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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 86: Strange Tales of the Jianghu
Xiao Mu followed the unremarkable Panzi until nightfall, finally realizing one thing.
The Jianghu exists. The Strange Person of the Jianghu also exists.
It was hard to imagine how fast a person's hands could be; with a flick of his wrist, he could produce a blade or the tip of a needle. With another flick, the newly appeared item would vanish in an instant, and with yet another flick, it seemed that whatever belonged to others would disappear without a trace. If you thought he only stole, you were gravely mistaken; he was even better at fighting. In the place where Erhu Lu operated, there was a group of ruffians, some of whom seemed to know Panzi. Surrounded by them, they were no match for him. When he threw punches, they landed on necks, armpits, lower abdomens, or spines; often, one strike would take down an opponent. A few ordinary thugs were simply no match for him.
If you thought he could fight too, you were even more wrong; he had an extraordinary eye for people. Xiao Mu watched in astonishment as Panzi identified all the slippery and cunning little fellows he knew. This discerning ability left Xiao Mu dumbfounded... Damn it, he had picked out the elite among the ruffians, leaving behind fools like Small Gourd and Big Gourd.
By dinner time, four individuals had been selected. The Younger Brother arrived at Sanjing Hotel. Following Old Cripple's arrangement, Xiao Mu had reserved a private room and ordered a feast. The four of them came in with trepidation; their treatment had changed dramatically—seated at the head table, toasting with drinks, surrounded by a spread of delicacies that made these hungry ruffians swallow hard.
Xiao Mu looked at the smiling Panzi with a mix of awe and fear. He dared not provoke such a Strange Person of the Jianghu; with their lazy ways, they were no match for someone like him. Thus, his expression was filled with utmost respect as he personally raised a glass to toast Panzi.
"Don't be so polite; you did well," Panzi said with a smile.
"It was all your doing; I didn't do anything," Xiao Mu replied.
"I'm not talking about that. The fact that you managed to organize this group of little fellows without getting them taken away by the police is already quite impressive. When I returned last year, half of Old Cripple's crew was stuck in detention," Panzi chuckled, implying that being taken by the police would delay recruitment significantly.
Xiao Mu thought to himself, damn it, recruiting these rascals is just like college admissions—once a year?
He couldn't say that out loud and instead smiled as he asked, "Brother Pan, it seems these guys will need your care; they're all quite young and can only manage to get by here. We don't have the means to offer them more."
"That's already good enough," Panzi seemed to appreciate Xiao Mu as he raised his glass in return. Setting down his cup, he gestured with his chopsticks and said, "Hey, why aren't you eating? Dig in! Enjoy your meal; in the future, you'll eat well and travel across the country... Heh heh, Liu Yang, do you want to follow Brother Pan?"
Liu Yang chewed on a chicken leg and nodded without hesitation: "I do."
Don't be disheartened. Those abandoned at the bottom of society will seize any opportunity with all their might. They often fight tooth and nail just to grab a small advertisement, let alone a chance that could change their fate. Xiao Mu felt a twinge of sympathy; if this continued, the world would likely see more thieves who come and go without a trace.
A bright red prawn was placed onto Xiao Mu's plate. He looked up in confusion, meeting Panzi's gaze. Panzi smiled mysteriously and asked softly, "You seem worried?"
"A bit. I don't mean to speak harshly, but Brother Pan, they, including me, are all cannon fodder. The people you're looking for won't be..." Xiao Mu hesitated to ask.
"What is it?" Panzi inquired.
"Are they... meant to be scapegoats?" Xiao Mu's voice was barely audible.
"It seems you haven't been around long enough. Does that really matter? I'm just another scapegoat. You're here too, aren't you? It's just about making a living. Don't think no one sees you as human; if you want to survive and thrive, you have to stop seeing yourself as one," Panzi said quietly, patting Xiao Mu's shoulder in silent comfort.
During the meal, a phone call came in. As soon as the ringtone sounded, Panzi perked up noticeably. Xiao Mu didn't shy away and glanced at his phone, saying, "Brother Pan, it looks like those Gourd Brothers want to talk to you."
"Those two fools have been under Old Cripple for years, and they can't even count money right. What do I need them for?" Panzi scoffed dismissively but added with curiosity, "It's strange; they seem to work well with you. You have no idea how much trouble they can cause. They spent more time at the police station than outside in the past two years."
As they mentioned the Gourd Brothers, a few of them chuckled quietly. Panzi clearly liked these guys; he waved his hand and said, "Each of you gets a bottle in front of you. Drink up! Don't hold back; get drunk if you want! Tomorrow morning, you'll say goodbye to this damn life."
Xiao Mu answered the call and covered the receiver, saying, "Hey, Brother Pan, these two actually made it here... Should I send them away?"
"Forget it; let's invite them over for a meal. Those two are quite entertaining," Panzi replied with a smile.
Xiao Mu stood up to greet them. He went downstairs and out the door where the Gourd Brothers were waiting with bottles of good liquor in hand. They pulled Xiao Mu along with high spirits. Big Gourd urged Xiao Mu to say something nice about them while Erhu Lu looked on eagerly, seemingly sharing the sentiment. Xiao Mu was puzzled and asked, "What do you mean? Aren't we doing well? We can't be fickle or easily swayed."
"Young Master Mu, you should stick with Panzi! The brothers who hang out with him are all making it big!" Big Gourd exclaimed.
"Who are you listening to?" Xiao Mu provocatively asked.
"I'm serious, it was that Cangji from that shady place, Panzi took a liking to him. I saw him once at the end of last year, and he was driving around himself... really, just a few months ago." Big Gourd replied.
"Don't believe me? The Two-bit Kid who came with us has been acting all high and mighty. I ran into him at the Atlantic Hotel once, and he pretended not to know me," Erhu Lu added.
The two talked about how over the past two years, a few people had made their fortune following Panzi. In the blink of an eye, they had gone from being nobodies to being full of themselves. Xiao Mu listened with a chill in his heart, feeling like a thousand grass-mud horses were galloping through his mind. Was this really life or a game? It seemed that Cangji's gathering place was just a rookie village for thieves.
"Come on, don't get your hopes up too high. You can't learn anything from Panzi's skills... Just look at yourself, you're as fat as a pig and your hands are as thick as radishes. How can you steal?" Xiao Mu scolded Big Gourd. Life had been too good lately; he felt like he was being fed like livestock. Erhu Lu wasn't far behind either; he was just a little less round. He retorted stubbornly, "What's wrong with that? We have our advantages."
"You? Advantages?" Xiao Mu scoffed.
"Yes! We're tough and can take a beating," Erhu Lu insisted.
This statement received no response; even Big Gourd was tired of him. He turned around and cursed, "You eat with me every day and look how fat you've gotten! No one wants you; if you want someone to help you out, good luck finding anyone... get lost!"
Cursing and complaining, they headed straight to the hotel private room. As soon as they entered, the two bowed and greeted Panzi in an overly flattering manner. It was the same old scene again. Panzi smiled and pointed to the seats, inviting them to sit down. He opened a bottle of Jian Nan Chun and poured large cups for them, raising his glass for a toast. Each cup held more than two liang of liquor, and after downing it, Erhu Lu felt dizzy and could barely speak.
Their tolerance for alcohol wasn't great; whenever they drank, they rushed to finish it as quickly as possible. After downing two big cups, Big Gourd cupped his hands in salute to Panzi and said, "Brother Panzi, I think you're underestimating us Brothers. I've traveled south and north; I've got iron courage—who am I afraid of?"
Erhu Lu, feeling dazed, chimed in, "Right! I've been south and north too; I've drunk water behind the toilet and crushed my legs on the train tracks."
Panzi spat out his drink while Big Gourd splashed some liquor on Erhu Lu's face and cursed, "Get lost! If I hadn't been dragging you along, you'd have starved long ago—how could you be this fat?"
"Don't start with me; you're the fattest of us all," Erhu Lu shot back.
As the two were about to clash again, Panzi quickly stood up and urged, "Hey, hey, stop it! We're here to drink and eat; why are you two brothers at each other's throats?"
"Right, eating! Listen to Brother Pan, don't stoop to his level," Big Gourd chimed in.
However, Erhu Lu pleaded, "Brother Pan, take me with you! I can be your sidekick. I’ll carry your things when there’s nothing to do and take a beating for you when there’s trouble."
Panzi found it amusing; he hadn't expected that after some time apart, these two would become so thick-skinned and smooth-tongued. The more he watched them, the more interesting they became. He asked the others what they thought, and they all had a good relationship with the Gourd Brothers, praising them. At this point, Panzi wasn't sure if it was a spur-of-the-moment decision or out of a sense of talent appreciation, but he set down his cup and said earnestly, "You two—you're just envious of the thieves enjoying their meals without seeing them take a beating. This bowl of rice isn't something anyone can just have. Do you know how many years I've trained these hands?"
As he spoke, he flicked his fingers, sending his cup flying. When it came down, he tapped it with his knuckles and sent it flying again without even looking at it. The landing spot seemed precisely controlled. Then Panzi told the Gourd Brothers how long he had been training: "Twenty years."
Big Gourd trembled in shock. Twenty years? He figured he couldn't even last twenty days! At that moment, Erhu Lu burst out, sounding clever as he said to Panzi, "Brother Pan, are you joking with us? Those Two-bit Kids mastered their skills in just six months. With your exceptional skills, you could teach us a couple of moves and that would be enough. If we really wanted to learn everything you know, not just us but even giving them a hundred years wouldn’t be enough!"
Look at that; this guy knew how to flatter too! But Panzi was quite pleased by it. Big Gourd understood and eagerly asked, "I get it now, Brother Pan! You’re running a crash course, right? Just like those driving school crash courses."
Once Big Gourd said that, Erhu Lu immediately added, "Three days to hit the road; everyone comes out as killers."
Panzi couldn’t stop laughing at that. The two joined in on the silly laughter as they seemed determined to become little rascals who relied on stealing for their living. Xiao Mu was left without an idea until Panzi asked him, "Mu, what do you think?"
The two looked at Xiao Mu with hopeful eyes as he hesitated and murmured, "Brother Pan, to say something unpleasant... you've taken all our elites away; what are we going to do from now on?"
"Oh come on, Young Master Mu... let’s all go together! We brothers will have more fun together; we’ll specialize in robbing the rich to help the poor," Big Gourd said.
"Yeah, Mu Shao... we can rob the poor to get rich too; anyway, we won’t be poor anymore," Erhu Lu added.
Xiao Mu fell silent while Panzi laughed and encouraged the two as they ate and talked casually. He then asked, "Big Gourd, have you been doing well lately? Why do you want to change careers?"
"Brother Pan, you have no idea what we do. It's hit or miss, and with Young Master Mu playing so smoothly, it's only a matter of time before he leaves. By then, we won't know anything and will just be left dumbfounded... Besides, this isn't a long-term gig; it's just a daily hustle. I reckon the police are already keeping an eye on me, this fake monk," Big Gourd said, while Erhu Lu also lamented about his situation. Every day he was surrounded by those women who not only made him act as a decoy but also coveted his looks, constantly trying to seduce him. "I've almost lost count of how many times it's happened."
Rolling around in that pile of flesh, it was inevitable to get mixed up in the filth. Those women who had no dietary restrictions probably used Erhu Lu as a way to vent their frustrations, but that probably wouldn't catch Panzi's attention. He poured two large cups of Incite for them and said, "Actually, I've had my eye on you two for a while now. Lame Brother spoke up; if you don't let them go, you'll just keep getting fatter and miss your golden opportunity... Well, it doesn't matter. Based on how you performed just now, you're still acceptable."
Oh wow, this got the brothers excited again. They downed a few more cups. Big Gourd rolled up his sleeves and was about to bow when Panzi stopped him. Panzi said they were at the last hurdle; had they seen Water Margin? To enter this line of work, one needed a blood oath—did they understand?
"Understand? Isn't that just cutting off someone's head?" Big Gourd replied. Erhu Lu skeptically chimed in, "No way! That thing sells better than kidneys!"
"Tsk tsk, listen to me... It's simple. Just do one thing that catches your eye... Tomorrow, I'll send you to the airport; each of you needs to steal back a suitcase. If you can get it back without any fuss, come with me; if not, just stay put and be a thug for Cangji—deal?" Panzi proposed.
This task was far more difficult than pickpocketing. Who would have thought? Big Gourd patted his chest and ambiguously said, "Sure, stealing a suitcase? I could steal a whole truck for you."
"Too easy! You better keep your word, Brother Pan," Erhu Lu chimed in.
Panzi poured more drinks as the two brothers eagerly gulped them down. They were honest men who didn't realize how much they had consumed until they finished two bottles. After the last big cup went down, Erhu Lu fell from his chair to the floor with a thud, while Big Gourd's head drooped onto the table as he mumbled incoherently. Panzi laughed and said, "These two are like twins; even their drinking capacity is similar... Haha... Eat up; don't mind them."
The two came here merely for some entertainment. Xiao Mu had no choice but to call others to help carry the Gourd Brothers away. After much effort to load them into the car, Panzi had already taken off with several younger brothers in tow. The two drunkards were still rolling around in the car, mumbling:
"Don't stop me! I've realized my dream; I'm not going to be a thug anymore—I'm going to be a thief now..."
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