Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The teahouse was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The shirtless, tattooed man slammed the still-dripping, blood-stained dagger he was holding onto the table.

With a loud "clang".

The table leg let out a scream and broke off in one piece, sending the teacups tumbling and crashing to the floor.

This man was none other than Ershan, the second-in-command of Black Wind Stronghold.

His name was chosen arbitrarily, and his appearance was just as casual; his face was full of fat bulging together, but his eyes were wide open like copper bells, and he still smelled of alcohol.

The shopkeeper crawled out from behind the counter, trembling, his fat face shaking.

"Second...Second Master, what are you doing...?"

Ershan slammed one foot on the broken-legged table and roared in a slurred voice, "Stop playing dumb with me! Where's that caravan from the capital? It's all silk and medicinal herbs! I've been watching them from the mountain for half a month, and I knew they'd be passing through Qingniu Town today!"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's face turned even paler, and he bowed repeatedly with a bitter expression.

"Oh my, Second Master, where did you hear this news? That caravan...that caravan left three days ago!"

"Gone?"

Ershan was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened, and he spat all over the shopkeeper's face.

"Bullshit! I've calculated it perfectly. Today is the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. Even if they travel at top speed, they won't arrive until today!"

The shopkeeper wiped the saliva off his face, not daring to wipe it away, and said with a careful, apologetic smile, "Second Master, today...today is September 12th."

"What?"

Ershan was dumbfounded.

He turned his head and looked at the timid underling behind him.

"Monkey, what's the date today?"

The underling nicknamed Monkey swallowed hard and took a half-step back, afraid that Ershan's big slap would come flying at him.

"Second...Second Master, the shopkeeper is right. A few days ago, the chief celebrated his birthday, and you drank with him all night. That day...that day was the ninth day of the ninth lunar month."

Ershan's facial muscles twitched twice.

So, with that one big drinking session, he ended up drinking away tens of thousands of taels of silver worth of valuable money?

He was so angry, his anger was practically rising to his head.

But there's nowhere to vent this anger, since it's my own drink and my own sleep.

Ershan's face turned red and his neck bulged as he looked around the teahouse before finally settling on the old storyteller.

The old man was so frightened that he almost crawled under the table.

Ershan grunted twice, then suddenly asked, "Old man, were you just talking about the White Tiger Demon Lord and the fox spirit?"

The old man nodded tremblingly, "Yes...yes..."

"Where were we?" Ershan asked gruffly. "Was it the part where the fox spirit died and the white tiger went mad?"

Everyone in the room was stunned.

This fierce-looking bandit leader actually has a taste for this?

The shopkeeper, being astute as a shrew, immediately sensed a glimmer of hope upon seeing Ershan's expression.

He quickly stepped forward, his face full of flattery, and said, "So, Second Master is quite the sentimental man after all! Since you're here, why not sit down, have some hot tea, and listen to this old man finish his story? This old man is very eloquent; when he recounted the tale of the White Tiger crying at the grave, it was so moving that everyone who heard it was heartbroken and wept upon seeing it..."

The shopkeeper's original intention was to flatter the man and appease this troublemaker.

But he shouldn't have mentioned the words "crying at the grave".

Ershan was already furious about losing the fat sheep, and now, after what the shopkeeper said, he felt like a complete fool who had come all this way just to listen to the wailing at the grave.

The shame of having one's secrets exposed and being made a fool of instantly overwhelmed me.

"Listen to your grandpa!"

Enraged, Ershan reached behind his waist and pulled out a short-handled broadsword.

A flash of cold light.

"ah--!"

The shopkeeper let out a scream, clutching his arm as he collapsed to the ground.

Blood gushed out from between his fingers, instantly staining the ground red.

Although the axe didn't strike him squarely, it still managed to cut a half-foot-long gash in his arm, the flesh torn open, a horrifying sight.

"I'm a bandit! I'm here to kill and rob! Who the hell has time to listen to your rubbish!"

Ershan brandished his blood-stained axe like a raging wild boar, smashing the chair next to him to pieces.

"Hand over your money, all of you! Anyone who tries to hide it, I'll chop their head off and use it as a football!"

The teahouse instantly descended into chaos.

The tea drinkers screamed and squeezed into the corner, some already trembling as they reached into their wallets.

Su Qing sat in the corner, still holding the unpeeled peanut in her hand.

She glanced at the shopkeeper rolling on the ground, then at the crazed Ershan, and finally fixed her gaze on Gu Xiang across from her.

Gu Xiang's face was as white as a sheet of paper.

He gripped the chopsticks tightly, his knuckles turning white, and his body trembling like a leaf.

That was an instinctive fear.

After all, he was just a scholar who had never even killed a chicken. Facing such a ruthless bandit who killed without blinking an eye, not wetting his pants was already a testament to his strong mental fortitude.

"Scared?"

Su Qing tossed a peanut into her mouth and asked casually.

Gu Xiang's teeth chattered, but he didn't speak; he just nodded.

"If you're scared, just crawl under the table." Su Qing pointed to the area under the table. "It's safe there; no one can see you."

Gu Xiang glanced subconsciously under the table.

It was pitch black, definitely a good place to hide.

As long as you crawl inside, you can escape this calamity.

If you hand over those two taels of silver, you can save your life.

Gu Xiang slowly loosened his grip on the chopsticks and slid down a little.

Su Qing's lips curled into a mocking smile.

really.

What are Confucianism and Taoism, the ultimate sagehood, and the righteous spirit? Without achieving great power and attaining a high level of attainment, they are nothing but a joke in the face of life and death.

Just as Su Qing was about to withdraw her gaze and prepare to make a move to gain favor with him.

Gu Xiang suddenly stopped.

He saw the shopkeeper's hand.

The shopkeeper lay on the ground, his uninjured hand gripping Ershan's trouser leg tightly, pleading, "Second Master... have mercy... there are still family members left in the shop..."

Ershan looked disgusted and raised his foot to stomp on the shopkeeper's head.

If that kick lands squarely, his brains will splatter out.

"Stop...stop!"

A distorted roar rang out from the corner.

The sound wasn't loud, and even had a noticeable tremor, but it sounded particularly jarring amidst the cries and screams.

Su Qing paused in her peanut-peeling motion.

Ershan's feet were dangling in mid-air. He turned his head, his fleshy face twitching, and looked towards the corner.

The poor, pedantic scholar stood up.

His legs were still shaking, so much so that he could barely stand, but he held the worn-out pen in his hand, the tip pointing straight at Ershan.

"In broad daylight... under the clear blue sky... how dare you... how could you commit such a violent act!"

Gu Xiang stammered, his face flushed red, whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell.

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone looked at Gu Xiang as if he were a fool.

Has this scholar lost his mind?

Talking to bandits about broad daylight?

Speaking of the bright and clear world?

Ershan paused for a moment, then grinned as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Hahaha! You've gone stupid from reading too much!"

Ershan pulled his feet back, picked up his axe, and walked step by step toward Guxiang.

With each step, the floor shook.

The overwhelming stench of blood and the oppressive feeling made Gu Xiang almost suffocate.

"Hey kid, what did you just say? I didn't hear you. Say it again!"

Ershan walked to the table, brought his fleshy face close to Gu Xiang's, and slammed the axe in his hand.

Gu Xiang felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

He wanted to run away.

My legs were so weak I couldn't take a step.

He wanted to beg for mercy.

But looking at the pool of blood on the ground and the shopkeeper's pained expression, he just couldn't bring himself to say "Spare me."

"I...I'll say..."

Gu Xiang took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and roared as if using all his strength:

"As the sage said: 'To punish without teaching is cruelty!' You...you may be a bandit, but you should still be reasonable! The innkeeper was just kindly offering you tea; what right do you have to kill someone!"

"puff."

Su Qing couldn't help but laugh out loud.

That idiot.

Talking about the Analects with bandits?

It's like they want to die even faster than expected.

Ershan was amused by the situation.

"Reasoning with you? Fine, I'll talk to you about reasoning now."

Ershan raised his axe, grinning maliciously, and said, "The axe in my hand is the law!"

Before he finished speaking, the axe, accompanied by a whistling sound, came hurtling straight at Gu Xiang's forehead.

Gu Xiang closed her eyes in despair.

It’s over.

He hasn't even passed the exam with top honors, and he hasn't even bought Er Ya new shoes yet, and he's about to die here.

Grandpa Village Chief, I'm sorry, that old hen died in vain.

The expected pain did not come.

There was a crisp "ding" sound.

It felt like metal hitting something hard.

Gu Xiang cautiously opened one eye.

A slender, fair hand, holding a folding fan, casually blocked the axe.

The axe, powerful enough to split rocks, was completely blocked by this seemingly fragile paper fan, remaining motionless.

Su Qing remained seated on the bench, her other hand still popping peanuts into her mouth.

She looked up at Ershan, who was staring in astonishment, and smiled, her eyes crinkling.

"This is the head of the gang... oh no, the second-in-command."

Su Qing spat out the peanut shell from her mouth, which landed right on Ershan's shoe.

"This scholar may be a bit dull, but he still hasn't paid me back for the meal he owes me."

"If you kill him, who will pay the price?"

Ershan felt his wrist go numb, and his hand felt like it was about to split open.

He stared in horror at the seemingly frail, pale-faced man before him.

That strength...

Is it a person?

"Who...who are you?" Ershan's voice trembled slightly.

Su Qing flicked her wrist.

A subtle force traveled along the handle of the axe.

Ershan felt a powerful force strike him, and he uncontrollably stumbled back several steps, landing on his backside with a thud.

Su Qing stood up, straightened her slightly wrinkled long robe, opened the folding fan with a "whoosh," and gently waved it.

Who I am is not important.

She walked over to Gu Xiang, patted the simpleton's shoulder, and whispered in his ear:

"Hey, you idiot."

"Those few words from the sage were a bit silly, but they sounded quite pleasant."

"Since you want to reason with me, then I'll teach you."

Su Qing turned around and looked at Ershan, who was getting up from the ground with a murderous look on his face. A golden-red light flashed in her eyes.

"The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits."

"There's no need to say much to unreasonable people; just use your superhuman strength and punches to drive them insane."