Chapter 5: Set off for Changshan

“Ha…”

On the road, having already set out, I let out a deep sigh.

Even though I said those things to Ling Shan before leaving, I still felt so embarrassed.

It’s not like we’re in a Korean drama, so why did I make it seem like a life-and-death parting, so cringeworthy…

As expected, I still care a lot about this Time Administration Bureau thing.

In the end, although I couldn’t bear to force Ling Shan to tell me the inside story, that doesn’t mean I’m so heartless that I feel nothing about it.

After all, it’s a matter of life and death, and I don’t even know the reason behind it, so I’m bound to feel uneasy.

Ling Shan’s unwillingness to reveal anything about my crimes or her background from our past lives already suggests that it’s definitely not something light and pleasant.

And yet, I know nothing about it, which really isn’t a good thing…

So far, the only information I have is that the device Ling Shan was holding before we time-traveled has gone missing.

According to her, without that device, we can’t return to our original world.

This is also why we’ve been safe until the age of seven—because the device didn’t have enough power before the transfer, and it’s probably in a state where it can’t be activated now.

The so-called Time Administration Bureau she mentioned can’t interfere with us because they can’t detect the device.

When I asked her why the device lacked power, this is how she answered me:

“Because I forgot to charge it before we left…”

Yes, forgot to charge it… charge it… it…

Damn it!

Although it’s a bit strange for me, someone who was assassinated, to say this, how could you not prepare properly for such an important mission!?

And what’s with this charging nonsense?

It’s supposed to be an era with time machines, and a high-tech product like that still needs regular charging!?

What the hell!

It makes no sense at all!!

Letting out a deep sigh, no matter how frustrated I was, I was powerless to change the situation.

I could only push aside my thoughts and ask Tong Yuan, “Old man, where are we headed?”

“What did you call me?” As if he misheard, Tong Yuan widened his eyes and stared at me.

I glared back at him and casually repeated, “Old man.”

“Call me Master!!” Tong Yuan, angered by my attitude, showed a furious expression.

“And I’m only fifty this year, not old enough to be called an old man!”

Isn’t that still an old man…

I rolled my eyes and ignored him.

Tong Yuan sighed, unwilling to argue further, and looked at me with a strange expression.

“You little brat, you don’t act like this in front of your parents.”

“Hmph.”

Before I could speak, Leng Yu, standing behind me, let out a cold laugh.

“Everyone who meets the Young Master says this because he’s completely different in front of Madam and in front of others.”

Upon hearing this, Bing Qiao clasped her hands together, showing a gentle smile.

“Yes, yes, the Young Master is always so well-behaved in front of Madam. Although I heard that before he took us in, he was very resistant to her…”

My face flushed a bit, but I forced an impatient expression.

“Not at all. She’s just too annoying, always crying over nothing, not acting like an adult at all.”

Speaking of my eccentric mother, even Tong Yuan, who was just angry, gave a wry smile.

“I thought your Master’s wife was already quite strange, but I didn’t expect there to be others like her.”

Then he looked at me with an odd expression that gave me chills.

“Speaking of strange, you’re not normal either. You may look like a seven-year-old child, but no matter how I look at it, your behavior…”

Damn, could this old man have figured something out?

That’s too bizarre.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Old man, you still haven’t answered my question.”

“Call me Master!!” Tong Yuan emphasized again with a glare, then looked north.

“We’re going to my hometown, Changshan.”

Changshan?

Sounds vaguely familiar.

“How far is it from here?”

“At least a few months’ journey.”

“What!? That far!?” I froze, stopping in my tracks.

“Are we walking the whole way?”

The old man looked back at me strangely.

“Do you have any other way?”

“We could take a carriage… no, ride horses.”

I blurted out, then realized this was ancient times and quickly corrected myself, wondering if I’d been influenced by that airhead Ling Shan.

The old man raised an eyebrow, smirking.

“Can you ride a horse?”

Opening my mouth but unable to respond, I lowered my head in frustration.

“No.”

“Then that settles it. Are you scared of a little journey?” Tong Yuan curled his lip and turned to walk away.

“Let me warn you, the training ahead will be even tougher. We haven’t gone far, so you can still go back.”

Stupid old man… If I go back, not only will Father be angry, but he’ll definitely send me to that private school to study “zhe hu zhe ye” with those kids.

My genius-level intellect would be dragged down to their level—absolutely unacceptable…

I sighed for what felt like the hundredth time today, watching the old man walk away, and hurriedly ran to catch up.

The two girls glanced at each other and followed me.

In the days that followed, I truly experienced what it meant to live rough.

After days of trudging, finding an inn was no easy feat.

Finally, we entered a county town, and I, along with Bing Qiao and Leng Yu, collapsed exhausted on the ground.

The old man, used to this kind of life, was still full of energy, looking completely unaffected.

Seeing us kids worn out, he didn’t push us and said, “Stay here and don’t move. I’ll go get you something to eat.”

“Why are you taking advantage of us?”

“Huh?”

The old man, being from ancient times, naturally didn’t get my modern quip.

Sigh, joking with ancient people is so boring.

If Ling Shan were here, she might’ve shot back, “I’ll eat two, the rest are yours.”

Oh well, that airheaded girl probably wouldn’t even get the reference.

With that thought, I waved at Tong Yuan, signaling him to hurry up.

Of course, for my rude gesture, the old man unceremoniously bonked me on the head with his fist before leaving.

“Young Master, you brought that on yourself.”

Seeing me clutching my head in pain, nearly crying, Leng Yu sighed helplessly.

“Young Master, would you like some water? I have some here.”

Unlike Leng Yu, who had no proper maid demeanor, Bing Qiao, despite being exhausted, still gave me a serene smile, prioritizing my care.

I looked at the two sweaty little maids and noticed that Bing Qiao’s water flask was nearly empty.

Though I was thirsty, I shook my head.

“No need, I’m not thirsty. You two drink first. The old man will bring more water soon anyway.”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

“Hmph, Young Master’s just pretending to be tough.”

The two maids, who knew me well, could tell I wasn’t being entirely honest but accepted my kindness.

They took a sip to wet their lips, leaving most of the water and offering it back to me.

I was about to refuse when a commotion of shouting and beating nearby caught our attention.

Looking over, I saw a group of men dressed as servants beating an old man lying on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the old man was shielding a frail girl in his arms, protecting her from the blows.

The servants were shouting things like, “Go beg somewhere else!” and “Blocking our way, are you tired of living?”

In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, with displaced people and corrupt officials disregarding lives, such scenes weren’t uncommon, as I’d read in the history books of the Three Kingdoms in my past life.

But back then, reading about these events on paper, most people in later generations would just feel a moment of silent pity.

However…

When you witness such a tragedy with your own eyes, you can’t face it as calmly as reading a book.

Watching the old man and child being beaten by the servants, hearing the old man’s pleas and the girl’s cries, while the surrounding crowd remained as indifferent as corpses.

All of this made me feel a pain that the words in history books could never convey.

But what could I do?

I was just a young child, and even Tong Yuan, with his exceptional martial skills, wasn’t here.

Was I supposed to rely on myself and these two young girls to stop those burly, strong servants?

I slightly averted my gaze, but in doing so, I saw Bing Qiao still holding out the water flask to me, her hand trembling in midair.

Her delicate white hand seemed to be shaking from fear.

Looking up, I saw Bing Qiao and Leng Yu staring at the beaten pair, their faces showing sadness and a hint of fear.

Of course, these two girls were once homeless beggars before we took them in.

The plight of that old man and child must have reminded them of their own past.

Bing Qiao’s other hand was tightly clasped with Leng Yu’s.

Noticing her distraction, she quickly turned to me.

Seeing me looking at her, Bing Qiao hid her sorrowful expression and gave me a weak smile to cover it up.

But the hand holding the flask was still trembling slightly.

Facing their expressions, I let out a deep sigh.

I reached out, took the flask from Bing Qiao, but instead of drinking, I slowly stood up from the ground.

“You two, go find the old man. He shouldn’t be far.”

“Y-Young Master, what about you?”

Bing Qiao asked anxiously, startled.

“Young Master, you’re not thinking of handling those people yourself, are you? For your safety, I must remind you that your past games of pretending to be a peerless master were just delusions.”

Leng Yu said with her usual expressionless face.

“Do you think I’m an idiot…”

I replied helplessly.

How could I, with my adult mind, actually believe I was a peerless master?

Leng Yu’s mention of “pretending” was just my act to avoid others noticing I wasn’t truly a child.

I took a few steps forward and continued to the two behind me, “Don’t worry, I have a plan. But you two need to bring the old man back quickly, or your Young Master might meet an early end.”

“Then one of us can stay to help you, and the other can go find Master Tong…”

“No, you’ll just get in the way. I’m better off alone.”

I interrupted Bing Qiao before she could finish.

The two maids exchanged a glance.

They trusted me, and seeing my determination, they nodded, saying, “Young Master, please be careful,” before hurrying off in the direction the old man had gone.

After they left, I sighed deeply again, looking at the servants who still hadn’t stopped their beating.

What plan did I have?

Even if I reported this to the authorities, would those officials abandon the nobles to help two beggars?

If they kept beating, that old man might not last much longer.

As a mere child, the only way I could think of to stop these strong, vicious servants was this.

I took a deep breath, gripping the water flask tightly.

Old man, you better hurry back.

Otherwise, you’ll be heading back with your newly accepted disciple’s corpse.

Praying silently, I raised the flask and threw it hard at the servants, hitting one of them squarely on the back of the head.

“Ow!?”

The servant, in pain, stopped with the others, turning angrily to look at me, the kid who threw it.

Seeing it was a child, they immediately showed menacing expressions.

With a resolute expression, I clenched my fists and shouted at the violent servants.

“Stop it!!”

“…”

Damn it, I bit my tongue out of fear!!