Chapter 151

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Chapter 151: He Is Anxious

The crowd on the vegetable market street surged, surrounding a man and a woman in the middle of the road.

The man is a very old man in his nineties. He is surrounded by people, with a cold expression.

The woman, on the other hand, is a plump and graceful young woman. She has a mixture of shame and anger on her face, with tears streaming down her cheeks, smudging her makeup.

More and more pedestrians on the vegetable market street are drawn to this situation, constantly gathering from all directions. The situation is gradually escalating.

Meanwhile.

There are also many hidden gazes, focusing on this scene.

Among them, there is Dao Zhen, a disciple of the Great Dao Sect, sitting at the Eight Immortals table in front of a tea house at the vegetable market street entrance.

He is sitting leisurely, gently blowing on the hot tea, and raising the cup of hot tea to drink.

While tilting his head back to drink tea, his eyes were fixed on Qiao Mu, just like a primary school student watching TV while eating, afraid to miss any exciting content.

"I wonder how Qiao Shuanglin will handle this?"

One of Dao Zhen’s hobbies was observing ordinary people, especially those with extraordinary personalities and perseverance.

After witnessing Qiao Zhong’s beheading, he became somewhat interested in Qiao’s family.

And now, with Qiao Shuanglin caught in a dilemma, he naturally would just sit by and watch, even refusing to tolerate any disturbance to this entertaining drama.

"Actually, the Qiao’s family members from Nan Province have a pretty good reputation."

"Although there is the unruly criminal Qiao Pifu who forcefully entered Heyang City’s Xuantian Temple, there are no cowards among them."

"But Qiao Shuanglin seems a bit different. His reputation in the Imperial Capital doesn’t seem to be good, right?"

"Among the few Qiao’s family members who have appeared so far, this elderly man is considered an outlier."

Dao Zhen was also curious about what kind of person Qiao Shuanglin was.

So he continued watching the play.

……….

The sound of people gradually became noisy.

The crowd always blindly followed, naturally standing on the side of the calm but cold-faced old man, and the weeping young woman.

"Surround him, don’t let him escape!"

"I heard that this old man has martial arts skills, even though he’s old now, he can easily bully a woman with a little remaining strength."

"Old man, if you’re really innocent, why not stand there and wait for the government officials to come? They will be able to determine your innocence."

There were various sounds around.

Qiao Mu remained calm and observed carefully. He realized that not all of the people in the crowd were actors brought by the mastermind. Some of them were genuinely angry and came forward to protect the woman.

"Unreasonable…" Qiao Mu silently shook his head and turned to leave.

He originally thought that the truth among them could easily be seen by wise individuals.

But the pedestrians in the market square at this moment didn’t have such good insight.

Of course, there was also a possibility… that these onlookers didn’t actually care so much about the truth. They were simply spectators, instinctively taking the side of "justice."

Qiao Mu had no intention of wasting time with these people.

His eyes suddenly became sharp, and a strong aura of killing arose once again.

Even though he hadn’t mastered the true Spiritual Refining Method or the Eye Attacking Method, due to not having entered the Spiritual Refining Method, Qiao Mu could still imitate it and use his own intimidating aura to awe these ordinary people.

When he glared at them like that, the noisy crowd around him immediately quieted down and unconsciously made way for him.

Qiao Mu was about to leave when suddenly he heard a shout from afar.

"Hey! You shameless person! Don’t even think about leaving like this. I, ‘Dragon Claw’ Hu Han, cannot tolerate such disrespect towards virtuous ladies!"

A strong man with a square face stood in front of Qiao Mu.

He glanced at the plump woman next to him and unconsciously stood up straighter, making his already sturdy chest even more erect and magnificent.

"It’s the hero ‘Dragon Claw’ Hu Han!"

"Even Hero Hu is here? Now that old man won’t dare to act tough!"

Amidst the noise, the woman seemed to notice Hu Han’s gaze and blinked her eyes, her eyes becoming even redder.

"I beg Hero Hu to help me."

"This old man seems to have some martial arts skills. He was disrespectful towards me earlier, and now he’s trying to leave when he hears someone is reporting him to the authorities. Without a heroic figure like Hero Hu’s assistance…"

Hu Han opened his eyes wide and stood firm when the young woman begged with red eyes.

"Old man, you can’t leave!"

"What? You believe her just based on her words?" Qiao Mu stopped and said calmly.

"How do you know that this isn’t just her falsely accusing me? Did anyone see me do anything inappropriate to her just now?"

Strong man Hu Han hesitated for a moment, then shouted loudly.

"False accusation? Who would risk their own reputation to falsely accuse an old man like you?"

Upon hearing this, others nodded one after another.

In this feudal dynasty, the reputation of virtuous women has always been highly valued.

Many young girls and married women were kept hidden in their homes, not allowed to go out freely or show their faces, as it could invite gossip.

And this young woman now claims that she was harassed on the street, and if this incident spreads, it will definitely have an impact on her reputation.

Once her reputation is tarnished, she will probably be subject to criticism for the rest of her life, so in the eyes of others, it’s only natural for her not to falsely accuse others of wrongdoing.

Seeing everyone nodding in agreement, Hu Han the hero gained a bit more confidence and proudly said:

"Don’t worry, if you are truly innocent, when the authorities come and investigate the matter thoroughly, they will clear your name."

"But if you truly did it, I can’t pretend that I don’t know."

Strong man Hu Han crossed his arms and let out a cold snort.

"Good!"

"Today, thanks to the presence of Hero Hu, we won’t let this old thief escape!" The people around immediately cheered.

All eyes fell on Hero Hu, making him unconsciously stand taller and more imposing.

They are people who like to watch the excitement and don’t mind getting involved in things. When they heard about an unusual event where a ninety-year-old man was flirting with a young woman on the street, they couldn’t resist going to see it.

If this Qiao Shuanglin is really someone important and powerful from the Imperial Capital, maybe they wouldn’t dare to gather around and watch.

But this so-called Qiao’s family is not that famous in the Zhong Province Imperial Capital. Its reputation is mostly in the Nan Province. It can only be considered ordinary here and is far from being influential in the Imperial Capital.

Maybe they have heard some rumors about Qiao’s family during their tea time, but that’s about it.

Compared to Qiao’s family, Wan Ronghua, who is a local tycoon, is the one who really makes them feel afraid and respectful.

However, Qiao Mu frowned.

The government?

The powerful force that he offended includes the government of Great Yan. It’s possible that this whole thing is a plot by some government official…

Moreover, his head is still hanging on that stake in the vegetable market. It’s a bit unreasonable to expect him to trust the government of Great Yan to clear his name.

"Are you really interested in the truth or do you just want to show off in front of others, Mr. Foolish Hero? Do you want to turn me in to the officials?" Qiao Mu said coldly.

"You also seem to have the reputation of a hero in the martial world. Do you truly believe that the government can distinguish right from wrong and clear my name?"

"Besides, whether I touched that woman or not just relies on her words. Who saw it? Today, she can frame me, Qiao Shuanglin, and tomorrow she can frame someone else."

"… " Hu Han, the great hero, was momentarily speechless. But then he carefully looked at the calm and composed Qiao Mu and said in a rough voice:

"I have heard a bit about your famous Qiao’s family. Although you are old, I suppose you still have the skills of a martial artist, which must be much better than an ordinary person."

"With the speed of a martial artist, it wouldn’t be impossible for you to make advances on this young lady in public without anyone noticing, right?"

The great hero, Dragon Claw Hu Han, no longer argued. He shouted loudly, took a step forward, and pressed his claw-like hand on Qiao Mu’s shoulder.

However, despite his attack, Qiao Mu remained unscathed, looking at him calmly as if to say:

Is that all?

Instead, Hu Han’s face turned red and he felt uncertain.

He secretly summoned his inner strength, hoping to overpower Qiao Mu with a single move.

Dragon Claw Hu Han was a well-known hero in the Zhong Province area. Although he hadn’t yet mastered the Spiritual Refining Method, he had already reached the impressive 4th rank in training, showing great strength.

It was fine when they didn’t move, but as soon as they unleashed their inner strength, a powerful burst of energy erupted from Qiao Mu’s shoulder, causing Hu Han to stumble back several steps and fall onto the road. He looked at the old man in front of him with disbelief and confusion.

"How can an elderly person with declining vitality possess such deep inner strength?"

Hu Han could vaguely sense that he had met his match today.

However, countless onlookers’ gazes felt like needles pricking his back.

"Isn’t Hu Han a famous hero in the Zhong Province?"

"Even this elderly person in his nineties can’t defeat him? Could this be staged?"

The words around him made him very angry and he couldn’t bow his head here.

"You have good skills, old man, but you are so confident because you think no one can see your actions clearly…." Hu Han opened his eyes and shouted.

He just lost face and knew that he couldn’t beat the seemingly old man in front of him.

Hu Han thought he could easily defeat this old man just now, so he bravely started, but now that he couldn’t use force, he didn’t want to admit defeat and had to find another way.

Fortunately, this is the Imperial Capital, not a place for martial artists to show off, the size of their fists is not that important.

No matter how big it is, can it be bigger than the Great Yan Imperial Court? Can it be bigger than the Immortal Gate?

Qiao Mu, on the other hand, remained calm. He stood still, raised his hands, with a smile-like expression on his face.

"So you have no evidence, just pure speculation. Just because that woman looks pitiful, does it make me the bad guy?"

"The one who accuses has to provide evidence. That woman can stop me just by talking, and you all just enjoy the show without caring about the truth. So you bully a ninety-year-old man like me?"

Qiao Mu had no constraints and started criticizing the crowd around him. The people around naturally became excited and said all sorts of things.

"What evidence? You, who harasses women on the streets, what evidence do you have?" The voices in the crowd were noisy.

"Are you suggesting that the young lady publicly undress to see if her buttocks are red from your pinching?"

"…Well, maybe that could work? I think it’s possible," a passerby in the crowd brightened up.

"You old man, you are so fearless, it’s most likely that you did something dirty!"

Qiao Mu shook his head and didn’t say anything else.

He already realized that he couldn’t clear his name with words alone.

This situation was like smearing mud on his pants, even if it’s not feces, it would still be considered as such. Moreover, it’s highly likely that this was not a coincidence but rather someone setting him up behind the scenes. Naturally, the authorities wouldn’t support justice…

"Perhaps the person behind all this wants me to realize that they are intentionally provoking me… If I were to truly vent my anger on these pedestrians, I would be falling into their trap." His gaze grew icy.

No matter if he uses his hands against these people blocking the way, or escapes, he is afraid that he will be labeled with a bad reputation.

He thought for a moment, then suddenly moved his hand.

A loud clang of the sword sounded.

Qiao Mu drew his sword, a three-foot blade gleaming with a cold light, forcing the people around him to take a few steps back, thinking that they had angered this old martial artist, and that blood would be spilled.

However, Qiao Mu didn’t act. Instead, he held the long sword horizontally against his own neck and said proudly:

"I, Qiao Shuanglin, have a lifetime of good reputation, how can I allow others to defame me?"

"Since you dare to use my reputation as a bet, I will also bet my own life."

"Let it be known that Qiao’s family has never been the kind to fear death or seek fame."

"If you dare to tarnish my good reputation, then I will risk my old life to kill you here at the market in the Imperial Capital, and then take my own life to prove my innocence!"

"How about it, are you brave enough to bet with me?" The old man stared at the young woman, radiating a strong presence that left her speechless and too afraid to meet his gaze.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, but soon some murmurs could be heard:

"What kind of man threatens a woman?"

"He’s desperate, willing to kill and then commit suicide just to earn a good reputation. Who knows how many times he’s done it before? He’s probably too scared to face the authorities, so he’s asking for death."

"If only he had known, why did he have to do such dirty things earlier?"

Qiao Mu’s gaze was sharp as lightning, scanning through the crowd one by one.

It would have been fine if it had happened just once, but repeatedly causing trouble in the crowd. Did this old man really think his hearing and eyesight were impaired, unable to figure out who was causing the problems?

However, even so, Qiao Mu still couldn’t act immediately… If he did, it would only confirm his bad reputation.

Of course, just because "Qiao Shuanglin" couldn’t act now didn’t mean the next Qiao family elder couldn’t seek revenge.

Qiao Mu has always been a very kind person to his friends.

The person who forced him to die and sent him down the road to death would always be considered his closest and most trusted friend, just like that friend with the surname Guo, who will forever reside in his heart.

"Hehe…this Qiao Shuanglin is quite brave, but it’s a shame that he wasted a good life just to die because of this group of ragtag people, really such a pity."

At the entrance of the teahouse, the disciple Dao Zhen from the Great Dao Sect sighed with regret.

Although he sighed, he had no intention of stepping in to stop it.

"Human life is fleeting and fragile, only at the moment of death will it bloom with a momentary brilliance."

As a spectator, he most looked forward to that moment when ordinary people faced death.

However, at this moment, a faint voice suddenly resounded in his ear.

"Junior Brother Dao Zhen, you really made it difficult for me to find you, were you intentionally avoiding Senior Sister Dao Xu?"