Chapter 5: The Underworld

After leaving Shanghang Mountain and passing through Jiaoling, Mu Lin arrived in Meizhou. He traveled along the Luofu Mountains for scholarly pursuits. Luofu Mountain, located in the northwest of Boluo County on the banks of the Dongjiang River, spans across Boluo, Longmen, and Zengcheng counties. It has long been known as the “Penglai Fairyland,” with numerous stone chambers and caves dotting the landscape.

During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Xiao Yu introduced Buddhism to the mountain. At its peak, Luofu Mountain was home to nine Taoist temples, eighteen Buddhist monasteries, and twenty-two nunneries. Along the banks of Bailian Lake, crossing the Fairy Bridge and passing through ancient woods with towering trees, one would arrive at Chongxu Taoist Temple. Facing south, the temple’s halls are nestled among cypresses and pines.

The temple was originally constructed during the Eastern Jin Dynasty by the Taoist scholar Ge Hong, who established the sacred sites of Taoism in the east, south, and west of the mountain. Chongxu Temple is known as the Seventh Heaven and the Thirty-First Blessed Land. Legend has it that the Huanglong Cave in Hangzhou’s West Lake and the Wong Tai Sin Temple in Hong Kong both originated as offshoots of Chongxu Temple.

With a headache and dragging along the two sisters like a tail, Mu Lin completed his scholarly journey through all the Taoist “Ten Great Caverns,” “Thirty-Six Minor Caverns,” and “Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.” Naturally, he had also collected quite a few treasures along the way.

After meeting all his teachers and seeing that they were doing well, Mu Lin decided not to disturb them. He had completed his goal of scholarly travel, but failed to achieve his objective of interacting with current cultivators. Not only did he fail to meet any cultivators, but even those with achievements were rare. He only encountered a number of martial artists, whose skills were limited.

This made him wonder what had happened to the cultivators in the world today. All the caves he had visited were either abandoned by cultivators who had ascended or were inhabited by those who had died before reaching the Foundation Building stage. The medicinal herbs and rare plants in these sacred places were all over 300 years old, indicating that these places had been deserted by cultivators for at least three centuries. It was strange! Unable to figure it out, he stopped thinking about it and focused instead on organizing what he had learned on his journey—ha ha…

Thus, Mu Lin leisurely made his way to Guangzhou, trading herbs, curing illnesses, and collecting rare treasures along the way.

By the end of 1983, China had begun issuing national identity cards, so Mu Lin reluctantly rented a house in Xiaotang Village on the outskirts with the two sisters. Now, he needed to think about what to do next.

The two sisters had already started calling him “big brother,” especially Meizi, who now followed him everywhere, afraid he would abandon them. After becoming closer, every time they stayed at a guesthouse, the two thoughtful sisters would wash his clothes, bring him meals, fetch hot water for washing and brushing his teeth, and only after he had finished his evening routine would they return to their own room to sleep. Their devotion made it impossible for him to send them away to a place he didn’t know well. They were like his own younger sisters, and he loved them dearly.

Returning home was out of the question—it was remote and isolated. Would the village head accept the two sisters? Besides, he wanted to visit the countries where his teachers had studied and lived. All these thoughts frustrated him. In a troubled mood, Mu Lin decided to take Meifang and Meizi out for a walk to clear their minds.

Noticing that the sisters were still wearing their old clothes, Mu Lin decided to take them shopping for new clothes. At the mention of buying clothes, the two sisters joyfully skipped along with Mu Lin.

As they walked down a quiet alley, Mu Lin noticed several cars parked outside a small house where a group of people were making a loud commotion. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he realized they were gambling on cricket fights, placing bets. He knew he had stumbled upon an illegal gambling den run by gangsters. Perfect—he was running low on money and could use a few wins. Mu Lin and the two sisters walked toward the house.

“What do you want?” Several guards at the door shouted in Cantonese, seeing a young man with two girls.

“Obviously, we’re here to place a few bets. Isn’t this the venue hosted by Brother Scorpion?” Mu Lin casually replied in Cantonese.

“Careful not to lose your little girlfriends too,” the guard sneered quietly.

“No problem, didn’t I bet hundreds last time?” Mu Lin replied lightly.

Upon entering, Mu Lin didn’t rush to place his bets. He first observed the scene. Around a large table inside, thirty to forty people were watching closely. Some held cricket jars, others held money. Behind the table stood two men with a pile of money in front of them. In a shared cricket jar, two crickets were fighting fiercely. Soon, one was defeated and was crushed under its owner’s foot while the winner chirped triumphantly.

Using his spiritual sense, Mu Lin scanned the crickets and found that some had been drugged. He smirked. There was even an old man with a magnifying glass and medicine—interesting.

Mu Lin didn’t care much about the difference between legal and illegal activities, as long as they didn’t involve robbery or murder. He believed everyone earned their living through their own skills, and he usually didn’t interfere.

Just like now, Mu Lin placed his bets. If they didn’t use drugs, he bet on the stronger one; if they did, he bet on the drugged one. Soon, most of the tens of thousands of yuan ended up in his pocket. But he always pocketed his winnings quickly, remembering the rule that wealth shouldn’t be flaunted. He won more than the gamblers running the game.

After all, the gamblers couldn’t be completely wiped out—they had to be left with some money to continue the game for future profits. As the game ended, Mu Lin prepared to leave with the two sisters, who were still excited.

“Wait a moment, young friend!” a voice called out.

Mu Lin stopped. “What is it?”

“May I ask which group you belong to?” the old man asked.

“What group? I just walked here from the street!” Mu Lin pretended to be confused.

The old man, experienced and shrewd, had been watching Mu Lin closely. Since Mu Lin hadn’t disrupted the gambling rules, the old man wanted to test him. But Mu Lin didn’t take the bait.

The old man asked again, “Who introduced you here?”

“No one. My friends and I were walking on the street when we heard about the gambling. They weren’t interested and left us behind,” Mu Lin continued to feign ignorance.

“Do you at least know the rules here?”

“What rules?”

“Heh heh!” The old man sneered slightly. “The rule is that you haven’t paid the entry fee.” Several large men behind him surrounded them.

Meizi’s face turned pale, her eyes filled with tears as she tightly clutched Mu Lin’s clothes. Meifang was also visibly nervous. It seemed the memory of their mother’s death had deeply scarred them.

Pulling the two sisters into his arms, Mu Lin asked with a trembling voice, “But others didn’t pay either, right?”

“They paid last time,” one of the large men replied.

“How much do I need to pay then?”

“Just ten thousand!” the old man answered.

“But I only won three thousand. Where would I get that much money?” Mu Lin continued to tease the old man.

The old man’s estimation was correct—Mu Lin had actually won over twenty thousand yuan. Therefore, the old man only asked for half to recover some losses. Although it broke the rules, looking at the three “lambs” in front of him, he thought, “Why not take advantage of them?”

“Search him!” the old man ordered.

Several large men searched Mu Lin and found a pile of cash and treasury bonds. Since there were no hundred-yuan notes at the time, three thousand yuan was a considerable amount. The rest was hidden in his ring.

After a rough count, the old man was furious. “We misjudged him!”

“Is that all?” he asked.

“That’s all!” the large man answered.

Since the rules were already broken, the old man decided to go all out. If this kid went around telling others, his reputation would be ruined, he thought.

“You go back and get the money. If you don’t come back this afternoon, we’ll sell your two sisters to Hong Kong to pay the debt. And don’t even think about calling the police, or we’ll kill your whole family!” the old man threatened viciously.

“Wah!” Meizi finally burst into tears. “Brother! Don’t sell us away. I and my sister will cook for you and wash your clothes. We’ll take good care of you. Please don’t sell us away!”

Seeing both sisters crying, Mu Lin thought, “Oh no, I went too far! Once these little girls find out the truth, they’ll never let me go.”

“Hey! Old man, you broke the rules and scared my sisters. Quick, give me ten thousand yuan as compensation!” Mu Lin shouted at the old man while extending his hand.

“Oh no! He knows the rules! Our total win was over ten thousand, and he wants ten thousand. That’s my first thought,” the old man thought. “But I haven’t heard of any family around here with such kids. Could he be bluffing me?” That was his second thought.

The rules of the underworld also depend on who has the stronger backing. The old man’s backing was the leader of the Hong Kong Hung On Tong, and on the mainland, no one had such a strong force to challenge them. That was his third thought.

“Get him!” the old man waved his hand, and several of his men quickly surrounded them, ready to capture the three.

“Hehe! Old man, you dare to lay hands on me. You’re doomed!” Mu Lin said while kicking several men with one leg, sending them flying to the side, clutching their stomachs and unable to move.

Seeing this, the old man was terrified. He turned to run but was kicked in the stomach by Mu Lin and fell to the ground.

“Hehe! Good sisters, your brother was just playing with them. Don’t cry, come on, wipe your tears. You are your brother’s sisters. How could your brother ever abandon you? Even if I have to sell myself, I won’t sell you two. Hehe,” Mu Lin finally managed to calm the two sisters.

Turning around, he walked toward the several men who were unable to move, and started taking their money and belongings. “Hmm, this magnifying glass is nice. I’ll take it. Oh, this rifle is nice too. And this pistol, they’re mine. What’s this? Tigers and leopards? Taming beasts? What the hell, I don’t want it.”

Thus, while talking, Mu Lin searched them one by one. After finishing, he said to them, “Your stomachs hurt a lot? I didn’t use much force. Well, I’ll help you treat it. Aren’t you going to thank me?”

Mu Lin considered himself a scholarly student and thus referred to himself as “Master,” which made the several men furious, but they could only glare at him in silence.

“Not talking? Well, since you’re not, I’ll treat you for free to avoid any aftereffects blaming me.”

Mu Lin said, taking out a small bottle. He pinched their cheeks and quickly fed each one a pill, then looked at the bottle and muttered softly, “Oops, I took the wrong one. But it’s okay, let’s see if it can test another treatment method.”

Then he sat on a chair and watched the spoils with Meizi. The child’s temper comes quickly and goes quickly. Now, she was chatting and laughing with Mu Lin, dividing up the loot.

“Brother, this gun is mine, the magnifying glass is yours, and the rifle is for my sister!”

“No way, little master. Playing with a gun will get you caught by the police.”

“No, no, no!” Meizi insisted, and Mu Lin was so anxious he scratched his head and ears. Meifang smiled, and Mu Lin secretly looked at her and smiled too, finally feeling relieved.

“How about this? The magnifying glass is yours. Look, there’s a small button here. Press it, and it will spray something. I’ll give you some sleeping pills. If anyone bullies you in the future, you can spray it on them, and they’ll fall down. I’ll also give you some money to buy clothes for you and your sister. Is that okay?”

The people on the ground heard this and thought, “What? They already knew about these things. How unlucky we are today to meet this little master.”

After a while, everyone’s stomachs started to swell. Soon, their bellies were as big as a seven-month pregnant woman’s. They were terrified that their stomachs would burst and finally couldn’t bear it anymore, shouting in a chorus, “Master, have mercy!” “We were wrong! Have mercy!”

“Ah, what use is your life to me? I’m treating you. Just now, you were injured, and your intestines were stuck together. Only by inflating your stomachs can I treat you properly. These days, it’s hard to be a good person!” Mu Lin said while kicking each of their stomachs a few more times. Then he took out another bottle of medicine, pinched their cheeks, and fed each one another pill.

“Hey! Do you know how expensive my medicine is? Today, I took your money as the medicine fee. I didn’t rob you; you robbed me. I was just defending myself and even treated you. It’s better to resolve enmity than to nurture it. So, we should consider this a case of getting to know each other through conflict. If you get sick in the future, be my friends! I’ll give you cheap treatment.”

The two sisters couldn’t help but burst into laughter. “Is it that funny? I’m just telling the truth. You were crying just now, and now you dare to laugh at your brother! Hehe, don’t laugh so hard that you rupture your intestines and need me to treat you again.”

Upon hearing this, the two sisters immediately covered their mouths and tried to look serious. Joking aside, who would dare to let this brother treat them after seeing how terrifying his treatment was!

At this time, the several men on the ground stood up, each one full of energy and with glowing faces. Mu Lin looked at them and said, “Not bad! At least I didn’t lose face.”

The old man approached Mu Lin respectfully and said, “Master, may I ask if you are Master Mu Lin?”