The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Chapter 9 The Living Becomes the King

Noon the next day.

Xu Ergou jumped over the wall into a secluded courtyard, tiptoed to the closed inner room, knocked on the door and whispered, "Brother, it's me, Ergou."

"Squeak."

The door opened, but it wasn't him who knocked.

But it was the low wooden door of the woodshed on the west side.

Wang Wen, looking pale, leaned against the door sill and said with a grouchy smile, "Why did you come just now? I'm almost starving!"

Xu Ergou looked at the tightly closed door and laughed, "Hehe," "I knew you were here... I didn't dare to wander around earlier, for fear of being followed by those stinky beggars!"

He took out a lotus leaf bag from his arms and walked over quickly to hand it to Wang Wen.

Wang Wen took the lotus leaf package, swallowed his saliva, and tore the lotus leaf randomly, revealing the orange-yellow roast chicken inside, which was still hot!
He took a big bite of the roast chicken and asked vaguely, "Is it the roast chicken from Gujiaqiao?"

"Yes Yes Yes……"

Xu Ergou responded unhappily, squatted down with his back against the wall of the woodshed, and looked him up carefully: "How are you injured?"

Wang Wen said casually, "It's okay, just a few broken ribs."

Xu Ergou suddenly opened his mouth wide: "Are you okay even though you broke a few ribs?"

Wang Wen smiled and asked, "How's the situation at the hall?"

"It's going on!"

Xu Ergou folded his hands and said, "A hundred or eighty members of the Beggars' Sect are blocking the entrance, demanding I hand over my captors. I also heard that those stinking beggars have sent out several groups of troops, seeking help from others in Yangzhou...Brother, it seems we've made a big deal this time!"

Wang Wen sneered disdainfully and focused on the roast chicken in his hand.

Xu Ergou looked at him puzzledly: "Aren't you afraid?"

Wang Wen squinted at him with ill intent: "If you're not afraid, why should I be afraid?"

Xu Ergou was puzzled: "What am I afraid of?"

Wang Wen laughed strangely and said, "Besides me, you were the only one there that night..."

Xu Ergou was stunned for several seconds before he came to his senses and said speechlessly, "Stop it, we are brothers, we are close friends!"

Wang Wen spat out a bone and said nonchalantly, "That's it, then. Without evidence, they can't do anything to me even if they take the case to the throne room!"

Xu Ergou frowned, "So what's their purpose in doing this?"

Wang Wen: "You're just trying to save face, but you've lost face and ruined your reputation. And you can't even allow others to ask for help to redress the situation?"

"what?"

Xu Ergou scratched his head and said uncertainly, "You mean... this matter is over?"

Wang Wen sneered, "What are you dreaming of? We're almost at loggerheads, how can we just let it go like this?"

Xu Ergou was relieved: "I told you, those stinking beggars are not the type to just swallow their anger!"

Wang Wen said slowly, "But even if there is a sequel, that will be a matter for later. At this critical juncture, they will definitely not come out to embarrass themselves again!"

Xu Ergou looked at him, then looked up at the sky. He thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out: "Brother, you know me well. I haven't had much education..."

Wang Wen curled his lips and said, "You're so proud despite your lack of education?" Xu Ergou opened his mouth, then closed it again and said, "So, according to you, you can go back to the hall now?"

Wang Wen was puzzled, "Didn't your uncle say anything to you before you came? That shouldn't be the case!"

Xu Ergou nodded: "Yes, he told me to tell you to stay quiet for a few days and wait until this storm has passed before returning to the hall..."

Wang Wen angrily asked, "Why are you asking such a stupid question?"

Xu Ergou scratched his head: "Didn't you say it was okay yourself?"

Wang Wen stared at his head for a long time before he sighed softly and said earnestly, "Ergou, there are many principles in this world, such as strength and weakness, right and wrong, good and evil, and justice and evil...but in fact, they are all just two words."

Xu Ergou, the supporting actor, said with great tact: "Which two words?"

Wang Wen said seriously, "Life and death!"

Xu Ergou seemed to understand: "That seems to be the reason."

Wang Wen glanced at him and shook his head. "Just like yesterday at Guangji Bridge, if it wasn't Blind Cheng who died, but me... what do you think would have happened?"

Xu Ergou immediately said, "Then I'm going to beat those stinky beggars to death, right?"

Wang Wen smiled silently: "Do you think this is possible?"

Xu Ergou looked at him in disbelief: "How is this impossible? I'm your godfather! He raised you, and you're his only son!"

Wang Wen: "And then? Are you going to mobilize hundreds of Qinghe Gang members to fight the Beggar Gang to the death just for me?"

Xu Ergou opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, he closed it again.

Wang Wen said slowly: "I'm not saying that Huang Laodeng wouldn't do that for me. If he were alone, I believe he would definitely avenge me."

"But he's not alone. The headquarters won't allow him to do that, and neither will the government office... And you, my life, Wang Lao Hu, is life, but yours isn't life?"

Xu Ergou remained silent.

Wang Wen: "Vice versa, no matter how many reasons Blind Cheng has, he's dead and that's it. The Beggars' Sect won't go to war with our Cao Gang just because of him. Even if they do go to war with us, the real reason won't be because of Blind Cheng..."

"Even if someone from the Beggars' Sect manages to kill me and avenge Blind Cheng, what good will that do?"

"Can Blind Cheng come back to life?"

"So, Ergou..."

He gently patted Xu Ergou's shoulder and said earnestly, "We should be tough when we need to be tough, and timid when we need to be timid. Don't think that because you are right and awesome, others won't dare to touch you... You only have one life. When you are alive, everything is possible. When you die, there is nothing left!"

"Also, when we're out there, the older ones will definitely support the younger ones, but the prerequisite is that the younger ones have to do their best!"

"If you got killed in a fight outside, what would I do? I'd just have to go collect your body!"

"So, if we encounter a situation like yesterday again, as long as the boss hasn't spoken, don't worry about who's right or wrong, and don't care about the consequences. Just fight to the death... As for how it ends, that's a matter for later!"

"Let's take a step back and say, even if we really do cause a disaster, no one can clean up the mess... being executed later is still better than dying right here and now, right?"

"I'm eating roast chicken here, where is Blind Cheng?"

"He's eating ingot candles and incense in the underground!"

Xu Ergou looked at his smug older brother and scratched the back of his head vigorously. "Brother, is studying really that useful? Why do I feel like you've... grown a brain?"

(End of this chapter)