I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

half a month later.

The group finally left the Jiangnan region.

Pei Qingluan still hadn't forgiven Qin Li, but she had discovered Qin Li's weakness: Madam Wei.

So she cultivated a good relationship with Madam Wei, so that Madam Wei would go and teach Qin Li a lesson and cause him trouble whenever she had the chance.

Qin Li fears no one, but when he encounters Lady Wei, he is utterly helpless; it can only be said that one thing subdues another.

At noon, when the convoy stopped for a rest, Zhou Biao jogged over and said to Qin Li:

"Your Highness, Su Chen just sent a message by carrier pigeon, saying that he has found Fang Yuan's whereabouts."

"Oh?"

Qin Li, who was drinking water from a water bag, suddenly became interested.

After Fang Yuan took advantage of the chaotic battle in the huge training square in front of the Dragon Tiger Gate to wreak havoc in the back mountain of the Dragon Tiger Gate and loot the treasure pavilion, he disappeared without a trace.

Qin Li ordered Su Chen to atone for his crime by going to find Fang Yuan.

Zhou Biao said, "Su Chen said that he followed the trail and found that after Fang Yuan left the Dragon Tiger Gate, he kept heading south and eventually entered the Buddhist Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Qin Li couldn't help but sneer, "Fang Yuan has suffered a qi deviation during his cultivation and has already entered the demonic path. Does he still dare to go to the Buddhist Kingdom?"

As is widely known, the Buddhist kingdom is the purest place in the world.

The pagodas stand tall, and the sounds of chanting fill the air, making it the best place to ward off evil spirits.

If Fang Yuan goes to the Buddhist kingdom, wouldn't he be walking into a trap?

It's likely that they were caught and given a ritual by a high-ranking monk as soon as they entered the Buddhist kingdom.

Zhou Biao shook his head: "Your Highness, I don't know about that. Su Chen has only sent back this much information."

Qin Li nodded and said, "Let him continue to follow, but be careful not to alert him. His cultivation is not as high as Fang Yuan's, so don't make a move without permission."

Su Chen alone cannot kill Fang Yuan.

All we can do now is have Su Chen keep a close eye on Fang Yuan and prevent him from returning to the Great Zhou to cause trouble.

Fang Yuan, this demonic cultivator, is in the Buddhist Kingdom; someone will deal with him.

"Yes."

Zhou Biao clasped his hands in a fist salute.

As the master and servant were talking, a commotion came from afar, attracting Qin Li's attention.

Not far away, seven or eight burly men, dressed in tattered clothes and bare-chested, were holding various weapons and extorting money from a group of young men who looked like scholars.

Although the scholars outnumbered the men, they were no match for the strongmen, not to mention that the strongmen were armed with knives.

Although those knives were either dull, rusty, or even broken in half, they were still intimidating to hold, and the scholars dared not resist.

"This is?"

Qin Li frowned slightly, puzzled.

Zhou Biao looked over and explained, "Your Highness, you don't know this, those are all refugees, not even bandits. They just carry broken knives to scare people and make a living."

Whether on the way from the capital to Jiangnan or on the way back to the capital, they encountered this situation many times.

However, seeing that Qin Li and his group had many guards, these refugees never dared to lay a hand on them, and only dared to take a detour.

"Those scholars have been traveling with us for some time now, haven't they?"

Qin Li asked.

After leaving Jiangnan, these scholars traveled with them, following them at a distance.

It's like a leech, you can't shake it off no matter what you do.

They probably wanted to use their influence to escape from refugees, bandits, and robbers.

Zhou Biao replied, "They've been with us for some time now. Madam Wei has often helped them out, seeing that they're often hungry and don't know where their next meal is coming from."

"Are they scholars traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations?"

Qin Li asked again.

"right."

Zhou Biao replied, "The imperial examinations are approaching, and they are heading to the capital to take them."

Qin Li said, "Winter hasn't even arrived yet, why are they rushing to the capital so early?"

"Your Highness is unaware of this..."

Zhou Biao replied, "They don't have horses, so they can only travel on foot, which takes a lot of time. After arriving in the capital, they have to find a place to review their studies and adapt to the environment. This takes even longer. So, it's not surprising that they often set off for the capital half a year in advance."

Qin Li nodded and sighed, "Since they are scholars who have come to the capital to take the imperial examinations, some of them will become my disciples in the future. Therefore, this time, I have a reason to help them."

Zhou Biao smiled slightly, understanding Qin Li's meaning: "Yes, Your Highness, I will lead the men to drive away those refugees immediately."

"Need not."

Qin Li stood up, stretched, and said, "Since I have nothing else to do, I'll go myself."

When Qin Li arrived with his men, the refugees were swaggering around, brandishing their knives with a whooshing sound, like street performers.

The scholars huddled together, their faces showing fear, clutching the meager amount of money they had left in their bundles, not daring to even lift their heads.

However, a few scholars dared to stand at the front, their brows furrowed and their anger directed at the refugees.

The refugees laughed heartily, completely disregarding the warning. If their leader hadn't given the order, they would have already grabbed the goods.

The arrival of Qin Li and his group immediately attracted everyone's attention.

The scholars looked overjoyed, as if they had seen a savior.

They had been following Qin Li's caravan for quite some time, and with so many guards in the caravan, the refugees were no match for them.

When the refugees saw Qin Li leading his men over, their previous arrogance vanished.

They gathered around their leader, each taking turns talking.

The leader of the refugees was a one-eyed, burly man with hair on his chest.

He was tall and burly, and looked extremely intimidating.

The one-eyed burly man glared fiercely at Qin Li and the others, and said, "Don't make trouble for yourselves. Our knives aren't just for show."

In his opinion, Qin Li and his group were really bored.

On the official road, there were more than just their caravan.

Other teams don't care, only they do.

Do they really think these scholars will remember their kindness in saving them after they pass the imperial examinations?

Scholars are the most fickle and heartless; they forget everything as soon as they turn their backs.

"Are you blind?!" Zhou Biao immediately cursed, "This is the present day..."

Before Zhou Biao could announce Qin Li's name, Qin Li reached out to stop him, saying, "I am also a scholar on my way to the capital for the imperial examination. When I see injustice, I should naturally lend a helping hand."

"Gentlemen, please give me, Qin, some face and let them go, okay?"

The one-eyed, burly man sized Qin Li up and down: "You're also a scholar going to the capital for the imperial examination? You don't look like one; you look more like a wealthy young master on an outing."

"I noticed several women in your entourage, each one exceptionally beautiful, a true gem. Why are you bringing them along on your way to the capital for the imperial examinations?"

If it weren't for the large number of guards in Qin Li's convoy and the fact that they were equipped with top-quality weapons, they would have already made their move.

The several young women in the convoy, each with their own distinct style, were so beautiful that he couldn't take his eyes off them.

If I could find one in this lifetime, I'd die happy.

Qin Li smiled and said, "Who says you can't bring your family when you go to the capital for the imperial examination? I am a man of great learning and talent. I am sure I will pass the examination with flying colors. After that, I will stay in the capital to serve as an official, and my family will stay with me in the capital as well."

Upon hearing this, the refugees, led by the one-eyed strongman, couldn't help but burst into laughter.

They all clutched their stomachs and laughed so hard they almost cried.

The one-eyed, burly man pointed a knife at Qin Li, then looked at his men and laughed, saying, "Brothers, did you all hear that?"

"Big brother, I heard you!"

His men laughed even harder.

"He actually said he'd definitely pass the high school entrance exam! Isn't that ridiculous?"

"The one-eyed burly man asked."

"Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Hahaha..." The men laughed even louder.

"You think you can get into high school?"

The one-eyed, burly man looked at Qin Li and said, "Don't you know that high school spots are reserved in advance by wealthy and powerful families? You, an outsider, actually think you can get into high school?"

Qin Li said, "But I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince is in charge of this imperial examination, and the Xun Gui family has no say in it."

"The Crown Prince?" the one-eyed burly man laughed again. "What's the difference? They're all birds of a feather."

Zhou Biao and the others were enraged again and were about to step forward to teach them a lesson, but Qin Li stopped them again.

The one-eyed strongman was right; Qin Li and Xun Gui were birds of a feather.

However, he is only in cahoots with Xiao Yuanlu and his group of nobles; everyone else is an enemy.

"Have you laughed enough?"

Qin Li said with a cold face.

The one-eyed burly man stopped smiling, brandished his knife, and shouted, "Get out of my way! I've been very lenient with you; the fact that I haven't directly caused you trouble is thanks to the good deeds of your ancestors!"

"If you anger me, I'll drag out all the young ladies from your caravan one by one and distribute them to my brothers. They haven't had any meat in months."

"Yes, yes, give it to us!" The thugs, not wanting to miss out on trouble, cheered excitedly.

Qin Li picked at his ear with his little finger and said, "I was going to spare your lives, but now it seems there's no need for that."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhou Biao and his men swiftly attacked, killing the still-striking refugees one by one with lightning speed.

The head rolled off, startling the one-eyed strong man so much that he stood frozen in place, too afraid to move.

click!

After finally dealing with the one-eyed strongman, Zhou Biao and the others put away their knives.

Qin Li raised his hand and waved it in front of his nose to dispel the smell of blood before approaching the scholars.

However, for every step Qin Li took forward, these scholars took a step back.

The way they looked at Qin Li was no longer like seeing a savior, but like seeing the devil himself.

With just one sentence, he decided the life and death of these refugees. How could Qin Li be such a simple character?

Unaware of his own predicament, Qin Li smiled slightly and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm a good person!"