Thug 03

A traveling storyteller arrived in Yangcheng. On the streets, he vividly recounted the deeds of martial artists in the martial world, drawing quite a few people to stop and listen. This was a rare form of entertainment. However, right at the most crucial moment of the story, the storyteller kept them in suspense and began holding out his bamboo hat to collect money. Some people tossed in a few copper coins, while others silently walked away.

Someone noticed that the local ruffian Fang Zhiyi hadn't appeared recently, and couldn't help but wonder if he had died too. Fortunately, they learned from the old man at the Hongyun Bookstore that Fang Zhiyi wasn't dead, though no one knew where he had gone.

Fang Zhiyi was currently cursing as he hurried along his journey. He knew the original owner of this body was poor, but he hadn't expected him to be this poor—he was practically penniless. If he hadn't relied on Little Hei to find the few copper coins the original owner had hidden under the bed to save up for a wife, he probably would have starved to death before getting anything done.

After several days of sleeping in the open and eating in the wind, Fang Zhiyi was feeling quite miserable. "Damn it, this is too tragic. No food to eat, no water to drink."

Just as he was cursing, a voice came from behind him.

"My friend, where are you heading?"

Fang Zhiyi turned his head and saw a round face. Very quickly, this face matched up with Wang Ergou from the plotline.

"I'm starving to death, so let's skip the formalities, shall we? I want to join you guys," Fang Zhiyi said directly.

Wang Ergou was taken aback. Looking at the young man in front of him, he thought, is this guy a lunatic? How pitiful.

Fang Zhiyi grabbed him regardless and started walking. "Hurry up. Do you guys provide meals over there? I want to join."

Wang Ergou struggled a bit. "Hey? Hey? Do you even know what kind of place ours is, and you want to join?"

However, the young man in front of him continued to hold his arm firmly. This made Wang Ergou vigilant. Could this person be a spy sent by another sect? He subconsciously used his other hand to draw his saber. Just as he moved, Fang Zhiyi's right hand slapped down on his left hand, forcing the unsheathed steel saber right back into its scabbard.

"Who are you?!" Wang Ergou exclaimed.

Greeting him was a fully wound-up slap. Wang Ergou's eyes widened as he watched the palm getting closer and closer to him. He simply closed his eyes, but the sensation of pain never came.

Wang Ergou squinted to take a look. Fang Zhiyi's hand was less than three inches away from his face.

"Let me tell you, I'm starving to death. If you don't let me join you, I'll have to figure out some other way..."

Wang Ergou saw Fang Zhiyi sizing him up and down, and immediately panicked. "I don't taste good!"

Fang Zhiyi slapped him on the head. "Who the hell said I was going to eat you! Do you have money?!"

Wang Ergou was stunned again. Wait, did he, a member of the demonic cult, just run into a highwayman?

But the current situation was obvious: he couldn't beat the other party. He could only indignantly take out his meager amount of money, plotting in his heart how to settle this score later. However, to his surprise, Fang Zhiyi dragged him all the way to a market near the edge of the city, threw down some money to buy two bowls of noodles, and then returned the rest of the money to him.

Wang Ergou watched Fang Zhiyi wolf down the food, and his previous vigilance immediately turned into pity. How pathetic must he be to be this hungry.

"Is that enough? If not, I can order you another bowl."

Fang Zhiyi waved his hand. "No need. Just take me to your place later."

"No, seriously brother, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"Join you guys."

"Join... Do you even know who I am?" Wang Ergou felt a bit helpless.

Fang Zhiyi stared at him while eating his noodles.

"I'm from the Zhetian Cult," Wang Ergou lowered his voice. "Do you know the Zhetian Cult?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "Yeah, that's why I want to join."

"No, did you not understand? People in the martial world call us a demonic cult. What kind of good person tries to join a demonic cult for no reason?" Wang Ergou looked deeply distressed.

Fang Zhiyi found it a bit funny. "You did."

"Me? I'm no good person. I stole the neighbor's chicken when I was three, kicked a beggar's bowl when I was four, and at five..."

Fang Zhiyi just stared straight at him.

Wang Ergou lost his temper. "Do you really want to join?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded.

"Fine, fine. It just so happens we're short on handymen over there. If nothing else, we do provide meals." As he spoke, he glanced at the two empty bowls in front of Fang Zhiyi and sighed.

Compared to the orthodox sects, the Zhetian Cult, being an evil cult, didn't have a high threshold for entry. As long as someone introduced you, you could join. However, the treatment naturally couldn't compare to theirs. As an ordinary cult member, the most one could hope for was just to scrape by with enough food and clothing.

On the way back to the branch with Fang Zhiyi, Wang Ergou's mouth never stopped running.

"I'll cover you from now on. My name is Wang Ergou, you can just call me Brother Ergou, understand?"

Fang Zhiyi obediently nodded. "Brother Ergou."

"That's right. Don't worry, I can't promise much else, but there'll be enough food. Let me tell you a secret: my second uncle works as a kitchen helper in the branch's kitchen. Mentioning my name will definitely work wonders!" Wang Ergou patted his chest, and then began to brag about how formidable the Zhetian Cult was.

Fang Zhiyi even began to suspect if this was the guy who betrayed the original owner in the original plotline. After all, this guy talked way too much. Facing an outsider like him, he spilled everything about the Zhetian Cult directly.

With Wang Ergou leading the way, they quickly arrived at a small stockaded village. Though it was called a branch, it looked more like a farming village. Even the cult members, dressed in uniform black shirts, were working in the fields.

Seeing Fang Zhiyi looking over there, Wang Ergou felt a bit awkward. "Is it different from what you imagined? Actually, it's pretty good this way. We are self-sufficient. After all, even people in the martial world need to eat." He pointed to a stilt house in the distance. "That's where our branch master lives. He has the highest martial arts skills here. I'll take you to see him in a bit."

"As a demonic cult, you guys just rely on farming to survive?" Fang Zhiyi asked.

Wang Ergou nodded. "What did you think? But it's not entirely that. We also have a few shops we can collect money from, and we also sell intelligence. You know about intelligence, right? I was out collecting money today, and ended up running into you."

Seeing Fang Zhiyi looking at him suspiciously, Wang Ergou smugly patted his crotch. "Hehe, I've hidden all the collected money safely."

Fang Zhiyi looked a bit disgusted.

"Once you perform well in the future, you can go to the main headquarters. The treatment there is much better. Let me tell you, there's a lot more business over at the main headquarters: smuggling weapons, running casinos and brothels, trafficking illicit salt... I heard they even have mines." Speaking of this, Wang Ergou's eyes practically glowed.

Little Hei also spoke up, "This branch is like a reserve force. To the real Zhetian Cult, it's just a target to draw enemy fire."

Fang Zhiyi nodded.

No matter what world's martial arts it was, it required a lot of financial support. After all, practicing martial arts wasn't like cultivating to become an immortal; you still needed to eat and drink. Of course, cultivating immortality was even more expensive.