All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

The kidnappers standing to one side felt a chill run down their spines. They watched helplessly as their boss, Prince Wu, was slaughtered like a chicken. The worst part was that the one who did it was their little brother who had been with them for a week. No, he was practically a little monster. With an innocent smile still on his face, the kidnappers felt as if they had been frozen in place, the numbness starting from their tongues and slowly spreading throughout their bodies.

The leader, finally suppressing the tingling sensation in his body, stammered as he spoke to Bai Jingqi.

"Little...little brother, are you...human or demon?"

Bai Jingqi's innocent smile suddenly turned sinister, and he spoke slowly, word by word.

"Since you all already know, then you all... deserve to die!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was terrified, and their first instinct was to run away. However, they soon realized that their bodies were out of control. After taking only two steps, they all fell to the ground. Soon, everyone noticed the abnormality, and several people exclaimed in surprise.

"Third brother, fifth brother, why...why are your faces so dark!"

The others quickly realized what had happened, and after exchanging bewildered glances, they discovered that everyone's faces had turned black, even their tongues.

Seeing everyone's panicked expressions, Bai Jingqi laughed heartily, finally ending the game. He wiped the blood off Gui Wu's corpse with his dagger, then found the dagger sheath at his waist, hung the dagger on his own waist with satisfaction, but then thought it was too big, so he took it off, threw the dagger on the cabinet where the money bag was, and began to move Gui Wu's corpse.

The other six kidnappers were all lying in the room, completely disoriented. They stared in horror as a little boy dragged Wu Beile's body to the backyard. A moment later, a dull tinkling sound came from the backyard.

After a while, Bai Jingqi brought a steaming plate of duck meat into the inner room, placed it on the table, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and began to eat the duck meat in large mouthfuls.

The faces of the people on the ground grew increasingly dark, and their consciousness became somewhat blurred. Several of them tried to speak, but found that they couldn't even open their tongues. They thought their deaths were imminent, and their faces were filled with terror.

After taking several bites of duck meat, Bai Jingqi said casually while chewing.

"Uncles, none of you would have survived today, but you just said you wouldn't kill me and even pleaded for me. I'm really touched. There is true kindness in the world, and true love exists among people. Let's consider this a chance encounter, a friendship. We'll meet again someday. Get some sleep, and remember to eat dinner when you wake up. I've kept your food warm for you."

No sooner had Bai Jingqi finished speaking than someone succumbed to the dizziness in their head, collapsed to the ground, and became completely unconscious.

Before Bai Jingqi had even finished his meal, everyone had already collapsed to the ground.

Looking at the black-faced men all over the floor, Bai Jingqi felt nauseous. He hurriedly ate a few bites, then dragged everyone to the bed one by one. The six big men piled up on the bed like a human pyramid. Bai Jingqi put the lid on the cup, and everyone was done!

The toxicity of this "ghost spirit" should keep these people asleep for at least a day and a night. Bai Jingqi, who comes from a family of doctors, only now realizes that everything in this world can be poisoned. The wild fruit on the back wall has such a powerful effect. I didn't expect my grandfather to have some real knowledge.

From the very beginning, Bai Jingqi said he wanted to go out and play for a few days, which was his true intention. In addition, the kidnapping of him by Guiwu gave him a new idea: to get some pocket money from home. He was still young and didn't have much pocket money. He wouldn't have any money to do anything in the future. He had experienced the bitterness of a man without money for several lifetimes.

Now that he has received the ransom of 20,000 taels, he will have some capital for the next ten years or so of his life as a minor, making it much easier for him to do whatever he wants.

He originally only wanted to get a few thousand taels as a token, but he didn't expect the old man to be so generous and give him 20,000 taels. He really is his own grandfather!

As for killing Prince Wu, Bai Jingqi felt no guilt whatsoever. First of all, some of his memories were of walking through a sea of ​​corpses. Besides, this corrupt Prince Wu of the Qing Dynasty wanted to kill him; that was a capital offense!

In this era of impending chaos, Bai Jingqi was already prepared; human life was, in fact, just a number.

As for these kidnappers, Bai Jingqi was actually prepared to spare their lives. After spending the past few days with them, he realized that they were just petty thugs who were working for Prince Wu in order to survive. Most importantly, they still had some conscience. If he encountered them again in the future and if necessary, Bai Jingqi would not hesitate to kill them.

They're just a few scumbags. Whether they're killed or kept alive is irrelevant. As for whether they'll report it to the authorities, are you kidding me? Are they courting death?

Besides, no one would believe that a five-year-old child could devise all of this without batting an eye.

After quickly cleaning up the bloodstains on the ground, Bai Jingqi returned to the well. Still feeling uneasy, he moved several large stones from the side and completely blocked the well opening. Only then did he return to the table, satisfied, ready to eat his fill before leaving.

The results of my years of training day and night are quite good. My body, which is five years old, looks at least two years older, and my strength is at least that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy. Most importantly, the proficiency of certain skills and techniques in my body feels more flexible than that of an adult. That's how good a child's body is.

Just as he took a few bites, the door was pushed open, and a somewhat familiar face appeared in front of it. Bai Jingqi was taken aback when he saw this person. The person in front of him glanced around the room and saw six kidnappers piled up on the bed like a human pyramid, while a little boy of six or seven years old was sitting at the table, eating a duck leg with his mouth full of oil. The scene looked rather strange. When Bai Jingqi saw this, he quickly put on an innocent and bright smile and said...

"They're drunk and asleep, Uncle, are you here to save me?"

Ji Zongbu scratched the back of his head and said somewhat uncertainly.

"Should... I think so?"

Something feels off about this scene.

Bai Jingqi didn't give him time to think. He jumped off the stool, picked up the money bag and dagger from in front of the cabinet, took Mr. Ji's hand, and led him out while saying something.

"Hurry, while they're still asleep, don't let them find out!"

Ji Zongbu thought about it in a daze and felt that it made sense. It was better to avoid trouble. So he took Bai Jingqi's hand and walked away into the distance.

Chapter Eight: Master Bai's Fury

Bai Jingqi held Ji Zongbu's hand and walked a long way before stopping. With an innocent expression, he said to Ji Zongbu.

"Uncle, I have some things to do today, I can go home by myself later. Or could you leave your contact address so I can come visit you next time?"

Ji Zongbu had only heard that a young prodigy from the Bai family had been kidnapped recently, so he spent several days inquiring and finally found the location. The rescue was successful, but it felt somewhat frivolous. This young prodigy was indeed quite unusual.

Ji Zongbu was a little worried about Bai Jingqi, especially when he saw that Bai Jingqi was carrying a small satchel that was bulging inside. Could it be that there was ransom money inside?

Ji Zongbu immediately recalled everything he had just witnessed, and a somewhat absurd idea suddenly popped into his mind. He then had an idea and smiled as he bent down to say to Bai Jingqi.

"Then if you need anything, go ahead. I live at the entrance of Hutong No. 104, Lotus Street. Remember to look for me if you need anything in the future!"

Bai Jingqi called out sweetly.

"Yes, Mr. Ji!"

Ji Zongbu nodded, then watched Bai Jingqi skip and hop away, his figure heading forward. He quickly quickened his pace and carefully followed.

He wanted to see what the little guy was up to. If the bag on the little guy's back really contained ransom, and recalling what he had just witnessed, Ji Zongbu felt his heart race.

Bai Jingqi's short legs moved at a moderate pace, with Ji Zongbu following closely behind a hundred meters away.

He thought he would soon see what the little guy was up to, but when a street corner appeared, the little guy slowly circled the corner. He quickly followed, but when he got there, he didn't see the little guy at all. There were only two high walls around him, and nothing else around.

Ji Zongbu stared wide-eyed in disbelief, looking around for a long time. The two walls around him were as tall as two adults. Logically, a little ghost couldn't just disappear without a trace, yet it had vanished.

He quickly took over, leaped over, and climbed onto the wall. He looked around and was immediately stunned. There was a river outside, only a few scattered houses, and a dilapidated city god temple in the distance. The surrounding area was completely exposed. The little devil had really disappeared suddenly.

For the first time, Ji Zongbu felt a sense of doubt about life. Was this kid really that amazing?

He jumped off the wall and was about to leave when he suddenly stopped, stood there stunned for a while, and then a smile appeared on his lips.

He hadn't told the little guy his surname, but when the little guy called him Mr. Ji, he suddenly realized that the little guy had recognized him all along.

"Interesting, very interesting!"

Ji Zongbu smiled and shook his head, then walked away. He hadn't expected to be tricked by a little guy today, and the other party's move was indeed brilliant.

To verify his suspicions, Ji Zongbu returned the way he came to the house he had just entered. As soon as he stepped inside, his brows furrowed. He could smell a faint stench of blood in the air; someone had just died there.

Ji Zongbu carefully walked towards the ground and quickly noticed something unusual. He looked down, then stood up, walked to the bedside, lifted the blanket to reveal the dark faces of the men, checked their breathing, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

He went from the outer room into the inner room, and then into the courtyard. He saw the well and looked ahead. He saw that it had been blocked by several pieces of wood. He could vaguely see stones and clothes inside. However, he smelled the well and immediately understood.

He went back to the outer room and saw a plate of chicken and a plate of duck on the table. He went over to look at them, picked up a piece of chicken and smelled it. He was stunned for a moment. Then he looked back at the layout of the room. He immediately replayed everything the little guy had just done in his mind. At this moment, he finally sighed deeply and exclaimed.

"He is indeed a child prodigy, and an extraordinary one at that. But the appearance of such a prodigy, I wonder if it will be a good thing or a disaster for the court in the future." He sighed silently, and then began to help Bai Jingqi clean up the scene.

Bai Jingqi didn't emerge from behind a small mound by the river until quite some time after Ji Zongbu had left.

The small mound of earth was not far from the wall, and from the wall it looked like a small flat area. In reality, it was big enough for him to hide a person behind it. This visual illusion, combined with the need to be bold and careful, made Bai Jingqi bet that Ji Zongbu would not be able to find it.

Modern special forces skills emphasize efficiency and practicality. Although many traditional Chinese martial arts and kung fu techniques have been lost, some future skills and ultimate moves will still be just as effective.

Those have all been tested in modern warfare. For example, some of the kung fu in this world. Bai Jingqi has seen many kung fu performances on the street, and some of their skills are even more advanced than those of modern people. He once saw a young man who could use his skill and leverage to easily climb over a wall three meters high. He guessed that the legendary flower thief had the same skill.

Even the head of the Bai family, who was also skilled with a knife, could keep three or five people at bay due to his height and strength. However, in Bai Jingqi's opinion, these skills were actually practiced by ordinary people. In modern times, if a womanizer from this era were to try to climb over a building that was tens or hundreds of meters high, let's see if he could do it. The smooth tiles would probably not provide any leverage.

The real special forces ace soldiers need to train in simple, practical, and one-hit kill techniques. Bai Jingqi remembered a lesson taught by an ace instructor on how to quickly kill four enemies guarding him with a single chopstick. This was deeply etched in his mind, and he sometimes even felt inexplicably that he could kill the four guards guarding him with just a chopstick.

In this era, people often emphasized physical training, honing their strength and endurance for decades, and then learning some skills or a large sword, so that they could naturally take on ten opponents at once.

If we're talking about individual skill alone, some martial arts masters of this era could easily defeat special forces ace soldiers of later generations, and even take on three people at once. Their bodies were honed from childhood, their strength was terrifying, and with a little skill, they could easily take down a special forces ace soldier.

Unfortunately, the world of the future is no longer an era of individual combat power. A pistol and an eight-cent bullet can take down a martial arts master who has studied diligently for thirty years. That's how domineering it is!

However, Bai Jingqi was particularly interested in some of the martial arts masters of this era. After all, he was not from this time. He believed that if he learned these lost martial arts and combined them with some of his own memories, he could create even more miracles in individual combat.

However, he did not go with Ji Zongbu because he had more important things to do, which was to hide the money pouch in his bag. He definitely could not bring this thing back to the Bai family. These 20,000 taels of silver were his capital for the next ten years or so.

Although he hasn't figured out what he should do in the future, he feels a bit frustrated if he can't even protect himself when the Eight-Nation Alliance attacks more than ten years later. Does he want to be like Bai Jingqi in the original story, drinking his own wine and sleeping with his own aunt every day with the Japanese?

For now, hide the money away. After the kidnapping incident is over, then slowly figure out how to protect yourself.

Bai Jingqi already had a place to hide the silver notes: the City God Temple not far away by the river. Usually, people only come to worship there during festivals, and in recent years, that place has become a gathering place for beggars and vagrants. Ordinary people really don't go there.

Two years ago, Bai Jingqi went to a temple fair with Hu Zitou. Hu Zitou even took him to the City God Temple. Bai Jingqi thought that the City God Temple was a good place to hide things, because the place was always smoky and no one would climb up there.

Moreover, in the past two years, it has fallen into disrepair and become a place for beggars and vagrants to stay, and outsiders are even less likely to go in.

Bai Jingqi, carrying a small satchel, cautiously approached the City God Temple. He looked inside and found no one there; it must have been broad daylight, and the beggars had all gone out to beg.

Seeing that no one was around, Bai Jingqi quickly slipped inside. Perhaps because this place had been inhabited by beggars for a long time, it was filthy and had a foul stench that was hard to mask. Fortunately, there was no excrement inside, otherwise, it would have been impossible to step inside.

Bai Jingqi, carrying a cloth satchel, looked around. There were indeed two wooden pillars around him. Bai Jingqi smiled and then, like a monkey, quickly climbed up. When he got to the top, sure enough, it was all dark and gloomy. This City God Temple used to be bustling with activity. During festivals, people would burn paper money, and the smoke had turned the place black as ink.

Bai Jingqi found a secluded spot and stuffed the cloth bag, along with the dagger inside, into it. There was almost no need to conceal it; it was all black at first glance, and when you touched it, it was covered in black ash.

Bai Jingqi quickly climbed down from the pillar, only to find that his face and body were covered in black ash. He immediately felt unlucky and hurriedly patted it off, but the more he patted, the blacker it became, making him look even more disheveled. He decided to just go back and take a shower.

Just as he stepped out of the gate, he encountered several beggars carrying broken bowls. The beggars were on their way back to the City God Temple. When they saw Bai Jingqi suddenly emerge from inside, and seeing that Bai Jingqi was covered in black, they assumed he was one of their kind. The beggars then began to talk to each other with some confusion.

"That person is Wang Er?"

A person next to him turned around and looked at Bai Jingqi's back, saying uncertainly.

"It shouldn't be him. Wang Er is taller than him. Besides, Wang Er doesn't have a braid. I'm telling you guys, this place is something we worked so hard to get. We can't let that bastard Wang Er take it away."

The two people next to them nodded in agreement, and ignored Bai Jingqi, who had already gone far away. The group, looking pale and thin, walked into the City God Temple.

Bai Jingqi didn't pay much attention to the beggars. They looked to be around ten years old and malnourished. In this day and age, there were beggars like that everywhere. You get used to it after seeing them so many times.

Bai Jingqi walked towards the Bai residence, and after walking three or four miles, he finally saw the entrance to the alleyway of the Bai residence in the distance. Bai Jingqi hurriedly ran over. He hadn't been home for a week, and he had to admit, he missed his grandfather quite a bit.

As soon as Bai Jingqi appeared at the Bai family's gate dressed entirely in black, he was spotted by the soldiers on guard. However, they clearly mistook him for a beggar and quickly came forward to drive him away.

When Bai Jingqi saw that there were still soldiers at his door, he immediately realized that the authorities must have found out about his kidnapping, or perhaps his family had reported it to the authorities.

Bai Jingqi didn't care about any of that. He stepped forward and shouted towards the gate.

"Hey, Bearded Head, open the door! Bearded Head, if you've got the guts, open the door!"

No, I mispronounced it, but thankfully no one cares about these details.

Upon hearing Bai Jingqi's shout, the two soldiers stopped in their tracks and looked at him with some confusion.

But soon they found out who the dark-skinned child was.

The door was quickly opened, and a bearded man with a haggard face rushed out. When he saw Bai Jingqi, who was covered in soot, tears instantly streamed down his face. He rushed forward, crying and shouting, picked up Bai Jingqi, and cried and shouted with snot and tears streaming down his face.

"Seventh Young Master, you're finally back! Waaah, you've suffered so much!! Waaah!"

Today, Boss Bai and Third Master Bai went to pay the ransom, but they still haven't returned. The entire Bai family is waiting. Bearded Head has been sitting opposite the gate for a long time, and now he's finally seeing the real deal.