Chapter 1 The Name

Being called out, Hu Ma had no choice but to come out.

Arriving at the entrance of the estate, he was slightly surprised. There were quite a few people from the city, including three or five stewards and several Hongxiang disciples (Red Fragrance Disciples). Not only did they ride their own horses, but they also led a few extra ones.

He was taken aback, realizing that they didn't plan to stay overnight at the estate, but would return to the city that very night to offer the blood tribute to the Red Lantern Goddess.

Their estate was about a two-hour horse ride from the city. Leaving now would mean arriving in the city around dusk.

Normally, they wouldn't rush like this for safety reasons, but with so many people, taking the risk wasn't a big deal.

"It's all thanks to the bravery of brothers Yang Gong and Shen Bangzi. I merely fulfilled my duty to the shop and assisted them a little," Hu Ma said modestly, greeting the stewards from the city outside the estate.

Whether he wanted the credit or not, it was his. There was no need to be too ostentatious with his words.

"Hehe, you shouldn't be so humble for bringing back such a large batch of blood tribute."

One of the men on horseback chuckled. It was Steward Xu, whom Hu Ma knew well. Xu had sent Hu Ma to the estate and had essentially promoted him. Now that Hu Ma had established a good relationship with the Second Master in the stronghold, Xu considered himself Hu Ma's elder.

Seeing Hu Ma achieve such a great feat, Xu's face lit up with a smile. "I knew you were good, but I didn't expect you to be so promising.

"We need to return to the city early today, lest the Goddess be worried. We'll talk more about it later!"

Everyone knew the urgency. They quickly dismounted, offered two good horses to Yang Gong and Shen Bangzi, and surrounded the two men, especially Yang Gong, who carried the blood tribute, for protection, nodding to Hu Ma.

With a whistle, they spurred their horses and headed towards the city in a grand procession.

Hu Ma watched them disappear into the distance, breathing a sigh of relief. Although he had contributed to this batch of blood tribute, he didn't feel like he had lost something when he watched it being taken away.

*Sigh*, if only…

…No, no, he couldn't think like that.

This batch of blood tribute was valuable, but exchanging it for Yang Gong's friendship and this achievement was not a bad deal.

He needed a place where he could be in charge, a place that would allow him to cultivate in peace because he had too many secrets. So, he still had his heart set on becoming a manager.

Previously, he was too inexperienced. Even with a manager willing to vouch for him, he had no chance. But now, perhaps, he had a sliver of hope.

"The merit of protecting the red lanterns before the New Year, and the merit of helping to recover the blood tribute, should be enough to offset my lack of experience, right?"

He thought to himself, turning back to the estate.

Despite the major events that had just occurred, with several important figures from the city arriving, the workers in the estate were somewhat distracted. They were crowded next to his small house, craning their necks and peeking inside, holding their breath as if afraid to disturb something.

"Go, go, go…"

Zhou Datong's voice rang out from inside, chasing them away: "Don't stand here, don't look…"

"This is Brother Ma's lover, we'll all lose out if you look at her too much…"

"…"

"What's all this?"

Hu Ma was both amused and annoyed. He needed to talk to Zhou Datong.

He was clearly a virgin, yet he spoke so vulgarly…

Of course, it all came down to the Second Master's influence.

Zhou Datong tried to shoo them away for a long time, but no one moved an inch. However, as soon as they saw Hu Ma approaching, the workers quickly made way and pretended to be busy with something else.

Hu Ma arrived at his house, chased Zhou Datong out as well, and then looked at the yellow-haired girl lying on his kang (heated brick bed). Her clothes hadn't been changed, but they were now dry. She was still unconscious.

Hu Ma stood by the bed, looked at her, and said, "Since you're awake, don't lie there."

A *shou suiren* (vigil keeper) was sensitive to the aura of life. He could tell at a glance whether she was awake or asleep.

However, even after he pointed it out, she kept her eyes tightly shut, her thin body trembling slightly.

Hu Ma frowned and said, "I just happened to save you from the water. After all, a life is a life. I don't ask for anything in return. My estate is full of men, and it's not convenient to keep a little girl here. Get up early and go home!"

With that, he turned to leave the room.

Suddenly, as soon as he turned, he heard a *whoosh* behind him.

It was the yellow-haired girl on the bed. Hearing Hu Ma's words, she suddenly slid off the bed, knelt down, and kowtowed.

"Kind sir, please, please don't send me away…"

"…"

"What do you mean, 'send you away'?"

Hu Ma looked at her frightened appearance and said, "Where are you from? What's your name? Are you from Niujiawan (Cow Home Village)?"

"I… My surname is Li, and my name is Xiangyu. My home… my home is in Da Shitou Ya (Big Stone Cliff)…"

The yellow-haired girl trembled even more as she listened to Hu Ma's serious tone: "I met a 'dry mother' (adoptive mother, but often used by kidnappers) when I was watching the lantern festival with the steward's grandfather. The 'dry mother' said that my family didn't want me anymore and that she would take me to see the flowers. She took me far away and taught me manners. She said that whoever bought me should be treated with respect. If they were good-looking, I should call them 'gongzi' (young master). If they were wealthy, I should call them 'shaoye' (young lord). If… If someone wanted my body…"

"…I should call them 'xiang gong' (husband)."

"…"

As she spoke, she glanced at Hu Ma, as if to make sure she hadn't called him the wrong name, and then quickly kowtowed again: "Please don't send me away, gongzi. I've learned to cook, and I can also sew clothes and clean the courtyard…"

"You met a 'dry mother' while watching the lantern festival?"

Hu Ma frowned as he listened, vaguely understanding that she was likely a kidnapped girl.

He asked her where her home was, but she was hazy about it. She only remembered Da Shitou Ya, but couldn't say the specific prefecture or county. He didn't know if it was because she had been kidnapped for too long or if she had been subjected to some kind of bewitchment.

After a moment of thought, he said, "You don't need to call me 'xiang gong' or 'shaoye'."

"I won't send you away, but I can't let you stay in the estate. I'll find you a place to stay outside first, and then I'll ask someone to inquire about Da Shitou Ya. If we can find your family, I'll have someone send a message for them to come and take you back."

The yellow-haired girl was overjoyed and kowtowed in gratitude.

Hu Ma sighed inwardly. This was the most he could do.

It would be truly inappropriate to send her away directly. In this world, even grown men had a hard time making a living, let alone an undeveloped yellow-haired girl?

Miss White Wine had said that this was a chaotic world, a world of demons, a world of evil. Her situation was not uncommon.

In fact, it was very common.

He didn't have that much kindness. He would pretend not to know about bad things as long as they didn't happen in front of him.

But he wasn't so cold-blooded that he could still pretend not to see these pitiful things happening right before his eyes.

However, he had no intention of keeping this person around. Although he was still a virgin and hadn't tasted flesh in a long time, he wasn't so greedy that he would think of picking up a girl to warm his bed at every turn.

Especially one whose identity was questionable and whose background was unknown. Wasn't keeping her around just asking for trouble?

To put it another way, if he really got greedy, he could just prepare a few taels of silver and pick anyone he wanted from the brokerage.

After all, in this chaotic world, human lives were cheap. This kind of yellow-haired girl was even cheaper than a sheep.

It would be better to do a good deed, find out her background, and send her back.

He led her out of the house, and the eyes of the workers outside were all staring straight at her. She lowered her head, trembling, afraid to look at anyone, until Hu Ma led her out of the estate and to the tavern in town.

Hu Ma said to the tavern owner, "A relative has come to my stronghold and wants to work for a wealthy family in the city. My estate doesn't have a place for her to stay, so I'll settle her here first."

"Here's some silver. Please arrange some food for her every day and have your wife find some clothes for her to change into."

"…"

Hu Ma had been buying wine from him often lately. Plus, the small stewards of the Red Lantern Goddess Society were powerful people in the surrounding towns and villages. How could this tavern owner refuse? As soon as he heard, he called his wife out to take the girl, refusing the silver.

But Hu Ma still stuffed it into his hands, and told the yellow-haired girl to stay here, not to make a fuss, and to think more about her family.

With everything settled, he bought two jin (a Chinese unit of weight, approximately 500g) of wine and returned to the estate.

This time, his assistance to Yang Gong was definitely a great achievement, and Zhou Datong's efforts in taking people out to help him also deserved credit.

He had to reward him with a good meal.

Back at the estate, the workers looked dejected when they saw Hu Ma returning alone.

"They've been holding back for too long…"

Hu Ma couldn't help but smile as he looked at them: "It's not easy for anyone!"

No wonder those who learned skills from the Second Master could only work for a few years if they didn't learn the *shou suiren* methods.

He had to find a way out for them as soon as possible. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep sheep in his estate in the future.

"Zhou Datong and the others could be considered for trying to learn the *shou suiren* methods."

Back in his house, he silently sorted things out in his mind: "But for the other workers, if they can't hold back, they'll still have to sneak off to the red-light district. As long as the blood tribute from the Red Lantern Goddess Society sustains them, they can still use their skills and work, even if they've lost their virginity."

"But in that case, what's the difference between them and the *ren zhu* (human candles)?"

"…"

He sighed silently, not thinking too much about it. He could barely take care of himself, let alone consider for others.

The other workers had this fate when they joined the Red Lantern Society.

Three or five days passed without incident. The news from the city hadn't arrived yet, but suddenly, the old servant from the inner courtyard came out, bought a table of food and wine in town, and then came to Hu Ma and said:

"Young Master, the Master is waiting for you inside, he wants to have a drink with you…"

"Why do you suddenly want to drink?"

Hu Ma thought of something, quickly got up, and entered the inner courtyard. He saw the old manager and Sister Wu He sitting at the table, which was full of food and wine.

The old manager had an air of exhaustion that he couldn't shake off. He sighed and said to Hu Ma, "We're leaving soon!"