Firewood Gang

Cloud Dragon County.

The setting sun was blood-red, painting the clouds layered across the sky into an endless sea of blood.

Along the streets paved with bluestone, the vendors on either side had cried out their wares all day and had long since closed up shop.

The passersby wore fatigue they could not hide, hurrying toward their homes.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

In a secluded alley, someone knocked on the gate of one of the courtyards.

"Who is it?"

"Firewood money."

"Coming."

A dark-skinned youth pushed open the courtyard gate. When he saw the two people outside, he forced a respectful smile.

Two young men stood outside. One was fat, with a face full of bulging flesh. Bare-chested, he showed two crossed axes tattooed on his chest.

The other was lean and good-looking, with an unremarkable face.

"Brother Shen? I didn't expect you to join the Firewood Gang!"

The youth smiled warmly, deliberately trying to draw them closer.

Shen Mu glanced at the youth and said flatly, "Hand over the firewood money."

The smile on the youth's face faltered.

"This is the firewood money for this month."

The youth took ten copper coins from his pocket and handed them over.

Shen Mu accepted the coins and counted them. Once he had confirmed the amount was correct, he smoothly put them into the money pouch at his waist. The coins clinked together with a crisp sound.

Seeing the bulging pouch at Shen Mu's waist, envy flashed in the youth's eyes. He went up the mountain to cut firewood every day, leaving early and returning late to sell it, yet he couldn't earn this much in a whole year.

Shen Mu glanced at the youth and continued, "The higher-ups said that starting next month, the firewood money will go from ten copper coins to twelve."

"Twelve copper coins?"

At that, the youth looked pained, but still nodded. "I understand. Starting next month, I'll pay twelve copper coins."

"Let's go."

Shen Mu glanced at the fat young man, and the two turned to leave.

"Ptui!"

Watching the two men's backs as they walked away, the youth's face twisted with indignation. He spat a mouthful of phlegm and cursed, "You're nothing but a dog throwing its weight around! So what if you've become an outer member of the Firewood Gang? You really think you're better than everyone else now? Weren't you just a woodcutter before?"

Shen Mu naturally heard the youth cursing behind his back. His brow furrowed, but he did not stop walking.

"Brother Shen, that guy cursed you. Should we teach him a lesson?"

Luo Tao, his face full of bulging flesh, couldn't hold back. He asked in an unfriendly tone.

"No need."

Shen Mu shook his head and chuckled. "He's not wrong. I used to be a woodcutter too."

"But..."

Luo Tao was still indignant.

"Today's our first time collecting firewood money. We can't let it get in the way of the job. Let him curse if he wants. It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh."

Shen Mu glanced at the sky and smiled. "If every woodcutter paid the firewood money as obediently as he did, would we need to be out collecting it this late?"

Luo Tao lowered his head to look at the two axes on his chest and grinned. "I have to say, Brother Shen, drawing those two axes on my chest really works. I'm thinking of saving up to have a tattoo artist ink a pair of axes here. Let's see who dares refuse to pay then!"

"But Brother Shen, I don't think two axes are intimidating enough. Would a skull look better?"

At that, Shen Mu's face twitched.

A month ago, he still didn't know whether he had transmigrated or awakened memories from a past life.

Anyway, after just finding someone to teach him a foreign language, he'd gone to sleep and awakened in this world.

His predecessor's father had been a constable, but he died in the line of duty when Shen Mu was three. His mother raised him alone until he was thirteen, then died of illness. From then on, he made a living by going outside the city each day to cut firewood.

After Shen Mu's consciousness took over this body and he had analyzed his situation,

he immediately spent the ten taels of silver his predecessor had saved over several years of cutting firewood to sign up as an outer member of the Firewood Gang, responsible for collecting firewood money.

There were over five hundred outer members like him in the Firewood Gang.

The Firewood Gang had a monopoly on all the vegetation within a hundred li of Cloud Dragon County.

Any local resident who went outside the county to cut firewood had to register with the Firewood Gang and pay firewood money each month. It came to ten large copper coins a month.

In this world, where the people lived by food and burned firewood to cook, the Firewood Gang had a monopoly on a county's supply of fuel. It was practically making money just by lying down.

"In my previous life, I never got to the point of paying money just to work. Who'd have thought I'd manage it after transmigrating to this world?"

Shen Mu couldn't help but sigh at life's twists and turns, one thing wrapped around another.

Outer members of the Firewood Gang received no salary, but people still went to great lengths to join.

The main reason was that this world had a martial cultivation system.

They said that when martial artists cultivated to the utmost, they could roam the seas at dawn and the sacred mountains at dusk, burn mountains and boil seas, stop rivers with a finger, soar through the heavens and burrow into the earth—even attain immortality!

As a transmigrator, how could Shen Mu not yearn to become a figure out of legend?

Who, born human, didn't want to live forever?

Though Shen Mu received no salary as an outer member of the Firewood Gang and had to collect firewood money for them, he could claim one jin of beast meat each month and gain the opportunity to undergo systematic body tempering and become a martial artist.

The ten taels of silver he'd paid to sign up were equivalent to tuition paid to the Firewood Gang.

At the same time, one jin of beast meat a month was worth at least one tael of silver on the market.

Once he entered the Boiling Blood Stage through body tempering and became a true member of the Firewood Gang, he could receive a monthly salary of one tael of silver and get even more demonic beast meat for tempering his body.

The Firewood Gang used this method to attract fresh blood into its ranks.

Shen Mu and Luo Tao made their way to Yunxiang Restaurant and went up to a window seat on the second floor.

A middle-aged man sat there, wolfing down the chicken, duck, and fish spread across the table.

The man was named Wang Jin. He had reached the First Stage Boiling Blood and was a true member of the Firewood Gang, responsible for collecting firewood money throughout Yunxiang Street.

"Brother Wang, this is the firewood money from 137 households. Would you care to count it?"

Shen Mu placed the money pouch, stuffed full of copper coins, on the table and spoke respectfully.

The ferocious look Luo Tao had worn while collecting firewood money was long gone. He now wore a good-natured, harmless grin.

Several more bulging money pouches sat on the table, evidently filled with firewood money collected by other outer members.

Wang Jin merely hefted the pouch in his hand. After judging its approximate weight, he said in surprise, "I really didn't expect you two to collect all the firewood money before sundown."

As the saying went, barren mountains and treacherous waters bred troublesome folk.

Getting the people who made their living cutting firewood in the mountains to reliably cough up ten copper coins each month was no easy task.

Many outer members took until the middle of the night to collect the firewood money the first time they went out...

Shen Mu had used a few tricks. Otherwise, who knew how long it would have taken them?

"Heh, it's all thanks to your guidance, Brother Wang."

Shen Mu spoke with a humble expression.

"Burp!"

Wang Jin let out a belch, then pointed at the mess of cups and plates on the table. "I'm full. You two can have what's left. Just put it on my tab."

"Thank you, Brother Wang!"

Though only scraps remained on the table, for two men who had worked diligently collecting firewood money all day and were so hungry their chests and backs nearly touched, it was no less than a feast.

Wang Jin took two wooden tokens from his robe and tossed them to Shen Mu and Luo Tao. "Tomorrow, take these tokens to the gang headquarters and start trying body tempering. Come find me again when you collect the firewood money next month."

Shen Mu and Luo Tao held the tokens, each carved with the character "柴," and excitement flashed across their faces.

Wasn't this the very day they had joined the Firewood Gang and paid out of their own pockets to work for?

Seeing the excitement on their faces, Wang Jin's thoughts stirred. He couldn't help recalling himself at their age.

He shook his head and waved them off. "I'm leaving."

"Take care, Brother Wang!"

After Wang Jin carried the firewood money downstairs, Shen Mu and Luo Tao exchanged a glance, then sat down at once and began devouring the food like a whirlwind.