Chapter 5

Leaving the Green Dragon Temple, they walked south for two streets and were out of the bustling market. This place was already somewhat remote. Although not far from the noisy main street, it seemed as if they had entered another world. After turning two more corners, they could see a dilapidated little city god temple. This city god temple had been abandoned for many years. It looked as if it would collapse with a slight breeze, but it had surprisingly stood there for years, unexpectedly sturdy. This was where Lu Zheng and Tang Xiaojiu lived.

Not far away, Tang Xiaojiu and Lu Zheng were strolling over. Tang Xiaojiu had a blade of grass in his mouth, humming a little tune he had heard at the Spring Wind Tower. Lu Zheng followed him obediently, constantly watching the butterflies flying around in the grass by the roadside.

Tang Xiaojiu, with a full stomach and a trembling liver from the tune, suddenly felt inspired and asked Lu Zheng, who was behind him, "Lu Zheng, do you think Xueying or Chanjuan has whiter skin?"

Lu Zheng, who was watching two white butterflies flying up and down, was thinking about the story of the scholar and the lady turning into butterflies that the storyteller had told recently. He didn't hear what Tang Xiaojiu said and just responded with a "hmm." Tang Xiaojiu, who knew Lu Zheng's personality well, realized that this "smart fool" was daydreaming again. He stopped, put his hands on his hips, and stood there. Lu Zheng, who didn't notice, crashed into him, and then came to his senses: "Brother Jiu, why did you stop?"

Tang Xiaojiu turned around, glared at him, and shouted, "You fool, are you watching butterflies again? I asked you, which one has whiter skin, Xueying or Chanjuan?"

Lu Zheng, rolling his eyes as if he was thinking seriously, finally said, "What do you think, Brother Jiu?"

Tang Xiaojiu, biting his finger and thinking, said, "I think Xueying's skin is whiter, but she likes to apply powder. I wonder if she applies it too thickly..."

Lu Zheng said, "Then Xueying's skin is whiter. But I think the white sugar cake is even whiter."

Tang Xiaojiu, angry, said, "I'm asking you! Why are you asking me back? You little fool, you only know about white sugar cakes... But every time we hide at the entrance of the Spring Wind Tower, we are too far to see clearly. Next time, we need to find a way to get inside. It's said that even the chamber pots inside are fragrant. When I become a great general in the future, I will have Xueying sing for me alone..."

While they were chatting, they arrived at the entrance of the little city god temple. Tang Xiaojiu, while walking in, shouted, "Old Song, Old Song, there are white steamed buns! Old Song, Old Song, are you still breathing? White steamed buns can't even get you to move, that's really strange... Oh, isn't this Brother Qi? What brings you to our doghouse?"

Tang Xiaojiu was about to step inside when he saw the situation inside and stopped abruptly, considering whether to turn and run. Lu Zheng, who couldn't see Lai Liqi inside, was daydreaming and crashed into Tang Xiaojiu's back, pushing him in.

Tang Xiaojiu cursed in his heart, "Oh my dear mother! Lu Zheng, you scoundrel, once I step inside, I'll be like those reformed sisters at the Spring Wind Tower who were tricked by a pretty boy, and you pushed me back into the fire. What clean body will I have left today!"

Despite this, his reaction was quick. He used the push to bend and bow, making it look as if he had just seen someone and hurried to greet them.

Lu Zheng also saw the situation. The already messy little temple now looked as if it had been ravaged by a hundred pigs. Their two plank beds were now suitable for burning, saving the trouble of chopping them up. The walls, pillars, and even the city god's statue were all dug and pitted, showing how much Lai Liqi had done in the short time they were at the Green Dragon Temple.

Amazingly, the temple hadn't collapsed. Tang Xiaojiu felt regretful, thinking that if the city god had shown his power and made the temple collapse, it would have been great to see these bastards get squashed. But the city god did nothing, truly a lord!

At this moment, Lai Liqi was sitting on the only intact old bench in the temple, one leg on the bench, one hand digging his nose, and rolling the snot into a ball, smelling it and even thinking of tasting it.

Perhaps considering the feelings of his two subordinates, Lai Liqi abandoned the idea of putting the snot on his tongue and threw it onto the collar of one of his subordinates, looking at the two of them with a sneer, "Doghouse? Are you calling me a dog, or saying you two are dogs? Hey, Brother Qi, if I don't come to you two dogs, will you two dogs come to me?"

The words were filled with a threatening tone. Tang Xiaojiu quickly bowed and smiled, "Lord Qi, of course we two..."

Lai Liqi, not interested in greeting or reminiscing, directly interrupted, "Xiaojiu, you two owe eight silver coins. Hand them over!" He extended his palm in front of Tang Xiaojiu, wiggling it.

Tang Xiaojiu thought, Lai Liqi didn't drink urine today, he must be saving his saliva. He straightened his back, grinned, and said, "Eight silver coins? Lord Qi, didn't you already search our place and find a copper coin?"

Lai Liqi looked up, stood up, and took a step forward, leaning his ear and elongating his voice, "Are you trying to disgust me?" His facial muscles twitched as he spoke.

The two subordinates behind him quickly moved forward, wagging their tails, and made a "hmm" sound. It seemed they had rehearsed this!

Faced with these three fierce men, Lu Zheng quickly stood beside Tang Xiaojiu. Tang Xiaojiu stopped him and smiled, "Lord Qi, how could I disgust you? You put so much effort into cleaning our doghouse, but found nothing, right? To be honest, we two don't have any silver coins. Otherwise, we wouldn't have gone to the Green Dragon Temple to steal steamed buns today. If you don't believe me, search us."

Lai Liqi's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't search them. Instead, he smiled, "So, according to Brother Jiu, you won't pay the share?"

Tang Xiaojiu, seeing his smile, knew he was preparing to use force, and said, "Lord Qi, don't be in a hurry. We'll pay the share early tomorrow morning! Just give us one more night!"

Lai Liqi looked at Tang Xiaojiu, then at Lu Zheng, and said, "Xiaojiu, one of you is smart and the other is foolish. You say you'll have money tomorrow, but where will you get it in just one night?"

Lu Zheng stubbornly said, "Believe it or not, we don't have a single coin now."

Lai Liqi's face turned cold. Tang Xiaojiu, seeing Lu Zheng about to act foolishly, quickly intervened, "Green Dragon Temple! We went to the Green Dragon Temple today, not just to eat a few rotten steamed buns."

Lai Liqi was taken aback, "Green Dragon Temple? You dare to scout the Green Dragon Temple?"

"That's none of your business. You've controlled the three streets for so many years, but you've never controlled the Green Dragon Temple, right?" Tang Xiaojiu's tone was now on par with Lai Liqi's.

Lai Liqi, disgruntled, said, "Is Guang that fatso easy to deal with? I still want to bounce around the three streets of the Green Dragon Temple for a few more years... Even if you steal, that fatso has twenty bald-headed guards. I'm curious, how do you plan to get the silver?"

Tang Xiaojiu grinned but didn't speak, looking confident. Lai Liqi, seeing his smug look, scratched his head, "Damn, you refuse to join my gang, preferring to pay the share every day, but you dare to mess with Guang. Is your butt healed?"

Lu Zheng, impatient, said, "Our business, none of your concern."

Lai Liqi walked in circles, thinking for a long time, and said, "Early tomorrow, I'll send someone to collect the silver. If you can really get something from that iron rooster Guang, Lord Qi will exempt you from the share in the future. Hahaha, messing with that fatso Guang, hahaha, it will be satisfying!" He laughed and walked out the door.

Tang Xiaojiu just relaxed when Lai Liqi's two subordinates suddenly rushed to them, slapping them hard on both sides. They were hit so hard that their eyes saw stars, and their faces burned. Lu Zheng was even knocked to the ground. Lai Liqi's voice came from outside, "Teach you a lesson! Fan Da's money isn't easy to owe."

Tang Xiaojiu helped Lu Zheng up, and when the three were far away, he cursed and spat a few times. They held their faces, which were already swelling. Tang Xiaojiu found two rags, went to the old well in the backyard to wet them, and let Lu Zheng put one on his face, and he did the same. He took a few deep breaths and said to Lu Zheng, "Xiaozheng, are you okay?" Lu Zheng, with tears in his eyes, shook his head silently. Tang Xiaojiu, holding his face, laughed, which made Lu Zheng curious, "Why are you laughing after being hit? Are you hit so hard that you're crazy?"

Tang Xiaojiu said, "Why laugh? Should I cry? I'll laugh." He started making funny faces. Lu Zheng, seeing him clowning around, couldn't help but laugh, and the pain in his face lessened.

Lu Zheng, knowing that Tang Xiaojiu was trying to cheer him up, felt touched and said, "It's good you thought of a plan. If they had searched us, my jade pendant would definitely have been taken." He pulled out a jade pendant from his neck.

It was a ring-shaped jade pendant, smooth and lustrous, with six intertwined dragons intricately carved, clearly a masterpiece by a master craftsman, and very valuable.

When the old beggar who adopted Lu Zheng found him, he was wrapped in a silk blanket and had this jade pendant on his wrist. The old beggar's surname was Lu, hence Lu Zheng's name. The silk blanket was later pawned for money, but the jade pendant, which was clearly related to Lu Zheng's background, was carefully kept by the old beggar until his death, when he gave it to Lu Zheng and told him the whole story, instructing him to keep it carefully, saying that if there was any chance, it would be the only proof for him to recognize his parents in the future.

Tang Xiaojiu, seeing Lu Zheng pull out the jade pendant, knew he would look at it for a long time and said, rubbing his cheek, "Look for a while, then put it away quickly, be careful not to let anyone see it." He had known about Lu Zheng's jade pendant for a long time, but no matter how hungry or cold they were, he never thought of using it.

Lu Zheng nodded, touched it a few more times, and carefully put it away, asking, "Brother Jiu, what should we do now? Are we really going to the Green Dragon Temple tonight?"

Tang Xiaojiu said, "What else can we do? That fatso Guang has beaten us so many times. If we don't cause some trouble, how can I be satisfied!"

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "I'll follow you."

At this, Tang Xiaojiu looked around, leaned close to Lu Zheng, and whispered, "No matter if we succeed or not, we'll leave here and run far away! I won't give Lai Liqi another copper coin!"

Lu Zheng was shocked by his bold idea, "Leave here, where will we go?"

"Where? Anywhere, as long as we leave this place. Joining the army is also an option!" Tang Xiaojiu said carelessly.

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "What about Mingkong?"

Tang Xiaojiu didn't answer but asked, "Xiaozheng, who does Mingkong spend time with every day?"

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