Chapter 170: Chaos in Xiaocheng (Part 10) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Shen Tang: "Oh..."

A gentleman uses words, not fists...

It really depends on the situation.

After venting her anger, Qi Shan tidied her slightly disheveled hair and turned to ask Shen Tang, "Young Master Shen, is there anything you want to ask?"

Shen Tang replied truthfully, "No."

Who Qi Shan was didn't really matter to her; a name was just a label. Ideally, everyone in the world could be called "Qi Shan." The only person she knew, from beginning to end, was him.

The prefect was hit so hard that his nose was bleeding profusely, he saw stars, and his eyes were black and blue. His once dignified face became incredibly comical.

He mumbled incoherently, "You might as well just kill me!"

Qi Shan said, "Killing you all at once would be too easy."

The prefect sneered, even starting to spout nonsense, provoking Qi Shan's bottom line: "Actually, you killed Qi Shan, didn't you... You replaced him? You felt guilty, so you framed me..."

Thump—

Qi Shan then punched the prefect again.

As Shen Tang grew increasingly confused, she couldn't help but complain—

Although the literary style of "Wenxin Yanling" is elegant and unrestrained, which is in line with the high-class image of a literary scholar, when it comes to venting anger, nothing beats a direct punch.

Qi Shan snorted and withdrew her hand, her knuckles cracking as she did so, which was quite intimidating: "You really do know how to provoke me."

The prefect scoffed, "It's easy to say, after all, we're from the same cohort."

Shen Tang: "...???"

Seeing Shen Tang's puzzled expression, Qi Shan sighed.

He grabbed the prefect by the collar with one hand and dragged him toward the cave. He threw the bodies of the two retainers off the cliff to avoid attracting wild animals and revealing their whereabouts. Once inside the cave, Qi Shan tossed the body to the ground and fell into a long silence.

Having lived under the identity of "Qishan" for so long, sometimes even he didn't know who he was, let alone where to begin with this grudge.

finally--

Qi Shan said, "My real name isn't Qi Shan, and it doesn't matter what I'm called, since there's only one person in the world named Qi Yuanliang anyway."

Once he got started, he found that speaking wasn't actually that difficult.

Shen Tang asked, "Is that 'Qi Shan' your friend?"

From the conversation between the prefect and Qi Shan, it was clear that "Qi Shan" was a real person, not an alias of the Qi Bushan before them. After a long while, he said, "He could be considered both a teacher and a friend."

What is true "prayer for good"?

Even though the prefect didn't particularly like "Qishan," he had to admit that he was an exceptionally outstanding person. Despite not having a privileged background and occasionally experiencing hardship, he remained optimistic and even readily offered assistance to those poorer and more destitute than himself.

Yes, the person in front of me, Qi Bushan, is the one who received assistance.

Shen Tang summarized Qi Bushan's words as follows:

The real "Qishan" came from a poor family that fell into decline when he was young. His father was a good-for-nothing second-generation rich kid who squandered the family's accumulated reputation, caused the deaths of his wife and parents, and was utterly despicable. The only good thing his father did for "Qishan" in his life was to die young.

After presiding over his father's funeral, the young "Qishan" went to all the creditors and rewrote the IOUs for each of them, promising to repay the debts.

Logically speaking, he didn't want to repay these debts, and the creditors couldn't do anything about it, since his father's family was useless, but his mother's family still had a few members.

But young Qi Shan was very opinionated. She told her maternal elders, "My father has ruined the Qi family's reputation, and I will restore it for him."

Because his father died early, the precious books accumulated by his ancestors had not yet been ruined, so "Qishan" was not without hope of turning his life around. He started learning early, learned quickly, had a good reputation, and was popular. He also had a bit of social skills, with friends all over the surrounding area.

He was handsome and refined, with a graceful and unrestrained air.

This is how outsiders describe "praying for good."

Hmm, this outsider has had quite a few conflicts with "Qishan." Even someone he doesn't get along with praises him so highly, which shows just how outstanding he is. No, rather than "outstanding," it's more accurate to say "virtuous," or as the prefect would say, "a disease of the virtuous!"

Pray for goodness and kindness.

The person is as their name suggests.

Even those who are not virtuous are among those who receive his help.

Qi Shan's mentor was somewhat similar to the private tutor in Xiaocheng, but with a more eccentric and stubborn temperament. His greatest pride was teaching Qi Shan, such a good student. As a well-known teacher and scholar in the area, people flocked to him seeking knowledge and guidance.

Qi Bushan was one of them.

Waiting outside the door in the dead of winter.

They waited for two hours.

The visiting card was delivered seven days ago, and I waited outside the door for seven days.

There was no reply until the eighth day.

The doorman relayed the message, which essentially meant that he had already taught enough students and didn't have the energy to teach another student with a weak foundation, so he should find a better teacher elsewhere.

Qi Bushan had heard of this renowned teacher's excellence and profound knowledge, so he made a special trip to seek his instruction. He traveled for several days, traversing mountains and rivers, but unfortunately, his efforts did not yield the reward he desired.

He had been freezing and starving for days, his physical and mental strength completely exhausted. The sudden bad news was too much for him; he collapsed in the snow. When he awoke, he found himself in an unfamiliar dwelling.

Only after asking did I learn that he had been saved by the beloved disciple of the famous master, "Qishan".

After hearing about Qi Busan's experience, Qi Shan devised a plan to indirectly explore with his teacher the meaning of "imparting knowledge, teaching skills, and resolving doubts." The renowned teacher was no fool; with a few questions, he learned about Qi Shan and Qi Busan's past...

Famous teachers don't think they've done anything wrong.

He can't possibly receive everyone who comes to him for help, can he?

However, Qi Shan's words revealed a great admiration for the young boy seeking education, which piqued the curiosity of the renowned teacher, who reluctantly agreed to a meeting. It was this meeting that allowed Qi Shan to stay and continue his studies.

In the years that followed, "Qi Shan" repeatedly helped the impoverished Qi Bushan. The two studied and grew up together. Unlike "Qi Shan," who was always the center of attention, Qi Bushan had little presence from a young age, was gloomy, and had a strange temper…

Even dressed in ordinary people's clothes, Qi Shan stood out in the crowd, almost unnoticed by his little follower. If it weren't for Qi Shan's enthusiastic introduction, they would have thought he was just an ordinary pageboy.

Qi Shan was troubled by this stereotype more than once. He was clearly stronger than Qi Bu Shan, so why did people not pay attention to him?

He once blamed himself for the problem.

Yes, it's not Versailles, it's genuine self-blame.

Afterwards, Xin State held a special examination. The two obtained precious recommendation slots from renowned teachers, ready to fight for their future. Unfortunately, Qi Bushan's relative passed away at this time. He had received much care from his relatives in his youth, and it was only right and proper for him to return home for the funeral.

Qi Shan had to travel alone, and on the way he met a young scholar who was much older than him, and they had a very pleasant conversation.

No need to guess, this person is Prefect Yan Cheng.

Two days before the special examination, Qi Bushan rushed to the examination hall. It was also during that examination that a student died.

The prefect's face turned slightly cold, as if he had figured something out.

"I remember the people who died back then were..."

|ω)

Actually, there have been hints about Yuan Liang's disguise all along. After all, he's a guy with enemies all over the Northwest. If he doesn't wear a few disguises, he won't even know how he died.

(End of this chapter)