Both Zhou Huan and Scar replied simultaneously with the place they had arranged to stay the night. They knew the closest habitable location was the mountain god temple; they certainly couldn't ask to stay at a villager's house—besides, they might not even be afforded the courtesy, and the villagers wouldn't accept money.

As for Xiao San and Xiao Si, after Zhou Huan and Scar left, the two were chased out by the lame old man Huang, who told them to find a place to stay for the night and return first thing in the morning, as he needed time to prepare for a good night's sleep. The two petty thieves didn't react, instead relying on their familiarity with the paths and heading straight for the mountain god temple.

Zhou Huan and Scar entered the mountain god temple, first spreading out the straw piles, preparing to lie down and rest.

“Brother Scar, we need to split our straw pile a bit more; two more people will be arriving later!” Zhou Huan said, dividing his pile in half, keeping one section for himself and pushing the other half onto the ground opposite him.

“Who cares who comes later? Grandpa needs to sleep!” Scar’s bandit temperament flared up.

Zhou Huan leaned closer to Scar and smiled, “Brother Scar, aren't we supposed to be doing something tomorrow? If the newcomers are buddies of that lame old Huang, and we leave them out in the cold, things tomorrow might not go smoothly. Having one less pair of hands won't be good.”

Scar stood up, shot Zhou Huan a fierce look, and said, “Damn it, I don’t even know whose side you’re on, but what you say isn't without merit. Fine, I’ll listen to you for now. Here!” Zhou Huan took the half-pile of dry grass Scar handed over, smoothed out a space for one more person, and soon both leaned against the side and drifted off into a hazy sleep.

At first, Scar didn't fall asleep. He observed Zhou Huan’s figure and features, thinking he didn't look like a child from a poor family who would end up in this state. He wanted to ask, but in these turbulent times, it seemed normal enough, so he didn't press the issue, just glanced at Zhou Huan one last time before turning over to sleep.

After some unknown amount of time, Xiao San and Xiao Si also entered the mountain god temple. Seeing Zhou Huan and Scar there, they were instantly startled. They weren't afraid of Scar; they were afraid of Zhou Huan. When they saw Zhou Huan slowly turn over with his eyes closed, the two were so frightened they involuntarily stepped backward.

“Keep it down. I saved spots for you. Come and sleep; don’t mess up tomorrow’s business,” Zhou Huan whispered, his voice barely audible.

Even so, the two petty thieves heard him clearly, but they still dared not approach.

“I told you to come over, so come over! If anyone chickens out on me tomorrow, watch out, I might really deal with you!” Zhou Huan deliberately sounded harsh this time.

Seeing Zhou Huan act this way, Xiao San and Xiao Si lay down fearfully beside him.

Zhou Huan spoke softly, “You two don't need to be scared. We are grasshoppers tied to the same rope now; none of us can escape. I won't harm you, but if you disobey tomorrow, there are no guarantees.”

“Yes, yes!” the two little thieves repeatedly agreed. Only when they saw Zhou Huan fall asleep did they finally relax and drift off.

After an indeterminate time, all they could hear was the wind whistling through the trees outside the temple, making the dry leaves rustle. Occasionally, the wind would pick up, sending loose stones tumbling on the ground—it was quite eerie. Before long, a series of messy footsteps grew closer, until they stopped right at the entrance of the mountain god temple.

Because Zhou Huan and the others had chosen a spot in the corner of the temple, mainly to shelter from the wind, these shuffling footsteps halted at the doorway. One voice was heard saying, “Big Brother, how many meters did we dig today? Let’s just crash here tonight; we’ll go back for the tools tomorrow to save us the headache. All the boys are dead tired; we have no strength left to walk!”

“Brothers, let’s just hold on a bit longer. Ghost Brother is waiting for us back home. I know you’re tired; I am too. But there’s no choice. If we go back tonight, all our efforts from the last half-month will be wasted.”

“How about this, Big Brother? We rest here for fifteen minutes to catch our breath, then we’ll head out. The wind is too strong, and it’s taking too much energy.”

“Alright then. Remember, we’ll go inside to get out of the wind and light a fire to warm up. Nobody sleeps! We’ll leave immediately afterward.”

The men at the door finished their conversation and entered the mountain god temple. The inside was even darker than the outside, impossible to see without a light. Seven or eight people filed in, each carrying shovels and picks on their backs, and a few had 'Turtle Boxes' (pistols) tucked into their belts.

One of the very large men suddenly lit the fuse he held. In the resulting light, he spotted a pile of straw and some broken pieces of wood in the corner. The men piled the wood and straw together, lit it, and the seven or eight of them gathered around to warm themselves.

“Big Brother, what do you think Ghost Brother has been busy with lately?”

“I don’t know. Rumor has it our operation was discovered, and someone else is trying to muscle in on our source of wealth. That’s why he called us back to show strength. He’s going back to Fengtian to find more men.”

“Ghost Brother really put in the effort. I wonder how much we’ll rake in from this deal.”

Just then, one man’s hand began to pat around the straw pile beneath him. He seemed to sense something was off, his expression and tone filled with suspicion: “Ay? That’s strange. This straw is bone dry, but it feels a little warm, like someone’s been sitting here!”

“Is that so?”

Among the group, one who appeared to be the leader said, “Stop acting jumpy. It’s fine; with this many of us, what are we afraid of?”

“Hey, who’s there? I can see you!” said the man who felt the warmth.

At that exact moment, the moon suddenly broke through the clouds, casting down streaks of dim moonlight that bathed the figures in a blood-red glow.

“Bad news! Everyone, quickly move out of the light of the Red Moon!”

Someone shouted among the eight men, and they instantly huddled into the corner of the temple. One of them asked, “Big Brother, what’s going on?”

“Our kind fears this Red Moon the most. They say the Red Moon sees blood. If you don’t hide from the Red Moon, you’re bound to suffer a bloody disaster!”

Hearing this, the group instinctively beat their chests. “Good thing our Big Brother knows this, or we would have suffered at the hands of the Red Moon!”

“Hahahaha! What kind of damn Red Moon? I am your Red Moon.” The man laughing boisterously was Scar. Zhou Huan had already heard the group coming in. He had woken the other three, and the four of them had hidden behind the statue of the mountain god, remaining perfectly silent. Only after hearing these men were connected to Old Ghost of Fengtian did they resolve to eliminate them, as their goal was the same: to seize the burial ground behind the armory mountain.

As soon as Scar finished speaking, the pig-slaughtering knife in his hand gleamed menacingly, flying toward the man closest to him. Simultaneously, Zhou Huan leaped up, meeting anyone who tried to rise and assist with his bare hands.

By the time Xiao San and Xiao Si counted to ten, only one of the seven or eight men who had entered was still breathing and able to speak. Scar’s hands were too ruthless. Although he showed no signs of delicate strength, the man attacked viciously; every strike was meant to wound.

Scar held the dripping knife and grabbed the so-called Big Brother’s neatly parted hair. “Buddy, what’s the meaning of this? Is your Old Ghost in a hurry to get you back?”

“Yes, Brother. Who exactly are you? We have no history of enmity. What do you want?” the man gasped, clutching his chest.

Zhou Huan looked at the gruesome scene. His original intention was just to knock everyone out and tie them up so they could free themselves after these men left tomorrow. But he hadn't expected Scar to go into a killing frenzy. However, this was the way of people in this trade.

“Brother Zhou Huan, come help me clean up these dead men. Didn’t you say you deal with funerary rites?” Scar became more outrageous, having killed people and then demanding someone else help him clean up the mess.

Zhou Huan stepped closer. “Brother, let this one go. Don’t kill him. Killing a man is a grievous sin!”

“What? Don’t kill him? I let him go, and he’ll run back to report us! We’ll have nothing left. Didn't they say the Red Moon shines, and there will be bloodshed? This time, under the Red Moon, I will end your life!” Scar dragged the so-called Big Brother out into the full glare of the crimson moonlight.