Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

As the sun gradually sets in the west, the crowds flow like water, dispersing and gathering again, gathering and dispersing once more.

When the crescent moon hung high in the sky and the streets were shrouded in mist, the people slowly dispersed.

The peddler took a handkerchief, wiped it on his cart, and began to speak:

"Young Master Zhou, you've kept me waiting."

Zhou He wasn't surprised, smiled, pressed his hat brim, and said:

"I don't like people owing me things."

The peddler nodded:

"I don't like owing people anything either. Let's find a quiet place and talk?"

Zhou He pulled the little dog along, following the peddler across the square.

The National Sugar and Wine Fair is still two days away. Apart from mobile stalls like peddlers, the other large stalls are already set up, covered with awnings and plastic sheets.

Reaching the street corner, there was a small restaurant. The peddler ordered some strong liquor and a few other dishes. He scribbled something down, glanced at Zhou He, and then removed two of the dishes he had ordered.

"Young Master Zhou is currently detached from worldly affairs, so let's not be extravagant, shall we?"

Zhou He was somewhat helpless; this peddler was truly a miser.

He didn't say anything, just leaned back in his chair and waited for the food to be served.

When the dishes were served, Ga Gouwa seemed a little flustered. Zhou He touched his top hat and said with a smile:

"I'm just eating your food, I'm not asking you for money."

The peddler didn't say a word. He held chopsticks in one hand and a small wine cup in the other. With a "slurp," he sipped the wine from the cup and let out a "ha," shaking his head. He looked quite relaxed and carefree.

After the wine was almost gone and there was hardly any food left on the table, the peddler finally spoke:

"Young Master Zhou, I have a big business deal I'd like to discuss with you."

Zhou smiled, gestured for Ga Gouwa to go outside, and then sat down and looked at the peddler:

"Let's separate this from another issue, make things clear first, then we can talk, don't you think?"

"Hey, young master Zhou, you'll get your share," the peddler chuckled, his face flushed, whether from being drunk or lost in thought, it was hard to tell.

Zhou and others waited for him to continue.

The first thing the peddler owed him was information about the meat merchant and the god of the pool.

This was already agreed upon when we were carrying the meat on our backs.

The peddler smacked his lips, seemingly hesitating about something, before finally speaking slowly:

"Young Master Zhou, tell me about the ways of dealing with meat merchants first."

"The path of a meat merchant begins with carrying meat merchants on one's back. Carrying meat merchants can help one avoid karmic consequences; you know that."

Zhou He shook his head:

"I don't know... You did mention it, but what I want to know is, what exactly is cause and effect?"

The peddler took out a paper bag, poured a pinch of tobacco leaves onto the white paper, spat on it to coat the leaves, rolled it up, waved his hand, lit the cigarette, and continued:

"What is cause and effect? ​​Nobody can really explain it. Everyone says that you sex workers can escape cause and effect. I'm wondering, isn't cause and effect just relationships?"

"Relationship?"

"Yes, the relationship between people, the relationship between people and the land, and the relationship between people and all things in the world."

Zhou He nodded; this answer was not unexpected.

But he was even more confused.

If you don't understand, just ask:

"So, according to you, avoiding karma means avoiding the schemes and relationships of others?"

"That's how it should be."

The peddler's answer was straightforward, but Zhou He was not satisfied:

"Then why am I being pushed around by you all?"

This is his biggest concern.

From the moment Zhou He first saw the road sign, he wondered what this so-called cause and effect was.

What he thought was not much different from what the peddler said.

However, subsequent events made it difficult for him to trust this deduction.

After all, he had always been part of the game, always just a pawn.

If he could truly escape cause and effect, he shouldn't be like this.

From the moment he came into this world, Zhou He realized that there were rules in this world. Even if the old hunchback wanted to eat him, he would have to find a reason to escape the rules. Of course, that also gave him a chance.

Therefore, he couldn't understand why, given this kind of world, the clearly stated "avoiding cause and effect" hadn't worked as intended.

When the peddler heard the question, he didn't say much. He just lowered his head, took a couple more puffs of his pipe, and the bluish-gray smoke rose into the air. Surprisingly, the smell wasn't very pungent.

"Young Master Zhou, it's the rule that meat merchants can avoid karma; it can't be changed."

"But you're a meat customer..."

At this point, the peddler hesitated for a moment, but still slowly took out an oil lamp, lit it, and placed it on the table.

The glow of the oil lamp spread across the table, enveloping Zhou He and the peddler.

Zhou could vaguely sense that with this light, others wouldn't be able to see him.

Or rather, it's visible to the naked eye, but some people who shouldn't see it can't.

He exhaled and slowly began to speak:

"I understand what Mr. Chen means. I am a sex worker, and I can escape the consequences, but I am not just me, right?"

Instead of answering his question first, the peddler started a new topic:

"Young Master Zhou probably wants to know why we chose you, right?"

Zhou He remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

This time, the peddler didn't hold back; instead, he poured out everything like beans pouring from a bamboo tube:

"Me, and the one above," he said, pointing to the air where the smoke he had just exhaled was still swirling and unformed.

Zhou He understood who he was referring to, nodded, and waited for the peddler to continue.

"Me, the one above, you, we are the same."

At this point, the peddler sighed, unconsciously pulling out the paper bag containing tobacco leaves again. After a moment's thought, he put it back in his pocket, rubbing his chin, and slowly continued:

"Some things can't be said too explicitly, and some things you shouldn't know right now. Young Master Zhou is a smart man; you should understand what I'm saying."

There was something hidden in what the peddler said.

He always addressed Zhou He as Young Master Zhou.

But when he mentioned that he was the same as himself, he didn't mention Young Master Zhou.

Later it was pointed out that Young Master Zhou was a smart man.

Heh, Young Master Zhou.

Zhou He squinted, his hand unconsciously resting on the brim of his fisherman's hat.

From the moment he entered the dilapidated temple, the peddler knew he was no longer Young Master Zhou.

They've certainly hidden it well.

Although he hasn't given a direct answer yet, Zhou He already knows what he wants to know.

He nodded, steer the conversation back on track:

Let's continue talking about meat customers.

The peddler's expression relaxed a bit, and his front teeth slowly began to show:

"Being a meat vendor is the best path in the world, but also the most arduous one."

"If you cannot eat the five grains of the human world and have to deal with meat, the better you do it, the weaker the karmic consequences will be. In the end, no one in this world will recognize you."

Zhou He didn't care; that wasn't what he wanted to know.

"You shouldn't be a sex trader, and neither should any of us, Young Master Zhou. There's something fishy about this."

Zhou He nodded, then shook his head; this was different from what he had expected.

"Mr. Chen means that you, the person above, and I shouldn't be sex workers?"

The peddler nodded, while Zhou remained silent.