Chapter Sixty-One: The Beggars' Sect
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Yang City.
LC District, rural housing.
In other places, city rural housing is strictly regulated. If you build a little too high, they crack down and demolish it immediately.
But in the Lingnan region, rural housing is managed quite loosely. Here, rural homes can reach twenty or thirty stories. For example, in a certain urban village in Yang City, logically, there are only about five thousand registered villagers. Yet, every household has built towering buildings, renting them out at prices comparable to commercial apartments. As a result, the population of the village has swelled to an astonishing more than two hundred thousand.
Yangjiao Village is one such urban village.
Within Yangjiao Village, all around are high-rises, except for the very center, where a thousand-square-meter ancestral hall stands.
Tenants in Yangjiao Village, curious to visit the ancestral hall, are always turned away.
“That is our Yangjiao Village ancestral temple. If you’re not from Yangjiao Village, you can’t enter.” The villagers reply coldly.
Some try to sneak closer, only to be stopped and beaten.
On this day, inside this ancestral hall,
A middle-aged man sits, thick-haired, wearing a white shirt, yet oddly stitched with seven pockets. He is like a fierce lion, imposing and intimidating. An ordinary person standing before him would be suppressed by his aura, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
He is unknown to most, but wields immense power.
Back when the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong became popular, his granddaughter fancied Liu, one of the Kings. With a word, he summoned Liu to Yang City to perform. Even the seasoned Xiang brothers of Hong Kong had to give him face.
Once, a famous Hong Kong actress caught his eye. He simply ordered her to accompany him for several nights.
This man is the Seven-Pocket Elder of the Beggars’ Sect, the local Beggar King of Yang City, Cha Jiao Tian.
All the beggars in Yang City obey his commands. If you dare disobey, a beating is the least you’ll suffer; at worst, you’ll be wrapped in cement and sunk in the sea.
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Yang City has three immensely powerful factions.
The Yang City branch of the Beggars’ Sect is one.
Don’t be fooled by the beggars; Cha Jiao Tian commands a vast array of enterprises. For example, he has thousands of crippled children under him, stationed at subway entrances throughout Yang City, endlessly begging and earning him money.
He also owns many bars and nightclubs. After all, nightclubs always brush against the edges of vice, and once vice is involved, the money comes fast. Especially a few years ago, when Dongguan was cracked down upon, they scooped up a batch of popular hostesses.
Rumor has it, Cha Jiao Tian also has drug distribution channels.
And, it’s said, he operates internet addiction treatment centers. Though ostensibly for treating addiction, they are extremely profitable.
Of course, whatever he does, Cha Jiao Tian never forgets real estate. Developers make more money than drug dealers these days, so it’s said.
He owns several real estate development companies, favoring plots that require demolition. If anyone tries to extort sky-high fees, it’s laughable. He sends his men, and you have no choice but to obey.
Besides these, he owns numerous companies and groups.
He is the underground emperor of Yang City.
Those so-called South Horse, North Deer, East Bear, West Wolf—compared to him, they’re nothing. No, they can’t even be mentioned in the same breath.
Those four are mere criminal gangs.
Cha Jiao Tian is a true overlord, a giant predator.
At this moment, a young woman enters, dressed in classic office attire, but with five exquisitely sewn pockets on her chest. “Master, we just received a message.”
“Oh?” Cha Jiao Tian responds.
The five-pocket secretary continues, “News from N County. That old beggar Lu, who lived far too long, has died.”
“Oh, dead?” Cha Jiao Tian is surprised, a playful smile on his lips. “He must be nearly a hundred by now. Did he die of old age?”
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“Not of old age. Recently, a mysterious figure known as the Chopstick Demon has emerged in N County, notorious for killing with bamboo chopsticks. No one knows who he is, and he only targets evildoers.”
“Lu’s disciple, Li Jinguo, who was a One-Pocket Elder in our sect and trafficked children, was killed by the Chopstick Demon. Lu himself sought out the Chopstick Demon but lost the confrontation.” The five-pocket secretary reports carefully.
“Only targets evildoers? Ha, what a joke. If we’re talking about villains, I rank among the top in Yang City. Let the Chopstick Demon come! Does he dare to kill me? Ridiculous.” Cha Jiao Tian laughs wildly, and after finishing, a cold sneer creeps across his lips. “The so-called Chopstick Demon is a joke. Lu was simply old and frail, so he was killed—shameful.”
The five-pocket secretary remains silent, waiting for Cha Jiao Tian to finish before asking, “According to our sect’s rules, if someone kills a Three-Pocket Elder, we must seek revenge. Master, should we avenge him?”
“Revenge? Certainly. Lu may have been old and useless, but he was my subordinate. How can he be killed so easily? Send some men to N County to investigate. If you find the Chopstick Demon, kill him. Let him know there are always greater powers in this world.” Cha Jiao Tian sneers.
“Yes.” The five-pocket secretary nods immediately and sets out to arrange matters.
After giving these orders, Cha Jiao Tian frowns, “Sigh, another conference at Jun Mountain, such a headache.”
Jun Mountain is the headquarters of the Beggars’ Sect.
Locally, Cha Jiao Tian is a tyrant, a king.
But at Jun Mountain, many people have authority over him, which he finds extremely unpleasant.
…
With Cha Jiao Tian’s command, several inconspicuous beggars quietly depart Yang City for N County to investigate.
(End of Volume One: “The Young Hero Sets Out”—all collected in this chapter, depicting the situation in N County: South Horse, North Deer, East Bear, West Wolf, and the infamous Lu Beggar.
Next, Volume Two: “Yang City Storm”—a grander stage awaits Shen Ye.)
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