The second update arrived on the second day, and I am working hard on the fourth. Mei Xueyan, who stayed by her side, felt her lips twitch uncontrollably. For some unknown reason, a surge of anger suddenly rose in her, making her want to leap out of the carriage and crush these ants beneath her feet until they were nothing but pulp!

What were these things, these fellows who could vanish with a mere puff of air, yet dared to shout down contemporary powerhouses? Had this world truly become so unrecognizable to her?

The one who spoke these words was another celebrated scholar, a man who had previously appeared at the Golden Autumn Scholars’ Banquet. This was Qin Qiusi, his face stern with righteousness, clad in the unyielding integrity of a moral crusader.

“Hmm, I remember you. You are Qin Qiusi, right? Hmm, Qin Qiu-Shi.” That’s quite a name your father gave you. I’m not quite sure what he intended, whether it was to diligently seek excrement or to earnestly pursue officialdom.

Jun Moxie looked at him with a faint smile, his eyes as cold as ice. “I only wish to ask you: where did you derive these accusations you’ve leveled against me? Upon what evidence do you base them?”

“Where did they come from? Upon what evidence? Jun Huixie, even now, you still play the innocent fool! The **filthy deeds you and your sister-in-law committed, those shameless acts! You two adulterers flying off together—did you think you could conceal it from the world? Why feign innocence? Even if you are the Duke’s grandson, the direct heir of a noble house, it cannot hide the fundamentally **licentious and shameless nature within you!” Qin Qiusi was so angered his face turned ashen, and he jabbed his finger, cursing loudly.

“Hmm, well said, full of righteous indignation! Very good, very good. Anything else to add?” Jun Moxie picked at his earlobe.

“Jun Moxie, are Brother Qin’s clear words not enough to shame you?.” Another scholar stepped forward, looking at Jun Moxie with disappointment, as if gazing upon something that should have been metal but turned out to be clay. “As the son of a minister, the descendant of a Duke, bathed in luxury, enjoying wealth and honor, blessed by boundless imperial grace—you stand at the very pinnacle of the Tianxiang Kingdom! Yet you commit such shameless acts? Ruining the moral fiber of Tianxiang?! Do you know that because of your actions, our Tianxiang Kingdom has become a laughingstock among neighboring nations? If you possessed even a shred of conscience, you would have already taken your own life out of shame! And yet, you appear openly before the gates of Tianxiang City, wearing an expression of blamelessness—truly insufferable in your lack of shame! Jun Moxie, how can you be so utterly devoid of honor?”

This scholar was named Yan Feng, also a familiar face.

Jun Moxie finally understood.

, Gan Wan

It seemed the Wenxing Academy was determined to fight him to the bitter end! If that was the case, then he would offer them another severe lesson!

Fueled by these words, the vast crowd behind them began shouting chaotically: “Adulterer and adulteress, deserving of death! Go and die!”

“So I am truly such an egregious sinner?” Jun Moxie chuckled, turning to Yan Feng on his horse. “Yan Feng, even if I am shameless, what does all this have to do with you? Why do you stand out?”

“Rebellious subjects and adulterers—all deserve to be executed! Why shouldn’t I stand out! Even if my influence pales in comparison to yours, and my martial might is inferior, our Wenxing Academy possesses a core of upright, righteous spirit! Enough to make a villain like you ashamed to the point of self-destruction, restoring purity to the world!” Yan Feng roared, his face blazing with righteousness!

“Well said! Even if we possess nothing else, we still have our core of righteous spirit! We must restore purity and clarity to the world!” A chorus of scholars cheered loudly, their faces flushed with excitement.

Jun Moxie looked upon the increasingly fervent atmosphere with pity, feeling a chilling, intensely cruel sensation rising and flooding his heart.

“Righteous Spirit”—hahahaha.” Jun Moxie suddenly burst into laughter. “What a ‘Righteous Spirit’! Your so-called Righteous Spirit is merely placing yourselves on the highest moral ground to condemn the faults of others, isn't it? Your so-called Righteous Spirit is used to regulate the emotions of others? Does the marriage upheld by your Righteous Spirit only allow for parental arrangement and matchmaking? Does your Righteous Spirit demand that an innocent woman be driven to her death?”

Hearing the phrase “innocent woman,” a flicker of panic and guilt finally crossed the eyes of the assembled scholars, led by Han Zhidong, Qin Qiusi, and Yan Feng. To Jun Moxie’s eyes, this made it even clearer that these men knew the truth—they knew Guan Qinghan was innocent, merely caught in the crossfire—yet they persisted in causing trouble.

Jun Moxie’s killing intent surged once more!

“I know your real purpose! You are merely trying to take revenge because I ruined the Golden Autumn Scholars’ Banquet and blocked your paths to advancement, aren't you? Heh, am I wrong?” Jun Moxie’s gaze was icy.

“So what if that’s true? Jun Moxie, speaking of that matter, you are even more heinous!” The scholars, whose true intentions had been exposed, showed no shame but instead became self-righteous. Yan Feng declared angrily: “Jun Moxie, with a mere movement of your lips, you blocked the official careers of five thousand students from Wenxing Academy! You—do you possess any conscience at all? We have studied diligently from dawn till dusk, our only hope being to serve the nation and its people. Yet you, treacherous rogue, have sunk so low as to destroy years, even decades, of scholarly effort! From now on, we will be mediocre, insignificant, our great futures all buried! Don’t you deserve condemnation? Don’t you feel guilt in your heart?”

“Now, you commit villainous acts, behaving like an uncle lusting after his sister-in-law, an adulterer and adulteress sneaking around, your wickedness spreads stink across the world—you reap what you sow! Faced with the condemnation of the world, if you possessed even a sliver of shame, you should die to appease heaven and earth!”

“Studied diligently” to serve the nation and its people? Based on a bunch of bookworms with twisted minds like you? Are you worthy?! For the sake of your personal grudges, you blindly seek revenge, dragging an innocent, weak woman into this, desiring to see her dead before you are satisfied—this is the quality you show in serving the nation? Jun Moxie scoffed.

“Let me tell you, if you want to serve the nation and its people, first set your own conscience straight! If the heart is crooked, you are nothing more than corrupt officials! People like that—even if they study for a hundred lifetimes—are just lumps of feces,” Jun Moxie stated sharply.

“As for coarse food and meager meals, there’s no need for that! I can point you towards a path to making a living, one that guarantees you piles of wealth and mountains of fortune.”

He suddenly smiled charmingly. “I have a friend; his surname is Wu, named Wu Shanyun. Everyone calls him ‘Wushan Yunyu’ [Misty Mountain, Flowing Rain]. He once made a comment about people like you that I initially thought was a bit harsh. Now I realize he was completely correct.” He said: “Pricking the thigh, suspending the head on a beam; meager sustenance, the heart in turmoil. Once you realize the truth: just bend over and fetch a hundred pieces of silver.”

Jun Moxie laughed loudly: “So you see, your roads are quite broad. You just need to strip off that skin of being a moral guardian, tuck your facade under your backside, and wealth will roll in!” Although this path might not be fully open right now, the nobles in various nations have already taken up the trend of keeping concubines and child companions—especially scholars as renowned as you, your market value is huge.”

“Jun Moxie! You are insulting us!” The great scholars roared in anger. “Only a heart as filthy and sordid as yours would conceive of such things! You disgrace scholarship, you are utterly wicked! You—you are truly a base scoundrel.”

“Base? Damn your mother! Do you think you lot are high and mighty? Your despicable methods, your filthy intentions—and you dare call me base?” Jun Moxie’s anger suddenly ignited.

“Regarding the truth of this matter, I have no mood to argue further. I believe the few of you know the inside story. You don’t need to deny it. Even if you truly don't know, I have absolutely no obligation to explain myself to you! In my eyes, you are nothing but dog droppings! Thoroughgoing failures! Scholars? Your mother’s scholars! A bunch of sell-outs. Just looking at you feels dirty.”

Thousands of people simultaneously clamored and cursed. The language used by the scholars at this moment was even coarser than that of common street folk. Provoked by Jun Moxie, their already surging anger became utterly uncontrollable!

Inside the carriage, Guan Qinghan trembled, her head deeply bowed, burying her face entirely in her palms. Her shoulders shook incessantly.

Jun Moxie roared, suddenly standing up on his horse. “Since you all can be so ruthless, involving an innocent person while maintaining such self-righteousness, then don't blame me for being merciless! You dare go one step, do you think I won't go fifteen?”

With that, Jun Moxie focused his vital energy, roared deeply: “Bring them out!”

The crowd instantly surged and parted like waves in the sea. A contingent of burly men, moving like large ships battling through rough waters, cut through the crowd. These men were members of the Can Tian (Shattered Heaven) unit that Jun Moxie had dispatched to meet Baili Luoyun’s family. They had secretly returned to Tianxiang days ago, following Jun Moxie’s instructions to monitor the city’s movements.

In their hands, conspicuously displayed, were three women: graceful in figure and delicate in feature, yet radiating extreme terror. Several others were leading large mastiffs, and one person was even leading a large white pig.

Yan Feng, Qin Qiusi, and Han Zhidong’s complexions turned ashen, and they all blurted out in unison: “Wife!”

It turned out these three women were their respective spouses.

“I have no time to lecture you on grand principles! You are not qualified, nor do you deserve it! I’m too lazy to debate the concept of Righteous Spirit with you, because the righteousness you believe in does not warrant my discussion! I will only give you two choices.”

Jun Moxie looked down from his height, a cruel smile playing on his lips. He was like a hawk surveying a flock of rabbits, his gaze and posture radiating absolute autocracy, lawlessness, and savage cruelty!

“The first choice,” Jun Moxie extended a single finger, “is this: Kneel down immediately, apologize formally to me, and then I will give each of you a tool. You will use it to clear a path for me! You must shout all the way: ‘Third Young Master Jun is great, Third Young Master Jun is noble, the finest man, and we welcome him back to Tianxiang.’ Make sure you include your own names when you shout this.”

Ah, that Wu Shanyun guy sickens me daily; today I'll use him for a laugh then!” Gagaga” (A sound of wicked laughter)