Studying late into the night may not necessarily improve one's knowledge, but it can easily cause physical discomfort for young people who have difficulty getting enough food.
But when poverty becomes unbearable, exchanging one's life for another becomes the only visible solution. It is a helpless situation, but also inevitable. After all, if ordinary people want to rise above others, they can only do so by making themselves useful.
"The fierce wind and snow reveal its character; the rugged cliffs and craggy rocks demonstrate its integrity. When it achieves its ambitions, it flourishes without arrogance; when it fails, it withers without disgrace. It does not rely on others when living in a group, nor does it fear when alone..."
As Li Zhengyuan watched the annotations and explanations copied from a classmate from a scholarly family, he recited them with a peaceful and admiring attitude.
As one of the top ten students in the imperial examinations, he could naturally be praised as a virtuous and promising individual at his age and with his background. However, as an impoverished commoner without a humble family background or the appreciation of a noble person, his hard work and study were not appreciated by his teachers, and his future seemed uncertain.
After my father's death, I observed a three-year mourning period, during which I was not allowed to take any exams and had to fulfill my filial duties. Although I can still take the prefectural and provincial exams in the remaining four months this year, I don't know if I will be able to pass them smoothly.
Li Zhengyuan put down the book with some worry, not because he was capable enough, but because whether he could pass depended on the examiner.
Being among the top ten in the imperial examinations was not his limit. After failing the exam that day, he also denounced the cheating and favoritism, the abuse of power for personal gain, and the reliance on money and connections rather than talent.
But after his father's stall was vandalized, he died of illness after vomiting blood, and his mother died of illness due to overwork. It was during the three years of mourning that he understood what this world was all about.
A gentleman... cannot change his principles, but he can be cut down by the roots and branches, and burned into charcoal to warm people. People can be gentlemen, but gentlemen cannot be like the pine and cypress that offer no resistance.
“But I still have a chance. The situation is favorable to me. If one of the families in the city is eliminated, the government will gain more power, and I can definitely get a chance.”
Xin Su established its nation through military force, but in governance, it did not rely primarily on ordinary people. After all, hoping that a group of people on the path to immortality would seriously consider the people's livelihood and seize local power would ultimately lead to separatism and uprisings.
While the civil service system wasn't entirely composed of weak scholars, local governance was primarily based on common sense. Whether it was the death of an elderly person or a summons from the imperial court, they had their own way of handling things.
Therefore, if Li Zhengyuan is exceptionally talented, he would naturally have a chance to rise to prominence when local forces are unable to suppress the government.
However, unlike Li Zhengyuan in the past who naively thought he could manage the area well with his knowledge, Li Zhengyuan now deeply realizes that if he wants to improve the world and make those families with martial power obedient, strategy and martial power are the two key factors.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but look at the book bag beside him, where there was a pile of military books that he used to cultivate his strategic thinking, which was also the path he wanted to take in the future.
Inside, there is a painting that depicts his future entourage and a miraculous encounter with immortals. The opportunity that this miraculous encounter brings is the reason he is here today.
With the oil lamp flickering brightly, Li Zhengyuan suppressed his inner turmoil and slowly read the classics of the ancient sages, absorbing their thoughts and ideas and transforming them into his own insights.
At that moment, as the fireworks exploded and their brilliance rang out, almost simultaneously, the sounds of fighting and slashing began to emerge from the area where the gang was stationed in the north of the city.
The gangs in the north of the city were originally divided into four factions, and they were far inferior to the families and the government in terms of freedom, power, and ability to win people over.
This naturally determined that gangs could only be extensions of the will of families and the government. Some time ago, the Golden Rat Gang was wiped out by the captain because of the harvesting of life, leaving only the Green Snake Gang, the Water Buffalo Gang and the Mountain Digging Gang.
Now, the two gangs in front are leading the rest of their members in an attack on the Jue Shan Gang. And it's not just the north of the city; the south of the city, which belongs to the Mu family, will also face massacre.
So what was he going to do? Just pull chestnuts out of the fire. Li Zhengyuan blew out the oil lamp beside him, his mind clearer than ever before.
He took out the scroll from his book bag, which possessed a magical quality. Even in the darkness, the scroll still glowed, depicting a bustling market scene with all sorts of people.
By the light, Li Zhengyuan looked at the copied text: "A wise man protects himself and does not stand under a dangerous wall."
Unfortunately, he was no longer a gentleman. After rolling up the scroll and changing into special night clothes, Li Zhengyuan quietly opened the window and went out.
Chaos had completely broken out outside. Not only were the homes of the gang members affected, but everyone living in the area suffered an undeserved calamity.
One after another, these beasts in human form rushed here, shouting and clamoring for blood and weapons, wreaking havoc. How brave were they? Not entirely. They simply preferred to turn their blades on the weak.
A purge is undoubtedly the greatest suffering for the people. The greed of the powerful and wealthy plunders these ordinary people who have been exploited for a year and are now finally able to rest and reunite with their families in a dirty way.
Li Zhengyuan's movements went unnoticed, or rather, the scroll's effect made his presence overlooked, while the surrounding situation was shocking to him.
At this point, no matter how learned one is, if one encounters people who only want to get something for nothing and plunder wealth, one will be unable to explain oneself and will instead be killed with a single blow.
If ordinary people break the law with martial arts, what would it be like for even stronger martial artists? The martial arts path that the Xuanpin Daoist Master created for the sake of the lives of all living beings has only been around for a little over four hundred years, and it is already like this.
“Someone has to keep them in check with stricter laws and more severe punishments, and there needs to be someone who can enforce them.”
Watching all this with gritted teeth, Li Zhengyuan clenched his fists tightly. In the end, he couldn't hold back any longer. He picked up a dagger and slammed it hard into the neck of a young gang member who had broken into a house, murdered his father, and raped his daughter.
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