Front Line of the Beast Tide, Part 22

It was terribly cold outside.

Heavy snow covered the road, and after a night, it had frozen over, making it slippery to walk on.

The north wind cut like a meat-carving knife.

With no warm clothes, everyone hunched their necks, shivering like little quails. In such cold winters of past years, these half-grown children mostly curled up, went to sleep on empty stomachs to conserve energy, and only when the weather improved would they shiver their way to beg for food.

Of course, there were also times when they went to sleep and never woke up.

Surviving the winter depended entirely on fate.

But this year was different. A noisy archdemon was constantly jumping around, brimming with energy like a small stove, and continuously chanting, “Wake up, don’t you want to eat chicken legs? Oily, fragrant, hot chicken legs, one for each person, eat it with meat and bone!”

She jumped and skipped, rousing everyone. Su Qing touched her empty stomach and sat up.

To be honest, given their current conditions, roasted chicken was only in dreams.

Upon waking, there would definitely be no chicken legs to eat.

Su Qing’s breakfast was some crumbling leftover cake, so hard it could chip her teeth.

She bit twice, and the cake only suffered a minor injury.

Here, hot water was naturally not available, but the northwest wind was plentiful.

Ye Mingshi didn’t mind it at all.

She hugged a large half of a leftover cake, eating it sweetly bite by bite.

Her teeth were sharp enough that with each bite, she tore off a semicircle from the rock-hard naan, almost like a small beast.

After this breakfast, which barely counted as a meal, she casually appeased her protesting stomach.

Some of the children here remained at the temple to prevent other homeless people from taking it, while others went out to collect or steal firewood or winter grass to burn for warmth at night.

Of course, most returned to their old trade, begging door-to-door along the streets.

Among them, a few clever, quick-handed children had other tasks: stealing things.

Last night, Su Qing’s performance in catching lice was very poor; she was far from being considered a clever child.

But her core was that of an adult, so she was more adaptable.

Following behind Ye Mingshi, she constantly praised, “Boss is brilliant and mighty! Wise and courageous!” “Boss, please take me with you!”

Being educated, her compliments were so profound that others couldn’t even understand them.

Ye Mingshi listened with great satisfaction, then waved her hand and reluctantly said, “Alright, alright, then you can follow me.”

With the Boss’s permission, Su Qing secured a small position as a follower.

However, this position was also fiercely competitive. As she approached, she saw several people looking at her with vigilant and somewhat unfriendly gazes.

The stones inside were moved, and two wooden planks were removed, revealing the temple’s dilapidated, skewed wooden door.

Cold wind instantly rushed in, chilling Su Qing’s eyelashes until they were covered in frost. Her cheeks stung with cold.

Ye Mingshi shivered from the cold, stamping her feet hard, continuously mumbling “roasted chicken, roasted chicken,” and rushed in with her head down.

It was surprisingly cold all the way.

This was an illusion; it naturally couldn’t be Su Qing’s sensation.

She hadn’t experienced this winter in Ye Mingshi’s memory. So her coldness came directly from Ye Mingshi’s feelings.

This city, of unknown location, was not small and quite prosperous.

Even in the dead of winter, many shops were still operating normally on the streets.

Large white plumes of smoke rose from the chimneys of the roofs.

The smells of chive buns, meat pastries, dumplings, roasted chicken, roasted goose, and other foods rushed into her brain, making her stomach churn even more.

Su Qing saw the small follower next to her, who was competing with her, constantly swallowing saliva, his eyes darting around.

Sure enough, he spotted a baked flatbread shop.

The owner was using a cleaver to sweep unwanted bones onto the ground for the eager dogs to sample. He seized the opportunity, squeezed through, and clutched a bone with his dirty hand.

The shop owner seemed disgusted but ultimately said nothing.

He waved his hand, urging him to leave quickly, “Go, go, go! Full of lice, don’t interfere with my business!”

The child happily ran back, stuffed the bone into his mouth. Before he could chew, he hesitantly pulled the bone out and offered it to Ye Mingshi.

Under the winter sun, strands of meat on the bone were still clearly visible. Of course, even clearer was the glistening saliva wrapped around it.

Ye Mingshi wrinkled her nose and tapped the small follower’s head with her fist, “Truly no ambition! Go eat it yourself!”

The person was hit but wasn’t angry.

He grinned foolishly, gnawing at the meat scraps on the bone.

When it was clean, he still couldn’t bear to throw the bone away and tucked it into his belly.

Even so, other children were watching him, swallowing saliva.

By this time, they had arrived at the inn’s entrance.

The plaque above read four large characters, “Wanfu Inn.”

Ye Mingshi coughed three times forcefully, attracting everyone’s attention, “Alright, time to get serious!”

Su Qing discovered that although Ye Mingshi was young, she was surprisingly reliable in her actions.

Take stealing, for instance; she had three “don’t steals.”

Firstly, she didn’t steal from locals.

If she stole from locals, they would report it to the authorities, and she would be caught and punished, which would be disastrous.

Besides, their daily survival depended entirely on the locals’ charity, so how could she repay kindness with enmity? A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its burrow.

Secondly, she didn’t steal from the overly rich and powerful.

The reason for this was simple: these were people who could easily take their lives.

They couldn’t be provoked and had to be avoided at a distance.

Thirdly, she didn’t steal from the cruel-hearted. Although being a chivalrous thief, acting righteously, robbing the rich to help the poor, sounded very good, conditions didn’t allow it.

She could only choose someone easy to provoke to steal from.

Thus, Ye Ruici, who came from out of town, was accompanied by a half-grown child, appeared soft-hearted and easy to provoke, and had a little money in his hand, was chosen as the unlucky target.

Including Su Qing, Ye Mingshi had four followers, but she only needed one to follow her.

The other two were sent to attract the attention of the inn’s waiter and manager, allowing them to successfully sneak in.

Ye Mingshi triumphantly said, “I found out long ago that the white-bearded old man and that smelly brat are leaving soon! Before they go, we’ll pull off a big job. Once they’ve left, they won’t be able to come back and settle accounts with us!”

She relied on her young age, her ability to feign pity, her sweet talk, and her pitiful appearance to trick these outsiders into confusion. She had been quite successful here, at least managing to eat two full meals a day.

Now the problem was, the Boss only needed one follower to help, and whoever got the chance depended on individual skill.

Aside from one who volunteered to keep watch, Su Qing had two competitors.

Both were sweet-talkers, each calling “Boss” more sincerely than the last.

Follower number one, Caigua, said, “Boss, you know me. I’m the quickest and best at picking pockets.”

Follower number two, Quzi, said, “Boss, you know me. My mind is the most flexible. If anything goes wrong, I’ll yell at you immediately.”

Facing two strong opponents, Su Qing cleared her throat and solemnly said, “Boss, although I don’t know if you understand me, I am best at begging for mercy. If, by any chance, we are discovered, I will beg for mercy first. The Boss’s dignity must not be offended.”

Ye Mingshi was actually the youngest of these children, also the shortest, and had the tenderest face, yet she was the leader of the team.

The other children both feared and admired her.

Her eyes rolled around, and soon, she pointed a finger at Su Qing. “Good! It’s you. Follow me!”

Su Qing, relying on her ability to kneel, secured the valuable position of follower beside the boss, attracting hostile and jealous glances from the other two.

Su Qing guessed that this job’s remuneration might be based on the contribution.

After they had walked a few steps, Caigua and Quzi followed.

The two unhappily whispered, “Who is that girl? How can she flatter so well? She’s only been here a few days, how did she get to stand beside the boss?”

“Exactly! No matter what, it shouldn’t be her turn. We were the ones who picked up the boss. If there’s any benefit, it should be ours. We can’t let this happen again, what if others discover the boss’s ability…”

Their voices were very low, believing Ye Mingshi hadn’t heard. Su Qing silently glanced at the little demon walking ahead, shaking her head, who seemed unaware.

But this was Ye Mingshi’s own memory.

All the scenes that appeared, all the sounds heard, were real events.

She didn’t stop, following beside Ye Mingshi, which earned her a disgruntled look. “Followers are not allowed to walk abreast with the boss.”

Being small and short-legged, walking was difficult. Su Qing said, “Boss, do you want me to carry you? Save your energy for when it counts.”

Ye Mingshi said unhappily, “That’s not very imposing.”

Su Qing looked at her tense little face. It seemed being a boss wasn’t easy either.

Upon reaching Tongfu Inn, Caigua and Quzi went up first.

Ye Mingshi and Su Qing crouched behind the doorframe.

Sure enough, the innkeeper, who was sitting inside, saw two dirty, smelly little beggars enter and immediately pinched his nose in disgust, coming out to drive them away, “Go, go, go! Is this a place you should be? Don’t interrupt my business, or I’ll beat you out with sticks!”

The two of them were also clever and said, “We just want some leftovers; we don’t mean to disturb you.”

“What leftovers are for you?” The innkeeper snorted, “Do you think we don’t have pigs and dogs to feed? You unseeing things, begging from your grandpa here! How unlucky! Quick, leave, leave!”

Taking advantage of the commotion of the argument, Ye Mingshi and Su Qing quietly bent down and slipped into the lobby.

The lobby was where people ate.

It was breakfast time, so it was full of people, with conversations everywhere.

White steam rose from the bowls on the tables.

The smells of mutton, spring onions, and pastries, just by smelling them, made one feel warm.

Two small children, specifically bent over, seeming even shorter than the table legs, moved surreptitiously inside, attracting little attention.

Su Qing followed Ye Mingshi’s gaze and saw the white-bearded old man she mentioned, and a boy about eleven or twelve years old.

These two were Ye Ruici and Ye Rong.

At this time, both master and disciple had a steaming bowl of meat noodles in front of them, diligently slurping them up with chopsticks.

Beside them, on the stools and on the floor, were piles of luggage. It seemed they were going to check out after this meal.

Ye Mingshi had chosen her timing well.

Stealing at this moment, by the time they left the city, it would be difficult for them to turn back and settle accounts.

However, she probably didn’t know yet that these two seemingly ordinary people were actually cultivators, or as mortals called them, immortals.

Why else would they eat noodles with garlic, showing no trace of the rumored ethereal aura of immortals?

Ye Mingshi gestured to Su Qing, “You go over there and make some noise. While they’re looking, I’ll steal.”

Su Qing nodded and did as told.

She slipped into the aisle, touched a few acupuncture points on passersby, and then they bumped into each other, stumbling.

The bowls they carried inadvertently fell to the ground, spilling soup and water everywhere.

As the ceramic bowls crashed to the ground, shattering into several pieces, creating a loud noise, everyone in the lobby was drawn to it.

Several unfortunate victims also raised their voices, cursing at each other. “What’s going on? How are you walking?”

“You’re accusing me? I haven’t even said you bumped into me first! The villain files the complaint first!”

“Nonsense! You swayed and bumped into me!”

“This is going too far! Everyone, come and judge! You’re sitting over here, you should have seen clearly, who bumped into whom?”

Everyone in the inn was drawn to the commotion, looking over.

Su Qing inwardly apologized.

Having accomplished her task discreetly, she went around behind the table.

Just then, she vaguely felt something was amiss.

The scent of blood lingered in her nostrils.

She looked up and saw a pale-skinned man in black robes sitting ahead, impatiently pinching his chopsticks, coldly staring at the two arguing.

Amidst this commotion, Ye Ruici and Ye Rong naturally lifted their heads from their bowls and looked towards the scene.

It was then that Ye Mingshi reached under their table.

Her speed was extremely fast, a hint of red light seemed to flash in her eyes.

She reached out her small hand, and suddenly reached for the storage bag at Ye Ruici’s waist.