The crisp footsteps followed the street and stopped in front of Chaodong Private School.

In the private school, the clear sound of reading could be heard.

There were two crooked trees swaying in the open space outside the lecture hall, with a rusty bronze bell hanging on the trunks.

Li Qinglin had a beheading knife on his waist, wore a round-necked robe with a python pattern, embroidered black boots, and stood outside the private school with a lightning-like gaze.

Li Qinglin did not disturb anyone and walked quietly along the way.

He did not block the door, but stood politely a few steps away from the side door, under a jujube tree.

Passersby looked sideways, and some recognized Li Qinglin. Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. How could Li Qinglin, dressed like this, look like the ragged and shabby man who had just returned from military service yesterday? His figure was tall and straight, like cold steel, and his eyes made people dare not look directly at him.

Boom boom boom…

The bronze bell in the private school rang, and the students rushed out of the lecture hall like a swarm of bees.

An old man pushed open the door of the private school and saw Li Qinglin not far away at first sight.

"Um... Sir, who are you looking for?"

The old man was stunned for a moment, then walked up to Li Qinglin and asked bravely.

Li Qinglin replied softly, "I am the elder brother of Li Qingjing and Li Qingqing. I am here to take them home. I wonder if you can introduce Master Meng to me?"

Li Qingjing, Li Qingqing's brother? Master Meng? The old man's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling in his heart, especially when he saw Li Qinglin's clothes with python patterns all over, a murderous aura rushed towards him.

The old man didn't dare to delay and quickly turned around and went back to the private school.

The students left the private school one after another.

"Clear mirror, clear."

A familiar voice was heard. Li Qingjing and his sister, who were walking around the apricot tree, were surprised to see Li Qinglin and did not recognize him.

On the other side, in the academy, Zhang Dachui and two other people walked out of the private school while playing and joking.

His eyes immediately caught sight of Li Qinglin standing behind Li Qingjing and his sister.

Zhang Dachui immediately recognized Li Qinglin. He panicked and was about to lower his head and slip away, but he was surrounded by a figure.

Li Qinglin looked at Zhang Dachui and the other two in front of him, smiling.

"Qing Jing, can you write a message?"

Li Qinglin's voice came.

Li Qingjing was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted and chuckled, "How difficult is this?"

He took out paper and pen, sat on the ground, and let the ink soak through the brush. The tip of the brush moved on the paper like a dragon or snake rising from the ground.

In more than ten breaths, a manifesto appeared lazily.

Li Qinglin took it and looked at it. His eyes lit up. He strode to the wall outside the private school, clapped his hands, and printed the manifesto deeply into the wall.

"I and Zhang Dachui and the other two were classmates, and we should have respected each other and treated each other with sincerity.

However, in the past month, Dachui and the other two have used their power to coerce me into handing over several poems and articles. This is an act that insults the ancient sages and is a betrayal... I would rather take the straight path than the crooked one. Every word and sentence is my reputation!"

As soon as the manifesto came out, the whole audience was in an uproar.

Zhang Dachui and the other two blushed and shouted with a stiff neck,

"How can you slander someone's innocence like this?!"

Li Qingjing sneered when he heard this, "Innocent? Then let me ask you, what was the theme, parallelism, and rhythm of the Wing Chun poem you wrote last month?"

Zhang Dachui opened his mouth and stammered for a long time without uttering a word.

Seeing this, the other students began to look at Zhang Dachui and the other two with suspicion.

"What are you doing! What are you doing! Disperse!"

Just in time,

An energetic old teacher walked out quickly and stared at the students with unfriendly eyes.

"Are you Master Meng?" Li Qinglin walked out with a knife in hand.

Master Meng looked at Li Qinglin, who was a whole head taller than him, with a trace of panic in his eyes, but his expression was solemn, "It was me, you crazy bastard, who was causing trouble outside the private school. Although I, Meng, am a failed scholar, I was a classmate of the current county magistrate in my early years! Why don't you leave quickly?!"

Are you a classmate of the county magistrate?

Among his peers, there are more than hundreds of people who are classmates with the county magistrate.

Madam Meng must have just glanced at the county magistrate from afar, how dare she take advantage of this opportunity?

Li Qinglin would not be scared away by this. Instead, he asked loudly, "Master, do you know that Zhang Dachui and his men stole my article? When bribery failed, they beat me up!"

More and more passers-by gathered, almost blocking the street.

Master Meng's eyes flickered. "Ridiculous! All the articles in the world come from the same source. Students exchange and verify with each other, and they will be influenced by others to a certain extent. How can this be called stealing?"

Li Qinglin laughed in anger and asked aggressively, "Why not let Wang Dachui and his friends and Li Qingjing have a discussion on the spot and have a literary duel?"

"I can." Li Qingjing nodded calmly.

“I, I, I…”

Zhang Dachui and the other two looked embarrassed. You looked at me and I looked at you.

"You three should think it through..."

Li Qinglin cast a sharp gaze at Zhang Dachui and the other two. "Some things can be salvaged if they stop today. If they are delayed until today... don't blame me for disregarding the old friendship between the neighbors!"

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

Zhang Dachui's face was as pale as paper, and his muscles were shaking uncontrollably. He clenched his sleeves tightly. "Yes, it was my idea to buy the article with money! Then my father gave Mr. Meng half a pig and asked him to add fuel to the fire and increase my reputation in the future imperial examination!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole audience was in an uproar.

Many neighbors looked at Master Meng in disbelief, and some even spat and cursed.

Being stabbed in the back at this moment, Master Meng's mind went blank.

Men of letters value a good reputation.

Especially for an old scholar like Master Meng, his reputation in the outside world is more important than his own life!

Now, in front of everyone, his dirty deeds were exposed, which was even more painful than killing him! "You, you are slandering me! Li Qingjing, right? My small temple can't accommodate a great god like you, don't come to study in my private school in the future!"

Master Meng threw his robe away fiercely.

Upon hearing this, Li Qinglin clapped his hands in delight and bowed to the master. "Thank you Master Meng for your kindness. I have been granted an admission and will go to Hanshan College to study soon. I was worried that if you don't let me go, and the news gets out, I will be accused of being heartless and ungrateful. Thank you very much!"

Upon hearing this, Master Meng opened his mouth and was reluctant to close it, staring at Li Qinglin with dull eyes.

The contemptuous and sarcastic looks from passers-by, Li Qinglin's heart-piercing words, and the reality that Qingming had completely collapsed...

All this came upon him like a flood.

After today, I'm afraid that the whole shantytown and even the outer city will spread the scandal of Master Meng's blindness in driving away the seed of reading and accepting bribes to bring shame to the saint! When he thought of this, his vision quickly spun and twisted, and he felt dizzy.

Phew!

A mouthful of blood spurted out, and Master Meng leaned back, and actually fainted from anger! ...

Outer city, Jixian Restaurant.

The commander and his followers sat on the second floor by the window.

It was already past noon and the dishes on the table had already grown cold.

Li Qinglin had not yet arrived for the appointment. The head of the group slammed his wine glass down, his face gloomy.

"After all, he comes from a humble background. Even if he becomes a martial artist, he is still a rough man who doesn't know etiquette!"

The attendant stood aside, silent as a mouse, not daring to speak.

The captain snorted coldly, stood up with his walking stick, his eyes gloomy, and thought to himself that Li Qinglin's behavior meant that he was determined to break off relations with him.

"Since you don't know what's good for you, don't blame me. It doesn't matter if one or two martial artists die at the hands of the Luzhu Gang."

Just as the captain made up his mind, he heard heavy footsteps coming from the stairs nearby.

Crash!

The door of the private room was pushed open.

Several judges dressed in tight clothes and wearing sharp knives on their waists walked in, their eyes as cautious as a tiger's, staring directly at the captain.

A judge slapped the scabbard on the table, moved a few dishes with his fingers, and then wiped them on the tablecloth. He sneered, "You've been exposed! Come with us."

The leader was still a little confused, but suddenly he reacted and said anxiously,

"My Lords, I, Li Zhongran, have always been honest, and the Flower Cloth Street under my management is thriving. What crime have I committed?"

The judge heard this and smiled, his eyes seemed to see through the leader.

"Oh? What about your affairs with the Luzhu Gang? Buying low and selling high, lining your own pockets, one by one, do you want me to tell you everything?"

Upon hearing this, the leader's face suddenly turned pale and he collapsed on his seat.

He was a little confused.

These things are not big or small, but the point is that if the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate it.

Why did they come to my house today? And they are a group of judges?!

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

The leader thought of something, raised his head, and asked in a trembling voice, "May I ask, sir, have I ever offended anyone?"

Seeing this, the judge thought about it for a while, thinking that it was not a shameful secret, so he said,

"Then you'll have to ask Li Qinglin, the flag bearer."

Li Qinglin? Li Zhangqi?!

The whole person of the leader seemed to be frozen, his body was stiff, his eyes were dull, and the walking stick in his hand fell to the ground.

His face turned as pale as snow and he opened his lips, but no sound came out.

There was only one thought in my mind -

"It is better to bully an old man with an old beard than to bully a poor young man!"

…

A carriage drove out from the narrow road.

Li Qinglin sat in the front, holding the horse and waving the reins.

Li Xian and the other two were sitting in a carriage, and a wooden cart was being towed behind them.

Sister Gou walked all the way to the intersection. Her eyes were red and swollen, and it was obvious that she had cried several times.

Hu Zi's leg disease has improved a lot. If you don't look closely, you can't tell that he is lame.

If anyone asked about it, Sister Gou would remain silent and only say that she had a dream at night where a god sprinkled sweet rain on her, which cured Hu Zi's leg disease.

Sister Gou and her husband were speechless and choked with emotion, watching Li Qinglin and his family leave.

The pedestrians on the road and the residents of Huabu Street all looked at the carriage with complicated and indescribable expressions.

The news that Li Qinglin caused a big disturbance in the private school yesterday and made Master Meng faint has already spread throughout the neighborhood.

Master Meng is still lying in bed. He says he is suffering from depression and dares not see anyone. He is looking for a doctor and medicine.

Although he became a martial artist, he offended the palace, and he was too proud to stand being wronged...

Some people looked hateful, thinking that Li Qinglin's return home would cause chaos and unrest in Huabu Street.

Some people secretly thought it was a pity that such a person was forced to leave his hometown.

Li Qinglin's second aunt and third aunt were cutting meat in front of the butcher shop and picking and choosing buns in the bun shop respectively. When they saw Li Qinglin's figure from afar, they turned around quickly and pretended not to have seen him.

The carriage slowly passed behind the two of them, stirring up dust, creating air waves, and lifting their hair.

Plop! Suddenly,

A heavy sound was heard.

The two men turned around subconsciously and saw a man who stopped the carriage and knelt on the side of the road.

"That's...Jiu Chang?!"

"Let me see, let me see, hiss... am I dazzled?!"

"What's going on? Why did the commander kneel down to Li Qinglin? This is like trying to climb to the sky with a leaping foot!"

Li Qinglin pulled the reins lightly, looked down, and saw the captain kneeling on the ground with his head lowered.

"Why must the leader do this?"

Upon hearing this, the old head of the group slowly raised his head. His face looked more than ten years older, and he looked gloomy and a little dazed.

He looked at Li Qinglin's face carefully, and then he said in a dreamlike voice,

"Lord Li, can you please spare me? I am old and will have to retire in a few years. My grandchildren at home are still waiting for me to hold them."

Li Qinglin did not answer after hearing this, but asked in return, "Then, Director, if I were not a martial artist, but an ordinary citizen, what would be the outcome if I met you, the likes of you?"

The old leader paused. These words hit him like a hammer. He forced a smile.

"I see."

He took off his robe and silk belt, folded them neatly, placed them on the side of the road, and weighed them down with a walking stick.

Then he stood up dejectedly and walked to the corner of the street.

There, several judges were leaning against the wall with sharp blades in their hands and straw stalks in their mouths.

Seeing Li Qinglin's gaze, the judges quickly spat out the grass stalks in their mouths, stood up straight, and looked solemn.

"Thank you for your help." Li Qinglin cupped his hands.

Upon seeing this, the judges returned the greetings and bowed, then left quickly with the captain.

The once noisy and bustling Huabu Street fell into dead silence.

People looked at the head of the group, who seemed to have been arrested, with expressions of astonishment on their faces.

Then, they all looked at the carriage, still somewhat incredulous.

Regret, regret, shame...

Li Qinglin's second and third aunts stood there in a daze. Although they were short-sighted and could not recognize the origin of the judge, they watched the head of the county, who was once so high and mighty, kneel down and die in front of Li Qinglin. How could they not know that Li Qinglin was bound to rise to a high position!

Regret was like a poisonous snake that gnawed at their hearts.

"Nephew, nephew!"

Li Guangfu ran out from somewhere, and when he saw the carriage, he was suddenly stunned, with a look of reluctance on his face as if he had traveled thousands of miles to see his bride off.

"Pooh!"

A passerby couldn't stand it anymore and spat on the ground.

"You were the one who fawned over you before, and you were the one who despised you later. Now you're trying to get close to him. Li Guangfu, you've become a lackey at your age!"

Li Guangfu got anxious and cursed,

"I think you are just saying the grapes are sour because you can't eat them. It's your fault that your family doesn't have a martial artist!"

The passerby smiled coldly upon hearing this, "Then come closer and see if your nephew's sword is sharp. Those heroes just now are probably government officials. Then see if the government is willing to collect your body!"

“You you you!!”

Li Guangfu clenched his fists, his chest rose and fell rapidly, his face was bright and dark, and finally his whole spirit was exhausted, his eyes were blank, and he murmured,

"It would have been great if I had lent him money that day..."

There was a noisy sound behind me.

Li Qinglin did not look back. He waved the reins and drove the carriage along the bluestone slabs away from Huabu Street.

The sun is shining brightly and the flowers are fragrant.

Dots of locust flowers fell on the ground and were crushed into the mud by the ruts along with countless eyeballs. After the crackling sound of bubbles breaking, the gazes gradually dispersed, but the faint fragrance of the locust flowers remained all the way.

"Brother, how long will it take?" Li Qingqing's voice came.

Li Qinglin looked at the increasingly wide and bright streets and chuckled.

"Almost there. I'll be home soon."

(End of this chapter)