Chapter 20 A Vengeful Spirit
Song Jin flew home as fast as she could.
The thought of that unreliable playboy coming to her mother alone made her extremely anxious.
Even though that person's attitude was different last time, he still didn't seem like a good person. Mayor Lin, on the other hand, seemed respectable, but he was a complete opportunist; if anything happened, he wouldn't be reliable at all.
However, no matter how fast she tried to fly back, her mount still couldn't move.
Da da da da
Da da da da
Little Black was running very hard on the road, looking quite capable, but he could only watch the horses' rear ends in the distance ahead.
This is an utter disgrace!
Little Black grunted and shook its head, then started farting again to express its dissatisfaction.
Song Jin slapped it on the head, gritting her teeth, and said, "...You good-for-nothing, more trouble than you're worth! Why are you yelling at me? It's not like I asked him to come along."
Ahead, a tall, black Akhal-Teke horse trotted leisurely, its limbs long and powerful, its body with smooth lines, its tail swaying as it walked.
Inside the BMW, Qi Zheng, dressed in a low-key and solemn black robe, the silver shimmering on the flowing satin surface, exuded luxury. He sat there, tall and upright, casually holding the reins, radiating an air of effortless elegance.
Qi Zheng tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on the little black dog that Song Jin was riding. He looked at its stubborn expression, angry at not being able to catch up, and his eyes held a hint of appreciation.
"This mule is really good."
Mules are known for their endurance and strength, tackling all kinds of terrain, from mountain trails and muddy roads to waterways. Little Black, however, is the best of the best; even a novice can immediately recognize its superior qualities.
Faced with his praise, Song Jin couldn't immediately tell whether he was sincere or sarcastic, but she raised her chin and said proudly.
"Of course, my little black horse's father is also a Ferghana horse. When the former headmaster of Wenyuan Academy returned to the capital, the higher-ups specially sent someone to pick him up. It's a waste that he ended up with little black horse's mother. Who knows, he might even be your horse's grandfather."
"..."
Qi Zheng was certain this person was mocking him. He glanced at her flamboyant features, but didn't bother arguing with her, and continued speaking.
"I used to own a mule too. It wasn't as fast as yours, but it could carry a lot of things and accompanied me all over the country."
Song Jin became interested. Wasn't this a prince? A prince riding a mule all over the country? He must be bragging.
She curled her lip: "That sounds nice, but you're riding a BMW now, while your mule is long gone."
As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Qi Zheng's brows darken, and his deep voice drifted in the wind.
"He's dead, he was slaughtered and eaten."
Song Jin thought she had misheard and paused for a moment. Then, looking at Qi Zheng's calm expression, she realized she had touched a sore spot and felt a little guilty, stammering.
"So, did you avenge it?"
Then, realizing this man was a prince, Song Jin immediately didn't know whether she should feel sorry for the mule or the mule butcher.
Qi Zheng paused for a long while: "No, they're all refugees who are about to starve to death."
Putting herself in her own dog Xiao Hei's shoes, Song Jin could already imagine the scene and her feelings at that time.
If they were malicious, they might beat someone half to death and torture them to vent their anger; they're all people who have nowhere else to turn.
Song Jin suddenly realized something, her phoenix eyes flashing. She pulled on the reins and struggled to catch up with the black steed, the mule and horse running side by side.
She said animatedly, "I've read similar stories before. The protagonist was so angry he wanted to kill those people, but he held back and shared the mule meat with them. The mule is dead, but it couldn't have died in vain, could it? It saved several lives, so it's an act of merit. Who knows, it might be reborn as a human in its next life!"
Qi Zheng turned his head to the side: "Really?"
Song Jin said confidently, "Of course! Being a mule is never as good as being a human. If we lose the mule, we have to look on the bright side. Besides, in those storybooks, the protagonist divided up the mule meat and then led them to safety."
Qi Zheng's gaze fell on her face, his smug expression impossible to hide. Even though he already knew what would happen next, he couldn't help but feel a little anticipation.
He asked, "And then?"
Song Jin chuckled, clapped his hands loudly, and said with great satisfaction, "He shaved those people's heads and sent them to the temple, put money in the temple, made a statue of a mule, and told them to watch the group of people worship regularly, and they could only go out when their hair grew back."
That's a really underhanded trick!
These days, people value their hair and body as a gift from their parents. Both men and women pay attention to their hair, and everyone has long, flowing hair. Anyone with hair shorter than shoulder length is considered an oddity, let alone being bald.
Anyway, it will take at least one or two years for them to grow big enough to go out.
During this time, they spent their days chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha with the monks in the temple, working and eating vegetarian food. Most people really couldn't endure this kind of hardship.
But there's no other way; killing the mule to pay back the money is the only right thing to do.
Will you endure a year of hardship and then pay off the debt, or will you stubbornly refuse and repay the enormous debt—you should know that these days, a 50% annual interest rate is considered a good loan?
Normal people know how to choose; abnormal people don't need normal methods.
Song Jin felt increasingly pleased with herself and laughed uncontrollably: "You should have done it back then. Paying back debts is a matter of course. What they owe is their lives, and there's no way to repay it."
Qi Zheng felt the same way. The mule had been with him since he was six years old, almost like a family member. Even though it was old and would die sooner or later, it shouldn't be in such a miserable state.
However, public opinion can be a powerful force. To outsiders, his act of revenge would appear as petty and lacking in any sense of chivalry.
Even a scholar would find it hard to describe as narrow-minded and petty.
Qi Zheng felt a surge of pleasure watching Song Jin clap and cheer. He asked, "Don't you feel sorry for those refugees? They're just trying to survive."
Song Jin raised an eyebrow: "They are pitiful, but they can't just do whatever they want because they're pitiful, can they? Forget about killing mules to eat, they've even been caught stealing and beaten to death. Besides, they have food, drink, and shelter. What refugee family gets that kind of treatment..."
Anyone can say nice things, but that's just because it hasn't happened to them yet.
If someone really has to resort to ruthless methods, then either they're incredibly ruthless, or they're genuinely important.
Song Jin always spoke her mind directly. Although Qi Zheng was a prince, he hadn't mentioned it, and he was leaving soon—just a high-ranking passerby. She didn't need to care too much about him.
She laughed, "I'm just a narrow-minded and vindictive person. I don't care what outsiders say, as long as I'm happy. We only live once, so worrying too much is pointless. Of course, I'm just a country girl, so adults can just laugh off any silly things I say and not take them to heart."
Song Jin had striking features and bright phoenix eyes. Sitting atop a mule, she laughed freely and unrestrainedly, instantly putting everyone who saw her at ease and giving them a sense of freedom.
Qi Zheng shifted his gaze back: "Very insightful, let's go."
Song Jin, riding on a mule: ...
Why are you walking? Isn't she walking or crawling?
**
Horse clop clop
Mule, clatter
Little Black's speed, surpassing that of most mules, was still somewhat inferior to that of the top-tier Akhal-Teke horses, but overall it wasn't slow either.
When Song Jin and his group returned to Linxi Town, the sun was still high in the sky, and the sound of reading aloud still echoed in the academy.
The entrance exams are over, and the results will be released soon, making the learning atmosphere at the academy even more intense.
Basically, it's about studying for the provincial examination, the county examination, and the metropolitan examination every day. You just need to study until you pass the county-level examination, then the provincial-level examination, and finally the imperial examination...
It's all a routine
Song Jin shook her head, clicked her tongue as she passed by, and just by looking at her expression, she knew she wasn't a book lover.
Qi Zhengmo
She's someone whose every thought is written all over her face. At first glance, she seems quite similar to Song Shang, but after spending some time with her, it's really hard to connect the two.
They don't resemble each other at all, except for their faces.
Song Jin didn't notice his subtle scrutiny. Her gaze fell on the people on the road in front of the academy. She gave a soft chuckle, drove her mule over, and looked down at them from her elevated position.
"Lin Jiaojiao, what are you doing? Sneaking around like that!"
Lin Jiaojiao looked flustered, clutching the things in her arms tightly, and shook her head: "No, it's nothing, I was just getting medicine for my mother, she sprained her ankle."
Song Jin raised an eyebrow, looking at the bundle of medicine in her arms with schadenfreude: "What's wrong? Did she break her leg and you brought so much medicine?"
Lin Jiaojiao's eyes reddened, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but then she saw Qi Zheng riding a black horse who looked extraordinary. Her expression panicked, and she hurriedly ran away.
Song Jin narrowed her eyes slightly as she watched her stumble and nearly fall after only a few steps.
Qi Zheng: "What's wrong?"
Song Jin composed herself, pulled on the reins again, and turned the car around: "It's alright, let's go back first. Who knows what stupid things those two idiots are up to."
At this moment, idiot number one, Song Xingzhi, and idiot number two, Mayor Lin, are having tea at the mayor's house.
Beside the tea table sat Mayor Lin's seventeen-year-old grandson, a capable scholar in the town who had already achieved the rank of child prodigy at a young age.
However, a town is a town. He might be capable in a town, but in the city, he would only be considered slightly above average in an ordinary college, and he had no confidence whatsoever in the college entrance examination.
Mayor Lin had been so attentive to Song Xingzhi because he was the only hope in his family.
He naturally didn't expect his eldest grandson to be sent to the capital's grand academy and soar to great heights. He just wanted to find him a reliable teacher to make his studies smoother.
Mayor Lin felt that all his hard work and service during this period had been worthwhile, and he cheerfully poured tea for the man: "It's just simple tea and water, please don't mind, Lord Song."
Song Xingzhi didn't mind the tea, but he was anxious. He absentmindedly took a sip of tea and asked, "When will Song Jin be back?"
Mayor Lin observed his expression, carefully considering, "It shouldn't be long."
Song Xingzhi: "You've been saying this all day."
Mayor Lin said awkwardly, "It's hard to say what will happen with this girl. She might come back in the morning, or in the afternoon or evening, or even tomorrow."
Song Xingzhi nearly choked on his tea, barely managing to steady himself and control the shock on his face. With an air of elegance, he asked, "Tonight? Tomorrow? What would a young lady like her be doing?"
Mayor Lin: "Generally speaking, she hunts. She's skilled and learned her techniques from hunters, so she often goes hunting in the mountains, providing a significant meat supply for the town."
Especially wild boars; although they're not tasty, they're still meat. And if we hunt more wild animals, they won't roam the mountains and harm people.
In conclusion, hunting is actually a good thing, but what Song Xingzhi heard was...
"Playing around in the mountains," "wild girl," "improper"...
Although I knew Song Jin was a scoundrel beforehand, listening to him as a stranger is completely different from listening to him as a family member.
His vision blurred, and he swallowed the tea with difficulty, finally managing to console himself that he could change in the future.
Mayor Lin continued, "Otherwise, they've gone out to deal with people. Anyone who offended that mother and daughter during the day should be prepared for the night. Getting bruised and battered is the least of their worries; the worst that could happen is their house being torn down and their chickens and ducks being slaughtered..."
So, despite doing many good deeds over the years, the mother and daughter still enjoy mixed reputations and a lot of gossip in town, precisely because of this.
Mayor Lin, who was trying to dissuade Song Xingzhi, added some details he hadn't mentioned before, such as which hooligan had his beard shaved, which person had their beard plucked, and who got stung by a bee and became fat...
As Song Xingzhi listened, he couldn't help but touch the corner of his bruised mouth. Thinking of his deceased Xiao Jin, he was immediately overcome with grief and wanted to interrupt him with his heart-wrenching words.
The sound of horses' hooves came from outside.
Mayor Lin: "Oh, it must be Jinjin who's back. Her little black dog is the only one in town that makes such a loud noise."
Song Xingzhi: "Jin Jin? What Jin Jin?"
Mayor Lin sighed, "It's Song Jin. Her nickname is Jin Jin, or Xiao Jin. What a joyful name! It would have been so much better if she had been called Niu Jin Jin back then."
Song Xingzhi: "..."
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