Starting as a dockworker

Chapter 27 Revisiting Wuling, Meeting Familiar Faces Again

After leaving Fragrant Hills, Li Xiao headed towards Wuling City along the same route he had come from.

"Since embarking on this training, my five senses, memory... have all been greatly enhanced..."

Li Xiao carefully memorized the route when he came, but there was only one way, and a month had passed.

But if I think about it carefully, the path I took a month ago seems to be imprinted in my mind.

Follow the road as you remember it.

After walking for about two hours, we could vaguely see villages and people, and there were more vehicles and horses coming and going.

The feeling of being detached from worldly affairs in the mountains gradually faded, as if I had returned to the human world.

"Sir, it's you!"

Amidst the passing vehicles, the driver of a donkey cart called out enthusiastically.

As luck would have it, this man was the same coachman who had taken him to the foot of Fragrant Hills a month ago.

"Sir, are you going to Wuling County? I'm on my way there, so hop on..."

The driver said as he drove the cart, noting that there were already three people in his cart.

"No need."

Li Xiao waved his hand; this short distance was nothing to him.

The donkey cart is too slow, almost as slow as walking. Wearing tattered cloth shoes will make you feel more energetic.

"No money needed, sir. I'm just passing by."

The driver still spoke enthusiastically.

It's likely that she knew Li Xiao had some skills and wanted to get closer to him.

People in this era were particularly servile. Those who were capable and wealthy were liked to be fawned over by the common people, not because they wanted to gain any benefits, but because it was their nature.

"Okay then."

After thinking it over, Li Xiao didn't refuse any further and jumped into the car.

Sitting on the cart covered with straw, there was nothing else to do.

Li Xiao took out the fruit that the white fox had given him earlier and examined it.

The fruit was entirely white and emitted a fresh fragrance; it must have been freshly picked...

"I'd better eat it, so it doesn't fall off if I keep it on me..."

Li Xiao chewed it a few times and swallowed the fruit in one gulp to avoid any accidents.

After the fruit entered my body, a warm feeling surged in my abdomen.

Li Xiao sat cross-legged in the car, absorbing the medicinal effects with his eyes closed.

At first, it was just a gentle warmth, but after a few breaths, the warmth suddenly dissipated, as if a small sun was rising in the dantian, and the powerful yet gentle spiritual energy surged to the limbs and bones like a spring tide!

However, the purity and magnitude of this spiritual energy far exceeded his expectations.

The spiritual energy pool in his sea of ​​consciousness, which was originally just a "small puddle", began to rise at a visible speed!

The golden threads within the life fire increased from two to twelve.

This white jade fruit actually increased his cultivation by ten years, saving him the trouble of ten years of arduous cultivation.

"This little fox...once I've earned enough money, I'll definitely buy her some even better fruit..."

Li Xiao thought to himself.

It's not just Fragrant Hills that has spiritual creatures; the fortune teller spent most of her money buying spiritual creatures to raise on Fragrant Hills, allowing them to absorb spiritual energy and thrive there...

When I have money, I'll have to help my "friends" in the mountains.

"Sir, you're awake?"

The driver's voice came through, tinged with reverence.

Unbeknownst to him, Li Xiao had already arrived outside Wuling City, but he remained seated with his eyes closed in meditation.

This made the coachman even more convinced that Li Xiao was a master, and he dared not disturb him.

Only after Li Xiao opened his eyes naturally did he move closer.

All the guests around me had already left.

"Hmm." Li Xiao nodded slightly, then asked, "What's your name?"

The middle-aged driver smiled and said, "My name is Tian Wei, you can just call me Xiao Tian."

Li Xiao was speechless. Wasn't this just making him sound old? He asked, speechlessly, "Old Tian, ​​what happened a month ago? What happened afterward?"

Li Xiao naturally asked about the two bandits.

Tian Wei looked around and, seeing no one was around, whispered, "At first, those bandits were really making a big show of stopping people on the road, wanting revenge. I was stopped too, but I kept my mouth shut... Later, as time went on, the matter was dropped, and it was all over, sir..."

Li Xiao nodded in satisfaction and tossed out a silver dollar: "Here you go."

Tian Wei bowed deeply in gratitude, "Thank you, sir... Please let me know if you need anything in the future!"

Li Xiao waved his hand and walked towards Wuling City.

There were many notices at the city gate, and police officers were stationed there to check people coming and going.

Those police officers were speechless; sometimes they even groped women.

But that's just how the world is.

To avoid being searched, Li Xiao spent a little money and successfully entered the city.

"Hey, that's... Old Gang? He really is pulling a rickshaw now..."

After walking a few steps, Li Xiao spotted an old acquaintance.

Not far away, next to a department store on the street corner, a group of rickshaws were waiting for customers.

Among them was Old Gang, who was wearing a towel and squatting next to a metal rickshaw.

The car's original paint was mottled, revealing the dark brown iron blank underneath. It looked like a second-hand car, but he polished it until it shone with a coppery luster.

The person at the very front of the group was standing, while the others were squatting, as if there were some kind of rule.

"Old jerk."

Li Xiao walked over.

"Ah Si!"

Upon seeing Li Xiao, the old man who had been squatting on the ground immediately stood up with a beaming smile. "Where have you been, kid? I haven't seen you for so long..."

As he spoke, Lao Gang said to the person at the front, "Brother Zhang, this is my brother who's been through thick and thin with me. It's been a long time. I'll be leaving now. You guys keep going."

The person at the front waved and said, "Go."

Old Gang bowed slightly and nodded before turning to Li Xiao: "Where are you going? I'll pull you!"

It's clear that he was genuinely happy to see himself.

Li Xiao smiled and got into the rickshaw: "How could I possibly accept this..."

As soon as the bicycle bell rang, Lao Gang pulled the bicycle forward.

"Old man, do you have any rules for pulling rickshaws?" Li Xiao asked curiously.

"you do not say."

Old Gang started talking like a floodgate had been opened, "There are so many rules, so many intricacies..."

On the way, the two chatted like long-lost old friends, sharing their experiences over the past month.

Lao Gang and his gang tried to avoid the limelight for half a month, but they still couldn't escape it.

The foreman, Zhao, still knew about their money-making scheme. He colluded with the thugs from the Black Tiger Gang to extort money from them, taking fifty silver dollars from each of them before leaving. Without this money, they wouldn't be able to operate the rickshaws at all.

Then there are many rules and regulations for pulling a rickshaw...

Of the seven people who were left from that trip to the rice shop, apart from Li Xiao and Liu Kai, the other five chose to pull rickshaws to make a living. The five of them banded together for warmth and managed to squeeze in and get a meal.

Pulling a rickshaw was definitely better than manual labor; it was a real turnaround for him.

As for Liu Kai, he didn't pull a rickshaw like Lao Gang and the others.

Instead, he used the money to enroll in full-time classes and devoted himself entirely to practicing martial arts at the Zhongyi Martial Arts School...

Old Gang also inquired about the Huang family's rice shop.

The Huang family rice shop has changed hands; the original owner has been replaced by a new person.

However, they learned that Huang's Rice Shop was going out of business and that several of its branches had recently closed down.

This was roughly in line with Li Xiao's prediction.

After that night's ordeal, the Huang family had attracted a pack of wolves and tigers; their downfall was only a matter of time.

"Oh, right..."

As he ran, Lao Gang whispered, "Besides earning more money, there's another advantage to pulling a rickshaw: you're well-informed wherever you go... Ah Si, you have to be careful. That Qiang from the Black Tiger Gang has been looking for you lately, saying he's going to break your legs. You'd better watch out... Or maybe you could hide at my place for a while?"

Li Xiao smiled slightly but did not answer the question.

Now that I am a Taoist priest with the backing of the mountain god, how can I let hooligans bully me?

As they chatted, they unknowingly arrived at the entrance of Renji Hospital.

Li Xiao got out of the car and patted Lao Gang on the shoulder: "Wait for me, I'll treat you to dinner later."

Old Gang had been running for almost an hour. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the hospital, and roughly understood that Ah Si's mother was being treated here. He smiled and said, "Alright, go ahead, I'll wait."

Li Xiao nodded slightly, turned around, and quickly entered the hospital.

He is extremely anxious, hoping that his mother's illness will improve...