"Where is this? Who am I? What am I doing?"
The Red Lantern Lady had been in Zhu Gate Town, just outside Mingzhou Prefecture, watching her temple rise day by day. Her heart was filled with both anticipation and unease.
As usual, she kowtowed to the four directions daily, praying the expert hiding in Mingzhou Prefecture wouldn't trouble a weak woman like herself. But this evening, while kowtowing, she unexpectedly felt a part of her being involuntarily pulled away.
She was startled, initially thinking the expert had summoned her.
However, when she descended to the Magic Altar on this desolate, barren hill and saw the young little shopkeeper upon it, she suddenly realized:
How is it him?
Baffled, she slowly processed the situation. Am I being summoned?
Seeing the half-burnt Red Fragrance, she immediately understood what was happening.
Normally, only Red Fragrance Disciples and Incense Burners could borrow her mana. Even then, they had to chant her revered name, offer their lives, show respect, and she herself had to be willing to lend it.
This kind of unannounced summoning, especially one that directly drew over her mana and spiritual essence, could only occur in two situations:
One, someone with immense mana had directly apprehended her.
The other was a special reward she granted to her Disciples.
Running such a large Blood Food Gang was exhausting.
When Disciples achieved great merit, they couldn't be poorly compensated. But should all rewards be Blood Food?
That's not enough!
Blood Food was limited. She needed it, her superiors needed it, the Left and Right Protectors needed it, and the Incense Burners all desired it.
Some received more, some less, but no one could be denied entirely.
If everyone received a large share, what would be left for her?
Besides, rewarding all merits with Blood Food didn't highlight the value of truly special achievements. So, the Red Lantern Lady, initially troubled by this, adopted a suggestion from her most trusted Right Protector to give her Disciples a unique reward:
"What's the use of giving Blood Food? What's the point of promotions? Too much Blood Food devalues it. Once they reach the top through promotions, they're ripe for elimination."
"So, give them a chance to live."
"For those who perform exceptionally meritorious deeds, grant them half a stick of incense. Promise them that if they light it, you will commit three portions of your strength to save their life."
"Anyway, this costs nothing. Even if they receive it, they'll hesitate to use it. You, Lady, merely gain a good reputation without actually having to rush around saving their lives..."
The Red Lantern Lady hadn't realized things could be handled this way back then.
After a hesitant trial, she found it surprisingly effective. All rewarded Disciples were ecstatic.
The Right Protector was truly brilliant...
The little shopkeeper who had rendered meritorious service during the duel was one such case. His contribution wasn't monumental, but it had been crucial at a critical moment.
Giving him too much Blood Food would have felt like a personal loss. Yet, not rewarding him was impossible, as everyone in the Blood Food Society was watching. So, on the Right Protector's advice, she gave him half a stick of life-saving incense to settle the matter...
...But you actually used it?
Didn't the Right Protector say everyone would hoard such a thing, hide it away, and never use it?
The Red Lantern Lady's emotions were a complex tangle, leaving her momentarily speechless. Before she could fully process it, she noticed something else: Wait, this boy not only summoned me, but he even set up an altar...
Doesn't he understand the most basic rules!
He's on the altar, and I'm below it! What's this? Is this thick-browed, big-eyed little shopkeeper trying to rebel?
This realization genuinely displeased the Red Lantern Lady, and anger began to simmer. But then, she saw the little shopkeeper look up. He must have sensed her arrival, for his face immediately brightened with joy.
He turned to a dark-complexioned but pretty young woman beside him and said, "It's alright, the Lady is here."
"Aunt Zhang, don't worry. Our Red Lantern Lady—everyone in Mingzhou Prefecture knows she's the kindest! A True God who has temples built and incense burned in her honor, who saves people from suffering."
"I told you, once she's invited, no matter how many demon people come after us, we'll be safe and sound."
These words left Aunt Zhang momentarily stunned. "You don't usually speak so highly of your Lady..."
The Red Lantern Lady, who had been on the verge of erupting, was clearly taken aback by this. This is a Magic Altar, little shopkeeper, don't spout nonsense...
A Magic Altar connects to Heaven and Earth; who knows what might overhear such words!
...Though, they were rather pleasant to hear!
Meanwhile, Hu Ma praised her profusely while keeping an eye on the Red Lantern. It didn't seem overly agitated or intent on taking his life.
He instantly felt relieved; it seemed he had managed to placate her.
Knowing the situation was critical, he wasted no time and began to chant loudly:
"Red Lantern, concealing a spirit beauty, Law Lady, Law chariot, cross the Nether Bridge."
"I invite the Lady to descend with her power, her Red Lantern illuminating the four directions!"
"...Hu Ma, Shopkeeper of the Green Stone Town branch of the Red Lantern Society, respectfully invites the Lady to descend!"
These were the standard words used in the Red Lantern Society to invite the Red Lantern Lady. However, this invocation usually required the specially refined Red Lanterns from the Manor. At this moment, Hu Ma couldn't afford to be particular about such details.
He first spoke these words to show his respect for the Lady. Then, raising the red Wooden Sword in his hand, he exclaimed, "I implore the Lady to protect this disciple's life! This disciple will recite Your revered name day and night, eternally grateful for Your immense grace!"
His words were exceptionally polite, but the red Wooden Sword in his hand suddenly pointed, and the Red Lantern beside him immediately floated into the air.
The Lady, within the Red Lantern, found herself involuntarily drifting towards the Evil Ghosts emerging from the forest.
Simultaneously, as Godmother Cui struck the four jars with the sole of her shoe, a strange, fragrant smoke billowed out from the forest. The green mule, seemingly under some evil skill, was also panting heavily and charging madly towards the Magic Altar.
Precisely then, the Lady floated into mid-air. The Red Lantern pulsed with an eerie light, bathing the surroundings in a blood-red glow.
WHOOSH... The aroma drifting from the woods rushed towards the Red Lantern, causing the lantern in mid-air to sway precariously.
This kid...
Before the Lady could fully react, several Evil Ghosts slammed into her, startling her.
Did you come out here to crash someone else's turf?
Why are there so many powerful ones?
But before she could truly grasp the situation, the four Evil Ghosts that had emerged from the forest surrounded the Red Lantern Lady, tearing at her fiercely.
These Evil Ghosts, having been struck by the shoe sole, were saturated with immense resentment and devoid of any blessing; they were truly malevolent entities.
Meanwhile, the Red Lantern Lady, who had begun to receive some incense due to the temple construction and had cultivated a bit of incense fire qi, was feeling dizzy. The noxious aura of plague and pestilence emanating from the frenzied green mule below was overwhelming her.
All her pent-up anger erupted at once.
"Do you really think I'm a pushover?!"
The Red Lantern floating in the air suddenly blazed with an extraordinarily intense, eerie scarlet light as it engaged the four Evil Ghosts.
Those four jars of Evil Ghosts, painstakingly nurtured by Godmother Cui, were exceedingly formidable. The Red Lantern Lady, despite having only a fraction of her True Spirit descended upon the Magic Altar, still managed to suppress them.
"Our Red Lantern Lady is truly impressive!"
From his position on the Magic Altar, Hu Ma could see more than just the Red Lantern's light.
He could vaguely perceive the Red Lantern Lady, sleeves rolled up and hair disheveled, brawling fiercely with the four Evil Ghosts.
His heart skipped a beat, then swelled with admiration. When will Little Hongtang ever learn this kind of skill...
...Little Hongtang has so much to learn; she struggles so much just dealing with a mere cat ghost.
But this joy was short-lived. He caught a whiff of a rotten stench and, looking up quickly, saw the foul-smelling green mule charging directly at the Magic Altar. It would reach them in moments.
The frenzied beast looked terrifying enough. Moreover, its very appearance screamed that something was terribly wrong.
"Shopkeeper, don't let that beast get any closer!"
Aunt Zhang, watching with alarm, said urgently, "They're using a disease-type evil skill! It's the most low-class kind of trick! If that beast reaches us, it will not only defile our Magic Altar but also infect us!"
Such wicked methods!
Hu Ma grew cautious. Following Aunt Zhang's instructions, he began chanting a curse, plucked a stalk of straw from nearby, and tossed it forward.
THUD. The mana on the Magic Altar was potent. Though Hu Ma had only casually tossed the straw to the edge of the Magic Altar, the madly charging green mule suddenly stumbled as if its hooves had been roped, and it crashed to the ground.
The crazed animal, however, merely stumbled to its knees. It struggled back up and, with pallid eyes glaring, charged towards the Magic Altar even faster and more desperately than before.
Hu Ma resisted the Shousui man's urge to grab a knife and fight. Instead, he followed the technique Aunt Zhang had taught him. He picked up a stone from the ground, chanted a curse, and threw it past the Magic Altar, letting it land on the ground beyond.
BANG! This was far more effective than the straw. The green mule, which had almost reached them, seemed to collide with an invisible wall and was thrown violently to the ground.
It had been running so fast that the impact directly snapped its neck.
Impressive...
Even though he had performed the action, Hu Ma felt as if his eyes had been opened, and he was deeply impressed.
Unbeknownst to him, Aunt Zhang, who was helping protect the altar beside him, was also staring wide-eyed. This...
This is his first time setting up an altar, isn't it? How is he so skilled?
Their Magic Altar is hard to break...
Meanwhile, in the forest, Godmother Cui and her companions were growing frantic, their eyes red with anxiety.
Stopping the green mule was a secondary concern; its purpose was merely to defile the enemy's Magic Altar and disrupt their casting. The real problem was the Red Lantern they had summoned—it was phenomenally powerful.
The pressure from the opposing Magic Altar intensified. Their four jars of soldiers held out for only a moment before one jar suddenly shattered. The bones inside struggled as if trying to crawl out, but they melted into black water before they could get halfway.
The remaining three jars trembled violently, crushed by an immense pressure, looking as if they might explode at any second.
What kind of person had they encountered? Their Magic Altar was so orthodox, their spirits so fierce; they were incredibly difficult to deal with...