Chapter 250 - 160: Glory
He needed people to remain in awe of him, yet also feel that his current friendliness was a rare and precious thing. That way, the Favors he granted would be all the more valuable, allowing him to earn even more Favor Points.
Ever since returning from the Governor’s Mansion, every time he came back to Liu Family Gully—whether on horseback or on foot—a crowd would flock to him as soon as he entered the village, or groups of neighbors would stand in their doorways to greet him.
However.
When he returned this time, while the people in Liu Family Gully were as bustling as ever, they weren’t as enthusiastic to see him as before. In fact, most of them turned their heads away, pretending not to see him.
Chu Lingguang frowned.
’Have they grown resentful because I’ve been training at the martial arts hall these past few days instead of living in Liu Family Gully? Do they think I’m abandoning them, or are they upset because they couldn’t find me when they needed help?’
"Mrs. Liu, starting a fire to cook?"
Chu Lingguang tied up Little Red Horse. Seeing his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Liu, busy in her kitchen as the smell of sweet potatoes wafted over, he took the initiative to greet her.
"No, we’re out of charcoal. I’m just burning some myself."
Upon hearing him, Mrs. Liu’s gaze darted away, and she quickly shut the kitchen window.
Chu Lingguang’s frown deepened.
He had helped Mrs. Liu’s husband get a job at the tile factory. Every time she saw him, she was filled with gratitude. In the past, she would have long since brought over a whole basket of sweet potatoes for him.
Why would she deliberately hide from him, even going so far as to shut the kitchen window?
Sitting inside his small, tile-roofed house, Chu Lingguang couldn’t help but close his eyes. He used the Turtle Breath Technique to connect with heaven and earth, and the sounds of Liu Family Gully surged toward him, one after another.
"Chu Lingguang is back. Why isn’t he at the martial arts hall, training properly?"
"Master Guo is in for some terrible luck. If Chu Lingguang loses to the Turkic Mission, Master Guo’s reputation will be ruined."
"What was he thinking, becoming the top ranker in South City? In two days, when he loses to the expert from the Turkic Mission, he’ll be utterly disgraced."
"I thought a dragon had finally risen from our Liu Family Gully. Who knew that just a few days later, Chu Lingguang would be facing total disgrace?"
"I haven’t even dared to go out lately. I’m afraid I’ll run into someone I know and they’ll ask what our Liu Family Gully is going to do if Chu Lingguang loses to the expert from the Turkic Mission."
"If he brings shame upon the Great Yuan Dynasty, we’ll all be criticized and scorned."
"Liu Family Gully is going to get a bad name."
"His surname is Chu, not Liu! We’ve just had eight lifetimes of bad luck!"
Chu Lingguang withdrew from his Turtle Breath state.
Flames of fury burned in his eyes.
When he passed the Martial Arts Examination, the villagers of Liu Family Gully had been proud of him. When they were out and about, people from other villages would look up to them. Some people from Liu Family Gully even used his fame to swagger around and show off, causing a fair bit of trouble.
But now, because of the duel with Samba...
Before the outcome was even decided, this bunch was already avoiding him like the plague. No wonder even Mrs. Liu was unwilling to say another word to him, terrified of getting dragged down with him.
He had to admit, while he did want to earn Favor Points from everyone, he had also done many good things for Liu Family Gully. At the very least, officials no longer dared to enter Liu Family Gully and cause trouble as they pleased.
When villagers from Liu Family Gully did business on Wine Street, they would receive preferential treatment just by mentioning his name, and their customer base would even increase significantly.
Chu Lingguang had turned a blind eye to the many instances where people used his reputation to make a profit. It was fine as long as they didn’t cause any real trouble for him and were genuinely grateful, allowing him to gain some Favor Points.
Who would have thought.
A single duel, before it had even begun, would make everyone assume he was bound to lose, bring shame to the Great Yuan Dynasty, be utterly disgraced, and lose his eligibility to continue in the Martial Arts Examination.
To be honest, Chu Lingguang was furious, but also helpless.
The villagers of Liu Family Gully were people from the lowest rungs of society. This type of group believed any rumor they heard and loved to just follow the crowd. A small matter could be blown completely out of proportion as it spread from person to person, until the truth was lost entirely.
Chu Lingguang let out a long sigh.
He grabbed his Lightning Spear, mounted Little Red Horse, and sped away from Liu Family Gully.
He blamed the people for their fickle hearts and for changing with the wind, but he also blamed himself for not being strong enough. If he were an unparalleled genius like Yan Zhen, everyone in Liu Family Gully would probably be beating drums and gongs for him right now, discussing how he was going to teach Samba a lesson.
They certainly wouldn’t be avoiding him like the plague, terrified of being associated with him and sharing in his disgraceful downfall.
Ultimately, it all came down to one thing.
He still wasn’t strong enough.
And he had thought too highly of other people.
After all, not everyone was like Guo Wei and Second Aunt, who were loyal to him through and through.
’Second Aunt? My uncle-in-law?’
Chu Lingguang remembered that Zhang Da was a minor supervisor at the tile factory and that his two younger cousins were attending Mr. Liu’s private school. He went to check on them quietly.
He found that although people at the tile factory were whispering and pointing at Zhang Da, his situation hadn’t changed much, thanks to the influence of Hei Hu’s second uncle.
Over at Mr. Liu’s, he was teaching his students to read and write as usual. The world of children was free of schemes and plots; his two cousins were still on good terms with their classmates, and Mr. Liu hadn’t given them the cold shoulder.
However, his cousin Zhang Linghua, who was of marriageable age, was having trouble. Punks would often pass by her door, whistling, and the house was now kept tightly shut, both inside and out.
Chu Lingguang charged past on his horse, flicked all the punks in Zhang Family Gully into a sewage ditch with his spear, and ordered them to soak in there for a full day and night before they could leave.
He was a Martial Scholar, after all.
His reputation might be taking a hit, but his Combat Power hadn’t changed. The punks, trembling with fear, stayed obediently in the sewage ditch, not daring to climb out.
Chu Lingguang galloped out of Zhang Family Gully on his horse.
Just then, he saw Mrs. Chu of the Zhang Family returning with leftovers from the martial arts hall, walking along the main path through the wheat fields with Zhang Da, who was carrying a load of firewood.