Chapter 8: Punishing Liu Quan

This morning, Liu Quan had waited a long time for Lu Shujin, nearly missing the time for morning classes, and was already fuming with anger. He had just sent someone to Jiazi Hall to look for her, but she was nowhere to be found. Now, having just taken out his frustration on a clueless boy, he was in full swaggering mode when Lu Shujin finally appeared. With a cold snort, he lifted his foot off the back of Liang Chunyan’s head.

He walked toward Lu Shujin with a hostile expression. “I waited and waited this morning and didn’t see you. I thought you’d died in your dorm.”

The others, who usually followed Liu Quan around like bullies under a tiger’s shadow, spread out to form a circle around Lu Shujin, just as they had done earlier when beating Liang Chunyan.

Lu Shujin acted as if she hadn’t noticed, still smiling gently. “Something came up this morning and delayed me. I was worried you’d be anxious, Brother Liu, so I rushed here without stopping.”

Liu Quan narrowed his eyes. “Where’s the stuff?”

Lu Shujin pulled a piece of paper from her sleeve and slowly unfolded it, not handing it over immediately. Instead, she said, “Before that, I have something to tell you, Brother Liu.”

Liu Quan said impatiently, “Then spit it out. Don’t waste my time.”

“This will be the last time I write a policy essay for you,” Lu Shujin said.

Liu Quan’s eyes widened in fury, glaring at her viciously. “What did you say? Say it again.”

“This will be the last time I ghostwrite for you. From now on, find someone else,” Lu Shujin repeated, her expression unchanged as she looked at Liu Quan, seemingly unfazed by his threatening demeanor.

Seeing her like this, Liu Quan exploded with rage. “Lu Shujin, you’ve got some nerve. Do you know who that is lying on the ground? He’s a poor kid who entered the academy with you. He talked back to me yesterday and I beat him half to death.”

“I know,” Lu Shujin replied. “I also know your Liu family made its fortune in business, and your granduncle served as an official for decades and was promoted to Assistant Magistrate of Yun Prefecture six months ago. These things are easy to find out.”

“And you still dare defy me?!” Liu Quan jabbed a finger at her nose. “I let you off before because you seemed clever and efficient. I didn’t expect you to get so bold. The last person who crossed me had all ten fingers broken and never wrote again. You’re just a poor scholar from out of town—what makes you think you can stand against me?”

“Even if you break both my arms today, I won’t write another word for you!” Lu Shujin raised her voice. Her fair face now carried a heroic air, and her firm tone was striking. “You and your lackeys have too many essays. I write late into the night every day, draining my energy. It caused me to make a grave mistake while distracted, and now I must apologize to Young Master Xiao!”

Liu Quan, still fuming, didn’t quite grasp what she meant and blurted out, “Xiao Jin? Him again? What does he have to do with—”

“Yes, why is it me again?”

Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind, cutting Liu Quan off. Everyone turned toward the sound.

That voice had practically become Liu Quan’s nightmare. The moment he heard it, he felt pain all over his body. Looking up, he saw the fearsome Xiao Jin standing not far away, his expression cold and sharp, eyes like arrows aimed straight at him.

Even though it was clearly still the sweltering heat of September, Liu Quan felt as if he had been plunged into the icy depths of midwinter. His face, full of flesh, trembled with fear. “X-Xiao Jin…”

The others were just as terrified. The arrogance they had shown while bullying others moments ago vanished instantly. They all backed away in unison—even though Xiao Jin was alone.

His face was frosted with cold fury, and when he was angry, he was truly terrifying. Even Lu Shujin couldn’t help but take two steps back.

Although all of this had been part of her plan, provoking Xiao Jin was the one variable she couldn’t control.

Lu Shujin had already weighed the pros and cons carefully.

Xiao Jin, despite his fierce appearance and the bad reputation he had among others, was fundamentally different from Liu Quan.

He might be a bit of a rake, but he wasn’t a bully. The two times he had beaten Liu Quan had only resulted in superficial injuries—Liu Quan could still attend the academy as usual, which proved Xiao Jin hadn’t gone too far.

Liu Quan, on the other hand, had beaten Liang Chunyan unconscious over a mere verbal dispute. The poor boy would likely need days to recover.

If she continued to be entangled with Liu Quan, it was only a matter of time before he turned on her completely—and he might cripple her. But even if Xiao Jin were truly enraged and beat her, it would likely only result in a few days of recovery. And it would solve the Liu Quan problem once and for all.

This gamble, even with only a 60% chance of success, was worth it. The worst outcome was just a beating from Xiao Jin—some external injuries.

“I didn’t know Young Master Liu had such great power. Does the law in Yuncheng now bend to the will of the Wang family?” Xiao Jin still held that crumpled piece of paper in his hand as he stepped forward.

Liu Quan stammered in panic, speaking quickly, “I-I-I never said anything like that! And I haven’t said a word about you since that day—why are you coming after me again?”

Xiao Jin’s gaze dropped to the half-dead Liang Chunyan on the ground. The fire in his chest surged to his head. He threw the paper at Lu Shujin and shot her a glare. “Take your pile of dog crap and get out of the way. Once I’m done with this bastard, I’ll deal with you.”

Lu Shujin lowered her head and caught the crumpled paper he threw at her, obediently stepping aside.

Liu Quan trembled as he backed away, his eyes red with panic. He shouted, “My grand-uncle is the Assistant Magistrate of Yuncheng! You can’t keep hitting me!”

Xiao Jin sneered coldly. “Your grand-uncle is a sixth-rank official, and he lets you run wild in Yuncheng. My father is a first-rank official—why shouldn’t I be able to deal with you?”

At that moment, Liu Quan realized disaster had truly struck. Terrified, he turned to flee. But after just two steps, he felt a tremendous force slam into his back. In that instant, it felt like all his internal organs had shifted. He cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground, completely powerless.

Xiao Jin’s kick had sent Liu Quan tumbling. Before he could get up, Xiao Jin pressed a hand to the back of his neck and slammed his head into the ground. Liu Quan bit into the grass, stunned, and then the punches came—fierce and relentless, like iron hammers pounding bone. The sharp pain made him scream uncontrollably.

Earlier, Lu Shujin had felt a bit uneasy watching Liu Quan get beaten. But now, she felt nothing but satisfaction. The breath of resentment she’d been holding finally released. It was worth all those late nights writing essays for Liu Quan and his cronies.

Liu Quan’s face was covered in snot and tears. After a long bout of crying and begging, Xiao Jin finally stopped. Liu Quan thought it was over—just like before, Xiao Jin would vent his anger and leave.

But this time, Xiao Jin pressed his left leg against Liu Quan’s back, his knee pinning down his neck. One hand held Liu Quan’s shoulder blade, the other gripped his wrist, stretching out his entire right arm.

“Xiao Jin! What are you doing?!” Liu Quan shouted in terror.

Xiao Jin’s eyes were still cold, filled with a violent chill. His voice was low and grim: “Since you’ve used this right hand to commit so many wrongs, there’s no need to keep it.”

“Let me go! Let me go!” Liu Quan now fully realized what Xiao Jin intended. He struggled wildly, trying to break free, but the weight on his back was too much. He couldn’t move at all. Finally, he gave up and began to plead, “Young Master Xiao, please! I beg you! I’ll never do it again!”

Xiao Jin’s lips curled into a cold smile. He freed one hand, picked up a stone from the ground, and without another word, raised it high and brought it down hard on Liu Quan’s hand.

“Ahhh!” Liu Quan, in a panic, turned his tear-streaked face toward Lu Shujin, eyes full of desperation. “Help me! Please, save me!”

Lu Shujin’s gaze lingered on Xiao Jin’s profile for a moment. She felt that he was completely different from the frivolous man he had appeared to be earlier. Now, he exuded a chilling aura that made her freeze in place. She made no move in response to Liu Quan’s desperate plea for help.

Xiao Jin let out a breath of pent-up anger, raised the stone in his hand, and without blinking, brought it down three times with force. The faint sound of bones breaking was drowned out by Liu Quan’s piercing screams. His shoulder blade, elbow, and wrist were all shattered—his right arm was completely ruined.

The scene was truly terrifying. Lu Shujin was clever, but after all, she was only a sixteen-year-old girl. Having been confined to the courtyard for years, she had never witnessed anything like this. She instinctively shrank her neck in fear, her heart pounding violently against her chest. She wanted to run, but forced herself to stay calm.

After crippling Liu Quan’s right arm, Xiao Jin stood up and tossed the stone aside. His gaze swept over the group of people nearby who had already huddled together in fear. He said coldly, “You lot—go home, beg your elders, and get yourselves out of the academy. If I see you again, I’ll break your arms the same way.”

Liu Quan clutched his completely useless right arm, curling up in pain and crying out miserably. Blood quickly soaked through his sleeve and flowed out, making for a truly horrifying sight. The few attendants with him were so terrified they nearly lost control of themselves, nodding frantically in acknowledgment.

“Get lost,” Xiao Jin ordered coldly.

Then he pointed at Liang Chunyan. “And this one—take him for medical treatment.”

The group scrambled to their feet, dragging the still-screaming Liu Quan and the unconscious Liang Chunyan away as fast as they could, not daring to linger even a moment.

Soon, the area around the artificial rock formation fell silent, leaving only Xiao Jin and Lu Shujin behind.

Xiao Jin brushed the dust off his clothes and turned to look at Lu Shujin.

Lu Shujin met his gaze for a brief moment before quickly looking away, her eyes fixed on the weeds on the ground. Her heart was in turmoil, and she anxiously wondered how she could protect herself if Xiao Jin decided to hit her.

Xiao Jin snorted through his nose and walked toward her. “Scared now? When you so boldly wrote, ‘People who are too clever are no different from fools. It’s easier and more convenient to just be a fool,’ did you not think this moment would come?”

Lu Shujin had mentally prepared herself, but when the moment arrived, she was still afraid. She quickly raised her hands to shield her head. “Don’t hit me! I can explain!”

Xiao Jin didn’t speak, nor did he raise his hand. The surroundings fell silent for a moment. Lu Shujin cautiously peeked out from behind her sleeve, her eyes like timid black grapes, sneaking a glance at him.

Then a hand reached out and grabbed her chin, forcing her to lift her face.

Lu Shujin shrank her pale neck slightly, nervously looking at Xiao Jin. She noticed that although his expression still carried anger, the cold, violent aura from earlier had dissipated.

It seemed he had no intention of hitting her at all. He just pinched her chin and gave it a slight shake, staring into her eyes as he growled, “Go on, let me hear how a top scholar candidate explains this.”

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