Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

In the sixth year of the Yuanfeng era of the Northern Song Dynasty, Teng County, Jingxi East Circuit.

In February, the newly green willow branches sway in the wind. Although it is breakfast time, wisps of smoke are already rising in Teng County, and the sounds of people can be faintly heard.

"Little beggar, catch!"

Half a hard, dry steamed bun was smashed onto Gao Yuan's face. He immediately stuffed it into his mouth, and you could clearly see the wriggling as his throat moved.

A copper coin rolled down in front of the little beggar, its color unusually bluish-green in the sunlight. Gao Yuan tucked it into his pocket and slowly sat down against the wall.

The slight feeling of fullness calmed the rumbling in my stomach.

His memories of his past life were like a tangled mess; he knew he couldn't go back. He had been living this way for over ten days now.

It's absurd to think that a college student could wake up one day and be reborn into the body of a thirteen or fourteen-year-old beggar.

He sniffed the air; it smelled of wontons, mutton, and sesame seed cakes.

"Brother Yuan, are the beggars in Xuzhou much more comfortable than us? I heard they eat the leftovers from the officials of Baifanlou."

The scarred beggar, sitting on the bluestone slab, imitated Gao Yuan, sticking out his nose to smell the aroma of food in the air, filled with longing.

"Why bother thinking such unrealistic things? Do you think we can go to the taverns in the prefecture? Without the Beggars' Sect's identity, let alone legitimate restaurants, even foot inns won't give us a bite to eat. Let's figure out how to fill our stomachs first."

His stomach started rumbling again, so Gao Yuan simply closed his eyes and stopped talking.

Since his rebirth, the term he heard most often from the beggars in Teng County was "Beggar Gang".

At first, he thought the so-called "Beggars' Gang" was just a general term, until he heard the name "Wang Jiantong" from a beggar during a casual conversation.

He finally realized that he had been reborn into "Jin Yong's Tianlong World".

He only vaguely remembered the plot of Tian Long Ba Bu.

Based on the analysis that Wang Jiantong is still the leader of the Beggars' Sect, it should be quite early before the story begins.

However, the exact amount of time earlier remains unknown.

Gao Yuan didn't have the energy to delve deeper; the "martial arts dream" was too far away for him.

It was too far off for him, at least for someone who was starving.

The most important issue right now is... survival.

For those born in the new society and raised in the spring breeze, life in the Northern Song Dynasty was exceptionally harsh.

The Northern Song Dynasty's economy was indeed at its peak in feudal society, but its prosperity was only open to the upper class, while ordinary people still lived in a living hell.

Political corruption, official greed, and bureaucratic darkness, coupled with the oppressive weight of corvée labor, miscellaneous duties, and military service, made it difficult for people to breathe.

Uprisings broke out one after another. While it's not accurate to say that bones were left floating in the fields, the fighting among bandits certainly resulted in heads hanging from horses!

Key medical resources are scarce.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, where there were no antibiotics or vaccines, even a seemingly minor illness could cost him his life.

Some time ago, he caught a cold. If he hadn't been lucky enough to receive free medical treatment at "Zhizhentang", he probably would have passed away again.

"call!"

Thinking of this, Gao Yuan couldn't help but sigh. It seemed that from now on, he would never be able to enjoy beer, soft drinks, hot pot, air conditioning, sofas, or big watermelons again...

Hmm, thinking about the female technicians in Bubble Forest... sigh!

Tears flowed down my face.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Gao Yuan touched the jade pendant hanging around his neck, a look of disappointment on his face.

The jade pendant was something his predecessor had worn since childhood. It was small and exquisite, about an inch long, and had the effect of clearing the mind and calming the spirit.

Apart from that, Gao Yuan studied the jade plaque for a long time but found no other extraordinary features.

For those who practice martial arts, the jade tablet alone is a treasure of the martial arts world because of its effect of clearing the mind and eliminating distracting thoughts, thus stabilizing the mind. There is absolutely no need to worry about the mind becoming possessed by demons during practice, which could lead to stagnation of qi in the heart meridian.

But for Gao Yuan, a beggar with no connections, the jade pendant would be quite useless if he didn't embark on the path of martial arts training...

It is a pity that it is tasteless.

Martial arts are not something he can learn at will. In Jin Yong's martial arts world, martial arts manuals are not commonplace.

Let alone top-tier or first-rate secret manuals, even ordinary third- or fourth-rate manuals are considered "family heirlooms" and are not to be touched by ordinary people.

Apart from those from prestigious and legitimate schools, the vast majority of martial arts practitioners still follow a crude and rudimentary style of physical training.

As for going to Langhuan Paradise or Leigu Mountain to find Wuyazi, that's just wishful thinking.

Based solely on a few brief notes in the original text, how could it have roamed freely across the vast territory of the Northern Song Dynasty?

Putting aside the issue of public verification, this is simply courting disaster.

After examining the jade pendant for a while, Gao Yuan felt a slight pang of regret.

"According to the beggars of Teng County, they are not considered members of the 'Beggars' Gang.' The Beggars' Gang only has branches in prefectures and states within the Song Dynasty, and some in larger counties, but in remote places like Teng County, they would not set up a base at all."

"In any prefecture, state, or county with a local government office, it's impossible for beggars to join the Beggars' Sect without the introduction of a Beggars' Sect member. The Beggars' Sect isn't a charitable organization that accepts just any beggar."

"Li Pianbi, a disciple of the Beggars' Sect of Xuzhou."

Thinking of the beggar leader in the dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the county, Gao Yuan's eyelids twitched, and then he felt a pang of heartache.

Li Pianbi, Li Pianbi, if you read it backwards, doesn't it just mean "I will definitely deceive you"?

The ten or so copper coins that I painstakingly begged for were all embezzled by that scoundrel.

In my memory, a disheveled old man, dressed in tattered clothes, patted his chest and assured me:

"Don't worry, young brother. Everyone in Teng County knows my nickname. Once I've taken your money, I'll definitely recommend you to the Xuzhou branch."

Damn it, you liar!

……

As the sun rose high in the sky and the people who had eaten breakfast dispersed, the sounds of blacksmithing and hawking began to rise in Teng County, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

At first glance, the long-robed gentlemen, the hempen vendors, and the coarse cloth pedestrians seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.

With so many people, there were bound to be kind ones. A few copper coins, half a small steamed bun, and some pickled vegetables were enough to feed Gao Yuan and Little Scarface until they were half full.

The sun was shining brightly, and Gao Yuan was just about to take a short rest when he heard the sound of a gong being struck from ahead.

"Clang clang"

Wherever the patrolling yamen runners went, the crowds made way for them.

A yamen runner held up a portrait and shouted:

"You can all recognize this man, whose full name is Nine Wings. He is a heretic of the Fire Worship Cult. Anyone who finds his whereabouts will be rewarded with ten bolts of silk, and anyone who captures him will be rewarded with thirty bolts of silk."

"Those who do not wish to use silk can have it converted to forty strings of copper coins. This is to be clear from the outset, but anyone who conceals this will be punished as an accomplice if discovered!"

"Forty strings of cash?!"

Many people in the crowd gasped and craned their necks to look.

"What evil thing did he do?"

"Have you forgotten the case of the Xu family's 13 members being murdered a while ago?"

"Hiss... A major case!"

Gao Yuan recalled that a few days ago, he had joined in the fun and squeezed into the crowd because of his small size, only to be stunned by the scene in front of him.

Dozens of corpses lay neatly arranged outside the Xu family's gate.

From the oldest to the youngest, from men to women, they were all members of the Xu family! The youngest sister of the Xu family was lying in the middle of the third row.

Looking at the corpse of Xu's little sister, who was only seven or eight years old and had once fed him, Gao Yuan remained silent. On the way back, he thought about many things.

In reality, he only felt regret and astonishment towards the Xu family.

But for some reason, whenever he saw Xu's younger sister's body, he always felt a tightness in his chest.

I can't help but think of a sentence: How could a person be so... utterly depraved!

Gao Yuan took a deep breath, glanced at the criminal in the portrait, and inexplicably began to feel irritated.

He squeezed the jade pendant, and a cool sensation came over him, instantly calming his mind once again.

Catching a murderer is no joke, especially in the world of martial arts, where a slight mistake can lead to death.

After a day of begging, as the sun began to set, the grass market came to an end, and the bustling long street finally began to close, with only a few vendors remaining.

"Brother Yuan, I'm going home now. You'll be begging alone from now on. Spring has arrived, and my family will be starting to plow and plant millet in the coming days, so I can't stay with you."

Unlike Gao Yuan, the scarred-faced beggar was not considered homeless.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, apart from ordinary idle beggars and beggars who called themselves members of the Beggars' Sect, beggars like Xiao Ba Lian could only be considered "part-time".

The so-called "part-time job" is, to put it bluntly, something that happens during "famine years" or even "disaster years" when crops are bad, there is no food at home, and people are forced to beg.

Once the busy farming season begins again, they will return home to do farm work.

If the crops grow well the following year, they generally won't go out begging anymore.

Seeing the little scarred face hesitate to speak, Gao Yuan shook his head to indicate that everything was alright; he knew the little beggar was worried about him.

Life in the county is far safer than in the suburbs, where there are countless wolves, tigers, leopards, bandits, and strongmen.

"Sanlang, you should go back now. I'll find time to play with you again."

After comforting Little Scarface, Gao Yuan turned and left. Sanlang was worried about his safety, but he was considerate of others and simply said that he was fine.

It wasn't that he was trying to avoid staying in the county, but Teng County had a curfew at night, and if a beggar slept on the street, he was likely to be arrested and imprisoned.

Before nightfall, he had to go to a dilapidated temple about four or five miles outside the county.

Although Li Pianbi was a scoundrel, he wasn't a bad person at heart.

As one of the leading beggars in Teng County, he did not ask other beggars for "tribute," as having a place to stay was better than sleeping in the wilderness.

The only downside is that while Li Gantou won't actively demand tributes, if you're tricked into handing them over voluntarily, there's no way to reason with him.

For example, right now... Gao Yuan!

When Gao Yuan left the Changjie Grass Market, there were basically no vendors left on the street.

As they exited the county gate, they happened to encounter three men dressed as Tibetan merchants leading white camels into the county for a meal.

At this time, the relationship between Song and Tubo was relatively peaceful, and the occasional appearance of Tubo people was not surprising to everyone.

As he passed them, his eyelids twitched.

With thick, muscular arms and a swift stride, the three Tibetan men were as robust as calves compared to the Song people of Teng County, inspiring awe in all who beheld them.

"Tibetans? How come they're all so strong and robust?"

……