El viaje de un mendigo alrededor del mundo

Capítulo 14

The distant form of address startled Zhou Zice, who looked up.

Fan Qingbo had never seen him so lifeless, as if he had aged considerably overnight. A slight pang of sadness gripped her heart, but she still managed a hearty smile, handing him the bundle and saying casually, "Huanxitian won't be open for the next ten days. Here are ten books; Commander Zhou, take them back and consider it fulfilling the imperial decree."

Zhou Zice stared at her for a long time before finally revealing a disheartened smile.

He took the bag and said, "I think you can always solve even the most difficult problems with ease. I always thought that was your special quality—smart and calm, strong and decisive."

He turned and left without looking back, leaving behind only a cold sentence: "Now I understand, you were just heartless."

Concern leads to confusion, while only detachment allows one to decisively remain uninvolved and cut through the mess swiftly.

Later she learned that General Zhou had fallen ill from anger after returning home from the palace banquet, and what kind of mood Zhou Zice was in when he came to see her? She tried hard to recall whether there was hatred in his eyes when he looked at her, but she couldn't remember at all.

Unintentional? Probably. Fan Qingbo's casual smile became somewhat unfocused.

However, reality is not a movie, and her fleeting moment was not long before it was interrupted by the following situation.

"Oh no! The teacher is dead again!"

She turned around and saw the exact same scene as last night—the scholar was lying slumped at the door again. She rubbed her forehead, her head aching. Good heavens, is it fashionable these days for one problem to keep popping up after another? Does her life have to be so full of surprises?

As it turned out, the scholar who had supposedly died multiple times in a single day, according to Pi Dan, had simply fainted from hunger. A bowl of rice was held up to his nose, and he woke up. Fan Qingbo and Fan Bing sat side by side, resting their chins on their hands as they watched him eat, utterly amazed.

He ate with a graceful and elegant manner, almost as if he were reading a book. You would never guess that he had been starving for two whole days and had even fainted from hunger. What's amazing is that although his movements were slow and deliberate, the food disappeared as quickly as if it were being devoured. He even had time to give them a shy smile while eating.

"Master, if I remember correctly, this guy was covered in blood and looked like he was dying last night?"

Fan Qingbo's heart skipped a beat, and his expression turned serious. "You're not mistaken. Quick, go and bolt the door."

Bolt the door, lock it, grab the rattan cane, hehehehehe.

Fan Qingbo kicked Fan Bing, "Do you think your master is going to forcibly abduct men and destroy women, or force innocent women into prostitution and rape them? Put away that lewd smile on your face! And the cane!" If the scholar is really as powerful as Jie Dongfeng said, the cane will be of no use. The worst thing is that he might end up becoming a masochist instead of a masochist.

Are you... busy?

After finishing his meal, the scholar stared blankly at the Fan family, who were fighting over the rattan cane. He noticed that they all took a step back as soon as they heard his voice.

Realizing his lapse in composure, Fan Qingbo coughed twice and put on a bright smile.

"Young Master Shu, I think you should explain what happened last night?"

Upon hearing this, the scholar immediately stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said gently, "I will never forget Miss Fan's life-saving grace. I..." He paused, his ears turning slightly red, "...I will take responsibility."

Fan Qingbo didn't notice his unusual behavior, assuming he was just being evasive, so she bluntly asked, "Who asked you to thank me? I want to know why you were injured? Why were you bleeding profusely yesterday but are you jumping around today? Who exactly are you?"

The scholar hesitated for a moment before answering, "I was injured because I was slashed. I was bleeding profusely yesterday, but I'm fine today because the wound has healed. As for who I am..." He glanced at her quickly, then lowered his head, "My surname is Shu, my given name is Sheng, and my courtesy name is Qinzhi. My ancestral home is Lingzhou in Jiangnan. My parents died early, and my family owns several acres of fertile land. I am still unmarried..."

When he said the last sentence, he raised his head, which had almost reached his chest, and stared intently at her.

Fan Qingbo's forehead veins bulged, and his expression became unusually serious. "A relapse, is this what they call feigning stupidity?"

Fan Bing stroked his chin thoughtfully and shook his head, saying, "Reporting to Master, I think he's really stupid."

Fan Qingbo told himself not to argue with someone with intellectual disabilities, then took a few deep breaths, finally calming his expression, and asked as gently as possible, "How about this, let me be more direct. Were you the top scholar of the thirteenth year of Yanhe? Do you know martial arts? Have you killed anyone? Do you have many enemies?"

The scholar blinked in surprise. "How did Miss Fan know?"

"What the hell do you care how I know!"

Fan Qingbo finally snapped because he couldn't stand his slow pace anymore.

"Miss Fan, you, you..." How could you utter such foul language...

"You, you, you, you head! Is this the time to be concerned about self-respect or foul language? When we talk about you being attacked and you attacking someone, can't you even show a little emotion? I don't care if you're really stupid or pretending, now I'll ask you a question, and you answer it, no questions about how I know! No irrelevant answers!"

After a barrage of criticism, Fan Bing's eyes were practically sparkling, and he instinctively rushed over to hug her leg to express his admiration. The scholar, however, nodded repeatedly as he was scolded, his heart beginning to waver. This woman seemed a bit too fierce; should he… really take responsibility?

"Are you a martial arts practitioner?"

"It used to be, but it's not anymore."

"What the hell? You're still being chased by people and you still say you're not a martial arts practitioner?"

"I've retired from this life."

"Retiring from the martial arts world?" Fan Qingbo looked at the scholar suspiciously. The fact that he used that term meant he was someone of importance... but she occasionally read martial arts anecdotes, and she'd never heard of such a fool in the martial arts world.

"Do you have a reputation in the martial arts world?"

"The Scholar with the Silver Pen"

“Oh, the Silver Pen Scholar.” Fan Qingbo repeated unconsciously, then suddenly his eyes widened. “The Silver Scholar?!”

The scholar frowned slightly and emphasized earnestly, "It is the Silver Pen Scholar."

At this moment, Fan Qingbo couldn't care less about the slight difference between the Silver Scholar and the Silver Pen Scholar. He screamed incredulously, "The Silver Scholar of the Golden Painter? The Silver Scholar who is known as the most benevolent and the second most skilled in martial arts? The Silver Scholar who became famous in Ghost Valley for fighting a hundred men single-handedly? The Silver Scholar who severed the tendons of the number one enchantress in the martial arts world, 'Glamorous Ghost,' with a single silver pen and escaped unscathed?"

The scholar was somewhat displeased. "It's the Silver Pen Scholar." The name "Silver Scholar" sounded too much like "Lewd Scholar."

This feeble protest was ignored as always. Fan Qingbo slapped his forehead and suddenly realized, "So that murdered courtesan was the 'Glamorous Ghost'? No wonder... Wait, you're already famous in the martial arts world, why did you need to take the imperial examination?"

The scholar said solemnly, "Of all professions, only studying is noble. I have studied diligently for ten years, hoping to one day enter the emperor's court. But those people have been pestering me, insisting on a contest. I have tried to persuade them in every way possible that their martial arts skills are no match for my three moves, so why waste time? But instead of being grateful, they said they wanted to fight me to the death."

Fan Qingbo's lips twitched, and he exchanged a glance with Fan Bing: This guy is definitely sick.

A scholar can be killed but not humiliated. You bluntly told someone that their martial arts skills were too low to fight you, no wonder they wanted to fight you to the death.

Fan Qingbo then thought of another question: "With your martial arts skills being so high, how did you get injured last night? Who could have hurt you?"

The scholar sighed and said, "That's a long story. Eight years ago, I..."

"Make it quick, thank you!" What a joke! If we start from eight years ago, given how talkative a scholar is, we'd be going on until tomorrow!