Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 112 Suicide
During this period of time, Gong Tianwu has adapted to his current life. Although he is young, he does things very appropriately.

He would often pick some wild vegetables outside, buy some tofu and bring them back to the temple's kitchen to serve as a snack for everyone. In addition, with Zhao Quan's care, the government would also allocate extra money for vegetarian food.

So no one in the temple disliked him, and everyone praised him highly.

It is worth mentioning that on the third day after he came here, he accidentally discovered a cave and unexpectedly found a secret room in the cave.

There was a skeleton inside, and next to the skeleton was a storage bag, which looked exactly like the one Gong Tianwu had chosen before his reincarnation.

This way of inheritance amazed Gong Tianwu. He originally thought that Kang had directly "biubiu" appeared and passed it to him, but he didn't expect that the arrangement was reasonable.

During this month, Gong Tianwu relied on the Purple Qi Cave Secret Art and in just seven days, he raised his body's three variable basic attributes: physical strength and agility to around 20 points, and his spiritual awareness to 41 points.

Such a substantial increase in basic attributes is entirely due to the huge potential of this body and the broad space that can be developed. If it were the body of a blood slave in the previous life, it would probably not even be improved by half.

However, subsequent improvements have been slow, probably due to the fact that children's bodies have not yet fully developed.

Gong Tianwu was not idle during the remaining time. He continued to practice and polish the Purple Qi Cave Secret in the mountains every morning, and practiced the True Feather Heart Secret in the afternoon. Time passed quickly.

At first, Gong Tianwu felt that there seemed to be no point in practicing the Purple Qi Cave Secret Art, but Kang warned him that even if Gong Tianwu reached the peak of the Martial Saint realm in the future, it would be easy to fail if he used the Magnificent Scales to elevate it to the highest level of martial arts.

Because he did not rely on his own hard work to improve his realm step by step, but took shortcuts, just like not laying a solid foundation when building a high-rise building.

Therefore, it is best to take the time to lay a solid foundation, so that the probability of failure in the future can be greatly reduced.

As a result, on this day, when Gong Tianwu was returning to the temple at night, he suddenly met an acquaintance. He was none other than his uncle Feng Qu who was doing business in another place.

You can see that his face is haggard, he is covered in dust, and he looks very exhausted.

Gong Tianwu certainly had no shortage of food at this time. With adequate nutrition and dedicated practice every day, he was already a head taller than he was a month ago. Therefore, Feng Qu didn't dare to recognize him for a while.

Instead, Gong Tianwu smiled and nodded at him, then he woke up from his dream and said:

"Tianwu? How come you grow so fast?"

Gong Tianwu smiled with a hint of sarcasm:

"Now that I can eat enough every day, of course I will grow faster."

Feng Qu was choked by these words and could only smile bitterly:
"Uncle knows you've suffered a lot before, why don't you move back home?"

Gong Tianwu was surprised and said:

"Why should I move back? Now I can support myself and live well, so I won't cause trouble to my uncle's family, and I won't let you and my aunt quarrel over me."

Feng Qu tried to persuade him a few times, but Gong Tianwu refused resolutely.

Feng Qu was a very cowardly person to begin with. He stammered for a while, then suddenly burst into tears and knelt down in front of Gong Tianwu with a plop.

Gong Tianwu was shocked and hurriedly pulled him over and said:

"Uncle, what are you doing?"

Feng Qu choked up and said:
"Your aunt got into trouble yesterday and was taken to the government office!!"

Gong Tianwu was not at all surprised to hear this. These country bastards were blinded by money and had no idea what a ruined county magistrate meant.

The fact that this official had been patient enough to not explode until now made Gong Tianwu look at him differently, thinking that this fellow's skill in cultivating his qi was truly remarkable.

However, what Gong Tianwu didn't know was that when County Magistrate Yao heard that half of the land deed had been withheld by the villagers, he almost overturned the table on the spot, and he wanted to call the three squads immediately to teach these poor guys a lesson.

But the next morning someone came to report that the county magistrate wanted to take the sixth concubine!

For the officials under his jurisdiction, this was a more important matter than the death of their parents, so County Magistrate Yao was busy trying to please him.

He seized this opportunity and spent a lot of money, which gave him the chance to be promoted next spring.

Therefore, he will wait until the dust settles before he starts to deal with these troublemakers. And since he will be leaving office anyway, it can be expected that he will be particularly ruthless in squeezing the people during this period.

Faced with his uncle's crying, Gong Tianwu turned and left.

Feng Qu was also stunned for a moment: What was this nephew's weird reaction? Shouldn't he have asked a few questions out of concern? What did he mean by just leaving?
Seeing that Gong Tianwu had left quickly, Feng Qu could only stand up and chase after him, saying helplessly:
"Tianwu, I'm talking to you."

Gong Tianwu said seriously:
"Just talk to me nicely. Why do you keep kneeling down? There are so many people coming and going on the street. If someone sees me, they might think I did something that would anger the heavens and the people!"

Feng Qu was stunned, then said painfully:

"I went around looking for people I knew and gave them a lot of money, but they all said that the master was really angry this time. He tortured your aunt the same day he arrested her, and now he refuses to let her go no matter what."

Gong Tianwu smiled coldly. These things were completely within his expectations and were not surprising at all.

My aunt is greedy, stingy and short-sighted. If she is considered a shrew, she is definitely a first-class shrew, but how can she play tricks on others?
I'm afraid he has been sold and is still helping others count money. Now he should reflect on himself in the cell.

Gong Tianwu listened to his uncle Feng Qu talking for a long time, and then he said impatiently:

"What's the point of you telling me all this? First of all, I didn't get my aunt in jail. Secondly, all the money left by my parents has been divided up. Finally, I'm just a child. You don't think I can help, do you?"

After being interrupted by Gong Tianwu, Uncle Feng Qu was speechless, and then stammered:

"But I heard that you have a good relationship with Captain Zhao in the government office, so I wanted to ask you to plead for mercy."

Gong Tianwu said unceremoniously:
"Who told you that I have a good relationship with Captain Zhao in the government office?"

Uncle Feng Qu was stunned for a while, then he stammered:

"Your aunt's relative, Chen Guo."

Gong Tianwu said:

"My aunt was locked up in the government office because of Chen Guo's contribution! Just listen to him chewing maggots!"

"That Captain Zhao and I have no relationship at all. He just found me a place to stay because he felt sorry for me because my parents had both passed away and I was starving every day and was almost beaten to death by my relatives with a rolling pin. How did that make me think that he and I have a good relationship?"

At this time, many people had come to watch the fun. Gong Tianwu bowed to the people around him and said:
"My dear neighbors, I am only six years old, but someone said that I have a good relationship with the officials in the government. I would like to ask how I can be so successful? Is it because I have a lot of money or a beautiful lady?"

The people around him suddenly burst into low laughter, and Uncle Feng Qu also seemed to think that this was a bit outrageous.

But now he was at his wit's end, Gong Tianwu was the last straw he could grasp, he knelt on the ground again and shed tears:

"Tianwu, Chen Guo said you took dozens of silver treasures. You should at least give some to buy your aunt's life! I know she treats you badly, but don't I often give you steamed buns and eggs to help you?"

Gong Tianwu became even more furious after hearing this! He gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay, okay, okay! Do you think I look like someone with dozens of silver treasures?"

"If I had this money, would I need to dress like this and sleep in the woodshed inside the temple? And run out every day to catch rabbits and fish?"

The onlookers looked at Gong Tianwu's ragged appearance and thought that his uncle might be a little crazy.

Gong Tianwu continued:
"It would be fine if you didn't talk about the past, but today I'll let you guys judge for yourself. My parents left a fortune of millions and more than a dozen acres of paddy fields before they died. I'm giving them all to my uncle's family. I just ask them to take good care of me."

"But my uncle usually had to go out for business, and my aunt only gave me two meals a day, made me sleep in the woodshed, and often beat me with a rolling pin, while my cousin wore new clothes every day and ate meat buns until he got sick of them."

"Uncle, do you think you are doing me a favor just because you give me a steamed bun or bring me a few eggs occasionally?"

Hearing this, the rest of the onlookers first looked at him with disdain, then burst into laughter.

Gong Tianwu said sternly:

"To be honest, even if you treat me like your son, it's because your parents took the money and you are doing things for the money. This is something that anyone with a conscience can do, and it's what I deserve."

At this point, Gong Tianwu pointed to a middle-aged sister-in-law next to him and said:

"Auntie, if a stranger gave you fifty silver coins and asked you to take care of a child until he grew up, and feed him enough food and warm clothes every day, could you do it?"

The middle-aged sister-in-law immediately said, "If you can't even do something as easy as pie in the sky, how can you still be called a human being?"

My uncle, who was kneeling on the ground, felt so ashamed that he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Gong Tianwu said loudly:

"I'll tell you what kindness means to me! You didn't ask my parents for a penny, but you fed me and clothed me warmly and raised me up without any grievance. That's kindness!!"

"Don't come to see me anymore. I don't have a relative like you!"

After saying this, Gong Tianwu turned around and left, and soon he disappeared.

Uncle Feng Qu knelt there in despair for a long time, feeling that Gong Tianwu's words were like needles piercing his heart. He walked out in tears, feeling despair.

***
The next evening,
Gong Tianwu was walking back from the city carrying two silver carp. He happened to run into a white servant on the street. After a moment of hesitation, he took the initiative to greet Gong Tianwu:
"Fifth brother, I just came back."

Gong Tianwu remembered that his name was Li Quan, so he called out:
"Brother Li, have you eaten? If not, take a fish back with you to go with your meal."

Li Quan waved his hand and said:
"You keep it for yourself and exchange it for money, but I have something to tell you."

Gong Tianwu said:

"Brother Li, you say."

Li Quan said:
"This morning, a floating corpse was fished out of the moat. It was your uncle. There was a suicide note pressed down by a rock next to him. He said that he felt sorry for his sister and felt that he was incompetent and sorry for his family, so he died."

In fact, there is another paragraph at the end, asking a kind-hearted person to pass the three strings of money he had on him to his nephew, hoping to make up to him.

But the money had already been divided up by the constables, and Li Quan also took fifty copper coins, so this guy chose to ignore it.

Gong Tianwu didn't react much after hearing this, and just said "oh" faintly.

After seeing this, Li Quan thought to himself that this boy had a cruel heart, but Gong Tianwu suddenly said:

"Yesterday I heard from my uncle that my aunt was arrested and thrown into the county jail. If you know the whole story, could you tell me about it?"

After hearing this, Li Quan smiled bitterly and said:

"Well, this is actually nothing surprising. Your aunt is not very smart. Maybe she was instigated by someone, or maybe she watched too many plays. She actually claimed that she would go to the county to protest her grievances."

"The master has been extremely busy lately and has not been able to take care of this matter. He arrested her as soon as he heard about it. I guess she has suffered a lot. In my opinion, it is probably her relative Chen Guo who is behind this."

"This kid's calculations are very clear. If your aunt can really succeed in the lawsuit, then he can get a share of the profits from the land deeds that are returned. If the lawsuit fails, won't the remaining land deeds be taken by him alone?"

Gong Tianwu nodded after hearing this, then bowed to Li Quan and said:

"Thank you, Uncle Li."

Then he turned around and left.

***
Time flies,

In the blink of an eye, the New Year has passed.
Winter goes and spring comes, spring returns to the earth, and all things revive.

Gong Tianwu also stayed in the temple for almost four months.

In these four months, he has grown a full head taller than before. If you say he is a ten-year-old child, some people would believe it.

At the same time, although Gong Tianwu's clothes looked ragged, they were washed neatly and cleanly, and his eyes were clearly black and white, and he looked very smart at first glance.

On this day, Gong Tianwu did not leave the city early, but stayed in the temple. The monks were curious and asked:

"Why didn't Brother Xiaowu go out to make a living today?"

Gong Tianwu smiled and said:
"Today is different. It's a big day."

The other monks were also curious after hearing this, but they couldn't figure out what big day it was. When they asked Gong Tianwu, he just smiled and said nothing.

But only Gong Tianwu knew clearly in his heart that today was the big day of the Immortal Gate! !

Gong Tianwu had already inquired about it. He knew that the immortal sect occupying this county was called Yufei Sect, and its founder was from Qingcheng, so it was natural that they should be members of the Qingcheng faction.

After seeing the sun rise, Gong Tianwu set off calmly and went to the nearby Zhuji Lamb Soup Restaurant to have a big meal. Then he slowly walked towards the direction of Mizhen Temple. After all, the time for the Immortal Gate Guidance starts at the hour of Mao and ends at noon, so it was still early.

At this time, you can see that the area one mile away from Mizhen Temple is already blocked by huge crowds of people, and there is no way to get through.

People who come here would probably be sweating profusely even if they walk, let alone take a car. However, the crowds stop abruptly ten feet in front of Mizhen Temple.

Because there were several martial arts masters leading their disciples to patrol here, and there were also elite militiamen who were urgently transferred in, all of them were holding jujube wood sticks tied with red silk and watching eagerly. If anyone dared to cross the white line below, they would be beaten immediately.

The unlucky guys who got beaten had bloody heads which was considered the lightest injury; quite a few even had broken bones. Only parents holding their children were allowed to enter, and even then only one person was allowed to accompany them.

At this time, more than ten feet above the Mizhen Temple, there was a red phoenix soaring, auspicious clouds were rolling, and sweet rain and dew were hanging down like pearls. These ordinary people were envious when they saw it.

Gong Tianwu separated the crowd and walked directly towards the main gate of Mizhen Temple. Someone immediately stopped him:
"Stop, what are you doing?"

Gong Tianwu said:

"I am a five-year-old child, and I have come to participate in the Immortal Gate Guidance."

This man was a transferred militiaman. After looking him up and down, he said with a click of the tongue:

"You are really growing up. People would believe you if you said you were ten years old. Come in."

"Wait!"

At this moment, someone next to him suddenly shouted, and then strode over.

Gong Tianwu looked up. Haha, who else could it be but Chen Guo? He didn't expect this guy to come and maintain order. So he said calmly:
"What do you want?"

Chen Guo sneered:
"You are already thirteen years old, what qualifications do you have to participate in the Immortal Gate Guidance? Why don't you get out of here right now?!"

Gong Tianwu said calmly:
"I knew I would run into a villain like you and make things difficult for me, so I went to the government office to get a certificate. You said I am thirteen, so I am thirteen?"

After saying this, Gong Tianwu reached into his pocket and took out a piece of paper.

As a result, before he could take out the pass to show it, Chen Guo snatched it away and tore it into pieces in a few seconds:
"Fake, it's all fake!"

At this time, someone saw a dispute here, but was stopped by the senior and junior brothers who Chen Guo had already greeted, and they also held up the sign of Master Lin Wu.

That person just wanted to see what was going on. He was not a person with a strong sense of justice. He just whispered:

"I'm telling you, the higher-ups attach great importance to Xianmen Yin, so you should be careful and beware of things getting out of hand."

Then the man turned and walked away.

Seeing this scene, Chen Guo showed a sinister smile on his face and whispered to Gong Tianwu:

"You little bastard, you want to turn over? You're dreaming!"

He originally wanted to use this sentence to irritate Gong Tianwu, and then take advantage of the situation to legitimately beat him into a cripple with a stick.

However, she didn't expect that as soon as Chen Guo finished speaking, Gong Tianwu didn't say anything. He turned around and squeezed into the crowd next to him, like a drop of water falling into a river, disappearing in an instant.

Chen Guo felt as if he had punched into nothingness. The empty space was completely defenseless. He could only sneer:

"This dog runs away fast."

He then continued to hang around here until the sun was almost at its zenith. Seeing that noon was approaching, he thought that this bastard Xu Tianwu knew that he had intercepted him here and even tore up the pass issued by the government office, so he would definitely not dare to come again.

(End of this chapter)