Chapter 92 Public Opinion Obscures the Truth
Donglin Academy.
With a face filled with fury, Lian Fei finally found Yao Susu and asked, “I heard Yang Qun gathered a group of students to go cause trouble for Lin Xun. Was this your doing?”
Yao Susu seemed unconcerned as she casually nodded, “Although I didn’t directly tell them to do so, I did have a hand in this matter. I merely told Yang Qun that Lin Xun is a gifted youngster who constantly looks down on our Donglin Academy students and belittles us. It didn’t feel nice hearing such things.”
Lian Fei’s expression darkened, “And then Yang Qun couldn’t take it and went to find Lin Xun to spar with him?”
Yao Susu chuckled, “Yeah, Yang Qun is easily provoked. I didn’t even need to say much and he quickly gathered up a group and left in a huff to find Lin Xun.”
“Foolish!”
Lian Fei had a headache. He was genuinely angry but could not direct it at Yao Susu. Flustered, his expression turned ugly, “Someone who killed Old Tiger Lu is definitely no ordinary person! Yang Qun and the others will not be his match! Won’t they be seeking their own humiliation?”
Yao Susu said, “I don’t expect them to teach Lin Xun a lesson. It’s the opposite, the more they suffer the better.”
Lian Fei was taken aback, suddenly realizing that this matter was not as simple as he had imagined.
Sure enough, Yao Susu swiftly explained, “Although Yang Qun and the others are boastful and domineering, they are also from various powerful factions in Donglin City. Offending them is equivalent to offending these factions. Isn’t this great? It’s better than you trying to face Lin Xun alone, right?”
Lian Fei’s rage began to dissipate as he connected the dots, “You’re trying to sabotage Lin Xun?”
The corners of Yao Susu’s lips curled downwards, “If not for you, I would never do such a lowly thing.”
Lian Fei hurriedly consoled her, touched by her intentions, “Susu, I was only worried about you. Lin Xun is so ruthless, how can I bear to see you earn his ire?”
Yao Susu smiled, “You need not worry about me, I’m not afraid of Lin Xun. If not for you, I wouldn't even know such a person exists.”
Something suddenly occurred to Lian Fei, “How did you find out about Lin Xun and me?”
A pleased smile arose on Susu’s face, “No one can hide anything from me if I wish to know about it. Alright, that’s enough. Don’t think too much about this and just wait for the entertainment to start. The district exam is tomorrow. If Yang Qun and the others are heavily injured and unable to participate, it will most definitely incur the wrath of several factions. When that happens, Lin Xun will only be able to keep hopping around for a few days more.”
Lian Fei was a little shocked. Yao Susu appeared to be an innocent young lady, so who could have imagined she would possess such cunning?
However, Lian Fei also could not help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of Lin Xun falling into a dangerous predicament. After all, Lian Fei had not forgotten the sullenness and defeat he had felt a few days ago.
An uproar suddenly sounded from far away, causing Lian Fei and Yao Susu to instinctively look over.
A group of students were running towards the academy entrance and people were shouting along the way.
“Come quickly, our fellow students have been beaten up by someone, tied up and delivered to the academy entrance!”
“How horrible! Who dares to bully our Donglin Academy? I’m interested to find out which arrogant bastard is the culprit!”
The shouts stunned Lian Fei and Yao Susu. How had things reached this stage? To think that Lin Xun would be that ballsy; not only did he beat up Yang Qun and the others, but he even brought the conflict to the school.
The couple exchanged a glance before heading towards the academy entrance as well to find out more.
……
Although it was the afternoon, the entrance to Donglin Academy was exceptionally lively. Heads bobbed up and down as numerous busybodies crowded around, creating such a tight blockade that even water wouldn’t be able to seep through.
A dozen figures were lying on the empty ground in front of the academy, their arms tied up together behind them and linked to their necks like criminals. Their faces were swollen and bruised, their hair messily scattered, and dirty rags had even been stuffed into their mouths, creating a very pathetic sight.
They were naturally the pampered young masters who had tried to cause trouble at the slum's 49th residence today.
There were also a dozen shabbily dressed white-haired elders kneeling beside them, who looked as if they had half a foot in the grave. The grandpas and grannies were currently wailing loudly.
Fatty Diao and Beanpole Ma could also be found amongst the group.
Fatty Diao took a deep breath and angrily hollered, “My fellow citizens, we’ve been left with no choice but to come here and demand justice! Some things need to be said even if we end up being beaten to death by Donglin Academy!
“The Donglin Academy degenerates on the ground went to the slums today to wreak havoc, saying they wanted to polish their martial arts and cultivation in preparation for tomorrow’s district exam. They beat anyone they came across, injuring many of our family and friends. They were cruel, vicious and had zero regard for the people. I’d like to ask right here and now: are there no longer any laws in this world?”
Fatty Diao appeared as if he was filled with indignation and passion. Everyone in the vicinity could clearly hear his words, eliciting several gasps from the crowd.
“Their bullying has gone too far this time!”
Tears began to gather in Fatty Xiao’s eyes as he pointed towards one of the old grannies who was toothless, “Everyone look, that’s my neighbor’s, Gou Sheng, mum. Although she’s already so old, she was nearly sullied by someone!”
The entire place exploded at these words. Sullied? Which blind idiot would try to touch an old granny?
However, Fatty Diao was clearly overwhelmed by grief. He gritted his teeth, walked to one of the tied-up youngsters on the ground and emotionally said, “Everyone might not believe me, but I swear to the heavens that this imp…he might be young, but his tastes are…repulsive! If I didn’t arrive at Gou Sheng’s house in time, his mother would have been raped by this pervert!”
The youngster’s eyes bulged from their sockets as he struggled to try and say something. However, he had been gagged and could only make whimpering noises.
The old granny very cooperatively began to bang her head against the ground until it began to bleed. It was a heart-stirring sight that made the crowd begin to suspect that it was real.
Without giving anyone time to think, Fatty Xiao thumped his chest and wailed at the sky, “My fellow citizens, we’re already the lowest class citizens who live in the slums. If these degenerates didn’t leave us with no other option, how could we possibly have the courage to come to Donglin Academy’s doorstep to shout our grievances?”
The crowd secretly nodded in agreement. That was right, these people were clearly from the lowest level of society. Normally speaking, such people would never dare to cause a fuss at Donglin Academy even if you gave them the courage to.
There is definitely a reason for this!
By this time, several students had already gathered at the entrance. Anger rapidly filled their faces when they saw their fellow students bound up and lying on the ground.
However, they were just too young and had never experienced something like this. After hearing Fatty Diao’s bitter and despairing cries, the students could not help but suspect his story was true.
Some students tried to go forward to save Yang Qun and the others but were doggedly obstructed by the granny and grandpa group, making it seem as if the only way to get past was over their dead bodies.
The grannies and grandpas had no cultivation and were just ordinary people. Moreover, they already had half a foot in the grave. Things would become very troublesome if they were injured while the crowd was watching.
It would also hurt Donglin Academy’s reputation and people would say the students only knew how to bully the elderly. That would be far too shameful.
Fatty Diao began to shout again, “I demand justice even if I lose my life today!”
“Right! We want justice!”
Beanpole Ma also began to yell, “I heard these degenerates mention that they were sent by a student called Lian Fei to cause trouble in the slums. He said those who live in the slums are less than human and their pathetic lives are worth less than papers so no one cares if they’re killed. Isn’t this a complete disregard for human life?”
The fact that Beanpole Ma could even name the mastermind convinced the crowd even more.
Lian Fei and Yao Susu arrived just in time to hear this, which immediately stunned Lian Fei. Since when have I ever said such a stupid thing?
Lian Fei’s expression darkened. He knew at a glance that this was Lin Xun’s revenge!
“Despicable!” Lian Fei felt as if he was about to explode from anger. He hadn’t even done anything but he was receiving all the blame. Worst of all, he didn’t know how to explain himself on the spot. This was probably what public opinion obscuring the truth was like.
Yao Susu’s expression was also rather ugly. She never imagined that Lin Xun would be so devious and respond so quickly. Not only had he given Yang Qun and the others a beating, but Lin Xun had also weaved a convincing lie and brought the mess all the way to Donglin Academy.
Even if they somehow proved in the future that it was just a bunch of lies, who would believe them then?
In fact, Yao Susu could already foresee many people adding on to the story once it spread!
Rumors were often grown from groundless accusations. As more and more people added their own little tidbits into the story, it would swiftly be spun into an unimaginable tale. The more you tried to explain, the more the people would suspect it was real.
Fatty Diao and Beanpole Ma were still angrily crying out their grievances. At this point, they knew that the bigger the commotion, the safer they would be. Hence, they used every bit of talent they had to continue pouring shit onto Lian Fei.
More and more people gathered as time passed.
Lin Xun watched everything transpire a thousand feet from the academy. In the end, he silently chuckled and turned to leave.
The matter was already blown up enough. Regardless of the outcome, the controversy caused by this affair was sufficient to give the factions behind the pampered young masters a headache for a long time.
If they still dared to go after him regardless of the cost, it would instead prove that everything was true. This result was certainly not what the influential figures behind the spoiled young masters would want.
Fatty Diao’s and Beanpole Ma’s acting skills are pretty good. It’s a stroke of genius that they also came up with the idea of finding some elderly to play along as well. The Donglin Academy cultivators have no choice but to hold back and act with caution. However, the acting duo will definitely be hated in the future and will no longer be able to stay in Donglin City. It looks like I need to plan an escape route for them…
Lin Xun pondered as he walked, feeling very composed.
Today’s skit had indeed been his work. Although it had temporarily staved away the danger, the truth that he was the mastermind would be found out sooner or later.
However, Lin Xun could care less about such things. When the district exam was over, he would naturally leave Donglin City and head to Qingfeng County where he would begin preparations for the prefectural exam.
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