All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

The group exchanged glances. The leader looked at the boy who had been kneeling for half the night, a ruthless glint in his eyes, and shouted at the other two.

"Bet all of them on our turf! Don't let those little brats get away. We've suffered huge losses tonight; we have to get our money back from them!"

The two remaining subordinates nodded and began to urge the group of teenagers to stand up and prepare to leave the City God Temple.

Bai Jingqi stretched and yawned. After lying down for more than an hour, he finally regained his strength. He touched the short knife at his waist and felt full of confidence.

Quietly leaping off the wall, Bai Jingqi slowly approached the group of teenagers from the darkness, eventually blending into them. The three of them nervously looked around, completely unaware that there was now an extra person among the group of teenagers. Although it was already dawn outside, the three of them only had one torch, and they couldn't even see the road clearly. They could only walk cautiously, with one person leading the way and the other two bringing up the rear.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes ahead. The three of them immediately cried out and stopped. The eldest of the two at the rear carefully picked up his long knife and walked forward. He and the other man, as if to bolster their courage, walked together towards the bushes ahead.

Just then, Bai Jingqi quietly approached the last person at the rear, suddenly leaped up, and stabbed the man in the neck with his short knife. In the darkness, the man fell like a clove of garlic.

The two people in front were completely unaware, but the group of teenagers noticed the person next to them suddenly fall down and exclaimed in surprise.

Bai Jingqi cursed his teammates under his breath and quickly rolled into the bushes on the other side.

Hearing the noise, the two men in front turned around to look, only to see their teammate's corpse. They were completely terrified and started wildly slashing and yelling with their knives until the surroundings became completely quiet. Only then did they stop.

One of them took a deep breath before speaking to the burly man opposite him.

"Boss, the other party should be just one person, and they're good at using underhanded tactics. There are only two of us left, and they don't dare to attack us directly. Let's stay back to back, be careful, and not be afraid of them. We'll leave when it's light!"

The leader, who had been hit in the eye earlier, was still in pain. After listening to his subordinate's analysis, he thought it made sense and quickly stood up, back to back with the other party. By then, it was almost dawn, and because the place was remote, there was no one around.

As dawn broke and the surroundings became clearly visible, there was not a single shadow to be seen, only a desolate expanse of weeds.

The two looked at each other, and then one of them spoke.

"We should go. Or maybe we should just let these kids go. Boss, let's go back first. I have a bad feeling about this!"

The leader looked around and, seeing that there was indeed no one else around, looked down at the group of teenagers squatting on the ground, and finally gritted his teeth and said.

"Take them all back, first to Blind Liu's place, and we'll decide what to do tonight."

The subordinate glanced at his boss, finally nodded, and roared at the boy on the ground.

"Get the hell up, all of you, now!"

The boys stood up like a group of zombies and walked forward. Many of them had white lips from the cold, trembled, and were unsteady on their feet.

The two men escorted a group of teenagers for a while. Seeing that it was indeed safe, they relaxed their guard. The leader, whose eye was injured, put down his long knife, rubbed his injured eye, and was about to curse when a dark figure rushed straight at his face from the bushes beside him. Before the leader could react, a short knife was plunged into his throat.

Having dealt with the boss in front of him, only one person remained. Bai Jingqi was also panting heavily, hands on his hips, taking several deep breaths. He had used all the knowledge he had acquired over the years for this fatal blow.

Seeing that there was only one person left on the other side, and that the other person had no intention of rushing up at all, tightly holding a child and holding a knife to the child's neck, looking at Bai Jingqi with a shocked expression, how could he not be shocked?

Bai Jingqi, who was standing in front of him, looked to be no more than seven or eight years old, but he still felt his hands trembling as he recalled the scene of his boss being stabbed through the throat.

Bai Jingqi looked at the terrified man, took out a long iron nail from his waist. He had just taken three from the City God Temple, and this was the last one left. He had to nail this scumbag's mouth shut with this one!

"Hey, uncle, hurry up! I need to get back for breakfast. If my mom doesn't see me, she'll spank me again!"

Bai Jingqi stopped wasting words. This person was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and he had no intention of leaving this kind of person a way out.

With trembling hands, the other party watched Bai Jingqi getting closer and closer, and finally broke down completely. He raised his long knife and charged at Bai Jingqi, shouting incomprehensible foreign language.

A cruel smile crept across Bai Jingqi's lips. Everything was about to end!

Chapter Ten: Becoming an Apprentice

This was Bai Jingqi's first time facing off against an adult head-on.

However, he was full of confidence at this moment. What fighting power could an adult who had already suffered a mental breakdown have?

The opponent brandished a long sword haphazardly and charged towards Bai Jingqi, who remained calm and motionless on the opposite side.

When the other person was only half a meter away from him and he saw the blade slash past his head, Bai Jingqi knelt down on the ground, leaned back, and slid to the other person's feet.

He then grabbed the other man's belt, used him as a rock climbing target, and quickly climbed up. The moment the other man opened his mouth, he plunged the iron nail into it, and then slammed his palm down, piercing the nail through the back of his head.

This whole operation was completed almost instantly. If you say you'll shut someone up, you'll definitely do it. These scumbags are a menace if left alive. They profit from children and they all deserve to die!

However, inserting a nail into his mouth wasn't enough to kill him quickly. Almost the instant the other man instinctively tried to grab back, Bai Jingqi wrapped his hand around his neck, then jumped onto his back, pressed his hand against his chin and neck, and forcefully snapped the most vulnerable nerve in his neck.

The other man immediately collapsed to the ground, his head tilted to one side, his eyes rolled back, and he twitched uncontrollably. Bai Jingqi flipped over and jumped far away, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at the burly man who was still convulsing on the ground, and breathed a long sigh of relief.

Bai Jingqi coldly looked at the group of trembling teenagers on the ground. He noticed that many of the teenagers' gazes towards him had changed. Suddenly, Bai Jingqi had a new idea. It wouldn't be bad to train a group of little beggars and use them as help in the future, would it?

However, looking at the group of listless teenagers, Bai Jingqi felt it was time to give them a jolt. He picked up the big man's long knife from the ground and roared at the teenagers.

"A bunch of useless trash waiting to be slaughtered. There are twenty of you against only eight. If you all attack together, you can bite them to death. If you can't even control your own lives, what's the point of living? All of you, stand up!"

Bai Jingqi's roar finally made a few of the bolder teenagers stand up, and the others followed suit, standing up hesitantly.

Bai Jingqi stopped talking nonsense and shouted to the crowd.

"You can call me White...Black Seventh Master. I'm planning to recruit a group of like-minded partners. In the future, I will train these partners to become like me. Anyone who dares to bully my partners, I will kill them. I'm younger than you, but I just killed eight big men because I can't stand a bunch of scum who bully children and act arrogantly in front of me. I'll only say this once, and I'm giving you a chance."

"If you want to work with me from now on, come up here, take this knife, and slash this scumbag hard. If you don't want to work with me, I'm giving you a choice now: get lost right now. I don't want to see any trash!"

Hearing Bai Jingqi's words, everyone looked at each other, but no one left. After all, they were still young at heart and had not yet despaired of the world like adults. After hearing Bai Jingqi's passionate words, someone finally raised their hand and slowly walked up to Bai Jingqi.

Most of these people who were able to gather at the City God Temple in the capital had already lost their families and experienced the pain of life and death. They had gathered together simply to stick together for warmth and to survive.

However, these teenagers, ranging from a few years old to around ten, are easy prey in the eyes of many shady gangs. Every gang needs fresh blood, and a group of teenage beggars is the perfect source of recruits.

If Bai Jingqi hadn't encountered them, probably not many of these teenagers would have survived to adulthood.

However, whether they can survive to adulthood by following Bai Jingqi depends on their fate.

The first boy to raise his hand and walk to Bai Jingqi's side was obviously older, at least fifteen or sixteen years old. He was tall and thin, with a head full of scraggly hair. His eyes had a rebellious look that was different from the other boys. He looked at Bai Jingqi with admiration in his eyes. He slowly walked up to Bai Jingqi and called out.

"Seventh Master Black...I want to be with you!"

Bai Jingqi was only shoulder-high to the other man, but he stood with his hands on his hips, looking the young man around with the eyes of a boss looking at his subordinate.

"You've got guts. Fine, I agree. What's your name?"

The young man answered excitedly.

"My name is Wang Er. I was originally from the Jiudong Bridge area. A few days ago, I got together with Zhang Tao and the others. I wanted to fight back just now, but... but I couldn't beat them. Zhang Tao and the others fought back and got killed. I... I'm scared!"

Wang Er felt ashamed of his cowardice, his face flushed red. Bai Jingqi nodded, not humiliating him, but instead stepped forward and handed him the knife.

"Giving in temporarily is not shameful. Now I'm giving you a chance: go up and slash him with your sword. Do you dare?"

Wang Er's face flushed red as he looked at the long knife in Bai Jingqi's hand. Finally, he mustered his courage and shouted with all his might.

"I dare!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward, took the long knife, strode over to the burly man who was still twitching on the ground, and plunged it into his waist. The force of the knife was so great that when he tried to pull it back, it tore out the man's intestines along with the knife, causing blood to gush out. Several of the boys nearby were so frightened by this scene that they burst into tears.

Bai Jingqi immediately rebuked.

"Who the hell is crying? Get the hell away from me!"

The shout startled everyone, who quickly covered their mouths to stop themselves from crying out loud. Chaos was approaching, and they had no right to cry. To cry for the miserable state of scum was to be a coward.

Wang Er's flushed face had turned somewhat bluish. He finally drew his long sword and looked at the burly man who was still struggling on the ground. Wang Er's hand holding the sword was trembling, but Bai Jingqi could clearly see a hint of madness in his eyes.

Bai Jingqi continued to berate the crowd.

"Who else wants to go up?"

Seeing the burly man's miserable state, everyone became hesitant and submissive again. Only Wang Er stood upright in front of Bai Jingqi, holding his knife, as if he had completely sided with Bai Jingqi.

Seeing this, Bai Jingqi glanced at the sky and realized it was already bright. It was getting late, and he had to leave. Seeing the group of somewhat frightened teenagers, Bai Jingqi called out one last time.

"I'll say it again: those who want to follow me, step forward now; those who don't, disperse on your own later. I won't save you a second time. Those who follow me, I will teach you how to protect yourselves. In the future, no one will dare to bully you. I'll call out five times: those who are willing, step forward!"

"One...two...three...four...five!"

After five shouts, more than twenty teenagers followed the first one as he slowly walked out of the line, then came out in twos and threes, and finally, they all took a few steps forward. Seeing this, Bai Jingqi finally smiled.

Whether these teenagers are simply following the crowd and seeking survival, or have other ideas, they will be gradually selected and eliminated in the future.

Bai Jingqi suddenly had a plan in mind: he would use the next ten years to train a group of elite special forces soldiers of this era. If they were trained from a young age, more than ten years would be enough to train a group of elite special forces soldiers. In the future, the fate of these people might change the course of the entire China. Who knows what the future holds?

It's quite interesting, isn't it?

Anyway, I have plenty of time. I can strive for excellence and only need to cultivate a hundred or so aces. These hundred or so butterflies might really cause a butterfly effect, making history more interesting, or perhaps more cruel.

Everything is possible!

Bai Jingqi looked at the lifeless giant and stopped demanding that the group of youths raise their knives again. It was getting late, and he had to leave first. He then stepped forward and patted Wang Er on the shoulder.

"Wang Er, I'm giving you a task now: hide the eight corpses around here, search them for any money, and use that money to buy food for everyone. Starting today, the area within a mile radius of the City God Temple will be our territory. Try to keep outsiders away from here. I can't come during the day, but I'll come at dawn tonight to discuss the follow-up matters. Can you do what I've said?"

Wang Er gripped the knife tightly, looking at Bai Jingqi's expressionless face, and finally mustered the courage to answer.

"I can do it!"

Bai Jingqi nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the other boys. They were all dressed in tattered clothes and shoes, and many of them were pale from the cold. Bai Jingqi called out at the end.

"From today onwards, Wang Er will be the second-in-command. When I'm not around, Wang Er will be in charge. It's your good fortune to have met me today. There's no point in saying anything more now. From now on, just listen to Wang Er!"

After saying that, Bai Jingqi gave Wang Er an encouraging look. Wang Er understood immediately, puffed out his chest proudly, and roared at the crowd.

"Go and find the bodies of those eight bastards from last night. Three people at a time, drag the bodies into the City God Temple once you find them. Go now!"

Upon hearing Wang Er's words, the crowd scattered in twos and threes, like headless flies.

Bai Jingqi frowned as he watched all this. Fortunately, this place was somewhat remote, and since the floods occurred last year, no one lived nearby. Otherwise, what happened today would have been discovered sooner or later.

Bai Jingqi couldn't care less about anything else. It was already the dead of winter, and every year, hundreds or even thousands of people around Yanjing would freeze to death. These were minor matters.

Bai Jingqi looked down at his clothes, which were soaked through by the rain, and felt a chill run down his spine. He secretly prayed that he wouldn't run into his mother when he got home. There was nothing he could do about it now, so he stopped thinking about it and quickened his pace, disappearing from the scene in no time.

He ran, panting heavily, his whole body steaming with heat, heading towards the Bai residence. Fortunately, in the dead of winter, there were hardly any pedestrians on the street. When he arrived at the Bai residence, there were hardly any people on the entire street, and Bai Jingqi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

At the corner of the wall, a runner took off, grabbed a crack in the wall, jumped, flipped himself over the top of the wall, and then leaped down. All done, he was finally back at the Bai residence.

As soon as Bai Jingqi returned to the second wife's courtyard, he saw the gate open. Bai Wen stretched and stepped out of the door. Bai Jingqi looked up and met his mother's gaze. Bai Jingqi thought to himself, "Oh no!"

Bai Wenshi had just woken up. Seeing the warmth on her son's body, she guessed that the boy had been causing trouble outside again. Seeing the pleading look on Bai Jingqi's face, she immediately snorted and said...

"Go find your own clothes. You're always so unruly. After the New Year, get back to school!"

Seeing that his mother probably hadn't noticed him climbing over the wall, Bai Jingqi's face lit up with joy. He quickly ran towards the bathhouse, but halfway there, he turned back and called out to Bai Wenshi.

"Mom, I've found myself a tutor. I'll tell you all about it after I take a shower!"

Bai Wenshi snorted and turned to go back to her room.

After experiencing the carnage last night, Bai Jingqi finally felt it was time to find a legitimate reason for himself and an excuse to go out for a stroll in the future.