On the willow tops in the moonlight, the dazzling lights and bustling crowds of people in Guangzhou city became more and more sporadic as they approached the Xiguan Marshland. It was not until I suddenly looked up that I realized that there were only dark alleys and fallen leaves in front of me. In the desolate and dilapidated scene With a disturbing silence.
The short and crooked adobe houses on both sides were huddled together, like two rows of extremely unevenly grown teeth. Along with the rustling of dead leaves, they were grinning at the few people who stepped inside.
"Master, have we come to the wrong place..."
Fu Ningdie was already walking in the middle of the team very naturally, slightly ahead of the two senior brothers. It was difficult to understand why she came to such a remote place - shouldn't beggars begging for food in the city?
Jiang Wen judged the location based on the stars in the vast sky, touched his chin and said, "According to my inquiries in the evening, it should be in the west..."
Fu Ningdie looked around suspiciously, and saw some tattered and faded yellow talisman papers stuck on the dilapidated door panels on both sides. They were covered with twists and turns of unknown lines. They looked like words but were paradoxical. They were stacked one on top of the other. Together, they are densely packed like eggs laid by insects.
Seeing that every household was like this, the lights in Xiguan alleys were turned off early and the houses were closed, and there was no sound. The cold wind blew the talisman and the talisman was making noises. The gossips in the village that I had heard before suddenly came to my mind. These talismans seemed to be suppressing and expelling something. It was an extremely terrifying thing, which made Ningdie even more certain that she was on the wrong path.
Jiang Wen turned his head and glanced at Ningdie, and suddenly said, "Apprentice, my master suddenly remembered a terrifying legend here. It is said that there was a large mass grave under the feet. After it was forcibly razed to the ground, supernatural phenomena were often seen." The word '' is often regarded as 'the corpse field', which is very evil..."
As expected, Ningdie was startled again in an instant. Looking at the densely packed talismans on the doors on both sides, she already wanted to go back and not mess around with tonight's so-called Jianghu meeting.
"Master...I'm afraid..."
Jiang Wen covered his face helplessly. Why is this apprentice still so timid? How can he walk alone in the world in the future?
"What are you afraid of? What's there to be afraid of in a few hundred years?"
However, Hong Wending walked up to it without any fear, peeled off a piece of talisman paper that was brittle in the sun, and said to Jiang Wen, "Master, I think we should be right ahead."
Fu Ningdie watched this scene tremblingly, and almost screamed. Fortunately, after waiting for a long time, she saw no evil winds, no flying sand and rocks, and no ghosts with eyes as big as lanterns falling from the sky to snatch people away, so she quietly relaxed. One breath.
Jiang Wen sighed and brought the talisman paper in front of Fu Ningdie.
"See clearly. Although this piece of paper looks like a talisman, you might as well turn it around and look at it. Can you understand it?"
Xiao Ningdie took it over doubtfully, turned the direction repeatedly to distinguish the glyphs, and slowly read out the results of the research.
"...I hereby take the money from your house and disperse the beggars from the fifth courtyard. Based on this document, you don't dare to come here alone?"
Once read out, the strangeness in it suddenly became clear. Obviously, these talismans were not used to drive away ghosts and suppress evil spirits, but were used to drive away wandering beggars at the door. After all, no matter how magical the Taoist talismans are, there will never be such an inexplicable weapon of the law of cause and effect. The densely packed talismans in front of you are actually issued by the beggar gang.
Guangzhou has a large population. No matter whether it is a big or small household, weddings and funerals are good opportunities to beg for food. If the credentials given by the gang leader are not posted, the beggars will come one after another, and it will be difficult to deal with it. Therefore, it is better to spend a larger sum of money to prevent the door from being filled with embarrassing beggars and causing trouble.
Therefore, it was originally intended as a proof that the beggar gang had received protection money. The reason why it was transformed into an indistinguishable talisman shape was just to add a layer of mystery to the legend of beggars being good at handling snakes and dogs, so that it would be more convenient for future visits. More protection money.
The presence of these talismans now shows that there is indeed a large-scale beggar gang in the city. The large number of such talismans shows that this place is not far from the beggar's den, otherwise it would not be harassed so frequently that civilian families would be harassed. You have to put up talismans all over it to avoid misfortune.
Hong Wending had experience in wandering the world. At this time, even if he couldn't recognize the handwriting, he could still see the doorway and knew that he was not far from his destination.
After Jiang Wen's explanation, Ningdie finally let go of her doubts.
"Ningdie, don't think that beggars are just a bunch of miserable beggars. In this kind of thoroughfare city, beggars can not only collect donations and reward money, but the wealthy ones can also buy land and keep wives and concubines. They are not necessarily any better than ordinary people. abjection."
Jiang Wen said expressionlessly, but Fu Ningdie could not imagine the beggars looking high-spirited and wearing gold and silver.
"Master, why do they have to be beggars when they don't lack money? Isn't it better to buy land and become a rich man?"
When asked this question, Jiang Wen could only smile helplessly. In fact, everyone knows clearly. Who would give up an industry that can make money?
As early as in "Taiping Guangji", "Chengdu Beggars" and "Chao Ye Qian Zai·Supplement", the Beggar Gang was mentioned, clearly stating that they are by no means poor beggars, but a group of extortionists. Gangsters - it's just that when ruffians collect protection fees, they rely on fighting and killing, relying on "fighting evil"; while beggars collect protection fees on the basis of "nuisance" rather than killing.
"The reasons here are complicated. I'll leave it to you to figure it out yourself."
This was not the time for small talk, because as a few people moved forward, some sneaky figures appeared in the shadows of the corner in front of them.
They were whispering to each other following Jiang Wen's footsteps, and the dirty smell from the corner kept wafting out. Their eyes, which were used to pretending to be tame and miserable during the day, could not help but reveal a cunning and brutal look at this time, and they were inseparable. Staring at Master and Disciple Jiang Wen.
Two steps further, the view suddenly widened, and a Guandi Temple with mottled outer walls appeared in front of us. The flat land was filled with simple shacks made of bamboo and wood, and all the rustling people were in ragged and ferocious clothes. The scary beggars slowly surrounded him.
The dirty beggar got closer and closer. Jiang Wen moved forward expressionlessly, deliberately exposing the hilt of the ancient bronze sword at his waist. At this time, as a strong and tall beggar pushed open the temple door and appeared, the sneaky beggars, old and young, bowed their heads and dispersed, returning to their timid and timid appearance.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time. Please sit down in the prime minister's office. Where do you come from?"
The strong beggar spoke with a northern accent and raised his hand to Jiang Wen.
Fu Ningdie looked around in confusion, but the other party didn't set up a chair. Why did they suddenly let them sit?
But Jiang Wen knew full well that this sentence was a slang in the world. He was asking what he was doing here, rather than intending to make polite greetings. If you show cowardice at this time, the other party will see through it, and ordinary people will suffer a loss if they don't know.
"I can't afford to be called the Prime Minister's Mansion. There is no need to test it. I am the head of the Wuyi Sect. I come to your manager to make a deal. You just need to inform me."
However, after the strong beggar heard this, he did not move at all and looked at the three apprentices behind Jiang Wen suspiciously.
"Excuse me, our Emperor Guan will not let go of the rice seedlings."
As soon as these words came out, Jiang Wen immediately grimaced.
In Jianghu, "putting a yangzi" refers to the kidnapping business. Does the other party regard himself as a gangster who failed to extort ransom and changed his job to abduct and traffic children?
As expected, the people of the Beggar Clan are down-and-out and daring. Even if they have never done any evil deeds, such as harvesting or harvesting, people often come here to discuss human trafficking, extortion and kidnapping.
"You talk slanderously, do you want to take the postgraduate entrance examination?"
Jiang Wen urged impatiently, "I'm here to buy information. If you keep stalling, I'll break in."
The strong beggar quickly blocked the entrance of the temple and explained to Jiang Wen: "Taoist Master, please calm down. It was not me who blocked it intentionally. We have encountered something in the past two days. The gang leader is discussing matters inside and there are no outsiders. You should wait for two days." Come here again..."
Hearing the news, Jiang Wen became even more furious.
Just being chased around by a group of monks who have nothing to offer during the day, and being rejected by a stinky beggar at night, what kind of nonsense is this? How exclusive is this city of Guangzhou that makes him so unlucky as soon as he sets foot here?
"It's easy to say, then I'll come back another day."
Jiang Wen nodded with a smile and looked like he was about to turn around and leave. However, when the strong beggar wasn't paying attention, he turned over and put his palm against the crack of the door to exert force. He held the strong beggar's arm with the other hand, causing him to rush. Couldn't escape.
Jiang Wen's three disciples had already guessed that their master was not so easy to talk to. When they saw Jiang Wen holding the door panel, they quickly and cunningly filed in, sneaking into the heavily guarded Guandi Temple first.
"How brave!"
The strong beggar Gu Ting was pressed with his elbow and could not get away. He cursed angrily and simply turned around, raised his fist and hit Jiang Wen on the temple. He obviously had a lot of knowledge in ruthless moves.
Seeing this situation, Jiang Wen stretched out a leg to block the door, and used his hand to collide with the opponent's fist, intending to draw the fist away. However, he found that the opponent's moves also suddenly changed, and instantly turned into a technique of grabbing wrong bones.
At this moment, the thirty-six Tiangang Grasping Hands are about to be deployed, and the move is to "step over the shoulder and release the arm" to defeat the enemy, buckling the elbow and grabbing the shoulder in one go.
The Thirty-Six Tiangang Grasping Hands circulated in the martial arts world is a practical and efficient way to defeat the enemy. It has the functions of punching acupoints and breaking bones. Usually people in the martial arts world are suddenly hit at close range and often cannot find the key to cracking the enemy in time. , struggled in panic and was caught, only to end up with broken bones and death. No matter how powerful his martial arts was, he could not perform it.
Now that the beggars around him have noticed something unusual, they swarm in with eager eyes. Once surrounded by these people, they will be unable to fight against the four hands with two fists, and they are bound to suffer losses. The strong beggar obviously also has this intention, and will delay Jiang. Smell time.
But Jiang Wen glanced at him calmly, with a mocking look on his face and remained silent. The palms and fists came out of the hole like a snake. Jiang Wen's caught palm suddenly turned over and clasped the opponent's grasp. He quickly used force to break the opponent's grasp, and then suddenly used an inch of force on his outer wrist, as if swinging a steel whip. .
As soon as Jiang Wen's sneer was seen by him, a series of cold snaps erupted, and he pulled down violently and repeatedly.
At this time, Jiang Wen kept swinging with all his strength, but the strong beggar's arm was straight and unable to bend. Only severe pain came from the joints. He felt that his arm was about to be stretched into two pieces, and he would turn upside down if he didn't let go. Folded ten degrees!
"Watch it, I will teach you this little silk-winding trick. Please remember not to be caught again in the future."
Jiang Wen said with a smile and added strength.
The strong beggar was in pain and could only let go. He was kicked in the butt by Jiang Wen, and he staggered to the foot of the steps outside the door. Then the door of the Guandi Temple was slammed shut, and there was even a sound of adding a bolt to the door. The sound actually caused the door to be completely locked.
A group of beggars swarming at the temple gate stopped and looked at each other in confusion. They could only stare at the embarrassed beggar and didn't know what to say, and they didn't dare to rush in rashly - after all, the top brass of the Guangzhou Beggar Gang were inside. What if I'm accused of being a rebel?
"What are you looking at! Get away!"
The strong beggar bounced up from the ground like a carp and scolded the wild beggars around him, "The gang leader is fighting inside and whoever gets in will be unlucky. Do you still need to worry about it? Go to bed!"
As the temple door closed tightly, Jiang Wen let out a breath and found that although the Guandi Temple was small, it was solemn and majestic. The couplets written in red paint on the stone lintels on both sides of the main hall of the temple were particularly eye-catching. The majestic Master Guan is sitting in the middle of the temple. On either side stand the white-faced Guan Ping and the black-faced Zhou Cang, both of the size of a living person, with their eyes wide open.
Jiang Wen, who broke into the temple, was stunned to find that he was just making a small fuss outside, but the fighting was really going on inside the Guandi Temple. A large group of beggars and elders divided into two groups and started fighting. I don't have time to pay attention to this little thing at the door.
As the saying goes, family scandals should not be made public. Jiang Wen found that he seemed to have mistakenly blamed the beggar at the door, but he came...
"Everyone, I am Jiang Wen, the leader of the Wuyi Sect, and I would like to pay a visit to the leader of the Guangzhou Beggar Clan!"
However, the chaos in Guandi Temple had no intention of stopping. In the chaos and noise, he heard some people agreeing, some wanting to get out, and occasionally someone scolding, saying that it took a fight to know who the gang leader was, so he The chaos continued.
"Master, are they competing in martial arts?"
Xiao Shitou looked at it carefully for a while, and was a little confused by the real martial arts world mentioned by the master, "Obviously they can bite people, why can't I?"
Jiang Wen also looked at the fight between the beggars with an embarrassed look. There were endless damaging moves like monkeys stealing peaches and two dragons grabbing pearls. Lifting the vaginal legs and stepping on toes were considered aboveboard. He had developed his shamelessness to the peak - like grappling. As soon as he used his wrestling skills, he threw himself on the ground and rolled around, taking the opportunity to bite his ears.
However, at this moment, a figure suddenly appeared in the inner hall. He stepped out from the statue of Guan Gong who was holding a knife and reading a book. He stepped hard on the ground with each foot and kicked away the elders of the Beggar Clan who were fighting on the ground. He used his hands to tear apart the bones. Splitting the tendons is like washing the floor, and soon a clear space is cleared, leaving a place where people are wailing.
"You guys, stop it quickly. How can you make yourself laughable in front of your comrades?"
The man also spoke northern Mandarin, had a stubble on his face, and looked quite heroic. He angrily rebuked his men, "I fight them day and night. I keep the door behind closed doors just to be afraid of you being embarrassed. You guys really think I can’t do it without any means!”
However, among the group of beggars and elders who were defeated, some still held their necks and made rude remarks.
"Gang Leader Fan, although your Xinghan Beggar Clan is spread throughout the three provinces, but now that you are in charge of our Guandi Society, you have stretched your hands too far!"
Another gray-haired elder also said angrily: "Exactly! Gang Leader Wu used to be in charge of Guandi Temple. We, Hongsheng Temple, Wenchang Palace, Confucius Temple, Meizhou Temple, and Lianhua Temple, are naturally on the same page as him, but he also I have never deliberately suppressed us like you!"
Gang Leader Fan, whom they said was about to greet Jiang Wen, was suddenly disturbed behind his back. Jiang Wen's face darkened instantly when he saw him, as obvious and sudden as the weather changing in summer.
"That's enough! Dare you say something like this again!"
He clapped his hands and left a deep fingerprint on the wooden pillar, "Guan Di Hui Wu Gang Leader has discussed with me many times before to merge the Guan Di Hui into the Xinghan Beggar Gang. You can't pretend to be stupid. For the sake of money, if you want to rebel, you must first defeat me!"
Then he forced out a smile and said to Jiang Wen.
"My friend, this is not the place to talk now. Why don't we change the time? Fan will definitely attend the appointment!"
The implication was very obvious. Gang Leader Fan felt a little embarrassed and wanted Jiang Wen to give way first. This was already a soft eviction order.
However, the words spoken by the mighty Gang Leader Fan were like farts. Immediately behind him, people from the Guangzhou Beggar Clan began to murmur in low voices. Once fermented, it became a continuous murmur in the entire audience.
"Gang Leader Fan, what on earth do you have to say that you can't say publicly!?"
"Yes, why not say it in front of friends in the world!"
"Hmph, I suspect Gang Leader Wu was harmed by you!"
Jiang Wen looked at Gang Leader Fan, who had a darker face, in great surprise. He guessed that these local elders had decided that the law would not punish the public, and the strong dragon would not suppress the local gang leader, and planned to forcefully exclude this foreign gang leader who was highly skilled in martial arts.
Listening to their tone of voice, it seemed that Quanwuxing had been fighting for a long time. Jiang Wen and his party had not chosen the right time, and they happened to get involved in a power conflict during the change of leadership.
However, Jiang Wen understood that for a loose organization like the Beggar Clan, it was normal for the situation like this to happen.
In the arena of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there was no unified beggar gang that was number one in the world in Jin Yong's book, let alone a dog-beating stick to command the beggars - besides, this is not consistent with common sense. Since ancient times, the whole world has been the land of the king, the four mountains and the mountains. There are always people who resist orders and disobey orders everywhere. How can a group of beggars from all over the world unite and recognize only one leader?
The beggar gangs in the Ming and Qing dynasties were actually numerous beggar organizations scattered in various provinces. Relying on their tacit cooperation with local officials and gentry, they seemed to be omnipotent local intelligence agencies.
Among them, the more famous beggar gangs are Qiong Jia Xing, which is popular in Shandong and Henan and spread all over the Central Plains; the Huazi Society is mainly in Jiangxi and Fujian; the Xiaoyi Society is deep in Sichuan and Yungui; the Basket Society spreads across the two lakes in the south of the Yangtze River; and the Pole Society has entered the capital. The Guandi Society in front of us is the name of the Beggar Clan in Guangdong and Guangxi.
In such an organization, there are both those who have been forced to live in poverty, and those who sometimes harvest and cut off crops. The right and wrong inside is elusive. It can only be said to be a deformed phenomenon created by the chaotic world.
Of course, there are exceptions. For example, the beggar's den in Fuzhou City was broken up and expelled by the Holy Boy of Hongyang who was entrenched in the city.
"Gang Leader Fan, I think what they said makes sense. If you have anything to do, why don't you talk about it? Maybe Jiang can give you some advice..."
It’s fun again, great!
Seeing Jiang Wen taking the opportunity to talk shamelessly, there was immediately an elder who wanted to retort.
But Jiang Wen had long expected this. He took off a jade bee needle with a high gold content from Ningdie's head in advance. He fired it like a bullet out of the chamber and rubbed the necks of several elders of the Beggar Clan. He penetrated deeply into the bluestone bricks in front of the Guandi Temple, resulting in silence in the venue.
"I will also offer you a reward for inquiring about the information. What do you think?"
