Chapter 20 – Slight Renown (2/2)
The man studied Li Qingshan in some surprise. Normal people would all become powerless from fright if they encountered such a situation. This kid was so young, yet he could remain so composed. Such a mentality was something that completely surpassed the youngsters of the village.
He asked the short hunter who had been sent flying by Li Qingshan’s shoulder slam. “Xiao Hei, what happened?”
“Hunting chief, this kid has probably destroyed our business!” Xiao Hei stood up with difficulty.
The crowd descended into an uproar. “Isn’t that the hunting chief of Drawn Reigns village-” “It’s Huang Binghu!”
The so-called hunting chief was equivalent to a village head, but it was different from Crouching Ox village, where authority came with seniority. The people who became the hunting chief in Drawn Reigns village were all the strongest men within the village. They directed all of the hunting operations of the village.
As for Huang Binghu, he was the current hunting chief of Drawn Reigns Village, someone of great renown. Li Qingshan had heard of him a long time ago, but he never thought it would actually be the sickly man in front of him. He basically understood where his nickname of ‘Sickly Tiger’ came from now.1
A person’s fame was like a tree’s shadow—the larger it was, the more influential it was. Li Qingshan obviously experienced tremendous pressure, but he was no longer the same Li Qingshan as before. He sneered and said, “You said nothing at all and tried to flip over my canvas. Now, you sling mud at me, saying how it’s me who’s destroying your business. The Drawn Reigns village really is high-handed!”
Huang Binghu’s face sank. He yelled out, “Why don’t you all get back on your feet? You couldn’t even beat a single person with a group of you, yet you still have the face to groan in pain on the ground. Are you still worthy enough to be the men of Drawn Reigns village?”
Li Qingshan knew that his attacks earlier were not light, but under Huang Binghu’s command, the five young hunters actually all managed to stand up. Apart from being sturdy in the first place, it was due to their extremely deep respect for Huang Binghu.
Huang Binghu raised his hand, and all the hunters stowed away their blades and bows. “We were wrong in the first place, but kid, you shouldn’t have been so heavy-handed!”
“If I hadn’t been heavy-handed, I would probably be the one lying there now.”
“We leave the mountains for once to sell some hides and herbs. The necessities of the entire village have to be covered. It’s fine if you just sell according to the market price, but the way you sell right now messes with the price and costs us severely.”
Li Qingshan was silent. He had never imagined that this would happen. Obviously, he could say that he was allowed to sell it however he wanted to. However, even with Huang Binghu’s renown, he had admitted his mistakes in the face of public, reasoning with him instead of using his advantage in numbers to oppress him. As a result, Li Qingshan was reluctant to argue with him and pester him endlessly.
However, if they wanted to fight or kill him, he would not just stand down either.
Huang Binghu said, “I’ll buy all of these hides!” A hunter came up to pay and collect the hides.
Everyone in the surroundings admired Huang Binghu’s moral character. Li Qingshan was rather surprised and glanced at the bag of money that was handed to him. “No need!” He turned around and began packing the ox cart. He did not rely on these hides to earn a living in the first place. Huang Binghu had been so generous and straightforward with him. As such, if he made a fuss over this, he would be looked down upon instead.
The admiration in Huang Binghu’s eyes grew deeper. He watched Li Qingshan disappear into the sea of people as he asked the crowd, “I fancy this kid. Does anyone know where he’s from?”
A farmer answered carefully, “It seems like he is Li Erlang of the Crouching Ox village.”
Many people in the surroundings had actually heard of him. They all said, “No wonder!”