Black Alley Past Events
Black Alley is a place that devours people without spitting out the bones, and in a physical sense at that.
Within the Di'an City, there was a scene of singing and dancing, and every few blocks one could see two or three constables dressed in White Tiger robes, carrying knives, chatting and laughing as they patrolled the streets. But the Black Alley were different; every day, many people flocked to these places, and every day, many mysteriously disappeared from them.
Everything that happened inside was tacitly approved by the higher-ups.
Di'an City is too prosperous. This prosperity has attracted many ambitious people, but it has also attracted some "trash". In order to prevent the "trash" from running around, Di'an City needs a place to centrally store the "trash".
Chaos and disorder seem to be the norm in the Black Alley fights happen every day, people die in conflicts every day, and things like forcing women into prostitution and killing people in the street are commonplace.
Nine-year-old Lou Ji arrived in this chaotic land.
Xu Yuan asked her what she was doing going to that kind of place, and why she didn't continue fishing for rich men in Di'an City.
Lou Ji's answer was both laughable and absurd.
She said that she was frightened at the time, thinking that all the big shots in Di'an City were like Xu Yinhe, so she wanted to go to these places to accumulate experience and strength before competing with these big shots in Di'an City.
The idea is very goal-oriented, but also quite naive.
However, it was a rare instance that resonated with the mindset of a nine-year-old girl.
It is quite clear that both of Xiao Lou Ji's judgments after entering the capital were wrong.
After spending all the money she had brought to the Capital City during her first month in the Black Alley, Xiao Lou Ji naturally ended up on the streets.
Like those orphaned beggars, they pitifully survive on occasional charity and by scavenging for usable food in garbage and swill.
The reason is simple, and also quite desperate.
The chaos in the Black Alley is a fact, but without rules, there can be no order. The fact that they have existed in Di'an City for over a hundred years must mean that they have their own set of rules.
The path to advancement in the Black Alley is indeed much easier than outside. Seniority doesn't matter; you can get ahead if you excel in either your fists or your brains. But the problem is that Lou Ji is a girl.
The top echelons of the Great Yan never discriminate against women, and even the middle echelons outwardly treat them equally, but the bottom echelons are a completely patriarchal society.
This is a deep-rooted preference for sons over daughters among the people of Great Yan.
No one was willing to give her a chance to prove herself.
Fortunately, just as little Lou Ji was about to starve to death, a kind old woman took her in.
The old woman took little Lou Ji with her and cared for her like a granddaughter.
She would change Xiao Lou Ji's clothes, give her the only meat she had, and quietly add a blanket for Xiao Lou Ji on a bleak winter night.
In this chaotic place, she gave her the warmth she had longed for.
A month passed just like that.
Her originally thin body gradually regained its vitality. Just when Xiao Lou Ji thought she would spend a long time here, she was almost sold by this kind-looking old woman.
That day, Xiao Lou Ji was washing clothes in the courtyard with a washing mallet when she suddenly heard a noise outside the door.
The old woman had returned, but through the open courtyard gate, besides the old woman returning home, Xiao Lou Ji also saw several men dressed in tight-fitting clothes.
They weren't uniform, but all of them had a bamboo leaf python embroidered on their chests.
Almost instantly, Xiao Lou Ji realized what was about to happen.
After spending two months in the Black Alley, she recognized it as the symbol of the Green Snake Society, a small to medium-sized gang within the Black Alley.
Looking at the scene before her, Xiao Lou Ji only showed a perfectly appropriate look of confusion.
Like an instinct, she knows exactly what she should do when a crisis comes.
When the woman came to her, Xiao Lou Ji asked the old woman what the uncle outside did.
Just as Xiao Lou Ji had expected, the old woman kindly voiced her suspicions.
The burly men outside were there to pick her up.
There was no panic, no anger, no fear, only a touch of sadness.
This time, she didn't hide her emotions. She blinked and asked the woman pitifully, "Grandma, do you not want me anymore?"
The old woman, still with a kind and gentle expression, patted her head and softly told the lies she had fabricated.
The old woman and the young woman chatted quietly for a while, then Lou Ji suddenly got up, threw down the washing mallet, ran back to the inner room with a crying face, and slammed the wooden door shut.
Like a sulking little girl.
As expected, the old woman followed.
Lou Ji knew she was truly beautiful, beautiful enough to increase these people's tolerance for her.
They weren't sure if joining the Green Snake Society would make them the mistress of the place.
Because of Xiao Lou Ji's action of closing the door, the old woman subconsciously left the door slightly ajar when she entered.
The old woman slowly walked up behind the little girl who was carrying a sullen body, gently stroked her head, and helped her to her feet, speaking earnestly.
[Girl, your mother-in-law isn't abandoning you. She's doing this for your own good. That man is a great man; it's your good fortune that he's taken a liking to you! Even if you don't want to go, you have to think about your mother-in-law. If you don't go, those bandits outside will throw your mother-in-law into the Central Water River. If you listen to me and go there, your mother-in-law will come to see you often.]
These were the old woman's words to little Lou Ji, and they were her last words.
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Lou Ji used a wooden splinter she had just retrieved to stab the old woman in the neck, leaving her completely unprepared.
Even with the door wide open, he was out of sight from outside the courtyard gate.
The old woman's kind eyes visibly widened in surprise the instant the splinter pierced her throat.
In that moment of hesitation, Xiao Lou Ji had already pulled out the wooden splinter and then stabbed it in again.
Xiao Lou Ji knew very well that people would unleash extraordinary power when they died. Although the old woman was old, she was not someone a child could withstand. After she realized what was happening, the old woman might push her down or knock over some objects in the old house, making a noise. The door was only slightly ajar, and the strong man outside was already waiting. She could not make any sound and could only kill the other party quickly in this way.
The location where the splinter was inserted was based on her experience.
If you stab it here, the blood will clog the throat, leaving the victim only able to make faint "gurgling" sounds.
And this time, there were no surprises.
"Coo coo. Coo."
Warm blood gushing from her neck stained Lou Ji's slender palms, dripping and falling to the ground through her fingers.
Because of her terror, the old woman felt no pain. This did not stop her from trying to grab the splinter that the other person was thrusting at her, but it was too late. She could only watch helplessly as the other person's small hand kept stabbing into and pulling out of her neck.
Two times.
Three times.
All around.
Fifth grade, second semester.
Looking at the old woman who was gradually going limp and weak, with despair in her eyes, Xiao Lou Ji felt a little sad.
She was very happy during her time there, and she actually wanted to give up.
Because revenge is just too exhausting.
With these thoughts in mind, she used her small, thin body to support the falling old woman, then gently placed her on the ground, and said in a tearful voice.
[Grandma, could you please help me change my clothes one last time and fix my hair?]
The volume was gradually reduced to ensure that the burly men outside could hear the first part.
The old woman did not respond.
Only a few faint "coo-coo" sounds from mosquitoes and flies seemed to be calling for help.
Unfortunately, it was all in vain.
Under the old woman's terrified gaze, Xiao Lou Ji calmly stepped over her and closed the half-closed door completely.
The dying old woman watched helplessly as Lou Ji slowly and methodically searched her body for the deposit, then watched as Lou Ji changed her blood-stained clothes into a rough hemp garment, and used the charcoal ash from the earthen bed to smear her entire body with dirt.
Everything is proceeding smoothly.
While doing these things, Lou Ji was also thinking about the future.
Initially, she did intend to use her good looks to enter the Imperial Music Bureau, but that idea has long since changed, because that path has been blocked.
During a period of great upheaval in her family, she was relegated to a lowly status, and the attack on the prison cart by Demon Beast made her an unregistered resident.
The household registration system of the Great Yan was quite comprehensive. Without official documents, even if she took the initiative to approach the Imperial Music Bureau), they would most likely not accept her.
Although with her looks, she could have entered some well-established brothels and been trained as a courtesan, the problem is that there is a fundamental difference between brothels and the Imperial Music Bureau.
In places like the Imperial Music Bureau a type of entertainment venue), the top courtesans had a great deal of autonomy.
If you say you won't sleep, you most likely won't.
Previously, when Xu Yuan went to the Imperial Music Bureau in the capital, he almost demolished their restaurant and openly declared his desire to become Li Zhaoyuan's adoptive father, but he still failed.
While brothels also offer entertainment, the focus is more on the romantic and sensual aspects.
If you have enough power and money, you can force yourself on a prostitute even if she doesn't want to.
Even a Lou Ji wouldn't go to a brothel, let alone a big piece of trash in this Black Alley.
She knew very well that if she was held back by this kind of person, she would most likely struggle in the Black Alley for the rest of her life.
However, because of this,
At the age of nine, Lou Ji successfully embarked on her first life as a fugitive.
Two years later, when the time was ripe and she personally orchestrated the destruction of the Green Snake Society, Xiao Lou Ji's life finally returned to peace.
However, at the same time, she also came into the view of some people.