He obtained the God of All Laws from human skin.

Chapter 2 Iron Hand Gang and Zhou Bapi

After leaving the alley,

Qin Chuan hurried along the street and came into view a cluster of low, dilapidated houses.

This is where the beggars of Qinghe County gather in the west of the town; it's called a "gathering place" because...

It was just a few abandoned houses that no one wanted, leaking wind and rain, but it was still better than sleeping on the street.

Qin Chuan pushed open the crooked wooden door and went inside.

In the very center of the main room, a man with slanted eyes stood there, holding a long whip in his hand.

At that moment, the whip was lashing the back of a little beggar, one stroke at a time.

The little beggar looked to be no more than ten years old, as thin as a stick, lying on the ground.

With each flick of his wrist, the slanted-eyed man cursed, "Serves you right for being lazy! Serves you right for being lazy! You haven't paid a single penny for days. Do you think I'm a charity?"

The little beggar's tattered clothes had been whipped to shreds, revealing raw, bloody wounds. He was now begging for mercy: "Master Zhou, please stop hitting me, please stop hitting me. I'll definitely be able to beg for my money tomorrow."

The beggars around him shrank their necks and lowered their heads, not daring to even glance at him.

Qin Chuan stood at the door, watching this scene expressionlessly, but a strange feeling welled up inside him.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen something like this.

All the beggars in this area of ​​the west of the city are controlled by a gang called the "Iron Hand Gang".

The gang leader's surname is Ma, and his nickname is "Ma the King of Hell." He is a ruthless character.

A few years ago, he gathered a gang of thugs and hooligans, took over all the beggar territory in the west of the city, and established rules.

All beggars who beg in his territory must hand over at least three copper coins every day.

If you still can't get enough, figure out a way yourself.

Whether it's stealing, robbing, or even selling blood or flesh, I have to scrape together those three coins.

This man with slanted eyes was a minor leader under Ma Yanwang.

His surname was Zhou, and everyone secretly called him "Zhou the Skinflint".

He was specifically responsible for managing dozens of beggars in this area, and he would come to collect money every evening, not a single penny less.

If they don't pay for one day, they won't be given food for the next three days. If they don't pay for two days, this is what will happen to the little beggar in front of you.

Zhou Bapi never hesitated to beat people. Ten lashes were the minimum, and twenty lashes were common. When he was in a bad mood, he could beat a teenager so badly that there wasn't a single patch of good skin left on his back.

Every few days, people were beaten in this dilapidated house. Some were beaten so badly that they couldn't get out of bed and had to beg while dragging their wounds. Some had their wounds fester and developed high fevers, and died within three to five days. Even worse, some were beaten to death and Zhou Bapi had them thrown into a mass grave outside the city, without even a straw mat.

"Snapped!"

After a few more lashes, the little beggar who had been beaten lay motionless on the ground.

Zhou Bapi sneered, and then put away his whip.

He swept his gaze across the room, his eyes sinister like a venomous snake. "Listen up, all of you. The gang's rules are the rules. Not a penny less, no exceptions. Anyone who can't pay up!"

He brandished the whip in his hand, not finishing his sentence, but the meaning couldn't be clearer.

The room was deathly silent; no one dared to speak.

Seeing this, Zhou Bapi nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Qin Chuan, who had just entered the room.

"You're so late, you didn't even get a single penny, did you?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan walked up to Zhou Bapi, bent down, took out five copper coins from his pocket, and neatly placed them on the broken wooden table next to him.

"Mr. Zhou, I'm sorry I'm late and have kept you in the dark."

Qin Chuan's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, carrying just the right amount of respect.

"Hmm." Seeing the five copper coins on the table, Zhou Bapi snorted and nodded in satisfaction.

He reached into his sleeve, took the copper coin, then patted Qin Chuan on the shoulder and said,

"I remember you, kid. You know the rules best. Don't worry, if the gang ever needs to recruit, I'll definitely recommend you first."

Upon hearing this, a new message appeared on Qin Chuan's system panel.

[New career information obtained - Thug]

[Job entry requirements: Gain Zhou Bapi's approval and successfully join the Iron Hand Gang.]

Looking at the system panel messages, Qin Chuan's expression remained unchanged.

He had seen this news several times during this period.

When Qin Chuan first saw this news, he was excited for a while.

He thought he could finally shed his beggar identity and step into a new profession.

But he later discovered that getting started in the profession wasn't that simple.

The words that Zhou Bapi uttered were like farts; they didn't count at all.

"If the gang needs to recruit more people in the future," Zhou Bapi said this to at least five or six beggar children.

That so-called "recommendation" was nothing more than a casual remark by Zhou Bapi, meant to fool these beggars into paying more coins and putting in more effort.

Qin Chuan had long since given up hope for this.

He lowered his eyelids, turned off the panel, and without revealing a word on his face, cupped his hands in thanks to Zhou Bapi: "Thank you, Master Zhou."

Zhou Bapi waved his hand and swaggered out.

Only when the footsteps were completely out of earshot did everyone in the room breathe a long sigh of relief.

There was a moment of silence in the room.

Seeing that the little beggar was still lying on the ground, someone called out a few times, but received no response.

When Qin Chuan got closer, he saw that the little beggar was covered in blood, his eyes were half open, his pupils were unfocused, and he was completely unconscious.

Qin Chuan reached out and checked his breath; there was no breathing, no heartbeat.

died.

He was whipped to death by Zhou Bapi.

Qin Chuan squatted beside the corpse, clenching his fists.

To be honest, he wasn't familiar with this little beggar, and didn't even know his name.

But looking at the scene before him, he felt inexplicably choked up.

"What should we do?" the little beggar next to him asked timidly.

Qin Chuan was silent for a moment, then stood up: "Find a tattered mat and carry him to the mass grave."

"Now? So late?"

"What else? Stay here and rot?" Qin Chuan glanced at everyone. "Who's coming with me?"

The surrounding beggars hesitated for a moment, and finally an older beggar stepped forward.

Qin Chuan was somewhat familiar with this man because Zhou Bapi had broken his leg, so everyone called him Wang the Cripple.

Qin Chuan found a tattered straw mat, wrapped the little beggar's body in it, and carried it out with Wang the Cripple.

......

The road leading from the west of the city to the mass grave was a dirt road.

Qin Chuan carried the corpse by its feet and walked in front, with Wang the Cripple following behind, limping.

Neither of them spoke; only the sounds of footsteps and heavy breathing echoed in the night.

Upon arriving at the mass grave, the stench of decay assaulted our senses, a mixture of damp earth and rotting vegetation.

This was a wasteland, littered with crooked mounds of earth, scattered fragments of wooden planks, and bones—whether animal or human—scattered in the grass.

Wang the Cripple put the straw mat down on the ground, panting heavily, and said, "This will do. Just put it down anywhere."

Qin Chuan remained silent, glancing at the thin, bloodless face hidden in the straw mat.

He had been living under the same roof as the little beggar for a while, but he didn't even know the other's name.

No one cared when they were alive, so they shouldn't just be thrown away like that after they die.

"Since we're already here, let's find a soft spot and bury him." Qin Chuan stood up, glanced around, and said, "We can't let him get eaten by wild dogs."

Wang the Cripple opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just sighed.

Qin Chuan looked around and suddenly noticed a large pit not far away. Half of the pit's edge had collapsed, and inside were scattered several rotten wooden planks and a few half-buried bones.

Judging from its appearance, it was probably an old grave that was later dug up by some person or animal, with the coffin lid exposed.

Qin Chuan walked over, stood by the pit for a moment, then turned around and bowed towards the pit, saying in a low voice, "Senior, I apologize for using this precious place of yours today. In return, I will help you gather up the scattered bones and rebury them."

After saying that, he bowed again and then called to Wang the Cripple, "Let's leave it here, so we don't have to dig anymore."

Wang the Cripple nodded, and the two of them bent down, lifted the little beggar's body out of the straw mat, and carefully placed it into the pit.

However, the moment the body hit the ground, the rotten wooden planks underneath could not withstand the weight.

With a crisp "crack," the wooden plank collapsed, and the body, along with pieces of wood, fell downwards.

It was at this moment that

A grayish-yellow figure suddenly sprang out from the collapsed hole!