Rebirth: Traveling To Ancient Times As A Companion Reading Chapter 5

Rebirth

Ten years ago, Jiangzhou, Yicheng, on Luoyang Street.

The crowds surged, and various restaurants and shops lined the street like fish scales. Street vendors and stalls were scattered everywhere, filling the entire thoroughfare with bustle and noise.

Amidst this excitement, the cockroaches and rats hidden in the dark alleys seemed particularly out of place at this moment.

Opposite the alley entrance, a steamer on a stall was venting clouds of hot steam from large meat buns.

The vendor was looking down, packing buns for a customer, failing to notice a pair of eyes staring intently from the dark alley opposite.

The eyes in the darkness seemed to glow with a faint green light, like a starving wolf on the brink of death, waiting for a moment of carelessness to pounce and bite.

When the vendor looked down again to wrap a bun, those eyes seemed to find the right moment. Poised to attack, the creature charged straight for the steamer full of buns.

Only then could the owner of those eyes be clearly seen.

It was a skeletal black cat.

However, just as that figure crossed halfway through the street, the rapid sound of horse hooves came from not far away.

The black cat looked toward the sound and saw a two-wheeled carriage galloping along the long street, heading straight for it as it stood in the middle of the road.

The black cat suddenly arched its back, its green pupils shrinking into thin lines. The roar of wheels grinding over stone slabs was already at its ears, and the wind whipped up its messy fur. It wanted to leap away, but its limbs felt nailed to the rough ground. It could only watch as the rolling wheels grew rapidly larger in its sight, as if they would crush its spine in the next instant.

Meow—!

A shrill scream pierced the clamor of the street.

In the next moment, a small, thin figure dashed toward the black cat in the middle of the street. Just before the horse’s hooves could crush the cat, the figure reached out, scooped it up, and pulled it into their arms. Human and cat rolled together, falling to the roadside amidst the dust kicked up by the wheels.

This commotion was not small, and the gazes of passersby were drawn toward them.

But upon seeing the clothes of the person lying on the ground holding the black cat, they all turned their heads away.

Tattered and worn-out clothes—it was just a little beggar. Why should they bother paying any attention?

After a long while, once everything had settled, the small figure finally made a sound.

Holy… that really freaking hurts!

Qiao Yi hadn’t thought much when acting the hero, but now that he had caught his breath, he remembered his current situation.

He hadn’t been here long and had forgotten he was now just a ten-year-old child. The original owner of this body had died of starvation. His body was incredibly thin, and he hadn’t eaten a grain of rice or drunk a drop of water for several days. He was already at his limit; doing such intense exercise suddenly, it was a miracle he didn’t die a second time.

Damn it!

Qiao Yi cursed as he forced himself to stand up. There was really something wrong with his head. This was ancient times, not the modern world. That impulse had nearly sent half his body back through the gates of hell.

A parentless little beggar who was half-starved to death, and before finding food, he almost killed himself.

But since he had saved it, he couldn’t let the pain be for nothing.

Qiao Yi looked down at the motionless black cat, tremblingly raised his hand covered in scrapes, lightly touched it, and whispered, Hey! Are you okay?

Meow. The black cat finally came to its senses. Looking at the scarred hand extended before it, it gave a cry and then gently rubbed against it, as if expressing its gratitude.

Seeing that the black cat was so intelligent, Qiao Yi was pleasantly surprised. You can understand me?

The black cat nodded and stuck out its tongue to lick an uninjured part of Qiao Yi’s hand. Meow.

Qiao Yi stroked the black cat’s head, noticing its skeletal body, which was just as thin as his own. Looking at you, are you also wandering outside without a family?

Meow.

Qiao Yi: Then do you want to come with me?

Meow. The black cat rubbed against Qiao Yi’s hand.

Qiao Yi thought that since things were already like this, having a cat to accompany him in this different world was much better than being alone.

Then let’s go together.

A whim of a thought made Qiao Yi forget again that this wasn’t the modern world, and he was no longer a rich second-generation heir with an allowance and a house to keep pets. He could barely support himself now, let alone a cat.

Sigh…

Walking barefoot on the street, Qiao Yi felt his cause of death in his previous life was ridiculous.

He had simply been too lazy to go out during the holidays and decided to cook a meal for himself at home on a whim, only to end up poisoning himself to death.

If he told anyone that cause of death, even Qiao Yi himself would find it pathetic.

But dead was dead. However, he hadn’t completely died; the phenomenon of transmigration had actually happened to him, and he had ended up in the body of a ten-year-old orphan beggar in ancient times.

Even Pangu had an axe when he created the world. All I get are a few rags? Qiao Yi looked down at the dirty, tattered clothes that could barely cover his body. He was truly at his wit’s end. Freaking hell, being fried in a vat of oil in the underworld would be better than this.

The black cat in his arms noticed Qiao Yi’s distress and looked up to rub against his chin, seemingly comforting him.

Feeling the black cat’s soothing gesture, Qiao Yi understood what it was doing. He rubbed the cat’s head and comforted it, Saving you wasn’t in vain. Don’t worry, since I’ve chosen to raise you, as long as your master has a bite to eat, I definitely won’t let you go without.

Meow.

Knowing the black cat must be starving, Qiao Yi’s top priority was to find food for himself and the cat. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have to wait for the future; their starved corpses would be found on the street by tomorrow.

His gaze swept across the area, filled with the sounds of various foods being hawked, but none of it belonged to Qiao Yi because he had no money.

In his previous life, Young Master Qiao had lived in luxury and wealth since childhood and had never worried about money. This was the first time in his life he experienced what it felt like to have no money for food and be on the verge of fainting from hunger.

But buying was definitely out of the question. Qiao Yi’s only two choices now were to either starve to death or go begging.

Qiao Yi, of course, would not choose to starve.