Chapter 75: A Family Should Be Whole and Complete (Requesting Monthly Votes)

East City, Clear Water Alley.

The outer area of East City.

Zhou San bought a courtyard here.

The more one is entrenched in darkness, the more one desires to live among the light.

This saying fits Zhou San perfectly.

East City is the safest district in the county, but given Zhou San’s status, he could only afford a courtyard on the outer edge of East City.

After leaving the martial arts academy, Lin Chen headed straight for Clear Water Alley and quickly found Zhou San’s residence.

The Zhou Residence!

The courtyard gate was tightly shut, but with Lin Chen’s acute hearing, he could still hear movement inside—objects being shifted and footsteps walking.

“Brother, hurry up! We don’t have much time. Master Pang’s men said the government will send people tomorrow—they can only buy us one night.”

Inside the courtyard, a young girl held a bundle while supporting a thirty-something woman of elegant bearing. From the main hall, a young boy emerged with a cold expression, clutching another bundle.

“Sister, do you really trust Master Pang?”

“Brother, what do you mean by that?”

“I’ve inquired. Father paid tribute to Master Pang, but what kind of man is he? Many pay tribute to him. Father doesn’t even rank among them. Why would he send us out of the city at night? He must have ill intentions.”

Zhou Ke saw the shock on his mother’s and sister’s faces and smiled with a knowing, smug look: “If I’m not mistaken, once we leave the city, what awaits our family is Master Pang’s long blades.”

“Ke’er, what should we do? It’s all your father’s fault! I told him to quit before your entrance to the Martial Hall next year, so it wouldn’t affect you—but he wouldn’t listen. Now this disaster has come upon us.”

“Mother, Father didn’t do anything wrong!”

Zhou Ke cut off his mother’s complaints: “Without money, how can one advance in the martial path? The mistake was that Father didn’t investigate the girl’s background properly. Who could have imagined a girl from a small village would be connected to those elite students of the academy?”

“Brother, who exactly are our enemies?”

“Two people—a man and a woman. I don’t know the woman’s origins, but I found out about the man. He’s from Linhu Village. The girl was from Linhu Village too—that’s why they struck back.”

In Zhou Ke’s mind, he didn’t believe his father had done anything wrong. His father was cautious—he never trafficked children from within the city, and even those from the town were thoroughly vetted to avoid kidnapping children of wealthy households.

Who could have imagined kidnapping a child from a village would lead to this?

Besides, those two were too ruthless. Normally, if someone had connections, they’d come to Father, pay silver, and he’d release the child.

Thinking of this, Zhou Ke’s eyes filled with venom. He didn’t know the woman’s origins and couldn’t seek revenge—but that student from Linhu Village? Once he completed his training, he would make him pay.

Seeing the hatred in her son’s eyes, Zhou’s mother warned: “Ke’er, even your father wasn’t a match for that person. Don’t even think of revenge now.”

“Mother, I’m not stupid. Revenge now would just be suicide. Revenge can wait—we’ll leave through the back gate. As soon as dawn breaks, we’ll exit the city.”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

“Brother, now that Father’s gone, my mother and I rely on you.”

Zhou Ke’s lips curled upward: “Mother, Sister, rest easy. Father left me…”

Mid-sentence, Zhou Ke’s pupils contracted. Fear twisted his face—he saw a figure leap over the courtyard wall and strike toward him like lightning.

Crash!

The next moment, Zhou Ke’s body flew several zhang, slammed into the wall, and collapsed, unconscious, Shengsibuzhi .

“Ah!”

Zhou’s mother screamed in terror—but the cry died instantly as a hand slammed onto her head.

Blood sprayed. Her entire body flew backward, half her face severed.

“No… don’t kill me! I… I’ll serve you as a slave or maid! I know how my father trained those girls—I can do it all! I’ll serve you—”

Slap!

The woman’s body flew away, following her mother’s fate.

Having slapped the woman to death, Lin Chen looked at the three corpses on the ground, his emotions undisturbed.

A family should be whole and complete.

Since they wanted revenge, I can’t let them live.

Besides, I just heard their conversation—they knew exactly what Zhou San did and never tried to stop him. They were not innocent at all.

Killing these three left no burden on his heart.

As for the fear and trembling one might feel after killing for the first time—Lin Chen realized he felt none of it.

A martial cultivator must have a strong heart.

Looking at the three corpses, Lin Chen swiftly grabbed the two bundles from the siblings, didn’t bother checking them, and leapt over the wall, carrying the bundles.

Facing three ordinary people, he didn’t use Clear Wind Palm or Water Cloud Palm—only raw strength to kill them, to avoid leaving traces.

As for suspicion…

Jiang Shijie was right: no one would suspect a prodigy student over a few dead commoners.

…

…

Fifteen minutes later.

Jiang Qing stared at the three corpses, sighing helplessly—she’d taken a wrong path and been delayed.

Someone had acted before her.

Was it Zhou San’s enemy?

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Qing didn’t linger. She leapt over the courtyard wall and vanished.

Zhou San meant nothing to her. She came here only to prevent his family from retaliating against Lin Shi-di’s family.

After Jiang Qing left, Yan He’an stepped out from the shadows.

“The figure was likely Jiang Qing of Jingshui Martial Academy. That little girl is decisive—she knows to cut the grass and uproot it.”

Yan He’an looked at the three corpses, pulled out a fire starter from his sleeve, flicked his right hand—and a spark landed precisely on the window paper. Soon, flames erupted across the courtyard.

…

…

“Damn it!”

Outside the Zhou Residence.

Several black-clad men stared at the mansion engulfed in roaring flames, their faces grim.

Master Pang had sent them to escort Zhou San’s family to their death and retrieve his remaining silver—only to be beaten to it.

“Withdraw!”

The leader waved his hand. The men vanished into the darkness.

…

…

Inside the city, beside the inner river.

Beneath a willow tree, Lin Chen was counting his haul.

The moonlight was dim, but it didn’t hinder Lin Chen from clearly seeing the contents of the bundles.

He opened the first bundle—and his eyes lit up.

A stack of silver notes, a bag of silver coins.

“Ten, twenty, fifty…”

Killing and arson—the golden belt!

The ancients didn’t lie!

He didn’t finish counting. Lin Chen shoved the silver notes and coins into his robes, then opened the second bundle.

This bundle belonged to Zhou San’s son. Inside were several folded garments, with silver notes stacked on top. Lin Chen slipped the notes into his robes, then stared at the clothes. A thought struck him—he reached out and felt along the fabric.

Soon, he picked up the long robe, ran his hands over it, and pulled out a cloth pouch from its inner lining.

A silk pouch, tied with red silk thread.

Lin Chen had a feeling—this pouch held something valuable.

When he’d opened the bundle and seen the silver notes on top, he’d sensed something off.

Normally, people hide precious items in the safest place. These notes were worth more than the clothes.

Take himself—he’d never put money on top of a bundle. He’d bury it at the bottom.

Zhou San’s son placing the notes on top could mean only one thing: there was something even more valuable hidden inside. The notes were a decoy—meant to distract anyone who found the bundle, so they wouldn’t notice the more precious item beneath.

He slipped the pouch into his robes, checked both bundles again to confirm nothing was missed, then picked up a stone from beside him, dropped it into one bundle, tied it tightly with a dead knot, and tossed it into the river. Watching it sink to the bottom, he rose and left.

PS: Please seriously consider following along—don’t just save this. Big plot twists are coming. The boy will soon soar like a great roc, riding the wind straight up ninety thousand li.

(End of Chapter)