A Blade of Grass Finds It Hard to Live

Chuqiu County, Outer City, Donglai Wine House.

The setting sun was like blood, and a smear of purple-black shrouded the sky like a light veil. The heat of the day had slightly receded.

In the shadow of the wine house's side door, a burly man and a young man were pushing something back and forth.

"Brother Gao, I can't accept this."

"It's all leftovers from customers. Take it! Take it back to nourish Little Cha."

"...Thank you."

"Why are you being so polite with me? If it weren't for Uncle Li back then, I would have fallen into the river and drowned. Alas, Uncle and Aunt left too early, leaving you alone to raise your brother."

"Never mind that. Tomorrow, there's a banquet for distinguished guests at the Tower. They've specifically requested the Heavenly King to perform. The opera troupe is short one person, are you going? Besides food and drink, if the guests are happy, there will be bonus money."

"But I don't know how to act."

"You don't need to act, just stand there! It's settled then. Hurry back before it gets dark. Those hooligans and ruffians have been rampant lately, and the authorities aren't doing anything about it."

Li Cunxiao watched the man's retreating back for a long time, then sighed and walked out of the shadow of the eaves.

Thinking of his hungry brother at home, he tightened the leftovers wrapped in oil paper and lotus leaves, which he held in his arms, and quickened his pace through the sparsely populated street.

Most of the people in the outer city were poor. They couldn't even afford to light oil lamps at night and were eating by the remaining daylight. The women were seizing the opportunity to sew and mend.

However, beyond the soldiers in leather armor and the high city walls, Li Cunxiao could still hear distant laughter and revelry.

He knew that was the sound coming from the inner city, separated by a wall, from the wealthy stewards and dancing girls.

After nightfall, if you looked down from a distant high mountain, the outer city would be as dark and quiet as a ghost realm, but the inner city would be brilliant and colorful, with connected lights like a treasure ship. That was the densely packed happy forest, the playground for the rich...

He walked all the way until he approached the execution ground. The crowd finally became larger, but the sounds coming from the gathered people were not the haggling of buyers and sellers:

"...The person who stole property from Steward Zhao's house on East Corner Tower Street the other day, the great thief He Wu and others, were investigated and found guilty of robbing and killing merchants. They were sentenced to immediate execution for multiple crimes, as a warning to others."

"That's not right. I heard that the great thief He Wu was caught only at the beginning of this month, and now it's only the middle of the month. How could he be beheaded so quickly? They say executions are in the fall, and the heat of August hasn't even dissipated yet."

"It's not peaceful everywhere now, with rebels and famine. How can the lords in the capital wait until autumn? Of course, county magistrates everywhere execute people on the spot after arresting them."

"Alas, speaking of rebels, I heard that the 'Great General Who Charges to the Heavens' has been driven back by the imperial army again. What if they pass through our Songzhou?"

"Do we still need to wait for rebels? Our Jiedushi Zhu from above, wasn't he the one who was granted amnesty..."

"Are you trying to die? These are matters for us common folk... My god! You, who are you?!"

With a startled cry, he drew everyone's attention. Then, they all showed surprised expressions.

The young man was of average height, with a broad forehead, prominent cheekbones, and large eyes with more black than white, truly a "leopard head and ring eyes."

Yet, his frame was large, and his body was thin. His clothes were also tattered, clearly indicating poverty.

At first glance, he looked fierce, with a sharp gaze and a menacing expression, truly frightening.

Li Cunxiao was accustomed to others' reactions. He ignored the surrounding discussions and silently looked at the four severed heads impaled on sharpened wooden stakes.

He vaguely remembered that two of them had come to the wine house begging for food. They had also brought a beautiful young girl with them, who was said to be a refugee from another state.

Steward Zhao was notoriously lustful... Stealing property? Robbing merchants?

He suspected that the county yamen and powerful households were colluding, trampling on human lives.

Li Cunxiao was speechless for a moment. As he turned to leave, his steps quickened, as if something were chasing him.

"The world is probably really going to be in chaos..."

Others were just watching the spectacle, but for Li Cunxiao, who had memories of modern knowledge, he could see more.

For a dynasty, the so-called "execution in autumn" was a manifestation of the central government's control over local judicial matters.

Whether there was a grievance or not, a specific period was set aside around the autumn equinox for local officials to report to the imperial court and not to make independent judgments on criminal cases.

However, now, the county yamen officials no longer cared at all. Public prisons had become private jails. If an official wanted to arrest someone, it was just a matter of saying so.

It was always said that imperial power did not extend to the villages, but now even the county could not be managed.

As for the rebels roaming various regions, and even Marshal Zhu, who was granted amnesty and named "Quanzhong," and then transformed into several regional military governors, they were merely footnotes to the entire collapsing trend.

"Rebel armies, famine, refugees... I heard there are also demons appearing near Chuqiu County. It's hard to tell if it's true or not."

"Without strength, in a chaotic world, one will only become a lamb waiting to be slaughtered."

"The martial artists in this world possess strength that is almost supernatural. Practicing martial arts is a must, and soon."

"After saving enough for my brother and me for two months, I've accumulated five taels of silver, which is barely enough to join one of the martial arts schools in the outer city."

"Alas, if it weren't for the funeral, I would have had enough money long ago. But after all, they were my parents for a lifetime; they should be laid to rest properly."

"The Green Snake Gang has been coming more and more frequently lately. My brother is handsome, and it's too unsafe to leave him at home. As for the wine house..."

Li Cunxiao was heavy-hearted, but thinking of his well-behaved and sensible younger brother, his legs felt stronger as he headed home.

Not to mention that he had a younger brother in his previous life, and the habit of an older brother couldn't be shed so easily. Even from a purely moral standpoint, he couldn't allow a nine-year-old child to wander the streets.

"Zhao Heishe, what are you doing here!"

As he entered the dilapidated shantytown, Li Cunxiao saw a figure lurking suspiciously by his doorstep. His heart sank, and he immediately rushed over.

The man with a faded green snake tattoo on his neck was startled by the shout. He turned around, saw who it was, and revealed a sinister smile.

"So it's Li Sanlang, I'm here for nothing else but to collect the dues,"

Li Cunxiao was furious:

"We already paid this month!"

"That was your tribute to the gang!"

The man rudely interrupted Li Cunxiao.

"Li Sanlang, I've been 'taking care' of your family for months, shouldn't you show me some respect?"

Seeing Zhao Heishe's entitled expression, Li Cunxiao felt a surge of blood rush to his head. His leopard-like face quickly flushed, turning purplish-red, like a blood leopard.

Zhao Heishe suddenly felt a bit intimidated.

He had just lost money gambling and was trying to make some extra cash behind the gang's back. In terms of actual fighting skills, he was far from being a properly trained fighter.

"Big brother! You're back!"

The tense atmosphere suddenly broke as a young boy in patched clothes poked his upper body out of the dilapidated wooden doorway.

Although his body was thin and his face a little sallow, judging by his features and bone structure, the child could almost be called beautiful.

'Are Li Sanlang and Li Silaang really from the same mother?'

Zhao Heishe was both surprised and delighted. He had heard that Li Sanlang had a younger brother who was very handsome, but he hadn't held out much hope. He had planned to kidnap him and sell him to a slave trader, but he hadn't expected him to be such a prize.

If Li Cunxiao hadn't returned in time, he might have succeeded.

'I heard the young masters in the inner city have a taste for this sort of thing. If only I could…'

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