CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42 THEY STAND ON THE MORAL HIGH GROUND [SEVEN UPDATES]

"What’s the matter with you young people? We said we don’t need your help; we can handle it ourselves."

Zhang Qingyuan frowned, seeing the six men were still unwilling to leave. He had been closest to Qin Mu and Old Song just moments before and had overheard what Old Song said. Consequently, he didn’t look kindly upon these supposed helpers.

However...

He had barely finished speaking when the group suddenly raised their voices, shouting.

"What’s with your tone, old man? We’re helping you out of goodwill, and this is the attitude you give us?"

"Just now, my buddies and I dropped our own fishing rods to come help. We even kindly helped you move the Ancient Wood, and you don’t have a single word of thanks?"

"Everyone, come and judge! We’re all anglers here. Isn’t this just disheartening?"

"If you don’t apologize today, don’t even think about making us leave!"

"..."

The group surrounded the Ancient Wood, their voices growing louder. Anglers in the nearby waters were drawn by their shouting, and the crowd of onlookers grew larger.

"You may be old, but that doesn’t give you the right to bully people! Others might let you get away with it, but we won’t stand for it!"

The six men stared at Zhang Qingyuan and the other elderly men from the nursing home behind him, their attitude growing increasingly firm.

"Apologize! Make amends!"

"Otherwise, don’t think this matter will be settled today!"

The man who had first proposed dealing with the Ancient Wood shouted the loudest, his demeanor arrogant and overbearing.

"You... you... all of you..." Zhang Qingyuan was so angered by this group that his face flushed crimson, and for a moment, he was speechless.

He had never expected this...

These people, having failed to get the Ancient Wood, were now brazenly turning the tables on them!

He had only said one thing...

Yet, they had launched into a tirade, slandering him and accusing him of bullying them.

A seventy-eight-year-old man like him...

How could he possibly bully these strapping young men, six of them at that?

Qin Mu scanned the ever-growing crowd of onlookers, his brow furrowing. Pulling Zhang Qingyuan behind him, he faced the six men.

"We’ve already thanked you," he said in a low, steady voice. "What exactly is it that you want?"

Among the six, the tallest man—the one who had first recognized the Ancient Wood—smiled. With an air of magnanimity, he said, "It’s simple. You apologize, and we won’t be petty. We’ll even continue to help you move the wood, and we can consider this matter settled."

He had barely finished speaking when the surrounding anglers began nodding and murmuring among themselves.

"That fellow seems quite magnanimous. The old men are getting on in years; there’s no need to squabble with them."

"Young man," one onlooker addressed Qin Mu, "I’ve seen how this all played out. Be the bigger person, learn from him, and just let it go. An apology isn’t such a big deal."

"That’s right. They’re still offering to help you move the wood. Otherwise, you old folks wouldn’t be able to manage it on your own."

"We’re all anglers here. Let’s save some face, make a big issue small, and let a small issue disappear."

"..."

Quite a few anglers stepped forward, wanting to play peacemaker. From their perspective, Qin Mu and Zhang Qingyuan were indeed the ones in the wrong. The other six, despite their somewhat explosive tempers, had ultimately helped.

However...

Qin Mu glanced at the surrounding onlooking anglers and scoffed.

"Apologize? Impossible!"

Then, his gaze returned to the man, and he stated coldly, "And as for you moving this piece of wood, that’s even more out of the question!"

The man’s expression turned cold at Qin Mu’s words. Just as he was about to speak, a few people stepped out from the crowd of onlookers, pointing and chattering. "Young man, it’s just an apology. It’s not like they’re asking for a pound of flesh. Why are you so stubborn?"

"Yeah, it’s such a small matter. Why make such a big deal out of it?"

"We’re saying this for your own good. If you keep this up, it’s bad for everyone. It doesn’t just affect you; it also disturbs us and others trying to fish around here."

"Take our advice: just apologize and let it be."

"..."

A hint of delight flickered in the man’s eyes at this. His name was Zheng Liang, a seasoned angler native to Jin City. He had come to fish in the waters on the outskirts of Jin City this time, hoping to land a good catch to take home for a meal. By chance, he spotted someone nearby who seemed to have hooked something big. So, he and a few fellow anglers went over to help.

After considerable effort, they finally pulled up the "big haul," only to discover it wasn’t a fish but a pitch-black piece of wood. With over ten years of fishing experience, Zheng Liang quickly recognized it as the legendary Ancient Wood.

There were occasional news reports in the country about people fishing out or dredging up Ancient Wood. Its value was immense, as the saying went: "Ten thousand taels of gold are not worth as much as a single piece of Ancient Wood."

Coincidentally, he realized the other party didn’t seem to recognize it as Ancient Wood, so the idea of taking it for himself began to form in his mind.

Now, seeing the "support" from the surrounding anglers, Zheng Liang quickly struck while the iron was hot. Feigning magnanimity, he announced, "Alright, forget the apology. So as not to disturb everyone else, we’ll help you move this wood."

As he spoke, he gestured to his five companions, and they prepared to lift the wood.

Qin Mu saw this and was about to intervene when several of the men who seemed to be veteran anglers—the self-appointed mediators from before—spoke up again.

Pointing towards Zheng Liang’s group, they chided Qin Mu, "Young man, look at how magnanimous they are!"

"Despite your attitude, they’re still willing to help you move the wood!"

"It’s normal for young people to be spirited, but you have to be reasonable sometimes. They haven’t done anything wrong..."

Qin Mu couldn’t help but turn to face these people urging him to be magnanimous.

It felt as if they were perched on some moral high ground, their self-righteous glow almost blinding.

From start to finish, these onlookers had adopted a know-it-all attitude, advising him to be magnanimous, to be more tolerant, to let it go, all while presuming they understood the full picture.

Anyone else might have actually been swayed by their pressure.

But...

Qin Mu looked at these individuals and sneered, "So what if I’m not feeling magnanimous today? What about it?"

With that, he slammed his foot down on the Ancient Wood just as the six men had managed to lift it.

BANG!

The Ancient Wood crashed heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

"You!" Zheng Liang’s expression faltered. He hadn’t expected Qin Mu to actually dare to stop them, especially with so many people voicing their disapproval.

As for those who had been criticizing Qin Mu, seeing that he showed them no deference whatsoever, they too became flushed with anger.

In their minds, they were clearly acting in Qin Mu’s best interest, yet he was being utterly ungrateful.

"Forget it! We can’t be bothered with this mess of yours!" several of them huffed disdainfully.

They turned back to Zheng Liang. In their eyes, Zheng Liang was far more magnanimous and clearly easier to communicate with.

"There’s no need to help someone like that! He wouldn’t appreciate it even if you did!"

"Yeah, let them move this wood themselves! Let’s see how that bunch of old men manages!"

"Just leave the wood to them..."

The group chattered on, trying to persuade Zheng Liang.

Zheng Liang, thwarted by Qin Mu, now wore a grim expression. He glanced at the group that had been "helping" him just moments before. They were incredibly grating.

He coldly spat out a single word: "Scram!"