After speaking, the companion kicked the beggar sleeping nearby: "Gouzi, wake up."

The beggar did not respond.

The companion kicked again, saw no response, then reached out to push, only to find that the beggar lying beside him had frozen to death in the middle of the night, already stiff.

Beggars dying in the winter snow is quite normal; An Youyou had taken in so many followers, and only a few survived. Seeing another fellow dead, the companion felt no sadness but rather great joy. Taking advantage of the others not realizing it yet, he immediately began stripping off the clothes to wear them himself. After finishing, he glanced again at the little beggar and, after a moment of thought, reluctantly took off a piece of clothing and tossed it to him.

"Hey, this is for you."

"Gouzi didn't save enough money to buy a coat in autumn, wore seven thin layers, and still froze to death last night. You only have two on, how did you survive?" questioned the companion.

The little beggar reluctantly put on the thin clothes and said flatly, "I'm not afraid of the cold."

The companion let out a sneer and began searching around, trying to find money Gouzi had hidden. As he searched, he murmured, "I've seen many of you fallen young masters. Just because you've spent a couple more years living well doesn't mean you're robust. I tell you, survive this winter, and you'll be just like us."

"Gouzi's dad used to be a shopkeeper at a pharmacy, and even he smoked too much opium and died. Gouzi even went to school, could write, and what of it? Can't beg, didn't save enough, still froze to death."

"I'm not afraid of the cold," the little beggar repeated.

The companion made a face like 'you're just stubborn' and continued searching. Finding no money, he became somewhat angry, stuck his neck out to look, and found that the snow had stopped without him noticing.

"Hey, the snow stopped. I know a good place where there's food every snowy day. I was planning to take Gouzi there. Now that he's dead, do you want to go with me?"

"Yes." The little beggar got up.

The companion looked him up and down, eyeing the thin three layers he wore, and murmured, "Really not afraid of the cold."

After speaking, the companion stuffed a few more handfuls of straw into his tattered coat, reluctantly climbed out of the pile of straw, shuddered at the temple's door, and struggled out.

Outside the broken temple, the companion's voice grew slightly louder, admonishing the little beggar, "Today this good place is where I am taking you. According to our rules, since I took you there, whatever food you get there, you must share half with me from now on."

"If you get food outside, make sure to eat it all. Otherwise, when you return to the temple and Scarface finds it, you'll have to hand it over. Damn, it's not even his temple! Just because he's got a hard fist, he acts like a boss. If he's so bossy, go to the City and claim some territory."

"Hey, what's your name, anyway? I only took you under my wing because you and Gouzi both look honest. You're lucky to meet me in the winter, otherwise, you'd have frozen or starved long ago. Now that Gouzi's gone, you'll follow me. If someone hits us, you block the punches for me. Our line of work means little brothers block punches for the boss."

Qin Huai, watching his companion talk nonsense earnestly, couldn't help but sigh at the rarity of An Youyou being a truly conscientious boss in the beggar trade.

"I told you, I have no name, nor have I figured out what to call myself," the little beggar said flatly. From the moment he had opened his eyes and sat up, this had been his expression. To be precise, he had no expression, only a vague look of apathy towards life in his eyes.

Qin Huai guessed this person must have just arrived in the human world to cross tribulation and was learning the rules here, but wasn't particularly keen on learning them among the beggar cliques. For lack of a better place, he muddled along for the time being. The notion of acknowledging his companion as his boss didn't even cross the little beggar's mind; he wasn't like the Three-legged Golden Toad, who aspired to be a beggar, nor was he interested in being a follower.

"Alright then, hey, be sharp when we get there. If someone tries to snatch your bun, make sure to protect it. Anything you earn, you owe me half!" the companion stressed repeatedly, then glanced disdainfully at the little beggar's relatively clean face and asked, "Did you secretly wash your face yesterday?"

The little beggar didn't answer, implicitly acknowledging it.

"How can you beg and wash your face? Clean like this, who'll give you food? You really are... well, whatever. Gouzi was the same when he started begging. You got lucky. This winter is so cold. At night, be sharp. If someone nearby freezes to death, quickly take their clothes. Half for you, half for me."

"If only Scarface froze to death, his coat is so thick. If I wore it, I might not freeze to death this winter. Moreover, if Scarface died, given my position, I could be the boss. Then everyone would give me half a bun every day, wouldn't I then..." As he continued speaking, the companion got carried away with his own imaginings, relishing the thought of unlimited buns once he became the boss.

The little beggar: ...

The little beggar took a step back quietly with some disgust, distancing himself from the companion.

Thus, the two beggars entered the city one after the other.

Speaking of entering the city, it wasn't prosperous. At least, it wasn't on the same level as Shanghai or Beiping, as Qin Huai had seen. But that was normal. In this era, what city could compare to Beiping and Shanghai? Those two were so prosperous; compared to other places, they were like entire worlds unto themselves.

Due to the heavy snow, Qin Huai couldn't quite see the exact situation in the city; everything visible was covered in snow. In such cold weather, no one idly wandered on the street. Even the beggars stayed in sheltered warm places, and only a few shops were open. In contrast, taverns and restaurants had warmth and life.