Chapter 18: The ruler teaches how to be a good person

July 22nd, 2023

“Mencius said, ‘The wise enlighten themselves and then enlighten others… What does this mean?’ Lin Xuan’s Classical Chinese proficiency reached its peak in high school but gradually declined after the college entrance examination, to the point where her understanding of this sentence was limited to Mencius.

“Baidu it,” she said.

Lin Xuan took out her phone and began to search on Baidu.

“Mencius said, ‘The wise enlighten themselves and then enlighten others, but today they obscure themselves and try to enlighten others.’ Translated, it means that a wise person first understands themselves and then helps others understand. However, people nowadays try to make others understand without even understanding it themselves,” Lin Xuan pondered for a moment. “In other words, when I use Mencius’ ruler to question others, I must first understand the question myself, otherwise it may be ineffective.”

After contemplating for a while, Lin Xuan felt that her understanding should be correct. However, just to be safe, she thought it would be a good idea to find an opportunity to experiment.

Lin Xuan took out the “ruler of Mencius” and carefully observed it. The ruler appeared ordinary, just a plain wooden ruler, dark in color with a smooth surface. On it, nine large characters were carved with a knife, which read, “Without rules, one cannot achieve squareness and roundness.” The ruler’s surface had sweat stains and traces of oil, showing that it had been used before.

“I wonder if these words were also said by Mencius,” Lin Xuan thought, recalling the previous hint about the wise enlightening themselves and others. She couldn’t help but search for the words on the ruler, and indeed, they were also spoken by Mencius.

“Could this be Mencius’ ruler?” Lin Xuan’s expression instantly became solemn as she looked at the ruler.

“What… What’s wrong?”

A timid voice came from the doorway. Lin Xuan looked up and saw Li Menglin standing at the entrance of the dormitory, holding takeout in her hands. She must have just come back from downstairs with the food.

“What’s the matter?” Li Menglin asked. Since Lin Xuan had scared Li Menglin last time by saying she could curse, Li Menglin had rarely appeared in front of her.

“Did you call me?” Li Menglin asked.

Lin Xuan was stunned for a moment, but quickly realized that it was because she had just mentioned Mencius, and Li Menglin happened to pass by the door and misunderstood that she was calling her.

Lin Xuan had a sudden idea and decided to test the ruler on Li Menglin.

Lin Xuan turned the ruler in her hand and pointed it at Li Menglin. “Li Menglin, let me ask you something. Do you know who said, ‘The wise enlighten themselves and then enlighten others’?”

Li Menglin looked puzzled and shook her head. “I don’t know, is it a line from an anime?”

[Vertical child, lacking in learning, punished with ten strikes of the ruler.]

A system prompt flashed before Lin Xuan’s eyes, and she raised an eyebrow. She tentatively approached Li Menglin with the ruler in her hand and said, “Extend your hand.”

“Why?” Li Menglin instinctively asked in return, but something strange happened. Her hand uncontrollably extended itself, palm facing up, silently opening.

Lin Xuan’s eyes lit up. “Wow, it actually works.”

Li Menglin’s face was filled with fear and terror. “Lin Xuan, what did you do to me? I haven’t done anything to provoke you recently.”

“Um…” As Lin Xuan looked at Li Menglin’s fearful expression, she suddenly felt that she had gone too far. Although Li Menglin was usually irritating, they had been college classmates for four years and she had been subjected to her sharp tongue many times. But recently, Li Menglin seemed to have not offended her at all.

Lin Xuan put the ruler behind her back. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You controlled my body, I couldn’t retract my hand…” Li Menglin’s words were interrupted as her hand suddenly dropped down. She even took two steps back due to exerting too much force.

Li Menglin looked at her hand in confusion and then looked at Lin Xuan with suspicion.

Lin Xuan politely smiled.

“It was you, I know.” Li Menglin felt wronged but was afraid that Lin Xuan would cause trouble for her. She quickly retreated to her neighboring dormitory with the takeout she was holding and decided that she would never step out of the dormitory if Lin Xuan was present.

“It’s quite fun.” Lin Xuan felt that Mengzi’s ruler was much more entertaining than Sadako’s long hair. If she had used this ruler instead of Sadako’s long hair when she encountered those perverts last time… well, it seemed that it wouldn’t make much difference. At most, she could just give them a few strikes.

It wasn’t really useful.

Lin Xuan suddenly lost interest. She was about to put the ruler back into the system’s inventory when a notification appeared: [Skill not completed, cannot be retrieved].

“Skill not completed? Why isn’t it completed?” Lin Xuan pondered and repeatedly checked the ruler’s attributes, eventually focusing on the last sentence in the user guide.

[Teach without discrimination, teach until the end.]

Lin Xuan seemed to have understood something. She took the ruler and went to the neighboring dormitory, politely knocking on the door.

“Who is it?” Li Menglin opened the door and saw Lin Xuan. She was about to close the door in fear, but Lin Xuan quickly blocked it.

“Don’t be alarmed, I just want to say something to you.”

“I’ve already hidden in my room, won’t you leave me alone?” Li Menglin was on the verge of tears. “I haven’t told anyone about your secret, and I won’t. Please leave me alone.”

“You’ve misunderstood, I just want to say a few words, I’m not here to curse you.” Lin Xuan suddenly felt a deep sense of guilt. How did a simple joke scare someone to this extent?

“Go ahead,” Li Menglin half-believingly looked at Lin Xuan, unsure if she believed her or was afraid that if she didn’t listen, Lin Xuan would curse her.

” ‘The wise enlighten themselves and then enlighten others.’ This quote was said by Mengzi. Now you know,” Lin Xuan said.

Li Menglin blinked. “So what?”

“Mengzi said it. Now you know,” Lin Xuan repeated.

“I know,” Li Menglin nodded.

“That’s good.” Lin Xuan left a bewildered Li Menglin and turned around, returning to her own dormitory. She tried to store the ruler back into her inventory, and this time, it was successfully stored.

“I really have to teach someone, huh?” Lin Xuan realized that she probably wouldn’t have many opportunities to use this ruler because she wasn’t the type to teach others, nor did she want to become that type.

She couldn’t walk the path of a great educator like Mengzi. She was just an ordinary person.

Stretching lazily, Lin Xuan was about to wash her dirty clothes from the past few days when her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw that it was a call from Bao Ya.

Oh no, she forgot to tell Bao Ya about leaving the comic convention.

“Xiao Ya, it’s me.” Lin Xuan nervously answered the phone.

“Where did you go?” Bao Ya asked.

“Xiao Ya, something came up suddenly, so I had to go back to school. I’m sorry for not telling you.” Lin Xuan apologized proactively.

“As long as you’re okay. I was worried when you left without even changing your clothes, thinking something happened to you.” Bao Ya felt relieved.

“I’m fine, I was in a rush and didn’t have time. The witch costume…” Lin Xuan glanced at her dirty and disheveled witch outfit. “I’ll wash it and bring it to the secret room tomorrow.”

“Alright, I’ll take your clothes back for you.”

“Thank you, Xiao Ya. I’ll bring you a delicious cake tomorrow as a token of gratitude.” Lin Xuan expressed her thanks.

“No need to be polite. You even specially brought me something. By the way, did you bring back that crystal ball of yours?” Bao Ya asked.

Crystal ball?

Lin Xuan recalled briefly and vaguely remembered that during the fight with the witch, she accidentally threw the crystal ball away.

“Oh, I left it on the subway. Anyway, I won’t be able to retrieve it.” She was certain she couldn’t get it back.

“You lost it? Then you’ll have to buy another one. Nine-Tailed Fox is quite cunning, she’ll definitely overcharge you. I’ll try to negotiate a better price for you.” Bao Ya suggested.

“No need, it’s just 199 yuan. Give it to her. I’ll transfer the money to you right now.” With that, Lin Xuan hung up the phone and immediately sent 199 yuan through WeChat.

Now that she had a job, a well-paying job at that, she could easily afford 199 yuan. In Lin Xuan’s eyes, it was no longer worth fussing over.

Bao Ya: [So generous, did you strike it rich?]

Lin Xuan: [I found a job, hehe.]

Bao Ya: [No wonder, congratulations.]

Lin Xuan slept soundly that night, and the next morning, after having breakfast, she packed the clean witch costume into a bag and headed out for her part-time job.

Lin Xuan was working at a cake shop in the morning and planned to go to the secret room in the afternoon.

“Xiao Yu, this cake was ordered by a regular customer who lives a bit far away. The delivery guy refuses to deliver it, so I have to trouble you to make a trip.” Around noon, the owner of the cake shop handed over a freshly made and beautifully packaged cake to Lin Xuan.

“Don’t worry, boss. I’ll make sure it gets delivered.” Lin Xuan assured.

“I naturally trust you to handle things. Once you’re done delivering this cake, you can go straight off work,” the boss handed another small bag to Lin Xuan. “These are mini cakes I made from leftover scraps. Don’t dislike them. Congratulations on finding a job.”

Lin Xuan had been working part-time at this cake shop for over two years, and the boss had always been exceptionally kind to her. In the past six months, the boss had occasionally asked about Lin Xuan’s job search, so when Lin Xuan came to the shop today, she shared the news of her job with the boss. Unexpectedly, the boss specially made her a cake to celebrate.

Lin Xuan’s eyes welled up with gratitude. “Boss, thank you so much. You’re really kind-hearted, I’m on the verge of tears.”

“Go on now, make sure it’s delivered before twelve o’clock,” the boss smiled.

“Yes,” Lin Xuan waved her hand, holding the cake and heading towards the nearest subway station.

Lin Xuan carefully protected the cake, not giving anyone a chance to touch it. Even if there were empty seats on the subway, she didn’t rush to take them. She stayed in the corner of the train, ensuring a spacious and safe environment for the cake. Finally, at eleven fifty, she successfully handed the cake over to its owner.

With the cake delivered, Lin Xuan felt relieved. She planned to find a nearby place to have lunch and then go to the secret room in the afternoon. As for the cake the shop owner gave her, she intended to save it for eating together with Bao Ya in the secret room.

“What are some good places to eat around here?” Lin Xuan searched for nearby food options on her phone while walking towards the outside of the residential area. Suddenly, someone darted out from the side and collided straight into her. Caught off guard, Lin Xuan’s phone was knocked out of her hand and flew into a flower bed nearby.

“My phone!” Lin Xuan managed to steady herself, paying no attention to who bumped into her as she hurried to retrieve her phone from the flower bed.

“You damn bitch! How dare you not listen to me!” Just as Lin Xuan picked up her phone, she heard coarse cursing from behind, followed by a woman’s helpless crying and sobbing.

“Stop it, please, I’m sorry.” A woman, her face indiscernible, curled up on the ground, hands covering her head, sobbing pitifully.

“Where did you hide the money? Take it out for me.” The man spoke while brutally kicking the woman’s back with his foot.

“Stop it! I’m calling the police. Beating someone is a crime,” the man, big and intimidating, Lin Xuan didn’t dare confront him directly and could only threaten him with her phone, saying she would report him to the police.

“You want to report? Go ahead, how is beating my wife a crime?” The man stared fiercely at Lin Xuan, his menacing gaze sending chills down her spine.

“Domestic violence, domestic violence is also a crime,” Lin Xuan gathered her courage and said.

“Huh, sure, go ahead and report. Let the police come and arrest me,” the man felt confident.

“If I report, you better not run away.”

As Lin Xuan was about to call the police, an elderly person standing nearby suddenly spoke up, stopping her. “Young girl, don’t call the police. Every time you report, he comes back and beats her even worse. This guy is a slippery character, a scoundrel. The police have caught him multiple times, but it’s useless. Every time he returns from the police station, it’s his wife and children who suffer the consequences.”

“Don’t call the police,” the woman stood up at this moment. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was bruised and swollen, making it difficult to see her original appearance. Enduring the pain, she looked at Lin Xuan with a tone full of despair, shaking her head pleadingly, “Don’t call the police.”

“If you dare not call the police, then give me the money.”

The man took a step towards the woman, who trembled in fear but still said, “The money is for Tong Tong’s piano lessons. I can’t give it to you.”

“What’s the point of learning the piano? It’s not like she hasn’t learned it. Why waste money on that? Give me the money.”

“That’s the money I earned.”

“Your money is my money. Whether you give it or not, if you don’t, I’ll kill you today.” The man threatened and tried to hit the woman again. Frightened, she turned and ran, while the man cursed and chased after her, saying, “You wretched whore, today I’ll break your legs.”

“Quick, go find the security guard. This damned scoundrel, how hasn’t he been hit by a car when he leaves the house? Every time he causes trouble, poor Xiao Feng,” a person exclaimed. It was a workday, and the community was filled with elderly people or stay-at-home moms with children. No one dared to confront the man directly, so they could only call for security.

“Does he do this often?” Lin Xuan asked.

“Yes, he’s been doing it for over a year. Every time we call the police and he gets caught, it’s no use. He’s been arrested several times, but he always comes back. And when he comes back, the beatings get worse, and he even hits the children. Xiao Feng was afraid of the harm to her child, so she stopped reporting to the police. She just endures it every time. We neighbors can’t do much to help, only try to intervene when she’s being beaten, but we can’t stop him every time,” an elderly lady lamented.

“Can’t she get a divorce?” Lin Xuan asked.

“Divorce? That scoundrel threatened that if Xiao Feng dared to divorce him, he would stab her and her whole family with a knife.”

“So there’s no solution at all?” Lin Xuan felt suffocated listening to this.

“What can be done? All we can do is pray for divine intervention to take away this damned man.”

“I don’t know how his parents raised him to become such a beast,” an elderly man, clearly an educated person with glasses, cursed heavily.

Raised? She had an idea.

Lin Xuan’s eyes brightened, and she turned around and chased after them as if flying.

At the entrance of the community, the man was being held back by two security guards, but he was still going crazy, kicking the woman on the ground. He continued to curse, “I’ll kill you. Are you cheating on me behind my back? That’s why these security guards are helping you. And you guys, I’ll complain about you later. Property security guards and residents having an affair, I’ll make you lose your jobs.”

One of the security guards holding the man’s arm had a change in expression upon hearing his words, and his grip unintentionally loosened. Seizing the opportunity, the man broke free and kicked the woman’s stomach.

“Ah!” The woman screamed in agony.

“Stop!” Lin Xuan’s eyes turned red. She pulled out Fu Zi’s wooden ruler and rushed over to stand in front of the woman, pointing the ruler at the man.

“Do you know who I am?” Lin Xuan asked.

“I don’t care who you are. If you meddle any further, I’ll beat you too.” The man pushed Lin Xuan aside, causing her to stagger and fall to the ground.

“[Bastard, ignorant and unskilled, receive ten strikes with the ruler.]” A system prompt popped up.

Success!

Lin Xuan didn’t have time to get up. She shouted at the man, “Extend your hand to me.”

The man, who was about to throw a punch at the woman, suddenly froze. His body was pulled by an invisible force and uncontrollably turned towards Lin Xuan. His right hand lifted, fingers extended, palm facing upward, flat.

Lin Xuan got up from the ground, walked over with the ruler in her hand, unable to suppress her anger any longer. She fiercely struck with the ruler, “How dare you push me without knowing who I am!”

“Ahh!” The man let out a miserable scream, his voice filled with agony. He was in so much pain that his whole body trembled, but his hand remained outstretched, not retracting.

Startled by the man’s cry, Lin Xuan was taken aback for a moment. But remembering his earlier brutality, her anger surged, and she raised her hand again, “You scum, beating a woman, you waste of space!”

“Smack.” The third strike.

“You are not allowed to commit domestic violence anymore, not allowed to hit women, not allowed to hit children.”

“Smack.” The fourth strike.

“You are not allowed to ask your wife for money anymore, go and divorce her immediately.”

“Smack.” The fifth strike.

“After the divorce, you are not allowed to harass your ex-wife.”

“Smack.” The sixth strike.

“Do you hear me?!”

For every statement Lin Xuan made, she struck with the ruler, and with each strike, the man let out an extremely miserable cry. For the man, every strike from Lin Xuan seemed to bypass his defenses, directly hitting his soul. The pain that came from the depths of his soul made him wish for immediate death.

“Please, no more.” The man couldn’t bear it any longer. He wanted to retract his hand, but it felt as if his hand was welded in mid-air, unable to move. “I hear you, I hear everything.”

Lin Xuan was about to strike with the seventh strike when she stopped. She was too exhausted. She needed a break.

“Do you still beat women?” Lin Xuan asked.

“No, never again,” the man sobbed and shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “I won’t hit anyone anymore.”

“Do you still ask your wife for money?”

“No, I won’t.”

“Do you want a divorce?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Hmm?” Lin Xuan furrowed her eyebrows and struck with the ruler again.

The man was in pain and stomped his feet. His facial features twisted, and he said, “Yes, I want a divorce. I’ll go get divorced right now.”

Only then was Lin Xuan satisfied. She turned her head to look beside her. The woman was dumbfounded at this moment, and it wasn’t just her. The elderly people nearby, the security guards in the neighborhood, and even the delivery boy who passed by were all astonished. They looked at Lin Xuan as if she were a hero.

“Go get divorced quickly,” Lin Xuan reminded the woman.

The woman snapped back to reality but didn’t show much excitement. “He won’t divorce me.”

She understood her husband too well. The man only reluctantly agreed due to the pressure. Once Lin Xuan left, he would certainly solidify his resistance. When she had previously called the police, she had hoped they could rescue her from this suffocating vortex, but it was ultimately in vain.

“Don’t worry, this time he will definitely divorce. Go get the documents,” Lin Xuan said with a confident tone.

The woman hesitated for a moment. She looked at the determined look on the girl’s face and then glanced at the man, who was sobbing in pain. In the end, she couldn’t resist the longing in her heart and turned around, running towards the apartment building. She ran very fast, despite her injuries and hobbling movements. The woman didn’t slow down her pace.

She wanted a divorce, even if there was only a slight chance.

And the reason why Lin Xuan was so confident was because of the ability of the wooden ruler. When she struck with the first strike, a system prompt appeared: “[Who is without fault? Those who can change their ways have the greatest virtue. If they persist without remorse, the wooden ruler shall suppress until they repent.]”

When Lin Xuan saw this prompt, she almost burst into laughter. If you dare not divorce, I’ll beat you to death.

The woman quickly returned, taking only a few minutes from the time she left to fetch the documents. She had been thinking about divorce every moment for over a year, and the documents were prepared early on.

Lin Xuan looked at the man and raised her hand. With a “smack,” she struck with the ruler again, causing the man to let out a fearful cry.

“Now go get divorced!” Lin Xuan said.

“I’ll divorce, I’ll divorce. I’ll go get divorced now.” As long as she didn’t hit him, he would do anything.

So far, she had struck nine times. Lin Xuan wouldn’t be stingy with the power of the ruler for scum like him. She had to complete the full ten strikes.

She raised her hand and struck again.

With a “smack!” the man felt as if his whole body was about to explode. He fell to the ground, curled up, and didn’t even have the strength to scream. He was like a dying cockroach.

After a while, the man eased a bit and regained his senses. He saw Lin Xuan squatting beside him, holding the ruler. Terrified, he tried to crawl away, but Lin Xuan grabbed his shoulder and held him down.

“Don’t move. Remember my name, I’m Lin Xuan, and I’m quite mysterious, right?” Lin Xuan threatened in a low voice that only the two of them could hear. “You agreed to what I asked earlier. If there’s even one thing you haven’t done, the ten strikes of the ruler will reappear. If you don’t believe me, just think in your mind right now that you don’t want a divorce.”

“Ah!!!” The man couldn’t help but think for a moment, and an invisible ruler struck him, causing him to roll on the ground in pain.

“You see, even if I’m not present, the curse will continue to follow you,” Lin Xuan smiled. “So, you must obey!”

“I’ll obey! I’ll obey!” The man trembled and responded fearfully, looking at Lin Xuan with eyes filled with terror, as if he was facing a devil.

Only then did Lin Xuan feel relieved. She stood up and said to the astonished woman, “Go now, don’t be afraid. He won’t dare not to divorce you.”

The woman looked at Lin Xuan, tears welling up on her bruised face, and nodded heavily. “Thank you.”

With courage, the woman walked towards the exit of the residential area.

Lin Xuan turned her gaze to the man who was still lying on the ground. “What are you dawdling for? Go get a divorce!”

Startled by Lin Xuan’s shout, the man trembled all over and quickly got up. “I’m going… I’ll go right now.”

After speaking, he hurriedly caught up with the woman, showing even more urgency than her.

Lin Xuan watched this scene with satisfaction. She was about to retrieve the ruler when she suddenly realized that dozens of pairs of eyes were staring at her.

Oh no, I got too carried away with tormenting that scum and forgot to be mindful of the influence.

“Young girl, you…” One of the middle-aged women, burning with gossip, approached her slowly.

Startled, Lin Xuan found a gap and ran as fast as she could, disappearing into the residential area in the blink of an eye, leaving behind a legend of tormenting scum.

As long as I run fast enough, gossip won’t catch up with me.