Twilight Boundary
Chapter 52 Red Fragrance Human Candle

Chapter 52: Chapter 52 Red Fragrance Human Candle

"Under the glow of the Red Lantern, evil spirits won’t bother, illnesses vanish. Under the glow of the Red Lantern, people and horses flourish, wealth and treasures abound....."

"Once you join our Red Lantern Society, whether you’re a worker or a Shopkeeper, you’re a Disciple under the Red Lantern Lady now. Bow and worship the Red Lantern, keep the Red Lantern Lady in your heart. Cut Blood Food without attracting evil spirits, fear not walking in darkness, and drink heavily without fearing a headache..."

"..."

The young men took turns offering incense and noted their respective numbers. Then that incense master delivered a speech—half-literary, half-plain, simple and easy to understand.

Hu Ma listened carefully and felt that worshiping the Red Lantern Lady was somewhat similar to the old fire pit. However, he couldn’t grasp more specific details, and the youths around him also listened in a daze, only becoming excited when the speech ended and the dishes began to be served.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t just the front tables with wine and meat, the middle ones with steamed buns, and the back ones with cornbread. Those things were indeed there. For example, only the tables covered with red cloth at the front each had a bottle of wine—the kind Second Master had previously brought. On the tables with green cloth, there was indeed a basket of white flour steamed buns, while the tables with white cloth only had a bowl of cornbread made with mixed flour.

But besides these, each table surprisingly had meat dishes: a fat chicken as the centerpiece, a bowl of Tai Sui meat, and several vegetable plates.

The youths stared, their eyes widening, almost popping out of their sockets and into the bowls. A flurry of snatching and gobbling ensued, creating a lively scene.

Destiny has diverged from this moment on...

Hu Ma mingled in the crowd, silently thinking. He had received a heads-up from Brother Er Guotou earlier, knowing that once inside the Red Lantern Society, the type of incense one burned was crucial.

The Red Lantern Lady’s Club was vast and influential. Although newcomers were all considered workers, their assignments varied. Among them, those who performed the burning green incense ritual were the most ordinary workers. Their duties included watching the mines, acting as Protectors, and guarding vehicles. They were, in essence, the lowest-ranking personnel of the Red Lantern Lady’s Club.

The fate of those who burned white incense was more chaotic. The intelligent ones learned business, the abacus, and accounting. The less astute swept floors, ran errands, filled in gaps, or took any available odd job. Some even had to rush into the mines during busy periods to help with the harvest of resources. However, most fell into the latter category.

As for those who burned Red Fragrance, they were the fewest in number and the most mysterious. Their treatment was undoubtedly the best—not only did they eat the best meals, but even after dining, they were treated differently from others.

Previously, upon entering this Manor, it was mostly the richly-dressed youths and the sturdier, stronger young men who had seized the best accommodations in the main house. Those from Dayang Village initially stayed in the east wing, while the ragged youths were directly assigned to the stables. But now, after the incense-burning, that group of ragged youths had directly occupied the main house, throwing out the belongings of others.

Early in the morning and late in the evening, when society members came by with carts to distribute meals, the ragged youths who had burned Red Fragrance were the first to eat, some even unceremoniously picking out the meat from the dishes. The others could only watch; no one dared to move until the Red Fragrance group had finished, or they would face reprimands from the manager and other society members.

"Sigh, they eat the best, live in the best places, and I hear they’re usually nourished with Blood Food..."

The onlooking youths were filled with envy. Li, from the village, also said enviously, "If we had known, we would’ve snatched it too! With our skills, we might not have lost!"

Hu Ma heard this and merely sneered, "It’s not too late for you to try now."

"Speak to the manager; they’ll let you in!"

"..."

Li, thinking he had angered Hu Ma, became cautious and dared not speak further. Hu Ma offered no explanation, merely observing coldly as this group of somewhat emboldened, ragged youths enjoyed their special treatment.

「Three nights later,」 he suddenly heard faint, eerie, and chilling laughter.

Hu Ma awoke from his dream to see a red glow illuminating the courtyard. He sat up and looked outside. In the empty courtyard, two lanterns, glowing as red as blood, had appeared at some unknown time. Two managers held these lanterns, waiting in the yard. The group of ragged youths who had burned Red Fragrance and occupied the main house emerged one by one, dazed, barefoot, and bare-chested. They followed blankly behind the two managers out of the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard, Red Fragrance Disciples from other Manors had also gathered and followed. They chased the red lanterns carried by the managers ahead, dazed and zombie-like, quietly traversing streets and alleys. The scene was silent, yet it possessed a chilling eeriness that made one’s skin crawl.

Deep inside, Hu Ma sighed, recalling Brother Er Guotou’s earlier warnings.

"Logically speaking, we’re all essentially reborn, so we shouldn’t be so impulsive, but I must warn you." At the time he mentioned this, a hint of mystery laced his voice. "The Red Lantern Society naturally regards Red Fragrance as highly valuable. Even a Shopkeeper who burns three incense sticks must treat a Disciple who burns Red Fragrance with utmost respect and dare not act arrogantly."

"It’s not only because they risk their lives for the Society, but because they will soon master an array of evil skills, exorcising spirits and commanding servant ghosts with methods that are difficult to guard against. But, brother..."

"...this isn’t the righteous Path."

"From the moment these people burn Red Fragrance, their lives are, ninety-nine percent of the time, no longer their own."

"Every year, the Red Lantern Society buys orphans and children with nowhere else to go from brokers and the Beggar Gang. They promise them a good life with ample food and comfortable beds, all so they will burn Red Fragrance and worship the Lady. Seventy percent of the Red Lantern Society’s business relies on their efforts..."

"..."

"..."

"Indeed, under the Red Lantern Altar, with its three incense offerings, each person truly has a different fate..."

Hu Ma already understood this in his heart. Those who burned Red Fragrance held a special status; in truth, they were the only true Disciples of the Red Lantern Lady’s Club. The others were merely workers.

However, once these people became Disciples, they also literally became "human candles!" Burning away their lives, channeling spirits and engaging in Ghost Raising, it was uncertain when they might end up like a lamp with its oil exhausted, their corpses exposed in the wilderness.

It was evident from the scramble for Red Fragrance that not all the richly-dressed youths or the well-connected second-generation society members vied for it. Even those who wanted to did not truly risk their lives; otherwise, those ragged youths might not have been their match. This was a matter of life and death, yet even Second Master hadn’t warned him, indicating that Second Master himself was unaware. But with youthful ardor, having worshiped the Red Lantern Lady, who wouldn’t want to stand out? They didn’t realize that by desperately fighting for it, they were only snatching a path to their demise.

「The next morning,」 when the Disciples who had burned Red Fragrance were gone, the other youths were curious. Some considered retaking the main house, but Hu Ma knew it was pointless. He simply waited for the arrangements intended for people like him.

These youths, including himself, were merely in the city to pay homage to the Lady at the incense master’s place; perhaps there was also the objective of selecting potential Red Fragrance Disciples from among them. But the vast majority would have to leave. The Red Lantern Society couldn’t afford to support so many people in the city. Now that the Red Fragrance Disciples were settled, it was time for these workers who burned green incense to head towards their own destinies and futures.

"How have these past few days been?"

After two quiet days in the Manor, the Moustache Manager—the one who had accepted three green Tai Sui from Second Master—arrived.

Hu Ma replied respectfully.

The Moustache Manager kindly inquired about Hu Ma, what incense he had burned, and the situation of the few who had come with him. Upon learning they had all burned green incense, he smiled and said, "You’re all fortunate. If you had burned Red Fragrance, I wouldn’t say any more. If you had burned white incense, the society couldn’t help much, and it would all depend on your own fortune. But since you all burned green incense, I should ask."

"Now that you’ve joined our Red Lantern Society, are you planning to earn some Silver Coins, return to your village, and marry, or are you hoping to learn some skills?"

"..."

Hu Ma quickly answered, "Marriage is an important matter, but before I left, my elders also instructed that if I could learn more skills, I should focus on learning skills."

"A sharp lad indeed! No wonder your elders were willing to give me such a fine gift." The Moustache Manager chuckled. "I don’t accept gifts for nothing. Since you wish to learn skills, I’ll arrange a good place for you. Green Rock Manor established a new branch two years ago and is currently short of workers. If you want to climb the ladder and learn something, that’s a suitable place."

"Of course, I’m only sending you there. Whether you succeed or not will depend on that old shopkeeper!"

"..."

Hu Ma promptly expressed his gratitude, "Much obliged, much obliged."

A couple of days later, the manager, now wearing a green robe, came to the door of Hu Ma and the others.

"It’s time. Pack your bedrolls. We’ll depart after lunch."

"Huh?"

The group from Dayang Village and the others who were called out by name all seemed rather dumbfounded. After the incense-burning, they had stayed here for several days, enjoying a leisurely life with meals delivered daily. Some had even thought they were in the city to enjoy comforts. Now, suddenly, they had to leave?

Feeling somewhat dejected, the seven or eight workers who had been named nevertheless quickly packed their bedrolls and waited obediently.

The noon meal was surprisingly good, with rare white flour steamed buns and several large chunks of fatty meat in the dishes. Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, the youths followed the manager out. The manager rode a large green mule, but Hu Ma, his companions from Dayang Village, and four or five other green incense workers from unknown origins, had no such luxury. They all carried their bedrolls and walked.

Exiting the city from the west gate, they turned south, traveling through villages and hamlets for several hours. Finally, just before nightfall, they arrived at a town. Visible from afar, it had about a hundred households and a few narrow storefronts. Barren mountain paths led from it, extending into the night towards the Old Yin Mountain, which resembled a crouching beast in the darkness.

Their destination was clear at a glance: a large estate built at the edge of the town, with white walls, green tiles, and a strikingly conspicuous large red lantern hanging by the entrance. Surprisingly, there were traces of incense-burning and offerings before the gate.

Who would burn incense at the entrance of a residence?Isn’t that like worshiping the people inside as if they were dead?

These workers, having just witnessed the city’s hustle and bustle, now found themselves dispatched to this desolate and remote town, and a sense of disparity inevitably settled in their hearts.

This manager, having received benefits, actually followed through, Hu Ma thought silently. The Moustache Manager wasn’t just stringing them along.Brother Er Guotou had already explained the ways of the Red Lantern Lady’s Club to him; the more remote and desolate the place, the fewer the sinister Paths...

Of course, for him, learning the skills of a Shousui man remained the most crucial.But that would depend on the actual circumstances.