Chapter 930: Are you guys crazy?! [Requesting monthly votes]
Gong Xichou stared at the county magistrate he was holding back, and said in a sinister tone, "Heh, I suppose you wouldn't dare to give him the old one."
The county magistrate's eyes darted slightly.
Gong Xichou was unaware that the young man accompanying the visitor had almost pulled down his pants that day, and the two had even engaged in a serious discussion about whether to use the old or new trousers: "Since it's a trophy to prove you defeated him, it definitely has to be something he wore close to his body; otherwise, it will be accused of being fake."
The visitor looked reluctant: "It's too dirty."
As far as he knew, many people didn't like taking baths.
Calf-nose trousers are worn close to the skin, how dirty must they be?
As the focus of the discussion, the county magistrate was so desperate that he wanted to die, but he still held tightly to his belt.
The young man in the group pondered: "That's true. What if Sixth Brother finds out we brought that stinky man's trousers back with us..."
For some unknown reason, he shuddered.
The visitor said, "Why don't we make him use his hair as a substitute for his head?"
The young man in the same group swung his hands up and down.
No, no, what would we do with his hair?
The county magistrate also wanted to ask—what would they do with their own trousers? They'd serve no purpose other than to inflict even more humiliation. Surely they weren't trying to collect every style and pattern of trousers in the world? Don't be so perverse at such a young age!
[Premature graying and very heavy hair!]
Sigh, since that's the case, what do you suggest we do?
The fellow youth suggested: "Why don't we make him give us a new pair of short trousers, and then have him prove that the old ones are his? With that in hand, we'll have leverage over him for life!"
They hadn't originally planned to come and attack the county magistrate.
After all, the county magistrate's strength in a one-on-one duel was not particularly outstanding.
I made a special trip here because of some past grievances.
Their group passed through this area and happened to save an old man who was contemplating suicide. According to the old man, the county magistrate owned land in the area. The old man's entire family were tenant farmers bound to the land, and the magistrate relentlessly exploited them, ordinary people, to support and expand his private army. The old man's family was always struggling to make ends meet; three of his grandchildren had starved to death, and recently his beloved son and wife had passed away one after another. He didn't even have the savings to hire a traveling doctor, and in despair, he saw the river this morning while working in the fields and contemplated suicide.
The river water was too painful to swallow, and he didn't want to die anymore.
Upon hearing this, the young man traveling with them couldn't suppress his overflowing sense of justice and prepared to teach this county magistrate a lesson. The other three, having witnessed such tragedies many times before, were used to it but didn't stop the two young men: "Meet us before sunset. Qingzhi and I will be waiting for you at the inn ahead."
After saying that, he added: "You must not kill anyone."
Sixth Brother, why can't we kill him?
The land was originally the fiefdom of this county magistrate. Although he was greedy, he hadn't been known to commit any heinous acts of cruelty, at most being harsh on his tenants, but even that was within the bounds of the law. If you kill him, can you guarantee that the next one won't be even more ruthless? This is his fiefdom, guarded by him, protected from slaughter. If he dies, what will happen in the future…?
It's all too common for the enemy to invade and then massacre the city.
Furthermore, the tenant farmers' starvation wasn't solely due to the meager taxes they paid; it involved multiple factors, ultimately stemming from the inaction of the royal court. It was reasonable for tenant farmers to hand over land and fiefs to the county magistrate, but—what about the other exorbitant taxes and levies?
Not to mention tenant farmers, even many self-cultivating farmers would starve to death. This place isn't sparsely populated, which shows the official isn't entirely incompetent. To rashly kill people and then leave the mess for these two to clean up?
Sixth Brother instructed them not to kill anyone, so the two naturally wouldn't kill the county magistrate. However, they wanted to avenge their father-in-law, so they came up with the bizarre idea of using the other man's trousers as a trophy to humiliate him.
How can this be proven?
The young man accompanying him laughed and said, "Let him sign his name!"
The other person raised an eyebrow: "There are plenty of people with the same surname and given name."
A fellow young man offered a terrible idea: "Stamp it with the Tiger Tally Seal!"
The seal under the Tiger Tally of Martial Valor cannot be forged.
Upon hearing this, the county magistrate felt dizzy and his vision blurred.
In the end, those two damned bastards got their way. They forced the county magistrate to sign his name on the brand-new trousers and stamp them with the tiger tally seal before leaving triumphantly. The county magistrate was so enraged that he coughed up blood and spent several days in bed recuperating, but he still felt unwell.
When he saw Gong Xichou coming, he thought that the damned little beast had returned, and he wished he could just knock himself unconscious.
Fortunately, Gong Xichou is not a monstrous little beast.
The two just look quite similar...
Gong Xichou pressed, "Do you know their names?"
Under duress, the county magistrate had no choice but to try to recall the humiliation of that day: "One was called Shaobai, and the other was called Shisan."
Gong Xiqiu murmured, "Shaobai, thirteen?"
Then he asked, "Which one looks more like me?"
Based on the intelligence revealed by the county magistrate, the one who died unjustly in the underground palace was likely the eldest brother, and the one who beat up the county magistrate was likely the nephew. Since they were uncle and nephew, the eldest nephew must have some resemblance to him.
Hmm, there's another possibility!
The name Thirteen doesn't sound like something an eldest brother would choose; it's more like a name based on the family's birth order. Therefore—
Gong Xichou's expression changed slightly, the joy surging within him suppressing the grief of losing his elder brother—could it be that this elder brother, whom he had never met, had worked diligently and was incredibly talented during his years of exile, and had given birth to thirteen children with his sister-in-law?
Perhaps, Thirteen is also a good nephew of mine!
It's just unknown whether there are any nieces among the thirteen offspring, as the lineage of the Gongxi clan should ultimately rest with a good niece.
The county magistrate managed to stammer out, "The one called Shaobai is more similar."
It's not easy to deduce the true age of a highly skilled martial artist from their appearance, but judging from the appearances of Gong Xichou and Shao Bai, they are not only related by blood, but most likely also close relatives within five degrees of kinship!
"What about Thirteen?"
The county magistrate shook his head: "It doesn't look very similar."
Gong Xi Chou murmured, "Even the nine sons of a dragon are all different, and there's no fixed rule about whether they resemble their father or mother... You've passed that question, but do you know where they went?"
The county magistrate couldn't answer this question.
but--
The county magistrate whispered, "Judging from the conversation between these two damned...young men, they seem to be traveling around, aiming to challenge powerful figures in various places."
Although the county magistrate thought this behavior was completely useless.
For martial artists seeking rapid advancement, battlefield achievements are the most efficient way. What's the point of challenging everyone everywhere? It's not only inefficient, but also carries the immense risk of encountering a formidable opponent and dying far from home. Only those wandering swordsmen lacking real skill and experience would do that.
Gong Xichou also wore a solemn expression.
There are many heroes in the world; who knows who they will challenge?
I can't just follow them around like a dog.
If another tragedy were to occur in the underground palace, and he arrived a few days late, wouldn't his nephew and the others be in danger? Gong Xichou pondered a solution, and when he caught a glimpse of the county magistrate out of the corner of his eye, he had an idea: "You, go and get another new pair of trousers."
County Magistrate: "..."
Gong Xichou: "Write your name, stamp it, and then proclaim, 'Chou, invincible under heaven, your skills are inferior.'"
His cerebellum thankfully didn't shrink to the point of disappearing.
This wasn't the Northwest under Mama's control; in the old monster's territory, the surname Gongxi couldn't be openly displayed yet. So he used "Chou" instead, to make it more widely known!
He needs to be prepared for both possibilities.
If he could find his nephews and the others, that would be best. If not, he would try to find a way to get them to come and challenge him.
To gain fame, one naturally needs some stepping stones.
The county magistrate's liver-colored face was filled with grief and indignation!
Those three damned little bastards!
Unfortunately, he was no match for the other man, and the magistrate, in his grief and indignation, gave in.
For the next two months, Gong Xichou used the clues he found to track down his target. Whenever he encountered a martial artist with a strength of 13th-rank Geng or above, he would take the time to "check in" and "collect stamps" at their door. Wherever he went, there would inevitably be a victim who lost a brand-new pair of trousers.
Of course, there are also those who refuse to be humiliated.
Gong Xichou was willing to negotiate: "If you don't want to give me the calf-nose trousers, that's fine too. After all, I find it disgusting to collect too many of these. Let's compromise and give me a bellyband." Anyway, he just wanted to become famous, not that he actually had a collecting obsession.
Those martial artists with the strength to reach around the thirteenth rank of Geng (a lower rank) are mostly those who, aside from a few exceptionally talented individuals, have risen through the ranks through years of military merit, and therefore are not young. Seeing that Gong Xi Chou, a junior, had failed to obtain the trousers and then tried to hug his belly…
I don't know how many times I cursed him in my heart.
"So...does it really have to be just these two things?"
Gong Xichou tilted his head: "Are the others powerful enough?"
We can't exactly let him tattoo words on the other person's face, can we?
Write something like "Chou was here"?
The other party was willing to write it, but Gong Xichou was not. Who would want their name on the face of an old man in his fifties or sixties?
He's not a pervert!
Some loyal men refused to compromise, unwilling to suffer even the slightest humiliation, preferring to commit suicide! Gongxi Chou still needed them to help his nephew gain experience, so naturally he wouldn't let them die. In the end, after some haggling, they still managed to get the handkerchief with the proof.
In private duels between martial arts masters, the spoils were the defeated's head. Gong Xichou only demanded tokens, not lives, and most victims were willing to comply. They just didn't expect that this perverse trend, once it seemed to have vanished, would return.
Inside the teahouse, there was a group of five people.
The other guests were all talking about the strange hero, Qiu.
The eccentric hero, Qiu, is a wandering knight-errant of a different race. His ancestry is unknown. He was around twenty years old, possessed striking good looks, a tall and imposing stature, a generous and open-minded nature, a chivalrous spirit, and eccentricities. He was highly skilled, had a fondness for men's short-sleeved trousers, and would demand the personal belongings of anyone he defeated, hence the name "eccentric hero."
It is said that the practice of using a calf-nose trouser as a substitute for the head was first created by an unknown wandering swordsman. He believed that martial arts practitioners do not cultivate themselves easily, and if they lose their heads in a deadly battle, it would cause their blood relatives to grieve, parents to lose their sons, wives and concubines to lose their husbands, and children to lose their fathers. This would be against morality and would only increase the karma of killing.
Then he came up with the idea of using a calf-nose trouser as a substitute for a head.
Well, how can that not be considered a lifeline?
For a time, chivalrous wanderers were highly regarded and their style became popular in various places.
No one can say where the source is.
All they know is that it's a custom!
Thirteen looked smugly at his sixth brother: "Sixth brother, you have nothing to say now, right? This is the rule of the wandering knights!"
The man known as Sixth Brother had a livid face.
"What kind of strange rules do wandering knights have?" Among his sworn brothers are some veteran wandering knights, don't lie to him!
Uncle Lin said from the side, "Customs vary from place to place. This place is not the Northwest, so it's normal that the rules for wandering knights are different. However, the 'cattle-nose trousers wrapped around the belly' thing... that's really too humiliating."
Chao Lian, however, was quite philosophical about it: "Compared to the head on my neck, what's so important about a loincloth?"
It's just a matter of wanting a calf's nose trousers, not your manhood.
Sixth Brother Fang Yan still couldn't accept it: "Isn't it dirty?"
Chao Lian said, "We are both men..."
Seeing Sixth Brother's distorted expression, he comforted him: "It's not like it's been used before, Sixth Brother. Just think of Thirteen and the others as collecting some pieces of cloth. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Since we're here, and we're using the identity of wandering knights, it's not wrong to follow the rules of wandering knights here."
Fang Yan: "..."
Wandering knights are all trendsetters.
No one was willing to admit they were less skilled or ignorant of the rules, so wearing a trousers instead of a head covering became fashionable. As more and more people followed suit, what should have been shameful became a source of amusement, with even wandering knights competing to see whose trousers were made of the finest, most comfortable material and had the most intricate and beautiful designs…
With more people collecting the trousers, Gong Xichou's path to fame became less smooth. When he challenged a new victim, the latter gave him a sly smile and said arrogantly, "Strange Hero Qiu, my trousers are not so easy to obtain!"
Gong Xichou: "..."
No, do these people have some serious illness?
Unfortunately, he had very little information about his nephew, so in order to attract the other party to challenge him, Gong Xichou had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue.
The victim's beating was somewhat accompanied by personal emotions.
Before each fight, Gong Xichou would always ask his opponent if they had ever seen a young man who resembled him. Occasionally there were pleasant surprises, but more often than not, there was disappointment.
“Nephew, your uncle has been looking for you for many years… Elder brother, if you are watching over me from heaven, please let me meet with my nephew as soon as possible. It’s too dangerous outside. I will protect him with my life.” Alas, his elder brother in heaven was sometimes watching over him and sometimes not.
Gong Xichou always seems to miss his nephew.
The most recent time was only one day apart.
Shao Bai arrived the day after challenging his opponent.
They couldn't bring themselves to kill their opponents, who were still recovering from their injuries.
After this happened many times, Gong Xichou gradually began to doubt the meaning of life.
Could it be that someone in the dark is preventing me from doing this?
Is now not the right time to reunite with my nephew?
Gong Xiqiu's dictionary does not contain the word "give up." He wanted to regroup, but his plans were disrupted by an unexpected event.
He received a letter from home.
A letter from home that made him restless after reading it.
"Xun Ding, Xun Yong'an, you've gotten too bold, haven't you?"
The letter was written by his younger sister, Gong Xilai, and began with normal greetings. Gong Xichou had been wandering and searching for his family for five years, receiving about two letters a year, mostly about everyday anecdotes. This one, however, carried a hint of restraint. His heart skipped a beat, and as he read to the end, his eyes widened! Gong Xilai wanted to get married and asked Gong Xichou if he had the time to return and officiate…
Her marriage partner was Xun Ding.
That worthless, cheap add-on!
Gong Xichou's fists clenched so tightly they made a cracking sound.
He hesitated for a moment, then spent a fortune bribing people to spread rumors that the eccentric swordsman Qiu boasted of being invincible and that anyone who wanted to defeat him could come to the Northwest Kang Kingdom, where he would be waiting at any time. The key point—
People named "Shaobai" will be given priority!
|ω`)
(End of this chapter)
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