Xuanxia

Chapter 127 Public Anger and Public Pity

Perhaps after so many years, the people of Meifeng City did not realize that the street they walked on every day was so long.

Ding Shuanghe stumbled with every step, his expression numb, his forehead was swollen and bloody, his trouser legs at the knees had been worn out, his flesh and skin were stuck together with the rags.

Every step he took and every time he kowtowed, the pain made his face twitch, but the crying of the baby in his arms seemed to give him endless strength, allowing him to take another step and kowtow again.

The crowd gathered more and more, and the sighs became more and more frequent.

As long as they are not extremely vicious and insane, they will have some empathy. At this time, Ding Shuanghe is no longer the Ding Baopi of the past to them, but an ordinary father who is willing to give everything to save his son.

Before he knew it, there were even voices in the crowd cheering him on.

"Hold on a little longer! It will be done soon!"

"Master Ding, I used to call you a piece of shit, but today you've done this for your son, so I respect you as a real man!"

"How can you, disciples of the Kuaijian Sect, be so ignorant? Why don't you go back and ask people to prepare some medicine for the wounds? Kneeling like this could lead to someone's death!"

Finally, Ding Shuanghe arrived at the end of the street. He was gradually becoming weak, and his kneeling and kowtowing speed became slower and slower.

But...it was finally completed.

When he kowtowed for the last time, the crowd burst into cheers.

"It's done! The child is saved!"

"Hey, that piece of shit young master! Why don't you come over and take a look!"

"You can't go back on your promise!"

Amid the calls of countless people, Fu Qingzhou appeared again leisurely.

He was holding an umbrella and waving a paper fan, with a meaningful smile on his face.

"Sir..."

Ding Shuanghe stood up with the help of two disciples of the Kuaijian Sect: "Please... keep... your promise."

His two feet could hardly bear any weight, and the blood on his forehead flowed down his face with the rain. Only his hands were still tightly holding the swaddling clothes in his arms.

Fu Qingzhou narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly: "Promise? What was my promise just now?"

Without waiting for Ding Shuanghe to answer, the disciple of the Quick Sword Sect beside him shouted sternly: "You make the head master kneel down and walk along this street, kowtow every step, and when he finishes, you can pay me!"

"Well, but this is not complete." Fu Qingzhou asked with a smile: "What else?"

The disciple was startled, then said: "Every time you kowtow, something must be left on the ground..."

He paused halfway through his speech.

Not only him, but all the passers-by were stunned.

They looked back and saw no trace of blood on the long bluestone street.
It was drizzling in the spring rain, and Ding Shuanghe was walking very slowly. The bloodstains he had left behind had long been washed away, with only some residue left in the last few steps.

"You saw it." Fu Qingzhou raised his eyebrows: "There is no blood on the ground at all."

After that, he opened the fan with a snap, looked directly into Ding Shuanghe's eyes, and said with a smile: "So, of course, this young master will not pay for this."

"you?!"

Ding Shuanghe trembled all over.

He is not stupid. By the time things had developed to this point, he had already realized that something was wrong.

Fu Qingzhou said last night that it was just a play, but today he was forced to kneel down on the street. This was not a play at all, but a real humiliation to him.

And when he said, "Of course, I won't pay for this," he could see the seriousness in Fu Qingzhou's eyes.

"you……"

Ding Shuanghe forced himself to stay alert and asked through gritted teeth: "You don't want to... keep your promise?!"

This sentence contained a double meaning, asking both the "noble gentleman" at the moment and the "Young Master Fu" from last night. Fu Qingzhou smiled, and in the shocked and angry eyes of the passers-by around him, he said softly: "Yes, I was just teasing you, so what?"

"puff!"

Ding Shuanghe couldn't bear it any longer, he raised his head and spat out a mouthful of blood mist!
Several disciples of the Kuaijian Sect beside him were ashamed and angry, and they all drew their swords to stab at him, but Fu Qingzhou didn't care. He tapped his toes lightly, stepped back quickly, and after a few leaps, he landed on the roof of a small building on the street.

"You are so shameless!"

Everyone on the street raised their heads and cursed at him: "Beast! Bastard! You gave birth to a son without an asshole!"

Fu Qingzhou didn't take it seriously and laughed loudly, "Thank you, you guys, I saw a good show today!"

After saying this, he turned around, jumped, and disappeared in the foggy spring rain.

On the street, Ding Shuanghe's head and mouth were covered in blood. He fell into the arms of his disciples, and the child in his arms cried even louder.

"Why..."

He stared at the gray sky with lifeless eyes: "If God wants to punish me, then punish me... Why should my son pay with his life..."

The crowd of onlookers looked at the once powerful Master Ding in Meifeng City and saw him fall into such a state. They listened to the baby's hoarse cry and everyone had a look of pity on their faces.

"That's all..."

Ding Shuanghe slowly reached out to wipe the blood and tears off his face, and said to the Quick Sword Sect disciples around him: "Let's... go back."

With the help of others, he stood up again with great difficulty and walked back along the path he had just walked on his knees.

At this moment, a man in the crowd looked at his back and suddenly gritted his teeth.

"Master Ding!"

The man finally made up his mind and strode out of the crowd: "I am willing to buy back the pawnshop you bought from me at the original price!"

Ding Shuanghe's body shook and he slowly turned around.

"Is... is it Manager Chen?" He said in a hoarse voice: "At the beginning I..."

"You hurt me so badly back then!" Shopkeeper Chen said angrily, "But the child is innocent. Your son shouldn't have to suffer for you! I'll buy that pawnshop!"

Ding Shuanghe's pupils trembled violently, his whole body trembled, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a word.

"And I!"

Another woman stepped out of the crowd: "I want to buy back my fabric shop!"

"My brothers and I want to buy your blacksmith shop. Will you sell it to us?"

"Ding Shuanghe! Doesn't the Golden Sword Villa want your dock business? As long as you ask, we, the laborers, will help you to open the door. If they want the dock, they can pay for it!"

"I don't have that much money, but... I can give you five taels of silver. I hope you can cure your child's illness."

Ding Shuanghe stood there like a log, watching the people around him stand up one after another and throw silver pieces, silver ingots, and strings of copper coins on the ground.

Looking further back, people who were too crowded to get closer also raised their hands. Those holding silver bills, copper coins, and purses were shaking and shouting.

Their voices and their indignant faces all gradually became blurred in Ding Shuanghe's eyes.

At this moment, the words Fu Qingzhou said last night rang in his ears again.

"If you want them to forgive you, you have to do something."

At some point, the rain stopped.

A corner of the gray clouds appeared in the sky, and the sunlight shone through the swaying hands, sprinkling on the silver ground, shining brightly.

Ding Shuanghe didn't care that his knees had already been worn out. He broke free from the disciple who was supporting him, hugged his son tightly, knelt hard on the ground, and faced the pile of silver and the countless heroes surrounding him. He touched the ground with his forehead and cried loudly, like he was his own child.

(End of this chapter)