Beggar

In the bitter cold, thoughts surged like a tidal flood. Xu Yang quickly absorbed all the information contained within this body.

He truly was a beggar. He did not know how old he was, nor did he even have a proper name. Those who knew him all called him Agou.

Ever since Agou could remember, he had followed an Old Beggar and survived by begging for food. He had endured hunger and cold, destitute and miserable. The few pleasant memories he had were no more than scraps and leftovers he had fought desperately to snatch.

The Old Beggar had died two years ago, leaving him to survive alone. He suffered even greater bullying, and today, he had finally frozen and starved to death, becoming an insignificant corpse of starvation in the Kaihuang 20th Year of Great Sui.

That was everything in the Little Beggar's memories.

"Great Sui?"

"Kaihuang?"

"Twenty Years?"

"A world that was both familiar and unfamiliar?"

"Or had he crossed into the historical records of China?"

Xu Yang muttered to himself and pushed his body up from the corner of the wall.

Before crossing over, though he had only been an ordinary person, he still possessed some basic historical knowledge.

Kaihuang of Great Sui was the reign title of Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian. Kaihuang 20th Year was Renshou 4th Year. In other words, in four years, that bastard Emperor Yang of Sui, Yang Guang, would take power, and the turbulent chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty would arrive.

Xu Yang could not be certain whether this Sui-Tang world was a vaguely familiar parallel world or the Sui-Tang of Chinese history. But that did not matter. To him, strength was the foundation of everything. So long as this world possessed the power he sought, he did not care about its worldview or its history.

So, did this world possess the power he pursued?

That was still unclear. After all, the original Agou had merely been a Little Beggar with limited knowledge and experience. Aside from the reign title Kaihuang of Great Sui, which everyone spoke of, and the fact that this place was Pengcheng, Xuzhou, he knew nothing else. One could imagine how little he understood of this world.

"I'll still have to explore it myself."

Xu Yang brushed the frozen ice chips from his body, preparing to leave first and find somewhere to shelter himself, lest he freeze or starve to death before accomplishing anything.

This body was terribly weak. Its skinny teenage frame was even frailer than that of a seven- or eight-year-old child. Even with the soul power of Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly replenishing its deficiencies, it had only barely recovered the ability to move. If he could not find clothing, food, and shelter soon, he definitely would not last three days. He might not even make it through tonight.

So, he first needed to find something to eat, something to wear, somewhere to sleep and live...

"How are you?"

Just as Xu Yang considered his next move, he suddenly saw someone trot up before him.

It was... a little girl, a delicate little girl carved from jade and powdered with snow.

She wore a snowy-white cloak, clearly made from superior mink fur. Though young and not yet fully grown, she already possessed the beauty to topple a city. Between her brows shone a lively spirit, moving as mountain rain in an empty wilderness.

Yet Xu Yang frowned at the sight of her.

He did not know her. Or rather, Agou did not know her. There was not the slightest impression of her in his memories, and it did not seem possible for the two of them to have any connection.

Then what was going on?

As Xu Yang wondered, the little girl handed him an oil-paper packet. "It's still hot. Hurry and eat!"

"..."

Xu Yang looked at her, feeling somewhat strange, but he still reached out and accepted the oil-paper packet.

When he opened it, steam billowed forth. Inside were several fragrant meat buns, their surfaces glistening with oil.

"..."

"Thank you!"

After being silent for a moment, Xu Yang lowered his head in thanks. With his filthy hands, he picked up a bun and began wolfing it down.

He understood what was happening.

The little girl did not know him. She had come over entirely out of kindness, giving him alms because she saw him as a beggar.

Hmm... well, he was a beggar now!

Xu Yang felt no resistance toward this. On the contrary, he was immensely grateful. Right now, he needed precisely this sort of charity.

"Eat slowly. Don't choke."

Seeing him eat so urgently, the little girl hurriedly cautioned him. Then she looked around and remembered something. "I was in too much of a hurry just now and forgot to buy water. Wait here, I'll go get you..."

Before she could finish, Xu Yang casually grabbed a handful of accumulated snow from beside him and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it together with the bun.

The little girl was stunned by his Actions. After a while, she finally reacted. "How can you eat snow? Quickly, stop! I'll go buy you a jug of water!"

"No need."

Xu Yang shook his head. With the melted snow, he swiftly finished the entire packet of buns. His weak, icy body also gained a bit of warmth.

"Thank you."

After thanking her once again, Xu Yang turned aside and prepared to leave.

This little girl clearly did not come from an ordinary family. In his current state, it would be best not to become entangled with her.

"Hey, wait!"

But the little girl stopped him. She took a silver ingot from her sash and said to him, "Here is some silver. Take it and buy yourself some clothes, find somewhere to stay, and don't sleep outside. You'll freeze to death."

Without allowing him to refuse, she stuffed the Silver Ingot into his hand, then turned and left the alley.

"..."

Xu Yang fell silent as he looked at the Silver Ingot in his hand.

Then he tucked it into his clothes and headed toward the other end of the alley.

But he had not gone far when he saw...

"Agou, stop right there!"

A group of men rushed over menacingly and blocked Xu Yang's path. They were a group of beggars.

Though they were beggars, they were clearly dressed much better than the ragged Xu Yang, and their bodies were far stronger. Blocking his way, they examined him coldly, then looked around before demanding harshly, "What did that Little Girl give you just now?"

"Hand it over!"

"Hand it over, now!"

"Otherwise, you'll suffer!"

"I saw it all. That Little Girl was wearing a mink fur coat, rich as can be. She definitely gave you plenty of silver!"

"Hand it over!!!"

Their eyes burned with greed as they barked threats one after another.

Xu Yang looked at them without speaking. He silently lay down on the ground, hugged his head, and curled up.

"Oh?"

"You're trying this trick on us?"

"You've gotten bolder, huh!"

"Get him! Beat him!"

"Search him and find that silver!"

The men grew furious at the sight, cursing as they stepped forward to beat him.

But connecting to the base of the Iron Mountain...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Amid the wind and snow came several sharp sounds tearing through the air. Before the beggars could understand what had happened, they were struck down onto the ground, crying out in pain.

Xu Yang curled on the ground with his head in his arms. Through the gap between his arms, he glanced outside and saw an ethereal figure standing at the mouth of the alley.

It was a woman dressed in white, whiter than snow, with a light veil covering her face. Though her features could not be seen, her aloof, otherworldly bearing alone gave her peerless grace.

The beggars who had been knocked down also saw her and immediately understood the situation. They hurriedly pushed themselves up and knelt, knocking their heads against the ground like pounding garlic. "Immortal Aunt, spare us! Immortal Aunt, spare us! We'll never dare again, never again..."

"Get lost!"

The woman said no more. With one cold command, she drove them away.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"We'll get lost right away, right away!"

As though granted a pardon, the men scrambled to their feet and fled, rolling and crawling away.

What was most important for a beggar?

The ability to beg, the power of one's cries, the skill of playing miserable?

None of those. It was the eye for judging people and the quickness to react when trouble came!

Without the ability to trim one's sails to the wind, a beggar would not live long.

These men were all old beggars, sharp-eyed and quick-witted. They knew that this woman's appearance marked her as no ordinary person, so they decisively begged for mercy and successfully escaped disaster.

Once the men fled, Xu Yang, who had been curled on the ground with his head covered, also sat up and looked at the woman with "uneasy suspicion."

"Master!"

Sure enough, a small figure emerged from behind the woman. It was the little girl from before.

She trotted up to Xu Yang. Without caring how filthy he was, she reached out and helped him up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

Xu Yang nodded to indicate that he was unharmed. Then he turned his gaze toward the woman and performed a strange, awkward cupped-fist salute. "Many thanks to Immortal Aunt for saving me!"

The woman's face was hidden behind her light veil, so it was impossible to tell what expression she wore. Only her indifferent gaze could be seen as she stepped forward and asked Xu Yang, "Do you know where Jing'an Temple is?"

"Jing'an Temple?"

Xu Yang considered for a moment, then replied, "I do, I do. It's the largest temple in our Xuzhou city. Does Immortal Aunt need someone to lead the way?"

"No."

The woman shook her head, took out a letter, and handed it to Xu Yang. "Take this letter to Jing'an Temple. They will take you in."

Then, regardless of Xu Yang's reaction, she turned to the little girl and said, "Xuan'er, let's go!"

With that, she turned and headed away.

The little girl could only give Xu Yang one last look. "Be careful. Take care of yourself!"

Then she turned and followed the woman's footsteps, gradually disappearing into the wind and snow.

"..."

Xu Yang watched the two depart in silence for a while before ultimately turning toward Jing'an Temple.

Within the wind and snow, one tall and one small, the two figures were both extraordinary and otherworldly, like fairies cast down from the heavens into the mortal realm.

The little girl held the woman's hand, turning back from time to time. She seemed to want to speak, yet hesitated.

The woman's gaze remained indifferent as she said calmly, "There is no need to worry. That Little Beggar is quick-witted, and Jing'an Temple is not far from here. Without mishap, he will arrive soon."

"Thank you, Master."

Only then did the little girl relax a little. But when she saw the wind and snow filling the sky and the bleakness all around them, she could not help frowning. She asked in confusion, "Master, didn't you say that the current Son of Heaven of Great Sui was chosen by you, acting on behalf of the world, as a wise ruler of his generation? Then why..."

The woman's expression did not change. "Why what?"

The little girl hesitated for a while, but eventually lifted her head and voiced the doubts in her heart. "Why are there still so many beggars under his rule? So many people cannot eat their fill or wear warm clothes, collapsing on the streets, freezing and starving to death? Shouldn't everyone be free from worries over food and clothing?"

"..."

These words drove the woman into silence. Only after a long time did she softly reply, "Even a wise ruler has difficulties. If one wishes for abundant harvests under heaven and prosperity throughout the four seas, it must be done step by step. It cannot be achieved in a single stroke."

"Is that so?"

The little girl nodded, but doubt soon surfaced in her eyes again. "Then why are some people hungry and cold, without even enough clothing to cover their bodies, while others enjoy glory and wealth beyond measure?"

"..."

At these words, the woman fell silent again. After a long time, she said, "Because people in the world harbor selfishness in their hearts, and human nature is Only I Am Supreme. The world cannot be united as one, nor can all beneath the four seas be divided equally. This has been the way of humanity since ancient times and cannot be changed!"

Hearing this, the little girl seemed to understand. She muttered, "The way of Heaven is to diminish the excessive and supplement the deficient; the way of man is to diminish the deficient and supplement the excessive?"

"Precisely so."

The woman nodded and said faintly, "It is precisely because of this that we must spread the Buddhist Dharma far and wide, enlighten people's hearts, and guide human nature toward goodness. Only then is there the possibility of a world united as one and all living beings equal. Do you understand?"

"I-I understand."

The little girl nodded as though she understood, though she soon could not suppress another question. "Since the Buddhist Dharma can bring unity under heaven, why does the Son of Heaven of Great Sui not promote it widely? Does he not want a world united as one, where all living beings are equal?"

"..."

The woman fell silent once more. After a long time, she said, "It is not that he does not want to, but that he cannot. The Buddhist Dharma is already being promoted by the Son of Heaven, but there are still obstacles along the way. That is why he needs our help to pacify the calamities and chaos beneath heaven!"

"It is not that he does not want to, but that he cannot?"

The little girl did not quite believe it. Puffing out her cheeks, she said, "I think it is not only that he cannot. He does not want to!"

"..."

The woman stopped and turned back. A trace of surprise surfaced in her indifferent eyes. "Why do you say that?"

"Because the Son of Heaven is also a person."

The little girl spoke as though it were only natural. "Just as Master said, people's hearts are selfish and human nature is Only I Am Supreme. Sons of Heaven and emperors are even more Only I Am Supreme. Naturally, they would not want a world united as one, with all living beings equal. Right?"

"..."

The woman fell silent, then laughed. "Xuan'er is right. The Son of Heaven is also human and is naturally bound by the selfishness in human hearts."

"Then Master, why must we still support such a Son of Heaven?"

The little girl grew even more puzzled. "Can't we become the Son of Heaven ourselves, use the Buddhist Dharma to save all the people beneath heaven, and create a world united as one, where all living beings are equal?"

The woman shook her head. Though her voice was soft, her words were decisive. "We cannot!"

"Why not?"

"Because we are people too!"

"This..."

The little girl raised her head and looked at her Master, who seemed so extraordinary and unlike a mortal. She seemed to understand something. The confusion in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by determination. In her innocent, childish voice, she said to the woman, "Master, when Xuan'er grows up, I will definitely choose a wise and virtuous Son of Heaven and help him govern the world properly!"

The woman smiled and reached out to lovingly pat her little head. "Master believes that Xuan'er will certainly be able to do it."

"Mm-hmm!"

The little girl nodded, her expression full of hope. "By then, no one will freeze or starve to death again. Everyone will be able to eat their fill and dress warmly, living happily and joyfully..."

"Then Xuan'er must grow up quickly."

"..."

Amid the wind and snow, the two gradually walked away, leaving no trace behind.

On the other side, before Jing'an Temple, Xu Yang wandered around once. After making sure no one was following him, he decisively turned and left.

If this had been his first world, when he had no foundation at all, joining this temple would indeed have been a fine choice. He could have received effective protection and ample time to quietly accumulate strength and grow step by step.

But that assumption no longer held. Xu Yang had already earned his first bucket of gold and now possessed sufficient resources to support himself. This Jing'an Temple, with its extraordinary origins and countless rules, was no longer his best choice.

So...