Sage Disciple
The man in White Clothes suggested that he kneel for a long time, and a group of people readily agreed.
They knelt right in front of the door.
Li Banfeng is not afraid of evil people, but he must stay away from despicable people. Despicable people are more hateful and more troublesome than evil people.
But the key question now is: where should we go from here?
Going north is definitely not an option; we might end up having to circle back again.
Having determined due north, other directions could also be determined, Li Banfeng chose to head east.
There are several Xiao Shan to the east, unlike the barren plain to the north. Li Banfeng follows the hills and will not go astray.
On his way down the mountain, Li Banfeng kept wondering what the sages on the mountain ate. After wandering around the mountain for so long, Li Banfeng didn't see any farmland or farmers.
When Li Banfeng reached the hillside, he saw an old man in his seventies pulling a cart of rice up the mountain, with two other people following behind pushing the cart. One was his son, who was in his early thirties, and the other was his ten-year-old grandson.
The rice was heavy, and the three of them, grandfather, grandson, and granddaughter, struggled to push it. When they reached the halfway point up the hill, the old man stopped the cart, and the three of them, along with a pot of water, began to eat coarse grain cakes.
Seeing that these three were honest people, Li Banfeng stepped forward and asked for directions, "Excuse me, how do I get to the nearest Train Station?"
The old man's son looked up and said, "You're looking for the station? That's far away."
The old man laughed and said, "You must be a student who came up the mountain to study? You haven't seen the sage today? Young man, don't be impatient. If you are sincere, the sage will surely see you."
Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "I'm not here to study; I'm just passing through."
Upon hearing this, the old man's son looked disdainful and didn't want to pay much attention to Li Banfeng.
The old man seemed to have seen through the situation and advised Li Banfeng, "Studying is not an easy thing. The sages taught the most profound knowledge in the world; how can it be casually passed on to others?"
Our family has been sending rice to the sage for sixteen years, hoping he would accept my son as a concubine. Now that my son is old, the sage refuses to accept him. We'll see if my grandson has the good fortune to do so.
"Delivering rice?" Li Banfeng looked at the cart full of white rice, then at the grain cakes in the hands of the grandfather, grandmother, and grandson, and asked, "How much is this rice per pound?"
The old man rolled his eyes at Li Banfeng: "What money do you want? It's about sincerity. It's a blessing for our family that a saint is willing to eat our rice."
Why would you give away rice that you yourself wouldn't even eat?
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Li Banfeng asked, "What kind of extraordinary skills does this sage possess?"
The old man's smile faded, and he put away the grain cakes.
The old man's son was also very nervous. He looked around and said to Li Banfeng, "On the mountain of the sage, one must know how to speak properly. You don't even understand etiquette, no wonder the sage won't see you."
The old man waved his hand, signaling the two to hurry on their way and stop talking to Li Banfeng.
The son quickly straightened the cart and let the old man pull it from the front.
Li Banfeng said, "You're stronger than your father, so why don't you go pull the cart up front?"
The son snorted and said, "That's called sincerity, do you understand?"
A septuagenarian pulling a cart to deliver rice—his sincerity was truly extraordinary.
The ten-year-old child ate the pancake the whole time without ever lifting his head.
Children this age are at the age where they can eat a lot, and one whole grain pancake is clearly not enough for them.
Li Banfeng asked the child, "Have you ever eaten white rice?"
The child glanced at Li Banfeng, then ran off to follow his father pushing the stroller.
Li Banfeng continued down the mountain, encountering many students, as well as those delivering grain, vegetables, and livestock.
Compared to the people on the mountain, they were more talkative. When they saw Li Banfeng, they didn't just turn around and leave; they could at least say a few words.
When asked where the Train Station was, everyone avoided the question. They didn't believe Li Banfeng was just passing through. They all thought that Li Banfeng had been rejected when he went up the mountain to study, and was disheartened and wanted to leave.
Everyone advised Li Banfeng to stay longer, saying that as long as he was sincere, he would surely be able to move the emperor.
After realizing he couldn't communicate with this group, Li Banfeng stopped asking for directions and avoided anyone going up the mountain, wanting only to get down as quickly as possible.
Li Banfeng extremely disgusted by everyone on this mountain, even by every blade of grass and every tree, and even by the air itself. He had never felt as uncomfortable as he did in the Bitter Vegetable Manor.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Li Banfeng continued his arduous journey eastward. After walking over a hundred Li Banfeng, he finally saw hope.
There was a mountain blocking the way ahead, but it was different from the previous mountains.
This is a hill, much shorter than usual, with a village at its foot.
Li Banfeng entered the village and saw fertile fields and farmers at work.
The unpleasant atmosphere seemed to disappear, and Li Banfeng's nerves gradually relaxed.
But the villagers' nerves did not relax. Li Banfeng's arrival made them extremely nervous, and even a little fearful.
Li Banfeng's clothing terrified them, his behavior terrified them, and even the tone of his voice terrified them.
Li Banfeng could understand such a reaction.
Given the remoteness of the village and the fact that the villagers have rarely seen outsiders, it's perfectly normal for them to be wary.
When asked about the Train Station, a small number of villagers said they didn't know, while most looked at Li Banfeng blankly, as if the Train Station didn't exist in their world.
Li Banfeng could understand this as well.
Many villagers may have never actually ridden a train. Not to mention the villagers here, even Qin Tianjiu, who grew up in Medicine King Gully, has never ridden a train in his entire life, which is perfectly normal.
As Li Banfeng walked from one end of the village to the other, he heard the sound of children reading aloud.
The students' innocent and energetic voices convinced Li Banfeng that he had left the territory of the Sage Peak.
No matter how remote the place is, there are still schools here, where people learn proper things. Such places give people hope and vitality.
What they are learning.
"The root of heaven and earth begins with the heart of the sage."
The changes of heaven and earth begin with the thoughts of sages.
The essence of heaven and earth begins with the virtue of the sage.
The origin of heaven and earth began with the aspiration of the sage.
Upon hearing the word "sage," Li Banfeng felt his scalp tingle.
Is this something legitimate?
We shouldn't make hasty comments. He's learning traditional knowledge. Li Banfeng has only been in Pro State for less than a year, so he may not really know some of the traditions.
Upon closer inspection, the sound of reading aloud did not come from the school, but from a rice paddy.
A group of children under ten years old were planting rice seedlings in a paddy field while reciting sacred scriptures.
This is perfectly normal; the children learn both academic knowledge and survival skills.
A child was carefully planting a row of rice seedlings when a middle-aged man walked into the paddy field and trampled the seedlings to pieces.
"Reinsert," the man commanded.
The child, unaware of what he had done wrong, looked up at the man.
The man slapped the child, knocking him into the paddy field. Before the child could get up, he kicked him again.
The child struggled for a long time but couldn't get up. The man carried the child to the edge of the field, broke off a willow branch, and whipped the child.
The child's parents watched from the side. The child's mother felt heartbroken and trembled with pain.
The child's father stood by, trying to stop them, repeating the same few phrases over and over. "This is for his own good, it's all for his own good..."
The man slapped himself a few times, angrily shouting, "Stop crying! Have some backbone! You can't even bear a little pain? What right do you have to learn the principles of sages?"
Is this normal?
Li Banfeng stood by the field, his veins throbbing.
Some unpleasant memories from his childhood flooded Li Banfeng's mind.
The man looked at the child and said, "Do you know why I hit you? Do you know why I made you replant the rice seedlings?"
The child shook his head, looking completely bewildered.
The man angrily rebuked, "If you have doubts in your heart, you will not be sincere. I told you to replant the seedlings, so just replant them. What doubts are there in your heart? You are truly hopeless."
Seeing the child covered in injuries, the man said coldly, "Let me put some medicine on you."
After saying that, he grabbed a handful of salt and was about to rub it on the child.
The child was trembling with fear, and the child's parents were trembling with them, muttering, "Child, this is for your own good, it's all for your own good."
The middle-aged man, clutching a handful of salt, said, "Bear the pain and reflect on your actions here. If you dare to shout again, don't bother coming to school tomorrow. You don't deserve it..."
Bang!
Li Banfeng kicked the man in the face.
The man stumbled back a few steps and fell into the paddy field. His nose was kicked crooked by Li Banfeng, and blood was streaming down his face.
The man stared at Li Banfeng in astonishment.
Everyone around was looking at Li Banfeng.
The man's voice was muffled as he asked, "Who are you?"
Li Banfeng's hat brim was very low, and he was facing away from the sun, so the man could not see his face.
"Don't ask me who I am. Do you know why I hit you?"
The man looked bewildered.
Bang!
Li Banfeng kicked him again, looking at his blank face.
The man lay on his back in the paddy field, swallowed a mouthful of mud and sand, and it took him a while to sit up.
"What right do you have to hit me?"
Two of the man's teeth were kicked out by Li Banfeng, causing him to speak with a slight lisp.
Bang!
Li Banfeng kicked him again.
"If you have doubts in your heart, your will will not be sincere. If I hit you, you should just take the hit honestly. Why do you have any doubts in your heart? You are truly rotten wood that cannot be carved."
After saying that, Li Banfeng grabbed the man's hair and kicked him several times.
The man cried out in a hoarse voice, Li Banfeng pinched his mouth shut. "Stop crying, have some backbone. You can't even bear a little pain, what kind of saintly principles are you talking about?"
I'll put some medicine on you. Bear the pain and reflect on your actions here. If you dare to scream again, I'll find a rope and hang you. If you don't want to hang yourself, I'll help you. Do you understand?
After saying that, Li Banfeng grabbed a handful of salt and smeared it on the man's face.
The man screamed and cried, "He hit me, he hit me..."
Li Banfeng frowned and said, "You really didn't understand? Fine, I'll take you somewhere to hang yourself."
The surrounding villagers were terrified. A man shouted, "He hit the Sage Disciple! Stop him! Don't let him get away!"
Sage Disciple?
Is this the disciple taught by a sage?
Stop me?
What's wrong with these people?
How could you willingly let your child be tormented by this jerk?
"So what if I hit him?" Li Banfeng grabbed the middle-aged man, twisted his wrist, and snapped his neck.
He killed the Sage Disciple!
Yes, they killed him.
Such a scoundrel is a menace to the world.
The villagers rushed forward to stop Li Banfeng, shouting, "Don't let him leave!"
"Take him to Sage Peak and let him be torn to pieces!"
Li Banfeng discarded the middle-aged man's body, walked straight out of the paddy field, and looked at the villagers, saying, "Tell your sage that I killed this man. Let's see who can stop me today!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.
Li Banfeng strode away, and no one dared to follow him.
A villager whispered, "We don't need to stop him. He's committed a grave crime; the saint won't let him leave!"
Li Banfeng scoffed, wanting to see just how capable this saint was.
At dusk, Li Banfeng returned to the village.
He didn't actually leave; after walking for a full half day, he returned to the village.
Upon seeing Li Banfeng appear, all the villagers returned to their homes and locked their doors.
Li Banfeng sat at the village entrance and patted his Wine Gourd: "Sister, do you remember where this place is?"
After pondering for a while, Hulu said, "Sister has been thinking about it, but I don't think I've ever been here before."
"And you?" Li Banfeng asked the Old Teapot.
Old Teapot coughed twice and said, "This place is really something else, I've never been here before..."
Never mind, I'll go back to Portable Abode and ask my Wife.
Just as Li Banfeng was about to take out his keys, he suddenly heard someone approaching from a distance.
He stood up and asked in a low voice, "Who?"
A soft female voice called out, "My Benefactor, it's me. What brings you here?"
P. S.: Who is this person?