Chapter 6: The World Should Change

Although I cowardly bit my tongue, those servants wouldn’t let me off just because of that.

They ignored the old man and child lying on the ground and started gathering toward me.

Facing a few burly servants approaching, I could only suppress my urge to run and stand still, waiting for their arrival.

I couldn’t run.

If I did, the old man and his granddaughter, who were too weak to stand, wouldn’t escape these people’s pursuit, and the outcome would be the same.

Seeing that the crowd stopped beating him, the old man finally relaxed and turned to look at me.

The girl in his arms, nestled under him, gazed at me with her big, sparkling eyes as I was surrounded by the vicious servants.

If I could have seen clearly, I would have noticed that, despite their countless wounds, their eyes held little pain.

Instead, they stared at my small figure with a meaningful gaze.

But at that moment, surrounded by several burly men, I was completely oblivious.

For now, I’d stall for time.

I looked up at the servants towering over me, placed one hand near my mouth, and put on a cute, innocent smile.

“Uncle~~ I accidentally threw the water jug, I’m so sorry, hehe☆”

As I spoke, I lightly tapped my head with my other hand, acting like, “I’m so silly!”

“…”

As expected, they remained unmoved.

Damn it!

Why was I reborn as a guy instead of a cute girl!?

Are guys really that unpopular!?

Seeing the sinister grins on their faces, I couldn’t help but shiver.

No, it’s probably better that I wasn’t reborn as a girl, or else I feel like something really bad would happen next.

As expected, the burly servants proceeded to beat me mercilessly.

All I could do was curl up on the ground, shielding my head to avoid fatal injuries.

Even so, my body still took quite a beating from their attacks.

Fortunately, the old man didn’t seem to want to take my corpse back with him.

He hadn’t gone far when Bingqiao Lengyu called him back.

Just then, the servant I had hit with the water jug kicked me in the stomach, making me cry out in pain.

“Young Master!”

Seeing the situation, Bingqiao anxiously called out.

The old man frowned, lightly tapped his toes, and rushed to our side like the wind.

The servant was about to strike again but suddenly felt another force hit him.

By the time he came to his senses, he was already on the ground, a sharp pain radiating from his abdomen.

Tong Yuan had made his move.

“You old bastard, are you tired of living!?”

The remaining servants, spouting typical small-fry lines, turned and charged at the old man who dared to fight back.

Unfortunately for them, their opponent was Tong Yuan.

In just a few exchanges, they were all groaning on the ground.

Lengyu and Bingqiao ran to my side, helping me sit up.

“Young Master, how could you do this?”

“Getting yourself hurt to save others… I knew it already, but Young Master, you’re really an idiot.”

Looking at my wounds, Bingqiao’s eyes welled up with tears.

Lengyu was calmer, her face expressionless, but her eyes also shimmered with unshed tears.

“So dramatic… I’m not dead.”

Seeing the two delicate maids crying, I shook my head with a bitter smile.

“Don’t cry. I did this so you wouldn’t have to. Otherwise, wouldn’t all these injuries be for nothing?”

“But… Young Master… If I had known you were going to do something like this, I would never have left your side.”

Bingqiao was sobbing so hard she could barely speak.

“Alright, alright, I’m tough. Getting beaten up just means a few days of pain. You, especially, are too frail to withstand their fists.”

I reached out to pat Bingqiao’s pitiful little head, comforting her softly.

The old man walked slowly to my side, saw that I wasn’t too badly hurt, and smiled.

“You little rascal, you seem carefree, but you’ve got a bit of a sense of justice.”

“Don’t tease me. It’s not like I wanted to do this. Even if I did, it should’ve been like you, resolving the conflict in a cool way.”

Solving the problem by getting beaten up was kind of pathetic.

“You say that, but you were willing to save others this way, weren’t you? Still, as your master, I must warn you: scenes like this are all too common in these chaotic times. If you want to change things, you need strength.”

“Yeah… I’ve learned that the hard way.”

I gave a bitter smile, clenching my fists tightly.

Is this the Three Kingdoms I admired?

I used to be engrossed in the heroic tales of the characters in books, completely blind to the suffering of the common people living in that era.

If I’m dissatisfied with this world’s state, I’ll need enough strength first, won’t I?

After all, forget about the bandits harming the people—I couldn’t even handle a few evil servants.

Maybe it’s because, as someone from the future, I have an indescribable attachment to this history.

When I find myself in the past, I can’t help but want to change things.

It may sound ridiculous, but at this moment, I genuinely, deeply want to change this world.

“Hey, old man…”

Sitting on the ground, I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and spoke in a low voice.

“Hm?”

The old man responded.

“If I follow you… can I change this world?”

“No.”

Without hesitation, the old man answered firmly.

“I’ve decided to retire to the mountains. No matter how the world changes, I have no intention of coming out again. If you want to change the world, don’t pin any hopes on me. Besides, the Han Dynasty is already riddled with ailments—far beyond what one or two people can fix.”

Noticing my disappointment, he lowered his head, looked into my eyes calmly, and continued.

“But I can make you… no, you can make yourself stronger. With strength, if you still hold onto that idea, you can do something on your own. At the very least, the next time you face a situation like this, you won’t need to wait for me to show up, right?”

“Hah, you’re right.”

I gave a meaningful smile.

This old man, truly the legendary spear master Tong Yuan who trained so many exceptional disciples…

Not only does he have confidence in making me stronger, but he’s also willing to acknowledge and take seriously his disciple’s childish and absurd dreams.

Feeling a slight trust in Tong Yuan, I suddenly remembered the old man and his granddaughter who were bullied earlier.

“Bingqiao.”

“Your servant is here.”

Bingqiao wiped the tears from her face and responded.

“Go check on them, see if they’re okay, and give them some of our belongings.”

“Yes.”

Bingqiao ran over to help the old man and girl up, handing them some money.

The old man and child didn’t seem too badly hurt.

After talking with Bingqiao and learning what happened, they hurried over to us.

The old man, holding his young granddaughter, stumbled toward me and knelt with a thud.

“Thank you, young master, for saving our lives.”

I didn’t have the face to claim credit for saving them with all my injuries, so I gave a bitter smile.

“The one who saved you was this old man beside me. I just served as a punching bag to buy some time.”

“No, young master. If you hadn’t drawn their attention, this old man and the child would likely have died at their hands.”

“Yes, it was Big Brother who saved us!”

Not only did the old man say this, but even the dirty little girl in his arms smiled and agreed.

Fine, it doesn’t matter who saved who.

Besides…

Looking at the little girl’s admiring and adoring gaze, I thought to myself, having a little fan feels pretty great…

While my thoughts wandered, the old man continued.

“Not only did you save our lives, young master, but you also gave us money. We have no way to repay such great kindness. May I ask your name? We will serve you like oxen or horses in the future!”

“My name is…”

I almost blurted it out but stopped myself, glancing at the girl who tilted her head slightly, puzzled by my actions.

No, I can’t say it.

Heroes who save the day and leave without giving their names are cooler—that’s how it’s written in novels.

But leaving without saying anything feels a bit off…

What should I do?

Right, this’ll work.

“No need to know my name. You’ll hear it again someday. When the hero who saves the world changes this era, my name will echo through the ages—maybe even to the point where you’ll get sick of hearing it. Haha, hahahaha, hahahahahahaha—”

“…”

“…”

The silence that followed made me want to slap myself.

No!

This isn’t how it was supposed to go!

That line was way too cringe!

Too stupid!

“Grandpa, grandpa.”

The girl tugged at the old man’s sleeve, pointing at me innocently.

“Big Brother is so weird, just like the silly people we’ve met before.”

Though her tone was childlike and innocent, there was a hint of amusement in her eyes that didn’t match her age.

“Ahem, ahem… Child, you shouldn’t say that about your benefactor.”

The old man coughed twice, trying to spare me the embarrassment.

Hey, kid, I’m your savior, okay!?

I’m not asking for you to pledge yourself to me, but at least show some gratitude!

Regretting my words, I quickly changed the subject to shift the focus from their pitying looks, as if they were staring at a brain-damaged child.

“By the way, if you have nowhere to go, head to the Xiao family in Xuzhou. Mention my name… uh, you don’t know my name. Here, take this. Show it to the lady of the house, and she’ll likely take you in.”

I pulled a jade pendant from my pocket and handed it to the girl.

It was one of the countless gifts my mother gave me… but she’d definitely recognize it.

“You still won’t tell us your name…” Bingqiao gave a helpless, bitter smile.

I’ve got to finish the cool act I started, even if it kills me.

“Thank you for your great kindness!” The old man bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

“Alright, hurry and go before these servants wake up and cause more trouble.”

“Thank you, young master.” After countless thanks, the old man turned to the girl.

“Come on, thank the young master.”

I looked at the girl, who was about my age, her face covered in dust and grime, clearly having endured her share of hardship.

She stared at me for a long time, ignoring her grandfather’s urging to thank me. Instead, she fixed her deep, dark eyes on me and asked softly, “Big Brother… Do you think this world should change?”

Everyone fell silent.

The girl’s grandfather watched me, waiting for my answer.

For some reason, I felt her eyes held something more, not like those of a simple child.

Sensing her seriousness, I knew this wasn’t a question to brush off with a joke.

I thought for a moment.

“Once… another girl asked me the same thing, whether I really wanted to change the world.”

I looked up at the sky, recalling the past.

Back in my old world, rather than changing the world, I wanted to change my own world.

I didn’t want to accept my past or face my future.

But honestly, I’m pretty satisfied with my life in this world.

A wealthy family, no worries about food or clothing, harmonious relationships…

None of these were things I experienced in my past life.

But this idea in my mind, even if it’s called hypocritical, isn’t false.

Looking at the ragged, dirt-covered girl with eyes as clear as a spring, I answered her question.

“Yes, I want to change it. At the very least, I hope this world becomes one… where girls like you no longer have to suffer.”

Her eyes widened at my response.

She closed them briefly, and when she opened them again, she gave a gentle, almost dazzling smile.

“Yes, that would be nice.”

As if a burden had been lifted, she added, “Thank you, nameless Big Brother. I understand now. I’ll never forget you.”

“Please forget me as soon as possible…”

Her words felt like a public execution.

I covered my face with my hands, unwilling to meet anyone’s gaze.

“No, I’ll never forget.”

Her calm voice came again, so deep and clear that it didn’t sound like a naive child’s.

It carried a unique emotion, as if whispering something profoundly important.

I lowered my hands and looked at her closely.

A light breeze stirred, lifting her messy hair.

She clutched the jade pendant tightly, closed her eyes, and repeated, “I’ll never forget… Big Brother, you’ll change the world.”

“Oh… uh, really?”

Her words caught me off guard, making me a bit flustered.

But that earlier line was still super cringe!!

Watching the girl wave at me with a smile as she left with her grandfather, I felt the atmosphere grow awkward, the gazes of those behind me stinging.

“Y-Young Master, it’s okay. No matter what you become, you’re still our Young Master!”

Bingqiao said anxiously.

That’s not comforting at all!

“I think it’s pretty cool. Changing the world suits you, Young Master… Pfft.”

Lengyu, unlike Bingqiao’s gentleness, covered her mouth, pretending to laugh despite her expressionless face.

This girl, as always, has no manners as a maid.

“Hmph, changing the world… huh?”

The old man glanced at the chaotic scene, a faint smirk on his lips as he muttered softly to himself.

“Interesting kid.”