Still Have to Lie Low

Still Have to Lie Low

"This row of empty storehouses is where you little brats will sleep and rest for the next few days!"

"In a while, move in according to your newly assigned squad order. One squad per storehouse!"

"I'm warning you again: no trouble! And no leaving this compound, or you won't be able to bear the consequences!"

"Meals will be delivered on time every day. All you need to do these next few days is rest properly!"...

After the Rebel Army leader finished his lecture and left, Li Dingguo and the other orphan beggars were not dismissed. Instead, they were brought before a row of large storehouses along the edge of the compound.

Clearly, this had once been the mansion of some wealthy local gentry, thoroughly looted by the Rebel Army. Otherwise, it could never have possessed such an enormous scale.

The compound where Li Dingguo and the others had just been gathered was nearly as large as a football field from his previous life!

After explaining everything and threatening them once more, the dozen or so soldiers responsible for maintaining order began assigning temporary accommodations to these deliberately gathered orphan beggars.

They were only temporary for one reason: this county town, seized by the Rebel Army, was certainly not a place where they could stay long.

Once the government troops came to encircle and suppress them, how could the rabble under Eight Great Kings possibly withstand the government army's purge?

Nine times out of ten, Eight Great Kings would order them to withdraw and flee far away before the government troops arrived.

On the other hand, after several days, most of these gathered orphan beggars would be weeded out and abandoned, swept out the door. Only a small number would remain.

Once a few orphaned beggar youths distinguished themselves, becoming trusted followers whom Eight Great Kings would nurture with all his strength, their treatment would certainly not remain as it was now.

Li Dingguo's squad had fewer than sixty people and was assigned to the second large storehouse at the front left.

Led by a soldier, the several dozen orphaned youths, who had been looking around everywhere, entered the large storehouse in a somewhat bewildered state.

Li Dingguo looked around and found the interior empty.

The floor was paved with slabs of bluestone, covered with dry wooden boards. The surrounding walls had also been whitewashed with limewater, making the place look fairly clean.

As expected, it had once been a granary.

Granaries needed ventilation. When grain was stored for long periods, sufficient space had to be left to prevent it from becoming damp and moldy, or from being ruined by poor heat dissipation. You could not pack a granary to the brim.

This granary's ventilation was quite good. With the grain now gone, it looked rather spacious. Setting up communal sleeping platforms for several dozen people would be effortless.

And these rows of large storehouses were all granaries!

One could imagine just how wealthy the gentry of this miraculous world were, even in an era where natural disasters and man-made calamities sprang up one after another!

And this was merely a ruined little county town on the frontier!

What about those thousand-year-old aristocratic clans with extraordinary foundations?

Just thinking about it made one shudder!

For the current Rebel Army, weapons and armor were important, but food was undoubtedly the most important thing of all.

Over the past few years, natural disasters and human calamities had grown ever more severe, and impoverished commoners unable to survive were everywhere.

So long as they had enough food, the Rebel Army's rate of expansion would surpass ordinary people's imagination.

As for gold, silver, copper coins, jewels, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, they were instead not nearly so important to the Rebel Army.

There was no need to guess. Having just captured a county town and looted it clean, Eight Great Kings' forces would undergo an explosive surge in strength.

Of course, most refugees who joined the Rebel Army were nothing more than cannon fodder, liable to be discarded at any time.

By Li Dingguo's estimation, the Rebel Army's main fighting strength in the future would still rest upon those Veteran Camp soldiers selected from the few through survival of the fittest.

If nothing unexpected happened, the ambitious Eight Great Kings had probably already begun forming the Veteran Camp.

Only those who dared to fight and risk their lives, who were determined to follow Eight Great Kings, would be qualified for selection.

Of course, these were only Li Dingguo's guesses. This world was simply too miraculous, filled with too many things he did not know, and it was exceedingly dangerous as well.

Corrupt officials were terrifying, but Demons and Monsters were equally terrifying.

After entering the large storehouse with the several dozen orphaned youths, Li Dingguo noticed that quite a few of them looked at him with fear in their eyes.

He went to sit near a window. Only two dark, skinny youths came over to him. Everyone else instinctively avoided the area around him, then gathered in groups of three or five to sit or lie down, rest, and chat.

Clearly, these two youths of around twelve or thirteen, who remained beside Li Dingguo, were very familiar with him.

The original owner's memories also showed that the two of them had once been companions who huddled together with Li Dingguo for warmth.

Li Dingguo's original self had enjoyed quite a reputation among the various beggar groups in this frontier town.

He was genuinely gifted, immensely strong. Despite his young age, he was no weaker than ordinary adult commoners, perhaps even somewhat stronger.

On top of that, he dared to fight and risk his life. Quite a few hooligans, ruffians, beggars, and refugees had been taught a lesson by him.

That was why most of the orphan beggars here now feared him somewhat.

Moreover, Li Dingguo had once been the leader of a little beggar gang numbering several dozen people. Yet among the companions assigned to this storehouse with him, only the two little beggars currently at his side remained.

I can feel that I'm far stronger now than I ever was in my previous life, he thought. According to the Virtual Panel, the average Constitution and Spirit attributes of an ordinary healthy adult in this world should both be one.

Li Dingguo, who had lived in the electronic information age in his previous life, was not lacking in wild ideas. He was far from ignorant.

With only a little thought, he could infer certain common principles.

For instance, his current Spirit attribute. Having lived two lives, he was undoubtedly beyond an ordinary person in that regard, yet his Spirit attribute was only two.

From that, it was easy to infer that an ordinary healthy adult's Spirit attribute should be only one point.

As for his Constitution attribute, the Cheat System panel currently displayed three points. That was probably because of this miraculous world.

He was only ten years old, yet his Constitution had reached three times that of an ordinary adult. That was truly frightening.

Furthermore, the Virtual Panel in his mind showed that he was still in a weakened state.

Once he recovered to full health through recuperation in the near future, his Constitution attribute should increase further.

As for the mysterious Star Destiny among the panel attributes, which remained unopened, that was beyond Li Dingguo's understanding.

But it was not as though he had no guesses at all.

This was likely one of the miraculous aspects of this world. Perhaps it could only be opened once he met some unknown minimum requirements.

It should be related to his aptitude, fortune, and the like.

As for his current Cheat System, it had yet to reveal any means of cheating. In Li Dingguo's estimation, some prerequisites likely had to be fulfilled before it would show itself.

"Boss, I never thought we'd be so lucky, taken in by the Great King! At least our meals for the next few days are settled!"

"Yeah! Boss, those white-flour buns we just ate were really fragrant! If we could eat them every day..."

The two youths gathered around him looked at Li Dingguo with some reverence as they chattered excitedly.

Although their boss Li Dingguo was fierce toward outsiders, all the little beggars in their small group knew that without Li Dingguo's protection, less than half of them would likely have survived until now.

Even if they had managed to cling to life by luck, they would have been bullied terribly by hooligans, ruffians, beggars, and the like.

Therefore, they sincerely admired and felt grateful toward Li Dingguo, their boss.

"Mm."

Li Dingguo nodded and instructed them, "Be honest while you're here. Don't cause trouble."

"Of course, don't be afraid of trouble either."

"If anything happens, inform me first."

He was not cold by nature. For the little beggars from his former group, he was still willing to look after them when it was within his ability.

Of course, if they were eliminated during the preliminary selection three days later, Li Dingguo would no longer have the leisure to keep caring for them.

He was not some saintly mother. He could watch over them for a time, but could he care for them for their entire lives?

What was more, this world was so miraculous and dangerous. He could barely look after himself now; where would he find the spare strength to do such a thing?

Without question, until his own martial strength reached a certain level and he could initially protect himself, Li Dingguo had decided to lie low obediently for a while.

To say nothing else, he could not defeat any one of the dozen or so soldiers from earlier. There was even a great chance that they could kill him in seconds!

Having endured every kind of beating society could dish out in his previous life, he knew his own limits.