Terrifying Heavens: I'll directly worship the Black Law of Fengdu!

Chapter 143 Harvesting and Cutting
Li Xuan mentally reviewed the mission arrangements, then looked at the gaunt dockworker in front of him and asked, "What's your name?"

The man was somewhat apprehensive, as no one had ever formally asked his name before; he was always referred to as "that guy," "coolie," or "stinking beggar."

He hurriedly replied, "Replying to your question, sir, my name is Chen Asi. Because I am the fourth child in my family, people who know me call me Asi. But here, everyone calls me Coolie Si."

Li Xuan nodded and said, "My name is Li Che. I'm traveling around to broaden my horizons. Your Dafangbo Village sounds interesting. Since you're from there, why don't you be my guide and take me there to see the local customs and culture? You can also check on your mother while you're at it."

Chen Asi hesitated for a moment.

Li Xuan laughed and said, "Are you afraid I'm a thief who will come and steal gold and silver?"

"No no no."

Chen Asi hurriedly waved his hands and explained, "No, no, Master Li, you are a handsome and dignified man. Even a small piece of clothing you wear is worth more than our entire family's expenses for a whole year. How could you be a thief? You are just joking!"

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled, saying, "The main problem is that there have been bandits entrenched outside our Fukang County for many years, and I'm afraid your safety cannot be guaranteed."

Li Xuan suddenly remembered one of the major mortal combatants in the drama, the bandit leader Tang Long. This guy was strong and skilled in martial arts, but he became a bandit and loved gambling, so he was heavily in debt.

Because the village of Dafangbo in Fukang County was guarded by the equally skilled Master Jiang, Tang Long was not confident of victory and dared not attack the village casually. So he turned the steward of the Jiang family against him and arranged for his sister to marry Master Jiang's mentally challenged son in an attempt to find out where the Jiang family's wealth was hidden.

Ok……

Tang Long is a problem.

But it's not a big problem.

Li Xuan gently stroked the purplish-red gourd at his waist with his right hand. The fighting and swordsmanship he learned in the real world were indeed difficult to deal with such a high-flying martial arts character, but... there were two pistols lying inside the gourd, one from Mr. Ren in the world of "Mr. Vampire" and the other from Sheng Zuchang in the world of "Double Vision".

Sorry, although you are skilled in martial arts, my bullets are not without their drawbacks.

He laughed and said, "If I have the guts to travel the world, I naturally have the corresponding powerful means. Whether they are bandits or swindlers, as long as they cause trouble in front of me, they will all have the same fate."

Chen Asi was somewhat tempted. He'd gone out to earn money for his family, and after more than two years, he hadn't made much. It would be better to go back home and take care of his elderly mother. Besides, with this Mr. Li accompanying him, the journey would surely be much smoother; after all, wealthy people aren't fools…

He nodded vigorously and said, "I'm willing to be Mr. Li's guide!"

Li Xuan said with satisfaction, "In that case, let's pack up and set off immediately."

Chen Asi got up from the ground, took a few steps back, dusted himself off, and said, "Please wait here for a moment, Master Li. I'll go back to my lodgings to pack my things and come right away!"

Li Xuan watched his hurried footsteps disappear into the crowd, then turned to look at the sea outside the dock.

Although large ships were coming and going, belching black smoke, the water near the shore was still much clearer than in later times, only the smell of seaweed and fish was much stronger...

The dock was a mixed bag; there were teenagers selling unknown cigarettes with boxes hanging around their necks, and little girls with dark skin selling flowers to foreign tourists.

They should be learning in school, but instead, they've prematurely entered the social mainstream in order to make a living.

Li Xuan suddenly turned around, his hand moving with lightning speed, and grabbed a dirty little hand, saying, "If you keep acting like this, someone could easily break your arm..."

He was a thirteen-year-old boy, wearing a black vest and a round hat he'd picked up from somewhere, with a strange-looking whip tied around the back of his head. He was sallow and thin, with cracked lips, and stared at Li Xuan in terror.

A thirteen-year-old child... is far too weak.

Li Xuan let go of his hand, and the boy turned and ran, tumbling and crawling into the crowd. He even glanced back briefly in the surging tide before disappearing completely.

There are too many petty thieves at the dock. In just a short time, he saw at least three or five people moving back and forth in the crowd.

He hadn't taken two steps when he stopped.

Beside the passageway leading out of the dock, there were two wooden carts close to the ground, with two children, about seven or eight years old, lying on them. The boy on the left had no legs, and the girl on the right had no hands. Sitting on the cart, they stared blankly at the passersby, holding up a broken bowl and weakly calling out, "Kind people, please have pity on us and give us some coins. We have no parents, we've been starving for three days, and we're about to die..."

Harvesting and dissecting?

A hint of coldness slowly crept into Li Xuan's eyes.

He came to the cart.

The two children immediately held out their broken bowls to beg.

Li Xuan put a handful of copper coins into each of their bowls and asked, "What are your names?"

The girl mechanically uttered "thank you" with a blank expression, while the boy's expression shifted slightly upon hearing Li Xuan's question. A hint of fear flickered in his eyes, and he glanced instinctively nearby before lowering his head and saying, "Agou, they all call me Agou. Thank you for the kind people's charity..."

Li Xuan asked, "Were your bodies damaged like this by someone?"

They smelled terrible, and people around them kept their distance, so no one could hear Li Xuan's whispered question.

The boy almost buried his head in his chest, his voice trembling as he said, "I...I...I wasn't like this before. They said I was too stupid to lie, too slow and useless, so they might as well break me."

Li Xuan: “…”

He slowly stood up, looked around, and sure enough, several men secretly lowered their heads and pretended nothing was wrong.

Even in some impoverished and remote areas of later generations, human trafficking still occurs, let alone in the late Qing Dynasty when there was no surveillance or location tracking.
Just then, Chen Asi returned, carrying a bag and jogging over. He had changed out of his dirty, sweat-soaked jacket into a cleaner, tattered vest and a thin coat.

Seeing Li Xuan looking at him, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "When traveling with the master, I can no longer appear as a laborer; that would be too embarrassing for you."

Li Xuan remained silent, seemingly unaffected...

The two walked out of the dock together, and he said, "You're right about where there are clothing stores. We can't embarrass myself."

At Li Xuan's request, Chen Asi found a low-priced clothing store. There were low-priced ready-made clothing stores in this era, but the fabrics they used were all of poor quality, and some even had styles made from scraps pieced together.

However, due to its affordable prices, it has become a "luxury shop" for poor people.

Chen Asi put on a full-colored long gown and felt as if he had transcended social class and become a superior person. Tears welled up in his eyes. He was about to kneel down and express his feelings, but then he was afraid of getting his knees and trousers dirty, so he became a little embarrassed.

(End of this chapter)