Gan Country.
Yan City.
Song Wen clutched the two stale steamed buns he had retrieved from a swill bucket, overjoyed.
Perhaps the buns were too dense, or perhaps there wasn't much liquid in the swill bucket, but the buns hadn't been soaked through; they were relatively clean, not stained with too much soupy grime.
He brushed off the two vegetable leaves clinging to the buns, completely disregarding the foul odor emanating from the nearby swill bucket, and ravenously stuffed the buns into his mouth.
The cold, dry buns, without water, were exceptionally difficult to swallow. Song Wen, however, didn't care, stuffing one bun into his mouth in a few bites.
The dry bun lodged in his throat, making it hard to swallow, almost causing him to choke.
After much effort, he managed to swallow the bun, which brought a slight relief to his famished stomach, but he still felt no sense of fullness.
It had been two days since his Physical Body Transmigration into this world, and this was the first meal he had eaten.
When he recovered, he saw a ten-year-old little beggar boy in front of him, staring pitifully at the other bun remaining in his hand, his eyes filled with longing and hope.
Song Wen looked at the skinny little beggar in front of him, then at the bun in his hand.
After a brief moment of hesitation and internal struggle, he brought the bun to his own mouth, not intending to share it with the little beggar.
He had Transmigrated to this ancient-like world and found that what he had learned and used in modern society was completely useless; his own survival had become incredibly difficult, so how could he have the heart to pity strangers he didn't even know?
Seeing the bun about to enter Song Wen's mouth, the little beggar's expression suddenly turned fierce.
The little beggar suddenly ran two quick steps, then abruptly leaped, jumping two feet high, his hands directly grabbing for the bun in Song Wen's hand.
At the same time, the little beggar opened his dirty mouth, revealing his yellowish teeth, and bit down on Song Wen's forearm.
At the little beggar's sudden outburst, Song Wen's eyes first flashed with a hint of panic, then immediately turned furious.
He had been living well in modern society; although not a successful person, he had no worries about food and drink. Unaccountably Transmigrated into this world, with almost no means of livelihood, he was already seething with frustration.
Now even a half-grown little beggar dared to bully him!
The anger in his heart seemed to find an outlet.
Song Wen's expression turned vicious.
"Scram!"
Song Wen swung his arm, striking at the little beggar.
When Song Wen Transmigrated to this world, his original thirty-year-old body had become that of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old, not appearing tall, but still considerably taller and stronger than the little beggar, who had long suffered from lack of food.
Song Wen's forearm struck the little beggar directly in the face, and the little beggar's nose immediately gushed blood.
But Song Wen had clearly underestimated the little beggar's ferocity; the little beggar was not knocked flying by Song Wen's forearm, but instead took the opportunity to embrace Song Wen's arm and bite down.
Throughout this entire process, the fierce expression on the little beggar's face remained unchanged, his eyes fixed on the bun from beginning to end.
Song Wen cried out in pain, his face growing even more savage.
"You little beast, how dare you bite me! I'll beat you to death!"
Song Wen raised his knee, using all his strength, and viciously struck the little beggar in the chest.
The little beggar suffered a heavy blow, his body went limp, he could no longer hold onto Song Wen's forearm, and his entire body flew backward, directly hitting the dirty ground a meter away.
The enraged Song Wen had no intention of letting the little beggar off the hook; he stepped forward and kicked the little beggar twice directly in the chest, sending the little beggar's body flying another two meters away, causing blood to seep from his mouth, clearly indicating internal injuries, before he finally stopped.
As Song Wen was about to turn and leave, he was startled to find the little beggar looking at him with venomous eyes.
The little beggar's gaze sent shivers down his spine, and a bad feeling crept into his heart.
As a newcomer, before he had any strength or background, it was best not to offend anyone, not even a little beggar at the lowest rung of society.
Who knew if this little beggar had the protection of local dark forces behind him?
Song Wen's gaze met the little beggar's for a long time, and the thought of eliminating future troubles flashed through his mind.
Their current location was a narrow, dark alley, usually deserted. Now that it was just the two of them, Song Wen believed that if he hardened his heart and cruelly killed the little beggar, no one would discover it for a while.
Even if someone did discover it, the death of a little beggar would not attract much attention.
In this foreign Yan City, where laws were not strictly enforced, countless common people died unjustly every day, and the government simply didn't care, nor could it handle it all.
Song Wen's peripheral vision noticed a rough, bowl-sized cobblestone in the corner of the alley. The cobblestone's surface was smooth and its texture hard; it should at least be harder than the little beggar's head.
The suffering he had endured for two days surged into his heart at this moment, and a powerful resentment erupted within him, clouding Song Wen's rationality and shattering the modern social ethics and morals of his past thirty-plus years. Song Wen's face became distorted and terrifying.
Song Wen, who had witnessed much burning, killing, and looting in these two days, seemed to awaken the demon hidden deep within his heart at this moment.
Everyone else is acting wantonly; this is a world that devours people without spitting out bones, so why should I still follow the morals and ethics of my previous life?
Song Wen turned and walked towards the cobblestone; the little beggar's eyes slowly filled with terror.
Suddenly, two servants from a wealthy family appeared at the alley entrance, carrying a swill bucket, and walked in.
Seeing outsiders, his clouded rationality returned, the devil in his heart was hidden, and his wanton thoughts were reined in.
The deed could not be done. Song Wen was somewhat disappointed, yet also inexplicably relieved. He shook his head, turned, and left the alley.
As soon as Song Wen stepped out of the alley, he saw a large crowd surging into the street.
These people were shouting, "Hurry up, the Tian Sha Gang is hiring! If you're late, you won't get a chance!"
Song Wen had heard the name of the Tian Sha Gang so much in the past two days that his ears were almost calloused.
The Tian Sha Gang was an absolutely top-tier Gang force in Yan City, and in some respects, its power even surpassed that of the local government.
However, the Tian Sha Gang did not have a good reputation; they had committed many evil deeds.
Song Wen also followed the crowd, surging into the street.
Someone hiring meant there was pay, and pay meant he could eat clean food, meaning he no longer had to fight with beggars over food in swill buckets.
He struggled through the dense crowd and finally saw a notice posted on the wall at the street corner.
The characters on the notice were similar to traditional Chinese characters from his previous life. Although Song Wen had not studied traditional characters, he could roughly understand the meaning.
The content of the notice was that the Tian Sha Gang was recruiting children aged seven to twelve to join the Gang and learn martial arts. These children would later become the backbone of the Gang.
It also stated that families of selected children would receive generous rewards, and the children would have a bright future, and so on.
After reading the notice, Song Wen was somewhat disappointed.
It turned out the Tian Sha Gang was recruiting new Gang members, not simply hiring workers.
Moreover, the Tian Sha Gang only recruited children aged seven to twelve, and the age of Song Wen's current body did not match.
Song Wen pushed through the crowd, intending to leave.
However, amidst the noisy crowd, a sudden shout rang out.
"Hey kid, wait a moment."
Song Wen heard the shout, but he didn't think it was directed at him. He didn't stop, continuing to push his way out of the crowd.
"Kid, I'm talking about you! If you don't stop, does that mean my Gou Ye's words are no longer valid in this Yan City?"
The voice from behind grew somewhat annoyed.
As a newcomer, Song Wen was cautious and feared offending anyone. He stopped, looked behind him in the direction of the voice, wanting to confirm if the speaker was indeed calling him.
He turned his head and saw a man with a Ba Zi Hu, looking dissolute, clearly a bad hooligan, staring at him with unkind eyes.
Behind the man stood two burly men, all three dressed in Tian Sha Gang attire.
Song Wen's brows instantly furrowed, and he thought to himself, 'This is bad.' He didn't know how he had offended this 'Gou Ye.'
Song Wen was originally an ordinary salesperson on Blue Star. Years of sales experience didn't make him rich, but it taught him the skill of adapting his speech to his audience and sizing people up.
A fawning smile immediately appeared on his face. He bowed and scurried two steps forward, arriving in front of Gou Ye.
He chuckled ingratiatingly, "Gou Ye, what can I do for you?"
Although Song Wen disliked his own behavior, he knew that to survive in this world where laws were not strictly enforced, he could only humble himself first.
Offending a local big shot upon arrival meant either being a powerful Dragon passing through or a fool seeking his own demise.