Chapter 119: The Height of Death

Dongqiaowu, a prison cell on Fulin Street.

Gao Shi had been brought here the night before. Because the ward station lacked holding facilities, he had been locked up in the nearest location on Fulin Street. Wearing his prison garb, his hands and feet shackled, he huddled in a pile of hay, staring blankly while replaying the events of the previous night.

By now, Gao Shi had begun to grasp the situation. He realized he had been treated as a disposable pawn; the true target was likely Zhuang Jin.

When he thought of Zhuang Jin, a flicker of hope ignited in his heart: "Yes, Master Zhuang is now the ward guardian for the Shen family. Setting me free would be a mere word for him. If I follow Master Zhuang from now on, who knows? I might even be able to take my revenge!"

Just as he was thinking this, he heard movement. Turning his head, he saw that it was indeed Zhuang Jin. He scrambled up in excitement, instinctively stooping and lowering his head as he hurried forward. "Master Zhuang, you're here? I was wrong yesterday. Those bastards from the Medicine King Gang are sons of bitches—they left me behind on purpose... From now on, I'll follow you, I'll listen to you... Please, just let me out. I've been here for most of the day..."

As he spoke, his stomach let out a loud, rumbling growl.

Zhuang Jin opened the cell door, carrying a roasted chicken, wine, and a bowl and chopsticks. He set them on the ground and laid them out. "Gao Shi, eat first."

"Master Zhuang, you're still thinking of me at a time like this? You brought me food? Master, you eat first, let me pour you some wine."

Though starving and instinctively salivating at the aroma, Gao Shi still managed a sycophantic smile, picking up a chicken leg for Zhuang Jin and pouring the wine before finally tending to himself. Having gone hungry for most of the day, he devoured the food and drink ravenously, only letting out a satisfied belch after a long while.

Zhuang Jin didn't stand on ceremony, sitting on the floor to eat and drink alongside him, occasionally clinking bowls with Gao Shi, just as they had on the night before the martial recruit selection the previous year.

"Master Zhuang, now that I've had my fill, can we get out of here? I'm a Third Meridian martial artist now; I was a squad leader in the Medicine King Gang. Which street are you planning to assign me to? Or I could be your personal guard—I'm great at serving people!"

Gao Shi, full and content, picked his teeth with a chicken bone as he spoke. Seeing Zhuang Jin slowly rise, he patted his backside and stood up as well.

Zhuang Jin, however, shook his head slightly and simply said, "Gao Shi, you've had your fill. It's time to head out."

"H-head out?"

Gao Shi froze. The chicken bone fell from his hand without him even noticing. He was no fool; he had harbored a suspicion earlier, but he hadn't dared to believe it, hadn't wanted to believe it. Now, the fantasy was shattered.

He seemed to lose his composure entirely, stammering, "M-Master Zhuang, no... it's me... I'm Gao Shi... don't you recognize me? I... wait, my name, you were the one who gave it to me! Have you forgotten how we used to..."

"Do you remember that night we parted last year? I brought steamed buns, and you brought scraps and wine? The Gao Shi in my heart died that night."

Zhuang Jin looked at Gao Shi, staring directly into his eyes. "I investigated what you've done over the past six months: extortion, bullying the weak, acting as a lackey for the wicked... Gao Shi, do you even remember what you used to be like?"

"What I used to be like?"

Gao Shi was stunned, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over his head. After a long while, his hunched back slowly straightened. The habitual look of fawning and sycophancy vanished from his face, replaced by a streak of stubbornness and mockery. "What was I like? What am I now? How did I become like this? Ha! Hahaha! Hahahaha!"

In this moment, he understood Zhuang Jin and knew he was doomed. The begging and groveling were gone. It was as if he had peeled away his disguise, revealing his original self—he looked more like the "Little Stone" that Zhuang Jin had once known.

Gao Shi stopped looking at Zhuang Jin and spoke to himself, eyes cast downward. "Last October, you left. Hou Yong couldn't find you, so he asked me. I didn't know, so he beat me... It was that beating that drove me to the Medicine King Gang."

"When I joined the Medicine King Gang, I was a beggar, looked down upon by everyone... We beggars, our blood and vitality are deficient... we learn martial arts slower than others... I refused to accept my fate. I didn't believe I couldn't become a master; I didn't believe I, Gao Shi, would spend my whole life in the muck! I practiced martial arts with my life on the line... Twenty-nine days later, I succeeded. Those who looked down on me became herb-gathering boys, and every one of those who bullied me, I bullied back! It was only then I realized: those people who bullied me, they get scared too, they feel pain, they beg for mercy... It felt so good!"

"I thought that once I became a formal martial artist, things would get better, but I was wrong—so wrong. It's the same for formal martial artists: the strong bully the weak, the powerful bully the powerless. In the Medicine King Gang, when you become a formal martial artist, you're supposed to get five silver coins a month, but you only ever receive three. The other two are a 'service fee'... The first time I got paid, I didn't know. I asked why it was only three coins and wouldn't leave, so I was beaten. Then they forced my fingers open one by one, took my three coins, and slapped my face, telling me to 'learn a lesson'..."

"This... the Medicine King Gang is like this, and no one stops them?" Zhuang Jin asked.

"Stop them? Hahaha! I made a scene, I reported it to those above, but they told me that's just how the Medicine King Gang works. If you have the ability, you bully them back... After that, I realized that when you're not as good as others, you have to bow your head. Just like when we were beggars begging for money—you have to flatter and pander to them!"

"Later, I met Zhou Yuan. I called him 'Yuanzi,' and he called me 'Little Stone.' He said we were brothers, and I was so happy. I thought we were close... During a night raid, I killed a martial artist and took a palm strike for it. I traded my life for it and got six silver coins. I was so happy. Zhou Yuan said he was about to break through, so I lent him all the money..."

As Gao Shi reached this point, his expression turned ferocious. "But after he broke through, he didn't acknowledge it. I said, 'If you don't have the money, you can pay me back later, we're brothers.' Zhou Yuan laughed, beat me up, and stepped on my face, saying, 'You're useless now, so we're not brothers anymore. How could a Second Meridian martial artist have a beggar for a brother? How could he have a beggar for a brother?'"

"From then on, I knew—in this world, you can't trust anyone. The only person you can trust is yourself!"

He turned to look at Zhuang Jin and laughed wildly. "And that's when I finally understood everything you said. In this world, it's not easy to be a human being. Some people are 'more' human, while others are just grass! Tools! Leeks! I realized that to live well in this world, to live comfortably, you have to be cold-blooded and heartless... I've figured it all out!"

The more Gao Shi laughed, the more unrestrained and frantic he became. "From that point on, I changed. I achieved enlightenment. Whoever is above me, I pander to them with my life. As long as it makes them happy, I can bark like a dog, I can crawl like a dog! If they like women, I'll snatch one and send her to their bed; if they take a fancy to someone's house, I'll wipe out the whole family and send it to them... I pandered to those above me like a dog, I practiced martial arts with my life... And just like that, step by step, I climbed higher... I knew that in this world, if I don't bully others, they will bully me..."

"You're wrong," Zhuang Jin looked at Gao Shi, his eyes filled with a touch of pity. "Your path... it's the wrong one."

"Wrong? How is it wrong? Before I understood these things, everyone could bully me. Since I've understood them, fewer and fewer people can bully me..."

"Seeking to improve yourself is not wrong, but a person must still have a bottom line, a conscience."

"A bottom line? A conscience?"

Gao Shi laughed until tears streamed down his face. "When I joined the Medicine King Gang and was just a martial apprentice, when those people bullied me and beat me, why didn't anyone tell them to have a bottom line or a conscience? When I was beaten for a two-coin 'service fee' and they took even my three coins, why didn't anyone tell them to have a bottom line or a conscience? When Zhou Yuan took the money I earned with my life, refused to pay me back after he broke through, and stepped on my face—why didn't anyone tell him to have a bottom line or a conscience? Huh?"

"Now you come to tell me I need a bottom line and a conscience? Bah!"

He spat, then wiped away his tears, his expression twisted as he demanded, "You say I'm wrong, but tell me, what should I have done? Someone like me, with no talent, has to use any means necessary—to harm people, to kill, to drink human blood... You are what you eat. In this world, if you don't eat people, people will eat you... So, because I was a beggar, because I was born lowly, am I destined to be eaten?"

"I refuse! I want to eat people too. I want to show those who looked down on me that I, Gao Shi, can also step by step become a master and bully back everyone who ever bullied me!"

Gao Shi was weeping openly, roaring at Zhuang Jin. "To become a master, I endured, I pandered, I flattered, I became a dog for others... They all laughed behind my back, saying Gao Shi is like a dog... But am I base? Who would choose to be a dog if they could be a proper human?"

"Yes! You have talent, you're noble, you're clean! You didn't have to be a dog to reach where you are today, standing here laughing at me. But I ask you, if you were me, tell me, what should I have done? Huh? Tell me, what was I supposed to do?"

"I wanted to be a proper human too, but I couldn't! I just couldn't!"

Gao Shi swung his right arm, stomped his right foot hard on the ground, questioning and roaring, before suddenly lunging crazily at Zhuang Jin.

Zhuang Jin instinctively struck out with his palm.

*Bang!*

Gao Shi was sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall before slowly sliding down. He was on the verge of death, but he turned his head with great difficulty to look at Zhuang Jin. In that moment, his eyes held a complex depth, just as they had when they parted, but there was also a hint of relief. "Little Mute..."

Zhuang Jin closed his eyes, lifted his head slightly, and took a deep breath.

...

Emerging from the prison, Zhuang Jin looked up at the sky. A chill permeated the air; the dusk was heavy, and snowflakes were beginning to drift down.

The streets were sparsely populated, and the few remaining pedestrians were hurrying home.

Xue Yandao, the ward guardian of Fulin Street, hurried up to him and offered, "Master Zhuang, it's snowing. Would you like to take my sedan chair back?"

Xue Yandao was a proud man, but he respected the strong—especially a superior like Zhuang Jin, who could lead them to victory and other benefits.

After all, hadn't Zhuang Jin killed an Iron-skinned Boar and a Black Mountain Goat, two peak-level exotic beasts, at the herb fields outside the city last month? He had obtained two pieces of superior Yellow-grade beast-hide armor—items the Shen family didn't even have in stock and required pre-ordering—and Zhuang Jin had sold them to Xue Yandao and Duan Tao at market price.

"No need... Bury the person inside properly."

With that, Zhuang Jin pulled his robes tighter and stepped into the whistling wind and snow. He walked down the increasingly empty street, leaving a trail of footprints behind him.

In this moment, he suddenly thought of many things—the people he had encountered since he transmigrated: Gao Shi, Xiang Qichen, Xiong Lei...

The snow fell harder, like goose feathers, like reeds, boundless and endless, rustling softly. Each flake seemed to reflect the image of a person.

...

On Fuchang Street, at a small stall.

Xiang Qichen, his beard scruffy and looking much more weathered, was quite drunk and boasting to his colleagues: "Let me tell you, just the other day, when our Ward Guardian Master Wei went to apologize to Master Zhuang, who was the one he brought with him? It was me! Xiang Qichen!"

"Back in the day, I was in the same dormitory as our Ward Guardian Master Zhuang. Need I say more about that relationship? Believe it or not, Master Zhuang once even called me 'Brother Xiang'..."

...

On another street in the north of the city.

Xiong Dadan was pointing a finger at Xiong Lei's nose, scolding him: "Look at you, what can you accomplish? You had a perfectly good relationship with Master Zhuang, and you ruined it! And that Miss Sang we talked about, you messed that up too!"

Xiong Lei was submissive, bowing his head to take the scolding. As for his relationship with Zhuang Jin, he often regretted it, but he knew there was no going back.

As for that Miss Sang...

An image involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Although she was already married, and he had feigned self-moving blessings at the time, he still couldn't let go, couldn't forget!

...

On Fujing Street, at the Jiao family home.

Mother Jiao complained, "That stall issue last time, wasn't it solved by your old roommate? Can't you go over and ask for his help this time?"

"Oh, Mother, he refused to my face last time and only helped afterwards because he didn't want us to cling to him. Where would your son find the face to go back now?"

Jiao Kun knelt down with a thud. "Father, Mother, it was my fault for being foolish back then. I admit it, I know I was wrong, but please don't force me anymore!"

...

In the north of the city, at the Lin family home.

Father Lin said with relief, "Ah Hong, you don't know, with the ownership of the streets in the north changing hands back and forth, how many families have lost their businesses... If it weren't for your status as a Shen family ward guardian, our restaurant probably would have..."

"It was luck, meeting a noble person," Lin Hong said. Thinking of Zhuang Jin, he recalled how he hadn't been as decisive as Qian Wende back in the dormitory. It wasn't until Zhuang Jin reached the Third Meridian that he grabbed the opportunity and attached himself to him. Now, he had benefited to break through to the Fourth Meridian and become a ward guardian himself—something he wouldn't have dared to imagine a year ago.

"Indeed. A person's fate in life is unpredictable. Some work diligently and honestly their whole lives, exhausted and toiling away, yet achieve nothing. Others meet a noble person, seize the opportunity, and soar straight into the clouds..."

...

On Funing Street, at a restaurant.

Qian Wende sat at the head of the table, devouring meat and wine, enjoying the flattery of his colleagues. Don't let his fawning, slave-like behavior in front of Zhuang Jin fool you; he was considered quite a big shot outside.

"Team Leader Qian, I toast you!"

"And me... Tell me, Brother Qian, your eye for talent is legendary. How did you know about Master Zhuang back then?"

"Yes, tell us about you and Master Zhuang!"

...

"How did I know about Brother Zhuang? A person like Brother Zhuang is someone you can spot the moment you see them in a crowd. It's like gold mixed in with sand... The first time I saw Brother Zhuang, my heart skipped a beat. This man had an extraordinary aura; he was never going to be an ordinary person..."

Qian Wende dared to boast, and they dared to believe, listening with rapt attention. "Later, we were in the same dormitory... That night when Brother Zhuang broke through to the Second Meridian, that turtle-son Xiang from Fuchang Street was bad-mouthing Brother Zhuang, and I walked right up and slapped him across the face..."

...

At the Bi family home.

Bi Kai returned to find a guest—his cousin from the Chang family, the son of Chang Hedong.

Looking at the man arriving with gifts, acting fearful and cautious, Bi Kai felt incredibly conflicted.

Chang Hedong called himself his uncle, but the relationship was very distant. When he had participated in the martial recruit selection, his family had tried every way to climb the ladder, begging to pay visits. Now, the tables had turned, and it was the other party's turn to come and curry favor with his family.

Bi Kai knew who this was really for. His own merit was only a small part of it; it was mostly reliance on Zhuang Jin. At this moment, he couldn't help but sigh with deep emotion.

...

At the Wu family home.

Wu Hao returned with things he had bought—roasted chicken, braised meat... Seeing his younger siblings happy and joyful, the maturity he wore in the outside world vanished, and his face broke into the same pure, honest smile he had worn back in the dormitory.

Father Wu patted his shoulder. "Thinking back a few months ago, when you were in the south of the city, we were worried sick every day... It's better now. With a noble person's help, you must remember the kindness, never forget your roots, and work hard!"

"Father, I will remember," Wu Hao nodded earnestly.

...

Above the boundless white snow, there was the heavy canopy of the sky, veiled in mist. In the distant heavens, beyond the nine skies, the winds and clouds shifted—much like the people in this world, seemingly in constant change, yet in the end, it was as if nothing had changed at all. Countless crystal flakes fell, boundless and rustling, covering the vast mountains and rivers, until in the end, all that remained was a vast, clean, white expanse of earth.