Chapter Seven, Where to Find Peace

Fortunately, it is now late June, the hottest time of the year, and even sleeping on the ground outside does not feel cold. The infant was awakened by the sound of the door opening. He looked up and saw a face that was dark, thin, and full of wrinkles

A simpleton encountered on the road, unaware of where his home is, I thought to myself, isn't this a gift delivered to our doorstep? It also saves us some effort. The beggar lowered his voice and said, whether to make him a pickpocket or to cripple him for labor, he can be of use.

The tiger cub's eyes lit up; he thought for a moment, then broke off some dry branches and leaves from the tree, and ignited them with the embers.

When the last sound of the evening drum rang out, the tiger cub sat in a dark, low room drinking water

As he spoke, he walked outside and looked out at the gate of the courtyard. After a while, he finally showed a look of joy: "Why are you only coming back now? Could it be that something happened? Where are Monkey San and Bear Da?"

The two burly men immediately understood each other; one pulled a dagger from his bosom, while the other retrieved a door bolt from behind the courtyard gate, and they slowly approached the door behind the beggar

The beggar glared fiercely at the tiger cub, then paused for a moment

Therefore, Zhao and did not refuse

The beggar shook his head: "What is there to tie up with such a fool, sleeping like a dead pig? How about this, let's wait until Monkey San and the others arrive, and for now, let's get something to eat!"

But when the tiger cub arrived at the courtyard gate, it found that the gate was already locked. Looking at the courtyard's surrounding wall, which stood a full fifteen feet high, it realized that even if it jumped, it would not be able to reach the top of the wall

They went out to the yard to prepare food, while five children timidly walked in. The tiger infant, who was originally lying facing the wall, smacked his lips twice, turned over, and no one noticed the slight gap that opened in his tightly closed eyes.

Zhao, while rubbing his stomach that was growling with hunger, nodded each time the other person asked a question

The large tree transformed into a giant torch, appearing particularly dazzling in the night of Xianyang City

The large tree in the yard is somewhat distant from the wall, and he cannot leverage it either

The tiger cub hesitated slightly and said, "My name is Zhao He"

A middle-aged man leading the firefighting team glanced over and was instantly filled with uncontrollable anger: "These children... this is a den of thieves!"

Beneath the eaves of the West Chamber, he saw the dark red glow of firelight, which was the embers left after the three beggars had cooked their meal

The impatient ones immediately kicked open the doors of various rooms, and the five disabled children had already been startled, huddling in the straw and not daring to make a sound. At that moment, as the door opened, illuminated by the flames, they were suddenly revealed.

What is going on with this kid?" asked the burly man wielding a dagger.

But it was too late; at this moment, the small courtyard had already been surrounded by those awakened to fight the fire. Hearing the shouts from outside, they did not dare to open the door, while the rescuers outside had no time to linger. They directly threw ropes over the wall, and with a loud crash, one wall was pulled down, allowing the rescuers to swarm in.

He quickly opened the window and quietly climbed out

The beggar furrowed his brow, anxiously looking outside. The tiger cub set down the water bowl, glanced at him, and then began to survey its surroundings.

The tiger cub looked at the young official in surprise; in such a chaotic situation, the young official was actually able to accurately identify these three individuals. If it were not by chance, then it meant that he had been prepared from the very beginning

Then the master snorted: "Not mute, but not much different from a mute... Kid, are you homeless, do you have nowhere to go, do you... have no money for food?"

The owner of this thin, dark face is approximately in his fifties. He waved his sleeve to drive away the tiger cub. The tiger cub got up, stretched lazily, and yawned, just as it was about to leave, but was once again stopped by the owner.

He quietly shrank back from the crowd, taking advantage of the moment when the people were capturing the group of beggars, and slipped into the darkness outside the courtyard

After surveying the room inside and out, the tiger cub looked at the beggar again. The beggar muttered a curse under his breath and then said, "Wait here, I will go out and take a look"

The tiger cub merely glanced once, then tightly closed its eyes again, emitting a faint snore

The beggar tiptoed over and saw that the tiger cub was indeed sleeping with its eyes closed, even drooling from its mouth, sleeping soundly and sweetly

"You can say whether you are willing or not. If you are not willing, you may leave, and do not come back to sleep here. If you are willing, then stay, and I will find a guarantor to draft a document with the village head." said the thin, dark-skinned host.

Heavy snoring came from the two side rooms; whatever he found, he had to be cautious to avoid waking anyone up

The tiger cub shook its head, causing the master to furrow his brow and roll his eyes: "What is your name, little fellow? Do you understand my words?"

However, the fatigue that followed the tension soon set in, and the sky gradually darkened, the brilliance of the stars and moon slowly fading away. Unable to see his surroundings clearly, he randomly sought refuge at a household and fell asleep beneath their doorstep.

Even though the beggar expressed much goodwill, the Tiger Milk Child still felt uneasy in his heart. Fortunately, due to this unease, he overheard the conversation between the beggar and the strong man.

He did not rush to leave; seeing that everyone was busy trying to extinguish the fire, he hid behind the crowd and shouted, "There are still people inside, I hope nothing has happened!"

He turned around, and five children entered, supporting each other as they walked in. Behind these five children, there were also two strong men following.

"No rush, no rush, there is still one more place..." He reassured himself in his heart as the tiger cub turned towards one side of the wall. He had already looked there before pretending to sleep; there were two small windows.

The tiger cub lay in a corner of the haystack, facing away from them, emitting a faint snore

He also shouted, "Fire!"

Zhao scratched his head, thinking that this master, who has a shop here, should not be ill-intentioned like the beggar from yesterday. Moreover, regardless of his intentions, he currently has nowhere else to go and can only temporarily take refuge here

He brought the simple torch to the top of the large tree, and after a moment, the withered half of the tree began to ignite with scattered flames. Soon, these scattered flames gathered together.

At this moment, he had also heard the sounds of the alarm gong and wooden clappers from outside—the fire patrol soldiers and the night watchmen had discovered the unusual situation here

"You arrived first, yet you haven't even set the food and wine properly!" a man scolded a beggar.

He pointed three times in the crowd, precisely at the beggar who had mingled with the crowd and his accomplice

Amidst this chaos, the tiger cub took the opportunity to blend into the crowd

The burly man holding the dagger chuckled twice and said, "You are quite lucky... Let's tie you up first"

Five disabled children gathered in this low-roofed house, and this situation is certainly not a coincidence. With a furious shout from a middle-aged man, everyone reacted, and soon after, a man resembling a minor official emerged, shouting loudly: "Capture these three individuals, do not let them escape!"

"Do not mention it, that rascal Hou San is not good at managing business and has stirred up trouble, resulting in him being beaten by a knife-wielding brat. They have gone all over looking for that brat, and I was instructed to bring these pigs back first. They have not returned yet, and I suppose they won't make it back before the curfew." said a person outside the courtyard

The door was bolted, and the tiger cub gently pushed against it but could not open it, causing him to furrow his brow

After the large tree was set ablaze, the tiger cub shrank into a corner of the yard, precisely in the shadow illuminated by the firelight. No matter who entered the yard, the first thing they would see was the burning tree, and no one would notice him hidden in the shadows

In the stillness of the deep night, under the glow of the stars and the moon, the tiger cub quietly rises.

For adults, it is quite difficult to squeeze through these two small windows, but for a fourteen-year-old who is only the size of a twelve-year-old child, it is merely a slight inconvenience

This face looked at him with disdain: "What bad luck, what bad luck, whose little monkey is this, sleeping in front of my shop? Get lost, get lost, do not delay my business!"

Zhao and Zhao, what is good about harmony? It is better not to be harmonious; only through discord can one achieve prosperity in business!" The thin-faced owner muttered, "Where do you come from?"

At this moment, approaching midnight, the tiger cub wandered alone on the street. The evening breeze swept over the long street, and he suddenly felt a sense of exhilaration

"Pah, that scoundrel Hou San must have gone to some brothel!" the beggar cursed.

As for the furniture, there is only a broken cabinet on the side of the house, on which some miscellaneous items are placed

After the beggars and others had eaten and drunk their fill, they came in to take another look at the tiger cub. Seeing that it was still sleeping soundly, they left only one person in the room, while the other two sought out the side rooms in the small courtyard to sleep.

Then would you be willing to be my apprentice? I will provide you with food, and at least you will have a place to stay, the master said

According to the plans of the Great Qin court, each neighborhood has several fire patrol stations, where fire patrol soldiers are on watch in the watchtowers day and night, looking out for any occurrences of fire.

The thin, dark master smiled slightly, pulling Zhao He along as he said: "Let’s go, we are going to find the protector... Let’s look for Xiao You!"

This is a low building, nestled between a cluster of houses, neither adjacent to the street in front nor close to the alley behind. Just as he entered, he saw a small courtyard, which contained a well and a half-dry large tree. The ground was filthy, and there was a strong, unpleasant odor. Inside the house, the stench was equally unbearable; half of the room was covered with grass that had a moldy smell, suggesting it was likely a resting place for several people.

He secretly observed from the gap of his eyes and saw that the five children who entered were either missing an arm or a leg, each one appearing both terrifying and pitiable

The subsequent matters no longer require his involvement

The master scrutinized the young man from head to toe and said, "Which family do you belong to, you little rascal?"

I have just returned, today was not supposed to be my turn!" The beggar snorted and then extended his finger, making a gesture for silence near his mouth

The tiger cubs raised in the Copper Palace feel a great lack of security

Zhao He recognized him; he was indeed the official who had identified the three beggars during the fire rescue last night. Zhao He felt a sudden pang of anxiety, as he was uncertain whether this official had also noticed him last night

The tiger cub furrowed its brow, its gaze wandering around the courtyard in search of something that could assist it

Zhao and Ya looked at each other in surprise, not having anticipated such a fortuitous event to occur out of the blue

The beggars and the strong men were awakened, and their first reaction upon seeing the fire was naturally to fetch water from the well to extinguish it. However, after only pouring down two buckets of water, they heard a clamorous call from outside the door. Realizing the situation was dire, they abandoned the water buckets and prepared to leave

He pulled Zhao He to a household, just as he was about to knock on the door, the door of that household opened by itself, and a man dressed in official attire stepped out, adjusting his clothing. The thin, dark-skinned host, upon seeing him, was filled with joy and said: "Doctor Xiao, what a coincidence, I have something I need your help with"

The official's gaze swept briefly over the face of the thin, dark master before quickly settling on Zhao He’s face

Zhao blinked and did not answer the question