My exclusive card pool

Chapter 146 Possessed by a Celestial Being
At Hai hour, the second watch of the night.

East of Qingwei Town, near the market.

There is a gambling den in the middle of the alley. You can still see the lights on inside through the curtain, and you can hear shouts, laughter, and the sound of playing cards from time to time.

Intertwined in a joyful hue.

Two young men from the Sanhe gang stood outside the curtain, smoking pipes and chatting about which girl in the alley with her door half-open was the most attractive.

In the hall on the second floor, three men were having a secret conversation.

"Damn, this is weird!" The bald man sitting in the main seat slammed his hand on the armrest, his fleshy face trembling. "Huo Mingchuan's second apprentice, isn't he just a kid who knows a little bit of kung fu? How did he suddenly..."

“Brother,” the burly man with a thick beard on the carved wooden chair to the left quickly chimed in. “I heard that Liu Mengzi was punched to death on the spot. His head was smashed like a flattened ball, and dozens of men couldn’t stop him!”

"What's even more unbelievable is the story about Captain Mao. It's said that the kid caught a bullet with his bare hands and flicked it through Captain Mao's palm with his finger... That's just a made-up story!"

The tall, thin man on the right, who had been silent all along, hesitated for a moment before speaking:
"Third brother, I don't think it's a rumor. So many eyes were watching, and all the brothers said so. They wouldn't be conspiring to lie to us."

"But this is too eerie!"

The bearded man clearly didn't believe it, his face contorted in a grimace.

"That old bastard Huo Mingchuan is shameless; he's probably up to no good!"

The bald gang leader, seated at the head of the table, gulped down a mouthful of tea, frowned, and asked:
"Second brother, what exactly happened?"

The Sanhe Gang has three leaders. He and the third brother are both rough men, but the second brother, Liang Tao, has studied in a private school for a few years and is also smart, so he is considered the gang's strategist.

In the past, whenever something happened, the eldest brother would always ask the second brother for his opinion, and this time was no exception.

"Brother, there's probably more to this than meets the eye."

Liang Tao placed his hand on the table, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the surface, and said in a deep voice.

"I've inquired about Huo Mingchuan's second apprentice. His name is Wang Xi, courtesy name Xizhi. He drifted to Maoli Village near Qingwei Town in his early years and was taken in by Huo Mingchuan, who happened to be passing by."

"Later, he grew up in a martial arts school and also learned calligraphy and martial arts, but his performance over the years has always been very ordinary, with nothing different from ordinary people."

"The strange thing is that these past two days have been the beginning."

Liang Tao looked at his two brothers, his brows furrowed in worry.

"That kid was clearly beaten seriously by our men in the street, and his legs will never be able to stand up again... but today he's jumping around like nothing happened."

"Moreover, his martial arts skills have improved by leaps and bounds, and even his master Huo Mingchuan is probably no match for him."

"Overnight, he was like a completely different person."

Liang Tao took a deep breath and said solemnly:

"This is not right...something is very wrong."

"Second brother, if what you're saying is true, is that kid possessed by a ghost?"

The bearded third brother said, then chuckled again.

Unexpectedly, Liang Tao actually nodded, and the third leader's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

"Continue," said Boss Tian in a deep voice.

"That kid's experience is very similar to what people in the martial arts world call 'breaking out of the cocoon and becoming a butterfly,' which means experiencing a serious illness and death, having a great enlightenment, and making rapid progress in martial arts."

Liang Tao spoke faster.

"There is another theory. I heard that during the Yongsheng era of Dalu, there were rumors of 'immortal possession' near Tieling in the northern border. It was said that those great figures who attained enlightenment in history did not completely ascend to heaven. They still retained a trace of their spirituality in this mortal world. If someone in later generations resonates with this spirituality, they will form a connection with the enlightened one and receive his gifts."

"It sounds like a 'shamanic ritual'."

Old Tian pondered for a moment and then asked.

Liang Tao waved his hand repeatedly.

“Brother, you don’t understand. These two things are not the same. ‘Dingxian’ refers to a human who has attained enlightenment, while ‘Chusha Xian’ refers to an animal who has attained enlightenment. They are not the same…”

"What kind of mystical talk is this? It's all just hearsay. There's no such thing as a mystery in this world."

The third brother scoffed.

"No matter what connections that kid has, he has offended the Liu family and the Black Eel Army. Even if he were a reincarnated god, he wouldn't escape his fate! In less than three days, the militia bureau will drag him to Caishikou and execute him as a warning to the public!"

Bang!

Crackling!

Just then, a commotion came from downstairs, accompanied by shouts and screams.

"Let's go! Let's go down and take a look!"

The three of them jumped up and hurriedly went out and downstairs.

As soon as they went downstairs, they saw that the tables and chairs in the first-floor hall were overturned and the place was in a mess. There were also many people lying haphazardly on the floor, including gamblers and gang members.

The remaining gamblers fell silent, then rushed out in a swarm, darting through the curtain to escape.

In the center of the hall stood a young man wearing a long black gown.

"?!"

The three leaders froze simultaneously.

They exchanged glances, disbelief written all over their faces. This kid was supposed to be locked up in jail by the local militia, how did he end up in the gambling den?

Old Tian was the first to react. He grabbed the large cleaver from the table and slammed the back of the blade onto the table with a loud clang.

"You little bastard!" he grinned maliciously. "You dare to fly a kite from the militia headquarters, and you even dare to come here looking for death! Brothers, grab your weapons!"

The bearded third brother roared in response:

"Pay the fuck out of it—"

He suddenly realized something, glanced around, and his roar stopped abruptly.

Wang Xi leisurely hooked his foot over a bench and calmly sat down. The bench legs scraped against the ground, making a harsh sound.

"Save your energy." He glanced at the three men. "They're all dead."

"There are only three of you left in this gambling den."

The air solidified instantly.

Old Master Tian's hand gripping the knife began to tremble, and beads of sweat rolled down his temples. Old Master San's thick beard quivered incessantly, like a frightened hedgehog.

Liang Tao, the second brother, felt his Adam's apple bob, cold sweat soaking his clothes, and a look of horror flashing in his eyes. It wasn't a rumor!

This young man is truly strange!

Unarmed and all alone, they had silently killed more than a dozen Sanhe Gang members inside and outside the gambling den while they were talking!
Old Tian wanted to take advantage of the boy's unguarded sitting position and chop him down on the head with his knife, but his hand just wouldn't obey him.

Finally, a sentence escaped from my throat:
"What do you mean?"

"Stupid." Wang Xi glanced at the bald man. "Living is just a waste of rice."

Having said that, before the three could react, he grabbed a mahjong tile from the side of the table and flicked it out.

call out--

The playing card, worth one coin, pierced straight into Boss Tian's throat, and blood gushed out.

Clang!

The large cleaver slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

Old Tian clutched his neck, stared wide-eyed, and collapsed.

The remaining second and third brothers looked terrified, but dared not shout, for fear of bringing disaster upon themselves.

"What is your relationship with the Liu family and the Black Eel Army in the provincial capital? What other plans do you have against the Huo family martial arts school?"

After killing the man, the young man asked casually.

"It's Boss Tian. He has connections to get his hands on foreigners' porcelain shards, and through that, he got involved with a purchasing manager in the Liu family. I... I don't know him."

The bearded man, sweating profusely, hurriedly explained.

"As for the Black Eel Army, it was only through the matchmaking of the Liu family steward. In reality, how could our Sanhe Gang have the ability to befriend the stationed army?"

"Senior Wang... you are a magnanimous man, please spare my life! This was all Boss Tian's idea. He wanted to find someone with high martial arts skills to work for him and make money in this business, so he chose Master Huo! His wife and children are in town, easy to... easy to manipulate..."

"Boss Tian's idea has nothing to do with you."

Wang Xi nodded.

Just as the bearded man breathed a sigh of relief, he saw the other man pick up a die from the table.

His expression suddenly changed.

puff!
The next second, a bloody hole appeared on the bearded man's forehead, and he fell backward with a thud.

"The five virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness have all been lost."

Wang Xi sighed softly, toying with a box of matches that a gambler had left on the table.

"A person who does not uphold the five virtues is not worthy of being called a human being, and has no reason to live in this world."

"..."

Liang Tao was drenched in cold sweat and trembling all over.

He was almost certain in his heart that the young man before him was no ordinary person; a single card or a single die in his hands was a deadly weapon.

Who knows if the box of matches the other person is playing with will become the very thing that takes their life?

"Lord Dingxian!"

Liang Tao fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead hitting the stone slab hard. He trembled all over, tears streaming down his face.

“I confess! The plan against Huo Mingchuan was my idea for Brother Tian! He saved my life back then, and I, Liang Tao, swore a solemn oath that I would go through fire and water for him for the rest of my life!”

"Immortal, have mercy! I only beg you to grant me a quick death and let me go down to keep my elder brother company!"

"A deeply moving display of brotherly love."

Wang Xi nodded.

He struck a match, and the flame flickered.

Liang Tao couldn't help but look up, his pupils shrinking sharply. The young man flicked his index finger, pulling the flame into the air, where it suddenly rose into a millstone-sized fiery demon face, grinning menacingly at him.

"Since you're so sincere, I'll grant your wish."

Wang Xisen said.

Liang Tao gasped and scrambled backward.

"I thought you were really fearless."

Wang Xi waved his hand to disperse the fiery ghost face and said sarcastically.

"A little bit clever, but not much."

"Master Dingxian..."

Liang Tao's expression changed several times before he finally managed a bitter smile and a sigh.

His eyes dimmed; he knew he had no way out.

But then the young man said:
"Your Sanhe Gang has been committing all sorts of evil deeds in Qingwei Town over the years, you must have made quite a bit of money, right?"

Upon hearing this, Liang Tao was first taken aback, then his face lit up with ecstasy.

"Yes! Yes! Boss Tian has hidden most of his wealth in this gambling den!"

Wang Xi waved his hand.

Liang Tao immediately understood, jumped up, and ran upstairs.

A moment later, he came down carrying an iron box and respectfully placed it on the table next to the young man.

Upon opening the box, one finds some banknotes and silver dollars, as well as two small yellow croakers, each about the size of a finger.

"Here you have 200 yuan of Chen Guobao banknotes, 60 silver dollars, and 2 small yellow croakers."

Liang Tao said respectfully.

Wang Xi had previously inquired with his junior sister about silver dollars, which were commonly known as "big money" and had extremely strong purchasing power. One silver dollar could be exchanged for more than 100 copper coins, commonly known as "small money" or "cash."

而1文钱可买糖粒子十颗、大饼油条各一件、生梨两枚、马蹄两串……至于其它吃食，酒酿圆子2文、洋汽水2文、煎豆腐2文、肉面4文。

This shows that silver dollars were a large-value currency in the hands of the people.

The money in this iron box was a huge sum of money.

(End of this chapter)