The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 5 Troubled Times
"Cooked pancakes, freshly-cooked pancakes..."

"Crisp pears, fresh crisp pears..."

"Let's have some mutton soup!"

It happened to be a temple fair, and lights and decorations were hung everywhere, making the lively night market even more gorgeous. The noisy voices and crowds of people on the streets were comparable to those during the New Year.

Wang Wen and a group of his men sat in a mutton soup stall on the roadside, staring at the gorgeously dressed young girls and wives on the street with great interest.

Old Liu, the unpretentious owner of the mutton soup stall, smiled broadly as he walked back and forth, carrying chopped cilantro and green onions. "Master Tiger, would you like some side dishes?"

Wang Wen also waved his hand cheerfully: "No need for the condiments, just cut up a sheep's head and wrap it up, and I'll take it back for a midnight snack... Add more pepper and salt!"

"okay!"

Old Liu washed his hands quickly, fished out a sheep's head from the boiling iron pot, placed it on the chopping board and started chopping it. The sound of the knife hitting the chopping board was as regular as drum beats.

Wang Wen looked at the people laughing and talking on the street, and listened to the sound of Old Liu chopping vegetables. Suddenly, he felt peace and joy in his heart!
This is fucking life!

He picked up the mutton soup and said, "Brothers, let's go!"

"Hahaha……"

"Cheers, big brother!"

"I wish Big Brother to open a temple soon and make a fortune!"

The idlers picked up their bowls of mutton soup as big as their faces and toasted with him.

"Bullshit!"

Wang Wen cursed with a smile, picked up the mutton soup and took a big gulp. He thought that if there was a little bit of chili oil in the mutton soup, it would be perfect!
At that moment, he caught a glimpse of a familiar carriage coming out of the alley at the other end of the government office across the street. He immediately put down his bowl of mutton soup, dug out a silver coin from his purse, and slammed it on the table: "Old Liu, it's time to settle the bill!"

"Hey, here it comes... Lord Tiger, your mutton head meat."

"The silver is on the table, weigh it yourself."

"That's too much, too much. Master Tiger, please wait for me to give you the change!"

"I'll put it in your account. I'll come back next time..."

Wang Wen waved without even turning his head, and walked across the long street with a detached gait, heading towards the carriage. He said jokingly, "Oh, what a coincidence? Are you guys also visiting brothels?"

A low, angry curse immediately rang out from the carriage: "You can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth. Are you trying to piss me off to death so you can take my seat?"

“No one knows a son better than his father!”

Wang Wen replied with a playful smile, then stepped forward and skillfully sat down on the shaft of the cart. He slapped the head of the equally grinning man on the shaft and said, "Come on, what are you standing there for?"

The capable man was beaten, but he still exchanged glances with Xu Ergou and others who looked like they had suddenly realized something.

"drive!"

"Jingle Bell……"

The carriage slowly moved forward with the crowded crowd, and the crisp sound of copper bells reminded passers-by to pay attention and avoid it.

Wang Wen sat on the shaft of the cart, swinging his legs, and continued to stare at the young girls and wives around him in a nonchalant manner.

"Erhu..."

Huang Xingde in the car suddenly said: "What you said before... is it true?"

Wang Wen was puzzled: "What did I say?"

Huang Xingde was silent for a moment before he said, "It's about you guys seeing a ghost last night."

Wang Wen suddenly became interested: "Your reaction time is quite long. You only just realized what I said this morning?"

Huang Xingde said helplessly: "What kind of character are you, kid? Don't you have any idea in your heart? Would you believe it if it were you?"

Wang Wen: "Then why do you believe it now?"

Huang Xingde was silent for a moment before he said quietly, "The imperial court wants to build a Sitianjian government office in Yangzhou, specializing in slaying demons and monsters, suppressing evil spirits and overcoming disasters. They're looking for alms from us."

'Si Tianjian? '

Hearing this name, Wang Wen's mind instantly turned several corners, and then he asked, "Taoist?"

Huang Xingde: "Maybe there are monks."

Wang Wen: "What did they say?"

Huang Xingde: "As for the kind of thing you mentioned this morning, it's said to be happening in every prefecture and every city... Looking at their serious demeanor, it doesn't seem fake."

Wang Wen scratched the back of his head and muttered softly, "Quite quick reaction..."

Huang Xingde: "What did you say?"

Wang Wen: "Nothing, just money?"

Huang Xingde: "We need more people."

Wang Wen: "Do you agree?"

Huang Xingde: "Can your arm twist stronger than your thigh?"

Wang Wen tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk-tsk and said with a strange laugh, "It's no wonder people gossip about our Cao Gang behind our backs."

Huang Xingde sneered disdainfully: "The downtrodden are just jealous. They just want to be lackeys, but they can't even get that far!"

Wang Wen chuckled and said, "That's true."

Seeing that he didn't respond, Huang Xingde simply said straight to the point: "Such a good opportunity, don't you have any ideas?"

Wang Wen pondered for a moment and said softly, "Let's not think too much about something that hasn't even been decided yet... Even if such a thing really happens in the future, if you have other candidates, don't consider me!"

Huang Xingde reminded him in a low voice: "Think carefully, if you miss this village, you will miss this store!

Wang Wen smiled and said, "Aren't we two doing well now?"

Huang Xingde sighed softly, "Don't we always say 'a bamboo shoot out of the forest is taller than its mother'? Each generation must be stronger than the previous one!"

Wang Wen didn't say anything else and continued to look at the older sisters coming and going.

Seeing that he was unwilling to talk, Huang Xingde didn't say anything more.

Just as Wang Wen was looking out intently, he suddenly heard Xu Ergou's voice: "Friend, be careful... Are you fucking blind?"

He turned his head and glanced, and saw Xu Ergou pushing a middle-aged beggar with disheveled hair and a sack on his shoulder.

"I'm your father!"

The middle-aged beggar faced Xu Ergou's scolding, but instead of backing off, he straightened his neck and put his greasy head in front of Xu Ergou: "Come on, come on, little bastard, try to touch a hair of your father."

Before he finished speaking, seven or eight beggars with disheveled hair and holding sticks emerged from the crowd, squeezed behind the middle-aged beggar, and stared at Xu Ergou fiercely.

Seeing this, Xu Ergou turned his head slightly and glanced at Wang Wen on the shaft of the carriage out of the corner of his eye.

Wang Wen had no expression on his face.

"Snapped!"

Xu Ergou flung his arms and slapped the middle-aged beggar in the face, knocking him to the ground in the arms of another beggar. "You bastard, born of a mother but not raised by her, open your pig eyes and recognize your dog master!"

He is six feet tall, but now he has an arrogant attitude!

"How dare you touch your father, you little bastard!" "Get him!"

Seeing this, a group of beggars became furious and rushed forward together, grabbing their sticks.

The group of burly men gathered behind Xu Ergou also rushed forward without hesitation: "Come on, come on, if you can't kill me today, I will be your grandmother's son!
"Fuck you, are you brave enough to try?"

The angry shouts exploded, and the pedestrians who were crowded around them instantly scattered in all directions, fearing that they would be affected.

The two gangs just stood there, pushing and shoving each other like fighting cocks, and hurling threats, but no one actually took action.

The carriage had stopped long ago. Wang Wen sat on the shaft with his arms folded and an expressionless face, swinging his legs and watching the show. He neither left the stage nor said a word.

"Stop it, all of you!"

Just when the two gangs were about to lose control of their anger, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the crowd.

The crowd dispersed, and a bearded beggar, also disheveled and ragged, but exceptionally tall and sturdy, who did not look like someone who had no food to eat, squeezed out from the crowd, glancing around with a fierce look on his face.

Then, his gaze stopped on Wang Wen.

"I wonder which powerful person is so tyrannical and overbearing that he doesn't even spare poor beggars like us."

The bearded beggar stared at Wang Wen, his eyes still flickering with viciousness, but his face no longer had the ferocious look on it: "So you're a big shot from the Qinghe Gang!"

Everyone's eyes were focused on Wang Wen.

Wang Wen gave the newcomer an expressionless look, then turned and raised his chin towards Xu Ergou: "Try to touch him again!"

"Snapped."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Ergou slapped the middle-aged beggar who had provoked him in the first place in the face again with lightning speed.

The middle-aged beggar was beaten so hard that he spun 360 degrees on the spot. He covered his face with his hands in disbelief and looked at Xu Ergou in front of him.

A moment of silence...

The next second, the beggars suddenly came to their senses, their eyes raging as they swung the sticks in their hands and were about to attack.

"Fuck your mother..."

"Brothers, fight them!"

The bearded beggar quickly squeezed to the front of the group of beggars, opened his arms to stop them, and shouted: "Stop, stop!"

A group of beggars looked at him, their veins bulging in frustration.

The bearded beggar looked at Wang Wen again, no longer trying to hide the viciousness in his eyes, and said viciously, "Wang Lao Hu, what do you mean today?"

Wang Wen remained expressionless. "It's nothing serious. It's just that your mouth is really foul. I'm trying to discipline you."

The beard-faced beggar's cheeks twitched, and he laughed in anger, "As expected of you, you're the Tiger King. You're so powerful that you even dare to discipline people from our Beggars' Sect!"

"Don't use your Beggars' Sect's reputation to flaunt yourselves for no reason. You won't be able to scare anyone."

Wang Wen raised his chin and said contemptuously, "If you're not convinced, pick a time and let's have a showdown!"

"Good good..."

The bearded beggar was so angry that he was shaking all over. He wanted to attack but hesitated, so he could only shout fiercely: "I, Qin Lao Ba, will remember what happened today. I will definitely pay you back one day... Let's go!"

After saying that, he angrily led his men to separate the crowd and leave quickly.

Wang Wen watched them leave and wanted to say something, but he held back.

"drive."

The capable man driving the car urged the strong horse and whispered, "Brother Hu, don't be careless. These beggars are very vicious!"

Wang Wen frowned and said nothing.

Although the Cao Gang and the Beggar Gang are both gangs, they are completely on different sides.

As we all know, the Cao Gang was born out of the canal transportation. It is inherently a vine that depends on the towering tree of the imperial court. Its members mostly interact with people in government offices and rarely get involved in underworld affairs. It is better to say that it is the white glove of the imperial court among the people than a folk association.

The Beggars' Sect is a genuine underworld gang. It basically has no dealings with the government and is only close to the major underworld sects, both righteous and evil. Its members are a mixed bag, and they do whatever it takes without any taboos. It is a veritable stinking ditch.

Normally, the Cao Gang looked down on the Beggar Gang, a group of beggars who had no money, no power, and acted in a vicious way.

The Beggars' Gang also looked down on the Cao Gang for always seeking compensation for the imperial court. The title of the Cao Gang being the imperial court's lackeys was most loudly claimed by the Beggars' Gang.

Therefore, although both of them are the gangs with the most branches and the largest number of gang members in the Great Zhou, they have always kept to themselves and have never had any contact with each other.

When they occasionally do cross paths, they are just verbal exchanges in which the parties lose the fight but the battle is not lost, and actual fighting rarely occurs.

After all, everyone has their own livelihood and their own concerns.

The Cao Gang was wary of the Beggar Gang's wide circle of friends, and no one was sure how many martial arts masters these beggars could call upon to help them.

The Beggars' Sect was also wary of the Cao Gang's deep roots in the imperial court, and was unsure how many officers and soldiers they could mobilize to help.

But now that I've gotten involved with this stinky shit, who knows, there might be trouble in the future...

Xu Ergou, who was standing by, saw his elder brother frowning and wanted to go up and make some explanations, but he was afraid of being humiliated. So he could only follow the carriage hesitantly and walk forward with his head down.

It wasn't until a disheveled woman, crying "Nannan" and "Nannan" loudly, walked past their carriage that Xu Ergou mustered up the courage to approach his eldest brother, tugged at his clothes and whispered, "Brother, I don't want to get involved with those stinky beggars. I felt... that sack contains a child!"

Wang Wen raised his eyebrows, turned his head to look at the poor woman who was crying heartbreakingly, and slapped her head with his backhand: "Why the hell didn't you say so earlier?"

Xu Ergou covered his head and dared not say a word.

Tell me earlier?

How did he say?
There were so many people around at that time. If he had made the matter clear, wouldn't that have forced those beggars to fight them to the death?

It's nothing to have some arguments and frictions with those beggars.

Anyway, the Cao Gang and those beggars have been at odds for a long time.

But if it triggers a large-scale fight between the Cao Clan and the Beggar Clan...

How could Xu Ergou, with his tiny arms and legs, carry such a big pot?

"Speak up, aren't you usually quite articulate?"

Of course Wang Wen knew what was in this guy's mind, but the woman's wailing made him very upset. His originally good mood was completely ruined by this bad person and this bad thing. He even didn't want to look at the older sisters on the street.

Xu Ergou knew that his elder brother was upset, so he could only lower his head and let his elder brother scold him.

At the right moment, Huang Xingde, who had been silent in the carriage, spoke up and said softly, "Okay, these are troubled times, don't cause trouble."

Wang Wen frowned and punched the shaft of the cart without saying a word.

The carriage was silent for a moment, and suddenly a mosquito-like sound was heard.

“…Either don’t do it, or do it thoroughly!”

The sound was so soft that only Wang Wen and the capable man sitting on the shaft of the cart could hear it.

Wang Wen didn't look back, his eyes were fixed straight ahead, as if he hadn't heard anything.

But the corners of his mouth slowly lifted up and he smiled crookedly.

You are worthy of it, Huang Tianba!
In an instant, the older sisters walking back and forth on the street became beautiful and charming again...

(End of this chapter)