Chapter 42: Chapter 26: Beggar_l
Translator: 549690339
In the midst of the bitter cold, thoughts rushed at Xu Yang like a tide, and he quickly received all the information from this body.
He was indeed a beggar, his age not very clear, he didn’t even have a formal name; people who knew him called him Dog.
Dog, since his earliest memories, had survived on begging alongside an old beggar, living in destitution, freezing and starving. The few moments of joy in his memory were no more than scraps of food fought for with difficulty.
Two years prior, the old beggar died, leaving him to survive alone, more oppressed than ever. Today, he died from cold and hunger, becoming just another insignificant frozen corpse in the twentieth year of Emperor Yang Jian’s Kaihuang era of the Great Sui.
These were all the memories of the young beggar.
“Great Sui?”
“Kaihuang?”
“Twenty years?”
“A world that seems both real and unreal?”
“Or have I traveled to the history of China?”
Xu Yang muttered to himself and propped himself up from the corner of the wall.
Before traveling through time, although he was just an ordinary person, he still possessed basic historical knowledge.
Great Sui’s Kaihuang was the era name of Emperor Yang Jian, the founder of the Sui Dynasty. The twentieth year of Kaihuang was also the fourth year of the Renshou era. This meant that he had four years before that wretch, Emperor Yang of Sui, would take power, and the stormy chaos of the late Sui Dynasty would approach.
Xu Yang was uncertain whether this Sui and Tang world was just an alternate version of the parallel world, or the one in Chinese history, but it wasn’t important. To him, power was the key. As long as this world contained the power he sought, he wasn’t concerned about historical perspectives.
So, did this world hold the power he was seeking?
It wasn’t clear at the moment, after all, the original “Dog” was just a young beggar with limited insights. Beyond common knowledge of the era name Kaihuang of Great Sui and that this place was just outside of Peng City in Xuzhou, he was ignorant of anything else—his understanding of this world was limited.
“It seems I have to explore on my own.”
Xu Yang dusted off the frost on his body, prepared to leave this place to find shelter, lest he perish from cold and hunger before accomplishing anything.
This body was extremely frail, the young frame skinnier than even a child’s, and even with the power of Zhuanzhou Mengdie’s divine soul filling the deficit, it barely restored his ability to move. If he couldn’t find food, clothing, and shelter, he surely wouldn’t survive three days—perhaps not even the night. Thus, he had to find a way to get something to eat, wear, and a place to sleep…
“How are you?
Just as Xu Yang was contemplating his next move, he suddenly saw someone running up to him.
It was… a little girl, a delicate and pretty little girl.
She wore a snovvy-white coat, clearly made from fine mink, still young and undeveloped but already stunning, her spirituality luminous between her eyebrows, moving like the rain in a secluded mountain.
Seeing this, Xu Yang furrowed his brows.
He didn’t recognize this person, or rather, “Dog” didn’t recognize her; there was no impression of her in his memory, and it seemed unlikely that there could be any connection between them.
So what was this all about?
While Xu Yang was bewildered, the little girl handed him a paper bag, “It’s still warm, eat up quick!”
Xu Yang looked at her, feeling a bit odd, but reached out and took the paper bag nonetheless.
Upon opening it, steam rose and inside were several fragrant, greasy, steaming pork buns.
“Thank you!”
Xu Yang was silent for a moment before bowing his head in gratitude. Taking a bun with his dirty hands, he wolfed it down ravenously.
He understood what was happening.
The little girl didn’t recognize him; she had come over purely out of kindness, treating him as a beggar to whom she gave alms.
Well… he was a beggar now!
Far from feeling any aversion, Xu Yang was very grateful; he urgently needed such charity at the moment.
“Eat slowly, don’t choke.”
The little girl, seeing him eat so frantically, quickly cautioned him, then looking around as if she remembered something, added, “I was in a rush earlier and forgot to buy water. Wait here, I’ll go get you some…”
Before she could finish, Xu Yang casually grabbed a handful of snow from nearby and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.
The little girl was shocked by his actions and it took her a while to recover, “You can’t eat snow, stop, I’ll go buy you a pot of water!”
“No need.”
Xu Yang shook his head, continued with the snow mixed with the buns, and soon finished off the whole bag, his weak and cold body feeling somewhat warmer.
“Thank you.”
After once again thanking her, Xu Yang turned to leave the place.
This little girl was obviously not from an ordinary family, and it was best for him now not to get involved with her.
“Hey, wait a minute!”
Seeing him about to leave, the little girl stopped him and took out a silver ingot from her belt, “Here’s some silver for you to buy some clothes and find a place to stay. Don’t sleep outside anymore; you’ll freeze to death.”
Without waiting for a response, she stuffed the silver ingot into his hand and then turned and left the alley.
Looking at the silver ingot in his hand, Xu Yang fell into silence.
Then he tucked the ingot into his bosom and walked toward the other end of the alley.
But he hadn’t gone far when…
“Dog, stop right there!”
A gang of people came rushing up aggressively, blocking Xu Yang’s path— another group of beggars.
Though beggars themselves, they were dressed noticeably better than the ragged Xu Yang, fitter and more robust.. They blocked Xu Yang’s way, eyeing him coldly, glancing around, and then demanded sharply, “What did that little girl give you just now?”