"Who allowed you to sing here? Blocking the main road and seeking private gain is a serious crime, don't you know? Moreover, these songs you sing are nothing but decadent sounds, which simply ruin the social customs..."
The leading constable waved his hand, and the two White Servants behind him pounced like wolves and tigers. Seeing Little Stool still collecting silver coins, they snatched it away.
"The silver coins must be confiscated by the government."
Little Stool's eyes turned red. After his family fell into decline, he and his brother faced ridicule and bitterness and had come to value silver coins very highly.
Especially after barely escaping the jaws of death, the silver earned from singing each day was their lifeline, determining whether they could survive, and how well they could live.
He couldn't let others take it away.
He completely forgot he was a scholar with no real abilities, and in a moment of hotheadedness charged forward, wanting to take it back.
Yizuo Mao smirked with disdain.
He suddenly delivered a slap that made Little Stool stagger. Immediately after, the constable was not satisfied and lifted his leg to kick.
This man, despite his unflattering appearance, was strong and fierce. He swung his leg with a powerful whoosh against the wind.
If Little Stool really got kicked, he would be seriously injured if not killed.
People around had already begun to exclaim in shock.
From far and near, people watched. Although no one intervened, it didn't stop them from sharing the anger, unable to contain their indignation.
"Bang..."
Amidst the gasps, there was a dull thud.
The crowd blinked as if their vision blurred. They saw Yizuo Mao suddenly retreating, clutching his leg and howling in pain, his face turning blue.
Unbeknownst to them, the young man who had been squatting on the ground all this time, playing music with broken bricks, had somehow changed his position.
Yizuo Mao had kicked heavily at his chest, as if kicking against a stone wall... Instead of injuring the boy, the impact forced Yizuo Mao to stumble backwards and fall.
"Sir, you should be careful. The roads are slippery when it rains, don't take a tumble."
Chen Ping smiled slightly, his eyes carrying a hint of coldness.
'Snatching silver coins and beating people, no wonder he lives up to the name Black Dog.'
If not for the layer of skin representing the government, based on the other's actions alone, he would've already made the man's blood spill on the street.
"You dare to resist arrest, really dare? I suspect you are all fugitives."
Yizuo Mao got up, face unable to hide his embarrassment, viciously threatening, looking around loudly: "Everyone, get a good look and remember these faces..."
"You can't falsely accuse people. It was clearly you who hit and kicked people, and when you lost your balance, you started spouting lies?"
Hua Lian'er fumed with her chest heaving. A person as vile as a ghost would distort the truth, just like this.
Especially when some use their status to act recklessly, it makes one feel suffocated and unable to speak.
Zuo Duanshou's right hand had already reached into his sleeve, and his body trembled slightly. It wasn't out of fear; he was on the edge of losing control...
He thought he might as well become a wanderer.
After all, he couldn't let them destroy their livelihood.
"Yeah, this is too much."
"They're just making a living by singing. To label them as fugitives is truly heartless."
"Sigh, getting tangled with this person won't end well. Neither fighting nor cursing will work."
The crowd around them murmured, occasionally throwing in their opinions, though it was unclear who exactly was speaking.
Yizuo Mao, seeing no response, wore an even darker expression.
He merely vented his anger by stomping on the scattered bricks and tiles before pointing at Chen Ping with a sneer and saying: "Consider this a warning today. The law is strict. If I see you singing here for profit again, you'll definitely be sent to jail for a good lesson."
As he spoke, he glanced back at Hua Lian'er, his eyes inscrutable, weighed the silver coins in his hand, and left with the two White Servants swaggering away.
Leaving a mess behind.
"Seventh Brother, can you tolerate this?"
Zuo Duanshou watched Yizuo Mao and his men leave, his voice low: "He's truly a disgrace among constables. The Great Li Dynasty is so rotten from top to bottom because of people like him..."
He had been waiting for Chen Ping to give the order, ready to act immediately, unwilling to swallow this insult.
After all, this was a person willing to cut off an arm for food to wipe out bandits and chase them down relentlessly.
Thus, Zuo Duanshou's nature was extremely fierce, and he was not someone who could suffer in silence.
"No rush. Everything has a cause and effect. We've been singing without bothering anyone. Unless someone has an interest involved, there's no reason for the constables to target us. Besides, the streets are full of petty thieves and robbers, yet no one's catching them but suddenly focusing on us. Don't you think that's odd?"
Chen Ping's eyes were deep, and he spoke softly: "Let's go back first. Once the crowd leaves, you find out who these people are and who's behind them. You might want to take a stroll near Fuyuan Restaurant, but remember to be cautious and don't alert them."
"Understood, Seventh Brother."
Zuo Duanshou nodded emphatically.
"Little Stool, is your face okay? We still have some ointment at home. Use hot water to soothe it later. I didn't anticipate the man's arrogance."
"It's nothing, Seventh Brother, it's just a slap. My brother and I have faced much ridicule and beatings, we're used to it. This slap doesn't even hurt..."
Little Stool grinned, his left cheek already swollen with visible fingerprints, yet he felt relieved: "If not for you earlier, I might be lying on the ground now."
Hua Lian'er squatted on the ground, saying nothing, only rubbing the broken tiles, visibly distressed, on the verge of tears.
These seemingly worthless "trash" played beautiful music in Seventh Brother's hands.
Perhaps to others, this stuff really wasn't valuable.
But to Hua Lian'er, it held incomparable significance.
She didn't even consider buying a zither to replace them.
Turning decay into magic, making the impossible possible, creating miracles, how can that be compared to just having a Jade Zither?
It's a pity they were ruined.
"Never mind, they're just some bricks after all. If you like, I'll pick some more up from the abandoned temple later. What's there to be sad about?"
"It's... not the same."
Hua Lian'er still felt wronged.
She just clung to Chen Ping's arm, her head drooping, spirits low.
"What's not the same? The truly precious thing is not the instrument but a pair of hands and your mind. Why don't I teach you a new song when we get back?"
"Really?"
Hua Lian'er's mood shifted drastically from melancholy to joy, the speed of which was astounding.
For some, happiness is just that simple.
"Seventh Brother, you better keep your word, no messing with bad songs, it has to be as good as the previous three."
"Alright, it'll be comparable."
"Will it be Shuidiao Ge Tou again? As if in a Dream would work too."
"Neither."
Chen Ping's mind went numb, responding casually, though inwardly he thought the singing business might not last long.
As a temporary means, creating some songs and lyrics unknown to this world was fine to get through difficult times.
But if it goes on, there's bound to be endless trouble following.
We can't always count on the 'passing scholar' to take the blame, nor underestimate the intellects of this world's literati.