Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Making a Name

Li Yishan demanded a ransom of thirty silver taels.

Although Butcher Hu was relatively well-off compared to an ordinary family, he couldn’t produce thirty silver taels. He only gave Chu Lingguang ten.

Chu Lingguang, in turn, gave Li Yishan five silver taels.

After receiving the silver, Li Yishan couldn’t help but say to his men, “From now on, don’t touch anyone from Wine Street. Spread the word. Consider it a gesture of respect for the future Martial Arts Scholar. We’ll split this silver and go for a drink.”

“Yes, sir!”

Li Yishan’s men nodded.

They could all see that with Chu Lingguang’s Martial Arts, he didn’t need to reason with them at all. His Spear Technique was more than enough to kill them all.

But Chu Lingguang didn’t do that. Instead, he had them owe him a Favor and even gave them a ransom of five silver taels. With this connection established, when Chu Lingguang became a Martial Arts Scholar in the future, even if they had no further dealings, it would still be a story they could tell.

Li Yishan, for his part, believed that Chu Lingguang defeating Liu Quan at the Escort Agency had already avenged him. That, combined with his masterful Spear Technique, not only convinced Li Yishan that Liu Quan had been outmatched but also served as a warning for him to weigh his own abilities carefully. That was why he released Butcher Hu’s sister without any hesitation.

He just hadn’t expected Chu Lingguang to prepare ransom money for him.

Thinking about how Chu Lingguang might become a Martial Arts Scholar in the future, he ordered his men not to touch anyone from Wine Street and had the word spread. This both granted a Favor to Chu Lingguang and, in an indirect way, built up Chu Lingguang’s prestige and authority.

In his heart, Li Yishan still hoped to befriend Chu Lingguang. Even if Chu Lingguang became a Martial Arts Scholar and forgot about this incident, their relationship at least wouldn’t be a hostile one.

“Sister!”

Chu Lingguang brought Mrs. Hu before Butcher Hu.

Seeing his sister safe and sound, Butcher Hu’s eyes filled with tears.

The two had depended on each other since they were children. Butcher Hu had been raised by his older sister, and the siblings shared a deep bond.

“Chu, you are the great benefactor of our Hu Family! I…”

“Hey, Hu, don’t be like that.”

Butcher Hu tried to pull his sister down to kneel before Chu Lingguang, but Chu Lingguang stopped them. He turned, got back on his horse, and tossed a cloth pouch to Butcher Hu. It contained the remaining five silver taels.

“Li Yishan only took half the silver. Hu, I’ll be taking my leave now.”

With that, Chu Lingguang spurred his horse and rode toward the Martial Arts Hall.

He had only given Li Yishan five silver taels not because he wanted to pocket the rest, but because Butcher Hu was a sincere man. Ever since Chu Lingguang had saved Chun Ju, the butcher had been sending him pork from time to time. Recognizing that he was a grateful person leading a hard life, Chu Lingguang had taken it upon himself to give Li Yishan only five silver taels.

Fortunately, everything had turned out fine. He had managed to bring the person back for Butcher Hu.

“Chu.”

Butcher Hu was endlessly grateful.

Chu Lingguang returned to the Martial Arts Hall and continued his training. In the evening, Butcher Hu and his sister arrived with a side of mutton and fine wine from Xiaoyue Building worth two silver taels.

A group of shopkeepers followed behind them.

“Hu, what is all this?”

Chu Lingguang frowned. He had expected Butcher Hu to bring a gift to thank him, but why was he followed by a group of shopkeepers?

“Master Guo has taken on a fine disciple.”

“Young Master Chu is a future Martial Arts Scholar.”

“Congratulations, Master Guo! Congratulations, Young Master Chu!”

…

The group of shopkeepers all cupped their fists and said with a smile.

“What makes you all say that?”

Guo Wei was puzzled.

“Li Yishan sent word around Wine Street, saying that from now on, he won’t be targeting the shopkeepers there. He wants to give face to a future scholar.”

“We learned from Butcher Hu that the ’future scholar’ Li Yishan mentioned is none other than Master Guo’s disciple, Young Master Chu.”

“Last time with the Big Saber Gang, it was Young Master Chu who helped us all. This time, when we went to the county to procure goods without being harassed by bandits, it was also thanks to Young Master Chu.”

“Thank you, Young Master Chu! Thank you, Master Guo!”

“Master Guo has taken on a fine disciple.”

…

The group explained.

“You all praise him too highly. Lin Guang is still inexperienced. We don’t even know if he’ll pass the Daoist Examination in two months. Please, do not use the title of ’future Martial Arts Scholar’ for him.”

Guo Wei cupped his fists to the crowd. He wasn’t excited that his disciple had gained the title of ’future Martial Arts Scholar’; instead, he looked troubled and hastily explained, “Lord Xu is governing effectively and will soon be assembling troops to punish bandits and mountain marauders. Li Yishan is just making up an excuse to disappear during this time. Please, don’t take his words seriously.”

“Lin Guang, Hei Hu, see our guests out!”

Guo Wei knew he had to suppress this reputation.

Otherwise, the title of ’future Martial Arts Scholar’ would cause Chu Lingguang to receive special attention during the Daoist Examination. The other candidates participating would surely try every means possible to compete against him.

At that point, Chu Lingguang would become a public target.

“Yes, sir!”

“Everyone, please head back!”

Chu Lingguang and Hei Hu dispersed the crowd.

The two of them went to the back courtyard where Guo Wei questioned Chu Lingguang in detail, getting a thorough understanding of how he had rescued Butcher Hu’s sister.

When he learned that Chu Lingguang had used the Weiyuan Escort Agency as a pretext to demonstrate his Basic Thirteen Spear Techniques and let Li Yishan know his strength, Guo Wei saw no problem with it. He even praised Chu Lingguang for being quick-witted, knowing how to exploit Li Yishan’s psychology to rescue the person without a direct confrontation.

“Li Yishan had good intentions, but this has caused trouble.”

Guo Wei sighed.

“Master, is it not a good thing that Junior Brother has received the title of ’future Martial Arts Scholar’?”

Hei Hu said, his tone sour.

“Hmph. In two months, you two will be taking the Daoist Examination. The title of ’future Martial Arts Scholar’ will only make Lin Guang a public target at the Martial Examination grounds. If you want the title so badly, you can have it.”

Guo Wei said angrily, knowing that Hei Hu was only pretending to be ignorant.

Hei Hu immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak.

“I’ll go find Li Yishan and have him explain things clearly to everyone.”

Chu Lingguang also realized the seriousness of the situation.

The title of Martial Arts Scholar didn’t match his current strength. ’I was certainly happy when the townspeople were praising me,’ he thought, ’but I quickly sensed something was wrong.’

“No, that will only make things worse.”

Guo Wei shook his head.

He sighed and said, “Li Yishan was also acting out of goodwill. He wanted to build up your reputation to befriend you. Since it’s come to this, don’t go anywhere for a while. Just stay in the Martial Arts Hall and focus on your training.”

“Yes, Master. By the way, is what you said earlier about Lord Xu cracking down on bandits and mountain marauders true?”

Chu Lingguang nodded, suddenly remembering the matter.

“Li Yishan is a smart man. You don’t need to worry about him. Once he gets wind of it, he’ll go into hiding on his own.”

Guo Wei smiled. It was clear that because of the incident with Butcher Hu’s sister, Li Yishan and Chu Lingguang had both shown each other consideration.

“Thank you, Master.”

Chu Lingguang also realized that what Guo Wei had just said to the Wine Street shopkeepers was both to get him out of a tight spot and to covertly tip off Li Yishan.

Chu Lingguang silently committed this subtle way of handling matters to memory. ’It will be useful in the future.’

Just then, three lines of text appeared before Chu Lingguang.

(Helped Butcher Hu rescue his sister, gained 132 Favor Points.)

(Helped Li Yishan teach Liu Quan a lesson, gained 42 Favor Points.)

(Helped Guo Wei gain prestige, gained 12 Favor Points.)

Chu Lingguang noticed that the Favor Points from Butcher Hu were the highest, and that Li Yishan had tacitly acknowledged that he had defeated Liu Quan.

Gaining Favor Points required the other party’s gratitude. Apparently, spreading his fame was Li Yishan’s sincere way of thanking him. Just as Guo Wei had said, Li Yishan had simply meant well but ended up causing trouble.

(Chu Lingguang doesn’t need to get famous for now, but this book needs more exposure. I’m begging you all! I’ll repay you with a flood of new Chapters after it goes premium!)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep