Chapter 149: One Person, Three Shadows; Enemies Meet

Great evil often hides in soft places; deep hatred often comes from love.

After Jin Wanshan failed to sell his father for glory, he began to do business of killing, arson, and robbery.

After about sixteen years, Jin Wanshan, who had been promoted to incense master in the Heavenly Heart Sect, returned to the capital.

Having not returned to his hometown for sixteen years, Jin Wanshan was filled with emotion. Passing by Xishou Street, he didn't see his mother, but saw a strange family living in his old house.

Jin Wanshan looked at the family of three: the man was simple and honest, the woman was fiery, and there was a little brat with a topknot running back and forth at the door with a windmill.

Having practiced martial arts for more than ten years, Jin Wanshan, whose appearance had changed greatly, walked up and began to ask about his family.

That simple and honest man was a good person. He answered whatever he asked. After asking, Jin Wanshan also understood what had happened to his family in the past few years.

Sixteen years ago, Jin Carpenter "disappeared," and Jin Wanshan, because the matter was exposed, became a regular on the wanted notice.

The Jin family was sealed by the government, and Jin's mother was sentenced to "half a year of penal servitude" for failing to teach her son, as a warning.

However, two months into the penal servitude, Jin's mother had already hanged herself on the way.

Jin Wanshan knew about his family's affairs, but instead of being sad, he laughed and bowed to the simple and honest man to thank him.

Before leaving the house, the child running with the windmill waved at him.

Leaving the old house, his subordinates asked Incense Master Jin where to go next?

Incense Master Jin said, "Go to the gambling den!"

Not having returned for sixteen years, the place where he had gambled to death had always been a disease in his heart.

Now that he had returned home in glory, he had to win back his old territory!

In the gambling den, Jin Wanshan, who had made progress in martial arts, didn't win many games before he caused dissatisfaction in the gambling den.

At this time, Jin Wanshan realized that most of the dealers in the gambling den had martial arts cultivation.

Besides this, there were "touts," which were shills dressed as gamblers. Whoever won a lot of money, these touts, who were proficient in cheating or had quick eyes and hands, would win the money back with interest.

Boring. Jin Wanshan truly felt it was boring.

In the past, he thought gambling was fun, but today he felt it was uninteresting.

It was all cheating. Instead of this, it would be better for two people to draw lots to determine life and death. The winner lives, the loser dies. How interesting that would be!

Leaving the city gate and passing Xizhi Bridge, there was a fortune-teller on the bridge. Jin Wanshan suddenly realized, "In these sixteen years, I have killed like a demon, but I have never gambled again. Calculated today, it is exactly my first win in sixteen years!"

That evening, when Jin Wanshan left the capital and passed his house again, the child with the topknot was still playing at the door.

Jin Wanshan laughed, walked up to him, flipped his palm, and took out two copper coins.

"Kid, I'll play a game of guessing copper coins with you. How about it?"

Jin Wanshan separated the two copper coins and, in front of the child, held one in each hand, saying, "Guess which hand the copper coin is in. If you guess right, I'll give you the copper coins..."

The child, with snot bubbles, said happily, "One copper coin in each hand!"

"Oh." Jin Wanshan laughed strangely, "You say this thing is messed up. I don't have a single copper coin in my hand!"

The child opened his eyes wide, looking at Jin Wanshan's palms, which were full of calluses, in disbelief. There wasn't even a shadow of half a copper coin!

"Willing to bet and willing to lose. If you lose, you have to accept the punishment."

"What punishment?" The child was ignorant.

"A child who loses a bet has no parents to love them."

Jin Wanshan seemed to be talking about himself, and seemed to be talking about the child. The sunset that evening was very red, and the child's house was also very red. There was blood everywhere in the courtyard...

In the mortician's shop, Xu Qing pondered the constraints of the "Gambling-to-Death Technique." For ordinary people, this technique was just a game of luck in gambling, only the referee determining the winner was changed to the Heavens.

Win and live, lose and die. Even if you want to deny it, you can't.

But then again, who would be idle enough to gamble their life? If one side is powerful, why would they need to gamble with you? They would just do it.

Xu Qing thought and thought, I'm afraid only those who are evenly matched and desperately want the other's life, but are helpless, might use this curse.

"If a living person loses a bet, they will die. Then what if a dead person gambles..."

Zombies can lose countless times, but as long as they win once...

Xu Qing's eyes lit up, then he shook his head. The limitations of the Gambling-to-Death Technique were too great, and making others willing to gamble wasn't an easy task.

Forget it, another skill to eat dust in the warehouse.

In the room full of corpses, Xu Qing moved his gaze away from Jin Wanshan's corpse and fell onto Ling Yangzi.

Speaking of which, Ling Yangzi of the Celestial Master Mansion and Jin Wanshan of the Jinmen Gang were not meeting for the first time.

Fourteen years ago, at the old Jin house on Xishou Street, Ling Yangzi and Jin Wanshan had met.

At that time, Ling Yangzi was still a child holding a windmill, running around everywhere.

Later, Jin Wanshan held two copper coins, coaxing him to guess the bet, and it was precisely because he guessed the wrong answer that Ling Yangzi lost his parents.

At that time, the blood in the courtyard was even brighter than the sunset clouds, and the dazzling blood light reflected Jin Wanshan's back as he left with a knife.

From that time on, Ling Yangzi had a deep mark in his heart.

The neighbors heard the movement and all came to ask what was going on.

But as soon as they entered the door and saw the cruel scene, everyone was dumbfounded.

Only Ling Yangzi stood blankly in the pool of blood, neither crying nor making a fuss, just staring at the door.

Later, the government came and asked Ling Yangzi if he remembered the appearance of the murderer?

A child in his early teens, who didn't know the world, and was stimulated, how could he answer fluently.

"I don't remember, I don't remember anything."

Ling Yangzi didn't know anything when asked. The government had no choice and finally listed the case as a cold case.

The neighbors saw that Ling Yangzi was young and pitiful, so they worked together to help the child handle his parents' funeral.

Old Man Shan, who lived opposite, was a kind person. He said to Ling Yangzi, "Child, from today on, you are alone. You must learn to take care of yourself. Of course, the neighbors also watched you grow up. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, tell us. As long as it's within our power, we will still cherish you..."

Ling Yangzi was a child and didn't understand the polite words of adults. He opened his mouth and asked, "Okay, can I go to your house to eat in the future?"

"That's not possible!"

Old Man Shan answered very decisively.

Seeming to feel that what he said was too hurtful to the child, the old man thought for a while and sighed, "Child, it's not that the old man is unfeeling, it's just that everyone's life is difficult. Look at the neighbors, which family doesn't have one room and half a kang? Everyone has children at home, so how can they raise others?"

"Old Man Shan, then teach me, what should I do in the future..."

Old Man Shan shook his head, "Child, you have to think of a way yourself. The old man can only tell you one sentence."

"Old Man, you say it, I'm listening."

"In the future, whether it's sweet or bitter, you have to bear it. Whether it's fortune or sin, no one will carry it for you. This is a child without parents. Your path in the future can only be walked by yourself."

Ling Yangzi didn't quite understand and asked, "Old Man, can you say it more carefully? How should I walk..."

Old Man Shan heard this and pointed his finger toward the West Gate, saying, "In this capital, there are many little beggars who beg for food. The government doesn't see them usually, but when it's time to eat, they can always appear in the capital and beg for food."

"These little beggars have thick skin and are very difficult to deal with because they also have no parents. If they didn't pester like this, they might have starved to death on the street long ago."

After experiencing great ups and downs, hearing some words, and encountering some things, people often make some changes.

From that time on, Ling Yangzi learned to have thick skin and learned to pester.

The beggars in the capital also have high and low status. Those at the city gate look down on those on the four main streets, and those on the four main streets look down on those at the city gate...

Ling Yangzi was a stranger outside the city. His face wasn't familiar, so he was beaten when begging, and beaten when not begging.

No way, he went to seek other livelihoods.

Coincidentally, there were Jianghu people performing on the street, like boxing and dancing spears, chest-breaking stones, magic tricks, and monkey shows. There was nothing you hadn't seen, and nothing not on the street.

Ling Yangzi thought this was profitable!

Standing there, shouting a few times, "Take a look, take a look," and the copper coins would clatter into his pocket.

Ling Yangzi did it as soon as he thought of it, tucked the hem of his clothes into his waistband, and started playing "turtle boxing" on the street.

"Go, go, go! Where did this beggar come from? Don't delay my business!"

"This isn't your street. Why should I leave? If anyone leaves, it should be you." Ling Yangzi said, refusing to leave.

The person doing business next to him came out to drive him away, "Disturbing people doing proper business, it's good enough that I don't beat you. If you don't leave, I'll call the officials to take you!"

Children are different from adults; hearing about officials, they are truly afraid.

Ling Yangzi walked toward the city gate with an empty stomach, intending to return home, tighten his belt, and hold on for one night, then come out to beg for a living tomorrow.

Walking along, they arrived at the city gate, where Ling Yangzi saw a Daoist priest standing at the entrance, with gate officials and runners serving him respectfully.

"Lü Celestial Master, you've been shining for a whole day. Why don't you take a break and let us brothers help you watch."

Lü Celestial Master held the precious mirror in his hand, shining it back and forth on the various pedestrians at the city gate.

Hearing the official's words, Lü Celestial Master's heart moved. Just as he was about to hand over the mirror, he glanced and happened to see the person he was looking for in the mirror.

Lü Celestial Master was afraid of seeing it wrong. When that person arrived, he grabbed the other party's arm and shone the mirror on him.

When Ling Yangzi left the city gate, he saw this Daoist. The Daoist held a rusty broken mirror in his hand, shining it on everyone he caught, as if he had some illness.

Seeing the Daoist reach out and pull him aside, Ling Yangzi wanted to break free, but found that the old Daoist's strength was greater than anyone else's!

"What do you want to do? I'm not easy to provoke. If you provoke me, I'll go to your house and eat and drink your food every day..."

The old Daoist heard this and was happy in his heart.

"Good, good, good! Then you follow the old Daoist. In the future, all your food and drink will be on the old Daoist."

Ling Yangzi didn't understand, but the gatekeeper next to him was surprised, "Is the Old Celestial Master looking for the spirit child with three shadows?"

Lü Celestial Master laughed, "The old Daoist has been looking for this spirit child for many years. Now that I can find a spirit child with three shadows, it's not in vain that I spent so much effort."

Three shadows? Ling Yangzi looked down at his own shadow.

Is this bullying him for not knowing how to count?

Lü Celestial Master seemed to see Ling Yangzi's question and moved the mirror in his hand in front of him, saying, "Look, this is the treasure of my Celestial Master Mansion. In previous years, finding a spirit child depended on it. As long as someone shines into this mirror, the one with two shadows is the true successor of my Celestial Master Mansion, and the one with three shadows is the spirit child, who has the opportunity to become the Celestial Master in the future..."

Ling Yangzi looked, and the self in the mirror really had three shadows.

"Can I eat my fill if I become the Celestial Master?"

"Yes, not only can you eat your fill as the Celestial Master, but you can also become a god!"

"Become a god..." Ling Yangzi said with expectation, "If I become a god, wouldn't I be able to resurrect my father and mother?"

"That's not possible!"

Lü said, "If you have parents, you won't have these three shadows. Without shadows, you can't become a god."

Ling Yangzi was confused, but he understood one thing: even if he became the Celestial Master and a god, he couldn't save his parents or redeem the mistakes he had made.

Just like that, Ling Yangzi followed Lü Celestial Master to the Celestial Master Mansion.

In the days that followed, Lü Celestial Master gave him a Daoist name, Ling Yangzi.

Time flies, hearts rise and fall.

Ling Yangzi studied Daoism, and in less than fourteen years, he had extraordinary Daoist cultivation.

It's just that this person had one bad point: he was moody and did things unscrupulously.

People all say enemies are on a narrow road. In order for his puppet skills to go further, Ling Yangzi sought Yin-Gold items from Long Engui.

The two of them wandered around and arrived in Linhe. It was at this time that Ling Yangzi saw his enemy Jin Wanshan again.

Ling Yangzi recognized Jin Wanshan, but the other party didn't recognize him.

Logically speaking, Ling Yangzi should have killed his enemy to avenge his parents at this time, but he didn't do it.

Just because the Jin Wanshan that Long Engui found for him happened to be the person who could find him Yin-Gold Burial Money.

He wanted to kill the person, and he also wanted the things. What should he do?

Ling Yangzi pondered a little and came up with a two-pronged plan.

That was to let Jin Wanshan find him enough goods, and then kill the donkey after it had finished grinding the mill!

It's just that Ling Yangzi didn't expect that Jin Wanshan would rob goods he shouldn't have and provoke an occult person he shouldn't have.

In the mortician's shop, Xu Qing looked at the corpses of this pair of enemies, deeply moved in his heart.

Since you two are so destined, I will bury you together. If you go to the underworld, remember to give a good review!

After putting away their corpses, Xu Qing sent the corpses of the Jinmen Gang members to the afterlife one by one.

Although the quality of these corpses was slightly worse, they were large in quantity. Just by sending them to the afterlife along the way, the "Great Strength Pills" Xu Qing obtained were enough to eat like sugar beans!

Besides pills, Xu Qing also learned many miscellaneous skills.

Like copper coins through oil, weaving baskets, repairing roofs, swallowing needles and knives, etc., all were common folk skills in the Jianghu.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 150 =====