Section 7, The Bully of Luyi

Wang Tianyi increasingly felt that the situation was becoming dire, and he no longer had the mood to continue wandering the streets. Holding a book, he walked towards the inn, his mind filled with countless doubts. It seemed that the Xu family was not easy to deal with. Although he had already left the influence of the Qingcheng Sect, he was not very far from Qingcheng, and it was unlikely that the other party would disregard the Qingcheng Sect's reputation.

After finishing his meal, Wang Tianyi strolled to the place mentioned by the shop assistant. Indeed, there was a row of small stalls along the roadside against the wall, selling calligraphy and paintings, fabrics, small ornaments, as well as cosmetics and fortune-telling services.

Recalling the attitude of the owner of the Four Seas Inn towards the person with the surname Xu, Wang Tianyi, no matter how foolish he was, understood that the situation was dire: the owner had deceived them, and the background of the person with the surname Xu was not simple. His Four Seas Inn was essentially a temple, and the three of them were like monks. He was worried that if the three of them ran away, it would be difficult to explain if someone came looking for them, so he deliberately kept the three of them there. Changing the room into a triple was meant to isolate them from the other guests, preventing them from learning about the Xu family's affairs.

"You mentioned the Xu family?" The fortune teller was greatly startled, abruptly retreating and pressing his back against the wall

"Hero of Qingcheng, please wait." A voice came from behind.

"Young man, please sit down, sit down, sit down," the fortune teller said, his mouth stretching from ear to ear as he hurriedly stood up from behind the divination stall and pointed to a bench in front of him.

Moreover, Luyi is located at the junction of two provinces, making it a necessary passage for traveling merchants. From time to time, bandits and mountain thieves appear, and it is said that the Xu family colluded with the bandits at the provincial border to rob passing merchants

The Xu family, relying on their strength, bullies the weak, and has gathered a large group of thugs to act as their accomplices. Half of the arable land within a radius of fifty miles in Luyi has been forcibly occupied by the Xu father and son. All shops in Luyi are required to pay a substantial protection fee to the Xu family every month. Furthermore, the people of Luyi must pay money for weddings and funerals, and if a family has a beautiful daughter, she may even be victimized by the Xu father and son.

Sir, I would like to ask you to explain what is happening with Xu from Lu Yi. There will certainly be a generous reward.

Oh, alright, please write. The fortune teller took out a stack of straw paper, held the tip of the brush in his mouth to moisten the ink.

What? Wang Tianyi blurted out, not expecting this person to say: "Why leave?"

Wang Tianyi, upon hearing this, could not help but grit his teeth. As a member of the martial world, his teacher often emphasized the importance of punishing evil and promoting good. However, he had heard about the Iron Whip Leg Technique from his teacher; it was a very famous leg technique with great power. Stepping out of the alley, he was torn between two conflicting thoughts: whether to wait for the Xu family to retaliate or to walk away and avoid further trouble. After all, the Xu family was a local power, and considering their martial skills, the three of them were merely from the Wu group of the Qingcheng Sect, unsure if they could prevail.

What do you mean, young man

Thinking of this, Wang Tianyi's heart began to race. As a young man traveling far from home for the first time, he felt a sense of unease in a city where he was unfamiliar with his surroundings

The fortune teller spoke quickly and urgently, but Wang Tianyi had already understood: the Xu family originated from Shanxi and had been living in Luyi for three generations, becoming a dominant force in the area. In Luyi, they bullied men and oppressed women, engaging in both open and covert acts of robbery. The patriarch of the Xu family, Xu Junzhi, was now nearly fifty years old and was originally a disciple of the Shanxi Iron Whip Leg technique. Countless martial artists and innocent civilians had perished under his leg. He had only one son, named Xu Wenlin, who was thirty years old. Not only had he learned all of his father's skills, but it was also said that ten years ago, a passing martial arts master took him as a nominal disciple and taught him sword techniques for a month. Xu Wenlin's martial arts were reportedly even better, as he had once publicly killed four sword-wielding men who were unjustly attacking others. He was not only more powerful than his father but also more tyrannical.

What? The old man's eyes became somewhat alarmed. He glanced at Wang Tianyi and said coldly, "I don't know! I don't know! I know nothing! Don't ask me!"

There are few people here. Give it a try. Wang Tianyi turned and slipped into the alley.

"Nothing will happen," he reassured himself. A glance revealed a white cloth banner stuck in the ground at the alley entrance, with two rows of large characters written on it: "Iron-Mouthed Divine Judgment - Writing Letters for Others." Since it was a small alley, there was no cold wind from the main road. A fortune teller had placed the sign by the main road to attract customers, while he had set up his fortune-telling booth in the alley to avoid the wind.

"Are you interested in fortune-telling or palmistry, young man?" Before Wang Tianyi could respond, the fortune teller continued on his own: "Looking at your facial features, you are destined for great wealth and nobility. However, at this moment, I see dark energy swirling above your head..." Below, the fortune teller was about to display a look of shaking his head and sighing. "Sir, I would like to analyze the characters," Wang Tianyi smiled and interrupted him, observing his expression.

The fortune teller raised his head in surprise and saw Wang Tianyi with one hand resting on the divination table while the other hand reached underneath the table.

"There is a play." Wang Tianyi nodded to himself. The two of them sat down in front of the fortune-telling booth.

Wang Tianyi took the pen and wrote the character "Xu." "Well, this character, Xu, hmm..." The fortune teller took the paper, glanced at it, and was just calculating how to interpret this character as extremely ominous when suddenly something happened beneath the divination table. He felt a touch on his leg, looked down, and saw a hand holding a silver ingot pointing at his thigh

To his surprise, someone actually recognized him. Wang Tianyi was momentarily taken aback, unsure whether to smile in a manner that conveyed the carefree demeanor of a hero, or to turn away with a disdainful snort that signified the arrogance of a master.

This fortune teller, with a face full of dust, had food crumbs clinging to the beard at the corner of his mouth, and his tattered robe was patched with several colorful pieces.

In summary, the Xu family is the dominant force in Luyi, and the locals tremble at the mere mention of the name Xu. The accountant who was beaten is a distant relative of the Xu family; although he lacks martial skills, he is adept at amassing wealth and is a trusted confidant and henchman of the Xu father and son, enjoying their full confidence.

After much contemplation, Wang Tianyi let out a long sigh and decided to check out of the inn and leave.

How can a hero who has lost his life uphold justice and support the weak

"Listening to the young man's accent, he is not a local; rather, he has a bit of a Qingzhou accent." Fortune-telling emphasizes the art of reading minds, claiming to read thoughts. From the very beginning, one must observe the other person's attire, mannerisms, accent, and expressions to adapt accordingly. "Seeing that he has a sword at his waist, he must be someone who has tasted blood on the blade. He is not very old and is still an outsider. Such a person is easiest to deceive; I must engage him well and manage to get a few strings of copper coins." The fortune teller secretly resolved.

Wang Tianyi turned his head to look at the many pedestrians around him, then stepped into the book stall and leaned closer to the old man, asking: "May I inquire about the situation of the Xu family in this area?"

The old man, seeing Wang Tianyi still standing beside his stall, unexpectedly coughed and spat several times towards him. Wang Tianyi quickly stepped back a few paces to avoid it. The old man forced Wang Tianyi away and then squatted down, turning his back on him.

The fortune teller gritted his teeth as if he had made a decision, snatching a handful of silver from Wang Tianyi and stuffing it into his bosom. Then, he grasped Wang Tianyi's left hand, which was resting on the divination table, and turned to the mouth of the alley, loudly proclaiming: "Your palmistry is quite good, young man; let me explain it to you properly." Wang Tianyi understood that he was afraid someone outside might be eavesdropping. After the fortune teller shouted this, he turned back and, in a very low voice, recounted to Wang Tianyi what had happened with the Xu family.

At this moment, the other person's friend had already tugged at his sleeve. The man looked around warily, his face displaying a look of regret for having spoken too much. He no longer paid attention to Wang Tianyi and hurriedly left, leaving only his retreating figure and the whispers carried by the wind, such as "... ... the sky is high and the earth is vast ... ... a naive youth ... ..." for the stunned Wang Tianyi.

There is no one here. If you tell me, this ingot of silver is yours

Oh, what other books do you want? The old man thought Wang Tianyi still wanted to continue buying.

But the person had no intention of flattering him, and he said in surprise: "You are impressive, having beaten Lord Xu and still not leaving quickly? You even dare to stroll around?"

The fortune teller looked at Wang Tianyi in terror, then glanced a few times towards the entrance of the alley. It was now afternoon, and the sun could not penetrate this narrow lane, making the outside road appear particularly bright. There was no one passing by on the road. He lowered his head again to look at the silver ingot, swallowed hard, and the pallor of his frozen face flushed with color due to his agitated emotions

"In the future, I will have the opportunity to stand up for the people of Luyi..." he muttered weakly to himself, of course, he did not truly believe his own words

He selected a set of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from the book stall. This set of books was written during the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Wang Tianyi had read it before, noting that "the strategies are well written." Wang Tianyi gently touched the thick covers of the four volumes of thread-bound books, lost in the fragrance of the books.

At that moment, another customer browsing books glanced at him and asked, "Isn't this the young man who was showing off at the Sihai Inn yesterday?"

This elderly gentleman has something he would like to ask you" Wang Tianyi said, raising his fist in salute to the white-haired old man selling books.

I am an outsider, just passing through Luyi today, and I will leave tomorrow. I swear by the heavens that I will not tell anyone else

It is important to uphold justice and righteousness, but one's life is even more important

Greetings, Master. I would like to have my fortune told. The fortune teller, having had no business all day, was overjoyed to see a slender young man dressed neatly and wearing a long sword at his waist enter the room