Chapter 182

A poor family travels with wealth.

Xu Qing carried a million incense offerings to the capital to take the examinations, only then reaching the Heavenly List and avoiding five hundred years of disaster.

Now returning to Linjiang, he naturally could not go back empty-handed.

As the saying goes, don't leave home empty-handed, and don't return with an empty basket.

After catching a few spirit fish and preparing some strange scales that looked suitable for stewing soup, Xu Qing still felt something was missing.

Arriving on the streets of Linjiang and watching the hawkers shouting back and forth, Xu Qing suddenly had an idea.

Luojing is where the national fortune of the dynasty gathers; even if the current Dayong Dynasty's fortune is not as strong as it once was, it remains a place where strange people and extraordinary scholars congregate.

Although Xu Qing went to Luojing to "take the exams," he never actually entered the capital city. He wasn't familiar with that place, nor did he care to go.

Walking on the streets of Linjiang, Xu Qing bought many "capital specialties" in big and small bags. Encountering a breakfast stall, he looked at the steam rising from the bamboo steamers and the fish porridge shop where the owner kept stirring to prevent the pot from burning.

Xu Qing felt his entire zombie self perk up!

This scent of human life is something zombies who drink blood and eat raw meat in the mountain gullies can never smell.

Arriving at the food stall, he ordered crispy rings, bean juice, salty and sweet tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, and steamed buns—all of it!

Anyone who didn't know better would think some starving ghost had run out onto the street.

"Guest, your crispy rings and bean juice, please enjoy!"

What is a crispy ring? The Compendium of Materia Medica says: add a little salt, twist and pull into the shape of a ring, then fry in oil to eat—that is a crispy ring.

Although both crispy rings and fried dough sticks are deep-fried, there is a clear difference: fried dough sticks are large and soft, while crispy rings are like bracelets, small and crispy, and can be stored for ten days or half a month without losing their crunch.

It is a delicacy that the people of Jinmen have loved for thousands of years.

Bean juice is also a Beijing-Tianjin flavor passed down for thousands of years; those who like it love it, while to those who don't, it's no different from swill.

Bean juice nourishes the stomach, detoxifies, and clears internal heat; it was also a popular palace drink in the Luojing imperial city. Now, as Xu Qing dipped his crispy ring into the bean juice, one bite down, he wouldn't trade it even if the Emperor himself gave him the throne.

Starting from the street, Xu Qing tasted his way along, packing up any food he liked to take back to the mortuary for everyone to try.

Here, Xu Qing came to a noodle stall. He had just bought a few bowls of river crab noodles and hadn't satisfied his craving yet when a sheathed sword was suddenly slapped onto the table next to him.

Xu Qing glanced over and saw a handsome, graceful young master in white sitting at the table.

As soon as the man sat down, his gaze subconsciously swept the surroundings, and when he saw the pile of noodle bowls over a foot high in front of Xu Qing, his gaze clearly paused for a moment.

This noodle stall was delicious, but he had never seen anyone eat so much in one sitting. How long had it been since this person last ate?

Ordering a bowl of river crab noodles, the young master in white ate in a leisurely manner.

Xu Qing had barely eaten half-full and was planning to drink a bowl of noodle soup before heading home when a disheveled woman with bruises on her face came to the noodle stall.

The woman's gaze lingered on Xu Qing and the young master in white for a moment, but when she saw the mountain of noodle bowls in front of Xu Qing, she chose the young master in white, who looked wealthier.

"Young master, could you spare a bite to eat?"

The woman asked timidly, like a stray cat or dog on the side of the road, only daring to approach someone when she was truly starving.

Disturbed, Shang Shaoyang frowned and said unhappily: "This noodle shop isn't just me; why do you ask only me? Do I look like a good person?"

The beggar woman glanced at Xu Qing, who was happily drinking his soup, and whispered: "The young master and the other guest both have good faces, but the other one doesn't look like a wealthy person; he looks like a poor man who has suffered and never eaten a good meal."

"..."

Xu Qing's soup-drinking motion stalled, wondering if this "poor man" was referring to him.

Shang Shaoyang glanced at the bowls stacked in front of Xu Qing and nodded: "You are quite observant."

"But I am no good person; you have definitely found the wrong person!"

The beggar woman looked at the handsome face of the young master in white and mustered her courage: "If you spare me a meal, I can sleep with you."

"..."

This time it was Xu Qing's turn to look over.

Shang Shaoyang took a deep breath, turned his head abruptly, and said: "Shopkeeper, give her a bowl of noodles!"

When the noodles were ready, the beggar woman didn't sit at the table but leaned against the threshold, wolfing down the noodles and licking the rim of the bowl when she was finished.

Shang Shaoyang, who was about to eat his noodles, raised his chopsticks and then put them down. Only after the woman finished did he speak: "Shopkeeper, make her another bowl."

"Thank you, young master, you are truly a good person!"

Shang Shaoyang's eyelid twitched; there was delicious river crab noodle right in front of him, but he couldn't take another bite.

"Where is your home? Why are you here alone?"

The woman stared blankly at the empty bowl in her hands, silent for a while before speaking.

"My home is in Yaozhou. There was a locust plague, no grain was harvested, and the officials demanded taxes. My family couldn't pay, so they had to use the land as collateral. Later, bandits and robbers bullied me... I couldn't get married, and no one was willing to give even a grain of rice as a dowry, so my parents sent me to a wealthy master's house, but the master sold me not long after..."

At this point, the beggar woman stopped; the noodle seller had finished making the noodles.

When the woman ate the second bowl, she was even more hurried than the first, not knowing if it was because of what she had said.

Seeing her choking, Shang Shaoyang frowned: "Eat slowly. Shopkeeper, bring another bowl of noodle soup."

After finishing the noodles, the beggar woman's eyes were filled with tears, her voice trembling with excitement and a hint of caution and flattery:

"I haven't eaten for three days. It was you who let me have a full meal; you are truly a genuinely good person."

Shang Shaoyang's face stiffened, and his hand holding the noodle soup paused. Just as he was about to say something, he heard the beggar woman continue: "But don't worry, young master, since I ate two bowls of your noodles, I will definitely sleep with you twice..."

Noodle soup splashed out, and Shang Shaoyang's hand, which had held a sword for years, couldn't help but tremble.

Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Shang Shaoyang hurriedly looked away, avoiding her gaze.

At the next table, the shopkeeper took away Xu Qing's noodle bowls and sighed.

After eating and drinking his fill, the beggar woman stood up and pleaded: "Young master, please follow me."

At this moment, the shopkeeper, who had been silent, suddenly warned: "Young master, you must not go. This woman has a decent appearance and a mark on her neck; she clearly escaped from a trafficker."

"If you go and get caught by the traffickers, being extorted for money is a small matter, but what if this woman has some disease..."

Hearing this, the beggar woman could no longer hold back, covering her face and weeping: "Even if I were starving to death, I would not harm my benefactor. It is true that I was resold by traffickers, and it is true that I escaped, but I have no intention of harming anyone. If you don't mind, I have secret boudoir arts to serve you well. You will be relaxed and refreshed without being tainted by my broken body."

On the side, Xu Qing frowned deeply.

When did human traffickers come to Linjiang? Do Fourth Master Li and the agency know about this?

In the few months he had been away from Linjiang, why did it feel like the affairs beneath the surface of the city were no longer under his control?

Shang Shaoyang was silent for a while, then took ten taels of silver from his purse and said: "I believe you. Take this money for travel expenses. In the future, start a small business or spend it as you wish, but stop degrading yourself."

The beggar woman refused, but Shang Shaoyang forced it into her hands.

"If you don't take this money, I will throw it into the street for anyone to pick up, and even if you starve to death on the street later, I won't look at you again!"

The beggar woman took the silver and wept: "My life is cheap, why does the young master treat me like this?"

Shang Shaoyang narrowed his eyes and said in an inexplicable tone: "Consider it that I owe you, and that this world owes you."

"What is the young master's name? I will surely keep it in my heart. Even if I cannot repay you, I will pray for you in the future."

"I..."

Just as Shang Shaoyang was about to speak, four or five fierce-looking thugs rushed into the street, led by a businessman wearing a high-crowned hat and a horse-jacket robe.

"You cheap wench, you dare to run away after falling into my, Jia Shigui's, hands! Bring her back to me. Send her to the boats to work the river today; if she doesn't serve enough customers, don't let her off the boat!"

Prostitutes who follow ships or carriages are the most common type of itinerant prostitutes in the marketplace. Such people are generally called "itinerant prostitutes" or "itinerant heads," and those who trade in them are mostly human traffickers.

If they don't find a suitable buyer, the traffickers will send them to work as itinerant prostitutes; in any case, they cannot eat for free and must work for the trafficker's profit every moment.

Official prostitutes are better off; many are the female relatives of convicted officials. Except for being sent to the Ministry of Rites and never being able to leave the registry, they don't face the same hardships as other prostitutes.

Slightly lower are private prostitutes. These women are either voluntary or trafficked, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, often serving guests as "pure courtesans." Although not as good as official prostitutes, their food and clothing are at least satisfactory.

Further down are market prostitutes and itinerant prostitutes. These people are the lowest in the marketplace; they serve guests at any time, and if the trafficker tells you to serve, you must serve. Even if you get sick, they won't necessarily treat you.

Such people often fall into poverty and illness, their fate tied to the hands of others; not to mention having no one to rely on in old age, even their life and death are entirely controlled by others.

Xu Qing had been in the funeral business for so long that he had taken orders for prostitutes and entertainers, including private and official ones, but never market or itinerant prostitutes.

Because human traffickers would only throw these market prostitutes, who died of illness or torture, into the mass grave to feed the dogs; they would never have a change of heart and provide a coffin for their burial.

"Vehicles, boats, shops, and traffickers—even if innocent, they deserve to die." This saying is not without reason.

Xu Qing sat by the table, the Fetal Obscurity Pearl already in his hand.

However, before he could act in secret, the young master in white blocked the beggar woman with his long sword.

"Are you traffickers?"

"Who is a trafficker? Can you speak? This person was bought by us, and there is a deed of sale. Even if we go to the government, we are in the right. Don't meddle in other people's business!"

Shang Shaoyang narrowed his eyes: "The government? Do you know who I am?"

"The Shang family of Qianxi is my clan, and I am of the direct line. Who do you think the word 'official' is written for?"

After speaking, Shang Shaoyang put his sword-holding hand behind his back and then, using only one hand, defeated all four or five thugs with leisurely ease.

The sound of bones and tendons dislocating and breaking was crisp and clear. Xu Qing watched Shang Shaoyang's movements and raised an eyebrow.

The other party's technique of dislocating bones and tendons wasn't particularly exquisite, but it was pleasing to the eye.

After doing all this, the man even had the leisure to take out a handkerchief and wipe his hand.

"You are bullying others with your power; I will definitely report you to the officials!"

Amidst the cries of pain, the leading trafficker shouted angrily.

"Bullying with power, reporting to the officials?"

Shang Shaoyang seemed to have heard something extremely funny.

"Have you ever done anything against the law?" Shang Shaoyang laughed: "Regardless of whether you have or not, even if you haven't, my Shang family will find a way to pin a crime on you. Even if I take your lives today, the officials will not only not blame me, but will praise me for eliminating river bandits and reward me with silver to make a name for myself."

"Do you believe it or not?"

The trafficker said hatefully: "I don't believe it! I don't believe you can reach the heavens with your hands and eyes!"

"You don't believe it? Then let's try."

Shang Shaoyang bared his teeth in a smile, and the next moment he stepped on the trafficker's neck, breaking it!

The remaining thugs, who were groaning in pain, fell silent at the sight.

But Shang Shaoyang clearly didn't intend to end it there. He walked up to another person and repeated the same words.

"How about you, do you believe it or not?"

The thug nodded frantically: "I believe, I believe!"

"You believe? Then can't I safely take your life?"

After speaking, another corpse was added to the noodle stall.

When he reached the third person, the thug begged frantically, but it was of no use.

"When you were doing evil, did you spare others when they begged for mercy?"

As soon as the words fell, a third corpse appeared in front of the noodle stall.

Then the fourth, the fifth...

Xu Qing watched Shang Shaoyang, who was on a killing spree, his eyes shining.

This young man is good; if there were more people like this in the world, would his mortuary ever worry about not receiving corpses?

Looking at the highly capable Shang Shaoyang, Xu Qing couldn't help but feel a desire to cherish his talent.

"What are you doing?"

Shang Shaoyang had killed people, but he was neither panicked nor running; he just sat at the dining table and began to close his eyes and rest.

However, before he could even sit still, he saw the young man who looked like a starving ghost come over and start taking the pulses of the corpses.

Facing the question, Xu Qing replied while taking pulses: "I am slightly versed in medicine and want to see if there are any survivors among these people."

"These are evil thugs; do you actually want to treat them?"

Shang Shaoyang glared, as if he would curse the other party if he gave the wrong answer.

Xu Qing said strangely: "If there are survivors, that's your problem, what does it have to do with me? Why should I treat them?"

Shang Shaoyang raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by that? How did it become my problem again?"

"Your goal was to kill; if there are survivors, of course it's your problem. Could it be mine?"

"..."

Shang Shaoyang widened his eyes, speechless for a long time.

After Xu Qing finished examining all the corpses, Shang Shaoyang couldn't help but ask: "How is it?"

"Average. But if you can kill the Holy Master of the Heavenly Heart Sect, I'll definitely give you a thumbs up!"

"..."

Shang Shaoyang snorted coldly and didn't respond.

Xu Qing sat to the side and said happily: "Are you really not afraid of the officials arresting you?"

"Not afraid!"

Seeing Shang Shaoyang's calm demeanor, Xu Qing really thought he had powerful backing.

Unfortunately, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the man was taken back to the government office by the bailiffs.

When Zhao Zhonghe arrived at the scene and saw Xu Qing, the two chatted for a while, so much so that when Shang Shaoyang was leaving, he even asked: "Are you a government official?"

Xu Qing shook his head at the question.

"I am the proprietor of the mortuary on Jingxia Street, just returned today from my studies."

After Xu Qing replied, he looked at the onlookers and bowed: "If you have any needs, feel free to come to the mortuary to find me. Whether it's moving a coffin or burial, I offer a fifty percent discount!"

"If referred by friends or family, I also provide permanent after-sales service. Whether it's a damaged tomb or a fallen tombstone, I can guarantee repairs!"

(End of chapter)