Zhang Chen felt disappointed upon hearing this, thinking he had overestimated these fellows, so he changed his approach: "Is there a Beggar Gang in this Yangzhou realm? The kind that rules over all the beggars in Yangzhou?"
"Ancestor, if beggars had such power, would they still be beggars? They’d be part of the Martial World. Anyone who has to resort to begging in the Martial World wouldn’t have the ability to form such a power." The beggar leader lamented continuously, doubting if Zhang Chen’s mind was sound. Could there really be someone among beggars with the capability to organize everyone?
What would such a talent need to beg for?
Zhang Chen realized he had been misled by novels from his past life. Looking at the beggars still bleeding, he snorted coldly: "Don’t let me see you again." Saying that, he picked up the copper plate, tucked it into his bosom, then covered Xu Erniu’s eyes and walked away.
As for taking these beggars in? Zhang Chen wasn’t interested. Those few beggars had their fingers broken by him; spending money to treat them would be a huge expense. Why would Zhang Chen find trouble for himself? If he took in a few people, wouldn’t he then have to spend money on their treatment?
Watching Zhang Chen’s departing figure, the beggar leader mused: "Organizing all the beggars together, everyone huddling as one..."
It was only after walking dozens of meters that Zhang Chen released Xu Erniu’s eyes. At that moment, Xu Erniu’s eyes were wide with curiosity, staring at Zhang Chen.
"What are you looking at? Don’t recognize me?" Zhang Chen asked with a smiling curiosity.
"What method did you use to make them so obedient?" Xu Erniu blinked, her gaze full of wonder.
Zhang Chen didn’t answer her question but instead pulled out a handful of copper coins from his bosom, teasing with a playful smile: "Erni, do you want money?"
Xu Erniu’s eyes immediately lit up: "Yes!"
Then she held out her dry hands expectantly towards Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen gave all the copper coins to Xu Erniu, who carefully wrapped them in her arms and cautiously looked around the wilderness before pulling Zhang Chen’s hand, saying secretively, "Let’s hurry back."
Zhang Chen chuckled, following Xu Erniu back to the dilapidated temple, watching as Xu Erniu sat there with a silly grin, counting the copper coins one by one, her eyes turning into the shape of copper coins.
"Zhang Chen, it’s a full five hundred and ten. Did you dig out even the coffin money from those beggars?" Xu Erniu giggled foolishly.
Zhang Chen looked at the little money-grubber Xu Erniu and couldn’t help shaking his head and sighing. This child was truly pitiful, so happy with just five hundred copper coins.
"Five hundred copper coins, enough for us to travel most of the way to Qingcheng Mountain. But if it were just me, five hundred copper coins would be barely enough. Counting you in..." Xu Erniu put down the coins and counted on her fingers for a while before saying, "At least fifteen hundred copper coins, which means at least fifteen hundred pastries. Eating one and a half a day should suffice."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen was speechless. Even in difficult times, he never worried about fifteen hundred copper coins.
He, Zhang Chen, had never been short of money!
Xu Erniu, seeing Zhang Chen not responding, turned to look at him. Her big, dark eyes suddenly filled with worry as she cautiously probed, "Zhang Chen, are you giving me back the money because you don’t want to go to Qingcheng Mountain with me?"
Her voice trembled slightly. The journey to Qingcheng Mountain was a thousand miles, filled with treacherous mountains and rivers. She was terrified just thinking about it, knowing one wrong step could cost her life.
What kind of person was Zhang Chen? He immediately sensed Xu Erniu’s concern, gently patting her head with a smiling assurance: "Don’t worry. I’ll stay with you and safely get you to Qingcheng Mountain."
Xu Erniu beamed upon hearing this: "Zhang Chen, I knew I wasn’t wrong about you. Don’t worry, when we reach Qingcheng Mountain, I’ll make you a deity."
So young, yet so good at making grand promises, even more so than Xiaodouding.
"But five hundred copper coins are obviously not enough; we still need to save more," Xu Erniu said, starting to plan: "We can pick some flowers in the mountains to sell in the city, or weave flower baskets to sell to the young ladies..."
With that, Xu Erniu began sitting there again, counting the money over and over, never getting enough.
A night passed, and the next morning, Xu Erniu pulled Zhang Chen up the mountain to pick fresh flowers, then went to Yangzhou City to sell them.
Yangzhou City was vast and prosperous, full of people wearing luxurious clothes. The two mingled amongst the bustling crowd, as small as tiny ants.
Xu Erniu dragged Zhang Chen to a large restaurant, they sat across the street from the restaurant, displaying their flowers. With Xu Erniu’s logic: "The customers who enter the restaurant can afford to buy flowers."
Looking at the towering restaurant, with its aroma wafting through the air, Xu Erniu leaned against Zhang Chen, staring longingly at it: "It smells so good! What dishes do you think they have there? Do those rich folks dine on pig’s knuckle? I remember at Landlord Jiang’s house, the best dish was the pig’s knuckle. Once, when I passed by, Landlord Jiang rewarded me with a bite. I still remember the taste to this day. When I become a deity, I’ll have pig’s knuckle three times a day!"
She turned to the silent Zhang Chen, asking, "You probably don’t know the taste of pig’s knuckle, do you? Don’t worry, when we reach Qingcheng Mountain and meet my father, I’ll treat you to pig’s knuckle. We’ll have it every day, three times a day!"
Looking at the hopeful Xu Erniu, Zhang Chen had mixed emotions. The best taste in this girl’s memory was probably the pig’s knuckle.
Just imagining a grande table of nothing but pig’s knuckle at the restaurant made Zhang Chen want to laugh, though there was a tinge of bitterness in his smile.
Transferring his attention, Zhang Chen watched Xu Erniu selling flowers. He had a rough idea of how the girl had saved over two hundred copper coins.
Their picked flowers were all wildflowers from the mountains, sold cheaply, yet after a busy morning, they could only sell two copper coins, often unable to sell even one, watching helplessly as the flowers wilted.
Today, the flowers hadn’t sold, and Xu Erniu, seeing the wilted flowers, turned and led Zhang Chen to pick discarded vegetable leaves. But Zhang Chen couldn’t understand why Xu Erniu didn’t bring him along to beg.
That night, they gnawed on vegetable leaves and fell asleep to the sound of buzzing mosquitoes.
The second day
Picked flowers
Unsuccessful sell
Collected wilted vegetable leaves.
The third day
Picked flowers
Sold two copper coins
Collected wilted vegetable leaves
The fourth day
Picked flowers
Unsuccessful sell
Collected wilted vegetable leaves
One vendor, pitying the two, gave Xu Erniu a pastry, which she looked at longingly for a while, swallowing her saliva repeatedly before finally tearing her gaze away to offer it to Zhang Chen with forced cheer: "You’re the patient now, you need to eat something good to recover."
Zhang Chen looked at the pastry Xu Erniu offered, speechless for a moment, then broke it in half, handing half to Xu Erniu: "Let’s eat together."
"No way, you’ve just recovered. You need to replenish your Primordial Qi. Eat! I have vegetable leaves!" Xu Erniu stubbornly declined, swallowing her saliva, refusing politely:
"Zhang Chen, you need to regain your strength, otherwise, who would accompany me to Qingcheng Mountain if you fall ill?"
Zhang Chen patted Xu Erniu’s head and, seeing her skinny arms, handed her half of the pastry: "Our fates are tied. If you don’t eat, how can I eat alone?"
Hearing Zhang Chen’s words ’our fates are tied’, Xu Erniu’s eyes sparkled as if little flames ignited: "Our fates are tied? Yes, we are both heading to Qingcheng Mountain to become deities."
Saying this, Xu Erniu took the pastry and stuffed it in her mouth, patting her chest with a grin: "Zhang Chen, we’re one now. We should share everything good. What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is yours, we’re inseparable!"
Looking at the half pastry in his hands, Zhang Chen agreed with the little girl’s notion, nodding solemnly: "What’s yours is mine, what’s mine is yours."
PS: Today’s a transition Chapter, starting the Qingcheng Mountain plan tomorrow.