Hurts?

His fellow student mocked him, saying, “Now you know it hurts? Where was all that violent temper from before? I’m telling you, you could have provoked anyone, but you just had to provoke a woman. See? Now you’re suffering for it.”

“How was I supposed to know that woman knew martial arts? When she can’t win with words, she resorts to violence—truly despicable, truly petty.” Lin Shu fumed angrily, a ball of fire burning in his heart!

“Alright, calm down. ‘Only women and petty men are difficult to raise’—you know that saying. And you getting beaten is one thing, but look at us—every single one of us has been made to look like this.”

“It wasn’t me who did it!”

His friend looked helpless, rolled his eyes, and deliberately pressed hard on his wound with his hand.

He gritted his teeth in pain!

But still endured it.

He asked again, “By the way, what’s that crazy girl doing now?”

“What can she be doing? The teacher punished her by making her clean up the study hall, then kneel all night in the Confucian hall.”

Lin Shu exclaimed, “That’s it?”

“What else? I think the teacher is very considerate of that Young Master Jing. I don’t know who that person really is—even the teacher has to yield to him three parts.”

Lin Shu had hoped the master would help him vent his anger, but who knew—

He was almost angry enough to vomit blood.

Unwilling to let it go, he said, “This matter cannot end like this.”

His fellow student asked, “What are you planning to do now? Haven’t you caused enough trouble already?”

“I’ve grown this big and never been bullied like this before. This grudge must be repaid.”

“What do you want to do?”

He smiled wickedly. “Doesn’t someone in our academy keep snakes?”

At this mention, that person got goosebumps all over, his body shrinking as he asked, “What exactly are you planning to do?”

“Give them a lesson.”

“Don’t cause more trouble.”

But he smiled cunningly, secretly clenching his fists.

At this moment, a big fat person with a chubby face came over carrying a wooden basin. His large, fleshy body jiggled up and down as he walked.

Knowing he was also preparing to bathe, several people blocked him.

“Fat Lu, you’d better not get in. There’s not enough room for so many people inside.”

The fat man surnamed Lu glanced at the hot spring pool and pointed, saying, “Isn’t this place quite large?”

“Large it may be, but once you get in, it won’t be.”

“Then what am I supposed to do? Not bathe? I’m covered in ink all over.”

Those people laughed. “Isn’t there a well on the back mountain? Go draw water there and wash yourself.”

Others chimed in, “Yeah, don’t squeeze in with us.”

“Hurry and go wash over there. It’s one thing on normal days when there aren’t many people here, but look—everyone’s bathing today. Don’t try to squeeze in.”

The fat man protested urgently, “That well on the back mountain hasn’t been used in a year. Who knows if the water’s clean? Can’t I just wait until you’re all done?”

One person stood before him with crossed arms, speaking arrogantly, “I say, Fat Lu, what are you worried about? Look at all that ink on you—is it really cleaner than the well water? Just hurry over there. I’m telling you, the back mountain has always been rumored to be haunted. If you don’t go now, once it’s past midnight and the ghosts come out…”

With an eerie tone!

Everyone began to scare him.

Actually, people in the academy had never liked this Fat Lu, nor did they like his corpulent body. Normally, no one wanted to be around him, and bathing times were always staggered.

Fat Lu being despised wasn’t a one or two-day affair. He felt wronged in his heart, bitter that he had no backing, his studies were poor, and his mind was dull!

So—

He had no choice but to take his wooden basin and go to that well on the back mountain to bathe.

Behind him came waves of mocking laughter!

And at this moment, Lin Shu quietly left with two people who sided with him.

…

In the study hall.

Tang Si wasn’t really cleaning at all—clearly she was venting her anger on those broken tables and chairs.

While kicking, she complained, “I wasn’t even wrong. It was clearly that Lin fellow who spoke disrespectfully first. I went too easy on him with those lashes. Next time, I won’t just whip him twice—I’ll seal his mouth shut to feel satisfied.”

Such hatred!

In the study hall, besides her complaining voice, there was also the crackling sound of tables and chairs.

Who knows how many more tables she had broken.

Muruo had never left. Holding a pot of wine, he sat at the doorway, his body leaning slantwise against the wooden door behind him, watching her like a supervisor.

In the short time it took for an incense stick to burn, he had listened to Tang Si mutter for the entire duration.

His ears were about to grow calluses!

Tang Si, seeing him sitting there motionless, jabbed the broom in her hand hard at the ground. “Haven’t you ever seen someone clean? Is it fun sitting there? If you don’t know how to come help, you’re truly a cold and heartless creature.”

Cold and heartless?

He smiled. “I really haven’t seen people clean before, especially—cleaning like you do.”

“What’s wrong with how I clean?”

He didn’t answer!

“Speak! What’s wrong with how I clean?”

Muruo still didn’t answer. He poured a mouthful of wine into his mouth and smiled.

This rather angered Tang Si. She put her hands on her hips. “What are you smiling at?”

Muruo shrugged. “I’m not smiling.”

“You were clearly just smiling.”

“So what?”

“You…”

“Are people not allowed to smile now?”

Tang Si was so angry she gritted her teeth. She jabbed the broom hard into the ground, her palm clenched into a fist. “You clearly just came to watch me make a fool of myself. Hurry up and leave. Stop being in the way here, before this broom in my hand gets careless and sweeps toward you.”

A threat!

Yet Muruo wasn’t the least bit intimidated!

He even swaggered over and sat down on a desk that had just been wiped clean, propping his hands on his thighs, looking at the angry woman before him with a half-smile.

Pointing around, “Miss Tang, this isn’t cleaning at all—you’re clearly smashing things. Things that weren’t broken have all been broken by you. If you keep going like this, you’ll overturn this entire place.”

“Mind your own business!” She lifted her foot and kicked hard at a table.

A loud crash!

Muruo’s eyes shifted, with a hint of deeper meaning. In a conditional tone he said, “Miss Tang, how about this—if you ask me nicely, I’ll have people come in to help you. What do you say?”

Ask you?

Bah!

“This lady would die before asking you!” she said stubbornly.

Muruo spread his hands. “In that case, there’s no other way. If you haven’t cleaned this place up by dawn, Jingrong will definitely take your hand. When you have no hand to eat with, don’t blame me for not giving you a chance.”

He crossed his legs, sitting properly.

Tang Si wasn’t a fool. Looking at the devastation throughout the study hall, she knew she couldn’t clean it all in one night.

So-called—

A great person knows when to advance and when to retreat!

Can bend and can stretch!

Moreover, she was just a little woman. At worst, she’d compromise once. When dawn broke, she’d be a hero again.