Chapter 124

Chapter 124

With a loud crash, half of their family's wall collapsed as Harvey smashed it with a stone.

"This house was bought with my money. Shouldn’t I have the right to do whatever I want with it?" Harvey smiled without warmth as he glanced at the surrounding crowd. He casually picked up a broken brick from the fallen wall, weighing it in his hand as if sizing up who might dare to step forward and take a hit.

"Y-you madman! How could you... Just leave! Take your Household Registration and go, and never come back!" Today, Harvey's behavior had been utterly unexpected. The deranged energy in his words and actions made them wonder if he had truly lost his mind.

As the saying goes, even the toughest fear those with nothing to lose. Now that Harvey no longer cared about anything, they truly had no way to restrain him. Kill him? Sure, they had numbers, but who could guarantee that in the fight, a few of them wouldn’t become casualties as well?

They had half a mind to try placating Harvey again, but he clearly wasn’t giving them the chance. His only goal was to leave this place and sever ties with them completely. Since they couldn’t control him, they had no choice but to let him go. Thinking carefully, they hadn’t suffered any losses from all the benefits they’d exploited from Harvey over the years. It was just the inability to keep taking advantage that left them feeling resentful.

Under Harvey’s intimidation, his family handed over the Household Registration and signed the family severance document.

Having gotten what he wanted, Harvey didn’t linger. After nodding at Feier, he left the suffocating place behind.

Feier, who had witnessed the entire scene, looked at the villagers with disdain. "Let’s go. It’s better if we never come back here again."

Feier hadn’t expected that Harvey, who he’d thought was just there to back up Chubby’s family, would end up fighting them even more fiercely than he had. Compared to Harvey, the so-called "injustices" his own family had suffered seemed trivial.

Rather than wasting more time entangled with these people, it was better to put as much distance between them as possible. Wouldn’t it be better to spend that free time eating, shopping, or soaking in hot springs?

After sending off these two calamities, the village returned to its usual quiet, as if nothing had changed.

But was that really the case? Only when the current clan leader was forced to step down as village chief, when their grain taxes were levied at higher rates, and when the village’s children had difficulty finding spouses did they realize what they had done wrong.

After leaving the village, Harvey went to find Pa Bo, and together they accepted an interview with a newspaper.

The provincial capital newspaper had reached out to Harvey as soon as they learned he had returned to the city. After all, he was a champion—people would surely want to know his story. Just a few words from him would make for compelling material in their next issue.

Harvey met with them and agreed, but didn’t let them start the interview right away. Instead, he invited them to first gather some information in the village and wait until he had severed ties with his family.

When the reporters first heard that Harvey intended to cut ties with his relatives, their excited expressions froze for a moment. They were looking for an uplifting, positive role model—someone who had just achieved glory. For him to immediately disown his family seemed a bit too selfish.

But seeing Harvey’s demeanor, they doubted he was that kind of person. Or even if he was, the controversy would still generate buzz, which would only benefit their newspaper.

Moreover, since Harvey had openly encouraged them to investigate, there was likely more to the story.

So when Harvey left the village, two undercover reporters disguised as vagrant troublemakers secretly followed.

After hearing the stories and witnessing firsthand the discord between the champion and his family, they no longer spoke of filial piety. Some people simply didn’t deserve to be parents. How dare they lay claim to everything Harvey had? If it were them, they might have wanted to cut these people down too.

They had never treated Harvey as family—only as a slave.

Watching the reporters furiously scribble notes, their faces filled with righteous indignation, Harvey allowed himself a small smirk. Truthfully, even if they hadn’t sought him out, he would have found a way to expose these matters himself.

If he was going to cut ties with those people, he’d do it thoroughly. He didn’t want to be far away only for these parasites to exploit his name for their own gain. Given their level of shamelessness, they’d likely deceive well-meaning people into giving them handouts.

Once everything was settled, Harvey left with Pa Bo. Though he had invited Pa Bo’s parents to come to the Royal City with them, the two declined. Back then, they hadn’t been able to help Harvey much, and now they felt no right to enjoy the fruits of his success.

Besides, they had their own lives and work here. Abandoning everything to move to the Royal City would only add pressure to the two young men. These two had already struggled hard to get where they were—the old folks didn’t want to burden them further.

Understanding his parents’ reservations, Pa Bo didn’t push them. He even helped them politely decline Harvey’s invitation.

Harvey was deeply moved by their consideration. After years of being used by others, it was rare to meet people who genuinely cared about his well-being.

Knowing he couldn’t persuade them now, Harvey relented. "Alright then. Pa Bo and I haven’t fully established ourselves in the Royal City yet. Once we’ve found stable work and our lives are more settled, we’ll write to you. When that time comes, don’t refuse us again. Even if you don’t stay long, at least come visit for a few days."

Seeing Harvey’s earnest expression, Pa Bo’s parents exchanged a glance and slowly nodded. He had gone this far—it would be too standoffish to refuse again.

Besides, with their son going so far away, they couldn't help worrying. Even if Harvey didn’t want them to stay, they would still make time to check in and see how Pa Bo was doing.

If life in the royal city turned out to be tough at first, they could bring some supplies to help out.

Back in the royal city, Harvey took Pa Bo home, while the newspaper office began putting together and printing their materials.

"Newspaper! Provincial newspaper! *'Raised by a Tiger, He Became the Shot Put Champion'*—gentlemen and ladies who want to know how Harvey, the shot put champion from our town, achieved success, come take a look at today’s paper!" The orphanage children, dressed in clean newspaper-selling uniforms, carried large bags of newspapers and hollered at passersby.

Harvey’s glory for their city had already been reported in previous newspapers, and people were proud that such a local hero had emerged from their area. Eager to learn more about his story, they were delighted to see a new report so soon.

"Really? Is it about Harvey? Give me a copy of the provincial paper!"

"Does the newspaper explain how Harvey won the championship? If there’s a method, maybe I can learn from it."

"What? He was raised by a tiger? How is that possible? Those monsters only eat people!"

Hearing the newsboy’s words, the crowd eagerly surrounded him, handing over coins for newspapers while trying to get more details from the boy.

The headline had shocked them.

Fortunately, the payments were all in copper coins, so the boy didn’t need to make change and had time to answer a few questions.

"Everything you want to know is in the newspaper. Also, it’s true—he really was raised by a tiger. I think his incredible strength might be because he drank tiger’s milk. Just imagine how strong a tiger is!"

As he spoke, the boy licked his lips. He occasionally got to drink a cup of cow’s milk, which was said to be good for health. If it were tiger’s milk, it must be even more powerful—though he had no idea what it tasted like.

Those who got their hands on the newspaper quickly found space to read it. Hearing the boy’s words, they nodded in agreement, thinking that explained why Harvey had won first place.

Because of these discussions, over the next few years, fewer people hunted tigers for their pelts—instead, they wanted to capture them alive to milk them.

If tigers were too hard to catch, wolves would do. Their sturdy bodies suggested their milk might have similar effects.

For now, though, the idea of drinking milk for strength was put on hold. People were more interested in how a child could have been raised by a tiger and how he had reached this point in life.

The reporter who wrote the article was a master of emotional storytelling. He began with Harvey returning to the village after his victory, full of sorrow, and the bleak, painful emotions he felt upon hearing his nephew’s description of him.

At first, readers were confused. Winning a championship should make someone a hero in any family—why was he treated this way? And why did such a joyous event leave them feeling so heavy-hearted?

As they read further and saw the writer describe Harvey’s status in that family and village from others’ perspectives, they grew angry.

By the time they learned about Harvey’s past, they felt only heartache and fury.

Why should such a kind, hardworking person be treated this way? Did he owe them anything? No—they were the ones who owed him.

This pent-up frustration made them read quickly through the rest of the article. When they reached the part where Harvey declared he was cutting ties with his family, they didn’t pity his parents—instead, they felt a sense of justice.

Still, perhaps because Harvey was too honest, he left behind everything that rightfully belonged to him. This foolishness only made people root for him more, wishing they could stand up for him.

But he had already left, unwilling to return to that painful place or have any further dealings with those people. How could they stir up trouble for him again?

So, they didn’t actively seek trouble with that village. But whenever they encountered someone from there, they looked at them with disdain. They charged them higher prices when selling goods. They discouraged their relatives and children from associating with anyone from that village.

A single newspaper report made the villagers experience what it meant to face silent oppression and exclusion. The suffering they had once inflicted on Harvey now came back to haunt them, filling them with regret.