Zhuang Zhou's Dream of the Butterfly, Butterfly Dream of Zhuang Zhou.
After a dizzying whirl, Shen Hex awoke.
So cold!
So hungry!
This was Shen Hex's first feeling upon waking.
His icy hands and feet, a weak body, and unbearable hunger consumed him, blurring his vision and ringing his ears, nearly causing him to black out again.
But he persisted, sitting on the ground to catch his breath. Once he regained some composure, he looked around and saw snow and frost everywhere, blanketing all in a silver pallor, hinting at the harshness of winter.
Looking down at himself, he found himself huddled in the corner of an alley, gradually being buried by the swirling snow. He wore a tattered linen garment, so filthy and stained that its original color was unrecognizable—black and foul-smelling, enough to nauseate, but at that moment, it was his only warmth.
At the same time, memories surged in his mind, quickly assimilated by him.
Zhuang Zhou's Dream of the Butterfly, Butterfly Dream of Zhuang Zhou; he had succeeded in traversing to this world.
He had crossed into the body of a little beggar, of unknown age and without a formal name, known only to others as Gouwa, surviving by begging in Hejian Prefecture.
Though he was prepared mentally, Shen Hex couldn't help but frown at such a start.
As a beggar, Gouwa's situation was dire; long-term hunger left his body extremely frail, truly skin and bones. Without Shen Hex's arrival, he might have already perished from cold and hunger.
Although he now inhabited the body, the situation hadn't improved much; the hunger and cold remained pressing, with inadequate clothing and food. If this continued, death was just a matter of time.
He couldn't sit and wait for death!
Clenching his teeth, Shen Hex forced himself to stand, only to experience another dizzy spell, ears buzzing constantly, while his entire body protested. He leaned against the wall for a while before he could barely recover, taking difficult steps to depart.
It was now evening; heavy snow fell, and there were few passersby, making it hard to beg for anything, with the danger of freezing to death instead.
Thus, he had to return.
Stumbling with difficulty, he finally arrived at a rundown house in the city's west, after what felt like an eternity.
Inside the ruin, a bonfire burned, dispelling some of the intense cold. Around the fire sat several people, evidently beggars too, but significantly larger in stature, and their clothes weren't as thin. At the moment, they clustered around the fire, toasting several coarse bread cakes.
The aroma of the cakes wafted into Shen Hex's nose under the flames, wildly provoking his senses, yet he dared not act rashly. He could only stagger into the temple, approaching the beggars with a hoarse voice, calling, "Third Brother!"
"Hmm!?"
Among them, the tallest beggar, with two burlap sacks at his waist, lifted his head to glance at him, then snorted, "Couldn't get anything again?"
Shen Hex said nothing, only bowed his head, shivering, eyes fixed on the bread in the man's hands, swallowing continuously.
"Damn you!"
His actions angered one of the beggars, who grabbed a bamboo whip and lashed out, "How many times now? Are you hiding goods behind our backs to fool Third Brother?"
"No, it was too cold, couldn't get anything!"
Shen Hex weakly defended, while instinctively curling up on the ground, hugging his head.
"How dare you talk back!"
The beggar didn't relent, continuing to lash at him with the whip.
On the ground, Shen Hex curled up, enduring the blows, clenching his teeth.
Wherever there are people, there will be Jianghu, and beggars are no exception.
The Beggar Gang is the beggars' Jianghu!
Don't think being a beggar is simple, just sitting with a stick and bowl for food and money; the world isn't that easy.
Even jobs like night soil collection lead to gang rule, so why wouldn't beggary, with low cost and high profit, breed Beggar Lords?
Beggar Lords are inevitable!
This group was such, led by Zhou San, a Second-Grade Disciple of the Beggar Gang, with others as First-Grade Disciples, forming a gang, controlling dozens of beggars, including Shen Hex's former self, "Gouwa".
Beggars under their control must hand over their day's takings, with no sneaky hoarding, or face beatings or even death—exploited to the extreme.
Thanks to Shen Hex and others, this group of Beggar Lords lived well, and Zhou San even practiced martial arts, hopeful to rise to Third-Grade Disciple.
If given a choice, Shen Hex certainly wouldn't endure humiliation and oppression from these Beggar Lords.
Yet he had no choice; pre-travel research and Gouwa's memories proved that beggars couldn't escape Beggar Gang control.
It's not that these Beggar Chiefs were all-powerful, but due to era limitations.
In this era, commoners needed a Travel Permit to move; without it, they were faceless, either imprisoned by government officers for labor or controlled and exploited by gangs like the Beggar Gang.
Even if he escaped Zhou San's grasp, elsewhere he'd meet more Beggars Lords, facing unchanged circumstances and new risks, possibly dying alone.
So, escape was impossible; his body couldn't manage two miles before collapsing at the roadside.
He had only one chance at traversal; despite the awful start, he couldn't give up easily.
Returning to this ruin meant enduring Beggar Lord abuse, but at least not beaten to death, and gaining shelter from the storm, preserving life.
Patience moves great plans; what's a single beating?
A gentleman's revenge won't be late, even in ten years!
The Beggar Lord whipped him thoroughly, yet Shen Hex still feigned weakness, wailing in pain.
"Enough!"
Seeing this, Zhou San finally ordered the Beggar Lord to stop, then stepped forward, grabbing Shen Hex's hair and lifting him face to face, foul breath spewing from yellowed teeth, "I'll let it slide this time, next time don't blame me!"
With that, Zhou San threw Shen Hex to the ground, tossing him a coarse bread cake.
"Thank you, Third Brother! Thank you, Third Brother!"
Shen Hex grabbed the flatbread, repeatedly thanking him, then shrank to the side and gobbled it up.
"Humph!"
Zhou San sneered, sat down, and no longer looked at him.
Engage with both kindness and severity!
As an old Beggar Chief, he was quite proficient at this, playing both good and bad cop with others, keeping dozens of beggars in line under his command. Some even felt grateful, making his position as Beggar Chief as steady as Mount Tai.
Shen Hex huddled on the side, swallowed the coarse flatbread in a few bites, then carefully took his broken bowl and scooped a bowl of hot water from a broken pot propped inside, pouring it into his unsatisfied body, barely expelling the terrifying cold from his system.
He survived!
These Beggar Lords, though vicious, would try to preserve their beggars, as every beggar was like a hen laying eggs for them.
Thus, Zhou San was willing to toss him a life-saving piece of bread.
But that's the extent of it.
The harsh winter is tough to endure, and as food diminishes, these Beggar Lords' maintenance of their "property" will gradually fade, and such "kindness" won't last much longer.
In the memories of Gouwa, every year during this time, some beggars wouldn't make it through, but new beggars would soon fill in.
As for how to replenish, human trafficking was always the main business of the Beggar Gang.
Professional beggars often kidnapped women and children. Girls and attractive boys would be sold to brothels or sent to the "Joyful Forest" for their own enjoyment, while those of average appearance would be maimed to beg for mercy, thus profiting.
In Gouwa's blurry memory, he seemed to have been trafficked by a beggar. Luckily, his appearance was average, and he was fortunate not to be sent to a brothel or crippled.
He even felt somewhat grateful that Zhou San and the previous Beggar Lords had a decent life, occasionally going to the "Joyful Forest" to enjoy themselves without venting their beastly desires on the little beggars. Otherwise...
As Shen Hex sorted through memories, beggars gradually returned to the hut, many empty-handed.
This made Zhou San's expression very displeased, and several Beggar Lords began to beat the beggars who hadn't begged for food in days.
Shen Hex watched coldly, feeling even worse inside.
In the memories of Gouwa, under the current reign of the Emperor of the Great Song, Zhao Family officials preside over the court. The lives of common people weren't great, but not too shabby either. These beggars still managed to survive.
However, this year's heavy snowfall, greater than previous years, suggests a potential snow disaster, possibly leading to many losing their homes and joining the beggar ranks.
If it continues like this, forget beggars; even normal families might not survive the harsh winter, given how incredibly low their resilience is in this era.
Thus...
"Third Brother!"
As Shen Hex pondered, a beggar ran up to Zhou San, pointing at another beggar, saying, "Today a high-ranking official gave Heiwa lots of money."
"What!?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou San immediately stood up, casting a cold eye on a young beggar among them.
Under the gaze, the beggar named Heiwa turned deathly pale, trembling all over, looking at Zhou San and the informant with fear and helplessness.
Zhou San stepped forward, smiling, but to all the beggars, it appeared terrifyingly horrific: "Is it true, Heiwa?"
"Third Brother, I…I…"
Heiwa trembled, wanting to explain but unable to speak, finally only managed to pull out a few copper coins from his bosom, shakily handing them to Zhou San.
"Good, good, good!"
Zhou San took the copper coins, his smile widening, then suddenly kicked Heiwa, knocking him down.
"Beat him!"
At Zhou San's command, several Beggar Lords immediately rose and pummeled Heiwa without holding back, even hitting vital areas.
Heiwa lay on the ground, initially able to cry out but soon went silent.
Moments later, the beggars dispersed, leaving Heiwa lying there, body bent, blood trickling from his mouth and nose, trembling like a cooked shrimp, then finally falling limp, without a sound.
This scene terrified the beggars, as Zhou San stood in the center, tossing Heiwa's surrendered coins, coldly saying, "Who'd have thought someone would dare break my rules, Zhou San's. Fine, very fine!"
Upon hearing this, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.
"Humph!"
Zhou San snorted coldly, looked at the breathless Heiwa, and told the brutalizing Beggar Lords, "Throw this treacherous dog into the back alley. Anyone who dares to stash away in private will meet the same end!"
"Yes!"
The Beggar Lords grinned grimly, grabbing Heiwa's corpse and heading toward the back of the house.
Zhou San turned his gaze, looking at the snitching beggar, his face again showing a smile, throwing the flatbreads roasting on the fire to him: "Good lad, well done, here's your reward!"
"Thank you, Third Brother, thank you very much!"
The man received the flatbread, wolfing it down without a glance at the Heiwa he had condemned to death.
Shen Hex huddled silently in the corner, observing everything.
Even though the Beggar Lords and Beggar Chief have limited manpower and can't watch all beggars begging, they make beggars spy on each other. Anyone daring to stash away in private will surely be punished as a warning to others, like Heiwa.
In such an environment, how could he turn the tide?
Shen Hex frowned intensely.
At that moment...
"Job successful!"
"Tier One Profession activated - Beggar!"
"Gained Professional Talent - Begging for Mercy!"