Chapter 1 What the Red Lantern Lady Represents

Red Lantern Lady…

Whether it was Ninth Grandpa carrying the jar, the old shopkeeper, or Wu He, the girl wrapped in dog skin, they all clearly understood what that fleeting glimpse of red light represented.

They also clearly understood what presence had made itself known in that instant, bringing with it boundless pressure, even suppressing the resentment of Aunt Tan…

Within a ten-mile radius, of course, only the Red Lantern Lady had such power.

"You actually invited the Red Lantern Lady?"

Ninth Grandpa's laughter was cut short, replaced by surprise, even his voice becoming hoarse. He didn't understand how this Wu, who had been fighting so hard for the blood sacrifice, could end up inviting the Red Lantern Lady.

But he hadn't anticipated that the old shopkeeper, looking towards the manor, would also wear a look of despair and confusion: "How could I invite her?"

"If I were to invite her, why would I have guarded this place for so long, and gone through so much trouble, only to end up with nothing?"

“…”

If he was going to invite her, he would have done so earlier. Furthermore, he didn't understand how the Red Lantern Lady had been invited.

He had deliberately avoided teaching anyone in the manor how to invite the Red Lantern Lady, and had even reduced the amount of oil in the lanterns, all for the sake of caution…

Most importantly, if the Red Lantern Lady arrived, then all his plans…

"Wu, Shopkeeper Wu…"

In this suffocating silence, Ninth Grandpa of the Tan’er Sect suddenly reacted and shouted, "The Red Lantern Lady wasn't invited by you, was she?"

"You're not that stupid. If you alarmed her, we'd both get nothing. Let's not fight anymore, and just leave…"

"At most, we'll split the blood sacrifice, half each. Let's leave before she gets here!"

“…”

The proposal sounded like a fantasy.

They were sworn enemies, irreconcilable. How could they do such a thing?

But Shopkeeper Wu was indeed filled with resentment, his mind flashing with images of his dead apprentices and employees. However, amidst his hatred, he felt a stirring in his heart, his eyes fiercely turning towards Ninth Grandpa, certain thoughts flickering in his mind.

His hatred for the Tan’er Sect was genuine, but he was now truly tempted.

Should he leave now?

Or should he allow the Red Lantern Lady to come, and offer her this batch of blood sacrifice, claiming that he was atoning for his sins?

The latter was certainly safer, but the former offered greater gains.

Only he knew the value of this batch of blood sacrifice. How many years would he have to serve the Red Lantern Society to earn as much?

Besides, although he still had the strength to fight, his substitute had already died.

Even with his third-tier Shou Suiren (New Year's Eve Watcher) skills, he might not be able to withstand Aunt Tan's attack. If they really fought, he might not be able to hold out until the Red Lantern Lady arrived from the manor…

Wu He removed the dog skin from her head and shouted, "Dad, kill them…"

"Avenge us, and return the blood sacrifice…"

“…”

"Ninth Grandpa, we should leave, or when the Red Lantern arrives, we'll be…"

The Tan’er Sect members beside him were also shouting, having been severely injured by the old shopkeeper in their brief exchange.

But even as they shouted, Ninth Grandpa and the old shopkeeper dared not move.

One was worried that if he left now, the Wu shopkeeper would desperately try to delay him, wasting time.

The other knew that if he attacked now, the Tan’er Sect would fight to the death. Without his substitute, he was afraid he wouldn't gain any advantage. Moreover, even if he held off his opponents, once the Red Lantern Lady arrived, this batch of blood sacrifice would be entirely out of his reach…

Thinking this way, splitting the profits with the two parties seemed like the most rewarding option?

…A thought struck him, and he turned his head sharply, meeting Ninth Grandpa's eyes. It seemed as if they were about to reach an agreement.

"Heh heh…"

But at this moment, a clear, cold laugh echoed from the shadows.

Both sides held their breath. They had been fighting so fiercely that they didn't know when this person had arrived.

Or perhaps, she had been waiting there all along?

Through the darkness, they could vaguely see a figure standing there, seemingly a slender woman, with something perched on her shoulder, only a pair of bright eyes visible.

The woman gave a cold laugh, but didn't say anything. She simply seemed to slowly take something out of her arms, and with a gentle shake, it jingled – a bell.

And as the bell rang, the porters, who had been standing woodenly on the spot, not participating in the fierce battle, slowly began to move. One by one, they picked up their carrying poles, hoisted the bags of blood sacrifice, and walked towards the woman, ignoring everyone around them…

"You…"

Suddenly seeing this scene, the people in the arena seemed to realize something.

With a start, Ninth Grandpa and Shopkeeper Wu saw the confusion on each other's faces, and suddenly realized:

"Someone's stealing our peaches?" (benefiting from their conflict)

“…”

They had fought each other to the brink of death, only to find that someone had been waiting on the sidelines to steal the fruits of their labor?

Shopkeeper Wu and the Tan’er Sect members were shocked, a feeling of desperate absurdity rising within them. They shouted sternly:

"Friend, which path are you on?"

But the other party didn't answer, simply standing there quietly, allowing the porters to walk past her, disappearing into the darkness behind her.

Ninth Grandpa of the Tan’er Sect and the old shopkeeper were both unnerved by this bizarre figure. They were certain that this person wasn't helping the other side, which only made the situation more unimaginable.

In desperation, they could no longer worry about anything else. They both jumped down and launched a fierce attack on the silent figure. One placed his hand on the already cracked jar, chanting incantations quickly.

Suddenly, a deep resentment, wrapped in the night wind, swept straight towards the silent figure.

The old shopkeeper also flipped over and pulled out a chain dart from his bag. With a sudden flick, the wind whistled, and the dart pierced towards her heart.

Not only them, but the Tan’er Sect members around them also reacted, simultaneously activating Aunt Tan's resentment.

In an instant, both sides joined forces, attacking the mysterious figure. How dangerous!

But the woman standing in the shadows, ringing the bell, seemed completely unconcerned. She stood there quietly, motionless, but the thing on her shoulder with the bright eyes suddenly opened its mouth and let out a hoarse, ear-piercing, bizarre cat's meow.

The cry was incomparably shrill, seeming to carry an invisible pressure in the night. They all felt dizzy and couldn't move.

And with the cat's meow, it seemed as if something suddenly exploded in the air. The old shopkeeper's chain dart, full of force, suddenly flew back.

It was even faster and heavier than when it was thrown out. With a whoosh, it slammed into the old shopkeeper's body, sending him tumbling head over heels, followed by a mouthful of blood.

On the Tan’er Sect side, it was even more terrifying. Streams of Yin wind swept back, and the jars in their hands exploded one after another. Aunt Tan let out a desperate and tragic cry, and then red and white matter scattered all over the ground.

After just this one blow, both the Tan’er Sect and the old shopkeeper realized the opponent's terror.

If both sides were in good condition, they might have been able to fight. But now, they were both remnants of defeated troops, where did they have the courage to resist?

Ninth Grandpa of the Tan’er Sect had already lost his voice, crying out in despair, "Friend, who exactly are you?"

"Leave a name, so we can accept our defeat?"

“…”

"Heh heh…"

But the figure standing in the shadows didn't answer, only giving a low, cold laugh.

The porters had already walked behind her in the sound of the bell, seeming to disappear into the darkness. She stopped the bell, seeming to turn and leave, but then seemed to suddenly remember something and walked forward.

This action frightened the Tan’er Sect members and the old shopkeeper, thinking she was going to kill them to silence them. But they didn't expect that she would simply walk to Wu He's side and gently reach out to take something.

Wu He was also shocked, jumping up to resist, but without any visible movement, her slender fingers touched the dog's head.

With a flip of her hand, she tore off a piece of the dog skin from Wu He's back.

Wu He felt immense pain and closed her eyes, waiting for death. Even the old shopkeeper desperately wanted to jump up, but was suddenly stared at by the strange cat on her shoulder, feeling a great weight on his body.

But the woman didn't do anything else, simply flicking out a fire starter and shining it on Wu He's back, laughing softly, her voice hoarse: "Pitiful, truly a vile zooplasty technique…"

"However, the Tan’er Sect's methods of nurturing aunts are passable, but they haven't mastered the zooplasty technique."

"If you can find someone from the Divine Hand Zhao family, it might not be incurable…"

“…”

After saying this, she ignored everything else, gently turned around, and with the sound of the bell, gradually disappeared into the night.

By the time they awoke, the bell-ringing person had already led the group of porters into the night.

Arriving strangely, leaving quickly.

The people in the arena looked at each other, none of them knowing what exactly had happened.

Only after a long while did Shopkeeper Wu suddenly react. He also felt that this mysterious person had come suddenly and left decisively, exuding an unspeakable sense of mystery.

But reality didn't allow him to hesitate. The blood sacrifice was gone, and the Red Lantern Lady was probably arriving soon. Most importantly, without his substitute, he might not be a match for the Tan’er Sect people, after his fight with them…

But now, most of their jars were broken, and although he had coughed up blood, he still had the strength to fight…

Suddenly realizing this, his eyes turned fiercely towards the Tan’er Sect people. The Ninth Grandpa of the Tan’er Sect and the few surviving members also realized something was wrong when the old shopkeeper cast his gaze over, and cried out in their hearts:

"This old bastard wants to silence us…"

"Children, fight…"

“…”

Another tragic battle began, while the mysterious person had long since disappeared.