I want to die!

Chapter 11 A Difficult Prison Break

At midnight, the cold wind howled.

Inside the Li family's house in Baxiang Town, an oil lamp was still burning.

With a creak, the wooden door of the house opened.

The younger sister, Li Ziqing, looked out from the doorway but did not see the person she was waiting for. All she saw was a vast expanse of darkness, with howling winds carrying snowflakes that fell upon the earth.

As the year draws to a close, snow began to fall overnight in Qingshui County, located in Jiangnan Province.

"It's windy, close the door." Mother Zhang came up, closed the door which was slightly ajar, and pulled Li Ziqing inside.

"It's late. Your older brother is probably spending the night at his workplace. Don't wait any longer, go to sleep." Zhang hugged her youngest daughter and walked into the inner room.

Li Ziqing struggled subconsciously for a moment, but quickly gave in and followed Zhang inside.

"Then leave a light on for my brother," she said.

I had a vague idea in my mind.

If he doesn't return home by midnight, he might have died out there.

To put it bluntly, he had already collected his elder brother Li Xuanqing's body three days ago. For someone in Li Xuanqing's line of work, dying outside was not a rare occurrence.

"It's starting to snow tonight. I'll have to borrow another oxcart from my second uncle tomorrow morning..." This thought crossed Li Ziqing's mind.

She didn't say anything silly, like waiting in the house for her older brother to come back until dawn.

In today's world, the poor don't have much time to grieve; weeping all night is the privilege of the rich.

The mother, Zhang, had to work to support herself and pay off debts, while her youngest daughter, Li Ziqing, was trying to learn sewing and other jobs to supplement the family income.

The window rattled and trembled in the wind, which blew all night.

The fourth day dawned.

The Li family mother and daughter were awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

But it was my neighbor, Uncle Li Yingjie, who arrived. He stood at the door with a solemn expression, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

"That brat Xuanqing has been arrested and thrown into jail by the authorities; everyone around here is saying it!"

"What are you saying, brother-in-law? Xuanqing is just... a martial arts beggar. At most, he'll be driven away by the soldiers. How could he possibly do anything that would get him arrested and imprisoned?" Zhang said with a forced smile.

"It's all over town today," said Second Uncle Li Yingjie.

"He raided the government's granary, and now the entire beggar's quarters in the south of the city have been sealed off by government troops, and dozens of people have been taken away!"

...........

The afternoon of the fourth day.

Zhou Xing had just woken up from his afternoon nap, still half asleep, when he saw Luo Zitou and the others from the next cell being escorted back by the jailers.

Including the leader, everyone had wounds and bloodstains from torture, and all of them looked dejected.

Behind the jailer, Wayne's butler, Alfred, appeared again.

"The truth of the matter has been ascertained." Afu looked at Zhou Xing in the cell:

"It was your shopkeeper Zhang Dakuang who colluded with the bandit 'Chuanshanfeng' from outside the city to steal grain."

"And you, Li Xuanqing, knowing that your voice was weak and there was no hope of stopping the grain theft, decisively infiltrated the group that was stealing the grain. That night, you brought firecrackers and a megaphone inside, deliberately making a scene. You can be described as both wise and brave..."

Yes, is that so...?

Zhou Xing was a little confused. Was he really that intelligent and brave?

Turning his head to look at the head of the chessboard who had been brought back in, the head of the chessboard looked bitter. He was usually a silver-tongued person, but now he kept his mouth tightly shut.

The other captured Wu Huazi are alright.

Although they weren't exactly fearless tough guys, they were ruthless people who treated self-harm like a daily routine, and they managed to withstand the torture and interrogation by the county government.

Luo Zitou was in trouble. He was getting old and was a glib-tongued beggar. He would be dragged in by the jailers and suffer a lot.

Not to mention... this time, Zhou Xing, the black sheep who single-handedly dragged the entire Hanakobo down with him, was also caught.

He naturally revealed everything he knew, wishing he could wipe out the entire Huazifang, which had long been secretly engaged in human trafficking.

As a result, the interrogation process at the yamen proceeded very smoothly.

The next day, in broad daylight, Zhou Xing saw the other brothers from the Huazifang prison in the south of the city being brought in and imprisoned by the jailers, creating a very lively scene.

The only drawback is that Zhang Dakang is not among them.

Afu noticed Zhou Xing's confusion and took the initiative to explain:

"Zhang Dakuang and Chuanshanfeng have been wanted throughout the city and are currently being pursued, but it may not be easy to catch them in the short term."

"The leader of the 'Mountain Wind' is a bandit who has reached the ninth rank of the Celestial Realm. He lives in the mountains and moves like the wind. The county has been trying to suppress the bandits for several years but has failed to capture him."

"Although Zhang Dakuang is not as good, he has at least entered the beggar's trade. When it comes to direct combat, he is naturally no match for us who have seriously trained in martial arts."

"But he left too quickly last night... He's a slippery old eel that's been rolling around in the mud for a while, so we really couldn't catch him right away."

As Zhou Xing listened, he felt completely confused:

"Wearing Mountain Wind, a wanted bandit, what kind of 'Nine Ranks of Celestial Beings' could he possibly hold an official position?"

Afu smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"That's true. You were just a beggar before, so it's understandable that you wouldn't know these things."

Seemingly because he had witnessed Zhou Xing's performance of robbing grain for the people the previous night, even Afu, a burly warrior with an unapproachable appearance, became patient with Zhou Xing and explained things to him in detail.

"Since the celestial beings descended to the mortal realm three hundred years ago, they have been recruiting talented individuals from all over the land. All professions under heaven, from the three religions and nine schools of thought to the eight sects of the martial arts world... anyone who has entered a sect and is willing to serve the country can serve as an official in the Great Mang Dynasty."

"From top to bottom, it is divided into nine ranks and eighteen levels. For example, the bandit outside the city, 'Mountain Wind,' is a musketeer of the ninth rank in the nine-rank system. If he serves the country, he can at least get a low-ranking military officer of the ninth rank without any real position and receive the salary of the ninth rank."

"Musketeer, ninth rank..." Zhou Xing asked tentatively.

"Is it possible to make bullets curve?"

Afu chuckled softly, seemingly with a hint of disdain:

"At a higher level, it's not just about making bullets curve."

"There are also people who can make bullets hover briefly in the air, fire from the shadows, and by the time the bullet passes through their chest, the shooter may have already ridden away hundreds of meters away."

"Can I become Master Fu's apprentice and learn martial arts?" Zhou Xing asked sincerely.

"My biggest dream in this life is to practice martial arts and become a great dancer...martial artist!"

He became a beggar in a brothel only because his family was poor and he needed money to pay off his debts.

He sensed that Ah Fu seemed to have some patience and goodwill towards him, so he decisively seized the opportunity.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Afu's expression showed a hint of melancholy.

"In this day and age, why bother practicing martial arts so painstakingly..."

"The Heavenly Man's guns and cannons can suppress all kinds of tricks, but they are a completely different thing from the firearms in the hands of government soldiers."

Zhou Xing said with a sigh:

"In such an era, there is an even greater need for martial artists with lofty aspirations like mine. One day, I will use my honed martial arts body to challenge the guns and cannons of the gods... So, can you teach me martial arts?"

Afu was so angry he laughed.

"Practicing martial arts is no easy task. As the saying goes, 'the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts.' To practice martial arts, one needs money, physical talent, comprehension, and hard work..."

"You'd be better off learning some of the skills of the literary beggar's 'Lotus Flower Ballad.' If you actually see a celestial being, kowtow to him a few times and say a few auspicious words. That way, your chances of survival will be much better."

That being said, and that being laughed at...

At this point, Afu still reached out and touched Zhou Xing's bones.

But soon, his expression turned strange, and he hesitated to speak.

"Brother Fu, just say it. I can handle it," Zhou Xing said.

"Actually, I'm not sure... In short, your aptitude for martial arts is probably only average."

"Don't be discouraged. Talent and aptitude are determined by fate. If you can't achieve anything great in martial arts in this life, then just try another profession."

Zhou Xing understood.

That scoundrel said he was vulgar.

"Will it be too late for me to be reincarnated in a couple of days?" Zhou Xing asked seriously.

Laugh to death.

If I'm not qualified enough in this life, I'll try again in the next.

In his previous life, Wei Liu seemed to come from a distinguished family, but he lacked talent and his family's martial arts skills were very rudimentary.

Li Xuanqing in this life is no good either, but he already has the talent of being an "exhibitionist," so he'll live to the next life.

I will always return in the form of a stronger being.

What about those qualities, talents, and abilities that you weren't born with? Aren't my innate cheat codes awesome?

I'll die a few more times, and then you'll see if my bones will soar to the heavens.

Ah Fu naturally had no idea what Zhou Xing was thinking.

Seeing this little beggar remain calm and composed despite such a blow, one can't help but admire his remarkable character and willpower.

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

With such a person's character, ambition, and courage, if he had been born before the descent of the celestial beings, in an era of intellectual ferment, he might have lived a more brilliant life.

Some Taoist priests swallow and spit out sword pellets, a white light rising from the tip of a blade of grass, capable of taking a person's head from a thousand miles away as easily as taking something out of a bag; some martial artists hone their qi and blood, a single punch can shatter mountains and split rocks, its power shaking rivers and lakes; and there are even Yin-style sorcerers who walk between the real and the illusory, a single soul-guiding lamp illuminating both Yin and Yang, connecting the two realms...

In just a few hundred years, these once real and extraordinary abilities and supernatural powers have gradually faded into legends and tales in stories.

When people today mention it, they only regard it as the absurd imagination of the ancients.

Of course, Afu had never seen it either.

He simply had a teacher who knew that such an era seemed to have existed in ancient times...

Ah Fu sighed inwardly, then got up and left.

In the past few days, Wayne had many tasks to complete and needed to travel around, so he didn't have much free time to stay in this small prison.

.......................

Sunset and moonrise.

During his time in the cell, Zhou Xing saw many people coming and going.

The Zheng family's butcher shop in the south of the city was exposed by a beggar from a beggar's brothel, and they had many business dealings with human traffickers.

Zhang De, the soldier in charge of guarding the granary, was imprisoned for dereliction of duty, which led to the granary being looted...

In the few days that Zhou Xing lived under the identity of "Li Xuanqing", the entire Qingshui County was thrown into turmoil. A hundred or so people were dragged out and imprisoned, while hundreds of refugees obtained food and escaped from that cold night.

In just a few days, his deeds had become widely known in the county town. Storytellers in restaurants sang about his story, and beggars in the streets and alleys chatted about his life. It also became a topic of conversation for many people after meals.

They all called him...

The scourge of Hanako-bu, the mother of the refugees' rebirth...

"Which poor beggar, who hasn't mastered any skills, made up this nickname just for the sake of rhyming? I'll tear his mouth apart when I get out of here..."

When Zhou Xing heard the nicknames that the beggars outside the county town had made up, it was already the sixth day since he possessed the body of "Li Xuanqing".

On the third day after his lifespan was exhausted and he was imprisoned.

Apart from the fact that a jailer tried to assassinate him on the first day, he seemed to have been taken care of by the county magistrate in the past few days, as the jailers were quite friendly to him.

For example, on this particular night, the prison guards were drinking and playing mahjong while eating peanuts, and they even moved the mahjong table to the front of his cell to play together.

After playing only two rounds, the prison guards collapsed at the mahjong table.

The key hanging from his waist rolled down to Zhou Xing's feet by sheer coincidence. A small purse, containing exactly one hundred copper coins, also happened to fall nearby.

"Wait, are all the acting skills this exaggerated?" Zhou Xing asked, completely bewildered. He unlocked the cell door with his key and walked out easily.

It was already night, and in the darkness, the jailer from the next cell was staring at him intently.

"What? You little brat, want to go for a walk with me?" Zhou Xing waved the keychain in his hand.

"Don't laugh at me, Greenhead," Luo Zitou sighed softly.

"After tonight, the stories that beggars and storytellers on the streets will tell are about a thief who broke into prison. He put sleeping pills in the wine, knocked out many of the prison guards, and caused the 'grain robber' to escape."

"Fortunately, I, as the ringleader, am still in prison; only one underage beggar escaped..."

"I've handled human trafficking before, and the buyers were still from Zheng's butcher shop. They couldn't leave this county prison."

"You seem to know what you're doing." Zhou Xing said indifferently.

"I was once a scholar myself, and I have no interest in these low-down businesses," Luo Zitou said in a low voice.

"But in such a large nursery, someone always has to do the dirty and tiring work."

"Big basket doesn't want to do it, but I'm the head of the loot box in the flower shop, so naturally I have no choice but to do it."

Luo Zitou gazed at Zhou Xing with a wistful look, letting out only a sigh:

"What killed this old codger of mine was not Qingtou, nor Magistrate Wei, but the state of the world."

Zhou Xing was very moved, so he clapped his hands in applause.

"That's what you call a veteran actor!"

"Do you think that Magistrate Wei sent people to watch you secretly, and that seeing you suddenly realize your mistakes on your deathbed, you still have some redeeming qualities and might still have a chance to live?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Zitou could only manage a wry smile.

"That greenhorn is making fun of me again. The laws of the land are so strict; how can we treat this like a joke?"

"I'll accept this defeat at Qingtou's hands, even if it's an old man," he muttered to himself.

"But while I, this old man, am about to die, there is actually a martial arts manual that I secretly left behind outside. It is an ancient artifact that has been left over from the previous dynasty, the Great Zhou..."

The player had just finished reciting the numbers when he reached this point, but there was no response.

Looking up again, there was no sign of Zhou Xing in the vast darkness ahead.

It turned out that he hadn't listened to his explanation at all and had already left the county prison.

Only the echo of his footsteps reverberated far and wide in the prison that housed over a hundred new inmates, its sound lingering long afterward.

"It's good that you know you were wrong. Be more careful next time."

Luo Zitou's face finally darkened completely.