Chapter 98

As Zhenzhibao watched Lulutong leave, he couldn't help but take a long sigh, expelling all the frustration in his heart. He muttered to himself, "Hmph! No one will teach me, but can't I practice on my own? With the mental concentration techniques taught by Lord August and the strange formations taught by the old man, plus Tianwu, I should at least be able to train myself to some extent, right? When the time comes, learning the incantations, elixir breathing techniques, and array formations will be a piece of cake!"

After a brief moment of reflection, his heart calmed down considerably.

Yangji Magan seemed to understand the conversation between the two only partially. Seeing Zhenzhibao's expression fluctuating, he didn't dare to interrupt. Now, seeing Zhenzhibao's expression ease, Yangji suddenly said, "Big Brother, uh, are you...?" He spoke hesitantly, his eyes full of anticipation. Magan was the same, his anticipation evident.

Zhenzhibao guessed what he was about to say and couldn't help but sigh, "Alright, alright, you guessed right—I have to stay in Xianyang for now..."

Life is unpredictable; who would have thought he would really stay here? It seems that staying with these two was truly meant to be, and he couldn't escape it...

"Perfect, perfect!" The two suddenly jumped up, hugging and bouncing, "Big Brother, you're finally not leaving!"

Zhenzhibao corrected them, "I'm not leaving, but I'm staying temporarily. When the time comes, I will leave... Alright, since I'm staying here, you can call me Big Brother Bao. My name is Zhenzhibao."

"Yes, Big Brother Bao!" The two shouted in unison, their excitement impossible to hide, even the pimples on their faces glowing red and shiny, oozing oil.

"You... sigh, forget it!" Seeing the sky gradually darken, Zhenzhibao waved his hand, "Let's go, take me to where you live. I'll stay here for now."

Since Zhenzhibao spoke, the two quickly led the way, bringing him to a quiet alley. Seeing no one around, they lifted a broken board on the wall, revealing a dog hole about a foot in size—Yangji looked apologetic, "Big Brother Bao, I'm really sorry, this is the only place I can offer you..."

"No problem, any place will do," Zhenzhibao saw Magan crawl in, and he followed inside. Inside, the buildings were elegant with red walls, but now they were overgrown with weeds and covered in bird droppings. The lanterns and silk were decayed, but the green sparrow carvings and colorful patterns still hinted at the former glory. It must have been a place of song and dance, a place of luxury and debauchery.

Now, only the ruins remained, evoking endless imagination.

The courtyard was already in ruins, with scattered houses, some on the east side and some on the west. Outside, piles of wild fires were burning, with many people gathered around, cooking or keeping warm. Some were in groups of three or five, all dressed in rags and looking pale, a large number of people, but no young or middle-aged men—this place had clearly become a beggars' den!

The remaining people were either disabled, sick, or elderly, with no young or strong men in sight.

Seeing the look of speculation on his face, Yangji quickly explained, "This used to be the most famous brothel in Xianyang, but it was closed down over ten years ago. Then it caught fire, and it became like this."

"Now, the people here are like us. The younger ones who can move still go out to beg, but those who can't move stay here," Magan added, pointing to a nearby broken house, "Big Brother Bao, we live in..."

Before he finished, they heard a hoarse laugh nearby, "You two brats are back? Hey, you even brought someone—damn, did you get the monthly payment this month?"

The three turned around and saw a man sitting by the fire, about thirty years old, with a large scar on his face, a sunken nose, and a head full of sores, exuding a violent aura. He was surrounded by three or four men, some missing hands or arms, others covered in sores, all in their thirties or forties, strong and robust.

When this group stood up, they immediately stood out.

Yangji's face changed, and he swallowed, bowing and smiling, "Brother Sores, I didn't see you—right away, I'll bring you the monthly payment..." He fumbled in his pocket.

Zhenzhibao's eyes were sharp, and he saw that the silver dollars in his hand had been replaced with loose silver coins. He held one in his hand, and the rest he passed to Magan behind his back—Magan took the silver coins quietly, slipped them into his shirt, and then pretended to scratch his back, extending his hand.

Yangji immediately ran over, saying softly, "Magan, stay with Big Brother Bao, I'll be right back."

"What's this?" Zhenzhibao was about to ask, but Magan gave him a look, "Big Brother Bao, let's go inside and talk. Don't worry about this, leave it to Yangji."

Zhenzhibao was full of questions, but being new, he didn't know the situation, so he followed them into the broken house... Outside, they heard Yangji's voice, "Brother Sores, this month's payment."

The hoarse voice laughed, "Not bad, you went out once today and got silver coins. Looks like you got a good meal—good kid, you still smell of meat!"

"That's not true, that's not true," Yangji quickly explained, "I just grabbed some dog food and gnawed on some bones..."

Smack!

The sound was a slap. Zhenzhibao and Magan peeked through a hole and saw Yangji fall to the ground. The man with sores was waving a stick, a cold smile on his face, ready to hit again—

"Ouch!" Yangji cried, "Don't hit, don't hit! Brother Sores, I already paid!"

Zhenzhibao couldn't help but laugh, ready to rush out, but Magan grabbed him, "Big Brother Bao, don't go! Today, you only get a slap for the silver coins. He won't hit you with the stick—wait, he just wants more money!"

"More money?"

Before he could explain, the man with sores laughed coldly, "The silver coins are only enough for the two of you, not for the new kid. Five days, another silver coin, and the kid can stay. Otherwise—"

He poked Yangji with the stick, "Don't blame me for not showing mercy."

"Ah, ah!" Yangji covered himself, "Brother Sores, isn't it half a silver coin per person? Why does he need a whole one?"

"Shut up!" Before the man with sores could speak, a man with sores on his body cursed, "Newcomers have to pay a whole coin, as Brother Sores says! What, you don't agree?"

He kicked Yangji twice!

Yangji dodged, "Brother Sores, Brother Sores, don't hit, don't hit! I'll pay, I'll pay!"

The man with sores stopped, "Alright, stop! You've paid, so take a break. Leave it to the others."

He made a gesture, but the man with sores kicked Yangji twice more, then stopped, pointing at him, "Damn, I'll let this slide today because you paid. If you talk back next time, I'll cut off your hands!"

Yangji got up, groaning, not daring to argue, just rubbing his body and moaning. The man with sores poked the ground with his stick, "Remember, you have five days. Whether the kid leaves or stays, the money is on you—don't forget!"

He threw the silver coins high, "Go! Buy two pots of wine and some intestines, we'll drink!"

A man with a missing hand laughed and caught the coins, "Sure thing."

Yangji turned and winked at them, making a gesture that he was fine, still moaning, and slowly walked back—

Inside, he immediately smiled, "How was it, did I act well?" "Yes, you acted better than a big show, you could even perform in a theater," Magan joked, "They won't guess."

The two laughed, but suddenly heard Zhenzhibao's cold voice, "Tell me, what's this monthly payment about?" His voice was cold and light, but full of anger!

They saw Zhenzhibao's face full of anger, a barely contained hatred!

Zhenzhibao had been deceived by the Qin family's young master, bullied by the Miao brothers on the mountain, and then met Liu Xincheng... Seeing all the deceit and evil, his heart was already filled with resentment. Now, seeing the man with sores bully the beggars and extort money, he couldn't hold back.

The two didn't dare to be careless and immediately explained the situation.

The man with sores was originally a beggar here. Relying on his size and strength, he gathered a few strong men and claimed this courtyard as his territory. Anyone who wanted to stay had to pay, or they would be beaten and kicked out—Yangji and Magan had seen many beggars beaten and thrown out, some even to their deaths!

Zhenzhibao sighed, thinking, "I thought beggars were the most pitiful, but who would have thought there would be even more pitiful people among them? It's like there are nine abysses below nine abysses, and there's no end to the pitiful people in this world."

"Alright, my cultivation in this world will start here!" He made up his mind, took a deep breath, and let the boiling anger gradually subside.

Seeing the many elderly and weak outside, Zhenzhibao suddenly stood up, "Let's go, I need to take a walk. There are some things I didn't want to do, but now it seems I have to." (To be continued)