Chapter One, Monster! Take a hit from this old monkey!
The speeding subway races forward, with bright light and shadows flowing outside the windows, while exquisite star posters swiftly pass before Xu Nuo's eyes. Gazing at those stunningly beautiful faces, as delicate as flowers, Xu Nuo's heart is filled with a myriad of thoughts, "When will I be able to become friends with these beauties?"
With a click, Xu Nuo returned to his rented room, casually closed the door, and approached the bed. His briefcase and the book "Huangdi Neijing" were still beside the computer desk. He turned around and hurried to wash up. Working overtime until now was truly exhausting
Hmm. Xu Nuo glanced at the several martial arts manuals placed in front of him, including "Nine Yin Manual," "Longevity Technique," "Rulai's Divine Palm," "Nine Yang Skill," "Cihang Sword Classic," and "Huangdi's Internal Classic." After coughing lightly, he casually pulled out the Huangdi's Internal Classic and said, "Give me a few more. These things are worth a dime a pound in the second-hand market, and you are selling them to me for five bucks. One shouldn't be too greedy in life." As he spoke, Xu Nuo reached out to grab the remaining books.
With a swish, Xu Nuo had not yet reacted when the several books in front of him had already vanished without a trace. Standing in the aisle of the cart, a serious-looking member of the beggar gang stared at Xu Nuo and said, "Brother, you are a reasonable person. I indeed acquired these from the second-hand market. However, we, as business people, value integrity. If I say it’s five yuan, then it’s five yuan; giving you an extra one is definitely out of the question. Of course, brother, you have been so considerate of my business today, and at this hour, you still let me complete my last transaction of the day. Let’s do it this way."
Hmm? What happened?" With a look of astonishment, Xu Nuo picked up the ring and frowned. He recalled that he seemed to have acquired a ring while buying books last night, but it shouldn't look like this, right?
Just as she put the ring on her hand, a dazzling light suddenly flashed before her eyes, and a wave of dizziness immediately struck, causing Xu Nuo to tightly close her eyes and stagger, nearly falling to the ground
The brilliance of the ring grew ever more intense, and even with the curtains drawn, it could not completely block the radiant light that streamed through. The promise made in slumber seemed to sense something, as the eyelids fluttered, seemingly on the verge of awakening. However, the light from the ring, which had undergone a tremendous transformation, quickly dimmed. Several dazzling beams of light emanating from the ring danced and flowed continuously between the computer and the ring, creating a scene that was extraordinarily magnificent and dazzling.
Members of the Beggar's Sect, with cigarettes in their mouths and humming a tune, swayed as they counted their money while walking towards a fast-food restaurant not far across the street, preparing to treat their stomachs well
Hmph, you want to take advantage of me? No way!" After walking out of the subway station, the beggar walked towards the brightly lit fast food restaurant across the street, proudly holding a cigarette. "The stuff I bought for one dime a pound at the flea market yesterday, I can sell for ten, five, or even two bucks. Sigh, if only I had the capital, with my business acumen, I could be the world's richest man, or at least the richest Chinese.
After a whole day of busyness in the company, Xu Nuo, whose head felt like it was about to explode, impatiently lifted her eyelids and said, "Is this ever going to end? I've been busy all day and now I'm working overtime; I'm really tired, you know? Can we move to another carriage?"
What is going on?! With a vigorous shake of her head, Xu Nuo, who was completely bewildered, was just about to raise her hand to look at the ring when she was astonished to find herself in a desolate wilderness. All around her were overgrown weeds and withered trees, towering ancient woods, and the atmosphere of a mountainous area filled with the songs of orioles and swallows came rushing towards her
Moments later, Xu Nuo raised his hand and rubbed his head vigorously, and the headache quickly faded away
Holding a deep brown briefcase and dressed in a domestic imitation of an internationally renowned brand, Xu Nuo leaned wearily against the plastic seat of the subway car. With his legs crossed and eyes closed in a moment of rest, he furrowed his brow and opened his eyes to see a beggar standing in front of him, dressed in a peculiar outfit reminiscent of the sharp attire of a nine-bag elder from the Beggar's Sect. A forced twitch of his lips revealed a flicker of annoyance in his gaze. He stood up, left his seat, and moved to sit on the opposite chair, closing his eyes again to feign sleep.
"This little brother." The beggar from the gang looked around the empty subway car and realized that only Xu Nuo was present at that moment. He had no choice but to shamelessly follow up, "We are all just trying to make a living. Now that it's the last train, why not show a little kindness and do a good deed? Just five yuan! Only five yuan, you can choose whatever you like!"
For Xu Nuo, who has been making a living in the capital for many years, he harbors no goodwill towards those beggars in the subway who have their own territories and earn significantly more than he does as a worker
Monster! Take this blow from me, Sun Wukong!
Sigh! The promise, disturbed to no end, bared his teeth and was about to loudly reprimand this uncouth beggar. However, his gaze suddenly swept over the several ancient books in the beggar's hands, which were quite genuine and had yellowed pages. He raised his hand to cover his mouth and coughed once, saying, "Alright, alright. I see you every time I take the subway, yet I've never seen you starve to death. It’s just that I have a good heart, so here are five yuan for you to buy some noodles."
In the past, when I first arrived in the capital with great enthusiasm, I, being kind-hearted, would give away ten or twenty yuan, and even a hundred yuan bill. However, after learning about the glamorous daily lives of these beggars, I was filled with regret so profound that it made me feel as if my insides were turning blue.
Perhaps he will never know what kind of opportunities he once brushed past
... ...
Moments later, all the radiance was drawn back into the ring, completely dissipating. The room quickly fell back into darkness, with only the indicator light of the router faithfully flickering its glow.
A member of the Beggar's Sect flipped his hand and, from an unknown place, produced an old ring that clearly looked like a trinket from a street stall. "This is the ring left behind by the real Zhang Sanfeng when he shattered the void! Today, we are fated to meet, so I will give you this ring as a token! Please, do not thank me!"
Bastard! A moment later, a piercing roar suddenly echoed from the last carriage of the subway. The furious shout reverberated through the subway tunnel, frightening several rats searching for food by the tracks, causing them to hurriedly retreat to their holes
I am going! The promised brain has crashed
After several consecutive days of overtime, Xu Nuo now feels extremely fatigued and has lost the motivation to engage with these "difficult groups"
The indicator light of the router flickers rhythmically in the dark rental apartment, and the ring that was nearly thrown into the trash suddenly began to shed its outer rust. After a burst of bright light, the originally inconspicuous roadside item has magnificently transformed into a beautifully crafted object with an ancient design, intricately carved patterns, and a dazzling luster. This splendid transformation is akin to the ugly duckling turning into a proudly soaring white swan After a burst of bright light, the originally inconspicuous roadside item has magnificently transformed into a beautifully crafted object with an ancient design, intricately carved patterns, and a dazzling luster. This splendid transformation is akin to the ugly duckling turning into a proudly soaring white swan
In a hurry, I opened the computer, set up the downloads, and continued to download some personal favorites. Promising myself, I started to undress and prepare for bed. It was already late, and I had to go to work tomorrow
In the early morning, Xu Nuo, awakened by the alarm clock, struggled to lift her eyelids. After checking the time, she painfully pulled the covers back over herself. Moments later, she suddenly threw off the covers, got out of bed, and went to wash up and change clothes. As a member of the working class, she truly could not afford to be late
Surprised, he clicked his tongue. After the subway started moving again, Xu Nuo cautiously looked around. Only then did he casually put the ring into his pocket, a strange smile appearing on his face as he took out the book "Huangdi Neijing" and began to flip through it. "Huangdi Neijing, I heard it can help one conquer three thousand women? Hehehe~~"
The last train of the Fourth Line of the subway in the imperial capital, heading towards Tiangongyuan, was nearly empty at night. In the carriage where Xu Nuo was, apart from himself, there was only a beggar who had boarded the train at some unknown time.
As Xu Nuo quickly tidied up, she approached the computer desk, preparing to shut down the computer, when she noticed a ring beside her that was exquisitely antique, as if it had been reborn, seemingly shimmering with a dazzling luster.
Forget it. Just getting out of bed, with my mind still a bit foggy, I shook my head and reached out to put that ring on my finger. It looks quite beautiful. Everyone has a desire for beauty.
Little brother, I see that your bones are extraordinary, your heavenly court is full, and you are certainly not an ordinary person. Our meeting today is destined, and I have a few volumes of unparalleled martial arts to entrust to you. In the future, the heavy responsibility of protecting the Earth will depend entirely on you! Not much, just ten yuan for each book! In the dim light, in the empty and silent subway car, a voice full of temptation echoed, accompanied only by the sound of wheels grinding against the steel tracks.
"Got it." The members of the Beggar's Sect, who were originally sobbing and crying, suddenly lifted their heads, their faces now beaming with smiles, showing no trace of having cried at all.
This setting is incorrect. Is it that I haven't woken up or have I been abducted by aliens?" Xu Nuo, gasping for breath, tightly clenched his fists in an attempt to calm himself, but at that moment, a thunderous roar exploded in his ears
The beggar from the Beggar's Sect was selling all the old books on the subway today, which he had purchased yesterday at the flea market for the price of 0.1 yuan per jin. They certainly are not any martial arts manuals, as he noticed they were printed by a certain publishing house. As for the ring, he also casually took it from the old man selling books. Today has indeed been quite profitable.
"Big Brother." A member of the Beggars' Sect raised his hand to adjust the long wig tied with a ribbon on his head, forcing a bitter smile as he spoke, "This is the last carriage. I haven't made a single sale all day, and tonight when I sleep under the bridge, I won't even have instant noodles to eat. I'm about to starve to death. Big Brother, please do me a favor and have some compassion for me!" After saying this, the dark-skinned beggar suddenly knelt down in front of Xu Nuo with a thud, sobbing as he shook a few yellowed books in his hands.
Xu Nuo reached out to take the ring, which appeared to be quite large, yet looked like something that no one would want even at a street stall, covered as it was with rust. She lifted her head to look at the beggar, just as she was about to say something, the subway had already arrived at the station and stopped. As soon as the doors opened, the beggar seemed to have practiced the lightness of the 'Lingbo Weibu' technique, flying out of the carriage. By the time Xu Nuo turned her head to look out the window, there was already no trace of the person.
The members of the Beggar's Sect swiftly took the five yuan from Xu Nuo's hand, and then, with a serious expression, turned their hand over to place several ancient books in front of Xu Nuo, saying, "Brother, we in business value integrity; feel free to choose any of these books!"
Xu Nuo looked at her attire, the several hundred yuan imitation of an international brand still on her. Glancing around at the desolate scenery of the mountains and fields, Xu Nuo suddenly felt a wave of dizziness.
Turning off the light, Xu Nuo, who had been busy all day, quickly fell into a deep sleep
While taking off his pants, Xu Nuo suddenly felt something hard in the pocket. Upon pulling it out, he discovered it was a ring covered in rust. He intended to toss it into the trash, but at the moment of throwing it away, a thought crossed his mind, and he ended up placing it on top of the book "Huangdi Neijing" on the computer desk
After finishing his grooming and glancing at the time, Xu Nuo sat down at the computer desk and turned on the computer, casting a resentful glance at the Huangdi Neijing. He shook his head helplessly. This book was filled with incomprehensible symbols, completely devoid of the illustrations and textual descriptions he had imagined. Three thousand concubines, what man hasn't thought about that?