Chapter 56 Dilemma
"Mr. Qin is taking care of our Xiao family's business. Why is it inconvenient for me? But you and I are acquaintances. The five hundred taels of silver is the external price. Since you have come to me, you don't need such an expensive price. Tomorrow I will have someone deliver three pieces of Tianji Bone Repairing Plaster here, and you can just give me one thousand taels then." Xiao Qing said.
"Then thank you, Miss Xiao Qing. I'll give you the money now." Qin Ziling was surprised to see Xiao Qing deliberately wiped out five hundred taels of silver for him, but he did not refuse. Instead, he bowed and directly took out a silver note of one thousand taels and handed it to Xiao Qing.
"Okay, come here tomorrow to get it." Xiao Qing took the banknote and said straightforwardly.
"Thank you, Miss Xiao Qing. I'll take my leave now. You're busy." Qin Ziling said as he stood up, and then he bowed to Xia Yan on purpose.
Watching Qin Ziling leave, Xia Yan hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but said, "Miss, Qin Feng doesn't even dare to go into the inner city to buy ointment. Is there any problem?"
"You're overthinking it. A man whose cultivation has obviously reached at least the peak level of Iron Skin, and who is very likely cultivating leg skills, or even the realm of strength, is willing to earn five or six taels of silver each time through hunting, and is now willing to spend fifteen hundred taels of silver to buy Tianji Bone Repairing Paste for a friend who is very likely only at the realm of muscle training. What's the problem? Everyone has their own secrets. As long as I know that he is not a bad person and is a man who values friendship, why not help him!" Xiao Qing replied. As he spoke, he looked at the brocade fish swimming in the pond, revealing an extremely complicated emotion.
Once, she was unwilling to escape alone just because of "love and righteousness". As a result, she had no choice but to lose her strength. Many people laughed at her and said she was "soft-hearted". She ruined her bright future. Even her family members were disappointed in her and accused her of being "soft-hearted".
After hearing it so many times, sometimes even Xiao Qing herself began to doubt herself. Did she do something wrong?
If the strength of both sides was much different at that time and there was no chance of winning at all, she would resolutely choose to escape and plan to avenge her grandfather, those guards and clan members in the future. But her grandfather had already injured the people of the Netherworld Sect and reinforcements were on the way. As long as she stayed, there would be a great hope of saving some guards and clan members. Besides, there was her grandfather's body. Could she be a deserter?
Put yourself in their shoes. What if she were the guards and tribesmen? They had a chance to turn the tide, but because their leader fled, they were annihilated. Would they be willing to die?
If this is the case, if a similar incident happens again in the future, how many guards and clansmen will swear to defend the Xiao family to the death?
Or if she succeeds and does not lose her strength, who will accuse her of being "feminine"? They will only praise her as a heroine with feelings and righteousness, and her popularity will surely rise to the top.
But reality is always cruel.
She succeeded, but at the same time she damaged her foundation and lost her strength, so she became a little woman who only had "womanly kindness" and could not accomplish anything great.
Today she seemed to vaguely see her own shadow in Qin Ziling.
A master was willing to condescend to hunt to make money, and he even spent 1,500 taels of silver for a friend who was training his muscles!
"It's just that Miss has already sold him a lot of wild animals and medicinal herbs at the original price. Now she has wiped out another five hundred taels of silver all at once. Isn't this a bit too..." Xia Yan said.
"To me, this little more money is not much, but it is different for him, as he can go into the mountains to hunt dozens of times. In this case, why not do him a favor? Selling favors depends on the person. If it were someone else, no matter how high his cultivation was, I would not do this favor, because he is likely to be an ungrateful person, who will eat your food and take your things, and bite you back in the end. But Qin Feng will not do that. Even though he didn't say anything to express his gratitude, and he didn't show any gratitude before, he must remember this favor in his heart."
"Alas, I don't really expect anything in return from him. With his level of cultivation and status, he can't help me with my problems even if he wants to." When Xiao Qing said the latter part, he didn't know what he was thinking of, and his face was full of sorrow.
"Miss, is the family forcing you again?" Xia Yan couldn't help but look worried when she saw this.
"Haha, in a big family, personal interests can always be sacrificed. Ever since I lost my strength, I'm just a woman who can be exchanged for interests in their eyes! Fortunately, I have prepared for the future and controlled many industries over the years, which can generate a lot of profits every year, so I still have some negotiating qualifications. But I don't know how long this matter can be delayed." Xiao Qing said with a hint of sarcasm on his face.
"Hmph, if that doesn't work, then we will gather some people and leave Fangqiao County directly. Miss, your heroic deeds back then were incomprehensible to others, but all of us who are your followers and servants admire you in our hearts, especially the people you saved back then. As long as you say a word, we will definitely be willing to protect you and leave." Xia Yan said.
"Don't be silly. How much ability do you have? Besides, many of you still have wives, children and elderly people! Forget it, let's not talk about these things. The situation is not that bad yet." Xiao Qing waved his hand, then took some fish food and scattered it in the pond, quietly watching the big and small koi fish swarm in to grab the food.
…
"It's normal for young people to be arrogant because of their talents. I know about this." In the backyard of Han Tie Dean's house, Zuo Le said calmly after listening to Zheng Xinghan's report.
“But Master Zuo, I think Junior Brother Nangong Yue’s character is…” Zheng Xinghan saw that Master Zuo didn’t seem to take him seriously at all, hesitated for a moment, then mustered up the courage to speak again.
"Character?" Zuo Le raised his hand and interrupted Zheng Xinghan. A hint of sarcasm appeared on the corner of his mouth. He said, "At fifty, one knows one's destiny. Master is already fifty-five years old this year. I dare not say that I have seen countless people in my life, but I have definitely seen more people and experienced more things than you. What kind of character is Nangong Yue, can't I see it?"
"But so what? Times have changed. When the Great Qi Kingdom was founded, the selection of talents was based on 'virtue' first, and then knowledge and ability. But now it is a chaotic world. Only with strength and troops can you have power and status, and protect yourself. How many people still care about virtue?"
"My Hantie Dean is actually struggling to survive right now, and the situation is getting worse and worse. Why? Have you ever thought about it? It's because I'm the only force master holding up the Hantie Dean's academy! If another force master appears in our Hantie Dean's academy, the situation will be completely different, and we will have greater self-protection capabilities and say in Fangqiao City."
"You have seen these days that various forces are trying to win over Nangong Yue. Even someone as arrogant as Lu Taiqiang is willing to put down his airs and deliberately curry favor with Nangong Yue. Do they value Nangong Yue's character? No, they are all staring at his martial arts talent, and they all want to have a powerful martial artist in their camp in the future. At this time, if I change my attitude towards Nangong Yue because of what you said and give up cultivating him, he will be able to leave Hantie Dean and become someone else's disciple. Then, our Hantie Dean will lose the hope of having another powerful martial artist in recent years. If I rely on myself alone, I may be swallowed up by others one day."
“But as long as I don’t change my attitude towards Nangong Yue and continue to cultivate him, even if he becomes a Jinli martial artist, he will still be my disciple and will have to protect Dean Han Tie. He won’t dare to do anything that is so treasonous as to betray his master and ancestors. Few people can bear this heavy responsibility!”
"Xinghan, you are a steady and honest person, and your master is very confident in you. But some things, especially in this chaotic world, cannot be done based on feelings or preferences alone, but must be based on the overall situation. To be honest, Ziling's recent behavior is beyond my expectations. I admire him and like him from the bottom of my heart. But unfortunately, his bones and talents are not good, his potential has been exhausted, and his fate is already determined. Even if he is a master, what can he change?"
“But you don’t have to worry. As long as your master is here, I will never allow my fellow disciples to kill each other!” After saying that, Zuo Le patted Zheng Xinghan on the shoulder with a serious look on his face.
"Master Zuo, I understand!" Zheng Xinghan nodded in reply. He felt very heavy-hearted, as if something was blocking him and he couldn't vent.
Why can someone like Nangong Yue be so arrogant and still be given the opportunity to be cultivated?
Why should someone like Qin Ziling be humiliated and not get any fair treatment?
But Zheng Xinghan knew that what Zuo Le said was right. This is the way the world is now, strength is everything!
"I'm glad you understand. By the way, Zi Ling can be completely trusted, and his practical ability is also good. Recently, things outside the city are not peaceful. In two or three months, the Qinghan Snow Lotus Grass will be ripe. You can take him and Mu Xuan to pick it." Zuo Le patted Zheng Xinghan's shoulder again and said.
"Yes, Master Zuo." Zheng Xinghan's eyes lit up when he heard that, and he was shocked and replied quickly.
"You, you still can't change your emotional habit!" Zuo Le pointed at Zheng Xinghan and shook his head.
"Hehe." Zheng Xinghan scratched his head.
"Go!" Zuo Le waved his hand.
