The Splendorous Gate of Spring Festival

We stealthily approached, me and Laohei.

As soon as we reached the door, Laohei suddenly lifted his foot.

A loud "clang" echoed through the air.

The wooden door collapsed.

In the few square meters of space, an old man and a young child were staring at the two of us.

The old man lay on a bed made of cardboard.

Despite it being summer, he was still covered in a dirty thick blanket.

The young one was a little beggar, standing by the bed, holding a bottle of water.

Upon seeing us suddenly enter, a hint of panic flickered in the bright eyes of the little beggar.

On the other hand, the unkempt old beggar had a calm expression on his face.

Laohei wasted no time and, wielding a rolling pin, pointed at the little beggar and cursed:

"You stinky beggar, dare to steal my money, hand it over to me..."

I had expected the little beggar to be afraid and obediently hand over the money.

But to my surprise, the little beggar stood her ground, staring back at Laohei, and said:

"You big black devil, you're the stinky beggar..."

Her words startled both me and Laohei simultaneously.

We exchanged a glance, wearing the same look of astonishment.

Initially, we had assumed the little beggar was a boy.

However, as soon as she spoke, we discovered she was a girl.

"You're not just a beggar, you're also a thief, a little rogue, a female pickpocket!" Laohei continued.

I couldn't help but feel amused and exasperated at the same time.

This Laohei, although he had the appearance of a fierce and terrifying creature, sometimes revealed a silly side.

But as I interacted with him today, I discovered he also had a sharp tongue.

These characteristics didn't match his ferocious exterior.

The little beggar didn't back down either and immediately retorted:

"Even if I am a thief, I'm still better than you. You scam people out of their money with your tricks, don't think I don't know..."

The little beggar's words surprised me.

I considered myself skilled in the art of deception.

Ordinary swindlers wouldn't easily see through my tricks.

Yet, as soon as she spoke, she exposed my true identity.

Could it be that she had noticed my sleight of hand?

The old man didn't know that I was cheating.

At first, he was puzzled and immediately said,

"Nonsense! I won the money with my wit. If I were a cheat, I would have made a fortune at the gambling den and wouldn't be hanging around in this godforsaken place."

In the eyes of the old man,

a cheat should be invincible.

Entering and leaving gambling tables, winning whenever they want.

But in reality, a true cheat is cautious and careful at every step.

They have to watch the table, be wary of skilled players in the same game, and be on guard against all sorts of signals, both obvious and hidden.

Because once they make a mistake, it's irreversible.

"Humph!"

The little beggar sneered, pointing at me and said,

"He's the cheat. He waited to be the banker, then he won two consecutive rounds against Centipede with that cudgel. He was afraid that Centipede would steal his money, so he purposely dealt you a Three of a Kind. He transferred the money to you..."

The old man was shocked.

The little beggar explained it clearly.

He couldn't help but turn to look at me.

His face, full of confusion.

I can now be certain that she didn't see through my actions.

But I was still surprised.

In all these years, besides Brother Liu,

there hasn't been anyone who could understand my plans so clearly.

The old beggar had been quietly listening.

When he heard about our cheating, he suddenly stood up.

His right hand clenched into a fist, left hand on top.

Then, he raised his left thumb up to the sky and spoke,

"On the mountains of the west and the northern peaks, flowers bloom in abundance. With the golden staff and blue glory, we are one family. May I ask, young brother, which path do you walk, and which door do you enter?"

The old man and the little beggar were completely confused.

And I also responded with a fist salute, left thumb pointing up, and answered,

"The waters of the myriad rivers flow into the sea, the four directions and five elements become the Eight Trigrams. I walk the path of blue, enter the thousand doors. Even if it is a side path, it is also a righteous path..."

What we were speaking was the coded language from the earlier days of wandering the jianghu (martial arts world).

The golden path referred to Yin Yang divination.

The staff path referred to performing tricks and entertainment in the jianghu.

The blue path, like me, is someone who lives by gambling.

The glory path refers to thieves.

I didn't know much about these coded languages of the jianghu, but I had heard Brother Liu mention them in the past.

I had wanted to learn from Brother Liu.

But Brother Liu shook his head and sighed.

He said that nowadays, money rules in the jianghu, and interests come first.

These old-fashioned rules of the jianghu are no longer useful.

The old beggar immediately said,

"In the vast rivers of the world, carried on the back of the Supreme Lord Laozi. May I ask, what is the name of this brother Lan Dao?"

The preceding verse from the old beggar told me that his surname was Niu (Niu in Chinese means "ox").

The mount of the Supreme Lord Laozi is precisely a green ox.

I replied,

"I was given a surname by my father, bestowed a name by my mother, and my humble name is Chu Liu. Greetings to Mr. Niu..."

As Niu listened, he slightly bowed.

Then, he turned around and reprimanded the young beggar, saying,

"Though not from the same sect, we are still on the same path. Xiaoduo, your skills are lacking. Taking people's belongings and being chased to their doorstep. Quickly kneel down and apologize, return the money to them..."

The girl called Xiaoduo frowned and defiantly said,

"No, if I return the money, how will I buy medicine for you tomorrow..."

Upon hearing that, I understood.

No wonder Niu, despite the scorching weather, was covered in a thick blanket.

And his body trembled involuntarily while talking to me.

It seemed he was sick.

With a stern gaze, Niu immediately said,

"Without principles, even if you live a hundred years, it's nothing more than an empty shell. Though we are thieves, there is still a code. When the benefactor comes, you must return the money. If you keep blabbering, be careful, I'll break your legs..."

Niu had a serious expression on his face.

Xiaoduo pouted in anger.

But she dared not defy Niu's opinion and reluctantly took out a stack of ten thousand yuan bills.

Handing it over to the old man named Lao Hei, she said in defiance,

"Here, take it!"

Lao Hei was a bit confused. He glanced at me before reacting.

As I slowly shook my head, I calmly said, "Forget it, you don't have to repay the money."

Saying that, I took out ten thousand yuan from my pocket and placed it on the nearby bed.

"Niu Lao, you just said that although we are not from the same sect, we are still together. I can't offer much help, just a few meals' worth of money as a small token of my sincerity. Please accept it, Niu Lao," I said.

Niu Lao and Xiao Duo were clearly taken aback.

Even Lao Hei looked at me with some surprise.

I am not a good person.

Nor do I have an overflow of sympathy.

It's just the teaching of Liu Ye in the past.

In the martial world, whenever encountering someone in dire straits, at the end of their road with no way out,

If I can help a little, then I will help a little.

Not for good karma, only for a clear conscience.

Niu Lao is also a straightforward person. Seeing me say that, he didn't hesitate either and directly said,

"Alright, I'll accept this money, Chu Brother. I will remember your kindness! In the future, I will definitely give Chu Brother a big gift!"

Helping him was purely a gesture of camaraderie in the martial world.

I didn't expect any grand gifts in return.

But even when helping, there are things I still need to consider.

Turning my head to look at Xiao Duo, who looked like a beggar, I had a cold expression and said,

"The matter of the money is settled, but what about the fact that you harmed my friend with your actions? Shouldn't that be addressed?"

Perhaps Xiao Duo stole our money out of filial piety.

But regardless, when she was caught, she actually harmed Lao Hei.

This, from a moral and ethical standpoint, cannot be overlooked.

I help them, but I still have to hold them accountable for their actions.

As they say, a mountain is a mountain, and water is water. There are rules to be followed.

(End of chapter)