"Ahahaha, hahaha!"
Liang Qu leaned against the door, half-crouched and half-bent, laughing so hard he couldn't straighten up.
He was completely amused by Liang Guangtian's shamelessness.
Liang Guangtian's face turned red: "What are you laughing at?"
"Sorry, sorry, it's just too funny," Liang Qu gasped for breath, finally straightening up, though the smile still lingered on his face.
Liang Guangtian was getting angry.
He felt like a clown being made fun of, and his tone turned sharp: "Just tell me, can you do it or not?"
Liang Qu scratched his cheek and agreed without hesitation: "Of course I can."
"Really!?"
Liang Guangtian was overjoyed, but at the same time, he thought his nephew was a fool for believing him so easily and being played like a toy.
"Of course it's true. Seven taels of silver, no food or lodging included. Ten taels, lodging included. Twenty taels, lodging and medicinal soup included. Fifty taels, lodging, medicinal soup, and medicinal baths included. If you want better food, that's extra. The term is only three months, but the teaching is the same. How much you learn depends on you."
After a pause, Liang Qu added, "I'll have my senior brothers teach everything they know. The martial hall is always open to everyone. There's no reason not to. Even though you're not acting like a decent person, I won't discriminate against Sixth Brother. If he wants to come, he can."
"You, you!"
Liang Guangtian's eyes widened, and he was about to storm into the house to argue.
Bang!
The wooden door collided with his face, twisting it into a grotesque shape before he was flung backward, landing on his backside in the dirt, his face covered in dust.
When he sat up and touched his face, his hand came away red—his nose was bleeding!
Liang Guangtian scrambled to his feet and pounded on the door, shaking it so hard it seemed about to fall off its hinges.
He shouted, "Liang Qu, don't hide in there! If you have the guts to mess with me, then open the door! Open it! You have the guts to mess with me, so open the door! Open it, open it, open it! How can you be so ungrateful? Now that you're a martial master, you don't care about your poor relatives anymore? I'm your uncle! Sixth Brother is your cousin! Don't forget, you're a Liang too!"
"You're full of crap!"
The sudden voice startled Liang Guangtian.
He turned to see a woman leaning over the neighboring wall.
Ah Di stood on a stool, hands on her hips, and shouted, "Uncle? You dare call yourself Ah Shui's uncle? When Liang Ge died, did you help carry the coffin?
When Ah Shui was starving, did you lend him any food? And when the family property was divided, Liang Qu was too young to understand, but we all know what happened. If it weren't for your tricks, Liang Ge would have gotten more than just a boat!
He had to raise Ah Shui all by himself! And now that Ah Shui's doing well, you come crawling for favors? How can you be so shameless?
You're worse than an animal!"
"Who do you think you are, you shrew? Watch your mouth, or I'll slap you!"
"I'll slap you first!"
An old man with a white beard walked to the door, threw down his cane, spat on his palm, and strode forward, swinging his arm in a wide arc to deliver a resounding slap.
Crack!
The sharp sound echoed, and Liang Guangtian let out a yelp, spinning halfway around before collapsing to the ground.
He clutched his swollen face and looked up, trembling with fear.
"Village Chief?"
In the Great Shun Dynasty, every 280 households formed a village, with the ten wealthiest households electing a village chief.
Righteous Prosperity City had more than one village chief, but the one standing before Liang Guangtian was no ordinary chief—he was the most powerful one!
The head of the Chen family!
The Chens dominated half of Righteous Prosperity City, and as the family head, Chen Zhao'an was highly respected and naturally served as the village chief.
In fact, it had always been this way.
Other village chiefs would bow their heads when they saw him.
In the Great Shun Dynasty, there were no officials below the county level.
Even in towns like Peaceful Sun Town, which rivaled or even surpassed some county towns in size, local order was maintained by powerful families.
Chen Zhao'an was to Righteous Prosperity City what Yang Dongxiong was to Peaceful Sun Town!
The village chief had the duty to "guide the people to goodness" and "settle disputes."
Even though Chen Zhao'an had no authority over the Liang family, Liang Guangtian didn't dare to act out of line.
In fact, when Chen Zhao'an slapped him so hard he staggered, Liang Guangtian had to help steady him.
Liang Guangtian knelt on the ground, clutching his face and crying.
Blood and dirt smeared his face as he wailed, "Village Chief, my life is so hard! I never thought my own nephew would turn out to be such an ingrate! Look at my nose—he hit me! I'm his uncle!"
"Shameless! You dare lie to me!? Liang Guangtian, I always thought you were just lazy and heartless, but I never imagined you could be so shameless, worse than a dog! You wouldn't even help your own nephew in his time of need. Do you even deserve to be called an elder!?"
Liang Guangtian fell silent, the emotional rollercoaster finally making him realize what Chen Zhao'an's slap had truly meant.
After berating him, Chen Zhao'an stumbled back a few steps, and someone immediately picked up his cane and handed it to him.
He gripped the cane and brought it down hard on Liang Guangtian's back, making him howl in pain.
Liang Guangtian crawled away on all fours, not daring to look back.
Seeing Liang Guangtian flee in such a sorry state, everyone burst into laughter.
"Thank you, Village Chief, for stepping in."
At some point, Liang Qu had opened the door and bowed deeply in gratitude.
He had heard the commotion outside and seen everything that happened.
Thanks to Chen Zhao'an's intervention, Liang Qu didn't have to resort to violence, which would have caused more trouble.
Chen Zhao'an didn't say anything.
Instead, he leaned on his cane, straightened his back, and looked Liang Qu up and down, nodding approvingly.
At sixteen, Liang Qu already had a tall and imposing figure, with a handsome face that set him apart from the usual fishermen.
He had an air of nobility and righteousness that made others feel ashamed in comparison.
Chen Zhao'an looked around and praised, "Look, look! Don't underestimate the water in a small pond—even shallow waters can hide a dragon! Our little Righteous Prosperity City has its own hidden dragon!"
Everyone behind Chen Zhao'an, whether young or old, nodded in agreement.
Liang Qu bowed again: "Village Chief, you flatter me. I am deeply humbled."
"Ah, I'm not wrong. In the past, Righteous Prosperity City has produced martial artists, but they all moved to Peaceful Sun Town. Now that you're Master Yang's personal disciple, yet you still care for your fellow villagers, you truly are a virtuous man."
"It's all thanks to the Village Chief's guidance."
Liang Qu bowed once more.
He knew why Chen Zhao'an had come.
Liang Qu had been distributing porridge, representing the village in offering sacrifices to the River God, and even refused to have his house repaired—all for the benefit of the villagers.
As the most powerful figure in the area, Chen Zhao'an couldn't ignore such actions.
He had come to show his support, and driving away Liang Guangtian was just a small gesture.
After exchanging compliments, the atmosphere became warm and friendly.
Chen Zhao'an then brought up the main point: "Since you've done so much for Righteous Prosperity City, the villagers naturally remember your kindness. Since you refused to have your house repaired, we'll have the villagers help you. Each household will come and lend a hand for a couple of days—it's no big deal. Also, I'll arrange the River God Sacrifice as soon as possible. You'll be the Chief Ritualist and recite the sacrificial prayers!"
(End of Chapter)