CHAPTER 459: CHAPTER 453 LANTERN FESTIVAL

No one anticipated that the Lantern Festival of the One Coin Sect would start as scheduled.

The entire street was alight with countless small lanterns. Commoners in ragged clothes, with children in tow, knelt on either side of thestreet. Members of the One Coin Sect, dressed in paper garments, moved among the people, setting up tents and cauldrons, distributing runes, and offering steamed buns and incense candles—all for free.

Throughout the town, any larger courtyards or open spaces were occupied by stages and acrobatic performers. Dressed as gods and ghosts, they created a lively atmosphere with banging gongs and beating drums, while performers displayed their unique skills, such as balancing jars on their heads and face-changing.

Not only did it begin, but its scale was far larger than anyone had imagined.

The most bewildered among them were Old Master Sun and Altar Master Tang of Great Shanbao. Knowing that the third day was approaching, they came to the street with hearts full of trepidation, expecting to witness a somber scene, but were instead stunned by the liveliness.

"The great hall officer is outside sharpening his blades, and a ghostly fog has sealed the town. The people killed by the demon corpse haven’t even been buried yet, so why are they in such a hurry to hold this Blessing Meeting?"

"Yes, I thought there would be, at most, thirty to fifty people, something barely passable. How did so many people appear all of a sudden?"

For those in the Path, the presence of the Shousui great hall officer outside brought immense pressure. This was without them even knowing that the Meng family had also come; otherwise, they might have been frightened enough to rebel on the spot.

But while those in the Path were terrified, these commoners seemed utterly oblivious. Watching the teeming crowds, the aroma of deep-fried snacks and the sweet fragrance of candied haws filled the air, leaving him feeling somewhat disoriented, as if this lively bustle of the human world had already dispelled that pressure.

Even Hu Ma had come to terms with it and was casually strolling down the street, weaving through the dense crowd.

Everyone in this town isn’t in a hurry, so why should I be?

After all, as a Shousui man, my specialty is escaping. The most I need to consider when fleeing is to take Master Ma, the donkey, and the Yin General. For safety’s sake, the stone horse outside town must be brought along too... and, conditions permitting, Calculation!

As long as I can escape, my mind will be much more at ease. He took a deep breath, feeling it was inappropriate to consider such matters in this atmosphere. Instead, his eyes landed on a nearby skewer of candied haws.

Little Hongtang was perched on his shoulder, her eyes practically glued to the candied haws, sparkling with desire.

Hu Ma sighed helplessly and generously fished out a fingernail-sized piece of broken silver from his robes. He bought the two biggest, reddest skewers, giving one to Little Hongtang and keeping one for himself.

Seeing Little Hongtang’s satisfied look, he chuckled, "After eating this skewer of candied haws, you can’t ask me for Blood Food Pills anymore..."

"Hey, Uncle Hu, Uncle Hu, over here..."

As he was looking, an excited cry suddenly came from not far away. Hu Ma followed the voice and saw the Sun Family’s Seventh Son. Dressed in a respectable brocade robe and accompanied by a few house servants, he stood dejectedly outside an inn. Upon seeing Hu Ma, his face immediately lit up with joy.

Hu Ma squeezed through the crowd with Little Hongtang and said to him, "Why are you here too?"

Previously, when Old Master Sun had hosted a banquet here, he hadn’t allowed this Seventh Son to come. Moreover, given the current perilous fate of Shima Town, why was he joining in the commotion?

"My father has already scolded me..."

The Sun Family’s Seventh Son, initially happy to see Hu Ma, became embarrassed when Hu Ma questioned him. He whispered, "I was keeping track of the blade Uncle Hu commissioned from me. I estimated its forging was nearly complete, so I specially brought a jar of Tai Sui blood to be present when it’s drawn from the forge."

"But I wasn’t told anything before entering the town. Once I was in and met my father, he gave me a terrible scolding, saying I’d come in seeking death."

"But I didn’t know anything! I didn’t encounter any trouble when I entered the town earlier, and he didn’t even send Aunt Chu to warn me..."

Aunt Chu?

Hu Ma paused for a moment before realizing he was likely referring to Old Master Sun’s familiar spirit. However, one couldn’t blame Old Master Sun. Even if he had wanted to send a message outside to warn his people of the danger, it would have been impossible.

The Meng family had laid an inescapable net outside; sending a little ghost out to deliver a message at this time would be no different from seeking death.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he asked, "The ghostly fog is thick outside the town. Did you not notice anything unusual when you came in? And how did all these commoners get in?"

"I did see fog in the mountains," the Sun Family’s Seventh Son replied earnestly. "But it seemed ordinary. Nothing happened when we came in. Besides, during the day, the road into the mountains was packed with people. It was as if all the people from the entire West Ridge Road had come to see the Lantern Festival."

"When there are so many people, no one thinks much of it. Someone in the crowd even said that this fog was conjured by a Magic King of the One Coin Sect, using his Mana to shield those attending the Blessing Meeting from disaster..."

"That’s utter nonsense..." Hu Ma couldn’t help but sigh helplessly upon hearing this.

The common folk certainly had a way of thinking. A demonic fog clearly meant to seal the town could somehow be twisted by them into a blessing that wards off disaster. Then again, weren’t the tomb-guarding clay figures outside the town also described as the mounts of the Old General who relieves suffering and hardship?

However, after asking this question, he looked expectantly at the Sun Family’s Seventh Son and smiled, "Is my blade finally about to be forged?"

"Yes!"

The Sun Family’s Seventh Son nodded vigorously at his words, his face filled with excitement.

Old Master Sun, likely afraid of scaring him and seeing that he was already in town with no way to run, hadn’t explained too much. The Seventh Son was still unaware that the great hall officer was right outside; all his thoughts were focused on the blade, and he seemed rather eager to claim credit.

"After I received this blade from Uncle Hu’s mine, I immediately sent it to Shima Town. Our Sun Family’s Iron Company has its most skilled blade-smithing Master there."

"That Master was thrilled to see such a fine blade embryo. He decided to showcase his skills and ensure this ’masterpiece’ was well-catered to, saying it was a good opportunity to make a name for himself in the jianghu."

"But the blade was tough to forge. He had many conditions, requiring items like a Heavy Evil Hammer that had crushed a man’s skull and an old furnace in which someone had been burned alive, among other things. Other materials, like fine iron and charcoal, were naturally required. Even the quenching process needed pure Tai Sui blood."

"We brought out all the best materials from our company, but the Tai Sui blood we had wasn’t pure enough, and he insisted I go out and find a purer supply."

"Since this concerned Uncle Hu’s blade, I dared not be careless. I quickly made a trip and managed to buy a jar, bringing it straight here to town."

"I was thinking we could all be here to witness this ’masterpiece’ being drawn from the forge. I didn’t expect that before the blade was even a few hammer strikes from being finished, I’d first get a severe dressing-down from my father..."

"Is forging a blade really that complicated?"

Hu Ma listened, smiled, and nodded. He then glanced apologetically at the Sun Family’s Seventh Son. So, it turns out this Seventh Son’s arrival in town at this critical time was actually related to me?

If something were to happen to him, wouldn’t I be responsible for his death?

Just as he was thinking this and about to offer some advice, he saw Old Master Sun hastily emerge from the back of the inn. He first glared at the Sun Family’s Seventh Son, barking, "Get to the side! You’re an eyesore and in the way."

Then, he quickly turned to Hu Ma and said, "Young brother Hu, where have you been hiding these last two days? I was worried something might have happened to you..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the crowded street outside and hurriedly invited Hu Ma inside. Leading him to a quiet guest room, he instructed the Sun Family’s Seventh Son to stand guard outside. Only then did he lower his voice and say to Hu Ma, "You probably know about the events of these past two days."

"The great hall officer is outside, and even within the sect, people are not united. I reckon this Lantern Festival is bound to cause a major disturbance. As Shousui men, we need to consider things several steps ahead. If things go awry, escaping is still the best option."

"Tonight, don’t wander too far. If trouble starts and chaos erupts, I’ll help you find a way out. You and my Seventh Son can leave together."

Listening to this, Hu Ma was somewhat moved. He looked at Old Master Sun with a smile and said, "Old brother, for you to still be thinking of me at a time like this... I’ll remember this kindness."

"This isn’t about kindness or not..." Old Master Sun chuckled bitterly. "It’s that I made the wrong gamble!"

"I received guidance from my seniors in the Not Eating Beef sect and was willing to follow them in pursuing great endeavors, to gamble for a worthy cause. But unexpectedly, it has brought disaster, and I fear everything might be lost here.

"I can’t just drop everything and flee. Even if I survive, if my seniors from the Not Eating Beef sect find me, I’d have no face to meet them. So no matter what happens tonight, I must fight if I can, give it my all.

"But it’s different with you, Young brother Hu. This is your first time coming with me, and you’re young. You have no reason to stay here. Just watch out for my Seventh Son when you leave. If you can escape with your lives, please...

"...bring him into your Red Lantern Society. Even if it’s just a minor incense-burning role, let him change his name and identity, just so he can survive!"

These heartfelt words startled Hu Ma. Realizing what Old Master Sun had been leading up to, he sighed and said, "So, Old Master, you also believe that after this Blessing Meeting is held, nothing good will come of the One Coin Sect?"

"How could anything good come of it?" Old Master Sun laughed bitterly. "Others might not understand, but don’t we? The One Coin Sect might look impressive, but it’s still just a makeshift troupe..."

"Initially, we hoped we could invite those seniors from the Not Eating Beef sect to help. The Sect Hierarch and Bai Shanzi also said they had already sent invitations."

"But how could they have invited them?"

"In these past few days, who knows how many people secretly sent out little ghosts to deliver messages. Yet, even the little ghosts haven’t returned. This means the paths to the underworld are also sealed! With both internal and external routes cut off, anyone in town wishing to escape must force their way out..."

"But to break out by force, to fight our way past the Shousui great hall officer? Heh, we ourselves are Shousui men; how could we not know what that entails?"