Now, Xu Zhengyang is no longer worried about this and is preparing to find a few ghosts to run errands for him.
To summon ghost messengers, one must first create a ghost messenger token. Besides requiring thousand-year-old ebony roots and consuming a great deal of divine power, Xu Zhengyang felt there was another point to consider: the token needed to be carefully crafted to look good. He thought back to the period dramas he'd watched, where officials, especially constables, with long swords at their waists, would appear imposingly before villains, or even chivalrous heroes, showing no fear and exuding an air of menace as they would pull out their tokens, sneer, and say, "Hey, constable from such-and-such prefecture, so-and-so..."
They're incredibly powerful, not just the officials, but also the leaders behind them!
Therefore, this token needs to be made properly and carefully, so that it can at least look cool when it is displayed, right?
After doodling on the pristine white carbon paper for a long time, Xu Zhengyang took out the drawings he had made earlier from the drawer and compared them with the original drawings. He then took out a few comic books he had found at a market stall and spent a long time referencing the tokens held by the characters in those novels.
By the time I finally made up my mind, it was already dark outside.
Xu Zhengyang thought he would go eat first, and after eating, he would go back to his room and start making the ghost messenger token tonight.
Originally, Gu Xiang Xuan had enough rooms to live in, but Xu Zhengyang didn't like living there because... there were quite a few people living there now. Besides Master Gu Yao Chushun, the manager Jin Changfa, the waiter Jin Qiming and Wang Jiayu, there was also the old "treasure hunters" Chang Da and his wife, who came to seek refuge with Yao Chushun. They were in their fifties and were currently responsible for cooking and cleaning the rooms at Gu Xiang Xuan every day.
According to Yao Chushun, Chang Da was an old friend, but his health had deteriorated due to years of exposure to dampness and death in his youth. Hearing that Yao Chushun was now doing well, he came to seek refuge with him. Chang Da and Yao Chushun were like brothers in misfortune, both having enjoyed periods of glory and then fallen from grace at the same time. They hadn't kept in touch much over the years, mainly because neither could help the other.
Xu Zhengyang didn't care. Since Gu Ye was a trusted friend, he naturally wouldn't refuse.
Just like when he brought Chen Chaojiang to work here, Gu Xiangxuan was responsible for a portion of the high salary, and Master Gu did not express any dissatisfaction.
He turned on the light and saw that it wasn't even six o'clock yet. Feeling bored, Xu Zhengyang logged into QQ again, intending to figure out this novel gadget. To be honest, Xu Zhengyang found it strange. He had been feeling frustrated and angry because girls called him a newbie for typing too slowly, but now that he had some free time, he found this thing quite fun.
He currently only has three people on his QQ account, and none of them are online at this time. So Xu Zhengyang doesn't need to worry about having trouble chatting with anyone.
Moving the mouse around, clicking here and there to take a look, the side prompts were quite detailed, and Xu Zhengyang wasn't stupid, so he quickly grasped the basics of QQ chat. Therefore, he immediately switched his QQ account to invisible mode and changed the identity verification to require verification before adding friends.
Are you kidding me? You think I can just add anyone who wants to?
Even a newbie shouldn't be this uncouth!
Well, actually, Xu Zhengyang is currently having a real headache with chatting and typing. He can't even keep up with one person, let alone a bunch of people coming to chat with him... He's worried that he might smash his computer in a fit of anger.
Volume 3, Judge Chapter 140: Kneel down, learn your lesson!
At dawn, as the sky began to lighten, a thick, gray fog enveloped the entire city of Fuhe.
Vehicles on the street turned on their fog lights and drove slowly; the city streets shrouded in fog were dotted with faint red lights.
Not far south of the exit of the train station square, among the parked cars in a row of parking spaces, there was a white Audi A4.
Xu Zhengyang sat in the back seat of the car, took out his phone to check the time. It was eight o'clock; his sister should have arrived by now.
Chen Chaojiang, in the driver's seat, leaned his head back against the seat back, his hands resting steadily on the steering wheel, his cold face revealing no emotion whatsoever.
The train station's announcement said: A certain express train from Beijing will be delayed by fifteen minutes.
Xu Zhengyang pursed his lips, then suddenly remembered something and sent his sister a text message: "Brother will pick you up at the platform. Your train will be delayed by fifteen minutes."
Soon, a text message replied: Okay, I understand.
"Chaojiang, you wait here. I'll go get a platform ticket and go inside to pick him up," Xu Zhengyang said as he opened the car door and got out.
Chen Chaojiang immediately got out of the car and said coldly, "I'll go with you."
Xu Zhengyang sighed helplessly. He didn't say anything and walked towards the platform ticket sales window that the station had set up specifically for this purpose.
As the Lunar New Year approaches, the peak of the Spring Festival travel rush has arrived. Even in this cold and foggy weather, the train station is still crowded and noisy. Outside the exit, private bus ticket sellers who specialize in routes to the surrounding counties keep shouting orders: "Where are you going? We're leaving soon! Hurry up!"
On the platform, some people were already there to pick up passengers, while others were taking the train south. They looked north with slight anxiety in the cold wind, but the thick fog obscured visibility to less than a hundred meters. Station staff kept reminding everyone to stay behind the yellow line and be careful, as the train was about to arrive.
With the sound of the whistle, the train finally slowly pulled into the station, but it still brought with it gusts of strong wind. The wind was like a sharp blade, stinging people's cheeks and causing people on the platform to turn to the side and cover their faces.
When the train came to a complete stop, Xu Zhengyang turned around and saw that he was in carriage number 12, while his sister was in carriage number 7.
So Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang turned and walked south.
As soon as the doors of each carriage open, groups of passengers carrying large and small bags get off the train, while other passengers crowd around the entrance, ready to board at any moment.
The platform was bustling with people.
Through the train window, he could see that the carriage was also crowded. Many people were getting off, carrying bags and suitcases on their shoulders or simply lifting them up, struggling as if their legs were made of lead. Xu Zhengyang thought to himself that his sister must have been exhausted after sitting on the train for several hours. If he had known this, he would have simply driven to Beijing to pick her up; it would have just cost a little money.
The door to carriage number seven was also crowded with people trying to board. They made way for passengers getting off the train, who waited until no one was getting off before rushing on, hoping to find a seat if they were lucky.
Passengers were constantly getting off the bus, struggling to carry or hold their bags. Xu Zhengyang stood on tiptoe to look inside.
Finally, he saw his younger sister, wearing a white down jacket, struggling to pull her not-so-large suitcase out of the carriage. Xu Zhengyang quickly squeezed forward, intending to help his sister take the suitcase.
Xu Rouyue also saw her brother, and a relaxed smile appeared on her flushed face covered with sweat.
Hey, girl, move aside! Move aside!
Amidst the vulgar shouts, a tall, burly young man in a shiny down jacket squeezed past Xu Rouyue from behind, carrying a bulging woven bag.
The frail Xu Rouyue couldn't withstand the crowd; she leaned against the carriage wall, her face showing displeasure. The man, however, turned back and grinned at Xu Rouyue after passing her, a smug look on his face. Behind him followed seven or eight other young men of varying heights and builds, some carrying bags, others lifting suitcases, shouting and jostling past Xu Rouyue. Each time they passed her, they deliberately turned and gave her a vicious glare, their eyes filled with greed and a sense of having taken advantage.
Judging from their attire, it's easy to tell that they are migrant workers who have returned from working in other places.
Xu Zhengyang wouldn't get into a conflict over such a small matter. After all, he was eager to go home for the New Year, and what young man wouldn't want to take a second look at a pretty girl? As a farmer himself, Xu Zhengyang knew that, in some ways, he had to admit that a small number of young people from the countryside didn't pay attention to their so-called manners when they went out. They were vulgar and ignorant, shouting and yelling to show off their foolish courage and knowledge, without realizing that they would be despised and ridiculed.
only……
These young men, who were merely playing pranks to gain some psychological satisfaction, shouldn't act innocent after getting the benefit.
After scrambling off the bus, they huddled together, shouting and pushing their way through the crowd towards the underground exit. They frequently turned back, their eyes filled with rude, lewd, and shameless smiles as they stared at Xu Rouyue. When Xu Rouyue blushed and lowered her head in anger, they laughed heartily with satisfaction. Some would even deliberately make lewd remarks, indirectly making the pretty girl behind them blush even more, which pleased them even more.
Such people often need a scolding from a girl with a strong temper and a bit of a tantrum before they will slink down and lower their faces, which they feel have devalued. Or, they will shamelessly ignore it and pretend they didn't hear it... However, Xu Rouyue was an honest girl, so they became even more unscrupulous.
Some people in the crowd muttered under their breath about the low quality of these young people, while others looked at them with disdain. In their whispered and contemptuous words, they easily took these young people as representatives of all farmers, generalizing from a few examples. This cannot be blamed on their tendency to generalize.
Xu Zhengyang helped his sister drag her suitcase, walking calmly through the crowd, holding his sister's hand with one hand.
Chen Chaojiang walked on Xu Zhengyang's other side, slightly behind, and leaned forward to whisper in Xu Zhengyang's ear, asking coldly, "Should we deal with them?"
Xu Zhengyang nodded slightly, turned his head and said softly, "We'll talk about it after we go outside."
It must be said that Xu Zhengyang had ulterior motives; he used his supernatural powers to observe this group of people. He didn't bother to examine their thoughts. He knew he could guess their filthy and despicable ideas without even looking, and that would only make him angrier. He merely glanced at what these people, also from the Fuhe region, had done along the way, and whether they had bullied Xu Rouyue further.
Xu Zhengyang was furious! This group of people had been crammed together for hours on their way from the capital because there were no seats, constantly giving Xu Rouyue lewd looks and occasionally deliberately uttering offensive language. An elderly man and a middle-aged man couldn't stand it anymore and reprimanded them, but were met with their arrogant retorts and even threats.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. And that's often the case. Beside Xu Zhengyang and his two companions were some young and middle-aged people who also looked like migrant workers. Their faces were filled with smiles, some simple and honest, others joyful. They would occasionally exchange a few words of laughter, their speech filled with simple and sincere expressions.
The underground passage was packed with people. Some police officers stood outside or in the middle of the ever-growing crowd, observing carefully and occasionally giving instructions to the passengers.
The loudspeakers kept reminding passengers that train stations are crowded during the Spring Festival travel rush and to be careful with their belongings.
"You've been wronged." Xu Zhengyang squeezed his sister's hand and gently comforted her.
"Hmm?" Xu Rouyue looked up at her brother, then her eyes reddened and two tears rolled down her cheeks. "Brother, what are you saying?"
Xu Zhengyang smiled, let go of her hand, raised it to wipe away the tears from his sister's eyes, then held her hand again and pulled her along without saying anything more.
The young men in front of her started laughing again, and some of them even turned around and stared at Xu Rouyue with their faces clearly saying: We were just talking about you again, beautiful lady.
The migrant workers next to and behind Xu Zhengyang and the others, who were probably with those young men, frowned and whispered among themselves that these kids were completely unruly and had really disgraced the rural people.
At the ticket checkpoint, several young people swarmed forward, as if they would feel uneasy if they didn't make a scene and attract attention.
The ticket inspectors and two policemen scolded them, and they finally quieted down, though they still had all the usual grinning faces.
As they walked out of the ticket gate, the group couldn't help but glance back at the young woman they had taken advantage of with their eyes and words the whole way, completely ignoring the two men who appeared to be her brothers accompanying her. Meanwhile, other passengers looked at Xu Zhengyang and Chen Chaojiang with a mixture of disdain and helpless pity. Yes, most people would choose to ignore or helplessly tolerate such scum; it's simply not worth getting into a conflict with them. To paraphrase what Yu Xuan once told Huang Chen not to stoop to Xu Zhengyang's level: "Even if you break his leg and he slaps you, you're still at a disadvantage because… his life is cheap."
Of course, Xu Zhengyang wasn't that arrogant and aloof, nor would he think that way. So if it were him, he would think: I broke your leg, and you only slapped me; I definitely came out ahead.
Hmm, does it also reflect a bit of a small-farmer mentality?
This is where the difference between people lies. Xu Zhengyang, also a farmer, or most other migrant workers, tend to be more low-key, diligent, and simple... their thinking is completely different. It's not your fault if you lack education or have limited or even ignorant knowledge of the outside world; it's not your fault if you're used to speaking loudly and shouting, nor is it shameful. Sometimes it might be looked down upon, but it could also be considered endearing, and you can gradually adapt and learn to be more civilized. However, if you are not ashamed but proud of it, constantly considering yourself uncultured and lacking in manners, using foul language, and bringing the extremely vulgar and uncouth habits of rural thugs and hooligans to people you have no conflict with, thus tarnishing the reputation of farmers, then that is your fault.
A single rotten piece of meat can ruin an entire pot of good soup.
As they walked out of the station, Xu Zhengyang dragged his suitcase, held his sister's hand, and Chen Chaojiang followed beside him. The three of them walked to the Audi, opened the trunk to put the suitcase in, and then opened the car door to let his sister get in.
The young men walking ahead of them were laughing and joking. When they turned around and saw the pretty girl, her two spineless brothers, and the white Audi A4, their vanity was further satisfied. "Look at them! So what if they're rich? They can still be taken advantage of and bullied by us. They're all cowards and wimps..." These young men had never seen the world, never suffered a loss, and were ignorant and self-righteous.
They stopped and stood together, arguing, probably discussing which bus to take or whether to get some breakfast.
The thick fog showed no signs of dissipating, and the square remained crowded with people, the noise of which hummed throughout.
The occasional shouts and yells of those young people, however, were exceptionally clear, attracting many people's disdainful glances.
After Xu Zhengyang helped his sister into the car, he turned to look at the group of young men standing a few meters away and called out softly, "Hey, buddy!"
Several people turned around in surprise. The tallest young man, who seemed to be the leader, wore a black, greasy down jacket. His long hair was somewhat messy, and he had a large, dark face with thick, fierce eyebrows and a big mouth. He looked up at them, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and said, "What? Are you calling us?"
Xu Zhengyang nodded, waved his hand, and said, "You lot, kneel down!"
"Huh?" Everyone was stunned, thinking they had misheard. What was going on?
Making someone kneel down is more humiliating than slapping them in the face!
Xu Zhengyang knew very well what it meant for a man to have his knees folded with gold! He also knew that what he was doing was a bit excessive. But he was angry, annoyed, and strangely, a twisted sense of kindness arose in his heart. He wanted to prevent them from suffering a great loss, that they wouldn't learn their lesson, and that he was helping and saving them.
"What the hell did you say?" the man cursed, glaring at him.
Xu Zhengyang said calmly, "I told you to kneel down! You can refuse to kneel, but kneel to the sky, kneel to the earth, and when you go back, kneel to your entire village, kneel to your parents, because you have disgraced them!"
"Damn it!" The man glared, then turned to his accomplices with a cold smile. "This bastard deserves a beating, doesn't he?"
Several middle-aged men who were with them rushed over from behind, shoving them and urging them to leave quickly and not cause trouble. They warned them not to turn back and get arrested by the police during the New Year, and that the man was a rich person they couldn't afford to offend. At the same time, the middle-aged men turned back and gave Xu Zhengyang apologetic smiles, hoping and pleading with his eyes that Xu Zhengyang wouldn't take offense at their actions.
The young men ignored the advice of others, shouting and cursing as they charged towards Xu Zhengyang. They seemed determined to beat him up, as if they couldn't vent their anger without doing so. In reality, however, they were only making a show of bravado to save face, and they didn't dare to actually break free and beat Xu Zhengyang.
To put it bluntly, they are just a bunch of cowards who are arrogant, bully the weak, and especially afraid of trouble.
A truly fearless person wouldn't resort to such self-degrading behavior to constantly flaunt their awesomeness.
Xu Zhengyang was disgusted by this and coldly rebuked him, "Kneel down!"
"Fuck! Motherfucker..." The group of people shouted and cursed more and more, even including some disrespectful and insulting words towards Xu Zhengyang's sister.
Xu Zhengyang leaned calmly against the car door, watching them jump around like clowns, shouting and cursing, yet none of them dared to step forward. He took out a cigarette, lit it, and waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Make them all kneel down! Don't hurt them, just teach them a lesson."
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Chaojiang, who had been standing coldly to the side, tore through the thick fog like an arrow and rushed into the crowd of young people and middle-aged people who were pushing and shoving each other.
Exclamations of surprise and cries of pain rang out simultaneously.
Immediately, angry curses, shouts, screams, and calls for dissuasion mingled together with the surprised commotion and discussions from the surrounding crowd, creating a cacophony that dispelled the thick fog.
By the time three police officers rushed over from the station entrance, the fight was over.
No, it should be said that the one-sided beating ended quickly.
Chen Chaojiang's attacks were extremely precise, and no one was accidentally injured.
On the ground, five people were indeed kneeling, grimacing, their faces contorted with pain, contorted with resentment, humiliation, and beating. They couldn't even struggle to their feet due to the intense pain, and finding kneeling too shameful, they could only sit sideways on the ground. Chen Chaojiang was grabbing the remaining two, kicking their knees hard to force them to kneel. Seeing the others had sat down, he coldly stepped forward and kicked them, his voice utterly devoid of any warmth as he coldly reminded them: "Get up, kneel down!"
Several middle-aged men stood there dumbfounded, not daring to step forward to stop Chen Chaojiang. Was this pale-faced, cold-looking young man even human?