842. They parted ways!

At this moment, Yuan Cangming calmed his mind, quieted down, and dispelled the disturbance!

She gently brewed some tea and softly said to Chu Ci, "Brother Chu, come in and have a seat. It's late and chilly outside; have a cup of tea to warm yourself up!"

Chu Ci nodded slightly and did not refuse. She entered the room, sat down gently, and looked at her two senior and junior brothers, who both had the same sentimental expression. She found it slightly amusing!

She gently shook her head, took a cup of hot tea, and sipped it slowly. Her eyes were fixed on the two of them, as if she hadn't completely let go of her feelings. She gently looked up and saw a sliver of moonlight shining into the room, illuminating the glass lamp and making it appear very tranquil.

Silent and still, I didn't say much or think too much. I was just a swordsman. What did these worries have to do with me? I drank tea, had another cup, looked at the two senior and junior brothers, smiled slightly, picked up my sword, and walked out!

A gentle glance conveyed to the two people inside, "I'm not involved in this!"

Yuan Cangming was slightly taken aback, a hint of a smile in his eyes!

Mr. Wang was slightly taken aback, then smiled gently, nodded slightly, and said softly, "Cangming, there's no need to worry too much about this. Although Bailu Academy is full of knowledgeable people, their backgrounds are quite different!"

Yuan Cangming's hand, which was holding the teacup, paused slightly, then he smiled slowly!

This leads to further thoughts: within the White Deer Academy, the writing materials, ink, brushes, and inkstones have always been somewhat different, with some being uniformly distributed according to the academy's standards.

Some of them are clearly purchased by the buyer themselves, with their colors, styles, and details, and perhaps they have never been matched together.

I hadn't thought much about it before, but now it feels clearer than ever!

Perhaps it was enough to just be alive in the past. After all, the academy's dean was already a great kindness to save his life, so what more could he possibly need?

Bailu Academy has always emphasized practice and being close to the people. Although many disciples work together with the academy, there are also many who spend money to go through the motions. Previously, this was not considered because it was not something they should be concerned with.

To be able to drink a bowl of thin porridge and live a lifetime is already a rare blessing!

Yuan Cangming slowly offered a cup of hot tea with both hands, and said softly to Mr. Wang, "Thank you for your understanding, Senior Brother. Cangming was just feeling a bit sentimental for a moment!"

Mr. Wang took it with both hands, gently patted Cangming's shoulder, and said in a low voice, "It's good to think positively. You'll get used to it after you've encountered many things. Just like me, I never thought of Zhishi before!"

My goal is to reach a higher level. These are things I've always done naturally, without forcing anything. But when the time is right, I need to adapt and change.

He sighed softly, seemingly marveling at his inexplicable transformation. He was now the ruler of a province, something he had never imagined before!

He gently let his junior brother sit down, took a sip of hot tea, and recalled the past. He said softly, "Back in the days of the royal city, it was not impossible to take a government post if one wanted to, but becoming the ruler of this province was out of the question!"

There's no need to overthink things around the Holy Emperor; there are too many complications, and the Academy can hardly get involved!

Despite the camaraderie among colleagues, the competition for positions is relentless due to the large number of people and limited opportunities.

He paused slightly, then continued with a smile, "The same is true for Xuzhou. In just half a year, the changes I've seen in Huangtu County, Wanzhou, Biancheng, Dalong Prefecture, and now this place have all been very rapid."

I used to find this hard to accept, after all, all other pursuits are inferior except for studying; books hold houses of gold, beauties like jade, and access to high-ranking families—there's no place like the highest position!

Yuan Cangming nodded slightly and said softly, "Senior Brother is right. However, what Xiao Wu and the others saw upon arriving here was due to their inability to adapt to the rules of this place. After all, in their minds, this should be a minor punishment to serve as a warning, a way for nature to train and nurture people!"

Yuan Cangming's eyes held a slight sigh and a complex expression, along with some surprise and thoughts from his classmates at the academy!

Mr. Wang sighed slightly and said softly, "When merchants take a fancy to a commoner's wife, they want to buy her with money. If the merchant refuses, they forcibly seize her, injuring her and taking her money, leaving her behind!"

If this had happened in the past, the money would certainly have been left behind, or at most a little more. The person would have been arrested, detained for a few days, and given a reprimand. That would have been a very good outcome.

If this person is backed by a powerful sect or clan, there's no way to control them!

If they happen to encounter someone who wants to curry favor, they might even find a pretext to arrest that person and their entire family, so that they can die in prison—that would be the proper course of action!

With a slight sigh, Mr. Wang felt a trace of dissatisfaction. Even with the Holy Emperor presiding over the capital, his influence could hardly reach the villages, let alone things that everyone took for granted.

If you've run into this, you're just unlucky. Who told you to marry such a beautiful wife, or to have such a beautiful wife? You deserve this!

Yuan Cangming nodded slightly, sighed softly, and said in a low voice, "What Senior Brother said makes sense. If Master were here, he would probably reprimand the merchant, help him find his wife, and make the merchant compensate him with some money, and then the matter would be settled!"

That person might even be extremely grateful.

Mr. Wang nodded slightly, his eyes clear and focused, his mind at ease. Xuzhou, though still relatively new, had already amassed considerable prestige, inspiring both fear and gratitude, but also a great deal of apprehension.

She nodded gently and asked softly, 'Do you regret it?'

Yuan Cangming smiled gently, a hint of regret he had never shown before, and said in a soft but solemn voice, "Senior brother, can you see the slightest bit of regret in me?"

If this merchant had seen how strictly the senior brother governed this place, he probably would have already been thinking of killing and robbing. How could he have been so kind as to stage such a scene of testing the waters, offering money to buy, robbing if unwilling, and then being willing to compensate after the robbery!

Wouldn't it be better to just kill him directly, then step forward and stage this hero-and-beauty drama?

Perhaps it was someone testing the waters, testing our attitude.

I have no regrets about killing these people!

However, four out of the seven members of Xiao Wu's group disagreed with this law and still wanted to educate and redeem them. Must only murderers be sentenced to death?

Yuan Cangming sighed softly. From this day forward, many people would never be seen again, becoming like strangers. He thought to himself, "I wonder how the Dean will judge this, or if he also thinks I have too much killing intent!"

Yuan Cangming smiled slightly, then released his power and said softly, "I didn't care too much about Xiao Wu and the others leaving. After all, they are from a wealthy family in the city, and they are different from us."

I just wonder if this will hurt the dean's feelings. After all, the dean selected them here hoping they would be tempered and improved. This behavior contradicts his principles; I wonder if the dean will be saddened!

Mr. Wang smiled slightly, a hint of surprise in his eyes, and said softly, "As long as Junior Brother has no other thoughts in his mind, the Dean will certainly not care about this matter."

However, I have already explained this matter to the dean, and if they come next time, they will surely be like-minded people.