Stairway to Godhood

Stairway to Godhood

July in Yunlin County was always intensely hot, and the high-hanging sun baked the people until their mouths were dry and parched.

Yet the Li Household base at the waterway pier was a scene of jubilation. Today was payday, which, in this troubled era, counted as one of the few happy events for ordinary folk.

"Six hundred cash. I can go over to the Drunken Red Pavilion to unwind tonight."

At the mention of the three words "Drunken Red Pavilion", Gu San wore an infatuated expression, wishing he could go right this instant.

"You, save some marriage money instead. Wouldn't it be better to take a wife? You always have to go to places like that."

Zhang Yuan had a family and two sons. Their household lived simply yet happily, and he least of all could stand the sight of Gu San like this.

Yet Gu San's household and his own were considered old family friends, leaving Zhang Yuan with no choice but to occasionally remind Gu San, fulfilling a bit of mutual obligation.

"Aiyah, what do you know? The women back home are nothing compared to the dazzlers at the Drunken Red Pavilion. It's just that you got married early, otherwise you'd definitely be just like me. By the way, Xiaoyun, how old are you?"

Gu San scoffed at Zhang Yuan's words, then turned his head to ask Zhou Muyun nearby.

"Brother Gu, I'm sixteen," Zhou Muyun replied.

"Hahaha, how much pay did you get? How about Brother here takes you out to taste some real meat tonight?"

"Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Gu, but my mother is still waiting for me to bring the money back..."

Zhou Muyun rejected Gu San's proposal. After all, the Drunken Red Pavilion was hardly any kind of decent place.

He knew that Gu San worked his fingers to the bone every month for no other reason than to go and squander it at the Drunken Red Pavilion.

Yet that Drunken Red Pavilion was the largest money-draining cave in the county; how many times could a mere cargo porter afford to go?

"Xiaoyun, let me tell you, once you go, you'll know—"

"Enough, Gu San. If you want to go, go by yourself, and leave Xiaoyun out of it. Watch it or I'll have your older brother come and sort you out."

Before Gu San could finish, Zhang Yuan cut him off.

Hearing Zhang Yuan bring up his older brother, Gu San's expression turned ugly in an instant.

His brother worked at the County Magistrate's Office and was an upright man of unbending integrity. If his own brother found out he was dragging a neighbor's kid to a house of ill repute, he would practically beat him to death.

Gu San had no choice but to mutter defensively, "If we're not going, we're not going. I'll just go by myself!"

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan's expression cleared up. He turned his head and admonished Zhou Muyun, "Xiaoyun, you mustn't learn bad habits from Gu San."

"Rest assured, Brother Yuan, I won't."

Receiving this reply, Zhang Yuan nodded with satisfaction. Soon after, the few of them began hauling cargo just like usual.

When it was time to knock off work, Gu San left for the direction of the Inner City without even saying goodbye, wearing an impatient look on his face.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuan shook his head, then called out to Zhou Muyun to accompany each other home.

Yunlin County was divided into the Outer City and the Inner City. The Drunken Red Pavilion was located in the Inner City, while Zhou Muyun and the others lived in Withered Well Alley in the Outer City.

Named after a withered well inside the alley, Zhang Yuan lived at the alley entrance, while Zhou Muyun lived in the middle section.

After parting ways with Zhang Yuan at the alley entrance, Zhou Muyun returned to his own home.

Looking at his family's mud-brick walls covered in cracks, along with the dilapidated earthen hut, Zhou Muyun could not help but let out a sigh.

This transmigrated life was truly more of a beast of burden than actual oxen and horses!

"Brother, you're back!"

A crisp voice rang out. It was Zhou Muyun's younger sister, Zhou Tong.

Seeing that her older brother had returned, she was quite overjoyed, running up to link her arm through Zhou Muyun's and acting coquettishly.

"Brother, did you bring me anything? Today is payday, after all, and I certainly haven't forgotten!"

Seeing his naive and lovable younger sister beside him, Zhou Muyun's face inevitably gained a few more traces of a smile and doting affection.

That's right! Life was bitter, but didn't he still have a lovable sister?

"Open it and see."

Zhou Muyun patted his sister's head and carefully took out a package wrapped in oiled paper from his pocket.

Zhou Tong hurriedly took it, opened it up, and found two delicate mung bean pastries.

"Mung bean pastries! Brother, you're the best."

Zhou Tong's smile grew even more brilliant. Clutching the mung bean pastries, she ran toward the house, shouting as she went:

"Mom, Brother's back, and he brought us mung bean pastries too."

"I know, I know, you little girl. When your brother gets back, you don't even know enough to let him go inside and rest first."

A woman walked out from the house, scolding Zhou Tong with a smile while walking toward Zhou Muyun. It was none other than the siblings' mother, Xu Rou.

Xu Rou's black hair was coiled at the back of her head. Although the years and toil had left many traces on her face, one could still tell that she had not looked bad in her youth.

"Yun'er must be tired. Hurry inside. I've already made the food, just waiting for you to get back."

"You got it, Mom."

Zhou Muyun walked into the house to see a plate of braised fish, a plate of stir-fried greens, and three bowls of "white" rice set upon the table.

This was what the people of the Outer City called it, but in reality, it was rice mixed with rice chaff—plenty of chaff and very little rice.

Only when Zhou Muyun received his monthly wages did the household see a spread like this.

Normally, they could only eat bean-meal rice plus greens, and the soup was fish bones boiled multiple times over.

In recent years, the imperial court had been in constant turmoil, and the lives of ordinary people grew increasingly bitter. For families like Zhou Muyun's, being able to fill their stomachs every day was already quite good.

With good dishes tonight, the family finished eating quickly, and Zhou Muyun handed his wages over to Xu Rou.

"Mom, these are this month's wages: five hundred cash."

"It's been hard on you, Yun'er."

How could Xu Rou not know how grueling the pier was? Her own son never spoke of it, each time simply silently handing the money to her.

"It's not hard, Mom. Dad is gone, so I ought to take care of you and my sister," Zhou Muyun said with a resolute gaze.

Knowing that her son was sensible, Xu Rou said no more, quietly taking the money into the inner room.

"Listen up, villagers, our Master Wu is taking his third concubine tomorrow, and we are specially here to share some of the joy with everyone..."

Right at that moment, a rough male voice rang out through the alley, shouting at the top of its lungs.

Hearing this voice, Zhou Tong and Xu Rou's complexions turned tense in an instant, and Zhou Muyun clenched his fists even tighter.

He knew this wasn't about inviting everyone to share in any joy at all; it was clearly just concocting an excuse to extract money from people's hands.

"Thump, thump, thump!"

As the sound drew closer and closer, someone soon hammered on the door of the Zhou household.

Zhou Muyun hurried forward to open it, only to see a ruffian-like brute standing in the doorway with two underlings trailing behind him.

It was Zhang Hu of the Savage Ox Gang, who was primarily responsible for collecting public security fees from door to door.

Aside from that, there were all sorts of fees for sharing in weddings, births, and good fortune.

Whichever household dared not to pay would have someone break down their door that very night, smashing their home to pieces and beating them until they were hardly human.

"Yo, Xiaoyun. Master Wu is taking a concubine, and we hope everyone can share in the joyous occasion. Are you going to join in?"

Zhang Hu's face was covered in coarse flesh, truly unsightly, yet he forced out a smiling expression as he spoke.

Zhou Muyun felt nauseous inside, but on the surface he could only go along with it: "Being able to share in Master Wu's joyous occasion is our good fortune, naturally we must join in."

Seeing Zhou Muyun take to it so readily, the smile on Zhang Hu's face grew even broader. "Thirty cash lets you share in the joy, and we'll even give you a pair of double-happiness couplets. Good deal, right!"

Thirty cash—his wages for a month of hard labor were only five hundred cash, yet two beat-up couplets of joy cost thirty cash. The Savage Ox Gang truly stripped the flesh from people's bones.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, Zhou Muyun forced a smile. "A good deal, an exceptionally good deal. Brother Hu, wait just a moment, I'll go get the money for you right now."

Zhou Muyun returned inside, took the thirty cash from Xu Rou, and came back to the doorway to hand it straight into Zhang Hu's grasp.

"Hahaha, good lad, nice and straightforward. This joyous occasion is shared with your household then. Who knows, maybe you'll be taking a wife yourself soon enough, kid."

After taking the money, Zhang Hu shoved the two couplets of joy casually into Zhou Muyun's arms.

"May I borrow your propitious words, Brother Hu, and thank Master Wu for bestowing this joy," Zhou Muyun said, squeezing an expression of gratitude onto his face.

"Brothers, let's move out and keep sharing the joy with the villagers."

Zhang Hu gave a grand wave of his hand and led his subordinates away from the Zhou household's gate.

Closing their front door, Zhou Muyun wore a gloomy expression. The Savage Ox Gang was demanding money more and more frequently. If things went on like this, no amount of money would ever be enough to pay them. He had to think of a way.

Late at night, the silent Withered Well Alley was suddenly pierced by the deafening sound of a door being smashed open, immediately followed by the sounds of destruction, crying, and shouting.

Zhou Muyun was jolted awake. Lying in bed, he heard the commotion outside and felt a chill run down his spine.

If his own family hadn't managed to share in the joy, tonight would have been that exact same fate.

The Outer City was the domain of gangs. They were the law, and no one dared to meddle.

Thinking it over and over, Zhou Muyun could only come up with one single method: practicing martial arts.

Wasn't it precisely because gang leader Wu Biao was a martial artist that the Savage Ox Gang could control half the Outer City's territory?

Still, was he really cut out for martial arts? Zhou Muyun asked himself.

Right at that moment, a flash of golden light crossed his mind, and a transparent panel materialized before him.

[Destiny Pattern: Stairway to Godhood]
[Diligence is its own reward, labor brings gains; Daily settlement of Diligence Points.]
[Physical Bone: Ding-Middle (1/500)]
[Comprehension: Ding-Upper (1/1000)]
[Diligence Points: 0]