Catching Monsters

Chapter 670 I Also Have My Own Dignity
He knew that if he fought back, he and his parents would likely be in even bigger trouble.

He could only hope that the men would get tired of fighting and stop.

The group fought for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, and perhaps because they were tired, they slowly stopped.

"Let's go." Qu Yi spat on Qiao Haotian's clothes: "Don't you know your own character? You shameless piece of trash, trying to curry favor with that Jiang Qiaoqiao, and you're even reading the classics?"

Qiao Haotian, covered in wounds, watched the figures of the others gradually walk away, and tears involuntarily streamed down his face.

He took a deep breath, endured the pain, and limped towards home.

boom.

A torrential downpour began, and Qiao Haotian's legs ached from the beating.

But he dared not stop and hurried back home, which was far away in the outer city.

Normally, one should walk for an hour and a half each day.

Now that he has injured his leg, it was already evening when he got home.

His family lived in a rather remote area of ​​the capital, in a small courtyard house.

"Quick, husband, Haotian is back." The elderly mother stood at the door, and only when she saw Haotian return did she show joy: "Quickly bring the dishes out of the pot."

The two arrived at the door, just about to inquire about today's important exam.

Everyone was stunned to see Qiao Haotian covered in wounds.

"Haotian, Haotian, what's wrong with you?"

The two anxiously approached Qiao Haotian's side.

"Mother, I... I fell down," Qiao Haotian said, head bowed in the rain.

The elderly mother, dressed in clothes covered in patches, couldn't hold back her tears. She held Qiao Haotian's hand and said, "My child, you mustn't fight with your classmates."

“Our family is not a wealthy or noble family. The fact that you were able to study at Renyi Academy is already a testament to the good deeds of our ancestors.”

"What if you offend a powerful family in the academy and get expelled?"

"One must be patient in the face of adversity."

"Your parents don't want you to enjoy wealth and luxury. They just hope you can learn knowledge, enter officialdom in the future, and live a better life than your parents. That's enough for them."

Qiao Haotian took a deep breath and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "Mother, don't worry, I know. I really did fall, and several classmates helped me up."

"Quick, go to Old Zhang's house next door and get some liniment. Remember to bring two copper coins."

On a rainy night, his mother rubbed the bruises on his body. Qiao Haotian quickly ate his meal while it was still warm, knowing he would have to get up early the next morning to continue his studies at the academy.

"Does it hurt?" the mother asked worriedly.

"It doesn't hurt," Qiao Haotian laughed.

……

Early the next morning, Qiao Haotian hurriedly got up and, while it was still early, helped his parents chop some firewood in the yard. When it was almost time, he quickly headed towards the academy under the cover of night.

However, he walked with a limp and was much slower than usual.

Just as dawn broke, Qiao Haotian finally arrived at the gate of the academy. He breathed a slight sigh of relief and walked with a limp.

Suddenly, Jiang Qiaoqiao's voice came from behind.

"Qiao Haotian!"

Qiao Haotian turned around and saw a magnificent carriage behind him. He quickly moved aside, afraid of blocking the way.

The carriage stopped next to Qiao Haotian, and Jiang Qiaoqiao, dressed in a scholar's robe, jumped down from it.

Jiang Qiaoqiao hadn't originally planned to come today, since her brother was still unconscious. However, although Jiang Yun hadn't woken up yet, her sister-in-law said he was fine.

Today is the day the exam results are released, and Xu Suwen asked Jiang Qiaoqiao to come over.

"What happened to your face? It's covered in bruises. Did someone beat you up?" Jiang Qiaoqiao asked, puzzled.

"No, I fell by myself." Qiao Haotian shook his head and forced a smile: "In the future, could you please try not to talk to me, so as not to cause misunderstandings among the other classmates?"

"What's wrong? What's the misunderstanding?" Jiang Qiaoqiao blinked, then exclaimed, "Oh, I know! Is it because someone secretly likes me, and I talked to you too much, so they beat you up?"

"Tell me who hit you, and I'll stand up for you."

"Qiaoqiao, we are from two different worlds." Qiao Haotian took a deep breath and limped quickly toward the academy.

Jiang Qiaoqiao touched her face: "Aren't we from the same world? What nonsense is he talking about?" Jiang Qiaoqiao frowned and quickly followed, but no matter how she talked to Qiao Haotian, he remained silent.

When the two arrived at the school and sat down, Qiao Haotian saw Qu Yi, Chai Lihui, and other young masters walk in.

Qu Yi sneered at him, and soon, a supervisor from the academy slowly walked in.

This supervisor is the person responsible for managing the students' 'school rules'.

The supervisor, named Wang Shanjin, was over fifty years old. He stood with his hands behind his back, his brows slightly furrowed, and said, "Qiao Haotian, come out with me."

Upon hearing this, Qiao Haotian remained silent for a moment, realizing that it might be bad news.

Once outside, Wang Shanjin sighed and looked at the other person with some helplessness: "Qiao Haotian, why did you beat up Qu Yi yesterday?"

Qiao Haotian was taken aback and hurriedly tried to explain.

Looking at the injuries on Qiao Haotian's face, Wang Shanjin knew exactly what had happened. He had seen this kind of thing far too many times. He frowned and said, "I can't help you."

"Do you know who Qu Yi's father is?"

"After Qu Yi returned home yesterday, his family discovered that there were bruises on the back of his hand, indicating that he was seriously injured."

"Her mother demanded an explanation from our academy; you must be dismissed."

After speaking, Wang Shanjin was somewhat helpless. Qu Yi's father, Qu Boling, was the current Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice and was also a graduate of the Imperial Academy.

Who can stop someone from expelling a student like that?
Wang Shanjin originally thought that Qiao Haotian would make a big fuss, but to his surprise, Qiao Haotian was surprisingly calm.

He respectfully bowed to the king in a student's salute: "Is there justice in this world? In my view, there is no justice, only power. I have no power whatsoever, so it is only natural that I am humiliated."

After saying that, Qiao Haotian calmly returned to the school and prepared to pick up his things and leave.

At this moment, he was in a state of utter confusion, unsure how to face his parents' questions when he returned home.

His parents had put in a lot of effort for him, but now he felt he had failed their expectations.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Qiaoqiao asked curiously as Qiao Haotian passed by.

Qiao Haotian ignored him, but as he passed Qu Yi, Qu Yi suddenly kicked him, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Hey, is Qiao alright?" Qu Yi stepped forward and put his hand on Qiao's shoulder.

To his surprise, Qiao Haotian's eyes turned red, and he turned around, grabbed his arm tightly, and bit down hard.

"Ah!" Qu Yi screamed in pain, and blood flowed from the hand that Qiao Haotian had bitten.

He used his other hand to keep hitting Qiao Haotian's head, but Qiao Haotian held onto his hand tightly and wouldn't let go.

"You mad dog, let go of my mouth, let go!" Qu Yi cursed, raising his hand to punch the guy in the back of the head.

"Stop!" Jiang Qiaoqiao ran up.

Qu Yi was in so much pain that he lost his mind and pushed Jiang Qiaoqiao to the ground with one slap.

Qiao Haotian, however, bit off a piece of flesh from Qu Yi's hand.

"Ah, he's gone mad!" Qu Yi hurriedly stepped back.

Seeing this, the other students quickly stepped forward and held Qiao Haotian down tightly.

Qiao Haotian roared, "Qu Yi! Your lives are lives, you rich and powerful! Aren't our lives, the lives of the common people, lives too?!"

"I am a human being, and I also have my own dignity."

"I am not a puppet you can manipulate at will."

Qu Yi winced in pain, watching the blood gushing from his hand. He glared coldly and said, "You dare bite me, you bastard! I'll make sure your whole family dies!"

"Arrest him and take him to the Ministry of Justice!"

Seeing Qiao Haotian being taken away, Jiang Qiaoqiao quickly got up from the ground and rubbed her sore back.

"Oops!"

Jiang Qiaoqiao's expression changed.

In a place like the Ministry of Justice, Qiao Haotian had bitten the son of the Right Vice Minister of Justice.

"Brother!!! Wake up!"

Jiang Qiaoqiao shouted and hurriedly ran back home.

(End of this chapter)