Chapter 0004: Mixed Quality

Look at the fragrant ten miles across the diagonal...! The monkey did not turn back, but whispered: "Did you see two people coming out?"

Yang Ning has a clear sense of gratitude and resentment. Xiao Die has saved his life, and he naturally feels grateful. According to the words of Lao Shupi, he knows that Xiao Die is currently in a very harsh environment, which makes him even more eager to see Xiao Die soon and inquire about her well-being.

The old tree bark continued: "After Fang Laoda rose to power, he quickly became involved with Xiao Yishui. Previously, the disciples of the Beggar's Sect either begged or did some laborious work in the city; they would do anything, as long as it was not a shameful act... However, after Fang Laoda came to power, the brothers of the Beggar's Sect began..." He sighed and did not continue.

Yang Ning believes that sometimes it is better not to feel too self-satisfied

Although Huize City is a small town, people are still divided into different social classes. Most of the street vendors and small shops are located in the front city, while the tea houses, restaurants that can truly uphold a certain status, and the very few brothels and singing houses are situated along a long street in the rear city.

Yang Ning noticed that the old tree bark spoke somewhat hesitantly, which struck him as peculiar, yet he did not inquire further

There are always people beyond people, and there are heavens beyond heavens. Yang Ning is in strong agreement with this statement

Yang Ning looked carefully and discovered that there were two people standing in front of the main entrance of the Ten-Mile Fragrance. One of them was dressed in a silver-gray tight-fitting outfit, with a tall and upright figure. One hand was resting behind his back while the other hand supported his chin, giving off an air of elegance. The other person was slightly shorter but appeared quite sturdy, leaning in close to the figure in the tight outfit, with one hand covering his mouth as he whispered softly.

At this moment, Yang Ning certainly understands that the changes in the Beggar's Sect began with the rise of that Elder Fang.

The old tree bark chuckled softly, saying: "The Beggar's Sect has twenty-eight branches spread across the world. Just our Winged Fire Snake branch alone is said to have tens of thousands of members. In a small county town, with hundreds of disciples, how could the branch leader possibly manage this place? Moreover, who would dare to spread news of what Elder Fang has done? As for the sect leader, we have only heard of this person, but have never seen him. I say, we might never get to see him in our lifetime."

Yang Ningqi asked, "What is the reason for this?"

After Yang Ning fell seriously ill, the old tree bark indeed became muddled in his mind, and could only explain: "It is not to trouble you, but to have you continue working. Do you think we are able to stay in this safe haven of the land temple? It is all because of you."

Who is this Lu Laoda, a deity of some sort?

With the passing of Master Lu, Master Fang swiftly ascended to power, and soon after, he became involved with the constable of Huize City, Xiao Yishui. These pieces of information combined inevitably lead one to ponder various implications.

"Boss Diao, do you see that intersection ahead? Turn in there, go straight through the street behind, and enter another alley. That alley is the Alley of the Dead." At the base of a wall on the street, the monkey raised his hand to point the way for Yang Ning

Yang Ning originally intended to set off early to go to the Dead Man's Alley where Mother Hua was, but the Monkey, feeling a sense of fear towards the Dead Man's Alley, advised Yang Ning to wait a little longer before going. Yang Ning was quite unfamiliar with Huai Ze City, so he did not insist. It was only at dusk that he allowed the Monkey to lead the way to the Dead Man's Alley.

At dusk, as the sun is about to set, the entire Huize City is enveloped in the last rays of the setting sun

The old tree bark nodded and said, "You are the fastest among Fang Laoda's subordinates!"

Master Fang? Yang Ning recalled having heard this name mentioned before, and quickly remembered, "It seems that it was Master Fang who took me into the Beggar's Sect before?"

Old Tree Bark explained: "Xiao Yishui is the head of the constabulary in Huize City, this person...!" Shaking his head, he did not elaborate on the constable, "Old Lu was originally very robust, but suddenly one day he fell ill. Old Fang took care of him personally, and within a few days, he passed away. Consequently, Old Fang naturally took over Old Lu's position."

Yang Ning was even more curious, thinking to himself, "Is my contribution the reason for living in the land temple?"

However, he also understands that Old Tree Bark is loyal and kind-hearted, disliking conflicts with others. Where there are people, there is a world of martial arts; where there is a world of martial arts, there are conflicts. The Beggar's Sect is the largest world of martial arts, and naturally, there are many disputes within the sect. Given Old Tree Bark's temperament, it is indeed not suitable for him to engage in conflicts with others

You should rest for a few days; I have already informed them not to tell anyone that you are recovering. Old Bark always wears a sorrowful and sentimental expression

"Master Fang knows that you are quick and capable, and he accepted you into the Beggar's Sect to have you do those tasks. Over the past six months, you have not once failed, and you have contributed greatly to Master Fang's reputation." Old Tree Bark sat on the threshold, "With hundreds of disciples in the city, not everyone can find a place to shelter from the wind and rain. It is because of your many contributions that we are able to reside here." A hint of anger appeared on his face, "But Master Fang is truly heartless; he turns his back without a second thought. When he saw you fall ill, he was unwilling to spend silver to have you treated, ignoring you completely. He probably thinks you are already dead."

He had previously heard that there were many refugees in the city, and it was overcrowded. However, when he arrived at a main street in the back city, although the street was quite lively, it was not as crowded as he had imagined. It was only from the monkey's words that he learned that the refugees were all settled in a corner of the county town, and the situation there was like two different worlds compared to the back city

After half a day's effort, the monkey managed to bring back a few pieces of wheat cakes. Yang Ning, feeling hungry, chewed on the wheat cakes and found them dry and difficult to swallow, lacking any crisp texture. He thought to himself that the use of flour in this era seems to be quite rudimentary, as these wheat cakes clearly had not undergone fermentation, which is why their texture was so hard to swallow

Yang Ning slightly nodded. A gang with hundreds of thousands of members is undoubtedly an immensely large force. However, precisely because of its size, the quality of its members varies greatly. Even that leader, with three heads and six arms, would not be able to manage it all.

Are you saying that Old Master Lu is already dead?" Yang Ning frowned and asked, "How did he die?

Although Yang Ning secretly cursed Fang Laoda as a worthless person, he gathered from the words of Old Tree Bark that the owner of his body, Little Diao'er, seemed to be quite an extraordinary character, having contributed significantly to Fang Laoda and having established a position at the threshold. He then asked, "By the way, what tasks has Fang Laoda assigned to me? What great contributions have I made?" Noticing Old Tree Bark staring at him, Yang Ning immediately raised his hand to point at his head, indicating that he had forgotten many things. He asked again, "By the way, what tasks has Fang Laoda assigned to me? What great contributions have I made?" Seeing Old Tree Bark looking at him, Yang Ning once again raised his hand to point at his head, signaling that he had forgotten many things.

However, Yang Ning had little interest in the past of the Beggar's Sect. Currently situated within the Beggar's Sect, he was only concerned with its present situation and asked: "The disciples of the Beggar's Sect in Huize City are of mixed quality, disorganized and chaotic. Is the leader of the Winged Fire Serpent branch not taking any action? Elder Fang has tarnished the reputation of the Beggar's Sect, and that leader of the Beggar's Sect is indifferent to it?"

Yang Ning, seeing the monkey like this, couldn't help but look around, but he did not notice anything unusual and quietly asked, "What happened?"

As Yang Ning traveled along the way, observing the characteristics and customs of this era, he realized that the scenes he encountered were not the antiquated charm he had imagined. In fact, most of the buildings in the city were quite chaotic, lacking any coherent design, clearly indicating that they had not been properly planned. Consequently, the streets and alleys resembled a labyrinth, making it easy for those unfamiliar with the roads to inadvertently wander into a dead end

The old tree bark bitterly smiled and said, "What great things can we beggars accomplish?" He extended a withered hand, with the middle and index fingers raised while the other three fingers were folded down. The two fingers, resembling a pair of scissors, reached forward slightly, and then he looked at Yang Ning, remaining silent, but the meaning in his eyes was clearly saying, "Now you should understand."

When Master Lu was around, the yamen runners did not dare to touch the disciples of our Beggar's Sect. Old Tree Bark's face showed a hint of pride as he said, "The Beggar's Sect now has hundreds of disciples, all thanks to Master Lu. When he was alive, even Xiao Yishui had to give him face." He then sighed and said, "It's a pity he fell ill and passed away three years ago."

Lu Laoda was originally the leader of the Beggars' Gang in Huize City. During his time, the rules of the gang were strict, and no one dared to engage in deceitful or dishonest acts. Old Tree Bark's eyes glimmered slightly as he said, "Back then, there was a clear hierarchy of seniority and junior members. I have been a part of the Beggars' Gang for over twenty years, so I have some qualifications. When Lu Laoda was around, he took good care of us old beggars, and whenever there were important matters, he would gather us old fellows to discuss them together." A rare look of pride appeared on his face.

The air after the rain has cleared is refreshing to breathe, yet Yang Ning's heart is still concerned about Xiao Die

The old tree bark, with a tone of lamentation, remarked: "If Old Lu were still alive, it is likely that things would not be this way."

Since one has come, one should make oneself comfortable; Yang Ning naturally understands this principle

Why? The old tree bark said with a bitter smile: "If Boss Fang knew that you had turned around, would he still let you have a peaceful time?"

Yang Ning glanced across and indeed saw a two-story restaurant diagonally opposite, which stood out prominently on this bustling street

Yang Ning noticed an alley entrance across the street and quietly asked, "Is the street behind also this lively?"

The street is bustling with people coming and going, creating a lively atmosphere

Yang Ning was momentarily taken aback, then imitated the old tree bark's gesture, extending two fingers forward. Feeling that this action was utterly shameless, he immediately retracted his hand and frowned, saying, "Why does this action resemble stealing a wallet?" A wave of astonishment washed over him as he looked at the old tree bark, exclaiming in surprise, "Old Tree Bark, you can't possibly mean that I... I was helping Boss Fang steal something earlier, right?"

The old tree bark nodded and said: "Boss Fang is the leader of several hundred beggar gang disciples in Huize City. It was precisely because I saw your nimble hands and feet that I took you into the beggar gang"

"Not at all," the monkey shook his head and said, "That street is much quieter, mostly residential... It's not good, Diao Laoda, quickly lower your head...!" Before he could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly turned anxious, and he had already turned around, even lowering his head, as if afraid of being seen.

Xiao Yishui? Urgent illness?

When the monkey returned to the land temple, Yang Ning had already taken a refreshing bath in the pond in front of the temple. The stains on his body had accumulated too deeply to be completely washed away, but after washing in the clear water this time, he felt quite refreshed, and his physical strength and energy had also recovered considerably

Yang Ning could not help but think that after joining the Beggars' Sect for over twenty years, you have only managed to achieve this level, which is truly pathetic. No wonder those few fellows do not take you seriously.

"The disciples of the Beggar's Sect rely on this for their livelihood?" Yang Ning's impression of the renowned Beggar's Sect instantly collapsed.

How could he find out that I have recovered and cause me trouble? Yang Ning is curious about what grievances the leader of the beggars' gang in the city might have with her, and why he cannot know that I have already recovered

The wooden structure features a prominent overhanging eave that extends outward, exuding a sense of grandeur. Above the front entrance hangs a black wooden plaque, on which the three gilded characters "Shili Xiang" are inscribed in a lively and elegant style, clearly visible.

Although he is clear about grievances and grudges, he is not a troublemaker. Previously, he thought that the monkeys and others were truly subdued by his beating, but it now appears that those few individuals have ulterior motives

Yang Ning felt a shiver run down his spine, unsure whether the old tree bark's words were praise or sarcasm. He couldn't help but smile wryly, not expecting that the little marten had actually achieved merit through this.