Chapter 5: The Gambling Garden

Nowadays, the world is in turmoil, and the rule of the Great Jin Dynasty is no longer what it once was; forces such as civilian martial arts schools and gangs are exceptionally active, controlling all sorts of gray industries.

That these people could come here to pick people clearly means they have already bribed the city guards, so following them into the city is no problem at all.

Joining a gang to work as a thug or hoodlum may not be considered a good path, but it is far better than selling oneself into slavery, and it happens to solve Lu Yuan's urgent needs.

"I, I'll do it!"

While these thoughts were turning, a disaster victim in ragged clothing had already leaped onto the stage, eager to try.

He was a man of about thirty years; although slightly thin, his muscle definition was clear, and his physical foundation was clearly not bad.

After receiving permission from the Qinglong Gang leader, he didn't say a word, bent down to grab the iron lock, exerted force suddenly, and lifted it up in one go.

A hundred-catty iron lock is not easy for even a normal person to hold for ten breaths, let alone these disaster victims who have been starving along the road and only had a bit of thin porridge yesterday.

After lifting it, the man's face immediately flushed red; as his veins bulged, his legs and arms began to tremble.

Yet even so, he gritted his teeth and held on, stubbornly persisting for nine, nearly ten breaths, before suddenly putting it down.

The Qinglong Gang leader looked him up and down and said reluctantly:

"It'll do, you're qualified, stand to the side."

The tall, thin man walked to the side, overjoyed, and the disaster victims below became even more excited and restless; many men who considered themselves to have some strength scrambled to squeeze onto the stage.

Seeing this, the Qinglong Gang leader was extremely impatient; he stepped forward abruptly and kicked three disaster victims who were scrambling to get on stage off with the force of a gale:

"What are you low-lives scrambling for? Go to the side and line up; I'll let you come up when I tell you to!"

"Don't come to make up the numbers and waste time if you don't have the strength, otherwise you'll eat a lash from me!"

With one kick, he sent three people flying; the disaster victims gathered below finally dared not scramble anymore and honestly went to the side of the stage to line up.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan relied on his body and strength to quickly squeeze through the crowd and get in line.

In the blink of an eye, a long line of over a hundred people appeared.

And although there were many people in line, very few were qualified after going on stage.

These disaster victims were all sallow and emaciated, having barely recovered some strength from last night's thin porridge; most of them turned red in the face while barely lifting the hundred-catty iron lock, only to quickly lose strength, let go, and be driven off the stage.

Seventeen or eighteen disaster victims went on stage in succession, but only one was ultimately qualified.

Then it was Lu Yuan's turn.

After he stepped onto the stage, his physique and spirit were clearly different from the other disaster victims, immediately causing the Qinglong Gang leader to glance at him sideways.

Lu Yuan grabbed the iron lock, exhaled, and shouted; he didn't waste much effort and lifted it up in one go.

Then, after holding it for a full fifteen or sixteen breaths, he put it down.

After all, the original owner had intended to participate in the County Examination for the Martial Examination, so his physique was already quite good; plus, along the way, Lu Yuan had not only fully recovered but even slightly strengthened himself through the Ingestion Technique, so lifting this iron lock was naturally simple.

Such a performance was undoubtedly more than a cut above those before him, and the disaster victims below were slightly stirred.

The Qinglong Gang leader was undoubtedly very satisfied with Lu Yuan's performance and laughed:

"Good performance, you stay too!"

Nearly an hour later, the Qinglong Gang's simple selection in the settlement area came to an end.

Hundreds of disaster victims lined up to go on stage one after another, but in the end, only Lu Yuan and a dozen others were accepted for meeting the requirements.

Seemingly satisfied with the results, the Qinglong Gang leader ended the selection and took Lu Yuan and the others away.

All around, thousands of disaster victims rushed forward begging repeatedly, only to be whipped back by the fierce soldiers who had been prepared; Lu Yuan followed the others and entered the city gate openly and aboveboard.

And the moment he entered the city gate.

Inexplicably, a ripple arose in his heart.

Subconsciously, he communicated with the Heavenly Book in his mind and received feedback:

【Luck Power】: 46 units

His Qi Luck had actually increased by 20 units!

Clearly, this was the change brought about by him shedding his status as a disaster victim and successfully entering Fengyang Prefecture.

This change undoubtedly made Lu Yuan feel even more encouraged.

Because this meant he was one step closer to immortal cultivation.

After entering the city, a tall horse and several horse-drawn flatbed carts were parked in an open space not far away.

The leading Qinglong Gang leader mounted the horse, while the other gang members took Lu Yuan and the others onto the flatbed carts, then cracked their whips and set off.

Driving along the main road, it didn't take long for the group to enter the urban area; what met their eyes on both sides of the suburban roads were all dilapidated earthen huts and shanties, with dust flying, sewage flowing, and beggars with missing limbs everywhere.

The common people here were all sallow and emaciated, no better off than the disaster victims outside; they were clearly in the slum area.

After driving for another long stretch, the dilapidated earthen huts and shanties finally disappeared; houses with blue bricks and gray tiles were arranged in an orderly fashion, the streets were wide and prosperous, pedestrians flowed like a river, and rickshaw pullers wove through the alleys.

Especially when passing through a main thoroughfare, it was bustling with noise and excitement everywhere; tea houses, restaurants, clothing shops, rice shops, gambling dens, and pawnshops stood in rows, extremely prosperous.

Except for Lu Yuan, a transmigrator, the disaster victims selected on the flatbed cart had spent their whole lives farming in the fields and had never seen such a prosperous scene; naturally, they were dazzled, much like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden.

Lu Yuan, however, was staring at the leading Qinglong Gang leader, lost in thought.

In this era, gangs were not kind-hearted people, and it was even less likely they would benevolently raise people for free, especially a large gang like the Qinglong Gang.

They didn't know what they would face after being recruited.

Amidst his thoughts, after traveling for another half an hour.

The group arrived at a backyard of a rather imposing garden, then dismounted and got off the carts one after another.

The backyard gate was wide open, and two fierce mastiffs, half a person tall, rushed out first, pouncing toward the leading Qinglong Gang leader and wagging their tails excitedly.

Immediately after, a middle-aged man with a weathered face and graying hair walked out slowly with a few people and smiled:

"Protector He, how was the harvest today?"

North Hall Protector He Xiong petted the two mastiffs and laughed:

"It's passable; there are some decent seedlings, but they will still need you, Li Shu, to train them."

The middle-aged man called Li Shu looked Lu Yuan and the others over and nodded slightly:

"Leave it to me."

He Xiong turned his face and said to the crowd:

"This is Li Shu, the general manager of the back garden of our Beitang Gambling Garden. From today on, all of you will be under his management. You are now considered members of the Qinglong Gang. Here, you must honestly listen to instructions and behave yourselves while working; otherwise, the gang rules will be served. Do you understand?"

The crowd naturally agreed, and He Xiong did not stay long; after greeting Li Shu, he took his men and left.

Two mastiffs stared covetously at Lu Yuan and the others, but Li Shu waved his hand, led the mastiffs, and signaled for everyone to follow him into the garden.

(End of this chapter)