The Resolute Cannon Fodder Teaching In Ancient Time

Chapter 69: Sixty-Nine Treasures ✨

The person, disheveled and dirty, was a young beggar. Chewing on a white biscuit, she glanced at Xu Zhen after hearing her but continued eating, ignoring her.

Xu Zhen, having not eaten for days, was trying every trick to get some food. She smiled and said, "If you give me a biscuit, I'll teach you the philosophies of the Hundred Schools. How about it?"

The beggar remained silent.

Lying on the ground with little strength, Xu Zhen continued, "This is the secret to conquering the world. Do you want to rule the world? Give me a biscuit now, and I'll teach you how to seize it."

The beggar sneered, spat, and spoke with an accent hinting at Huainan origins, "If you had the ability, would you still be lying here? Why don't you go and conquer the world yourself?"

Xu Zhen replied, "Because I'm the one with the ideas. I can't wield a sword, and I'm too lazy to run around. I'd rather sit in this temple, chat about ideas, and discuss philosophy."

Intrigued by her seemingly educated speech, the beggar asked curiously, "Then tell me, how should one do it?"

Xu Zhen wasn't shy: "Give me the biscuit first."

The beggar shoved the biscuit into her mouth.

Tasting the food, Xu Zhen eagerly sat up and swallowed it. Outside, the rain poured down again. The beggar placed a jug of wine and a short knife on the ground, stating, "Speak well, and the wine is yours; speak poorly, and you'll get the knife."

With her cheeks puffed full of biscuit, Xu Zhen nodded, grabbed the wine, and drank deeply, washing down the dry, gritty biscuit. Though not flavorful, it was satisfying.

Unable to stop her, the beggar angrily cursed, "You thief! You even snatch things!"

Feeling content after eating and drinking, Xu Zhen leaned back against the wall and cheerfully remarked, "This wine isn't good; it tastes just like plain water."

The beggar retorted, "You eat and drink my stuff and have the nerve to complain?"

Xu Zhen replied, "Isn't this a fair exchange? I drink because what I have to say will surely be worthwhile."

As rain blew in from outside, the bad weather, combined with her unhealed wounds, left Xu Zhen shivering. She longed for warmth but realized, from the beggar's incredulous look, that this wasn't her Xun Qianchun even though they were both poor souls living in a broken temple.

In the vast world filled with countless good and bad people, there is only one Xun Qianchun.

Xu Zhen asked, "Do you want to be an emperor?"

The beggar scoffed, "Who doesn't want to be an emperor? Being emperor means no more eating plain biscuits. Only a fool wouldn't want that."

Xu Zhen asked, "Where are we now?"

The beggar, even more disdainful, said, "This is Huainan. How do you not know that? Where are you from?"

Xu Zhen was about to respond when it struck her—Huainan? How could she possibly be in Huainan? That's far too distant from Pingliang!

Even with modern transportation, the journey would take over ten hours by car. Walking back would take at least three days. But what would she eat along the way? Begging might be her only option.

Begging, now that seemed like a viable plan.

Xu Zhen had an idea. Meanwhile, the beggar was growing impatient, barking, "Do you know or not? If you don't speak, my knife won't show mercy."