At no moment did Chen Ping believe more firmly that one day he would become extremely powerful, able to control his own destiny and no longer be at the mercy of others.
However, distant water can't quench a near thirst.
Maybe in the future, he will be powerful.
But his current physical condition doesn't allow him to perform extreme actions.
A few strong hands, or some thugs with knives and spears surrounding him from afar, might leave him in a dilemma.
Glancing at his injured broken right leg, Chen Ping shook his head.
'Fighting head-on is a bad strategy.'
'I must outsmart them, avoid reckless actions.'
Chen Ping squinted, carefully pondering ways to break the predicament.
The wealth of experience from his past life wasn't just about the knowledge he gained or the martial arts he learned; more importantly, it's about the way he handled things.
A person's character is formed in those unforgettable memories.
In his sophomore year, he was young and impetuous, full of enthusiasm when discussing the great affairs of the world in energetic prose, and inevitably, he had some longings for the opposite sex too.
He even had a female classmate with whom he got along very well, mutually looking forward to the future.
At the time, the budding of love…
Nothing happened yet.
During a summer vacation trip, the female classmate suddenly disappeared.
Upon receiving this news, he became furious, inquiring everywhere, chasing madly.
Finally, he found the group that abducted and trafficked his female classmate, involving a remote mountain village.
He found the old bachelor who couldn't get a wife.
However, his female classmate could never be retrieved. When they met again, it was already separated by life and death.
It was on that day that he finally understood the words of the old master, martial arts, killing skills…
It turned out, what he learned indeed could make him a match for ten, a match for a hundred.
He could eliminate the world's evil, achieve peace.
After washing the blood from his hands…
He never returned to his hometown, nor did he go back to school. He had to buy some necessities overnight and cross the vast forests, moving south, never to return north for the rest of his life.
Does he regret it?
Chen Ping feels he never regrets.
In life, some principles must be upheld.
Though he doesn't regret, the past experiences left a significant impact on Chen Ping. His way of doing things also changed somewhat. Wanting to live, and live well sometimes requires reconsideration before taking action.
Reckless habits are not acceptable.
There are still ways to break the predicament, although they may not be very reliable.
With eyes filled with a deep gaze, Chen Ping watched the few little beggars work together to pile Boss Yat and the corpses of the lanky man and Big Fool in the corner of the collapsed Earth God Temple. They covered them with broken bricks and debris, so they weren't so conspicuous. He had some thoughts in mind.
"How do you think we can make the Seven-Colored Hall not pursue us for killing Boss Yat?"
Chen Ping suddenly asked.
To break the predicament, they must work together and share the same understanding.
"Only death, if we're not afraid of death, why fear them? If someone comes, we'll fight for our lives and make them tremble." Zuo Duanshou gripped the short iron spike he found on the lanky man, his hand turning blue with tension.
Little Table shrank his head, timidly looking at Zuo Duanshou, quickly saying, "Before dawn breaks, we can hide. The Seven-Colored Hall is powerful, but the Cyan Hall Incense Hall's unity may not be strong, so they might not put much effort into finding us. After avoiding them for a while, we might be safe."
Little Stool's hands trembled, unable to speak. Perhaps his spirit was still shocked from killing the lanky man with a brick, unable to settle down completely.
Hua Lian'er hesitated for a while before frowning, saying, "Perhaps we can find a backing…"
Halfway through his words, he shook his head.
Finding a backing also depends on whether they want us.
Among us, some are disabled, and others are weak and small, not worth much, so who could we find as a backing?
Chen Ping maintained his smile, casting his gaze on Zuo Duanshou, softly saying, "Fighting to the death is an option, but it hasn't reached that point yet. As a backup plan, if there's no other way, we can still give it a try."
His bloodthirsty nature could be commended, but shouldn't be suppressed.
He continued, "As for hiding, it would be leaving it to fate. If we're scattered and caught, there's no chance of survival."
Of course, Chen Ping wasn't referring to himself; he still had the power to make a stand. He was thinking of Little Table's siblings, especially Hua Lian'er, who looked as weak as a little chick... If caught, survival would be almost impossible.
"Regarding finding a backing, the idea is correct... But when you can't rely on others, you have to become the backing yourself." He looked at Hua Lian'er, approvingly asking, "Hua Lian'er, what do you think is most important in finding a backing?"
"Having value." Hua Lian'er replied uncertainly.
"Right, it's about being useful, exploitable, having interests."
Chen Ping laughed, "When we can't rely on ourselves, we first need to find a place where we can be utilized... Being exploitable isn't a bad thing; surviving is the only possibility."
"What do we have that's worth others exploiting?"
Zuo Duanshou asked, puzzled.
"Think about it, why did Boss Yat come over at night? What was his purpose?"
"Breaking hands and feet, no, he was after the monthly stipend, for more money…" Hua Lian'er exclaimed, with a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "Seventh Brother, have you found a way to make money? Yes, as long as we show our abilities, Vice Incense Master Chang and the others might not kill us to save trouble. After all, he wouldn't earn the silver himself... Someone has to do the job; a dead Boss Yat is far less important to him than silver."
"Precisely."
Chen Ping clapped his hands, "Let's get moving, gather some silver, see which shops around haven't closed yet, and buy some food... Fill up, energize, and stay up all night to learn some things from me tonight.
Whether we can earn a lot of silver tomorrow will depend on how quickly you learn."
Having experienced the information explosion in his previous life, Chen Ping indeed had many ways to earn money in his mind. But ninety-nine percent of these ways couldn't be utilized given their current status as a few little beggars.
As beggars, they have neither capital nor skills. Aside from begging, what else can they do?
It's not like they can learn to rob or steal.
First, let's not talk about whether it's ethical; even if they could earn silver, the first consideration is whether they'd be beaten to death?
So, the only way left.
Is still begging.
A different kind of begging.
It absolutely shouldn't be shouting "Grandpa, grandma, big brother, big sister, have pity on me…"
In Chen Ping's view, the method of exploiting others' sympathy, although not useless, isn't very effective.
Especially in ancient times when living standards were extremely difficult.
People could barely care for themselves; where would they find room for much sympathy?
Besides, those with true sympathy, kind-hearted people, usually don't have it easy. Most belong to the lowest social strata, just barely surviving.
They don't have extra money to spare either.
Those who are well-off, rich, and powerful, who can spare large sums of money, are usually not kind-hearted and lack sympathy.
Even if being a beggar meant saying nice words, performing suicide in front of them may not even elicit a frown, let alone sympathy.
So, what method can there be to earn money from this unsympathetic, wealthy group?
The era of entertainment in his previous life gave him the best answer long ago.
It told him there's a profession that can easily make big money.
And that is the entertainment industry.
Bringing people joy, providing psychological satisfaction, far more than stirring others' sympathy or pity, can make people willingly part with their silver.
If we become "chickens that lay golden eggs."
The Seven-Colored Hall Cyan Hall's Vice Incense Master and others, they wouldn't kill this laying hen, would they?
Would they still care about a dead, useless Boss Yat?
Based on the understanding of human nature, Chen Ping thinks it's very unlikely.