"Are you sure you want to sell your land?"
"I'm sure."
"Three mu of farmland, sold for 98,000 Treasure Coins. Once the money and land have changed hands, the deal is done. If everything's correct, sign and stamp your mark here."
"If you can't write, just draw a circle."
The County Office, notarization room.
The clerk lounging in his chair spoke coolly. "Once the County Office's red seal comes down, there'll be no chance to change your mind!"
Two people waited in front of him.
One was a middle-aged man, lean and muscular, with a tattoo of a snake and scorpion on his palm. A red cord was tied around his left arm, and he looked like a real street thug.
The other was a boy.
He wore a short jacket and shorts made of gray-brown ramie, along with straw sandals.
Life had worn the softness from his young face. When he wasn't speaking, he was quiet and well-behaved.
San Qingzi heard this and beamed ingratiatingly. "I have no problem with it, sir. It's just that this price—"
"Sir, that's not right. I said I'd sell it for nine strings and eight hundred copper coins, not 98,000 Treasure Coins!"
"We agreed you'd pay in copper coins. Why are you paying in Treasure Coins? I only want copper coins."
Shi Wen frowned.
Treasure Coins were a credit currency created by Emperor Gaozu of the Great Liang Dynasty—in other words, lead coins.
At first, the government had decreed that ten Treasure Coins could be exchanged for one copper coin.
The Treasure Coins circulating among the people weighed only a quarter as much as copper coins.
But as corruption spread through the Great Liang Dynasty and festering sores burst open, the Treasure Coins established by Emperor Gaozu grew shoddier and shoddier. They weighed less than half of what they had in Gaozu's time, and now they were worth even less.
The government only collected copper coins; there was nowhere to exchange Treasure Coins for them. It restricted ordinary people from using copper coins in transactions.
But merchants, and anyone who wanted to buy imported goods, had to trade in copper coins.
What if they didn't have any?
Those officials and local gentry set up money shops on the black market, with exchange rates reaching twenty to one!
Those three mu of good farmland could originally have sold for fourteen strings of copper coins.
But the Great Liang Dynasty's government was corrupt.
The local clerks had colluded with the gangs, dividing the streets and alleys of Black Cloud County among themselves long ago. The clerks and gangs had a hand in every kind of business.
If you tried to sell to someone else, they wouldn't dare buy it.
Nine strings and eight hundred copper coins was already below market price.
And now they were trying to pay him in Treasure Coins.
If he went to exchange them, he'd be lucky to get even five strings of copper coins for all 98,000 Treasure Coins!
"Treasure Coins minted by Emperor Gaozu! The entire Great Liang Dynasty is promoting the Treasure Coin policy, and private transactions have to use Treasure Coins too. Are you daring to show contempt for the government?"
Liu Wen, the clerk who had been resting with his eyes narrowed, suddenly slapped the table.
His mustache twitched with anger. "Keep yapping, and I'll throw you in jail!"
The policies concerning Treasure Coins had collapsed decades ago.
Besides, when it came to land transactions, the buyer and seller were the ones who decided how to settle the payment.
But they were just bullying this kid because he had no backing.
What could he do about it?
Shi Wen lowered his head, his voice subdued. "I wouldn't dare show contempt for the government."
"Brother Shi, are you still selling or not?" San Qingzi twisted his neck and grinned. "If you don't sell today, the price might not be the same tomorrow."
"You know the Red Lantern Gang has chosen you to offer a sacrifice to the Dragon King on the third day of next month. No one else would dare take your land."
"It's only because you're from our alley that I'm willing to buy it. Someone else wouldn't dare take it even if you gave it away!"
He saw the young man fall silent.
Then he leaned down and chuckled softly. "Why not come work for me? I've got a job with the Boat Gang."
"Come work for us, and I'll guarantee you 20,000 Treasure Coins a month! Then I'll talk to the Red Lantern Gang's boss for you and get that matter settled. How about it?"
Shi Wen's heart tightened. He managed a strained smile. "No need. I'll take the price we agreed on."
How many people who worked as towpath haulers lived long?
As for the Red Lantern Gang's business...
It was a case of being caught in the crossfire.
By chance, he had transmigrated into the body of a fifteen-year-old boy.
The boy before him had drowned after saving a woman in Dragon Sorrow Ravine. Shi Wen had come back to life by taking over the boy's body.
The Boat Gang, a branch of the Red Lantern Gang that operated along the Dragon King River, had heard about it.
They figured that since he'd been dragged underwater and still made it out alive, he must have some connection to the Dragon King Deity in the river. So they'd appointed him to bring offerings to Dragon Sorrow Ravine and worship the Dragon King next month, on the third day of the fifth month!
They were plainly trying to get him killed.
How could he possibly agree?
To find a way to survive, he planned to sell his land today and go train at the Fist Academy!
Suddenly—
Shi Wen signed the contract and pressed his thumbprint to it.
He put the bag of Treasure Coins into a basket and was about to leave.
Liu Wen, still sprawled in his chair, gave a light cough and tapped the table with his finger. "Boy, do you not understand the rules? Or are you looking to enjoy free room and board at the government's expense?"
"I was presumptuous. Please forgive me, sir."
Shi Wen took a deep breath.
He pulled a string of Treasure Coins from the money bag and forced a smile. "Sir, this is the tax money. Please take a look."
"No need. Get out."
Liu Wen waved him away in disgust, as if shooing a fly.
Shi Wen turned and left.
Bitterness flickered in his eyes.
He hadn't been in this world for long, but the Great Liang Dynasty was the most ruthless place he had ever seen.
The government squeezed the people dry, the clerks fleeced them, and the gangs plundered them. Shi Wen had never even heard of half the excuses they came up with to take people's money.
The government collected land tax, head tax, business tax, transaction tax, boat fees, forced contribution fees, and salt tax.
The clerks joined forces with the gangs to collect regular fees and tribute money.
They also came up with all sorts of excuses to collect river-clearing tax, street-cleaning tax, storage fees, and street-stall tax, among others.
If you dared to refuse—
The clerks had all kinds of ways to make your life miserable!
They'd either accuse you of "tax evasion," seize your goods, and throw you in prison, or send a few hooligans to harass you.
Someone might even sneak into your yard in the middle of the night to throw in excrement and snakes and rats, or splash chicken blood everywhere.
If you really ran into the vicious sort, they might wake you in the dead of night and set your house on fire. Whether you lived or died would be up to your luck!
"Only by becoming a martial artist can I find a way to survive in this chaotic world!"
Shi Wen took a deep breath.
That was why he'd sold his land on only his third day in this world. His former body's parents had agreed to it too.
It was early April, and rain fell without pause.
The heavens' silken drizzle dampened the streets and alleys. From behind the high walls came the laughter and verse of young masters praising the fine spring weather. Shi Wen only thought how inconvenient the rain made it to walk.
He put the Treasure Coins in an inconspicuous basket and covered them with cloth, then weighed it down with Potato Cakes and assorted odds and ends.
Head lowered, he hurried toward the alley outside the County Office.
Black Cloud County was teeming with all sorts of people, and gangs were everywhere.
Good-for-nothing hooligans wandered the streets, up to no good, while plenty of peddlers carried their wares and called out their prices.
In the drizzle, the muddy dust on the street mingled with the strange, sweaty smell coming from the crowds.
As he walked along the filthy, muddy road, a careless step onto a loose brick could send muddy water splashing from the gaps and soaking his trouser legs.
Water splashed up from beneath his straw sandals and soaked the backs of his heels.
It was an awful feeling, making him want to wash the muck from his heels and the mud that had seeped between his toes.
Shi Wen walked on in silence, head bowed.
He hurried toward Li Beheader's home.
In this world, only those who learned a set of boxing and kicking skills and became martial artists were considered to have made something of themselves. Only then could they protect themselves and find stability amid the chaos.
Li Beheader was the County Office's top executioner and, at the same time, an accomplished martial arts master.
Of course—
Shi Wen wanted to become Li Beheader's disciple because his tuition was far cheaper than the fees charged by famous martial artists and places like the Fist Academy.
Black Cloud County did have martial arts schools that occupied large plots of land.
But Shi Wen didn't dare even consider them. He couldn't afford their tuition.
The farther he went toward the outer districts, the more chaotic things became.
There were plenty of patrol officers on the streets, but just as many thugs. They spent a few cheap copper coins at teahouses and taverns to order the cheapest thing on the menu, then sat around all day. On rainy days, it was their favorite way to pass the time.
Shi Wen kept his head down as he walked, afraid of drawing anyone's attention.
If his money was stolen, then it really would be gone for good!
Perhaps because it was raining today, no one paid any attention to the poor boy in his shabby clothes.
He made it there without incident.
Shi Wen jogged up to the courtyard.
The fine drizzle fell like silken threads, leaving little beads of "white sugar" on his head.
He exhaled white mist, breathing slightly hard, and cautiously peered through the doorway.
A group of people were training with great enthusiasm in the yard. Shi Wen stood outside and watched them practice their forms, envy and longing appearing on his face.
"Kid, you here to become a disciple?" a young man called out from beneath a banyan tree, where he sat wiping away sweat.
Before you continue