Bullying Too Much

Wang Jingyuan thought for a moment before replying, "Young people can't stand even a speck of dirt in their eyes, and their thinking tends to be simple. If you want to fit in with them, all you need to do is work harder than they do at your job... or in martial arts, or show them you're stronger. They'll naturally accept you."

As he spoke, Wang Jingyuan couldn't help thinking of his former colleagues in the department, before he'd crossed over. His department had a manager and four employees. One of those employees was the company owner's son, who had disguised himself as an ordinary person to join the department. Another was a rich second-generation kid who'd come to the company to experience life.

The funny thing was, those two fools thought they'd done a great job of keeping their identities secret. They had no idea that the middle-aged women at the company had uncovered everything about them during their very first week.

But neither of them had ever pulled rank or acted special because they were rich and powerful. They still worked hard alongside everyone else every day. Their manager was fair, too, treating every employee equally.

So no one in their department had ever excluded them. In fact, they all got along well and often hung out together. Sadly, the rich kid had recently quit, and Wang Jingyuan had crossed over. They probably wouldn't all get together again in this lifetime.

Wang Jingyuan was lost in memories of the past when Lin Pingzhi suddenly asked, "Senior Brother, I know those stories were your doing. My senior sister and I will keep it secret. But, Senior Brother...

How do you know so much about those stories involving men who love men?"

Of course, Wang Jingyuan could recite the entire story by heart. With this kind of erotic fiction, the key was the particles and verbs; the plot didn't matter at all.

Change the names, change the body parts—even the protagonist's gender didn't matter. Any combination could fit seamlessly. When Wang Jingyuan had written it all down, he hadn't given it much thought at all. The words had practically flowed from his pen.

Wang Jingyuan turned his head to explain, then suddenly noticed Lin Pingzhi had retreated three or four steps. He immediately understood and glared at him. Back where he came from, the thing straight men hated most was being mistaken for gay.

Who the hell had spread the rumor that his hometown was a gay paradise?! At first, there hadn't actually been that many bears there. It was just like any other city in the country. But after the rumor got out, his hometown had become a promised land, a utopia, in the eyes of bears everywhere.

Every year, countless bears flooded into Chengdu. At that point, the reputation of his hometown as a gay paradise had been firmly branded onto the city's forehead! The local men's reputation had taken a huge hit!

Wang Jingyuan smiled at Lin Pingzhi and beckoned him closer. Lin Pingzhi hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and slowly inched toward him.

"Actually, besides what I just mentioned, there's one other way to fit in with the Mount Hua Sect family. It's the most direct and effective."

Lin Pingzhi had forgotten his fear by now. He hurried over to Wang Jingyuan and asked, "May I ask what that is, Senior Brother?"

"Show your loyalty, of course. We're all in the same gang—cough, I mean, the same sect. Naturally, we feel a sense of belonging to our own sect.

"If an outside force tries to bully us, and you step up to defend the sect, then our fellow disciples will all stand shoulder to shoulder with you."

Lin Pingzhi's eyes lit up. It really was a good idea, but then his spirits sank. "But, Senior Brother, my martial arts are mediocre. If I ran into a powerful enemy, I probably couldn't stand up for Mount Hua."

Wang Jingyuan smacked him on the forehead and scolded him. "Are you stupid? Our Mount Hua Sect is one of the Five Great Sword Sects. Who would actually dare pick a fight with us for no reason?

"Usually, when we run into a faction we don't get along with, we just trade insults and put on a show of force. All you need to do is seize the initiative and speak first."

Lin Pingzhi thought it sounded pretty easy. "Thank you for teaching me, Senior Brother. I understand."

He turned to leave, but Wang Jingyuan stopped him. "Come back! What do you understand? There's a lot to it. When your family escorted a shipment through a bandit chief's territory, the escorts had to call out 'He-Wo' first, right?

"If some greenhorn escort shouted 'Oh, yeah!' instead, wouldn't everyone laugh at him? Even seizing the initiative has its own proper format!"

Lin Pingzhi thought about it. That was true. After all, they were one of the Five Great Sword Sects. Even when trading insults, how could they act like those lowlifes? He clasped his fists and said, "Please instruct me, Senior Brother!"

Wang Jingyuan suppressed a smile and put on a serious expression. "I'll demonstrate once. Watch carefully and learn."

Lin Pingzhi immediately focused all his attention on watching Wang Jingyuan's demonstration.

After sending Lin Pingzhi away, Wang Jingyuan realized the demonstration had made him sweat a little. His clothes were even dirtier now, and if they got any worse, it would start to affect his training. So he returned to his room.

Who would've thought that as soon as he opened the door, a wet garment would fly straight at his face? He caught it easily and looked at Qu Feiyan, who was fuming inside the room.

"Shinichi, if you're going to do the laundry, just do it properly. Don't play around with my clothes, okay?"

Qu Feiyan gritted her teeth. "How many dirty clothes have you been hoarding?! I've been washing them all morning, and I'm still not done!"

Wang Jingyuan thought about it. "Only seven or eight, right? That's not many."

"Why don't you wash them yourself?!"

"Ridiculous. Doing laundry is so boring. It's like driving a bus through the desert. I'd rather run around naked than do laundry."

Qu Feiyan stared at Wang Jingyuan in disbelief. "And you're fine with dumping all your clothes on me to wash?"

Wang Jingyuan pursed his lips. "I left Beast King Hunter's monkey in the mountains. I brought you along for this very reason. Why do you think I named you Shinichi?"

Qu Feiyan was close to breaking down. "What does Shinichi have to do with doing laundry?! And don't think I don't know—it's you who spread those rumors about my grandfather... about him being one of those men. I know you did it!"

"Of course I did. Didn't I tell your grandfather about it beforehand? Why are you making such a fuss now?"

Qu Feiyan looked ready to cry. "You... You've ruined my grandfather's reputation! You've made him lose face in his old age!"

Wang Jingyuan laughed. "What's so surprising about that? Your grandfather's an elder of the Sun Moon Holy Cult, so his reputation in the martial world was already bad. And what I did was an effective, practical solution. Tell me, is anyone still going to suspect that your grandfather and Third Master Liu were colluding?

"If the Songshan Sect still wants to make trouble the way they originally planned, heh..."

Qu Feiyan wasn't stupid. She knew Wang Jingyuan was telling the truth, but she was still angry. "You... You... You've gone too far!"

"Gone too far! Gone too far!!!" Seated on his bed, Liu Zhengfeng had just taken the antidote Qu Yang had secretly brought him, but he didn't feel any better. In fact, he looked even worse than when he'd first been struck by the Black Blood Divine Needle.

He clutched a thin booklet in his hand. His usually calm, amiable face was twisted, his eyes bloodshot and his gaze filled with rage.

"Old Qu, Old Qu! What did you promise him back then?!"

Qu Yang looked grim, too. "I did hear his plan, but I didn't expect him to do something like this. Sigh! It's too late to regret it now."

Ignoring his internal injuries, Liu Zhengfeng mustered his Internal Energy and shattered the booklet in his hand. The effort aggravated his injuries and made him cough. Qu Yang hurriedly helped him lie back down.

Lying in bed, Liu Zhengfeng's eyes were bloodshot, and tears glimmered at their corners. "Old Qu! I'm in my fifties. I've always been a man of dignity. Who would've thought that right when I was about to hold my Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ceremony... Sigh!"

Qu Yang comforted him. "His methods were certainly... but it looks like they worked."

Liu Zhengfeng was silent for a long while, staring blankly at the ceiling. "Old Qu, let's leave the Ming Empire when the time comes."

Qu Yang thought it over. If even Liu Zhengfeng felt that way, then he too couldn't bear to stay here. He nodded in agreement. Only now did he finally understand what Wang Jingyuan had meant by his promise when they parted.

"I guarantee Liu Zhengfeng will be able to retire from the martial world smoothly. After this, he won't have any choice but to quit."

Yes. After all this, he had no choice but to quit.

How could a righteous sect disciple be even more devious than members of their Sun Moon Holy Cult?