Chapter 922

There are two places where the big hoodlums of Dagukou often go: one is the theater Daguanlou at the northeast corner of the city, and the other is the restaurant Tianqingguan at the North Pass.

Today, the waiter at Tianqingguan didn't stand at the welcome table. Instead, he stood crookedly at the entrance of Tianqingguan with a group of hoodlums wearing green clothes, hats tilted, and "Five Ghosts Disturbing the Judgment" embroidered shoes, posing in a fierce manner. Decent people coming and going didn't dare to pass by this place!

The waiter at Tianqingguan had a bitter face and could only keep bowing and scraping to the regular customers: "Our restaurant has been booked today; please move along!"

Six or seven people sat there, each occupying a chair in a grand manner.

Some were dressed lavishly, sitting on stools with their bellies sticking out; some were sprawled on chairs without any proper posture; and others were wearing long robes, looking like refined scholars.

Those who could sit here were all famous big hoodlums of Dagukou.

A few old hoodlums with white beards walked out from the back, their beards shiny and bright; they were all ruthless characters who had made a name for themselves over a decade ago.

An old hoodlum, with only two fingers left on his left hand and only a little finger on his right hand supporting a bronze pipe, puffed away, scanning the crowd with his only remaining eye.

All the big hoodlums present bowed and nodded to show their respect.

The hoodlums of Dagukou love to draw "life-and-death lots." Hundreds of years ago, when there were no rules, the various gangs of ruffians fought so fiercely that hundreds of people were killed or injured at every turn.

Extermination of sects, death by a thousand cuts, and live skinning were endless, making it so that there wasn't a single peaceful day in Dagukou.

This angered the various guilds, boatmen's associations, and martial arts schools of the rivers, the capital, and the north and south. Finally, the government gathered two major civilian groups, nineteen routes of boxing arts, and eighty-seven elders from all walks of life to set up a ring on both sides of the canal for a great battle of magic.

They forced the eight famous gangs of ruffians at the time to their deaths.

Hundreds of cages were set up at the government office, and people were stood to death batch after batch.

The remaining six gang leaders, led by the big ruffian, drew life-and-death lots and took turns going up to the ring to show off their unique skills. They competed with the boatmen's association in water skills and pulling trackers. The leading big hoodlum tied hundreds of jin of stones to himself, put on shackles, and sank into the river, never coming up again. Seven or eight hoodlums sank like this, all having drawn the death lot.

The water ghosts of the boatmen's association shouted that those who drowned didn't count.

The hoodlums said: "You go down and see if our eyes are open. If even one of them has closed their eyes, then it doesn't count!"

The "Living Loach," who had the best water skills, went down to look and went mad after coming ashore.

The boatmen's association acknowledged this round, only because the resentment of those hoodlums who had drowned themselves was too heavy, and they had all become water ghosts. If they didn't acknowledge it, no ships could pass through that stretch of the river.

Then they competed in pulling trackers, and the second big hoodlum stood out, wanting to pull a copper ship.

The copper ship was a large vessel from Yunnan transporting copper ore, each weighing over millions of jin. It could only pass through the Sancha River estuary during the season when the water level was deepest, and no one had ever pulled the tracker for a copper ship before. This thing would kill you if you even brushed against it; how could anyone hold it?

The big hoodlum naturally couldn't hold it. His body was ground away by two-thirds on the stones, and he was ground alive from the soles of his feet to his chest, yet he still held onto his breath!

People in the Jianghu also admired such ruthless men, and the boatmen's association conceded defeat.

In the entire great battle, the hoodlums challenged seven or eight families, and the six leaders all died!

One suffocated himself alive in the river;

One was ground away for more than half his body while pulling the copper ship;

One jumped into a boiling oil pot while competing in magic tricks;

One broke sixteen of his own ribs while competing in the Three Emperors Society and cut open his belly to show his internal organs to others.

The most ruthless one competed with the Beggar Sect. He begged for gold and silver from the hoodlums, and the hoodlums smashed their pots and sold their iron to raise 80,000 taels of gold for him. He poured the molten gold over his head and swallowed the gold water alive, turning himself into a golden man.

The Beggar Sect only begged for two hundred taels of silver.

In terms of loyalty, they couldn't compare, and in terms of ruthlessness and ferocity, they couldn't compare either. From then on, the beggars walked around Dagukou, earning the hoodlums their trade—the job of being ruthless to demand money.

The last big hoodlum competed with the government!

The government gathered famous interrogation experts from the capital and Dagukou. Eighteen methods were used, and even the most ruthless river pirates would have to kowtow and beg for mercy, but that man didn't make a sound, which allowed the Jianghu and the imperial court to tacitly acknowledge the existence of such people in Dagukou.

These six old predecessors were respectfully called "Big Play" by the hoodlums.

The Sinking Corpse, the Half-Body Man, the Oil-Fried Bone, the Open-Belly Buddha, and the Big Golden Man—these five Big Plays had to be worshipped with offerings during festivals, which was considered the ghost and god worship of the hoodlums.

The last one had been locked in the government prison by the imperial court, a remnant corpse in the water prison that hadn't moved for over a hundred years.

All the hoodlums who went in, no matter how short of funds they were, had to offer the best to this old predecessor before they could enjoy anything...

Since that event hundreds of years ago, drawing the black (death) lot had become a recognized rule among the hoodlums.

Everyone who mixes in this world relies on the breath in their chest to be ruthless and fierce. If this breath is gone, they become rascals and trash, the most low-class "stinky dog food" on the street, and no one looks up to them. Even if they do something, others won't acknowledge it, and they won't be able to survive in Dagukou!

These old hoodlums had high status, not necessarily because of how many people they led before, but because they were ruthless enough.

The one-eyed, three-fingered one, nicknamed "Zhang Zhang Sanzhi," had drawn the death lot seven times and was a living legend among the hoodlums. Now, he still gets a share of the tribute from those seven piers and streets!

Zhang Zhang Sanzhi used the remaining ring finger and index finger of his left hand to twist his pipe and tapped it on the ground, saying: "Young man! It's not that I won't help you, but people are following the rules. Our gang established a foothold in Dagukou by being ruthless and fierce, winning through fair competition. If you lose, you have to acknowledge it; if you don't, the rules are broken! If the rules are broken, who can stand firm?"

Yuan Yuan Laosan, a big hoodlum sitting sprawled in the lower left corner, lifted his lapel and exposed his belly, which was covered with seven or eight centipede-like scars.

A fierce light flashed in his triangular eyes, and he sneered: "Old Man Zhang Sanzhi, it's not that we want to break the rules, but Dagukou has always been a place where dragons swim in the rivers and seas and snakes and rats have their paths. He is from a sect, burning incense and worshipping gods, leading a temple gate, and he doesn't go to the incense-burning associations but comes to the street to snatch our food. This breaks the rules in the first place!"

Another big hoodlum, Wang Wang Haichuan, also agreed: "The 'Tai Sui' of Hebei Street beheaded Huo Jiutou, the 'Old Sea Zhang' of Red Bridge was drowned with five limbs broken, and the 'Rascal Six' of Tianqiao Market was burned to death with human oil candles. In one day, three big hoodlums of Dagukou died. This All Xuanzhen Sect is pushing people too far!"

Among the old hoodlums, a half-paralyzed person with sparse hair lay crookedly and said indifferently: "Didn't their All Xuanzhen Sect also lose three people? They are all backbone members of the sect, daring to fight to the death; they count as good men!"

Old Man Zhang Sanzhi nodded: "One life for one life, it's fair!"

Li Li Jinao, dressed as a scholar in a long robe, suddenly opened his eyes and said calmly: "According to the old rules, draw the death lot! Fight them..."

His words were like chiseling nails, very authoritative. Even though the other big hoodlums wanted to fight with martial arts again, they all backed down upon hearing this.

Before long, someone brought a long wooden rack filled with dense wooden sticks.

This was the lot that the old hoodlums had preserved since the beginning of the battle of magic.

Drawing this lot meant no regrets. Those who retreated would not only be spurned by their peers and the gang's family law, but would also be watched by the six ancestors and harm their entire families.

Hundreds of elite hoodlums from seven or eight gangs stepped forward one by one to draw lots. Many young hoodlums who wanted to make a name for themselves volunteered to take the death lots. A total of twenty-eight black lots were drawn, and more than eighty black-red lots were prepared as backups.

Even those Big Plays drew lots.

Yuan Yuan Laosan glanced at his black lot and sneered coldly. At this time, he couldn't show any weakness no matter what. If he showed even a little, it would be called "stumbling," and no one would respect him anymore!

Wang Wang Haichuan glanced at the black-red lot in his hand, snorted through his nose, and sneered.

Li Li Jinao put away his red lot without saying a word.

The big hoodlums from all sides drew death lots at Tianqingguan and then notified the All Xuanzhen Sect at the Luomiao. The method of notification was also unique: a hoodlum dressed in green, wearing a tilted hat and "Five Ghosts Disturbing the Judgment" embroidered shoes, with a belt tied around his waist and his pants sagging, his upper body bare except for a porter's headband tied around his forehead, came to the Luomiao swaying with every step, looking extremely fierce.

He pulled a dagger from his trouser leg, stabbed it into his belly, and then pulled out his intestines and nailed them to the ground with the dagger, stepping toward the Luomiao step by step.

Along the way, he had to recite the declaration of war word by word in a loud voice.

He didn't stop until he had pulled out all his intestines, and he still had to walk three more steps, with blood flowing all the way.

This ruthless act was called "One Zhang of Red." At most, someone could walk three zhang, but they would surely die. It was the most serious declaration of war issued by the hoodlums. If it wasn't accepted, it would be a fight to the death, never-ending.

The man walked two and a half zhang, and his intestines had long since been pulled out! Half of his stomach had fallen out, and his internal organs were spilling out with a clatter.

He couldn't stand, so two All Xuanzhen Sect protectors on either side supported him, one on the left and one on the right. The Crow Deacon took the blood-stained declaration of war from his hand and carried it into the Luomiao.

Brother Qian Chen stood under the statue of the Three Saints, looking at the bloody scene at the open temple gate, and couldn't help but laugh: "What is this? You have a wolf-tooth club, and I have a heavenly spirit cover? It's just courage; it all depends on that one breath. As long as that breath dissipates, it's useless!"

"A truly courageous person has a heart and gall that penetrate, hair that bristles, and in the midst of conversation, life and death are the same, and a promise is worth a thousand taels of gold!"

"But a person with 'bone courage' doesn't show ferocity in ordinary times; only when the vast sea flows horizontally can their heroic nature be seen... If one is fierce in appearance but weak inside, our sect has ultimately failed to fulfill its great righteousness. Even though we hold the idea of saving the world, it is still just 'blood courage.' There is not a single person who is willing to die and not regret the path!"

Brother Qian Chen sighed at the sight and said to the deacons on his left and right: "If you had one or two people with 'bone courage,' why would I need to compete with those hoodlums?"

"Forget it! If he didn't have this courage, this declaration of war wouldn't have been delivered to me!"

Brother Qian Chen took the declaration of war and glanced at the time and place.

The hoodlums of Dagukou are just not presentable; the methods they use to show off are also low-class. In fact, there was no need to use such a method to send a declaration of war. If they had been polite and orderly, Brother Qian Chen would naturally have read the declaration of war in person.

"Tomorrow at noon, wait for you at the Bell Tower for a meeting..."

In the large vat on Brother Qian Chen's left, a piece of black Tai Sui was soaking.

Three human heads floated up and down, and Protector Chai's head opened its mouth and said: "Sect Master, let me go and deliver the reply!"

Brother Qian Chen pondered slightly and laughed: "If you want to come and go, let his people bring back our reply the same way they brought the declaration of war!"

After saying this, he asked the Crow to write the reply. The Crow said: "If the Tai Sui Lord doesn't come out, it's hard for you to die. Take the reply back and say that the few crooked melons and cracked dates of Dagukou are not worthy of our Sect Master's personal appearance! I, the Crow, will personally meet them tomorrow!"

After saying this, the Crow said indifferently: "In order to ensure you don't look down on me, the Crow, I must reveal some of my methods..."

He raised his hand and inserted it into his stomach, pulled out his own intestines, used a needle to prick a scripture onto the wriggling pink meat tube, and together with the reply, stuffed it into the young hoodlum's stomach.

Then he said to the young hoodlum, whose eyes were wide open and whose breathing had changed from faint to rapid: "Don't compare with us in terms of 'self-injury of eight hundred to force you one thousand'; you can't compare."

Immediately, he had people send the hoodlum, whose belly was open, onto a rickshaw and pulled him back all the way.