The Sage of Confucianism and Taoism

After Fang Yun got the news, he did nothing different from the previous few days. He just used his free time to keep inquiring about Xiang Wenxuan's deeds.

The Xiang family in Ji County was not considered to have done many evil things. They treated the long-term workers and servants well. It was just that Xiang Wenxuan liked to flirt with women and left a lot of bad reputation.

At the banquet a few days ago, someone mentioned Yang Yuhuan's beauty and the name of Jiangzhou Xishi. Xiang Wenxuan boasted that he would get Yang Yuhuan. Later, he went to the river to harass Yang Yuhuan, but was beaten away by Yang Yuhuan and the women nearby with washing sticks.

The Xiang family was a prominent family. After hearing about this, Xiang's father wanted to punish Xiang Wenxuan, but was stopped by the old lady Xiang. Xiang Wenxuan felt embarrassed, so he sent someone to stir up trouble and beat Fang Yun.

Fang Yun found out that Xiang Wenxuan wanted to stop afterwards, but was laughed at by his friends, so he swore that if he couldn't take Yang Yuhuan as a concubine, he would write his surname backwards.

Fang Yun compared the power of the Xiang family with his own power in his heart, and suddenly found that since he could never become a scholar, he could never fight against the Xiang family. A prominent family could easily suppress all his power.

Fang Yun became more and more sad. He was a powerless man with only one way to go, but once he ran away with Yang Yuhuan, Xiang Wenxuan would most likely frame him with a crime and lay a net. Once he was caught, Xiang Wenxuan would threaten him, and Yang Yuhuan would inevitably become Xiang Wenxuan's plaything.

It was not until this time that Fang Yun realized that the world was so cruel that he didn't even have room to struggle.

That night, after finishing the work, Fang Yun left the Jixiang Restaurant and walked silently.

At this moment, Fang Yun was struggling in his heart. Should he go or stay?

Yang Yuhuan was his child bride, his sister, and his woman. How could he give up!

But if he didn't give up, what could he fight with?

Fang Yun walked to a secluded place with no one around. Suddenly, there was a messy sound of footsteps. Before Fang Yun could escape, more than a dozen people holding sticks surrounded him.

A young man with a jade face and brocade clothes approached, shaking a fan, and deliberately showing the edge of the boy's clothes under the brocade clothes.

The man smiled slightly and said, "You are Fang Yun, right?"

Fang Yun said coldly, "You are Xiang Wenxuan?"

"Oh? You are smarter than the rumors say, but why can't you become a boy?" Xiang Wenxuan said.

The thugs laughed loudly.

Fang Yun tried to take a deep breath and said slowly, "Brother Xiang, I..."

Before Fang Yun could finish his words, Xiang Wenxuan grabbed a stick and hit him. Fang Yun was about to fight back, but the people around him immediately held him down.

With a "bang", Xiang Wenxuan's stick landed firmly on Fang Yun's forehead, making Fang Yun's eyes black.

"Are you worthy of calling me Brother Xiang?" Xiang Wenxuan pointed at Fang Yun with a stick.

Fang Yun endured the severe pain in his head and said slowly: "Master Xiang, please let Yuhuan go. She depends on me for life and is already my relative."

"So what? Even if I don't agree to you, what can you do? I know you are snooping about me, what can you do? Ah!" Xiang Wenxuan hit Fang Yun's forehead with a stick.

Fang Yun clenched his fists tightly, gritted his teeth, stared at Xiang Wenxuan without blinking, and said slowly: "I haven't read much, but I also know that when a man gets angry, blood will splash five steps!"

"Hahaha..." Xiang Wenxuan suddenly stabbed Fang Yun in the chest with a stick, and Fang Yun gasped in pain.

"Just you? You want to get angry? Let him go, I'll stand here, you get angry for me to see! Come on!"

Fang Yun's face flushed, he took a half step forward, and then stopped where he was.

"Hahaha... a common man? You are not even as good as a common man! What can you do? Show me your anger!" Xiang Wenxuan waved the stick and hit Fang Yun's left shoulder with a snap.

Fang Yun held the stick hard, his body swayed, he lowered his head, slowly loosened his clenched hands, and said: "Master Xiang, you are magnanimous, let me and Yuhuan go, I will set up a longevity tablet for you."

"Haha... you are angry! I came here today to persuade you of one thing, no, to order you! Persuade Yang Yuhuan to marry me, I will not treat her badly and let her be my concubine. As for you, you will be my brother-in-law in the future! Aren't you a waiter in the restaurant? I can let you be the shopkeeper of our Xiangjia Restaurant! That's all I have to say. Next time we meet, I will not treat you as my brother-in-law! Let's go!"

Xiang Wenxuan led his men away.

Fang Yun took a deep breath, endured the pain on his body, tidied his clothes a little, and went home silently.

Yang Yuhuan greeted Fang Yun at the door with a smile as usual. She noticed that Fang Yun looked strange and hurried over to him.

"Xiao Yun, what's wrong with you?" Yang Yuhuan looked at Fang Yun nervously.

Fang Yun smiled and said, "I fell down when I was walking down the restaurant. It's okay."

"I'll help you in." Yang Yuhuan said as she helped Fang Yun in.

There was only one oil lamp in the room, which made the room dim and dim.

After Fang Yun sat down, Yang Yuhuan was about to go out to find a doctor, but Fang Yun said, "It's just a minor injury. It's not worth spending money. It will heal in a few days."

Yang Yuhuan was about to persuade him, but she found that Fang Yun looked firm and could only nod slightly.

"Well, I'll listen to you."

Fang Yun looked at Yang Yuhuan's face and said, "Sister Yuhuan, you have suffered with me."

"What's the suffering? If it weren't for my parents-in-law, I would have starved to death. It's not suffering." Yang Yuhuan looked at Fang Yun with a smile.

Fang Yun said softly, "I can't bear to see you suffer."

"It's really not bitter. I feel happy to be able to live a good life with Xiao Yun." Yang Yuhuan's eyes became more gentle.

Fang Yun forced a smile and said, "I know many people have proposed to you, but you didn't tell me because you were afraid that I would be sad. That student named Cai He is not bad. I have met him many times. He is polite even when he is drunk, and treats us well. Moreover, his family is rich, and his wife is empty. If you go, he will definitely let you be his wife."

Yang Yuhuan's face sank, and she said, "Who did you hear those gossips from? Don't mention these things in the future! When you recover from your injury, I... I will consummate the marriage with you!"

Yang Yuhuan's face was flushed, and she glared at Fang Yun and quickly returned to her room.

Fang Yun looked at Yang Yuhuan's back and smiled slightly. He smiled for a long time, and returned to the room with an oil lamp, wrote a letter, and put it away after drying.

The next day, Fang Yun got up and washed at dawn.

The door of the room creaked, and Yang Yuhuan, dressed in moon-white clothes, came out. She squinted and asked, "Why did you get up so early?"

"My uncle asked me to help him kill a pig yesterday. I'm going to help him. After dinner, I'll go to the restaurant. You go to sleep first."

"Well, be careful." Yang Yuhuan said softly.

Fang Yun smiled and walked out.

When he arrived at his uncle's house, Fang Yun looked up and saw a black door and high walls, which was much larger than his own yard. There were pigs screaming inside.

Fang Yun pushed the door open and said, "Uncle, I'm free today, so I'll help you kill a pig, but you have to pay for the meal!"

"Stinky boy, come and help!"

Fang Yun was busy inside and outside. After killing the pig, he helped his uncle wash the knife, and then they had dinner together.

After breakfast, his uncle left with the pork, and Fang Yun said he would help sharpen the butcher knife, and the others did their own things.

After sharpening three knives, Fang Yun saw that there was no one around, so he took the sharpest one and hid it in his sleeve, and left quickly.

Fang Yun came to the entrance of the alley diagonally opposite the Xiang family and looked at it from the corner.

Not long after, Xiang Wenxuan came out with two followers. Fang Yun hunched his back and bent his waist, showing a flattering smile, and shouted as he walked: "Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!"

Xiang Wenxuan saw Fang Yun's face full of disgust, but when he heard Fang Yun's address, he laughed loudly. The two followers behind him also laughed in a low voice, looking at Fang Yun with contempt.

"Hahaha... You finally learned to be smart! Go ahead, I know you are here to make conditions, don't worry, I won't treat my family badly."

Fang Yun smiled and said: "Brother-in-law, can you give me some silver, not much, fifty taels will do."

Xiang Wenxuan's two followers looked at Fang Yun with even more contempt.

Xiang Wenxuan smiled and said, "Fifty taels is fifty taels..."

Fang Yun looked behind Xiang Wenxuan and was suddenly stunned. He said in surprise, "Why are you here..."

Xiang Wenxuan and his two followers looked back subconsciously, but saw nothing.

Fang Yun rushed forward, grabbed Xiang Wenxuan's collar with his left hand, held the butcher knife with his right hand, and pushed it forward with force.

"Puff..."

The butcher knife pierced Xiang Wenxuan's lower abdomen, revealing the bright red tip of the knife.

"You..."

"I'm angry for you to see!" Fang Yun's eyes were like ice, pulling out and stabbing in, repeating this, one knife after another.

The contempt in the eyes of the two followers disappeared, replaced by fear.

One follower's legs softened and fell to the ground, kicking the ground and sending sand flying but unable to retreat far. The other turned and ran, shouting loudly.

Xiang Wenxuan fell, and Fang Yun was covered in blood.

Fang Yun glanced coldly at the follower lying on the ground, bent down and slashed at Xiang Wenxuan's neck, cut it off and inserted the knife into Xiang Wenxuan's mouth, holding his hair and walking forward.

Fang Yun wiped his hands with Xiang Wenxuan's hair while walking.

The black hair wiped the bright red hands, the hair was red, and the hands were still bloody.

More than ten people from the Xiang family rushed to the door, and they watched Fang Yun wipe his hands and slowly walk forward.

No one stopped him.

Fang Yun came to the gate of the county government with Xiang Wenxuan's head. The yamen runners were like enemies, and one of them turned around and ran into the yamen.

"You...what are you doing here!" The yamen runner pointed at Fang Yun with a water and fire stick.

"Turn yourself in." Fang Yun threw Xiang Wenxuan's head aside and slapped his hands.

The blood had dried up, and powder fell.

The sound of the gavel hitting the table rang out.

"Go to court!" A majestic voice shook Fang Yun's ears, and the voice seemed to be full of righteousness from heaven and earth.

Fang Yun stepped over the high threshold and calmly entered the yamen.

The yamen runners on both sides kept hitting the ground with water and fire sticks, making a huge noise.

But Fang Yun seemed to see nothing and entered the main hall.

The magistrate of Ji County sat behind the desk and slammed the gavel again, saying, "Who is coming!"

"Fang Yun of Ji County."

"Why are you here?"

"Turn yourself in."

"What did you do?"

"Kill Xiang Wenxuan."

"Why did you kill Xiang Wenxuan?"

"Take my wife."

The magistrate of Ji County slammed the gavel for the third time and shouted angrily, "Nonsense! I have checked with the official seal, and your child bride is unharmed. How could Xiang Wenxuan take your wife?"

"If I don't kill him, he will take her."

"You are lying!"

"I know he will take her." Fang Yun's eyebrows moved slightly, as if he was answering or talking to himself.

The county magistrate was furious and said, "You have read and learned to read, so you can be considered a half-educated person. A scholar should first cultivate himself. How can you cultivate yourself if you kill people?"