Chapter 0002: The Beggar's Sect
The old tree bark clearly knew that Yang Ning's mind was somewhat muddled at this moment, and explained: "When you were in a deep sleep, Miss Xiao Die came to see you. Seeing that you were gravely ill, she left behind a jade pendant. I could tell that the pendant seemed very important to her, but in order to save you, she still took it out. I had no other good options, so I could only accept it for now."
Yang Ning was somewhat taken aback; the monkey's change in attitude was too rapid, leaving him feeling somewhat disoriented
Dynasty? This... Huize City is a county town of the Chu State, we should be... we should be in the Chu Dynasty. The monkey said cautiously: "We do not know who the emperor is..."
The beggar is already at the bottom of society, and now, it turns out that he has become the lowest of the low among the underprivileged.
Several beggars looked at each other in confusion, all shaking their heads, clearly bewildered by what Yang Ning had said
A few steps brought him in front of the monkey. Upon seeing Yang Ning approaching, the monkey's expression changed drastically. Enduring the pain, it shouted: "I... I have already apologized. You must... you must keep your word...!"
"Isn't the Dog-Beatting Stick the treasure of the Beggar's Sect?" Yang Ning said, "Did you not see the Dog-Beatting Stick in the hands of the Sect Leader?"
He is not a fool. Yang Ning quickly realized a possibility regarding this strange reaction. Although he occupied the body known as Xiao Diao'er, the consciousness and memories of Xiao Diao'er had not been completely consumed by his own consciousness. Whenever certain provocative people and events were mentioned, Xiao Diao'er's subconscious would emerge in his mind
You too! The monkey firmly insisted that Yang Ning be in the same social class as them
Yang Ning realized that the old tree bark was a rather honest person. Having been beaten to such a state, he simply accepted an apology. Since even the person involved did not hold a grudge, there was no need for him to dwell on it any further
Yang Ningqi asked: "Jade pendant?"
To his astonishment, the other beggars, upon seeing the monkey's behavior, all rushed forward and knelt before Yang Ning, saying in unison: "Little Weasel, from now on you will be the leader of the Earth God Temple, and we will all follow your lead"
"Try to see if you can move yourself." Yang Ning had already turned around and sat down on a pile of hay in the corner of the room
He is not in a good mood right now and is quite displeased by the sound of the monkeys screeching. During the early stages of his special training back then, it was common for him to have his arms dislocated, yet he did not feel as if the sky was falling.
The old tree bark, who had been silent all along, finally approached, holding a small bag in hand, and handed it to Yang Ning: "Little Weasel, this is the money exchanged for that jade pendant... the money has been mostly used for medical treatment and medicine, and these are what remains. You should keep it for now.
Yang Ning never imagined that one day she would traverse through time, let alone become a proud disciple of the Beggar's Sect
Do you know about the "dog-beating stick"? Yang Ning showed a hint of interest, "Have you heard of the "Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms"?"
Before the monkey could speak, a person beside it hurriedly interjected: "We are one of the twenty-eight branches, the Winged Fire Snake branch... a subordinate branch...!" This person paid no attention to the monkey's angry glare, only hoping to make a good impression on Yang Ning: "The leader's surname is not Qiao, it seems... it seems to be Xiang!"
Yang Ning raised his hand and said, "Do not rush, let me organize my thoughts first." Taking a deep breath, he then asked, "This is Huize City, and you are all disciples of the Beggar's Sect...!"
At this moment, the others did not dare to neglect the old tree bark and all stepped aside to create a gap
"You have been ill for about ten days now," sighed Old Tree Bark. "We have no money for treatment, so we can only watch helplessly as you struggle to hold on. A few days ago, Miss Butterfly came here in the middle of the night, crying for hours. Later, she took out a jade pendant and asked me to exchange it for money to pay for your treatment. Little Weasel, if it weren't for that jade pendant, you would probably be dead by now."
After all, a monkey is still a monkey, and it is relatively well-behaved. As soon as Yang Ning said this, the ghostly cries immediately ceased. Yang Ning tugged a couple of times, and the monkey began to sweat on its forehead, its face displaying an expression of torment, emitting painful sounds from its throat, while Yang Ning had already withdrawn his hand
Although the war has ceased, the refugees stranded in Huize City have not left for the time being. This small county town is now overcrowded and extremely congested.
Yang Ning tried to restrain his temper and asked, "Since it is the Beggar's Sect, do we also have any branch halls? By the way, the leader of the Beggar's Sect wouldn't happen to have the surname Qiao, would he?"
He needs to wash his face with cold water to refresh himself
When he was being aggressive, he was quite imposing, but after losing an arm, all his arrogance vanished into thin air. Yang Ning did not hesitate; he reached out and grabbed the monkey's severed arm, and before he could even make a significant move, the monkey let out a scream akin to that of a slaughtered pig.
He questioned a few more times and, from these half-hearted accounts, he gleaned some outlines, more or less
Yang Ning was even more unhappy; becoming a disciple of the Beggar's Sect was one thing, but as it stands, he still found himself at the lowest grassroots level within the sect
His name is Little Weasel—at least in this era, it is quite an eccentric name. Currently, he resides in a rather unsettled small county in the northern part of Huainan Prefecture, Chu State.
The city of Huize, located no more than one hundred miles from the Huai River, naturally became one of the refuges for the displaced. Fortunately, although the Northern Han forces had once advanced to the southern bank of the Huai River, their military might was repelled before reaching Huize, and thus the city did not suffer the calamity of war.
According to the information provided by these unreliable individuals, although the State of Chu is located south of the Huai River, it has consistently controlled two commanderies north of the river, acting like a dagger thrust into the heart of Northern Han. Such a threat has naturally caused Northern Han great unease, which is why three years ago, an army of 200,000 from Northern Han marched southward.
"Little Weasel, with your skills, you will surely achieve great success in the Beggar's Sect in the future." After witnessing Little Weasel's abilities, Monkey wore a beaming smile and said, "With your skills, you can already be considered a top-tier expert!"
Born into an ordinary family, he became a member of the armed police through relentless effort. After undergoing rigorous training, he chose the path of business after retiring from service, starting from scratch and gradually working his way up, achieving a modest level of success.
Little Butterfly? For some reason, upon hearing this name, Yang Ning felt a sense of familiarity in his mind, a dull ache at the back of his head, and a vague impression emerged in his mind. This vague impression was of a delicate young girl in her teens, and at that moment, his head felt swollen as he raised his hands to cradle his temples.
Truly disappointing
"Still a beggar!" The monkey's response almost provoked Yang Ning to act again, "But perhaps I could become the boss of Huize City!"
However, just a few months ago, the two countries ceased hostilities and reached a truce, bringing an end to the Huai River War that had lasted nearly three years
To the leader? The monkey hurriedly replied, "We are merely a branch in a small county, subordinate to the Winged Fire Serpent sub-branch. We have never even seen the branch leader, let alone the leader. Moreover, I have heard that the leader is elusive, rarely seen in full view. We, the likes of us, have no chance of encountering him."
"Stop howling like a ghost," Yang Ning said irritably. "If I reattach your arm and you keep howling, I'll make sure this arm is rendered useless."
Yang Ning just wants to ask the monkey if it still has any shame left. Although Yang Ning does not deny that he has some skills, he really does not understand how the monkey positions itself. He can easily defeat a few useless ones, yet he considers himself a top expert. Am I, Yang Ning, a top expert, while you useless ones still think you are first-class experts?
Yang Ning glared at the monkey, as he did not appreciate others interrupting him easily. "What dynasty is it now? And who is the emperor?"
The monkey was somewhat skeptical, yet it still slightly moved its arms a few times. Although there was still some lingering pain, the arms were already able to move freely.
A few people exchanged glances, clearly not expecting Yang Ning to ask such a sophisticated question right off the bat
The wind and rain outside are fierce, and at this moment, Yang Ning feels a bit chilly. He said to the monkey, "Is there any water here? Bring some water to wash my face."
Yang Ning was even more puzzled; according to what the old tree bark said, the girl named Xiao Die seemed to be his savior.
"Can one achieve great success in the Beggar's Sect?" The currently unfamiliar Yang Ning humbly inquired, "What would that be?"
Xiao Die cried all night? Yang Ning said with a bitter smile: "She can't bear to see me die? But... but who is she after all, and why... why can't I remember clearly?"
The other beggars, who were initially prepared to flee in panic, saw this situation and retreated. They then witnessed the monkey suddenly kneeling at Yang Ning's feet, its voice becoming very agitated: "Little Weasel, from now on... from now on you will be our leader. We will listen to you from now on. If you tell us to go east, we will never go west..."
The troubling aspect is that he has little impression of the past associated with the one called Little Weasel, although there are some fragmented images in his mind, he is unable to piece them together at the moment
Only after a few people had left did Yang Ning ask Old Tree Bark: "Have I fallen seriously ill?"
The reason this small county town is not considered peaceful is solely because just over 100 miles to the north lies the Huai River, and the Huai River is not peaceful due to the years of warfare that have taken place along its banks.
The monkey was taken aback and, seeing Yang Ning frown, hurriedly said: "Yes, yes, I will go get it right away!" He called out to the others, "Everyone, please help!"
The State of Chu occupies a vast expanse of land south of the Huai River, yet north of the Huai River lies the territory of the Han State. The two states stand in opposition to each other, sharply contrasting in their positions.
Just as he was enjoying the fruits of his labor, he woke up from a hangover and found himself transformed from a millionaire businessman into a beggar
Little Weasel...! Old Bark exclaimed in surprise, and the other beggars immediately made a decision and turned to run.
Yang Ning felt a drop of cold sweat on his forehead, but upon reflection, he felt relieved. If this were truly ancient times, then communication would be extremely backward, and the emperor would always maintain an air of mystery, making it impossible for him to frequently deliver televised addresses. Ordinary commoners might not even know who the sovereign was.
For more than two years, we have been engaged in back-and-forth conflict, with smoke rising from the banks of the Huai River, and devastation everywhere. The people on both sides have been torn apart, with families separated and fleeing their homeland, seeking refuge in various places
The old tree bark noticed Yang Ning's unusual behavior and couldn't help but furrow its brow, sighing: "Little weasel, you have just recovered from a serious illness; why not... why not rest a little longer? You may forget others, but you must not forget Miss Xiao Die no matter what. If it weren't for her, you probably wouldn't be alive now."