Upheaval in the Village

In the main room,

Gao Yunyi sat in the seat of honor,

with the village head and the old woman seated on either side of him, while the little boy sat opposite.

The dishes on the table were not particularly lavish. Apart from a large bowl of chicken soup, the rest were ordinary country fare.

But this was already the best food the family had to offer a guest.

The little boy no longer looked as bright and quick-witted as before. He sat there with a dazed look, his eyes filled with clear, unadulterated stupidity.

It was as if two little figures were arguing inside his head. One said that the teacher was wrong, that this was not what they taught at the school.

The other retorted, But the teacher put it in simple terms, and it made perfect sense.

The two little figures chattered and quarreled without end, leaving his head spinning until it felt as though his brains had turned to paste.

"Grandson, what's wrong?"

Seeing his beloved grandson looking so distracted, the village head asked with concern.

"The teacher... what the teacher taught me was too profound. I'm still puzzling over it," the little boy said haltingly.

Hearing this, the village head's eyes filled with gratification.

This young master was indeed a learned scholar. With just a few casual pointers, he had given his grandson a great deal to learn from.

He really is our family's great benefactor. We must thank him properly.

With that thought, the village head respectfully set a brimming bowl of chicken soup in front of Gao Yunyi.

"Young master, we have nothing good to offer you out here in the countryside, but this soup was made with an old hen our family raised for several years. Please have a taste."

Since coming to this world, Gao Yunyi had never eaten any of its food.

For one thing, his body did not grow hungry or tired, and he had no need of food to replenish his strength or sustain his life.

For another, this world had always been unfamiliar to him, and it never hurt to be cautious and careful.

But today,

he ate.

There was no other reason. He was simply in a good mood.

And it had to be said,

the chicken soup, simmered over a wood fire, tasted excellent.

Especially with the amusing sight of the little boy opposite him, bewildered yet hesitant to speak, his little face scrunched up like a bun and his eyebrows knitted into a caterpillar.

His appetite grew even better.

Seeing that their honored guest seemed to enjoy her family's chicken soup, the village head was delighted and picked up a large drumstick for his bowl.

The sight made the old woman's eyelids twitch, but she only dared grumble resentfully to herself, not say anything aloud.

"Grandson, have a drumstick."

Watching as the guest was about to finish such a large drumstick, the old woman finally could not sit still any longer.

He was terrified that the head of the household would give their guest the last drumstick too, leaving none for their grandson. She immediately stood up, took the drumstick from the bowl with her chopsticks, and put it in her grandson's bowl.

The village head was so angry his knuckles turned white, but with their honored guest present, she could not very well lose her temper. She could only swallow her anger back down.

Gao Yunyi watched the scene with a calm gaze, finding it novel and interesting, without the slightest anger or displeasure.

This family's affairs were all trivial little things, yet they were full of warmth and life. Gao Yunyi had never experienced such a feeling before.

It was not that he was moved or longed for it; he simply found it novel and interesting.

After a bowl of chicken soup, a drumstick, and a few bites of the country dishes, Gao Yunyi laid down his chopsticks.

And so, when the evening meal ended, he got up and returned to his room.

The old woman cleared away the leftovers while the village head sat on a stool smoking a dry pipe. Looking at his old wife working so diligently, he let out a deep sigh, and more than half his anger dissipated with it.

Then he turned and saw that his dear grandson was still distracted and absentminded.

"Still thinking about what the teacher taught you?" the village head asked cheerfully.

The little boy was clever.

At first, he had merely been stunned by those unorthodox remarks.

But after some thought, the little boy finally came to his senses.

Those remarks were more than unorthodox; they were downright treasonous.

If they were spread around, not only would scholars across the realm denounce them with tongues and pens, but even his own schoolteacher would probably be angered to death.

To twist and distort the wise sayings of the Most Sagely Teacher so thoroughly was simply brazen and lawless.

Was that teacher really a scholar?

The little boy could not help harboring deep doubts.

"Grandson?"

"Huh?"

"Still thinking about what the teacher taught you?"

"Mm..."

The little boy did not tell his grandfather about his doubts, nor did he reveal a word of those treasonous remarks.

Grandfather had said that the young master was their family's benefactor.

Since he was their benefactor, he must have done their family a kindness.

He could not repay kindness with enmity or be ungrateful.

Then I'll bury this secret deep in my heart and never tell anyone.

The little boy silently swore to himself.

Mm... I swear it to the Most Sagely Teacher.

In his room, Gao Yunyi merely sat on the bed with his eyes closed, not entering Meditative Samadhi.

The light produced by Meditative Samadhi was too conspicuous, and the windows in this room were poorly sealed. He did not want to frighten this ordinary family.

I'll wait until they're fast asleep later in the night.

As for what the little boy was worried about, Gao Yunyi would not have cared even if he had known.

However exalted a sage's status was, could it be higher than an immortal's?

Let those scholars try denouncing him with their tongues and pens.

Since reason would not get through to them, he also knew a little about using his fists and feet. When the time came, he would show those scholars where the "virtue" in "winning people over with virtue" came from.

Gradually,

the night grew deep.

Gao Yunyi heard the even breathing of the village head's family next door.

A translucent ring of light enveloped Gao Yunyi as he entered Meditative Samadhi.

But the moment he closed his eyes, the sound of pounding hooves suddenly shook the darkness.

Gao Yunyi slowly opened his eyes again, and the glow around him faded.

Other people had entered the village, and there were quite a few of them.

As the hoofbeats drew closer and the rumbling grew louder, the quiet village was instantly roused.

The villagers woke, threw on their clothes, and opened their doors to see what was happening.

But what followed was an unending clamor of angry shouts, screams, barking dogs, hoofbeats, and blades being drawn...

The whole village instantly descended into chaos, chickens flying and dogs leaping amid a deafening uproar.

"What's going on? What's going on?"

The commotion also woke the village head from a sound sleep. He immediately put on his shoes and ran out of the house.

But the disturbance outside did not stop. Instead, as time passed, it grew fiercer and more violent.

"Listen up, all of you! Hand over the grain in your homes like good little villagers, and I guarantee you won't come to harm."

A rough, overbearing voice roared out.

"My lord, wasn't grain just collected last month? Why do you want more? East Creek Village is a poor village. We don't even have enough grain at home to feed ourselves, so where would we find any to spare for you?"

It was the village head's voice, pleading and miserable.

"Hmph!!! Cut the crap. You dare refuse? Then I'll send every one of you lowlifes' heads rolling."