Chapter 37: The Nine Streams
After leaving Wuligang for a while, the thin forest road gradually widened, and at this time there were more than two groups of people, horse-drawn carts, ox-carts, and farmers with their burdens rushing forward together.
The footprints on the ground began to densify, and the animal feces made Li Huowang understand that Jianye Town should be arriving soon.
"Zhao Wu. Are all the people acting like Master Lu Ban and the others of low status?" Li Huowang asked Zhao Wu, who was absorbed in learning to write.
Zhao Wu, who was copying with a tree branch, raised his head and unexpectedly glanced at Li Huowang, followed by looking at the Zhao Family Class in front of him.
"Well, even though when you sing opera, you can be shouted at by the people on stage, but they are just like the women in the hook courtyard, liking them is one thing, and their status is another, opera singers are the lowest of the nine streams."
"Is that so? Which nine streams ah?" Li asked in surprise, if it wasn't for that outburst before, he really didn't feel it.
"First-class emperor and king phase, second-class government and military generals, third-class gentry and businessmen, fourth-class sectarian gangs, fifth-class labor and school craftsmen, sixth-class medical land and agriculture, seventh-class witch and beggar slaves, eighth-class thieves and cheats and robbers, and ninth-class playful prostitutes."
"And this is not only the identity of the look down on, there are different treatment, for example, the lower three streams of people can not intermarry with the good family, clothing ride is also restricted, can not ride a horse in a sedan chair, also can not wear brocade, damask, silk. Even when suing the officials, they have to be three times weaker."
Hearing Zhao Wu skillfully blurt it out as if he were memorizing a tongue twister, Li Huowang was very surprised. "I didn't expect you to know quite a bit."
"Senior Brother Li is polite, my family is in the town after all, so I still know about these, and most people should know about these things. Where were you from in the past, Senior Brother Li? Why don't you even know about this?"
Zhao Wu had long since noticed something different about this Senior Brother Li, it was only today that he found the opportunity to ask.
"Hehe, a place far, far away." Regarding his origin, Li Huowang was too lazy to explain, bothering not to mention that this group of people might not understand.
See Li Huo Wang does not answer, Zhao Wu also do not ask continue to say.
"We are okay, no matter which first-class, the emperor also let the examination of the imperial examinations, although not necessarily into it, but at least it is a miss, I heard that elsewhere the lower three streams of people are not even allowed to examine the imperial examinations, grandparents can not turn over, the playwright can only be a lifetime is the playwright."
"So that's how it is." Li Huowang had a new understanding of the world.
"What about Taoist priests like me? What is the status here?" Li Huo Wang asked again.
"Taoist priests are one of the three religions not in the nine streams, most people who encounter Taoist priests still respect them, even if they don't, they will avoid them, after all, who can say anything about gods and ghosts."
Zhao Wu's words made Li HuoWang, who was planning to take this Taoist robe off his body, dismiss the idea.
Since he was going to be traveling all over the world next, it would obviously be much more convenient to wear this Taoist robe than a piece of cloth.
"By the way, Zhao Wu, what about people who exist like Danyangzi? Their status should be very high, right?" Li Huowang immediately asked the key question.
"Senior Brother Li, to be honest, I don't know, before I was captured by him, I really didn't know that there were really people in the world who could be that powerful, I thought those were just made up by storytellers."
"So much so . ...... "Li Huowang pondered, it seemed that these places were very closed to news, by all rights, there should be quite a few people with an existence like Danyangzi, and as a result, locals like Zhao Wu actually didn't know about it.
However, he guessed that someone like Danyangzi should have someone to restrain him, otherwise he wouldn't have to run to the deep forest to secretly cultivate immortality.
"Little Taoist master! Little Taoist Master! Look at that city gate, we're here!" Hearing Lu Scholar's shout, Li Huowang raised his head and looked forward.
A row of low city walls covered in moss appeared at the end of this walk for so many days, and inside the walls was their destination. Jianye Town.
Lu Jia Ban walked in smoothly, but Li Huo Wang and the others weren't so lucky, because their looks were too special, and before they could even get in for a while, the town's constable brought someone to look for trouble.
"Clang!" The head constable held his sword in both hands with a very scornful expression as he asked Li Huo Wang, "Stop, stop, stop, what's going on here! You are!"
"Sheriff Yan, it's me, these are people I know, they don't have bad intentions, they purposely sent me home." Zhao Wu on the donkey cart opened his mouth to greet them.
The moment he saw Zhao Wu's face, the constable immediately became less hostile and put his sword away.
"Oh, it's Zhao Family's Old Five, where have you been all this time? Let these people like you be honest ah, buy a few hanging cloth bucket hats to cover up, don't scare the neighbors."
"Thanks a lot, Sheriff Yan, how has my house been lately?"
"Good, of course good, right, your second sister married, is a good family, quickly go back to see it."
In order to avoid trouble again, Li Huowang, led by Zhao Wu, came to a bucket hat selling stall and bought several bucket hats with black cloth.
After the medicine guides put them on, although this was still very conspicuous, at least they couldn't scare anyone.
After booking the next departure time with Scholar Lu again, Li Huowang said to Zhao Wu, "Where is your house? Let's go to your house first."
Looking at everything familiar around him, Zhao Wu got a little emotional, he didn't wear a bucket hat because everyone in the city knew him.
Zhao Wu, who had no strength in his limbs, used his hands to support himself on the donkey cart and jumped down.
The dog waifs on the side just wanted to reach out to help, but was blocked by Li Huowang, who pulled out the long sword behind him and handed it to Zhao Wu.
Immediately afterward, he reached out and pulled out a note of last words from his pocket and began to comb through it.
With his hands on the longsword, Zhao Wu stumbled toward his home.
Jianye Town looked lively, with people coming and going on the streets, but it wasn't very big, and Zhao Wu quickly found his home.
It was a small rice store, looking at the busy family members inside, Zhao Wu burst into tears. "Father! I'm back!"
Zhao Wu shouted with a trembling cry, causing everyone in the rice store to look up.
"Fifth Brother!" A topless, robust young man who was carrying rice threw the bag of rice on his shoulder to the ground and excitedly rushed out, hugging him to death.
Immediately followed by another little girl with a cow horn braid tied on top of her head also rushed out, excitedly circling around Zhao Wu straight away.
Just as Zhao Wu was forgetting himself in his excitement, Li Huowang, who was watching coldly from the side, realized that something was wrong.
Other than the two who rushed out of the house, everyone else in the house had a very flat expression, which wasn't like the appearance of an ordinary family member.
"Senior Brother Li, what's wrong?" Bai Lingmiao, who keenly sensed that the atmosphere was not right, gently pulled on the hem of Li Huowang's coat.
Li Huowang patted her hand on the back of her hand and said nothing.
