The male supporting character was actually myself.

The county magistrate's face twitched, his expression turning as black as the bottom of a pot. He slammed his gavel, grabbed four red-tipped scepters, and threw them down, roaring, "You audacious little thief! You accuse someone without any evidence and resort to sophistry! After being reprimanded, you dare to defy the court and insult this official! Guards, give him forty strokes of the cane to teach him a lesson!"

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Did they dig up your ancestral graves?

"Yes!" the bailiffs on both sides shouted in unison.

The two fastest-moving men stepped forward and struck Gu Xingzhou directly on the back of his knees with their batons. Caught off guard, Gu Xingzhou staggered and fell to the ground.

"Hit!" Amidst the angry roars, several scathing blows rained down on him!

Gu Xingzhou never expected things to end this way.

Having grown up in the Gu family and being used to being arrogant when he went out, he was still a highly regarded member of the new generation, even though he wasn't particularly favored. Moreover, he was once engaged to the illegitimate daughter of the county magistrate, and he had never genuinely respected this mediocre official who had bought his position.

How many times have the scions of powerful families pointed their fingers at him and cursed him?

This coward never dared to utter a word of rebuttal. He always had to smile and laugh it off, but now he actually dared to hit him!

"You corrupt official who looks down on people, you'll get your comeuppance!" Gu Xingzhou thought bitterly, feeling helpless and powerless.

While cursing and lying on the ground, he whispered to the ring on his index finger, asking his beautiful master for help.

Honglu rolled her eyes, thinking he really deserved it.

They agreed to reason things out and not cause trouble. It's one thing if you come to file a complaint and they don't accept it, since the magistrate's words weren't wrong. But even though you're at a disadvantage, you still insist on being argumentative.

Insulting a high-ranking official in public in court—if you dare to cause trouble, you should be prepared to take responsibility. Now you want to drag yourself down with you?

Ha, only a fool would play along with you!

"The righteous aura in the courtroom is too overwhelming; I can't offer much help." She shifted her posture dismissively, bored. "You should try circulating your cultivation technique to resist for a while."

Gu Xingzhou's mouth was oozing blood from the beating, and he clenched his fists, glaring angrily with resentment in his heart.

You cowardly official who bullies the weak and fears the strong, just you wait, one day I will wipe out your entire family and exterminate your nine generations!

Especially your illegitimate daughter, who dared to break off the engagement and make me lose face. Just wait and see, isn't she just trying to climb the social ladder? I'll make her utterly disgraced and regret her actions!

He silently circulated his internal energy to resist the killing blows that slammed into his body, while indulging in a silent rage to console himself.

The wild aura didn't allow him to successfully act wild and show off, but it still had some effect.

Amidst the dazzling halo, Gu Xingzhou, who had been gritting his teeth and enduring the beating, suddenly broke through his cultivation bottleneck. A powerful spiritual force surged forth, forming a vortex around him, and then, to the astonishment of the many constables, he successfully advanced to the second level!

"Damn it, this halo is so unreasonable!" The fluffy ball sulked, hugging its short paws.

Originally, the wild pseudo-master's attempt to show off by concealing the aura's burst had failed, causing his morale to waver slightly. Just as the light was dimming a little, the pseudo-master's aura took another turn, allowing him to advance in public and show off in a different way.

"Getting promoted even after getting beaten up? This kid's luck is incredible!"

"I've heard that some people need to find a special opportunity to advance in their cultivation. Could he be deliberately trying to cause trouble today?"

"Tch, he's only at eighteen and just reached level two? Don't forget how strong his dad was back then, and he still got crippled."

"He came here today to complain, saying that the Gu family's property was all compensated by his father after he was beaten into a cripple."

"Compensation? What a joke! For so many years, our Great Sui Dynasty has always been one where death is the only consequence in a ring fight. If there were huge compensations for truly crippling someone, wouldn't everyone be extorting money from others?"

"Sigh, he's been kicked out now. It's like taking a shot even if there's no chance. If he gets something out of it, he'll be lucky; if he doesn't, he won't lose anything, right?"

"Why pick a fight with the Gu family and go after the county magistrate? Pointing your finger at him and cursing him, aren't you just asking for a beating?"

"Just like his father! I heard he was crippled back then because he pointed at someone and insulted them, and then got punched and crippled..."

…………

The onlookers were not affected by the aura of intellectual impairment; they chatted and laughed quietly, showing no fear of the superhuman.

After all, Junxi Town is only so big, and it's not like we haven't seen extraordinary people who can cultivate.

It's not like every household has one; everyone has relatives or friends they know. How could they be so scared that they wouldn't dare to utter a word when they see a superhuman who has just advanced to level two?

The yamen runners under the county magistrate were all of the rank of No. 1 or above, yet they still obeyed the imperial court's orders and dared not act recklessly.

Gu Xingzhou has neither a powerful background nor much strength, yet he dares to point his finger at the county magistrate and curse him. Isn't he courting death?

The promotion to the second level obviously did not bring more envy. The focus of the onlookers was on the demand for huge compensation. A moment later, Gu Xingzhou, who had finished his punishment, was thrown out by four yamen runners with a stern rod.

"Pah! You corrupt official, you just wait!" He cursed under his breath, got up from the ground, wiped the blood from his lips, and looked resolutely in the direction of the Gu family. He grinned and said softly, "Finally, I've broken through. Thank you, Master, for your patient guidance and careful cultivation. Today, I will definitely seek justice!"

He also thanked his beautiful master, hoping to make a good impression on her and ease the tension between them.

Hong Luo was too lazy to use mind-reading anymore, and disappeared into the ring space in a flash.

"Master? Beautiful Master?" Receiving no response, Gu Xingzhou looked down and saw that the ring had become dull and lifeless, and his heart began to pound.

Ever since that stinky cat stirred things up last night, my master has been cold and distant, and now he doesn't even tell me what he's going to do!

He clenched his fists and hardened his heart. He had to find a way to restrict the beauty's freedom. Otherwise, she could come and go as she pleased without any control. What if she ran off with someone else?

"Little cat, you run pretty fast too." Hong Luo's figure flashed and floated on a big tree near the center of the town, using the lush leaves to conceal her figure. "I just investigated and found that the Gu family is indeed not very good, but they did not forcibly seize the compensation. In fact, they had already planned to give the spot to go to Kyoto to Gu Xingzhou, so he didn't need to fight for it at all."

Jiang Chen glanced at her and knew she hadn't gotten to the heart of the matter at all, so he slowly licked his paws and said, "They're all scheming against each other, and no one is innocent. It's just a dog-eat-dog situation, so let's not get involved and just stay here and watch the show."

Hong Luo: ? ? ?

The little demon cat seems to know something inside?

This little guy, who has absolutely no demonic aura, is mysterious and truly unfathomable.

"Clan Chief, Young Master Xingzhou..." Before long, a servant of the Gu family rushed into the hall, pointing outside and panting, "Young Master Xingzhou is back! He's holding some kind of paper at the gate, shouting that he and his mother are entitled to a share of the compensation their father brought back from the capital with a large amount of gold, silver, jewels, and spiritual herbs. There are a lot of people gathered at the gate right now, all waiting to see what's going on!"

Although Gu Xingzhou was not favored and had been "driven" out of the Gu family not long ago, and had also been rejected by the illegitimate daughter of the county magistrate, the young man exuded the aura of a strong person, and the servants dared not be presumptuous and could only respectfully address him as young master.

Otherwise, if the clan chief takes a liking to them and brings them back to the clan, wouldn't it be humiliating to their face and ruin their future?

"Oh? How did he know about that?" Gu Yong frowned, his displeasure evident.

I thought they had suffered enough while living away from home and had finally come back to apologize and beg for permission to move back in. Who would have thought that it was all for money!

Ha, my own son voluntarily contributed the family property, and you, who are disobedient, have no right to ask about it.

"Go and call the other young masters over." Gu Yong took a sip of tea and said coldly, "It would be bullying to have the elders do it. Let his cousins ​​have a go. Whoever can beat him until he kneels down and admits his mistake, and stops spouting nonsense, will get a reward."

"I'll tell him after I've beaten Gu Xingzhou to a pulp. I know who should inherit the Gu family's assets; it's not his place to interfere."

Upon seeing this, the servants hurriedly went out to convey the clan chief's order.

So, Jiang Chen and Hong Luo sat on the treetop and enjoyed a wonderful show.

Relying on the aura of a wild pseudo-master, Gu Xingzhou, who had just advanced to level two, fought against more than a dozen opponents and became increasingly brave. In fact, he gained a deeper understanding of the newly learned boxing techniques during the battle, and his strength increased greatly.

"Chieftain, he... he broke in!"

Before the servants could rush over in a panic to report, Gu Yong heard a violent explosion coming from the main gate.

Those lazy, fat pigs with weak breaths were all beaten black and blue, lying on the ground groaning in pain.

"I underestimated him." With a thought, he put down his teacup, got up, and walked out.

Compensation is out of the question, but as a promising talent capable of defeating his peers, offering some benefits to cultivate a relationship is acceptable. In six months, I'll take him to Kyoto; I can use this grandson to fulfill my own wishes, and even giving him extra elixirs wouldn't be a loss.

It's better than letting those pigs cause all the damage and ending up with nothing for yourself.

"Xingzhou, what are you doing?" Gu Yong walked out with his hands behind his back.

Upon hearing that their sons had been beaten, the others rushed over, glaring at Gu Xingzhou with ill intent, wishing they could tear him to pieces.

He glanced down at the ring, which was still dim; clearly, his beautiful master had no intention of helping him and was hiding away.

"Grandpa, uncles and elders." Gu Xingzhou knew that with his current strength, it wasn't wise to resort to force on this trip. Otherwise, if that powerful aura, which even his beautiful master feared, were to strike, he would surely die!

He didn't believe that in this family where everyone was constantly fighting for interests, anyone would show him mercy out of consideration for blood ties.

One shouldn't hit a smiling face, and seeing that he was quite polite, the others, as elders, naturally couldn't lose face in front of so many onlookers, so they all nodded in acknowledgment.

“I went home today to ask my grandfather some questions, but before I even got inside, my cousins ​​stopped me under some pretext.”

Gu Xingzhou lifted his long robe, exuding the aura of a master under the halo. He raised his chin, feigning apology but unable to hide his smugness. "I was in a hurry and couldn't stop, injuring my cousins. I hope you uncles and elders won't blame me. How can peers avoid getting injured when sparring?"

After he said that, several people lost face.

Previously, Gu Xingzhou's cultivation was not considered top-notch in the family. When his brothers ganged up on him, the elders would use these kinds of excuses, saying things like, "In sparring, you're bound to get hurt," or "If you fall behind, you'll get beaten up. Beating you up is to help you improve," and so on.

Now that he had returned the words to Gu Xingzhou, he felt extremely pleased.

"You're still showing off?" The fluffy little dumpling bounced out after looting and saw him smug. She rubbed her ear and said gloatingly, "Hurry up, or it'll be too late!"

Gu Xingchen was overjoyed. He took out the newspaper in his hand, shook it, and said loudly, "Grandpa, it's all recorded clearly here. Eighteen years ago, my father was seriously injured, and the Gu clan specially compensated him with a huge amount of wealth and a large number of spiritual medicines."

The compensation was intended to ensure that my father would still be able to take care of his wife and children and raise his offspring even after he became disabled. Therefore, my mother and I should have a share of the gold and silver jewelry. My mother has worked hard and taken meticulous care of my father for so many years, so she should also receive a share of the compensation for her hard work.

As for the elixir, since it was meant for my father to raise offspring, it was left for me.

Now that my father is seriously ill and unable to move, and I am now an adult capable of managing a large sum of money and urgently need elixirs for cultivation, I implore Grandfather to return in full the property that the family has been holding in trust.

He thought he had put it well, especially with the growing crowd of onlookers outside the door. Gu Xingzhou believed he had put the head of the family on a certain level of authority, and he was very considerate of his feelings by not saying "encroaching" but "keeping it safe on his behalf"!

Before, you had excuses for not giving it to me, saying that my father was disabled, my mother was just an ordinary person, and I was still young. Now I have laid out my reasons: my father is seriously ill and needs money and medicine to prolong his life; I am an adult and have the right to manage the finances. Let's see what excuse you have for not handing it over.

"Hehehe..." Gu Yong was not angry at all when he heard him say that. He stroked his beard, shook his head and laughed: "Xingzhou, you've been fooled."

These kinds of rumors are naturally written in a way that attracts attention. You need to think carefully: in our Great Sui Dynasty, there has never been a concept of compensation for losing a contest.

Grandpa did bring back a lot of gold, silver, jewels, and elixirs from Kyoto back then, but none of them had anything to do with you.

If you don't believe me, go ask your father; he's the one involved and knows best. If he insists on some form of compensation, let him come to me and explain things clearly. I will naturally give him an explanation.

Someone is trying to sow discord and alienate the relationship between us, grandfather and grandson! You are still young and inexperienced, so it's possible that you might be deceived at first. As long as the family explains things clearly and there is no misunderstanding, that's fine.

Grandpa thought your boxing technique just now was very sharp and powerful; you did a good job!

In six months, it will be time to go to Kyoto to participate in the clan martial arts tournament..."

He looked back at his sons, each with a different expression, and his grandsons, who were as fat as pigs and had been beaten black and blue, and chuckled, "I've seen it too. Indeed, no one among your generation can rival you."

I've decided that this year's spots for the competition in Kyoto belong to Seongju! Anyone who disagrees, feel free to come and comment.

The others had no intention of making a fool of themselves or dying; they were just waiting for the idiot to take the bait. Seeing this, they naturally nodded their heads like chickens pecking at rice.

"Come on, Grandpa will personally take you to the family treasury to get a few bottles of medicinal herbs you might need." Gu Yong stroked his beard, smiled, and gently took his hand, his attitude incredibly kind. "You've really got the spirit of your father back then. Not bad, not bad at all, Grandpa won't mistreat you! This desolate mountain is so cold, why don't we move back here? Grandpa guarantees that all the family's resources will be given to you first..."

Listening to the old man's rambling, Gu Xingzhou was momentarily bewildered.

Why is it not quite what I imagined?

Those guys who used to be so protective of their sons didn't even cause trouble when they saw their sons getting beaten up.