The Beggar’s Staff of Lao Ba Chapter 24.1

Chapter 24

Part 1

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Having a cart was truly convenient. Wen Heng felt like a snail carrying all his belongings as he made his way along the official road toward the horizon. When wind and rain swept through, the three of them and the leopard would huddle on the cart, watching the storm outside. When the road turned muddy, Gouzi and Lian Wushang would jump down to push the cart together. When they came across a tree laden with wild fruit, they’d gather a bagful and munch on them as they walked.

 

Lian Wushang and Wen Heng weren’t big fans of Gouzi’s cooking, but they both enjoyed munching on fruits and such. Perhaps the only one feeling down was the leopard. He lay gloomily in the straw inside the cart every day, unwilling to look at the two idiots, Wen Heng and Lian Wushang.

 

The temperature gradually dropped, and the wild chrysanthemums by the roadside slowly withered. Yet when they’d left Xiaoyan Town, the wild chrysanthemums had been in full bloom. Wen Heng and the others had been traveling for over half a month now—though the main reason for the delay was Wen Heng’s slow pace, constantly stopping to play along the way.

 

Lian Wushang gradually recovered. By mealtimes, he could look at the dog’s food with a normal expression, occasionally pinching a roasted morsel to savor slowly. Only Baozi wore a numb expression, his gaze toward Lian Wushang and Wen Heng now utterly unruffled.

 

Thus they walked and played, pausing to rest during storms and setting off leisurely on sunny days. The group chatted and laughed. Though reduced to destitute beggars, they felt an extraordinary sense of ease and contentment.

 

After more than half a month, they finally reached the outskirts of Qingcheng Town. The town’s gate towers were truly immense! Doggie peered out from the cart, marveling at the gate as they approached. Just as they were about to enter… they were stopped.

 

The gate guard, wielding a long sword to block the entrance, demanded with an air of impartiality, “Show us your identity papers.” What were identity papers? Wen Heng and Gouzi exchanged bewildered glances. They were just little beggars.

 

“Do beggars need identity papers too?” Gouzi stammered. In his mind, Qingcheng Town and Xiaoyan Town should be pretty similar. Right, Xiaoyan Town didn’t even have city gates. Qingcheng Town was clearly more sophisticated than Xiaoyan Town.

 

“No identity documents, no entry. Even beggars must have identity documents.” The guard wouldn’t hear of it. If unidentified people slipped into the city and something went wrong, he’d be the one held accountable.

 

“So we’re all undocumented…” Wen Heng and Gouzi were dumbfounded. After pondering, Wen Heng bowed slightly to the guard: “Excuse me, officer, where might we obtain identity papers?”

 

Seeing Wen Heng and his group were genuinely clueless—and with few people entering the city anyway—the guard patiently explained: ” “Just register at the local government office where you usually reside.”

 

Gouzi let out a wail: “No way! We’ve been walking for over half a month just to get here! Are we supposed to walk all the way back to Xiaoyan Town?” Even though he wasn’t the one doing all the walking, the journey had been tough enough! He didn’t want to turn back!

 

Wen Heng kept trying to negotiate with the guard: “Officer, could you make an exception? Could we handle it after entering the city?”

 

The guard gave Wen Heng a cold stare: “Got any money? The Qingcheng County Office charges extra fees for processing identity documents for outsiders. And…”

 

Wen Heng: …He had no money. Not a single copper coin on him! And judging by the guard’s tone, there were more conditions to meet.

 

Sure enough, the guard continued: “Furthermore, to enter Qingcheng Town, you must be sponsored by someone with valid identity papers. Otherwise, even if you have money, you still can’t get in.”

 

Wen Heng stared helplessly at the towering city gate. He sighed in resignation. He’d thought bringing Doggie to a better place to make a living would be easier, but now he was stuck at the gate, unable to enter. Weng Heng stood at the gate, staring up at the sky. Was it his eyes playing tricks? He thought he saw a transparent barrier shrouding Qingcheng Town.

 

Lian Wushang stepped down from the carriage. He extended his palm toward the gatekeeper, and a golden bird-shaped form rose from his hand. The gatekeeper’s face paled. He immediately knelt down: “Forgive me, Revered Immortal. I did not recognize your presence.”

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