Chapter 231

Native woman: Iron hoes are not rare, but this is an iron hoe that once unleashed the spirit of war! My daughter is about to join the army, and this is the most appropriate gift!

Buying iron hoes? Ah, it seems his military spirit has been noticed after all… Bei Qiao pondered for a moment, unsure of what price to offer. As for the money, she had it herself. Ever since the escort agency was up and running, she hadn't seemed to have ever worried about funding.

Seeing Bei Qiao's attire, the indigenous woman thought she was worried she might take advantage and offer a low price. She repeatedly expressed her sincerity and her financial resources, and asked Bei Qiao to make an offer. "I really want this iron hoe. Please name your price!" I hadn't noticed before, but this woman turned out to be an expert in martial arts. So, it seemed like this iron hoe was more than just a showpiece! She was delighted!

"Isn't it just an iron shovel..." The neighbor who came back out of curiosity to take a look left shaking his head in boredom: I thought it was something good and was avoiding people to buy it. There are plenty of these things in the shops at the foot of the mountain!

Bei Qiaowan refused the bracelet handed over by the native woman, saying that she was going out just to experience the customs and practices of different places and had not considered selling the accessories on the vehicle: Well, actually, she just found it troublesome and was anxious to go to the county government office to watch the fun.

"You haven't considered it before, so why not consider it now?" The indigenous woman slapped her forehead and pulled out a delicate little box from her bag. "Oh, I forgot. You probably don't like flashy things. So... do you like this?"

"What is this?" Bei Qiao looked at the small box and felt confused when he saw that the other party did not open the box.

"Heavy rain of pear blossom needles!" The native woman looked proud.

Bei Qiao was silent for a moment: "...Is it the Rain of Pear Blossom Needles that I know?" Why does this sound like a scam?

"That's right!" The woman nodded vigorously. "My family helped me get this. I still have one. I'm reluctant to give it away, but..."

"Forget it, then. A gentleman doesn't take away what others love." Bei Qiao had more than one iron hoe in her cart, so she didn't feel bad selling it. She'd been thinking about it subconsciously, weighing the pros and cons. If she gave the hoe away right then and there, well, she wouldn't be happy. Although this little box was beautiful and had some heft, even if it were a silver-plated spearhead, selling it by the pound wouldn't be too bad, but...

"I have something to do now. If you really want to make a deal, let's wait until things here are over." Bei Qiao shook his head, jumped into the front room of the car, and drove down the mountain: time is running out, and we can't miss the good show that is about to begin in the county government office!

Seeing Bei Qiao's reluctance to make a hasty decision, the indigenous woman sighed, picked up her daughter, and began to walk down the mountain. She didn't need to use any Qinggong skills; her legs alone could run as fast as the carriage. Her arms, holding her daughter, remained perfectly steady, not shaking her at all.

When Bei Qiao arrived outside the county government office, he couldn't even squeeze in. The indigenous woman's cries had been heard far away, and many people later witnessed the detectives escorting a large group of people down Jinshan Mountain. The incident had become quite a commotion, and naturally, there were many people out to watch. It could be said that by now, in Sijin County, apart from children still in school and those who couldn't leave to make a living, almost everyone who could move had arrived. A few of those who couldn't move had also found ways to get here, such as being carried on someone's back or riding in a sedan chair.

It was a shame not to be able to squeeze in, but the seats at the back weren't bad enough. Bei Qiao found the nearest spot to park the carriage, jumped onto the roof, and peered toward the county government office. There were no people squatting in the nearby trees, but there were quite a few people riding on top of each other. The indigenous woman who had been following the carriage had disappeared after being stopped by her friend.

"Why are you coming down just now?" The player who had done the quest together ran down from the second floor of the nearby shop to look for something. Seeing Bei Qiao sitting on the roof of the carriage, he quickly waved to her to go upstairs: "Everyone is over there! Park the carriage in the yard. It takes up too much space on the road." It would also be easy for uncultured people to climb up.

"Thank you." Bei Qiao glanced at the direction the player pointed, jumped off the carriage, picked up Huihui, and made his way through the crowd into the shop's front yard through the side door. He parked the carriage beneath the wall. This spot was right below the window of the private room the player was in, very close to the side door. If anything unexpected happened inside the room, they could easily break through the window and drive away, with virtually no obstacles.

Following the player to the second-floor private room, Bei Qiao pushed open the door and found the other players standing by the window, gazing intently toward the county government office. At the sound of the door opening, several of them hurriedly turned back and nodded at her, as a greeting, before quickly turning their heads away, afraid to miss any gossip.

"Take a seat wherever you like. Aside from Sister Mei and her grandmother, most everyone's here. Alas, the first row outside the lobby is supposed to be the best spot for watching the show, but unfortunately, the county lieutenant stopped us on the way and questioned us, so we couldn't squeeze in when we left again." After hurriedly explaining the whole situation, the player turned around, closed the door, and trotted over to the window. "Hurry! They're about to start!"

The seats by the window were basically crowded with players. Fortunately, Bei Qiao was taller, so he could stand behind others and look out.

In the lobby of the county government office, the interrogation had just begun. The rumormongering father and son, their faces swollen and their mouths twisted, were forced to kneel in the hall. They stubbornly pleaded innocence, their answers the same no matter what the county magistrate asked. The companions had disappeared, and it was unknown where they had been taken.

Shopkeeper Mei, the victim of the attack, stood to the right of the rumormongers, speaking only when the magistrate questioned her. The rest of the time, she remained indifferent and silent. She had been furious when the quest was issued, and even more furious when she had proactively blocked and scolded the players that morning. But after the players cooperated with her in beating up the rumormongers, and even helped her unleash her military spirit, her anger had largely subsided. She even had the leisure to recall the military spirit she had seen earlier: "I didn't expect my teammates to be so united this time. I'll create a group and send a red envelope later. What if there's a chance for us to work together again in the future?"

In this other world, there were laws against spreading rumors. Shopkeeper Mei had originally planned to expose the matter, halt the rumormongers, expose their ugly faces, and then report them to the authorities for arrest. However, he hadn't expected these two to be even bolder than he thought, actually hiding armor. Even an uneducated peasant would know not to hide such things, but he didn't know if these two were just hoping for a lucky break, or if... they really had such intentions.

While the case was still under investigation, rumors of the father and son's deeds were spreading rapidly outside the courtroom. Their bruised faces and noses were memorized by many people. If the merchants were quick, within a month, these two would appear in illustrations in some storybook, being circulated and ridiculed by many people.

Not everyone in the crowd outside the hall knew the whole story. Seeing the two idiots crying in the hall, some even wondered if beating them up like that was a bit excessive. But after learning that they had not only spread rumors about innocent people but also gathered a group of people to fight on Jinshan Mountain, creating a huge crater in the ground, that person immediately switched sides, angrily scolding the two for wanting a beating. He was so angry that he almost jumped over the heads of the yamen runners who were maintaining order and lashed out at the father and son who were spreading rumors: "Fighting on Jinshan Mountain! Are you really that brave!" It was outrageous! It was truly outrageous! How could they fight on Jinshan Mountain!

"Why are they so angry?" One of the players standing by the window tugged at his friend's arm and asked in a low voice. The man's anger was very obvious, and the curse words he uttered were clearer than those of the people in the lobby.

"In their eyes, Jinshan is the equivalent of our Martyrs' Cemetery. In the eyes of the older generation, it's a monument." My friend folded his arms and shook his head, "He's courting death."

"Fuck! That guy really deserves a beating!" Players just imagined that scene and wanted to roll up their sleeves and beat the guy: It's really outrageous!

"Oh, the view from the first row is still better. I can't hear clearly here..." The players who were stretching their necks in the shop to look at the lobby didn't know that they were about to pick up a big red envelope for free. Because the shop was some distance away from the lobby and the people nearby were a bit noisy, it was particularly difficult for them to hear the gossip. If they didn't listen carefully, it would be difficult to hear what the people in the county government were saying.

“Who says it’s not…”

"Speak softly, it's even harder to hear."

"oh oh."

Bei Qiao didn't say anything, simply opening the forum and submitting a request for forum access to the same area. Other players, realizing they could use the forum, quickly jumped into the group chat and began chatting. It was a bit like watching a video and posting comments in the lobby.

I don't know if the county magistrate also felt that these two people were unpopular, but when the people of Sijin County were cursing outside the hall, he had no intention of maintaining order. The yamen runners who were responsible for blocking the outsiders outside the hall were just pretending. Anyway, they didn't stop any of the things that were thrown at the rumor-mongering father and son from outside the hall.

Bei Qiao stood behind the players, watching the rumormongers in the lobby, their necks stiff and stubborn, then broken by the attacks from the crowd outside. He sneered along with the other players. Shopkeeper Mei said these two weren't originally from Sijin County, but had moved to the county a few years ago for unknown reasons. They rented a house and worked part-time, and they often formed gangs to take advantage of others. The county residents had a bad impression of them.

It just so happens that these two people are usually like loaches, and it is very difficult to catch them. Now that the opportunity has finally come, many people hope to keep these two people in jail and never let them out, so as to avoid being annoyed when seeing these people on a daily basis.