The faint sound of breathing from a few people sleeping in the two rooms slowly reached his ears.
Chen Ping was as calm as water, guarding his spirit internally, sitting cross-legged on the soft mattress under the window, his thoughts firmly focused on his injured leg.
This could be considered as healing.
He didn't know if the move his grandfather taught him when teaching boxing was effective, it was probably more of a psychological comfort. But, treating a dead horse as if it's alive... If his leg injury doesn't heal, it will be very inconvenient, and in case of a major incident, he wouldn't even be able to run, becoming a burden. Chen Ping was anxious.
But being anxious was useless.
Today, he earned seven taels of silver, and Hua Lian'er took it upon himself to buy some supplements, saying it was to help everyone replenish their depleted qi and blood.
Chen Ping knew this was actually meant to heal him...
That pot of medicinal soup, Zuo Duanshou and the Kuihua Brothers tacitly didn't consume much, only tasted a spoonful before saying they didn't like the taste.
After becoming beggars, can they still afford to be picky? Isn't it laughable?
"You'll never know which will come first, tomorrow or the unexpected."
Considering life is already so difficult, what's there to worry about?
Yet, isn't there a saying that goes, "the hemp rope always breaks at its thinnest," and "misfortune only seeks out the unfortunate"?
There's also a saying, "fortune does not come in pairs, misfortune does not come alone."
Chen Ping had a strong premonition.
If he didn't do anything, if he didn't actively seek opportunities to break the situation, he might soon face a scenario he never wanted to see.
By then, regret would be too late.
So, he couldn't just sit and wait for death.
Taking the initiative is a fundamental principle of military strategy.
A fleeting image of Big-Beard Zhang's triangular eyes crossed his mind during the day, and he shivered slightly, opening his eyes.
...
Outside the window, the moonlight was as clear as a wash, and its faint glow shone into the room.
He could see Hua Lian'er curled up on the bed, like a kitty in the rain, seemingly finding a slight sense of security only by curling up tightly.
Through the crack in the door, under the faint moonlight, it was clear that Zuo Duanshou and the Kuihua Brothers in the next room were not so particular, the three squeezing together, sleeping soundly.
Chen Ping stood up silently, balancing on one foot.
He found the bamboo stick by his side, lightly tapped the ground for support, quietly opened the door... After a moment's thought, he walked to Zuo Duanshou, picking up his favorite black iron short spike.
The iron spike was about the length of a forearm, held in a reverse grip in his left hand, Chen Ping twirling it with a slight smile, taking a deep breath, pushed open the door, and disappeared into the boundless night.
Compared to the future, the night in Xingqing Prefecture City was like a beast lurking in the darkness, seemingly harboring immeasurable dangers beneath the surface.
The faint sounds of graceful singing and dancing in the air had absolutely nothing to do with the civilian district.
Looking into the distance, he could barely discern the road he'd walked during the day.
...
In the darkness, Zuo Duanshou suddenly opened his eyes, turning over and getting out of bed without disturbing the Kuihua Brothers on the Little Table and Little Stool.
In the moonlight, he glanced at where he'd placed his black iron short spike, and after a moment of silence.
Clenching his teeth, he went to the kitchen, grabbed the knife for chopping meat, and also stepped into the night.
'I can't let him bear everything... If I lose my courage, how can I even think of finding my little sister.'
'I said it before, even if this life is thrown to you, don't think you can get rid of me.'
Zuo Duanshou thought fiercely, for some reason, his nose felt a bit sore.
All he knew now was that his little sister had been bought by someone and should have been sent to Xingqing Prefecture... But the trail had gone cold, and in this vast city, with deep mansions, where could he possibly search?
He could kill all the villains who took his sister, but in the eyes of some powerful people, he was just a small ant, unable to make much of a splash.
From a young age, he followed his father in the wilderness to hunt wolves and later faced the Beizhou Hu Cavalry head-on. Zuo Duanshou was not someone who hadn't seen the world.
He had seen danger and felt the looming threat of death.
How could he not guess what Chen Ping intended to do?
It was nothing more than to kill all the villains and eliminate potential threats before they could emerge.
This time, he didn't want Chen Ping to face danger alone because he had slept too deeply.
With this thought in mind, he hurriedly followed, but after only dozens of meters, Zuo Duanshou was amazed to find that his ability to keep up with wild wolves in the wilderness couldn't catch up to a "cripple."
The figure in the moonlit shadow ahead disappeared in just a few leaps, moving so fast it left him utterly powerless.
"So fast, so incredibly fast?"
Zuo Duanshou pursued ineffectually, panting, and finally came to realize the reality.
Sometimes, there's no need to move yourself.
When danger arises, he is indeed a burden.
...
Hua Lian'er's face was no longer painted, she had scrubbed it clean with water before going to bed.
At the time, she even thought, if the Seventh Brother insisted on staring at her face closely, she definitely wouldn't let him climb onto the bed.
After washing away the stains, especially with night falling, she felt a bit scared to face someone whose eyes seemed to see through clothes.
In fact, from last night to tonight, Hua Lian'er had been trying hard to pretend she was in a deep, deep sleep, the kind where she wouldn't wake up even if someone sold her off...
The thing she was worried about didn't happen.
Seventh Brother just sat quietly on the cushion in front of the window, like a statue.
'Night has deepened, what could he possibly be doing outside at this time?'
Hua Lian'er sat up in a daze, moonlight casting on her face, and her exceptionally beautiful small face frowned tightly, devoid of any sleepiness.
She had always been clever.
And could see through people's hearts.
Of course, it might also be that the environment made people mature.
Sometimes, not being extra cautious could have led to an early death.
'Dear Seventh Brother, please, let nothing happen to you.'
Hua Lian'er clenched her fist tightly, making a firm decision in her heart.
She lit a candle, found the worn inkstick and brush that the scholar had left behind, carefully ground the ink, wetted the brush, pulled out a piece of white silk and laid it flat, then bent down and began to write quickly.
Soon, characters and diagrams appeared on the silk cloth, one after another.
...
Chen Ping kept his body low, using the shadows of trees and walls for concealment. Though seemingly slow, he moved with speed like the wind.
The tendons in his left leg vibrated, the muscles tensed with precision...
With just a slight tap of his toes on the ground, his figure leaped more than two meters away.
The bamboo stick lightly supported him, his whole body's muscles and bones exerted strength, his spine undulating like a dragon or snake... Walking in the dark night like a ghost.
After reaching Great Success in the Eight Trigrams Palm Technique, perhaps his body's strength was still not enough, but his understanding had risen to a level he never imagined before.
He could use a bit of strength to achieve tenfold the effect.
This didn't just apply to attack and defense, but also showed in his body and footwork.
Running at full speed, his whole body's qi and blood flowed like pearls, and his muscles and bones seemed to come alive, a feeling of exhilaration lingered in his heart.
Were it not for the night in Xingqing Prefecture being unsuitable for causing too much commotion, he had an impulse to let out a loud and long howl.
Qilin Street was long, but it didn't actually take much time to go from the street's end to the bustling part at the head.
Chen Ping estimated the direction in his heart, comparing it to the memories in his mind, and quietly turned into a small alley. After walking more than a hundred steps, he saw a long river as white as a strip of light.
The weeping willows by the river swayed gently in the night breeze.
To the side, a large courtyard emitted faint light, and there were people inside talking and laughing loudly, though their speech was slurred.
At this point, he became extra cautious.
He carefully closed in, regulated his breathing, and peeked through a crack in the bricks.