Chapter 2, Encounter

Zhou Zishu thought to himself, where did this little demon star come from, looking just like a celestial being, and could only reply: "You speak."

The old fisherman gruffly remarked: "Still a hungry ghost reincarnated."

In my youth, I always felt that I was an extraordinary talent, claiming all kinds of commendatory terms for myself, such as exceptionally intelligent, possessing profound insight, highly skilled in martial arts, and well-versed in various matters. It seemed as if failing to achieve great accomplishments would render my existence in this world meaningless. Now, reflecting on it, what was the point of all that?

However, having given up my freedom, I became a hidden servant to the royal family. After going in circles, I realized that I had lost everything, and now I am left with nothing, a solitary person. I have painstakingly and desperately worked to redeem myself, yet I still feel quite clever for having done so

The girl in the purple dress was taken aback for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably. Her laughter was as if flowers were swaying in the wind. Zhou Zishu felt fortunate, realizing that Jiangnan truly had many beauties. While admiring her, he shook his head and sighed, "To the flourishing beauty, I send this message: one should pity the half-old white-haired man. Young lady, your schadenfreude is rather unkind."

This was precisely the time when many tourists flocked during spring. He turned around and found no opportunity to rest. After some effort, he finally spotted an old fisherman leaning against a boat by the shore, and he walked over.

And the most terrifying shadow that wandered through the palace has vanished from the world, leaving behind only a destitute and disheveled wandering man, riding a thin horse, humming a rustic tune while awkwardly carrying a bundle of straw.

How many years has it been since I sat by the roadside, empty-headed, basking in the sun? It is amusing to see the passersby, each one hurrying along, as if they were racing against death, coming and going with such urgency, even more so than someone like him who is counting down the days until his demise.

While sitting by the roadside with his eyes closed, basking in the sun, a chubby little boy bounced past him, then bounced back again, peering at him. He fished a coin out of his pocket and held it in his hand, unsure of where to put it. After searching for a while, he asked, "Uncle, where is your bowl?"

However, if one were to drive a nail into oneself every three months, allowing that nail to gradually embed itself into the body and become one with oneself, slowly adapting to it, although after three years one would still have to extinguish the lamp and pull out the wax, one could at least retain fifty percent of one's internal strength, and both speech and actions would remain as those of a normal person, albeit enduring eighteen months of excruciating pain that pierces the heart and erodes the bones

Unfortunately, the young man in gray seemed not to have heard her at all, not even casting a glance in her direction, as he focused intently on his meal, as if the world were collapsing around him, yet nothing could diminish his longing for food

What has fallen again

Only from the nearby tavern, a woman spoke in a crisp voice: "Young master, look at that person. If we say he is a beggar, he doesn't even have a broken bowl by his side. If we say he is not, he has been sitting there all morning, doing nothing but grinning foolishly. Could he be a fool?"

Zhou Zishu reached out to take it, but unexpectedly, the young girl quickly withdrew her hand and said with a smile: "I have a question for you. If you answer correctly, I will give you the wine flask and invite you to drink. If you answer incorrectly, I will poison it, causing you to suffer greatly."

Having spoken, he turned and left. The girl in the purple attire instinctively reached out to grab him. She thought her skills were quite good, but to her surprise, the person she believed she could easily catch with a mere stretch of her hand seemed to flicker before her eyes, missing by an inch. When she looked again, the beggar had already blended into the crowd, and she could no longer find him.

She had the intention to chase after him, but she heard the man in the tavern softly say: "Ah Xiang, your abilities are lacking, and your eyesight is poor as well? Still making a fool of yourself over there"

The young girl exclaimed, "Oh, you are still so eloquent." She then crouched down, quickly reached for the wine flask at his waist, ran into the tavern, and returned shortly after.

Zhou Zishu lifted his eyes to glance at her and said, "When did I say I was begging? I am merely occupying a corner to bask in the sun."

The secret of the Seven Orifices and Three Autumn Nails is known only to Zhou Zishu at present, and likely will not be known to many others in the future—if seven nails were to be driven in at once, the person would not survive. Even someone as powerful as Zhou Zishu would probably only have enough breath left to call for his departure from the palace, but he would likely not make it to the palace gates before becoming a pile of flesh that cannot speak or move.

After these ten or so days have passed, his appearance has worsened even further. He bears a face resembling that of a consumptive, accompanied by a grotesque array of features that present an authentically pallid visage. Coupled with clothing that has been soaked in alcohol for over ten days, he has nearly become a mass of dregs. His disheveled hair hangs down in disarray, resembling that of a beggar.

The girl in the purple dress turned her eyes and said with a smile, "You made me run for nothing, and I am quite angry. If I get angry, I will have to kill you"

He has toiled his entire life, yet in the end, he still has a few trusted confidants

He wore a rather unrefined human skin mask on his face, carelessly smeared with a mix of green and yellow, resembling a sickly person who could collapse at any moment. While drinking water by the river, he glanced at his reflection and found it quite fitting for his true condition, growing increasingly satisfied with his appearance. He also casually pilfered a set of coarse cloth clothing from a roadside farmer's home, burned his original brocade robe, and tied a half-rusted wine flask around his waist, which contained half a flask of poorly made turbid wine. He felt it was quite suitable for his true situation, growing more and more pleased with himself.

He had heard that such pain could drive a person mad, but Zhou Zishu happily thought that this rumor was not true; at least he was not mad now. Not only was he not mad, but he felt that he had never been this happy and relaxed in his entire life.

Zhou Zishu smiled and shook his head, stood up, reached out, and skillfully retrieved his broken wine jug. The young girl exclaimed, caught off guard, and was taken aback by his action, looking at him with some confusion. The man, appearing like a beggar, said: "Young lady, being young, you naturally have many things to do. You must hurry to eat and drink well, and replenish your energy. As for me, a man buried up to my neck in yellow earth, aside from drinking, I have nothing left but to eat and wait for death. What is the point of basking in the sun?"

The old fisherman scolded, "What the hell, is your mouth meant for breathing or for farting? If you want to take a boat, why not say so?"

The old fisherman rowed the boat out, glanced at Zhou Zishu, and still spoke fiercely, "Damn you."

Although Zhou Zishu's martial arts have diminished by half, his hearing remains as sharp as it was in his youth. Even though the woman was separated from him by a bustling street and her voice was not loud, he still heard every word clearly.

Who would have thought that after a while, the old fisherman could no longer lie still, and in a fit of anger, he yanked off the straw hat covering his face, glaring at him with deep resentment, and shouted: "Damn it, can't you see that I'm trying to sleep!"

The girl in the purple dress asked, "While others are asking for food, why do you specifically ask for wine? What is so good about wine? Can it fill your stomach?"

For those who voluntarily leave, there will naturally be subsequent monitoring. Who leaves, when they leave, where they are settled, and where they are buried are all meticulously recorded, like a vast net; once you enter, you can never escape.

Zhou Zishu couldn't help but chuckle, thinking to himself that in the vast sea of people, he unexpectedly encountered a kindred spirit

His voice was like a whisper, without the slightest intention to raise the volume, yet it accurately reached the ears of the young girl from the high building, cutting through the noisy crowd. The girl in the purple dress became dejected, no longer daring to act recklessly in front of her master. After casting one last glance at the crowd, she turned and ascended the stairs.

Zhou Zishu, the leader of the Tianchuang who was once supported by Emperor Rongjia, is highly skilled in martial arts and exceptionally adept at the art of disguise. When he steps into a crowd and turns around, no one can recognize him.

He took out a piece of bread from his pocket, half of which had bite marks on it, and threw it over. Zhou Shushu did not mind at all; while following him onto the boat, he cheerfully accepted it and took a bite.

Zhou Zishu could not help but look up, and he saw a strikingly beautiful girl in purple leaning against the railing on the second floor of the tavern across the street, sitting opposite a man dressed in gray. The man's complexion was slightly pale, yet his eyes were very dark, as if they absorbed all the light around him. This stark contrast made him appear somewhat lifeless. As Zhou Zishu looked up, his gaze happened to meet the man's.

Because of her beauty, Zhou Zishu could not help but want to speak with her a little more, so he said half-jokingly: "Relying on wine to borrow beauty"

The man in the gray coat expressionlessly averted his gaze, then turned his head without expression and focused on eating the food on the table

The old woodcutter's black sailboat was docked to one side, while others were busy with their tasks, yet for some reason, he seemed completely at leisure. He lay sprawled on the shore, dozing off, with a straw hat pulled down over his face, revealing only his head of dry, white hair. Zhou Zishu walked over, unhurried, and did not call out to the old fisherman or woodcutter; he simply sat down beside him, waiting for him to wake up.

became the first person to escape from this terrifying web

He suddenly became sorrowful again, feeling that there are fools in the world, but none could be more foolish than himself

The man's voice is very pleasant, deep and resonant, with a slow enunciation that is not slurred

Zhou Zishu swayed as he walked, holding a wine jug, drinking as he went. The water in Jiangnan was abundant. As he passed by the small bridge and flowing water, he caught a glimpse of himself on the water's surface and felt that his appearance was somewhat unworthy of this place. He estimated that no inn would be willing to accommodate him, so he continued walking along the river towards the outskirts of the city, where small fishing boats were scattered in the river, ferrying passersby.

The young girl looked up at the bright sky, somewhat puzzled: "Why can't I see what is so good about basking in the sun?"

A few days later, after having drunk too much at one time, I nearly had my whereabouts discovered. I also felt that although the wine was good, it was ultimately too soft, which diminished the enjoyment somewhat. Thus, I left behind two taels of silver and departed from the wine cellar

The girl in the purple dress laughed charmingly and turned back to shout loudly to the one upstairs: "Young master, this fool calls me a good person!"

Immediately taken away by the adults at home, leaving him in a state of both laughter and tears

I recall that for all these years I have remained hidden within the imperial palace, never having traversed the world under my true name, not even needing to think of a pseudonym, and thus I joyfully set out on my journey.

The girl in the purple dress, with her pair of watery big eyes, was still glancing at him. After a while, she could no longer hold back, informed the man in gray, and then bounced down the stairs, running in front of Zhou Zishu, saying: "Beggar, how about I treat you to a meal?"

Having said that, he stood up and twisted his waist a couple of times, patted his backside, and turned around to see Zhou Zishu still sitting on the ground, immediately becoming furious again: "Is your backside glued to the ground?"

Many years have passed, and the friends and loved ones from the past have either died or gone far away. Zhou Zishu leaned against the wall, stretched out his limbs, and comfortably basked in the warm sun, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, and began to ponder, what has all this been for over the years

Upon arriving at the destination, I first sneaked into the wine cellar of the world's number one building, tasting the osmanthus sweet wine to my heart's content, experiencing a drunken stupor, feeling utterly blissful, and thinking that there could be no better days than this

Zhou Zishu lazily glanced at her and shook his head, saying: "Little kind person, you might as well invite me for a drink"

He tilted his head back and took a gulp of wine, smacked his lips a couple of times, and exclaimed loudly: "Good wine, thank you, miss!"

I asked you, why is it that while you are begging here, you do not even have a broken bowl to hold money by your side

He stood up dejectedly, following behind the old man, listening to his muttering curses that were unclean and foul, and shamelessly asked, "Old man, do you have anything to eat? Leftover rice would be fine, just give me a bowl."

Zhou Zishu was not angry and said, "Old man, business is coming in"

He had nowhere to go, and hearing that Jiangnan was beautiful, he thought of going to Jiangnan to take a look. He walked slowly, stopping along the way, engaging in some activities of robbing the rich to help the poor to make a living. After passing through Kaifeng and walking to Penglai, he took his time, and it took him more than three months to finally arrive in the lush and vibrant Jiangnan.

The girl in the purple dress was taken aback and instinctively turned to look at the man in the tavern. The man in gray, clearly possessing excellent hearing, paused for a moment upon hearing their conversation, but did not show any other reaction. He continued to eat with a carefree demeanor, his chopsticks moving swiftly as he focused on his meal.

Zhou Zishu forced a smile, acknowledging that the girl was indeed beautiful, yet also a troublesome and difficult one. He then asked, "That wine flask of mine was won from an old beggar; I have no idea how many dead lice are soaked in it. If you like it, take it; I no longer want it, is that not acceptable?"

Before I had the chance to secretly mock myself, the next moment, another man's voice said: "He is basking in the sun"

Zhou Zishu blinked and understood why everyone else was busy ferrying while he was the only one idling