When the Crown Prince asked the Emperor's permission to marry the princess of the fallen kingdom into the Ji family, Ji Shisu was ready for a long - term battle.
Since it was going to be a fight, one must first have an elite force to deal with any unexpected situations.
The important task of recruiting people was handed over to Yu Chi.
Yu Chi's criteria for recruitment were very simple: orphans and ruthless.
Orphans had no attachments, and only the ruthless could be qualified killers.
Among them, little beggars were his key recruitment targets. For a while, there was a rumor in the beggar community that a man named Lord Chi was recruiting. As long as one followed Lord Chi, there would be food and shelter, and they no longer had to suffer from the hardships of sleeping rough.
The beggars who had been there all said it was good.
This rumor reached Xiao Shi's ears. She blinked her eyes, and envy welled up in her heart.
"Lord Chi. It sounds like there'll be good food. There must be a lot of delicious food in his mansion."
Her companion gave her a speechless look and advised, "Look at yourself. You've gotten so fat. You should lose some weight at least. Stop thinking about food all day. As beggars, we need to keep a good figure. We can't be too fat. Who would believe that we're poor and have been hungry for days if we're fat?"
Xiao Shi pouted. She wasn't really fat. She just wasn't as emaciated as other beggars, with nothing but skin and bones.
That would be so ugly.
Xiao Shi retorted, "I gained this weight by my own ability. Why should I lose it?"
Companion: "..."
Xiao Shi was right. The weight on her body was really gained by her own ability.
Xiao Shi was, to put it nicely, innocent and carefree; to put it bluntly, she was a bit simple - minded.
But God especially favored this simple - minded girl.
While other beggars were playing the victim, saying they were about to starve to death, Xiao Shi just squatted by the roadside and ate heartily. Her enjoyment of the food made others feel even hungrier.
So, the owners of the bun shops, pastry shops, and restaurants all invited Xiao Shi to eat in front of their stores. The more enjoyably Xiao Shi ate, the more customers they had.
Xiao Shi also had her own temper. She wouldn't go to a store with unappetizing food even if they invited her.
Her pride in rejecting the store owners made the little beggars who fought bloody battles for half a bun drool with envy.
Normally, a lucky person like Xiao Shi who was favored by fate would be ostracized.
But this was nothing to Xiao Shi.
She didn't care about the seniority ranking in the beggar community. She readily agreed to be the youngest, called Xiao Shi.
She wasn't envious of the good spots in the dilapidated temple. She was content to sleep under the broken tiles and in the drafty corners.
She was a simple - minded person with no lofty ideals.
After she was full, she wouldn't fight with other beggars for a place. Instead, she would obediently squat at the crossroads and chat with the old beggars about gossips -
How a certain lord had a mistress outside and was beaten by his wife when he got home.
How a certain young lady pretended to be high - and - mighty but was actually eager to get married.
How a certain bride had several ambiguous relationships before her wedding.
Xiao Shi listened with great interest. She didn't care if these gossips were true or not. To her, this kind of news was like the buns and steamed buns she ate.
It didn't need to be nutritious. As long as it could fill her up for a while and make her happy, it was fine.
Xiao Shi and her companion were discussing which restaurant to go to next when there was a commotion at the door of the dilapidated temple. A bare - footed little beggar ran in panic and said to everyone,
"There are a lot of people outside."
"Are they a group of black - clothed men with a white - clothed man leading them?"
"Yes."
Hearing this, her companion's eyes lit up. "It's Lord Chi! He's finally come to recruit from our place!"
Hearing this, Xiao Shi's eyes also lit up.
"Wow, is it that lord whose name sounds so delicious?"
Her companion glared at her and said, "When Lord Chi comes in later, don't talk nonsense. I'm still waiting to be recruited by Lord Chi and turn my life around."
Unconsciously, her companion had also been influenced by her.
Xiao Shi nodded vigorously.
She also wanted to be recruited by Lord Chi. She was tired of the food in the town's restaurants and wanted a change of taste.
Yu Chi set up a platform at the door of the dilapidated temple and asked the beggars to come forward one by one to introduce themselves. Those he fancied would be asked to stay, and those he didn't would be told to move on.
Everyone rushed to sign up, and Xiao Shi was pushed to the last.
When it was almost Xiao Shi's turn, Yu Chi checked the quota. He had enough people.
He said to the people behind him, "Take these people back to the estate. That's it for today."
The beggars who hadn't been questioned were very disappointed. But since Yu Chi had so many people with him, they didn't dare to offend him. They could only shake their heads and leave dejectedly.
Xiao Shi didn't care about this. She rushed forward in big strides and lay on Yu Chi's table.
"Lord Chi, you haven't asked me yet."
Yu Chi glanced at Xiao Shi.
Goodness, this girl could definitely be considered the Yang Yuhuan of the beggar world.
"We're full. We're not recruiting anymore."
Xiao Shi chuckled and played the role of a cheeky person to the fullest: "Lord Chi, you're so wealthy. One more person won't make a difference."
Actually, Xiao Shi wasn't really fat, but her face was round. When she smiled, she looked like a Chinese New Year painting doll, extremely cute.
Yu Chi really couldn't refuse such a cute girl.
He sat down helplessly and said,
"Okay, I'll ask you a few questions. If you don't meet the requirements, you can't come with me."
Xiao Shi nodded repeatedly: "Ask away."
"Can you get off the table first?"
"No way. What if you go back on your word and run away with the table?"
Yu Chi: … Did he need to deceive a cute little girl, oops, a little beggar?
Since Xiao Shi wouldn't get off, Yu Chi had no choice but to ask, "Do you still have any relatives at home?"
"No. There was a flood that year. My parents and elder sister were all washed away by the flood. I survived because I was too fat to be swept away."
Yu Chi: "..."
Yu Chi waved his hand and said, "Girl, this job may not be suitable for you."
"Why? You took those who had lost both parents just now. Why are you discriminating against me?"
Yu Chi was very headache - stricken: "I'm not discriminating against you. You can't do this job."
Although he had only met Xiao Shi once, Yu Chi inexplicably felt pity for her.
How could such a cute little girl become a killer?
"Why can't I do it? You're still discriminating against me."
"Do you know what kind of job we do? We live on the edge of a knife. One careless move and we'll lose our lives."
"Is there good food?"
"Er... In our estate, we provide food and shelter."
"Then I'll do it!"
Yu Chi: "..."
He pulled Xiao Shi aside and, ignoring the order not to reveal secrets to outsiders, said, "Girl, I'm recruiting killers. You'd better not get involved."
"Didn't you say you'd provide food and shelter? I'll do it."
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
"I'm not afraid of being killed, but I'm afraid of starving. And being a killer is so much fun. It's more interesting than listening to the old beggars' gossips."
Yu Chi: "..."