CHAPTER 77: CHAPTER 75 [THE RIVERS AND LAKES ARE ALL UGLY] (REQUEST FOR FIRST SUBSCRIPTION!)

Chapter 75: The Jianghu is Ugly

Zhang Linsheng was avoiding Chen Nuo.

This is such a subtle and complicated feeling, he thought.

After regaining his memories, Zhang Linsheng remembered everything that had happened that night at Wind Shelter Hall.

And now I’m starting to feel scared!

If it had just been about Wind Shelter Hall, where Chen Nuo went in alone and rescued Sun Keke—that would have been one thing. Perhaps, though strange, it hadn’t exceeded "normal" limits. Maybe he was very skilled in fighting, or perhaps he had connections and relationships. Or maybe he had even made a deal with Li Qingshan, the Hall Master of Wind Shelter Hall...

There have to be some explanations, even if they’re far-fetched.

But it was when he realized his memories had been tampered with that Zhang Linsheng truly became scared.

Over the last few days, Zhang Linsheng had done something bizarre. He skipped classes to undertake what could be described as a juvenile, clumsy, and possibly futile "investigation."

He went to Wind Shelter Hall. He didn’t dare to be too conspicuous, so he wore a hat and walked around near Wind Shelter Hall very inconspicuously.

In a tobacco shop behind Wind Shelter Hall, he pretended to chat with the owner and learned some news.

After "that night," Wind Shelter Hall was closed for three days.

Later, he heard that the Jianghu big shot named Hall Master Li had become paralyzed.

This was not a secret. Actually, Li Qingshan’s sudden paralysis had been the hottest topic in the Jianghu over the past month.

There were various speculations about it. Some said it was the work of enemies, but more thought that Li Qingshan, who had committed many evils, had finally received his karma.

It’s hard to describe the feelings Zhang Linsheng had when he learned this news.

An eerie logic chain was pieced together in the young man’s mind.

Li Qingshan had kidnapped Sun Keke.

Chen Nuo went in alone and rescued her (and emerged unscathed).

Li Qingshan became paralyzed afterward, and Wind Shelter Hall closed for three days.

I was an involved party, and my memory was erased!

Even more terrifyingly, after careful observation, Zhang Linsheng realized a frightening fact. It’s not just me! Even Sun Keke seems to have completely forgotten about the incidents of that night!

The young man was plunged into immense shock.

What exactly is Chen Nuo? was his first thought. A human or a ghost?

Zhang Linsheng skipped classes for three days, and that’s all he was able to investigate. Following that, the young man was in a daze, clueless about what to do next.

I can’t say Chen Nuo has nothing to do with me, he mused. There’s definitely some connection. He erased my memories... What if he finds out I’ve recovered them? Would he erase them again? What if he turns me into an idiot? And if the erasure doesn’t work, would he... silence me? This new "friend" of mine... who is he really? No, is he even human?

Too afraid to go to school, Zhang Linsheng wandered aimlessly and ended up at Qu Xiaoling’s place.

He had just reached the building when he saw Qu Xiaoling, dressed in black, squatting in the corridor next to the residential building.

The girl was bare-faced without makeup, her eyes red, squatting there. In front of her was a small brazier. In her hand, she held a stack of joss paper, and as tears fell down her cheeks, she fed the paper into the fire.

Zhang Linsheng was stunned.

Qu Xiaoling looked up, and her eyes met Brother Haonan’s. She burst into tears, got up, ran over in a few steps, and hugged Zhang Linsheng.

"Where have you been these past few days? I’ve been so scared! I thought I was going to die! I couldn’t find you anywhere! And I don’t have your phone number! I didn’t even have anyone to talk to..."

Zhang Linsheng stood there, hugging the woman in his arms, hesitated for a moment, and then looked down at the brazier on the ground.

"What... what happened here?"

"Zhang Lina, my roommate... she died."

Zhang Linsheng didn’t know Zhang Lina and had even heard her name for the first time today—though Qu Xiaoling had mentioned she had a roommate who worked with her at the KTV.

I think I should have seen her—or maybe not, he thought. I just can’t remember. It was probably during one or two visits to the KTV to pick people up that they had met, but they never exchanged a word.

Qu Xiaoling cried very sadly—perhaps her sadness was not the predominant emotion; it was more out of fear and anxiety.

Qu Xiaoling prattled on, pulling Zhang Linsheng to squat down with her, burning joss paper while talking. "I told her long ago that you simply can’t borrow money from those people. Moneylenders are vampires, and their money certainly isn’t easy to get.

"She’s pitiful, too. Her dad is a hopeless gambler, and her mom has kidney disease and needs dialysis in the hospital all year round. No matter how much she earns, it’s never enough.

"Just last night, people came to her house demanding repayment of debts. And today, that group went straight to her company and caused a scene. The manager didn’t want any trouble and told her she wasn’t allowed to come to work anymore.

"Zhang Lina is really pitiful. What else can she do... Sell her body? She has no other option. Besides, as a woman, that’s all she can sell. But she’s already done that! Working in this trade, what’s the difference from selling oneself? She’s even resorted to selling her body, what else can she do?

"Money... no matter how much you earn, it’s never enough. Her family has such a gaping hole, so many gaping holes. Sigh, I told her long ago that you can’t take the money from those vampires."

"So... how did she die?"

"How did she die?" Qu Xiaoling’s tone grew intense. "She was driven to death!!"

The girl gasped for breath, tears streaming. "It’s just so pitiful, really too pitiful. This morning, I still heard her greeting neighbors at the door. This morning, she was cleaning the walls at home; last night, those inhuman scum came to splash paint in her home. She apologized to the neighbors in the morning and was also severely scolded by the landlord, who had heard about the incident. In the afternoon, those people went to her company and made such a scene that she lost her job.

"And then...

"She died.

"Just died.

"From the balcony of this tall building, she jumped down! Do you know, before jumping, she even called me, sobbing.

"She said,

"She had no way out.

"Really had no way out.

"Couldn’t go on living.

"There was never enough money.

"Even after selling herself over and over, it still wasn’t enough.

"There was no way out, really no way out.

"At that moment, I was outside, trying desperately to console her, telling her not to cry. I was even thinking of buying some marinated dishes to comfort her in the evening. But who would have thought, not long after she hung up, she jumped. From the balcony of that tall building, she jumped. I heard she fell so hard that she no longer looked human..."

Qu Xiaoling said this, her voice choked with sobs. She hugged Zhang Linsheng and cried for a while before slowly calming down.

At that moment, a middle-aged man approached quickly from a distance and shouted loudly at Qu Xiaoling from afar, "Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you burning there!"

The man had a cigarette clamped behind his ear and wore a jacket. He carried a leather bag under his arm as he staggered closer.

Qu Xiaoling’s face turned pale, and she whispered, "Oh no, it’s the landlord!"

The landlord walked over, saw the brazier on the ground, and his face darkened even more. Suddenly, he kicked the brazier over!

"Damn it, such bad luck! Renting my house to you lot was utter misfortune!!"

CLANG! The brazier was kicked far away, the flames scattering, and half-burned joss paper strewn about.

The landlord rushed over and stamped out the flames with a few stomps. He then turned around and cursed, "Move! You better move out quickly too, damn it! I’m truly jinxed! I knew people like you were no good, always causing me trouble! With this mess getting so big, how can I rent out this house in the future! And you’re still here burning paper! Burning paper, right? You think the neighbors don’t already know enough, is that it! Do you want to take a gong and bang it through the streets? Let everyone know that someone died in this house!!"

The landlord’s face was fierce as he cursed loudly. Suddenly, Zhang Linsheng let go of Qu Xiaoling. He rushed forward in a few steps, grabbed the landlord by the front of his shirt, and pushed him hard!

THUD. The landlord fell to the ground and sat there, staring at the young man before him.

"Fuck!! So, you hit people too, huh! Who the hell are you!!"

Zhang Linsheng clenched his fist and said angrily, "Say that again, and I swear I’ll beat you to death!"

"I don’t fucking believe it! Kid, you dare touch me!" The landlord jumped up from the ground.

Zhang Linsheng’s eyes twitched, and he suddenly bent over to pick up a brick from the ground.

Qu Xiaoling hugged him tightly around the waist, refusing to let go. "Haonan! Lin Sheng! Don’t be impulsive! Stop, you can’t fight!"

The landlord kept backing away, his facade menacing but inwardly cringing. "You motherf... damn... you dare... just you wait! Kid, you wait!!" Then he yelled at Qu Xiaoling, "Move out quickly! That’s all I have to say! I’ll bring someone to collect the place in two days!"

Afterward, cursing "bad luck" under his breath, he ran off quickly.

Zhang Linsheng couldn’t break free from Qu Xiaoling. Only when the landlord had run far away did he sigh, release his grip, and throw the brick onto the ground. "Fine, let me go. The guy’s gone."

Qu Xiaoling released her grip but then crouched down on the ground, covering her face as she started to cry.

Zhang Linsheng stood there, wanting to comfort her, but he didn’t know what to say. The young man’s heart felt somewhat powerless.

"I..."

Qu Xiaoling looked up, vigorously wiping away her tears. "I’m fine... it’s just moving out; I can find another place. It’s just, I suddenly feel so sad... How can people be so heartless. The person is already dead, what’s wrong with burning some paper for her? Even if he was dissatisfied, he shouldn’t have kicked over the brazier for burning paper for the deceased. Is there no empathy left at all!!"

Speaking, Qu Xiaoling clenched her teeth as she stood up. Seeing the helpless Zhang Linsheng, she sighed softly in her heart.

"Could you accompany me somewhere?"

"Of course, where do you want to go?"

"To the hospital." Qu Xiaoling sighed. "I want to see her family."

「Bed 15, Nephrology Ward, District Hospital.」

Zhang Linsheng saw Zhang Lina’s mother. She was a middle-aged woman with sallow skin, appearing so thin she looked as if a breeze could blow her over. Because of chronic kidney disease, although she was gaunt, her face was somewhat swollen.

The woman lay there, her face ashen, obviously having cried but now devoid of any emotional response. Her eyes spoke just one word: Despair.

Qu Xiaoling tried to offer some consoling words, but the woman on the bed hardly reacted.

In the end, Qu Xiaoling took out her wallet, left some money on the bedside table, and used a water cup to weigh it down. The woman didn’t even glance at it but just stared at Qu Xiaoling for a moment.

"Girl... judging by your age, you must be about the same as my daughter, maybe a bit older. She... she really had a hard life..."

With that, the woman started to cry.

Qu Xiaoling frantically reached for tissues to wipe away the woman’s tears, and while doing so, she began to cry herself.

Zhang Linsheng stood there, at a loss for what to do. He stepped out of the ward.

Standing in the hallway, watching the patients come and go, all looking ill, their family members’ faces full of distress, Zhang Linsheng felt as if a stone was sitting on his heart.

So heavy! It’s suffocating!

He subconsciously reached for a cigarette, but remembering he was in a hospital, he withdrew his hand.

At that moment, two men appeared in the corridor: crew cuts, gold chains around their necks, wearing jackets and sneakers. The one in front was carrying a small leather bag under his arm. A jade ring adorned his thumb.

The two swaggered along, checked the room number, and entered the room next to where Zhang Linsheng was standing.

Soon, Qu Xiaoling’s shouts burst from inside.

"How can you be so inhuman!! The person has just died! And you’re here to press for debts?! Is the idea that debts die with a person gone! Is there no law against usury!! Have your consciences been eaten by dogs!!"

Zhang Linsheng immediately rushed into the ward!

Upon entering, he saw Qu Xiaoling pointing and scolding the two men.

The one clutching the bag was not at all angry. He smirked sinisterly, quietly waiting for Qu Xiaoling to finish. Then, he looked at the woman on the bed and slowly said, "Debt must be repaid. Eighty thousand is not a small amount. If it were three or five thousand, seeing your plight and with her dead, I might let it go. Eighty thousand! I’m not so wealthy that I can just throw it away. She’s dead, but the debt remains. You might not be able to pay now, but you have to pay it back slowly."

His tone was indifferent.

Qu Xiaoling shouted angrily, "Where did eighty thousand come from! I heard from Lina that the initial amount borrowed wasn’t even close to that!! Besides!! If there’s a debt, then sue in court! Your usury is illegal to begin with!"

"Legal or not, I wouldn’t know." The man scratched his crew-cut head and smirked. "But everyone knows you have to repay a debt. Little girl, I advise you, if you’re not part of this family, don’t get involved in their business! With such a strong sense of justice, why don’t you help them pay off the debt?"

Zhang Linsheng roughly pushed the man from behind and said angrily, "Aren’t you going too far! Is this how you collect debts? Even Jianghu rules don’t allow this!"

The man laughed, shrugging off Zhang Linsheng’s hand. "Jianghu rules? What the fuck do you know about the Jianghu? Kid, where did you pop out from? Don’t meddle in affairs that don’t concern you!"

With that, he adjusted his clothes and scoffed, "I’ve made myself clear. The money, I’ll have someone come collect it again."

After saying this, he gestured and left with his companion.

Zhang Linsheng’s face turned red with anger. He wanted to lunge forward several times, but Qu Xiaoling stepped forward and held him back, whispering, "Don’t be impulsive... this isn’t the solution! We need to think of a plan."

Brother Haonan, for the first time, felt... The Jianghu... it isn’t as romantic and enchanting as I imagined.

In his mind, the Jianghu was like those in Tongluo Bay. They were spirited, full of brotherhood, and lived a life of swift retribution...

For a brother, one would take a knife to the ribs.

For righteousness, one would brave a mountain of blades and a sea of flames!

Romance, wonder, heroic passions...

But now, tonight, at this moment, the Jianghu, in front of this eighteen-year-old boy...

It seems so... filthy! So... ugly!!

The young man felt somewhat stifled.

He turned away from Qu Xiaoling and said in a low voice, "You stay with her. I... I’m going downstairs for a smoke. I feel so choked up inside."

Having said that, the young man seemed to flee as he walked away.

Taking the elevator down, he wandered outside the hospital inpatient building, only to see the two loan sharks from before standing by the roadside. The two were smoking and talking; the man with the leather bag was pointing at his underling, giving instructions.

He clearly saw Zhang Linsheng come out. The man simply sneered in disdain, then retracted his gaze and gave his underling a couple more orders.

A sedan drove up and stopped at the curb. The man pulled open the car door and got into the back seat.

Sitting in the car, the man rolled down the window and smiled at Zhang Linsheng, who was not far away.

"Little bastard, talking to me about the Jianghu? Have your hairs even grown in yet?"

Saying that, he laughed wildly, rolled up the window, and gestured to the driver. "Let’s go, back to the company!"

Zhang Linsheng stood on the roadside, fists clenched tightly, but he felt not a hint of impulse.

The young man’s dreams of the Jianghu seemed to have faded away. For the first time, his heart felt the world... It’s so heavy, so powerless!

A stone seemed to be crushing his chest. He couldn’t breathe! That fury was stifled, pressed down! He was unable to exert any strength, not even knowing where that strength could be.

It seems people like me can only stand by the roadside, helplessly watching that man drive away...

...

VROOOOM!!

The roaring sound grew louder as it approached!

The insistent beeping of a horn blared urgently!

Amid the whistling wind, a massive shadow like a steel monster came rumbling in with a gust!

A tremendous crash, a loud BOOM!!!

The sedan was hit and sent flying off the road, then plunged headfirst onto the roadside safety island! The body of the car was completely caved in, like a flattened can!

At that moment, the scene on the street was this:

An orange behemoth of a dump truck came racing in, ramming head-on into the sedan. The sedan’s body was completely crushed, utterly deformed! And the dump truck, its momentum unchecked, continued to ram ruthlessly into it!!

The front of the dump truck "squeezed" the sedan’s cabin into a flat piece, head-on!

CRUNCH!!

Everyone by the roadside was stunned!

After a brief silence, people swarmed towards the accident... More and more people gathered around the scene of the incident.

Zhang Linsheng, however, seemed to be in a trance, standing beneath the hospital building, staring fixedly in the direction of the scene!!

Among the crowd, there was a figure moving against the flow, slowly heading toward the far end of the street.

That figure...

Hands in his pockets.

Sauntering.

At an unhurried pace...

Zhang Linsheng stared intensely at that figure, watching that retreating back.

In the young man’s eyes, a spark seemed to reignite!