Rebirth: Traveling To Ancient Times As A Companion Reading Chapter 8

Bullying

The man and cat finally made it back to the dark alley after running through two streets, still catching their breath.

Qiao Yi held Heipa tightly, gasping for air. Good thing we ran fast.

Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have survived the day.

Dying on the first day of transmigration… Qiao Yi had already died a pathetic death once; he really didn’t want a second time.

Meow! Heipa stuck out its tongue and licked Qiao Yi’s face as if comforting him.

Feeling the wet sensation on his face, Qiao Yi looked down and rubbed Heipa’s bulging belly. At least it wasn’t a wasted trip. That rice porridge should last you a day or two, right?

Meow.

The cat was full, but after running for so long, the half-bun in Qiao Yi’s stomach was long gone. He turned toward the back of the alley, where a cloth in the corner still hid the steamed buns he had gathered earlier. Luckily, I still have the buns I begged for.

But when he reached the very end, Qiao Yi felt as if the sky had collapsed. The cloth that had been spread out in the corner before he left had vanished into thin air. Everything was gone, including the buns he had worked so hard to get.

Qiao Yi trotted forward in disbelief, spinning around several times. The surroundings were empty. In the dark alley, aside from a few gusts of wind, there was truly nothing left.

Meow!

The black cat hopped down to the ground.

Wait, what? Qiao Yi grabbed his head with both hands in disbelief. Where are my buns? Where are my fragrant, soft, big white buns?

Heipa didn’t understand what was happening but could sense Qiao Yi’s emotions. It rubbed its body against Qiao Yi’s leg and let out a few cries, seemingly trying to comfort him.

But Qiao Yi’s mood could no longer be described as merely bad.

Since arriving in this world, he had only eaten half a bun. He had run so far to beg for porridge only to have it knocked over. To make matters worse, the person who knocked it over had a high status; instead of apologizing or compensating him, they tried to arrest him. After finally escaping back, he found his food reserves and his home were gone. Was the universe playing a joke on him?

Qiao Yi was both furious and starving. He wanted to throw a few punches to vent his anger and frustration, but he didn’t even have the strength for that.

Dammit!

Qiao Yi had truly exhausted a lifetime’s worth of profanity in a single day.

The heavens really shouldn’t be screwing him over like this.

Lost in his irritation and rage, Qiao Yi didn’t notice several sets of footsteps approaching him from behind.

However, Heipa, with its keen hearing and sense of smell, quickly sensed something was wrong. It turned its head and saw several people approaching from the mouth of the alley.

Meow-ow!

Still mourning his buns, Qiao Yi hadn’t recovered from his grief. He didn’t want to deal with anything right now and pushed away Heipa, who was rubbing against him, with his foot. Go away! Your master is already this miserable, and you’re still bothering me. Buns, porridge—I didn’t get to eat a single thing. Today was a total waste.

Exhausted in both body and mind, Qiao Yi wanted to squat down and rest. This ten-year-old body, already injured and having run for so long, had reached its limit.

But suddenly, a voice filled with mockery came from behind him.

Are you looking for this?

Hearing this unfamiliar voice, Qiao Yi instantly realized something was wrong. He turned around to see several young men in silk robes standing at the alley entrance, staring at him with cold sneers. One of them held the cloth bundle Qiao Yi had hidden in the corner, which contained the big white buns he had been longing for.

Seeing Qiao Yi turn around, the man provocatively tossed the bundle into the air and caught it.

A soft white bun fell out of the loosened bundle, rolling onto the ground and getting covered in dust. It instantly became filthy and grey.

Qiao Yi’s eyes followed the bun. Seeing it covered in dirt, he thought: It’s okay, not a big deal. I can still eat it if I wipe off the dirt.

But in the next second, a boot stomped heavily onto the bun. The soft, white bread was instantly crushed into a flat, black pancake.

Qiao Yi’s heart ached at the sight. His buns—the buns he had worked so hard to beg for.

Qiao Yi looked up and glared at them. Are you people insane? If you want to waste food, go waste your own! What’s the point of stealing someone else’s things?!

Heipa also bared its teeth at them, its fur bristling as it stood in front of Qiao Yi, staring at them fiercely. Meow-ow!

These people looked decent enough and were well-dressed, yet they came to a dark alley where beggars stayed to pull such petty, underhanded stunts. If they weren’t crazy, what were they?

Qiao Yi was furious. He pointed at them and shouted, Give me back my things!

Oh? Getting angry, are we?

But instead of taking Qiao Yi’s anger or the black cat’s bristling fur seriously, the men burst into laughter.

The man holding the bundle of buns sneered. You want them? Then come and get them yourself.

Qiao Yi wasn’t stupid enough to think they would actually return his things. He took a few steps back, unable to understand why these people were targeting him. This alley was small and dark; normal people wouldn’t come here. How did they even find this place?

What are you afraid of? Weren’t you quite capable when you were talking just now? The fat man leading them stared intently at Qiao Yi. If you’re so brave, come and take them. Why are you hiding in the alley like you did before? If your mother saw her son being this pathetic, would she be so angry she’d jump out of her grave?

The alley was narrow; only someone with a small frame like Qiao Yi’s could move freely. Those men couldn’t fit inside and could only glare at him from the entrance.

Although he didn’t recognize them, seeing their malicious expressions, Qiao Yi could guess they likely had some connection to the original owner of this body—and certainly not a good one. He wasn’t foolish enough to go out and meet his death.

Seeing that Qiao Yi wasn’t coming out, the others grew impatient. They turned to the man with the bundle and said, Sixth Young Master, let’s not wait. Last time he was lucky and crawled into the alley without dying. But this time we brought Liezong. Let it go in. I don’t believe he can survive Liezong’s jaws.

Qin Chi, holding the bundle, watched Qiao Yi retreat further into the alley. His patience seemed to have run out. He casually tossed the bundle at his feet, his sinister gaze never leaving Qiao Yi. Without turning his head, he said, Bring it here.

Then, a pure black hyena, nearly half the height of a man, appeared at the alley entrance. It bared its teeth, exposing white fangs as saliva dripped uncontrollably to the ground. Its glowing green eyes stared greedily at the pair in the alley, looking as if it could break free from its restraints at any moment to tear them apart.

Let it in. Kill them.

Qiao Yi still didn’t understand what was going on, yet he was already facing a death threat. He watched the hyena slowly approach, stepping back until he hit the wall. With no other choice, Qiao Yi could only stare into the beast’s vicious green eyes. He thought to himself: I’ve only been alive for a day and I’m going to die again. How unlucky.

Closing his eyes, Qiao Yi thought his life was over.

But unexpectedly, the pain he anticipated didn’t come. Instead, Qiao Yi heard a miserable, shrill yelp from the dog.