Promise!

Chapter 3, Farewell

"This unexpected fortune will allow me to have more money to study martial arts, but it also violates Hou Yong's taboo, and there will definitely be backlash!"

"Normally, Hou Yong would have learned about this two days after the due date. If Tan San filed a complaint, this would have been even earlier."

Zhuang Jin thought to himself, "Tan San was stabbed in the wrist and hit on the leg. After I leave, he will definitely go to get his injuries treated immediately. Even if he wants to complain, it will probably be tomorrow. Besides, Hou Yong often goes looking for the half-closed door at night. I may not find it even if I want to. If I find it and disturb Hou Yong's leisure, it will be bad luck for me."

"That is, Hou Yong will know that I stole the beggars' regular fees by tomorrow at the earliest. Knowing Hou Yong, he probably won't attack me immediately after finding out, but will settle the score with me in two days when he collects the regular fees. A man as conceited as Hou Yong wouldn't think a mere beggar could escape his clutches, so there's no need to rush. He'll also be making me richer."

"So, at least tonight should be safe, but to avoid any more trouble, when you see Little Stone later, you should change your appearance!"

Zhuang Jin thought about all this and walked all the way to a remote alley in the south of the city. He stopped and shouted "Little Stone" twice in front of him. Suddenly, a rustling sound was heard. First, a head popped out and looked around vigilantly, and then a person showed up.

The man's hair was disheveled, many strands of hair sticking together, and his clothes were torn. Through the large holes, his dirty, black skin was visible. Seeing Zhuang Jin's happy expression, he waved at him and said, "Little mute, come quickly and see what good stuff I got!"

This is the "little stone" that Zhuang Jin mentioned, the little beggar who lived with him.

——Beggars depend on the weather for their food. The more they beg, the more they eat. The less they beg, the less they eat. If they don’t get any money or food, they will go hungry. To cope with this situation, they team up to help each other: Today I beg a lot, and you don’t get anything, so I will share some with you; Tomorrow I don’t get anything, and you do, so you can share some with me.

Of course, after Zhuang Jin traveled through time and took over this role, he quickly summed up his own set of begging experiences, proving that even begging can be different as long as you have knowledge and are willing to study. From then on, you will no longer be hungry, and you can save some money to resist risks, so you don't need to share a meal with others.

However, in the memory of his previous life, Xiao Shitou was the only beggar who had helped him and had given his previous life half a steamed bun. He inherited the karma of this life and is still working together with Xiao Shitou now, helping each other more and repaying Xiao Shitou for the half steamed bun he had given to his previous life.

As Little Stone spoke, he trotted over to show Zhuang Jin a treasure. Inside an oil-paper package were a chicken head, neck, butt, and other odds and ends.

Zhuang Jin's eyes passed through the oil-paper bag and looked at Xiao Shitou's face, where there were two new scars. He thought that he was probably injured in the fight for this thing. He sighed in his heart but said nothing, because compared to his pretended aloofness, Xiao Shitou was actually a stubborn and stubborn person who would not listen even if he was told.

"That's great! I have something good today too." He said as he took out two white flour buns.

For ordinary beggars, white flour buns are already very good things. On weekdays, having steamed corn bread is considered good, and most of the food they have is rotten.

Xiao Shitou's meat snacks and Zhuang Jin's two white flour buns, when put together, were already a feast, just like Chinese New Year.

"Wait a minute!"

Little Stone suddenly remembered something and came back after running away for a while, taking out a small jar: "I saw a drunkard the other day and took it from him. He tried to chase me, but he fell down after only two steps..."

He spoke with great pride and excitement, then added, "I've never drunk wine before, so I don't know what it tastes like. Let's try it today."

As they talked, the two of them squatted down in a cleaner spot in the corner, found two broken bowls with sharp edges, and poured wine into them.

Zhuang Jin gave Xiao Shitou some steamed buns, and Xiao Shitou stuffed the best quality, untouched chicken neck in an oil-paper bag into Zhuang Jin's pocket.

Now that the two of them are partners, it is Zhuang Jin who helps Xiao Shitou more often, but Xiao Shitou does not want to take advantage of Zhuang Jin for nothing. Sometimes, when Xiao Shitou begs a lot, even if he sees that Zhuang Jin has also begged something, he will force some on him to repay Zhuang Jin for helping him when he did not get anything.

This is also the reason why the two of them have been able to work together until now - if Xiao Shitou is really a cold-hearted person, Zhuang Jin would only repay him once or twice at most. After all, the favor of half a steamed bun to his predecessor is not a great favor.

Zhuang Jin did not refuse and took the chicken neck. The chicken neck was cold and the fragrance was weakened, but the faint fragrance of oil still made his mouth secrete saliva crazily. This was his body's instinct to urge him to eat. He sucked the chicken neck, and a burnt aroma instantly bloomed on his taste buds. Every pore in his body seemed to relax in this comfort.

Little Stone was gnawing on a chicken butt, a small bite of chicken butt and a small bite of steamed bun, his eyes narrowed with delight. Faced with such sumptuous food, the two of them did not speak for a while, enjoying the feast.

After a long while, the two of them divided the scraps from the oil-paper package. Little Stone chewed up the last chicken bone he had used to pick his teeth and swallowed it. He licked his fingers, sucked the remaining grease clean, and patted his stomach. Then he remembered that there was still wine. He took a small sip, and his eyes seemed to light up instantly. "Sweet! The wine is sweet and delicious! Little Mute, you should try it too!"

He insisted that Zhuang Jin have a sip as well before he said, "When I have money in the future, I will eat meat and drink wine with big mouthfuls every day!"

Zhuang Jin took a sip of his drink and exclaimed, "What a great ambition!"

"Little Mute, what do you want to do in the future?" asked Little Stone.

'What do I want to do?'

Zhuang Jin felt the satisfaction of a full stomach. He fell silent when he heard this question. He thought of his previous life's memory, when his mother had transformed his appearance, using grease and clay to paint a mole on his face, forcing him to flee with a determined look on her face. He also thought about how he had been avoiding the activities of his predecessor's uncle Zhuang Yutang and his younger uncle Zhuang Yuyong, and how he had been cautious every day.
I thought back to when I first crossed over into this body, when I was hungry for two days and stood in front of a noodle stall, swallowing my saliva furiously. A customer at the stall threw a bitten bun on the ground and said to me, "Come and eat," and then laughed heartily.
Thinking about the begging I've been doing these days, even though I've summed up my experience and studied begging as a science, I still don't always get what I want. I've often been met with cold stares, cold faces, and even worse, curses and drives away.
I thought of passing by a brothel, where red sleeves fluttered, and a woman leaned against the window looking out, and that night I dreamed of them in a tender way;
……

What do you want to do in the future?
He wanted to stop struggling and walking on thin ice because of other people's malice; he wanted to stop being treated like a clown and made fun of; he wanted to stop being a slave to his own survival, to eat the delicacies he wanted and sleep with the beauties he wanted...

He is just an ordinary man, without any noble sentiments. He just wants to have power, get what he wants, and stand up straight and be a decent human being!
"Little mute, what do you want to do in the future?" Little Stone saw Zhuang Jin in a daze and did not answer, so he asked again. He was such a stubborn person.

"As for me, I want to be a good person."

Little Stone raised his eyes, as if to say, "That's it?"

Zhuang Jin shook his head slightly, his expression complicated: "It's not easy to be a human being."

"Aren't we human?"

"Who are we?" Zhuang Jin shook his head and sneered: "A group of things competing with wild dogs for food are just weeds found everywhere on the roadside in the eyes of some people." "Then the waiters in restaurants and inns, are they human beings?" Xiao Shitou has always envied the waiters in restaurants and inns. He envied them for being able to eat leftovers without having to fight for them, and occasionally for the leftover meat from the guests.

"No, in the eyes of some people, they are just talking tools."

"What about the restaurant owner?" Little Stone mentioned a man who he considered to be a very powerful figure.

"Not really. In the eyes of some people, restaurant owners are nothing more than leeks that grow periodically and have some value in maintenance. When they are too hungry, they are uprooted." Zhuang Jin paused, then continued, "Only above grass, tools, and leeks can they be considered human beings."

"don't know."

"You can understand it this way. We are all human beings, but some people are more human than others."

Little Stone scratched his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly laughed: "I understand. Just like the trees on the roadside, some are tall, some are short. There are also 'low people' and 'high people'. We are 'low people', and the most powerful people are 'high people'." He paused, then said: "I want to be a 'high person' in the future. I can eat my fill, eat meat every meal, and no one dares to hit me."

"Okay, let's all strive to become 'superiors.'" Despite this, Zhuang Jin knew that what was most abundant in this world were 'lower-class people,' like grass growing in succession. What was most scarce were 'superiors,' those who were superior to others. This was especially true in a world of extraordinary power.

However, he didn't voice these thoughts out loud. It's always good to have dreams. He just joked, "You've always wanted a proper name, right? Why not Gao? And then add the character 'Shi' (meaning "stone"), which means a small stone. How about calling yourself Gao Shi?"

Little Stone took it seriously, clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll be called Gao Shi from now on."

Little Stone… no, Gao Shi suddenly remembered something and said, "I heard the Medicine King Gang is recruiting martial artists. It's free, as long as you're over 15 and under 20, you can join. Within a month, you can join the Medicine King Gang. That's the Medicine King Gang, and if you join, you'll be a big shot!"

"That's the Medicine King Gang's recruitment of martial artists. If you can gather your inner energy and open up your first meridian within a month, becoming a true warrior, you can join the Medicine King Gang. It's a good path forward. But if you fail, you'll have to become a herbalist for the Medicine King Gang, entering the Mangcang Mountains to gather herbs and face wild snakes, insects, and beasts. I've heard that it's hard for a Medicine King Gang herbalist to survive more than half a year."

Since he wanted to learn martial arts, Zhuang Jin naturally paid attention to the relevant news.

Like the Shen family, the Yaowang Gang was also recruiting martial artists. No, to be more precise, the Yaowang Gang started recruiting martial artists first, and the Shen family followed up later.

Both of them have age restrictions for recruiting martial artists.

What is the difference? The Shen family recruits martial artists, and it costs one or two taels of silver to join. If you become a martial artist within a month, you can join the Shen family. If you fail, you can leave. The Medicine King Gang recruits martial artists, and does not charge money. If you become a martial artist within a month, you can join the Medicine King Gang. If you fail, you have to be a medicine-collecting boy for the Medicine King Gang.

As for condensing internal energy, opening up the first meridian, and becoming a true warrior, this information was the few words about warriors that Zhuang Jin had been paying attention to for a long time, and he didn't know more.

Gao Shi thought for a moment before saying, "Little Mute, you said we're just a bunch of wild dogs competing for food, so what are we afraid of? If we become warriors and join the Medicine King Gang, we'll make a fortune. If we can't, we'll just have to be herbalist boys, and that's our fate. Let's go and give it a try tomorrow, shall we?"

Zhuang Jin shook his head: "If you have made up your mind, you can go and try it. I have somewhere else to go."

His predecessor's uncle Zhuang Yuyong was in the Yaowang Gang. If he went to the Yaowang Gang to participate in the recruitment of martial artists, wouldn't he be walking into a trap?

Not to mention, if a warrior of the Medicine King Gang fails the assessment, he will be forced to become a herbal medicine-collecting boy with no way out. It is too extreme.

Even without these two reasons, Zhuang Jin still leaned more towards the Shen family: "In my previous life's memory, the Shen family was the boss of the city, and the Medicine King Gang was just a newly rising challenger. From the recruitment of martial artists, it can be seen that the Shen family is quite capable, while the Medicine King Gang is a bit smaller."

"Perhaps the Medicine King Gang is also forced to do so? During the turmoil a few months ago, the Shen family and the Medicine King Gang fell out. Perhaps it was because the Medicine King Gang was blocked by the Shen family, and there was a shortage of medicinal materials, that they resorted to turning those who failed the assessment into herbalist boys. A single leaf can reveal the whole situation. Emerging forces like the Medicine King Gang are often filled with involution and unruly behavior. I don't have a masochistic constitution, so why would I go to the Medicine King Gang and make things difficult for myself? I'm just forcing myself to endure it."

When Little Stone heard that Zhuang Jin was going somewhere else, he had forgotten about even going to the Medicine King Gang. He hurriedly asked, "Little Mute, what do you mean by that? Are you leaving?"

"Well, I won't beg for food anymore." Zhuang Jin didn't say that he would participate in the Shen family's recruitment of martial artists, even though Gao Shi was his only friend among the beggars, so the matter had to be done in secrecy.

"I was wondering why you're different today, unlike usual. You've talked so much, so you're leaving." Gao Shi's tone was low, but then suddenly high. He picked up the jar and poured the remaining wine for the two of them: "Little mute, I wish you can become a 'master' in the future!"

Zhuang Jin looked into Gao Shi's eyes, which sparkled in the dim light, full of sincerity. He raised his broken bowl, clinked it with his, and drank it all in one gulp: "I also hope that you can get what you wish for, and one day you can eat meat and drink wine with hearty mouthfuls every day in the future!"

Gao Shi picked up the broken bowl and was about to drink it all in one gulp, but because he drank too quickly, he choked and started coughing repeatedly. It took a while for him to feel better after Zhuang Jin patted his back.

"It's getting late, I should go." Zhuang Jin stood up.

Gao Shi then stood up and took two steps forward.

"No need to see me off. We are all in the capital city. We will see each other again sooner or later." Zhuang Jin sighed lightly.

Gao Shi didn't say anything, but continued to follow silently. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. After sending out a long paragraph, he stopped and watched Zhuang Jin continue to move forward. His figure was getting farther and farther away. Suddenly, he felt an indescribable feeling in his heart. He blinked and didn't know what to do for a moment. He had to rub his hair hard, and his already messy hair suddenly became a mess.

After a while, he lowered his head, turned around and walked back.

Above the nine heavens, a bright moon hangs high, and the bright moonlight falls on the city like mercury falling to the ground. Two shadows are walking away in different directions.

……

(End of this chapter)