"Starting today, I'll bring you money every month. I'll hand over ninety percent of whatever I earn each month. I only need enough to stay alive. But in return, I'll come give you a beating every month!"
"You should thank this world's laws. In disputes like this, private meetings are forbidden except when handing over money, to prevent unnecessary harm... otherwise, I'd come twice a day!"
"Still, once a month is enough for me."
He grinned. "No need to look so terrified. Your injuries are all superficial, with some aching muscles and bones at most. You'll recover in three, five, seven days-half a month at the outside. By my reckoning, apart from having trouble moving for the first three or four days, you should have no problem dragging yourselves to work afterward. Haha, haven't I thought everything through for you?"
The family stared at Zuo Xiaoduo in terror.
They simply couldn't understand. What kind of monster was this? He was obediently handing over money just so he could beat them up every month? Was that really necessary?!
How on earth did this man's brain work?
A rumbling sounded outside. The inspectors had arrived.
Zuo Xiaoduo grinned happily. "I keep my word. I'll cooperate actively and work hard to earn money to cover your medical bills and buy you medicine. But that goes for beating you up once a month, too, because from now on, that will be the only pleasure in life I have to look forward to."
"Understand? I'll keep this going forever. This is no longer between your father and me. It's between your entire family and me. So even after your father recovers and leaves the hospital, I'll keep coming and keep paying your medical bills. What I'm doing amounts to a civil matter or, at worst, a public-order violation. There's no way it counts as a criminal offense. I understand that much perfectly well."
"And now, everyone, including the law enforcement inspectors, knows I'm being extorted. They just have no way to punish this sort of behavior of yours. But whatever happens, even if the law gets involved, reason and sympathy are on my side."
"Honestly, I hope these days last a little longer. The feeling of every punch sinking into flesh is just too satisfying."
"The law can't punish people like you. Finding evidence to clear myself would be easy, but that would let you off far too lightly."
"I could find the evidence and walk away in minutes, without paying you a cent. But once I left... you could go on living as though nothing had happened... that would be far too lenient on you."
"I'd rather put up with a little injustice myself and stay here a while longer than let you live comfortably!"
"Extort me!? Heh heh, you probably have no idea what kind of person you've extorted!"
Sitting cross-legged on the tallest chair, Zuo Xiaoduo looked down at the family sprawled across the floor, snorting through his nostrils. "Pfft, pfft... isn't this just a contest to see who has less conscience and who's more unreasonable? Don't worry, you little shits. I'm more of a scumbag than you are!"
A knock sounded at the door. The inspectors were here.
Zuo Xiaoduo stood and opened the door, nodding and bowing, his face full of regret. "Ah, officer, I... I really couldn't control my temper, so I beat them up... I was wrong. I repent. I apologize. I'm willing to pay compensation, and I'll take full responsibility."
The lead inspector clearly knew the whole story, so how could he not know that Zuo Xiaoduo was being extorted? He deeply sympathized with his "inability to resist hitting them" and sighed. "But according to regulations, the new injuries you've caused must be added to the previous medical compensation. This will greatly extend your compensation payment period. That's very unfavorable for you..."
After speaking, he gave another deeply sympathetic sigh.
Zuo Xiaoduo nodded like a woodpecker. "People have to take responsibility for their actions. I hit them, so of course I have to take responsibility! When I earn money in the future, I'll keep only enough to feed myself and give them everything else. Ah, why did I have to act so impulsively just now? Losing control and hitting them was my fault. Since it was my fault, I have to pay the price..."
The inspector truly couldn't bear it anymore. Ah, this child was far too honest, far too pitiful.
In this world, the kind were always bullied.
He patted Zuo Xiaoduo's shoulder reassuringly and began the standard investigation. The family accused him in unison, while Zuo Xiaoduo freely confessed and sincerely apologized. Thus, the civil investigation concluded; Zuo Xiaoduo would pay compensation.
The compensation payment period was extended by another four months.
Upon hearing about the extension, the family's faces turned ashen.
Looking terrified, Zuo Xiaoduo saw the inspectors out, nodding and bowing as he watched them walk away. Then he straightened, shot the family a smug look, and sneered. "I'll be back next month. Looking forward to it? I certainly am."
"We have a long time ahead of us."
"We still have so much youth to squander."
"Come on, let's have fun, since we've got so much time..."
Lifting his chin haughtily, Zuo Xiaoduo hummed a tune and strode away!
In front of the screen.
By now, Li Changjiang was utterly dumbfounded.
He stared at the screen in disbelief, then stiffly turned his head to look blankly at his wife. His mouth opened, but for a long while, no words came out.
Hu Ruoyun lowered her head and pinched the space between her eyebrows with two fingers, equally speechless.
Neither of them had expected Zuo Xiaoduo to resort to such methods.
And this seemed to be only the beginning.
"This student of yours... apparently has more than just this up his sleeve. He has a follow-up planned..."
Li Changjiang racked his brains for words before finally coming out with, "This really is a bizarre way of handling things. I've never seen anything like it in all these years. I can't quite make sense of it."
He truly wasn't lying. This really was his first encounter with anything like this.
Throughout the Flame Martial Empire's long history, among all the many martial artists who had undergone the Three Touches, Five Evaluations, Zuo Xiaoduo's way of handling things could be called a first since the heavens and earth were cleaved apart!
Hu Ruoyun hung her head and gave a dry laugh.
Even she hadn't expected this student of hers to have such an extreme side.
"He certainly... doesn't take the usual path," Li Changjiang marveled, clicking his tongue.
The scene on the screen continued. Although Zuo Xiaoduo's actions were unexpected, they clearly could not serve as grounds for declaring this assessment over. Only once this incident was completely resolved could the evaluation conclude. That was the mandatory standard.