The Sorrowmender

Chapter 78 – Do not do unto others what you do not want done to yourself

The expressions of the group of men froze, the resentment and unwillingness in their eyes vanished without a trace with just one sentence from Xu Qingzhou.

They exchanged glances and then shook their heads in confusion.

"No, no, absolutely not."

"Yes, sir, we just can't understand why fate is so unfair."

"Nonsense, ridiculous!" Xu Qingzhou suddenly shouted, his folding fan striking the pillar in front of him with a "snap."

Though the force wasn't great, it shook loose some dust, complementing his cold gaze.

The sudden shock made everyone's hearts tighten, their bodies instinctively tensed, momentarily stunned.

No one knew why Xu Qingzhou was suddenly angry, nor did they know if they could survive this young scholar's sudden outburst of anger.

The unknown equaled danger, and danger equaled fear.

Xu Qingzhou, however, didn't care what they thought, nor did he care about their reactions. He leaned forward, supporting one knee with a hand, pointing the folding fan at them.

"You, you, and you, were merely bullied, with no way to seek justice, forced to leave your homes, with no one to turn to, nowhere to go, becoming bandits. At worst, corrupt officials ruled, unbearable taxes led to rebellion, and the people had no choice but to revolt."

"Am I right?"

The bandits remained bewildered, their Adam's apples bobbing wildly. Xu Qingzhou's words left their minds in chaos, utterly confused.

Some nodded then shook their heads, others shook their heads then nodded, all different.

Yet what Xu Qingzhou said was largely accurate, as if he had seen right through them.

They were both terrified and deeply impressed.

Xu Qingzhou naturally took in all their facial expressions, his anger subsiding, and he continued calmly:

"So you became bandits not by choice, but because you were forced by the village tyrants, landlords, wealthy merchants, and corrupt officials."

"You were oppressed and enslaved, powerless to resist, so you had no choice but to become bandits."

"Because you were forced, you feel sorry for yourselves, but why don't you think about how your actions now are no different from those who forced you into this situation?"

With that, Xu Qingzhou pointed to Jian Xiaoshu, who had been watching the commotion, "A scholar with no strength to truss a chicken, and you robbed him of his travel funds to the capital."

"If he continues forward, will he not end up like you, becoming a bandit to survive?"

"If everyone acted like you, what kind of world would this be?"

Xu Qingzhou sighed deeply as he spoke, his eyes reflecting a profound light, like a vast galaxy.

"If you were robbing the rich to help the poor, I might call you heroes, but clearly, you haven't done that. How can you complain and expect sympathy when you yourselves bully the weak?"

"The strong wield their blades against the stronger, while the weak wield theirs against the weaker. In the end, you're just a bunch of cowards."

He paused, looking seriously at them, "I have one thing to say, listen carefully."

"Do not do unto others what you do not want done unto you."

With those words, Xu Qingzhou opened his folding fan, waved it forward, and the wind turned into a blade.

With a whoosh, it surged forward, cutting through the ropes binding the men, inch by inch.

The words ceased, the wind passed, yet the men remained in a daze.

We are bit.ly/3iBfjkV, find us on google.

The dilapidated temple was eerily quiet, only the crackling of the fire occasionally breaking the silence.

Seven or eight burly men just stared at Xu Qingzhou, eyes full of confusion, even though the ropes binding them had been cut, they showed no intention of leaving.

They stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded at the man before them, his words echoing in their minds.

Though they were uneducated, unable to read, they remembered most of what Xu Qingzhou said, and understood most of it too.

But for some reason, they felt Xu Qingzhou was right.

He not only saw the truth but spoke it as well.

He shouldn't be called sir, he should be called Mister.

They felt ashamed because of his words, an unprecedented shame.

They were also shocked by his words, a shock that reverberated through their minds.

Even though they didn't know where this shock came from, it left them bewildered and at a loss.

Of course, it wasn't just them who were shocked, Little Wuyou and Xu Xiaobai were also captivated by Xu Qingzhou's words.

The two of them also stared blankly at this Mister.

Naturally, the poor scholar was also there, having read and understood books, he comprehended all of Xu Qingzhou's words, lowering his eyes, furrowing his brows.

He muttered softly, "Do not do unto others what you do not want done unto you."

In his heart, he thought, "Brilliant, truly profound."

The atmosphere remained quiet, for several breaths, everything seemed frozen, Xu Qingzhou looked at the group of men he had stunned.

He felt a bit smug, as helping others while maintaining an air of mystery was his interest, and he truly wanted to change these bandits.

Bandits or officials, as long as they didn't provoke him, he wouldn't kill them. The world was vast, with so much injustice, how could he manage it all?

Right and wrong, without knowing the whole picture, he wouldn't make a judgment, so he never intended to kill these bandits, as they were just ordinary people, posing no threat to him.

Moreover, they hadn't provoked him, instead, they were beaten by Xiaobai.

But since he encountered them, he felt he should do something, so he said those words, hoping to enlighten them.

He continued with a stern face, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and leave."

The bandits finally came to their senses, realizing they were free, then looked at each other, eager to leave, getting up in threes and twos, heading towards the temple door.

Throughout the process, they kept their waists low, unsure if it was because Xiaobai had hurt their backs earlier or if it was intentional.

In any case, they were confused, bewildered, and lost.

They didn't even say thank you, just ran towards the door.

But when they reached the temple door, Boss Ma stopped, and the others followed suit, stopping in confusion.

Boss Ma glanced sideways at the white-clad Mister still sitting with his back to them, his eyes complex.

He suddenly turned around, then knelt down with a thud, crossing his hands, bowing deeply in Xu Qingzhou's direction.

"Thank you, Mister, for sparing our lives, thank you for your teachings."

The other seven, seeing their leader like this, also knelt down, bowing deeply.

"Thank you, Mister, for sparing our lives, thank you for your teachings!!"

Their voices were bold, worship sincere.

At least at this moment, their bow was not out of fear.

Xu Qingzhou did not turn around, nor did he reply, he simply waved his folding fan, the meaning clear.

That was, go on then—

Boss Ma stood up, took out a floral money pouch from his bosom, and carefully placed it on the ground.

Then he got up and said to the others.

"Let's go!"

The group followed one after another, their steps hurried, disappearing into the long night.