The gates slowly opened.
Four burly Governnt Officials stood at the entrance, glaring angrily. Nearly as tall as a man, the clubs in their hands were poised as if to beat dogs, aid directly at the restless crowd that also sought entry.
Jiang Shu quickly entered and stopped two steps away from Registrar Zhao, pretending to be unaware as he asked softly, "May I ask, Registrar, why is the city sealed off today?"
"Jiang Shu, it seems you’ve had a good harvest in the mountains this ti. After just a few days, you’ve managed this much, while so people spend half a month and can’t find a single Mutant Beast," Registrar Zhao said, looking Jiang Shu up and down without imdiately answering, as if he had asked casually.
His body carried a strong, musky scent of wild beasts. It was unknown what the package on his back contained, but in his hand, he carried a Mutant Beast.
Clearly, he had just returned from the mountains. However, returning from the mountains didn’t an he’d been in the mountains all along. Yao Wenbai’s death hadn’t just happened yesterday or today!
Within Pingling County, for every Martial Artist below the Bone Forging Realm, he had routine questions or set phrases to ask. Unfortunately, most of these Martial Artists had alibis. They were either drinking elsewhere with others or attending to their shops. Only a few with no significant background and no alibi of their own were temporarily being held in the governnt office, awaiting further questioning.
"Registrar Zhao, you must be joking," Jiang Shu said with a wry smile, showing so small wounds on his arm. "I got these injuries killing this little thing. Besides, I was in the mountains for nearly a month, not just a few days."
"By the way, you ntioned going to the governnt office. Did sothing happen?" he asked, then looked toward Registrar Zhao, a perfectly puzzled expression on his face.
Acting. Who couldn’t do it?
"There was an incident at Skylark Square. Two girls were tied to their beds, and we are still investigating," Registrar Zhao said, still vague as he walked toward the governnt office, his eyes constantly slanting to watch Jiang Shu’s every move.
Unfortunately, up to now, all of Jiang Shu’s behavior was perfectly normal. There was no tension, no exaggerated reactions. Just a frown of confusion that seed genuine, just like the other Martial Artists he had questioned.
It seed Yao Wenbai’s death was likely to remain an unsolved case. In ordinary major cases, they could infer the general situation based on clues and the motive for murder. But this ti was different. In their view, Zhou Yang was just a victim of collateral damage. And as for Yao Wenbai’s killer, was it soone with a grudge against him, or soone watching the Yao Family’s growing power and wanting to send a warning? If it was the latter, the murderer could even be from another influential family. Then it was not just a simple murder case.
Amidst their casual conversation, they soon arrived at the governnt office.
Jiang Shu sat in the hall, where a Governnt Official offered him tea.
Registrar Zhao sat at a higher position, pen in hand, questioning Jiang Shu about his recent activities, recording in detail when he entered the mountains, what he encountered, and where he stayed.
Once confird there were no errors, he rose apologetically, saying, "I’ve troubled you, Jiang Shu. As an official, I had to ask. Now, to let you know, Yao Wenbai was murdered at Skylark Square. His companion, a man nad Zhou Yang, also t a violent end."
"I rember this Zhou Yang; he seed to have a good relationship with you, right?"
"What?"
No sooner had Registrar Zhao finished speaking than Jiang Shu abruptly stood up. The tea from the cup spilled onto his hand, but he seed unconcerned, his eyes filled with shock and anger.
Then, a chill burst forth from him, and even his voice carried an icy edge, "Who killed them!"
「Upon leaving the governnt office.」
The warm, comfortable sunlight fell upon Jiang Shu.
Without pausing, Jiang Shu went straight to the Zhou Family’s residence.
With tears in his eyes, he passionately promised Zhou Yang’s father that he would find the murderer.
After putting on such an act, he returned to his small courtyard and carefully reflected on whether he had overlooked anything.
When I went to Skylark Square, I was already in disguise. The madam of the house saw only my masked appearance; she wouldn’t be able to recognize in the vastness of Pingling County. Moreover, to protect her business and those two girls, she might not tell the truth to the governnt officials. After all, taking the two girls away for questioning would an a substantial loss of business.
As for Han Dali, although it was highly likely he was the one who threw stones into my courtyard, he couldn’t go to the Pingling County governnt office to report . Firstly, there was no concrete evidence for the stone-throwing. Secondly, since I had co out of the county office cleared of suspicion, falsely accusing a Martial Artist of such a deed could send him—Han Dali—directly to jail!
Now that Zhou Yang is gone, the Zhou Family will see their provisions of salt, MSG, and spices from gradually reduced. There are plenty of reasons: complicated processes, interference with my Martial Arts progress. Plus, these items would remind of Zhou Yang, so it’s better not to deal with them at all.
Once the Zhou Family collapses, Han Dali will naturally be able to break free. Han Dali should be able to understand this point clearly.
Drawing several buckets of water from the well, he poured them over his head, taking a cold shower.
Jiang Shu put on his clothes, carrying the beast hide and the Mutant Beast at, and headed to Qi Yuan’s small courtyard.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Figures were flipping and flying around in the small courtyard.
Qi Yuan’s punches were fierce.
Almost a month had passed without seeing him, and his strength had been steadily increasing.
But without Mutant Beast at and life-and-death battles, this improvent was far too trivial for Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu adjusted his stance effortlessly, his insights profound, occasionally pointing out the inadequacies in Qi Yuan’s technique.
This ti, he was essentially feeding moves to Qi Yuan!
"Senior Brother Qi, your tendons and flesh are too tense. Try to relax your muscles and bones when you punch."
"Hungry Tiger’s Fierce Claw is a ruthless move. You’re playing it too conservatively, Senior Brother Qi. ’Annihilation’ ans you have to be resolutely decisive, ready to put your opponent in a life-threatening situation."
"The Three Forms of the Tiger are actually the foundation of the Hungry Tiger’s Fierce Claw. Only if you truly understand the forr will the latter not seem rely malicious. You need to combine viciousness with a bit of dominance."
「Two quarters of an hour later.」
Qi Yuan was drenched in sweat, his hands sore and aching, forcing him to stop and rest.
anwhile, Jiang Shu, as if it was nothing, started to grill the Mutant Beast at on the barbecue rack.
The aroma of the beast at gradually filled the small courtyard.
"Indeed, strength is the most important thing. Back then, Junior Brother, you and I were unable to subdue that Mutant Beast in the woods, yet now you’ve captured and killed it all by yourself."
"Ah, if only I were a genius like you, Junior Brother. How long have you been practicing martial arts to reach the Iron Skin Realm? It’s likely that in a year or two, you’ll have a chance to enter the Bone Forging Realm."
"And , how long will it take to reach Bone Forging?"
"So many major events have happened in the county recently. County Magistrate Qiu died in the mountains; County Magistrate Nie took his place. The Yao Family had just begun to rise when their main branch mber, Yao Wenbai, died in Skylark Square. All these events make feel like there’s going to be major chaos in the inner city."
"When you were not here, Junior Brother, you have no idea... The won from the Yao Family were like mad dogs, questioning us in the governnt office about who killed their son."
"In the Skin Grinding Realm, we may have so status in front of commoners, but in the eyes of the truly powerful families, what are we, really?"
Qi Yuan ate the Mutant Beast at, feeling the qi and blood in his body, and couldn’t help but feel dejected.
Jiang Shu did not respond; instead, he just passed over more grilled Mutant Beast at.
When I wasn’t even a Martial Artist, Senior Brother Qi Yuan shared his scarce Fox Bear at with , occasionally fed moves, analyzed martial arts, and truly treated as a junior brother. Now, offering up a small portion of Mutant Beast at is simply a reciprocation of kindness. In my eyes, this is far from enough. Qi Yuan’s talent is not lacking. Among all my nominal senior brothers, Qi Yuan’s talent is the best. If he had enough resources, Qi Yuan might have already reached the Iron Skin Realm by now. What a pity. I have too many secrets now that I can’t yet reveal. Only when I reach the stage of Inner Cleansing and can have absolute authority in Pingling County will I be able to provide Qi Yuan with resources to help him advance. The Bone Forging Realm? How difficult could it be!
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