Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 375 Debating the Clowns in the Guoyun Tower

"As expected of a young lady raised under the old Duchess's wing, excellent skills and methods!" The old man turned his head and said with a gloomy face.

Although the pain had left him drenched in sweat, his tone remained firm, though his words... required careful consideration.

Sometimes, not admitting defeat on the surface doesn't mean you really haven't admitted defeat.

Moreover, admitting that the old Duchess was formidable was obviously much easier to accept than admitting that he was being manipulated by a mere maid.

Lin Daiyu, with her intelligent and discerning nature, could easily discern the old man's implied plea for mercy and surrender in his words, but she pretended not to understand.

If everything is laid bare, aside from the damage to her reputation and the 'reputation' of a shrew, and the Jia family also bearing the stigma of 'failing to educate their daughter properly, after all, they are a family of military generals,' there won't be much other trouble. As long as she doesn't cross the line, her status dictates that she is on the right side.

Instead, calming everything down and letting it develop in the shadows would be even more disadvantageous for her.

"Speak! Who are you? How do you plan to harm me?"

"If you can't explain it, I'll make sure every single one of your bones is dislocated today," Lin Daiyu threatened.

Just then, a guard crept up to a few feet behind Lin Daiyu and suddenly swung his knife at the back of her head.

This strike was clearly unrestrained; if Lin Daiyu hadn't stepped aside to defend herself or dodge, she would have been struck, either dead or severely maimed.

But as soon as she moves her feet, the old man will break free from her control.

In a flash, Lin Daiyu did something completely unexpected: she actually lifted the old man up with one hand and used him as a shield in front of her.

hum!
The guard hastily withdrew his knife, the blade flipping back and flying a short distance away, where it plunged fiercely into a wooden pillar, the end of the blade still twitching.

The old man, who was being held in mid-air by Lin Daiyu, broke out in a cold sweat like rain, and every muscle in his body was trembling.

"This girl is incredibly strong!" Everyone present was astonished by this scene, and the guards who were originally itching to attack also calmed down at this moment.

They no longer dared to act rashly.

They had initially thought Lin Daiyu had caught them off guard when they were defeated, but now that they saw how incredibly strong this girl was, and that it wasn't just a burst of power, they immediately raised their assessment of Lin Daiyu's true combat strength by more than two levels.

The evaluation of martial arts prowess is a sham... Whoever has mastered the most fancy tricks and techniques is considered the most powerful.

A true assessment of strength in the martial arts world... Whoever has the greatest strength, endurance, and ruthlessness is the boss.

Even when Qiu Chuji was roaming the martial arts world, this principle still applied.

The so-called internal strength and true qi are all categorized under 'power'. As for the so-called 'simultaneous emphasis on sword and qi', just listen to it and leave it at that. The entire martial arts world of the Jin faction is all about one thing: internal strength is king. Zhang Wuji, Dog Brother, Xu Zhu, Duan Yu... they all started out with invincible internal strength and then gradually rampaged through the martial arts world. Their martial arts moves were just things they learned on the spot. They knew them, but how proficient were they?
Can they compare to those who have dedicated themselves to rigorous training for decades, enduring the coldest and hottest winters and summers?

Even Guo Jing, if he hadn't drunk the snake blood and greatly increased his power, he wouldn't have been able to master the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

Of all the leaders of the Beggars' Sect throughout history, very few have mastered this ridiculous palm technique to a high level. Moreover, even those members of the Beggars' Sect who have made contributions have been taught this palm technique, but their actual strength is generally average. This shows that no matter how skillful a martial arts routine is, without the support of power, it is just a facade.

Click!

Lin Daiyu then twisted the old man's other arm away.

She was quite kind-hearted, letting the old man distribute the force between his two arms so that he wouldn't always exert force in one place, causing his pain receptors to become numb and the pain to be less intense.

"Ugh... Ah!" the old man cried out in pain immediately.

"Spare me...spare me!" The old man finally softened his tone.

He may look imposing, but he's not really a tough guy.

In reality, this old salt merchant, who seemed like a powerful figure, was actually just a small fry leading the charge.

Moreover, the major salt merchant families in Yangzhou were all backed by powerful figures, and their ancestors might have been servants of some powerful family.

You've already become a slave, what's the point of being tough?

"Answer my question just now, and don't make me ask it a third time," Lin Daiyu said coldly.

She finally understood why her master had told her to be more ruthless in her actions and more decisive in her words.

Things in the martial arts world are different from those in the inner quarters of large families.

In the power struggles within large families, it's a situation where neither side can truly eliminate the other, so they can only resort to underhanded tactics and occasional petty tricks to annoy each other.

But the martial world is a true arena. If you're not ruthless, others will underestimate you, try to coax or deceive you, and then turn the tables on you.

If Lin Daiyu had twisted seven or eight bones in the old man's body the moment she grabbed him, making him writhe in pain for a while, then there would have been no need to ask him questions... and there would never have been a second time.

"I...I am Yang Guangde, and I am the owner of Datong Trading Company!"

"Today, the young lady is staying at the inn. Incense has already been lit in the room. After she settles in, she will fall into a deep sleep. When midnight comes..." The old man hesitated as he spoke.

"What if we wait until midnight?" Lin Daiyu had already anticipated this, but she was still extremely annoyed.

"When midnight comes, this building will catch fire. When everyone puts out the fire together, you will see someone carrying you, young lady... rushing out of the room with your clothes disheveled."

At this point, Yang Guangde immediately tried to cover it up: "We wouldn't dare to really harm your health, young lady. We'll just have someone put on an act, we would never..."

Click!

Lin Daiyu then used her "Dislocating Tendons and Bones Technique" to loosen two of the old man's bones.

Yang Guangde's words were clearly exaggerated, but that was the general idea.

The etiquette of the Dayong Dynasty was not too strict. Many maids who worked in the mansions of nobles and landlords and whose eyes were opened by their masters were still able to get married, and in the conventional sense, they married well, but that was only in terms of ordinary people.

Given Lin Daiyu's status, regardless of whether her body was damaged or not, once her reputation spread, she would be ruined.

Even if they don't actually die to prove their innocence, they have to fake their death to escape.

Otherwise, the reputations of the Lin and Jia families would be completely ruined, and the other sisters would have no way to survive.

This is different from the meaning of Lin Daiyu punching Guoyunlou now.

The Jia family was, after all, a family of military merit. Even though the Jia family itself had actually become corrupt in its wealthy and privileged life, people still held a 'prejudice' against it.

Therefore, it was quite in line with everyone's expectations that the young ladies raised by the Jia family would know some martial arts.

After the news spread, the good and the bad were actually evenly matched. After all, going back further, there were also the female generals of the Yang family, weren't there?
"After this, what are your plans to do against my father?" Lin Daiyu was too clever to ask now what kind of poison her father had been given and how to cure it.

Whether Yang Guangde knew it or not, this was forcing the salt merchants to resort to desperate measures.

Poisoning a high-ranking official of the third rank would be an outrageous crime. If it were to be exposed, the salt merchants would certainly do everything in their power to destroy the evidence.

"Young lady, you jest. Who are we to presume to speak to Lord Lin..." Yang Guangde said through the pain, but then two more waves of pain struck, rendering him completely speechless.

“Miss Lin’s actions are far too cruel. Aren’t you afraid that if word gets out, it will damage Lord Lin’s reputation?” Among the guests present, an elderly man who was clearly dressed as a Confucian scholar stood up and said.

This person was not officially a member of the salt merchants, but was an old Confucian scholar who had been invited to be a 'witness'.

Although he had no notable academic achievements, he had failed the imperial examinations every year and was still an expert in spreading rumors and gossip.

"May I ask who this gentleman is?" Lin Daiyu asked.

"Easy! Mr. Mei San of Jiangyin, that is me!" the old scholar said with considerable pride.

Although Lin Daiyu had no idea who this old scallion was.

"Does the old gentleman think that I, as the daughter of the Salt Commissioner, should have my reputation tarnished by these salt merchants, and thus be used by them to blackmail my father and ruin important matters of the court?" Lin Daiyu asked again.

The old scholar immediately blushed and said only some nonsense such as: "Let's stick to the facts and stop making a fuss. A gentleman only judges virtue and morality, not actions or intentions."

He was truly struck at his weak point by Lin Daiyu.

“Miss Lin, it would be best to release Mr. Yang. Otherwise, if anything happens to him, even if you are Lord Lin’s daughter, you will still have to go to the yamen. Even if you are in the right, you are not in accordance with the law, so how can you set up a private court?”

“How about this? We’ve heard the whole story clearly. Miss Lin, please release Mr. Yang for now. Let’s go to the yamen together for justice. The officials will surely stand up for Miss Lin.” Another middle-aged man dressed as a wealthy man stood up, cupped his hands to Lin Daiyu, and said in a much more polite tone, as if he were truly speaking the truth.

But these words are just meant to deceive young people who are inexperienced and naive.

Let alone whether the local officials truly 'uphold justice' when they arrive at the government office.

For someone of Lin Daiyu's status to be involved in a lawsuit and go to court is already considered a loss.

In feudal society, patriarchy was dominant. Even in the most enlightened dynasties, women were still subject to many restrictions. How could this compare to the T0 version of later generations?

“My father is seriously ill, how could I delay? If it weren’t for this old scoundrel causing trouble, I would be serving my father at his bedside right now.”

"Since this person dared to harm me, he must have been utterly wicked in the past. Why don't you all find out all the evil deeds this old villain has committed here today, and then list them on paper, along with his name, in duplicate... One copy is for you to give to your local parents so that the local officials can make a fair judgment, and the other copy is for me to take back to my father so that he can check for any omissions." Lin Daiyu spoke flawlessly, first using 'filial piety' to shut him up, and then immediately turning defense into offense.

Isn't the goal to uphold justice?

Then go and write down the word "fairness" openly and honestly.

If you don't dare to write it, what kind of justice are you talking about?
The middle-aged man who had stepped forward to make the suggestion turned pale, turned and sat down, muttering: "He doesn't appreciate kindness! He'll cause a big disaster sooner or later."

Lin Daiyu dismissed it as nonsense and didn't take it to heart at all.

Then several more people jumped out, offering different perspectives—threats, advice, or 'kind' reminders—all to persuade Lin Daiyu to release Yang Guangde and temporarily set aside the matter of the night.

Naturally, Lin Daiyu retorted with sarcasm and ridicule to all these people and their words.

This allowed people outside the Jia family to witness Lin Duidui's skills for the first time.

This wasn't taught by Qiu Chuji, but rather a talent that Lin Duidui was born with. Originally, he was just sarcastic and said some awkward things to tease people, but now that he has the courage to fight, he is not so sarcastic anymore, but his lethality has increased even more.

"Master! How should I end this?" Lin Daiyu, who had been arguing with the group of ugly people, had delivered a barrage of words, rebuking everyone in the entire Guoyun Tower who dared to challenge her, but afterwards she was actually a little at a loss.

After all, they couldn't just kill Yang Guangde in public, nor could they kidnap him.

But releasing it like this would inevitably feel like a half-hearted effort, diminishing its impact.

Therefore, after the stalemate, she chose to seek help from Qiu Chuji by transmitting her voice in secret.

"Focus on the big picture and let go of the small details. Make Yang Guangde promise not to pursue what happened today, then keep him occupied and waste his time here in the Guoyun Tower!" Qiu Chuji, being so shrewd, immediately offered a solution.

Lin Daiyu couldn't control all the guests in the Guoyunlou Pavilion by herself, so they would disperse when the rain stopped at dawn.

What happened in the Guoyun Tower tonight will quickly spread to all sides through the mouths of these people.

Therefore, before this, Lin Daiyu received Yang Guangde's personal promise of 'understanding' in public, thus avoiding government intervention.

As long as the government does not intervene, Lin Daiyu's keeping Yang Guangde in the Guoyun Tower will effectively constitute Yang Guangde's 'imprisonment'.

The longer the time dragged on, the more guilty those who colluded with Yang Guangde became.

Naturally, they employed a variety of methods.

At that time, Lin Daiyu would overcome all obstacles and, after a period of time, would surely expose the weaknesses of the salt merchants.

The so-called Jiangnan salt merchants, a powerful interest group, were indeed terrifying to talk about, hear, and see, but their weaknesses were also inherent.

That is, although they are a community of shared interests, they are not of one mind and one heart.

There will always be people who can't resist doing stupid things.

Once someone makes a stupid mistake, it will drag down a whole host of others.

At that time, with Lin Ruhai's cooperation, even if they couldn't wipe out all the salt merchants, they should have severely weakened them.

Lin Daiyu was inexperienced, but not unintelligent. With just a word of guidance from Qiu Chuji, she deduced a great deal, and her eyes brightened.

"But Master, will my father be able to hold on?" Lin Daiyu asked, voicing another question that concerned her most.

This is a coordinated battle. If Lin Ruhai falters at the crucial moment, then all that's left for Lin Daiyu is to wreak havoc and then become an outlaw in the mountains.

"Then let's see if you, little Mengchang, really have a few loyal followers!"

"In two more days, I will be able to give you a spiritual fruit and arrange for someone to deliver it to your father. His poisoning will then be cured," Qiu Chuji said.

Lin Daiyu stirred up a storm by actively jumping into the center of the vortex, which naturally stirred up a considerable amount of worldly energy, further intensifying the attack and refinement of the Heaven-Mending Stone. Qiu Chuji predicted that in another day or two, he would be able to open his own little world through the Heaven-Mending Stone.

(End of this chapter)