Chapter 1 For Little Hong Tang to Live More Comfortably

The mother-in-law really hadn't taught him how to make Little Hong Tang more comfortable.

Before, Little Hong Tang always liked to sleep on the roof beams, or go out with the mother-in-law, but later the mother-in-law left in a sedan chair. Perhaps the people there were urging her too much, and she only gave Little Hong Tang's *bazi* (eight characters of birth) to Hu Ma, without teaching him anything else.

With this *bazi* slip, Hu Ma could keep Little Hong Tang with him and see her. If Little Hong Tang was too playful and ran far away, he could burn an incense stick, and Little Hong Tang would return.

But Hu Ma didn't know how to provide for Little Hong Tang or how to make her comfortable.

He had asked Little Hong Tang, and she only drooled and said, "Little Hong Tang likes to eat meat."

"Of course you like to eat meat..."

Hu Ma was helpless. "I like to eat it too!"

Speaking of meat, he still had the jar of blood food left by his mother-in-law, but that was for treating his illness, and he couldn't bear to give it to Little Hong Tang.

And he also remembered that when he was with his mother-in-law, she hadn't given Little Hong Tang any of these things.

"When I cure my illness, I'll give you all the *taisuirou* (literally 'Grand Duke Meat', medicinal meat from *taishui* organisms) to eat."

Looking at Little Hong Tang's greedy eyes, Hu Ma could only promise this. She was just a child, she would forget it soon, so he coaxed her first.

He started to solve the problem from the small things, first asking Little Hong Tang about the "old object": "What is the old object? Why do you like the old object?"

"The old object is the old object. It's very comfortable to live in the old object. You'll be full after sleeping for a while."

Little Hong Tang's answer was very simple and subjective. Hu Ma didn't quite understand it, but he was sure that she liked it.

"Okay, I'll find a chance to snatch it for you, brother."

He agreed to Little Hong Tang and asked her some other questions, stopping only when he got definite answers.

The problem of Little Hong Tang not wanting to sleep on the roof beams was actually not a big deal. Little Hong Tang was playful and didn't follow Hu Ma every day. She often went out to play for a day or two.

When she had enough fun, or when Hu Ma lit incense and called her, she would come back.

What Hu Ma was most worried about before was whether she would be affected by following him to this red-light district. After all, that Master Wu seemed to have considerable skills. What if he found out and it was bad for Little Hong Tang?

After all, such big shots must have a lot of skills in exorcising evil spirits.

"Little Hong Tang is not afraid..."

Little Hong Tang's answer surprised Hu Ma again: "Second Master is different from the long-bearded master. Second Master can't be approached, it's too hot to get close. You can't touch him, it's too hot to touch."

"It's not hot to get close to the long-bearded master, and he can't see Little Hong Tang either."

"But Little Hong Tang can't get too close to him either. It's scary to get too close to him. Touching Second Master will burn your hand. Touching him feels like you'll be taken away..."

"..."

"So there's this difference?"

Hu Ma gradually understood the difference.

Although Second Master learned simple spells, his sixty-year-old stove was no simple thing.

Relatively speaking, that shopkeeper Wu should have more profound spells than Second Master, but he had obviously broken his *yang* (male essence) long ago, otherwise he wouldn't be so familiar with the women accompanying him in drinking. Therefore, although his spells were profound, his deterrence was not as good as Second Master's.

Or perhaps, this also had something to do with Little Hong Tang's special nature?

Hu Ma didn't really understand how powerful Little Hong Tang was, or what level she was at as an evil spirit.

When it came to fighting, she had fought back and forth with a low-level *youhui yingling* (wandering malign infant spirit), squealing and yelling, with bruised noses and swollen faces when he went into the forest to find his mother-in-law.

But usually, seeing how playful she was, wandering around here and there, she didn't seem to be afraid of anyone except Second Master.

"No matter what, stay away from the old shopkeeper in the future, and don't go to the inner courtyard."

Out of safety considerations, he still told Little Hong Tang, although she said that the old shopkeeper couldn't see her, but to be on the safe side, it was best to avoid him as much as possible.

After instructing her, he went back to sleep, and his determination to get a single room as soon as possible was even stronger.

He had to get the same treatment as Little Hong Tang, with a single bed and a single beam...

...

...

He fell into a deep sleep at night. Perhaps it was because he had been taking the blood food pills left by his mother-in-law for a while, and his *daohang* (spiritual cultivation) had improved again.

He came to that temple again and saw the incense on his incense burner.

He was quite relieved, but looking at the wisps of smoke floating out of the incense burner, he suddenly thought that since he had come to a new place, might he encounter a new transmigrator?

"Perhaps I can try to call out myself?"

This idea came to his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. The most urgent task was to solve his own problem.

At other times, it was just wasting his *mingxiang* (life incense).

Now, the manager who sent them here yesterday had returned, and this place had become their little world.

"Good performance, not a single one overslept. Start learning to work!"

The old shopkeeper nodded to everyone with satisfaction, then just pulled up a lounge chair, made a pot of tea, and waited on the side.

Xu Ji'er, the brocade-clad young man who went to bury the yellow weasel last night, had already come early again. Without waiting for shopkeeper Wu's instructions, he directed the group of guys to work.

This large house was divided into inner and outer courtyards. Shopkeeper Wu and his servant lived in the inner courtyard, along with the incense hall and several houses with copper locks. The outer courtyard had stables, warehouses, and the side rooms where they slept.

The brocade-clad young master Xu Ji'er seemed to be very familiar with the place. He directed Hu Ma and the other eight newcomers to clean the stables, sweep the courtyard, carry water, pick vegetables, and then gather together to patrol the area every evening after dusk, carrying lanterns and singing.

This night patrol was their responsibility, to deter the surrounding evil spirits and bring honor to the Red Lantern Goddess.

"Having become a member of our Red Lantern Society, each month you will have half a *jin* (approximately 500g) of blood food to support you..."

He solemnly instructed the guys: "But this blood food is not given for free. If you don't work diligently, it will be deducted!"

The guys all listened obediently, not daring to have any opinions.

Even Hu Ma knew that this place was different from Second Master's place, and he honestly followed along with the work.

After staying like this for a few days, he gradually became familiar with the place, and his heart settled down. That shopkeeper Wu, except for...

Arrived

"I'm too lazy to deal with these troublesome things, but I won't hide the skills I should teach you, lest you complain."

"Let's try it today. I'll see your skill level."

"..."

The guys had been waiting for three or four days and finally looked forward to this day, and they were immediately excited.

Each of them showed off the tricks they had learned, their amazing physical strength, and the sealed furnace fire.

It was at this time that Hu Ma discovered that the young men came from different places and learned different things. The same thing was that they had all lit the furnace, but the different thing was in the *bashi* (martial techniques).

They, from Danyang Village, had learned all the *bashi* and practiced them very purely, but the young men from the other places had only lit the furnace. When asked about the *bashi*, they didn't know anything.

And what was different from them, especially the brocade-clad young master and his two followers.

The *bashi* they practiced were different, but obviously more varied, heavier, and fiercer than the three axe tricks that Second Master taught, and were very imposing.

"The foundation is not bad."

Shopkeeper Wu looked at them one by one and said with a smile, "Before you joined the Red Lantern Society, you didn't have any stable blood food to supplement you, so it's not bad that you can train to this level."

"But, probably no one has told you before, it's useless to just have a lit furnace. It can only defend against evil spirits, and it can't do anything else. In the future, it won't be enough for you to just defend against evil spirits. You also have to follow along with your fists and martial arts. I'll teach you how to use it first."

As he spoke, he personally took action and performed a set of *bashi*, and then broke it down and explained it to the guys one by one.

These guys, including Zhou Datong and others, had never learned this kind of fighting method before, and they were naturally very excited when they heard this.

Hu Ma also knew that this was an inevitable process, so he just silently followed along and learned.

But he discovered the difference inside. Lighting the furnace was the same, but the *bashi* that each person learned was different. However, although the *bashi* were different, the principles were the same. They were all just to bring out the furnace fire, guided by the *bashi*, and performing inner and outer *gong* (exercises) and other spells.

It's just...

After gradually learning for about half a month, Hu Ma gradually felt that something was wrong.

This Master Wu was very dedicated when teaching them *bashi*, not even inferior to Second Master when he taught himself.

But the key is, this person only teaches *bashi*!

Whether it was walking with the fist or walking with strength, or gouging eyes and kicking the crotch, the use was there, but they were all essentially the same as the *bashi* that Second Master taught him.

And the upper-level spells for lighting the furnace were never mentioned.

Speaking of which, this was reasonable, but now, as he regularly took the blood food pills left by his mother-in-law, his own *daohang* had reached two and a half *zhu* (incense sticks), and his mother-in-law had told him that when he reached three *zhu* of *daohang*, he would need to cultivate the next step of the spells.

According to the speed at which shopkeeper Wu was teaching things now, he was afraid that even after he finished eating the blood food pills, he would still be learning the *bashi*.

Spending money like water, ah. His mother-in-law left him a lot of blood food pills, but he couldn't stand this kind of consumption.

He had to think of a way quickly...

He hoped so in his heart, but he was not in a hurry to do anything. He was also very polite to the brocade-clad young master Xu Ji, and let him arrange things.

He only patiently waited until the thirtieth of this month, the day of zero, and finally heard that long-lost voice:

"Old Bai Gan brother, did you miss me?"

"..."

Hu Ma heard this voice, and his heart suddenly felt light. He smiled and replied, "I missed you."