Former Disciple Xu Nianxue

Chewing on a blade of grass, Jiang Moran stared blankly at the white clouds drifting slowly across the sky.

He wondered how Little Qing and the others were doing. Counting the days, it had already been four or five days since they set out. Would she be a full circle thinner the next time they met?

He hoped she wouldn't revert to that pitiful state from her childhood. It had taken him quite an effort to feed her back to health.

Sigh, he didn't even know why he cared so much about her.

In his mind, the image of their first meeting resurfaced—her bedraggled state as she desperately clutched a few jars of Peach Blossom Wine gradually overlapped with someone in his memory.

Perhaps it was simply because he could always see the shadow of that person in her.

At that thought, Jiang Moran let out a soft chuckle.

Little Qing was far more obedient than that other girl. At least in that aspect, she was nothing like that damn disciple of his.

...The white clouds in the sky gradually picked up specks of dust, losing their irregular shapes and clumping into dirty steamed buns.

“Master, why aren't you eating?”

Holding a blackened steamed bun in his hand, he looked at the little girl before him. Her clothes were covered in dust, yet her small face was wiped spotless. Still, her expression lacked any of the vitality a child ought to have—her brow and eyes flat, devoid of emotion.

This was the disciple he had picked up off the streets. She had a pleasant name: Xu Nianxue.

“Don't feel like it. I'm tired of eating these,” he said, smacking his lips before tossing the bun to her.

She caught the steamed bun, glanced at him without a word, and quietly bowed her head to take small bites.

Two filthy little beggars in a messy, dingy alley, looking for all the world like rats that couldn't face the light, clinging to survival on scavenged scraps.

Twilight deepened, making the alley grow even darker and damper, the gloom suffocating enough to stifle one's breath.

He stood up from the corner of the wall, dusting off his clothes. His dark eyes were calm and unruffled. “Let's go. It's time.”

“Mm.”

It was the most prosperous brothel in the city.

A few daringly dressed women stood at the entrance soliciting customers like flowers in full bloom. With supple brows and seductive eyes, they brazenly stirred the most primal desires of men.

From powerful nobles and wealthy merchants to street scoundrels and rogues, everyone could be found here.

By a secluded back wall, he leaped up and crested the top, extending a hand to the girl below.

She glanced at his hand, grabbed it firmly, and used the momentum to vault over the wall with him, landing steadily on the ground. The smooth, practiced execution proved they had done this countless times.

Music and singing wafted over from the main building, intertwined with women's sultry, bone-melting laughter—strikingly out of place against the cold, quiet gloom of their location.

They slowed their steps, feeling their way forward by the faint moonlight.

The back kitchen door was left ajar, the mouthwatering aroma of food drifting through the crack to hook their nostrils. Pressed against the adjacent wall, they strained their ears to listen for movement inside.

Faint chatter echoed from within, seemingly about delivering the prepared dishes.

Following a soft thud from inside, the two exchanged glances and quickly slipped through the crack in the door. The person inside had already left carrying the food.

However, several strips of smoked meat still hung from a bamboo pole, each as long as a person's arm.

His eyes lit up, and he unhesitatingly snatched a strip down.

Just then, an inner door opened, and a servant walked in to hurry the order.

The servant froze the moment he stepped in, eyes locking with his. For a second, dead silence filled the air.

But his hands moved faster than the servant's shout.

Xu Nianxue felt her hand gripped tightly, and she was yanked outward into a full sprint.

Before her was the young boy's back, while behind them echoed the loud shouts of the servant. Hand in hand, they vaulted back over the wall and bolted toward a nearby alley.

He dragged her into the pitch-black alley, pulling her tight against him behind a pile of junk. Biting down hard on the smoked meat, he tore off a massive chunk and hurled it violently toward the far end.

Having done all this, neither dared to move, both straining to slow their ragged breathing.

Their two small figures blended entirely into the night. The oppressive darkness, far from suffocating now, served as their perfect camouflage.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps half an incense stick—noisy footsteps echoed outside the alley, accompanied by angry voices.

“Where'd those two brats go? God help them if I catch 'em!”

The footfalls began to echo; they had entered the alley, drawing closer and closer to their hiding spot.

Through the gaps in the pile of clutter, he could vaguely make out the swaying flicker of torchlight.

Suddenly, one flame came extraordinarily close!

Light even bled through the crevices onto his face, causing both of their breaths to catch in their throats.

“Over here! There's a big hunk of smoked meat over here!”

The torchlight paused for a moment before gradually dimming, and the footsteps hurried off in the other direction.

“Sure is! It must've been torn off while they were fleeing down this way! Hurry, after 'em!”

With those words, chaotic footsteps rang out once more, only this time fading into the distance until they vanished completely.

Only then did his heart resume beating, and he panted heavily in relief. That had been far too close.

Just as he was about to say something, he felt a faint movement from the girl in his arms. Puzzled, he looked down.

By the dim light, he saw her munching earnestly on the piece of smoked meat in her hands...