Gangs Are Hard to Join

Lu Shaolin turned and cupped his hands to the old man before heading toward the Blackwater Gang headquarters.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, a Water Fortress appeared ahead. It stood across a third of the river channel, with a plank road connecting it to the shore.

The entire Water Fortress was made of wood. Four burly men stood at the entrance by the shore, dressed in matching black Warrior Uniforms with long daos at their waists, their vigilant gazes sweeping the surroundings.

Lu Shaolin did not slow down as he walked toward the entrance.

"Kid, this is the Blackwater Gang headquarters. Unauthorized people are forbidden from coming near!" a leading burly man warned Lu Shaolin.

"Brother, I wanted to ask—aside from waiting until spring next year, is there any other way to join the Blackwater Gang early?" Lu Shaolin asked with a smile, cupping his hands.

"You want to join early? If you know a hall master, steward, or someone like that within the gang, all it takes is a word. If you don't know anyone, then honestly wait until spring next year!" the burly man said.

"Uh... is there any other way?" Lu Shaolin froze for a moment, then asked again.

Just as expected! No matter the world, connections were everything!

"There isn't! Kid, hurry up and leave!" The burly man waved his hand, urging him away.

"Alright! Thank you for telling me!" Lu Shaolin cupped his hands, turned, and left.

Since the Blackwater Gang would not work, he would go take a look at the Little Knife Society.

As he passed the tea stall, the old man asked whether he had joined a gang. Lu Shaolin shook his head, bade the old man farewell, and headed back toward the county town.

Looking at the sky, he saw it was nearly noon. No wonder his stomach was a little hungry.

Lu Shaolin quickened his pace. Heaven and earth might be vast, but eating came first!

After hurrying into the county town, Lu Shaolin found a roadside stall and wolfed down three huge bowls of braised-noodle soup in one go, leaving even the stall owner astonished.

His braised-noodle soup came in generous portions, mainly for laborers doing hard physical work. An ordinary man would be stuffed after one big bowl, yet this young man, though sturdily built, had eaten three whole bowls. It was truly startling!

"Boss, the bill!" Lu Shaolin patted his slightly bulging stomach and called out contentedly.

"Coming! Young sir, that was three large bowls, fifteen copper coins altogether," the stall owner said with a smile.

"Here." Lu Shaolin took out the copper coins and handed them over.

"Thank you, young sir," the owner said as he accepted them with a smile.

Getting to his feet, Lu Shaolin rubbed his slightly bulging stomach and leisurely wandered down the street.

He could not be bothered to go home. He planned to find an inn to rest in, then visit the Little Knife Society's territory that night.

After making a round, he spotted an inn.

"Fortune-Bringing Inn," Lu Shaolin muttered as he looked at the signboard, then stepped inside.

Over a dozen tables and chairs stood in the main hall, with guests seated at four or five tables. A waiter was wiping down a tabletop.

Seeing Lu Shaolin enter, the waiter put down his rag and came forward. "Honored guest, are you eating or staying the night?"

"Staying the night," Lu Shaolin said with a smile.

"A shared room is ten copper coins, a standard room is thirty, and a superior room is fifty. Which would you like?" the waiter recited smoothly.

"A standard room will do!" Lu Shaolin patted his pocket. His funds were rather meager!

"Alright! Shopkeeper, one standard room!" the waiter shouted toward the counter. Then he turned back, gesturing politely toward Lu Shaolin with a smile. "Please pay over here."

"Mm." Lu Shaolin nodded, followed the waiter to the counter, and paid.

"Honored guest, please follow me. Your room is on the second floor." The waiter led Lu Shaolin upstairs.

After climbing to the second floor, the waiter brought Lu Shaolin to his room.

Pushing open the door, Lu Shaolin found the furnishings extremely simple: two chairs, one table, and behind a folding screen, a bath barrel and a bed.

"Would you like to bathe, honored guest?" the waiter asked.

"No. I'll talk about it when I return tonight." Lu Shaolin shook his head.

"Alright. If you need anything, just pull this rope, and I'll come right over." The waiter pointed to a hemp rope by the door.

"Mm, thank you," Lu Shaolin replied with a smile.

"Then please rest well, honored guest. I still need to go downstairs and get back to work."

"Go on, then!"

The waiter withdrew from the room and gently shut the door.

Lu Shaolin bolted the door, walked to the bed, leaned his long spear against its side, and fell back onto it.

"Mm, lying down is still more comfortable." Lu Shaolin stretched lazily and closed his eyes.

Before long, soft snores sounded. He had already drifted into dreamland.

It was not until dinnertime that Lu Shaolin opened his eyes. With a quick spring, he rose to his feet, rubbed his cheeks, picked up his spear, and left the room.

When he came downstairs, the main hall was bustling. Nearly all the dozen or so tables were occupied, while the sounds of conversation and drinking rose and fell one after another.

"Honored guest, would you like to dine in the inn?" Seeing Lu Shaolin come down, the shopkeeper asked with a smile.

"No need." Lu Shaolin shook his head and walked straight out of the inn.

By then, the sky had darkened, and every shop had lit the lanterns outside its doors, giving the place the distinct feeling of a night market.

Lu Shaolin headed for Spring Blossom Street, the most prosperous street in the county town.

Spring Blossom Street was packed with brothels and gambling houses. In Lu Shaolin's terms from his previous life, this street was Ping County's entertainment strip!

Upon reaching Spring Blossom Street, he found it indeed bustling and brightly lit!

Lu Shaolin first found a small stall and settled the matter of dinner. Then he rose and walked farther into the street.

Looking at the gorgeously dressed girls on the second floor, Lu Shaolin's expression became exceedingly strange. It was not for any other reason—these girls were all plump, and some were extremely plump!

Recalling the previous owner's memories, Lu Shaolin finally understood.

The Great Xia Dynasty's standards of feminine beauty closely resembled those of a dynasty from Lu Shaolin's previous life: plumpness was considered beautiful!

From the very founding of the Great Xia Dynasty, great importance had been placed on childbirth. Women who bore and raised many children could even receive commendation from the government office.

Perhaps influenced imperceptibly by the dynasty's policies, common folk at the bottom all favored plump, sturdy women. After all, being fat represented a strong constitution and better ability to bear descendants! Those at the top preferred slightly plump women with curves in all the right places. In any case, they could not be too thin and frail!

Drawing back his gaze, Lu Shaolin walked toward the largest brothel.

The moment he reached the entrance, a smiling pimp stopped him. "Young sir, you look rather young, don't you? A girl here costs at least two taels of silver. Did you bring enough money?"

"I'm here to find someone from the Little Knife Society," Lu Shaolin said.

"You're looking for someone from our gang? May I ask what business you have with us, young sir?" The pimp froze briefly, but continued asking with a smile.

"I want to join your gang!" Lu Shaolin said directly.

"If you wish to join our gang, young sir, you can wait until spring next year. We are not accepting members right now. But if you have enough silver, making an exception is not impossible." The pimp's eyes shifted as he leaned closer and lowered his voice.

"Oh? How much silver would that take?" Lu Shaolin quickly asked.

"My cousin is a minor leader in the gang. He can recommend you for membership. The recommendation fee is only twenty taels of silver." The smile on the pimp's face grew even broader.