Chapter 6: Harmony is Precious

The beggar pulled the tiger cub, moving to the beat of the drum towards the north. After passing through two alleys, they turned east. The tiger cub glanced around and realized that they were likely at the northeast corner of Xianyang City, already close to the outer city wall, making the area relatively secluded

The beggar saw him eat the flatbread in just a few bites and sympathetically asked, "Have you been hungry for a long time? Where is your home, and why don't you go back?"

The tiger cub looked up in surprise at the owner of the palm, who was none other than the beggar who had just been kneeling on the ground

The tiger cub remembered hearing the shop assistant tell the customer that such a pancake costs three wen each

Everyone's attention was focused on Chen Xiang and the one-character brow, Tan Yuan

Do not let this little brat escape, I want his life! shouted the sharp-nosed, monkey-faced one

It is not close to that piece of flatbread, but rather a bit farther away

"Don't dawdle, follow me!" The beggar felt somewhat nervous after entering this alley, seeing the tiger cub looking around, and he tugged at his hand with some force.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, I have it, haha!" the beggar said, while also pointing to his broken clay bowl, which contained a small handful of copper coins, approximately ten or so.

Squinting, he watched the pedestrians on the street, the initial excitement of newfound freedom having faded, replaced by a sense of bewilderment. The crowd surged, coming and going. He saw a father leading his child, stopping at a street vendor to buy a skewer of candied hawthorn for the child; he also saw two young friends walking side by side, playfully punching each other, then sharing pastries bought from a shop; and he noticed a little child riding on his grandfather's shoulders, pointing at snacks and cheering.

He only knows how to run, to run

The beggar smiled at the tiger cub, his brows and eyes all scrunched together.

After more than a hundred years of development, the streets of Xi'an City are extremely prosperous, especially the commercial area known as "Nine Markets," led by the East and West Markets. Shops are densely packed in the city, and the spacious streets are bustling with traffic, while the shouts of porters and vendors rise and fall.

The tiger cub nodded, finally understanding what was going on

The opponent swiftly grabbed the back of the knife held by the tiger cub with one hand, while the other hand was raised to deliver a slap to the tiger cub. However, suddenly, they felt their grip loosen.

Thus, the tiger cub lowered its head and slightly bent its body, saying, "I apologize, I accidentally bumped into..."

The slender tiger cub took a step back again

Then, the tiger cub turned around and silently ran into the alley

Slowing down, the tiger cub panted while curiously looking around in all directions

The opponent released their grip due to the pain, but the tiger cub did not wish to escape just like that. He suddenly spun around, and the knife at his waist was drawn in response, striking heavily against the bridge of the sharp-nosed monkey's face.

"What can I do for you?" the tiger cub asked again

However, the tiger cub was extremely agile, taking this opportunity to slip out of their sight, and it was unknown where it had gone. The alleys and lanes in this market area left them with no place to search.

The tiger cub was not paying attention, stumbled, and nearly fell to the ground. The beggar frowned slightly, a bitter smile appearing on his face, and urged, "Hurry up!"

He has retreated more than ten steps, seemingly out of fear of being caught in the impending duel, but in reality, he has reached the entrance of a narrow alley.

He originally could not name many types of flowers

He has not eaten anything for more than half a day, not even water. The aroma of food wafting through the market makes his mouth water and causes his stomach to rumble like a drum

The gentlemen once stated that, apart from the stationed troops, there were five hundred thousand registered residents in the city of Xianyang. Including those unregistered hidden households and the travelers entering daily, the population of Xianyang exceeded seven hundred thousand

The sharp-nosed, monkey-faced fellow spoke while raising his right hand. The young man hurriedly lowered his head and repeatedly said, "I will compensate, I will compensate!"

The beggar was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter: "You... you are quite amusing, unwilling to accept a free meal. We are all suffering, so it is only natural for us to help each other. If you truly cannot accept this kindness, then when you become successful in the future, do not forget that I am your brother!"

The tiger cub was taken aback for a moment and retorted, "What is a classroom, and what is being beaten?"

This should be one of the city markets in Xianyang.

The tiger cub sniffed vigorously at the fragrance, unable to move its feet. It saw a person, almost equal in size, dressed in rags, with a dirty face, kneeling by the roadside, bowing to passersby. In front of him lay a broken ceramic bowl containing a few small coins. A fat man threw a piece of bread, reduced to a small corner, in front of the dirty-faced man, but the dirty-faced man paid no attention to it.

Leaning against the wall of a shop, the tiger cub let out a sigh

For the tiger cub, everything before its eyes is so fresh. The total number of people it has seen in its life up to this point is not as many as those it sees at this moment

"Then what do you suggest we do?" The tiger cub opened its mouth and began to laugh.

The beggar clicked his tongue twice, did not inquire further, but sighed and said: "Then where do you reside in the city of Xianyang? As the sky darkens and the evening drum sounds, after six hundred beats of the drum, if you are still in the marketplace, you may be caught and taken to the jail to be beaten"

If you have nowhere to go, you can come with me. The beggar stuffed his broken bowl into his burlap bag and grasped the wrist of the tiger cub.

The two entered a courtyard gate, and the tiger cub was taken aback. All along the way, it had seen the tall buildings of Xianyang City, but upon entering this courtyard gate, all that met its gaze were low, flat houses.

As soon as the two of them exited the city gate, they heard the sound of drums beating. The beggar turned back and smiled at Hu Ru'er, saying: "Do you hear the drum sound? Morning bell and evening drum, morning bell and evening drum. When the morning bell rings, the city gate opens; when the evening drum falls, the curfew begins"

Having rid himself of those two scoundrels, the tiger cub took a few breaths to catch his breath before finally regaining his composure

He has neither a father, nor a companion, and even lacks a grandfather

The tiger cub hesitated for a moment in his heart, and finally nodded: "Thank you!"

The tiger cub gazed for a while, and suddenly tears welled up in its eyes

That fellow was full of himself, his greedy gaze looking down, only to be met with a knee strike from the tiger cub, directly impacting his lower region

Naturally, you have lost. You, young man, can leave as long as you compensate me with a piece of clothing. If you do not compensate... have you ever seen a fist the size of a sand bowl

As he spoke, he raised his face to look at the person who had captured him. This individual was not particularly tall, with a sharp chin and a thin face, dressed in a deep blue outfit, and a flower was tucked into his temple—this flower was exceptionally vibrant, and the name of it eluded him.

"Little child, here you go." A voice suddenly rang out, and then, the tiger cub saw a hand reaching out in front of it.

His complexion is very poor, and that is due to hunger

With a sharp sound, the purple on the face of the sharp-nosed, monkey-cheeked individual instantly turned bright red

A fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the tiger cub

There are indeed stains on his chest, but those stains have long since dried and do not appear to be recent

The sharp-nosed, monkey-faced fellow's entire face turned purple; even though the little tiger cub was short and weak, this knee strike to a vital area still made him clutch his abdomen and bend down.

In this city, there are fifteen main streets, each twelve zhang wide, and countless narrow alleys and lanes ranging from three chi to three zhang, densely packed like a spider's web. Even families who have lived here for generations cannot possibly remember all the roads. As Hu Ru'er knelt, the scene before him suddenly opened up, and he ran from the narrow alley, resembling spider silk, to a wide street

The tiger cub was momentarily taken aback, and then recalled the lesson taught to him by the elders in the copper palace: "When walking outside, if you accidentally bump into someone, you must first apologize. Naturally, whether the subsequent action is to offer compensation or to draw your sword depends on the nature of the other person."

On some dirty palms, there lies a fragrant flatbread

The tiger cub hesitated for a moment and said, "I have no money"

Walking slowly to a shop that exuded a fragrant aroma, Tiger Milk Child saw someone take out copper coins to purchase cooked meat and flatbreads from the store. He stared blankly for a while, then began to feel around his own body.

In the vast sea of people, apart from the hunger in his belly that followed him like a shadow, he had nothing else

The tiger cub has already discarded its knife and charged into the crowd

"Saying sorry is useful, but what use is the law?" The person holding the tiger's cub sneered, "Look at my clothes, they are all dirty because of you!"

The beggar burst into laughter: "Isn't harmony the most valuable? Have you perhaps read some books... The so-called 'banfang' is simply the place where the officials and their subordinates carry out their duties, and being beaten means being struck by the rough wooden stick of a brute!"

In his fourteen years of life, the place that could be called home should be the Copper Palace, but is the Copper Palace really his home

Moreover, the layout of these bungalows is quite chaotic, with the alleys between the two rows of houses being much narrower than those in other parts of Xianyang City. The ground is not paved with stone slabs or blue bricks, but rather consists of simple earth.

He also saw the camels from the Western Regions, the elephants and rhinoceroses from the south, and the Kunlun slaves from even further south—they had dark skin, and their teeth were white when they smiled

The tiger cub looked bewildered: "Then... what should we do?"

He himself does not understand why he is crying, yet he is crying nonetheless

I am empty-handed; not to mention a single coin, even the knife I picked up was taken away during the recent conflict

When the tiger cub was wiping away its tears, it suddenly bumped into someone with a bang. As the tiger cub prepared to walk around, it was caught by that person who said: "You bumped into someone and you think you can just leave without apologizing?"

The tiger cub responded very quickly this time: "Zhao and, the harmony that is precious."

Behind him, the shouts of the Tiger Ben Guards and the Feather Forest Attendants rose sharply, accompanied by the sound of clashing swords, but Hu Ruer could no longer concern himself with such matters

The tiger cub's gaze lingered on that small corner of the pancake for a long time, and after a while, he bit his lower lip and shifted his feet

The beggar stared at him and realized that he truly did not know, so he scratched his head and said, "You don't even know this... Do you know your own name?"

The tiger cub was about to strike again when a burly man suddenly emerged from the crowd, shouting, "Good courage!"

As he spoke towards the end, his voice lowered somewhat, and he also revealed a fierce expression

The tiger cub hesitated.

A fragrant flatbread has been consumed, yet the tiger cub does not feel full; instead, it desires to eat more.

I do not know where my home is," Hu Ru'er said somewhat bewilderedly after thinking for a while