Chapter 81: Evil Guest At The Door, Lin Shou Zhuo Entrusts His Orphan
Chen Shun’an ran back to Chaodou Hutong in a flash, his face slightly pale.
His mental strength was severely depleted, his glabella ached, and his back of the head felt like a steel needle was furiously stirring within.
He felt as if he hadn’t slept for several days and nights, somewhat overdrawn and in a daze.
Still as placid as duckweed, moving like a Flying Immortal, he moved freely through others’ rigid worlds; even if the duration was extremely short, it brought Chen Shun’an a great mental burden.
After all, though he had obtained the Six Sceneries Rotation True Cultivation Manual, his cultivation time was too short, and he had not yet passed the golden period of strength growth.
Moreover, the tempering of intent and the growth of mental strength were skills that required painstaking effort, much slower and more subtle than polishing muscles and bones and flesh and blood.
Returning to the Divine Palace and sitting high on the Throne could only clear his miscellaneous thoughts, calm the worldly dust and smoke, and allow him to enter a Deity state, but it could not restore his mental strength.
“I heard that some geniuses with special talents have their ancestral openings shining with light, their foreheads adorned with cloud patterns, their innate intent vast as the sea, and their mental strength far exceeding ordinary people tenfold or a hundredfold…”
Chen Shun’an mused inwardly, feeling a bit of envy, more or less.
Chen Shun’an saw hurried citizens along the way, shouting and discussing the strange events happening at Kui Xing Tower.
Some were crying, some were anxious.
Wind and clouds rose from the ground, and killing intent shook the heavens.
The Guo Lu Society Brothers’ arrival in the capital further disrupted the Lingguan Intercepting Meetings of both the water stations and pounding houses, causing widespread unease. The movements of the Martial World and Greenwood were frequently appearing, and public security was showing signs of unrest.
This diluted the festive atmosphere of the Spirit Official’s birthday.
Seeing this, Chen Shun’an felt a wave of annoyance.
He hated it most when people didn’t follow the rules, acting dishonestly and causing suffering to others.
If you can’t act without consequence, it’s better not to act!
Chen Shun’an just wanted to live a peaceful life.
Hurrying into the alley, Chen Shun’an straightened his jacket, brushed the dust off his clothes, suppressed the annoyance in his heart, and put on a calm expression.
The more chaotic the world, the more hidden dangers lurked around.
Chen Shun’an absolutely could not show any negative emotions like panic to Wan Niang.
He was the pillar of the family, the stabilizing force.
“I wonder if Wan Niang has heard the news from Kui Xing Tower. I hope she doesn’t venture out to look for me…”
Chen Shun’an quickened his pace and, from a distance, saw that the courtyard gate of his home was wide open. A pair of paper-cut door gods had slipped halfway down, and the wooden latch lay on the ground.
Several clear footprints were scattered on the sandy ground outside the gate.
The air in the entire alley was filled with a suppressed, suffocating atmosphere.
“Not good!”
Chen Shun’an’s heart tightened, a trace of killing intent flashing in his eyes.
His figure flickered, covering several zhang in an instant, like lightning as he vaulted over the wall and into the courtyard…
He saw Wan Niang gripping a Tiger Head Club with both hands, her face filled with panic, as if venting, she repeatedly swung the Tiger Head Club, smashing it against the heads, chests, and vital points of the two people at her feet.
These two men were both wearing black silk jackets, dressed like people from the Martial World, and their faces were masked.
But now, these two were clearly struggling for breath, on their last legs.
Two daggers lay on the ground, kicked away by Wan Niang.
“Why did you break into my house!”
“Why did you scare me!”
“So wicked, so wicked! In this pure world, under the bright heavens, how can there be such bandits!”
Wan Niang’s eyes darted about, her face pale, her ample bosom heaving.
Even though she was extremely frightened in her heart, her actions did not falter in the slightest. The blood splashing out landed on her embroidered shoes, adding a touch of fierce and demonic beauty to her.
“Wan Niang, stop.”
Chen Shun’an grasped Wan Niang’s hand.
Hearing the familiar voice, Wan Niang finally came to her senses, screamed, and dropped the Tiger Head Club.
She saw Chen Shun’an, her eyes a little red, and immediately threw herself into his arms.
“Brother… I was so scared, scared I would never see you again.”
Looking at the mangled figures of the men in black at his feet, Chen Shun’an’s face twitched, but he could only gently comfort Wan Niang a couple of times. Seeing her emotions stabilize, he asked,
“Who are these two?”
“Pah! These two green melons, they really have the guts of a bear. In broad daylight, they sneaked into Chaodou Hutong, first robbing Zhang Sanniang and Sister-in-law Li’s two families, then came to my place.”
Zhang Sanniang and Sister-in-law Li were the mothers of the two young students, Zhang Wangyue and Li Dongyang, who had eavesdropped on Chen Shun’an practicing martial arts outside the wall.
They were neighbors.
After all, Wan Niang was not a shy young girl. Gaining a sense of security from Chen Shun’an, she quickly forgot her panic and fear from moments ago.
At this moment, she separated from Chen Shun’an’s embrace, tidied her hair, and looked back at the two martial artists lying at her feet, spitting,
“I had pre-emptively left the door ajar, dropped a few taels of broken silver on the ground, grabbed the Tiger Head Club, and hid behind the door.
First, I struck the back of the last person’s head at the nape of his neck, then smashed the head of the person who bent over to pick up the money at the Baihui point!
They didn’t even bother to ask who lived here. They really wanted to die by provoking the ‘Great Duke of Tai’!”
Chen Shun’an was also somewhat surprised to hear this.
Wan Niang truly put her learning into practice; her knowledge of the meridians was actually used here!
Truly formidable!
In the alley, several heads peeked fearfully from the cracks of their doors, looking towards them.
“I’ll fight you to the death!!”
Suddenly, a furious female voice rang out.
A woman in coarse cloth, with a bruised forehead, holding a kitchen knife, gritted her teeth and glared, running out of her house. After orienting herself, she headed towards the Chen family’s home.
Upon seeing the two figures lying by Chen Shun’an’s feet, the woman paused. Then, seeing that Wan Niang’s clothes were as usual and showed no abnormalities, she finally felt relieved.
“It’s good that nothing happened, it’s good that nothing happened…”
This woman was Li Dongyang’s mother. Although her coarse cloth garment was home-woven, its craftsmanship was neat and refined.
She wore a jacket with a diagonal front opening, blue cloth trousers, and buttons with lace, so neatly sewn that there were almost no signs of the seams.
It could be seen that although her family was not wealthy, their life was lived with great care.
Chen Shun’an said, “Sister Li, don’t be alarmed. The matter is resolved. How much money did these two thieves rob from your home? Take it and check for yourself.”
Li Shi nodded repeatedly in thanks, a little reservedly.
A moment later, Chen Shun’an carried the two men and quickly left the courtyard.
Walking down the alleyway, the bloody aroma exploded, filling the alley.
Two trails of dripping blood had already formed on the ground.
Many heads behind door cracks quickly averted their gaze and closed their doors again.
Passing by a secluded corner, one of the black-clad men in Chen Shun’an’s hands gradually woke up, his eyelids fluttering, and he grunted.
*Crack!*
Chen Shun’an twisted his neck, giving him peaceful sleep, and then casually ruptured the other man’s heart meridian.
After a brief assessment of the two men’s identities, he found they were both unfamiliar faces with rough skin, broad foreheads, wide cheeks, and thick jaws, bearing the characteristics of young men from the Guanzhong region.
“As expected, they are from out of town.”
Chen Shun’an snorted coldly and shook his head.
Local gangs and Huds wouldn’t be so impolite.
After all, blackmail and extortion were one thing, but breaking into someone’s home to rob was another, and it was a serious crime!
Only these martial artists from out of town, with the mindset of hitting and running, were more interested in the wealthy households, acting without any rules!
Chen Shun’an found a full latrine, tied the two corpses to stones, and submerged them in the manure pit.
They didn’t have anything valuable on them. After all, if they had money, they wouldn’t risk doing this kind of work!
Chen Shun’an didn’t report to the officials; it was too troublesome.
After dealing with the two corpses.
Chen Shun’an turned back towards home.
Although it was broad daylight, and everything was clear, the sun shining brightly on the whole world, occasionally sounds of smashing, shouting, and even screams could be heard in the dry wind.
Humans are herd animals, easily incited and misled.
The Guo Lu Society’s disruption of the Lingguan Intercepting Meeting was like a fuse, igniting the filth hidden in the dark corners of Wuqing County. Furthermore, people like the two martial artists from out of town took the opportunity to steal and pilfer.
Chen Shun’an sighed,
“Things were just settling down, why are they chaotic again?”
…
By the time Chen Shun’an returned home, he saw Zhang Sanniang tiptoeing with a hurried expression, emerging from Chen Shun’an’s house.
Zhang Sanniang’s expression was a bit unnatural when she saw Chen Shun’an. She managed a smile, and passed by without saying a word.
“What’s with Zhang Sanniang…”
Chen Shun’an entered the courtyard and saw Li Shi and Wan Niang working together to mop the floor and clean up the bloodstains.
Helping each other to repair the broken windows and doors.
Li Dongyang was also helping, re-pasting the fallen door god images on Chen Shun’an’s courtyard gate.
Wan Niang stood up, clenched her handkerchief, wrung out the water, and said,
“Zhang Sanniang said that we should return to her the silver and jewelry that those two fierce people just robbed from his house.”
Chen Shun’an smiled. She had closed her doors when trouble struck, but now that it was over, she was actively coming to their door.
“So, if her husband doesn’t come to claim it, she will?”
“Heh, her husband is a good-for-nothing who only eats watermelon – a crawling coward! He wouldn’t dare incur your wrath, Brother, he only dares to send Zhang Sanniang.”
Wan Niang sneered, her voice even a bit cold.
“I told her I don’t know anything about the things and that she should ask you, Brother. She wouldn’t give up and pestered me for a long time. As soon as she saw you return, she left immediately.”
Chen Shun’an had indeed found some broken silver and jewelry on the two fierce men, but to avoid trouble, fearing it was stolen goods, he hadn’t kept them.
They were sunk into the manure pit along with the two corpses.
Chen Shun’an shook his head and didn’t dwell on the matter any further.
These neighbors, their trivial matters and grudges, were nothing more than a bit of dust to the current Chen Shun’an.
Not even a speck of wind and frost.
He naturally wouldn’t get angry over Zhang Sanniang’s family.
If she truly wanted to reclaim her jewelry and silver…
She could go and search every latrine herself.
Chen Shun’an fetched some well water from the vat in the courtyard, wiped his face, and casually glanced at the plump Grass Carp at the bottom of the vat.
Then he took out his pipe, slowly puffed to invigorate himself, and said to Li Shi,
“Where is Li Lao Er? I haven’t seen him in a long time.”
Li Shi replied casually,
“My husband went south with the opera troupe last month. I heard some wealthy patrons from Shu Land hired them to perform shadow puppet plays… They probably won’t be back for a few months.”
Li Lao Er was a member of the Luanzhou Opera Troupe, specializing in shadow puppetry. He could earn some money and meet some distinguished individuals, but he was always on the road, spending less than a few months at home throughout the year.
However…
Shu Land?
As soon as Chen Shun’an heard this place, his brow furrowed deeply.
He had been greatly troubled by these Guo Lu Society Brothers. The moment he heard the words “Shu Land,” he first thought of them.
After Li Shi and Li Dongyang helped tidy the courtyard, they turned to leave.
Before they left, Chen Shun’an put a piece of ginger candy into Li Dongyang’s mouth.
Li Dongyang grinned happily, shyly thanked him, and then tore off a piece of ginger candy for his mother.
The mother and son then departed.
“Brother, are you alright?”
Wan Niang was asking about the incident at the intercepting meeting.
“No, I ran when I saw the situation was bad. I don’t know what the current situation is…”
Chen Shun’an shook his head and turned into the bedroom.
But as soon as he pushed the door open, he sensed something was wrong.
Someone had trespassed into his bedroom!
The bed legs even showed signs of being moved, and the Golden Head Overlord, kept in the cricket cage, looked startled and listless, not eating or drinking.
Chen Shun’an’s face darkened. He quickly checked and found that even the hidden compartment under his bed had been pried open.
Fortunately, Chen Shun’an had already transferred all the Hibiscus Paste Fire into the Divine Palace, and the matchbox, which had lost its Xuhuo Mukou Essence, had long been discarded by Chen Shun’an into the Grand Canal.
So he wasn’t worried about the contents of the hidden compartment being discovered.
After all, as a martial artist, he was an old veteran. It was normal to hide some murder weapons, night-traveling clothes, and ropes at home, wasn’t it?
In addition to the bedroom, Chen Shun’an found subtle signs of disturbance in the main hall, kitchen, and storage room.
However, no silver was missing. Nothing valuable or cheap was gone.
Today, a group of people had broken into Chen Shun’an’s home, rummaging through everything, seemingly specifically looking for something!
Chen Shun’an felt an instinctive surge of anger.
They come when they want, they leave when they want. Do they think this is an inn!
Could it be from the Wanlong Pounding House?
Chen Shun’an immediately thought of something.
*Gurgle…*
In the water vat, the Golden Scaled Perch, disguised as a Grass Carp, surfaced.
It stared at Chen Shun’an with bulging eyes and transmitted its thoughts,
“Three bad people, very fierce, with a sweet smell of rice on them.”
Smell of rice?
It must be people from the Wanlong Pounding House!
Chen Shun’an’s eyes showed a thoughtful expression.
Could it be that they took advantage of the gathering being set up, and with the water carriers’ homes empty, they stealthily came to search for that Azure Gang Yang Huo?
However, Wanlong Pounding House is casting a wide net, investigating everyone one by one.
Or is it that they already suspect the mysterious Lightness Skill expert is one of the water carriers on Weihang Street?
Could it even be that his own name, Chen Shun’an, has already been placed on some people’s desks?
Thinking of this, Chen Shun’an’s expression became uncertain.
Zheng Shicheng, that person, can no longer be allowed to live!
“Little goldfish, thank you for keeping watch.”
Chen Shun’an quietly thanked the Golden Scaled Perch, then prepared fresh fish food to feed it.
Seeing the food, the Golden Scaled Perch’s eyes sparkled, its large mouth opening wide.
It ate the fish bait in two or three bites.
Afterward, it even affectionately nuzzled against Chen Shun’an’s hand.
【Wish+2】
Chen Shun’an had discovered that this Golden Scaled Perch didn’t just have a seven-second memory.
Instead, it only remembered important and happy events.
Chen Shun’an then changed the water for the Golden Scaled Perch, cleaning the water vat.
Goldfish are most afraid of cool water newly drawn from the well; it must be sun-dried for a long time beforehand to remove its chilling energy.
It’s best to raise them in tile basins, with large rims and straight edges, that have green moss growing inside, and also with other goldfish mixed in.
Chen Shun’an planned to, after some time, select a few slightly spiritual and colorful ‘grandchild’ fish and set up a tile basin fish tank in the yard to specifically raise the Golden Scaled Perch inside.
With the gathering having gone awry and Wuqing County showing signs of unrest, Chen Shun’an had no intention of going out and stayed home to look after Wan Niang.
After lunch.
Chen Shun’an was about to say he was going back to his room for a nap to nourish his spirit.
When he heard a knock on the door.
Chen Shun’an opened the door and saw Lin Shou Zhuo, San Dezi, Scarred Liu, and several other acquaintances standing outside.
Behind them followed a large group of people, young and old.
Chen Shun’an was startled: “This is…”
On Lin Shou Zhuo’s toad-like face, a rare trace of embarrassment flickered, as if he felt somewhat ashamed.
He was holding a child of about twelve or thirteen years old. Judging by his facial features, he bore some resemblance to Lin Shou Zhuo, likely his grandson.
Lin Shou Zhuo cupped his fists and said,
“Old Chen, the well organization is on guard duty, and He Qiang and I have been dispatched by the Landlord to assist Wanlong Pounding House in pursuing the thieves from the Guo Lu Society. The situation is perilous, so I’d like to trouble you to help look after my unworthy child.”
Chen Shun’an understood.
This was…
Entrusting his child in his dying moments?
