogant, not even calling me 'Uncle'..."

Cui Family's third son was displeased, but the surroundings were too chaotic, so he couldn't say much more to Hu Ma.

It was noisy until the sun was high in the sky. The crowd surged, and the Steward Lord arrived, accompanied by the Clan Leader and a group of elders from the village.

The villagers weren't afraid of Second Master, but they were extremely afraid of this Steward Lord from the city. They quickly made way and watched sheepishly as the Steward Lord walked into the village.

"So lively..."

Hu Ma observed from afar. The Steward Lord was about forty years old, portly, dressed in brocade, riding a green donkey, and accompanied by two attendants. He indeed had an air of importance.

After entering the village, he dismounted with the help of his attendants and said with a smile, "But our Red Lantern Society probably can't support so many people."

In Hu Ma's eyes, the Old Clan Leader usually had the bearing of a village chief.

Now, however, he was smiling obsequiously, with a hint of flattery, and said, "You pick the good ones and take them to cultivate them."

"That's for sure."

The Steward Lord smiled, "In Mingzhou Prefecture, there are at least thirty, if not a hundred, gangs that rely on Blood Food for a living. But our Red Lantern Society has always been famous for its great skills and good treatment of people."

"Once you join our society, you are one of our own. We'll provide your food and lodging, pay you a salary, and most importantly, teach you skills. But whether you can get in still depends on whether you've been diligently training your body and putting in the effort."

His words made all the young men uneasy.

Earlier, they had followed Second Master just to get by as miners and earn some wages. So, the furnace needed to be lit, but it didn't need to be too hot; lighting it once per Talisman was enough.

But now, with the Red Lantern Society selecting people, the hotter the furnace, the better the chance.

Many who had been lazy or couldn't resist rewarding themselves with a burst of effort were now regretting it deeply.

"Alright, you all look energetic."

The Steward Lord smiled and walked up to the group of young men. "Extend your hands."

The young men looked at each other. Second Master kicked the foremost one, causing him to stumble. "Why aren't you extending them?"

The young men finally reacted and hurriedly extended their hands.

Those with dirty hands quickly wiped them on their clothes before sheepishly extending them.

"Let's start with you!"

The Steward Lord walked up to a boy on the far left with a dirty face, extended two fingers, and carefully grasped his palm.

Without any apparent action from him, the boy whose palm was held suddenly shivered.

He lost his footing and fell to the ground.

The Steward Lord frowned and said, "This one isn't quite right."

Second Master quickly helped the person up. Seeing that he was unharmed, he said with a smile, "He's only studied for a year, his foundation isn't strong."

"Then we'll wait until next year!"

The Steward Lord walked towards the second person. This young man was rather clueless and truly believed there would be another chance next year.

But his elder was heartbroken, knowing that "next year" was just an excuse. Red Lantern Maiden was powerful and well-staffed in recent years; they wouldn't need to come to Great Sheep Village to find apprentices. Missing this opportunity this year meant they would never get another chance in their lives...

Arriving before the second person, the Steward Lord once again placed two fingers on him. This young man trembled slightly.

He seemed to feel weak, but he managed to stand firm.

"Not bad."

The Steward Lord praised him and continued forward.

He approached each young man, merely using two fingers to gently pinch. Some of these youths trembled all over and fell to the ground.

Others turned pale but managed to hold on.

After quickly testing a dozen or so people, seven or eight were still able to stand. The remaining people couldn't help but become more nervous, fearing that the Steward Lord would have already selected enough people and they would miss their chance.

"Ahem, stand up straight!"

Hu Ma and Zhou Datong arrived late and were already at the back of the line. Hearing a light cough, someone immediately stood in front of them.

Looking up, they saw the tall and thin Cui Xie'er.

This guy was originally helping Second Master maintain order, so he naturally stood at the end. Now, he had moved in front of Zhou Datong.

Hu Ma chuckled inwardly but didn't say much.

Soon, it was Cui Xie'er's turn. He solemnly extended his hand, as if entrusting his fate.

But as the Steward Lord's fingers pinched, he trembled violently and let out a muffled sound from his throat. Yet, he still stood straight without moving, his body not even swaying. The Steward Lord looked at him with surprise, smiled, and without comment, moved on.

It was Zhou Datong's turn. He excitedly called out, "Grandpa Qian."

He had met this Steward Lord yesterday when he was with the Old Clan Leader.

"Fatty, you're good."

The Steward Lord saw him and smiled, "I tested you yesterday. You don't need to be tested today, just wait!"

Zhou Datong's face lit up with joy, and he stood to the side.

The Old Clan Leader in the crowd visibly relaxed, stroking his short beard with a look of contentment.

"It's your turn."

The Steward Lord smiled at Hu Ma at the very end, nodded, and placed his thumb and forefinger on the edge of Hu Ma's palm.

Hu Ma had only seen the reactions of his companions and didn't know what was happening. Now that his palm was being pinched, before he could make any special preparations, he suddenly felt a chilling aura penetrate his palm.

It felt like encountering an evil spirit, and a cold, sinister voice surged in his ears, as if he were being pulled into another world.

But immediately, the furnace fire within him blazed.

As this chilling aura invaded, the furnace fire in his abdomen was naturally stimulated and pushed outwards.

It struggled against this chilling energy, pushing it out of his palm.

In reality, the outward burst of fire was only from Hu Ma's second incense stick.

The first incense stick also sensed it, but Hu Ma realized that the second incense stick was sufficient, so he held back and didn't activate it. In other words, he had only used half the power of an incense stick.

"Huh?"

The Steward Lord's fingers were flicked away, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. He gradually smiled.

The onlookers didn't know what was happening. They only saw that the Steward Lord had been serious with everyone else, but with Hu Ma, he had merely touched him with two fingers, retracted them before they could even see if he had made contact, and they didn't know the final result.

However, all the youths had been tested, so they all craned their necks, waiting to see the outcome.

"The times are good these past few years..."

The Steward Lord straightened up, took the cloth towel handed over by a nearby attendant to wipe his hands, and said to the crowd with a smile, "The youths in the village have thicker foundations than ever. If I could decide, I'd want to take them all back."

"But alas, I'm just following orders. I can only pick a few who are relatively good."

"Then it's settled. You, you, and you..."

He pointed to several people. When he said "and you," his finger skipped Cui Xie'er and pointed to Hu Ma's face.

He smiled and said, "You all will come to the city to burn incense in a few days!"