When the Boy Rides a Bamboo Horse, the Green Plum Boils Wine (Part Two)

Beanie looked up and realized that the stinky brat was gone!

That wasn't important—after all, the Assassin Alliance wasn't that big, sooner or later he'd bump into that unfamiliar stinky brat. What mattered most was...

"Where am I?" Beanie stood there, totally lost, trying to figure it out—only to realize he had no sense of direction at all, and of course, no idea where he'd ended up.

"Where did I just come from?" Beanie was still totally baffled, spinning around on the spot several times but still couldn't figure out which way was which. He spun so much he got dizzy, and had no clue which direction he'd come from.

Which idiot made the Assassin Alliance so huge? Now I can't even find my way out," Beanie grumbled angrily, then...

He started: counting beans, picking soldiers—wherever he landed, that's where he'd go...

Beanie shut his eyes, spun around, then opened them and pointed straight ahead: "Go straight ahead—can't go wrong!"

Honestly... No matter how much you spin or count, when you open your eyes, straight ahead is always just straight ahead.

Is this really a scientific way to find your way?

Definitely not scientific, because...

Right in front of Beanie was a wall—an adult-sized wall that a pint-sized Beanie could never jump over...

No choice but to climb," Beanie sighed. Luckily, this wasn't his first time facing something like this—if there was no path, he'd just make one himself.

Beanie looked around, then dragged every stone he could see over to a big tree and stacked them up underneath. Then...

He climbed the tree!

Beanie might not be much good at anything else, but when it came to climbing trees, he was a total pro. After all, he'd done it so many times—and taken so many spills—that it'd be weird if he couldn't climb by now.

With a quick scramble, Beanie was up the tree, hugging the trunk and inching his way toward the top of the wall. He measured the distance, made sure it was doable, then let go and jumped...

It worked—Beanie landed right on top of the wall!

No surprise there—Beanie had done this plenty of times before, and it wouldn't be the last.

Once he was up on the wall, the next problem was how to get down...

My master still hasn't taught me lightness skill," Beanie complained, looking pitiful. But when he remembered he'd have to strap dozens of pounds of iron to his feet and run around the Alliance mountain every day, Beanie chickened out.

He'd rather take a few tumbles than drop dead from exhaustion—after all, falling wouldn't kill him.

Beanie lay flat on top of the wall, closed his eyes, and jumped down...

Thud...

No surprise—Beanie crashed to the ground. He didn't split his head open, but he did hurt his leg.

"Ow... it hurts," Beanie almost burst into tears. But then he remembered his master said real men don't cry, so he wiped his face and held the tears back.

It was just a bruised leg, not a break. Beanie sat and rubbed it for a bit, then managed to stand up—barely.

Beanie might be spoiled rotten by the Alliance elders, but he wasn't a softie—he dragged his injured leg and limped onward.

At first, Left Shore saw Beanie standing on the wall and thought he'd taken a shortcut to catch up. But watching the way Beanie jumped down and the direction he walked, Left Shore realized he'd been overthinking it—the brat was just playing around.

Left Shore wasn't interested in people, and even less interested in troublemaking kids like Beanie. Once he was sure Beanie wasn't looking for him and wasn't in danger, Left Shore turned to go—but just then, he saw something he'd never forget...

The kid who'd just jumped the wall suddenly stopped, looked around in confusion, and just as Left Shore thought he'd been spotted, the little guy started spinning in place, muttering something under his breath...

Then the kid stopped and pointed straight ahead...

There was a pond up ahead. Calling it a pond was an understatement—it was huge. From Left Shore's height, standing on the walkway, he couldn't even see the edges.

What was that kid up to?

Left Shore was baffled, stopping in his tracks to watch...

What was Beanie up to?

Of course, he was lost again, so he used his old trick to pick a route—this time, a "water" route. And since Beanie was sure his way was super scientific, he didn't change his mind and limped straight toward the pond.

Left Shore didn't get it at first, but when the little brat stepped right into the water, he finally realized what the kid was up to.

Was he trying to kill himself?

Kid, life's good—why try to kill yourself?

Left Shore might have a cold face, but he was still just a kid—not yet the cold-blooded adult he'd become. Seeing a little kid like Beanie "try to kill himself," Left Shore couldn't just walk away.

Left Shore sprinted toward Beanie. Just as the water was about to swallow him, Left Shore dove in with a splash, then...

Without a second thought, he swam straight for Beanie.

"Who's there?" Beanie turned around and saw the same kid he'd "scared off" earlier. Beanie burst out laughing: "Found you! I knew it—the Assassin Alliance is so small, there's no way I couldn't track you down."

But Beanie's joy turned into disaster—he slipped and fell right into the water, sinking beneath the surface.

Glub... Beanie's little body thrashed in the water, screaming...

"Idiot," Left Shore muttered, annoyed, then grabbed Beanie and hauled him out.

Left Shore was still just a half-grown kid, but he was way stronger than Beanie. It was tough, but at least he didn't get dragged under.

Beanie didn't struggle at all—maybe from swallowing water, maybe something else. He just let Left Shore drag him onto the bank.

Beanie was chubby, and soaked through he was even heavier. After dragging him out, Left Shore collapsed on the ground, too tired to move, water dripping from his hair.

Beanie coughed up water and flopped down beside him. The two little survivors lay there for ages before finally catching their breath.

Left Shore's face was blank. He'd saved Beanie for his own reasons, not for thanks. Once he'd caught his breath, he got up to leave, but Beanie wasn't having it...

Beanie scrambled up: "Hey, you! Don't think saving me means I won't hit you. Perfect—let's fight right now!"

Left Shore ignored him and kept going.

Beanie got frustrated and shouted after him: "Hey, punk! You can run, but you can't hide. If you don't fight me today, you'll have to fight me tomorrow!"

"Still running? Afraid of me, huh? Ha! I knew I was the toughest!" Beanie put his hands on his hips and tried to laugh like his master—but he was too chubby, his waist too short, so all he could do was wobble his little head.

Too fat to swagger, Beanie just wobbled his head.

Left Shore glanced back and saw Beanie's ridiculous pose, secretly rolling his eyes: What an idiot.