At noon, Zhuang Xun controlled Yan Pingsheng to eat in the dining hall, carrying his tray as he looked for an empty seat.
“Brother Yan! Over here!”
Hearing someone call his name, he turned around. A square-jawed youth was smiling and patting the empty seat next to him.
“Brother Fang,” Zhuang Xun replied with a smile as he walked over and sat down.
Ever since Zhang Tie had spread his warning far and wide, Yan Pingsheng's popularity and reputation had risen significantly.
Additionally, Yan Pingsheng looked completely ordinary and non-threatening, giving people a friendly vibe. Coupled with his decent strength, many people had taken the initiative to make friends with him recently, earning him quite a few casual acquaintances.
After Zhuang Xun exchanged greetings with the others at the table, he quietly ate his meal while listening to their conversation.
As the youths chatted, they naturally lowered their voices and shifted the topic to what had happened this morning.
“Hey, have you all heard about what happened this morning?”
“Did someone cultivate through the night and drop dead in the bamboo forest?”
“You actually believe that? If it was just sudden death, why would so many people from the Law Enforcement Hall show up? They even strictly forbade us from spreading the news. I bet it was murder!”
The youth gestured excitedly with his chopsticks, drawing the attention of several nearby tables.
“Ah, speaking of which, who died?”
“Brother Fang, you don't know? It's Chang Heyou. Didn't you notice he hasn't shown up all morning?”
“Brother Xu, don't scare me... Isn't Brother... Brother Chang sitting right over there?”
“Damn you, Xu Runbing! I only missed this morning because of a stomachache, and you're already telling everyone I'm dead?!”
A buck-toothed youth rushed over and locked his arm around the rumor-monger's neck.
“Ow, ow! Brother Chang, I was wrong! I was really wrong!”
Chang Heyou snorted, loosened his grip slightly, and said, “Are you talking about what happened this morning? I actually heard a bit about it from someone. Yeah, the guy definitely didn't drop dead. He was murdered! And the culprit is none other than the Debt-Lending Bladesman, who has become notoriously famous in recent years!”
“The Debt-Lending Bladesman who leaves a blade after killing?”
“Exactly. It's him.”
“Impossible! How could a chivalrous hero like the Debt-Lending Bladesman lay a hand on an innocent person?” At a neighboring table, a short youth suddenly stood up.
“Who knows? Anyway, the martial academy's wanted poster for the Debt-Lending Bladesman is already out. If you don't believe me, you can go check the Administrative Hall.”
“Impossible! It must be a mistake! Either someone framed him, or there was something wrong with the dead guy! In short, the Debt-Lending Bladesman would never lay a hand on an innocent person!”
Ah, I actually have supporters?
Zhuang Xun looked at the youth, who was red in the face from arguing, feeling quite surprised.
Hmph, that's right. I am a chivalrous hero. That bastard lured people up the mountain to be slaughtered like pigs. His crimes were heinous, and I have justly eliminated him.
“Stop arguing, everyone. No matter who the killer is, it's bad news. To think someone could actually murder someone inside the martial academy... Hearing this makes me afraid to go out alone. I hope the academy catches the culprit quickly.”
Then you're probably going to be disappointed.
Just a few seats away, the culprit was looking at him while devouring his food.
“Sigh, tell me about it. I really feel like nowhere is safe now. Didn't a few disciples get captured when they went up the mountain a few days ago? And I heard that several young children have gone missing in the city recently. Those mountain bandits deserve to die a thousand deaths!”
Children missing in the city?
Zhuang Xun stopped chewing.
This should be the work of the Shengxue Cult's cultists. This time, the mountain bandits of Southern Mountain's Qushe Ridge are taking the fall.
As far as Zhuang Xun knew, there were three groups of people doing kidnappings around Mount Dazhou.
One group was Southern Mountain's Qushe Ridge. Their activity was mostly in the outskirts, and they targeted young, strong adults to use as labor for mining.
Another group was the Shengxue Cult, mostly hiding in the city. They kidnapped children and youths to use young, living bodies to nurture herbs.
There was also a mysterious third group. They rarely struck, and they killed their targets immediately and with absolute decisiveness. Zhuang Xun had yet to figure out their identity and purpose.
“With the mountain bandits being so outrageous, why hasn't the City Lord's Manor wiped them out? Are they collecting so much tax every year for nothing?!”
“Don't they launch bandit suppression campaigns every year? But Qushe Ridge's terrain is easy to defend and hard to attack. On top of that, the bandit leader, She Chenxiang, is an expert whose strength is not inferior to the City Lord or the Principal. Combined, these factors have led to the current stalemate.”
“Sigh, everyone should be careful when going out from now on. Try to avoid going out at night. In any case, this world is becoming less and less safe by the day.”
Yeah, it really is getting less and less safe.
Although Zhuang Xun had contributed his share to making the disciples feel unsafe, it didn't stop him from sighing in agreement.
Improve my strength, create clones, and infiltrate the City Lord's Manor, Qushe Ridge, the Shengxue Cult, and that mysterious faction.
Zhuang Xun reconfirmed his plan of action.
This way, no matter how chaotic the world became in the future, he would always have a path to survival.
If I take it a step further and rise to a high position in every faction, then whether Mount Dazhou becomes chaotic in the future will be entirely up to me, hahahaha... Er, but the most important thing right now is still to break through to the Sixth Rank and create a clone to become the disciple of the Posuo Courtyard Head.
After all, the other goals were still far off, whereas this was the immediate crisis Zhuang Xun had to face.
Zhuang Xun had not yet met the Posuo Courtyard Head, not even on the day of the apprenticeship ceremony, so he was still unclear about the other party's attitude toward him.
On the other hand, Zhou Ziruo, the disciple of the Posuo Courtyard Head, treated him very well, calling him “Senior Brother” very sweetly.
However, this held no reference value, as that woman seemed to be a sucker for good looks.
The Posuo Courtyard Head and I are only in a competitive relationship, not mortal enemies. Besides, Master is still alive, so she probably won't come after me... Still, just to be safe, I should plant a clone in the enemy camp.
Zhuang Xun used his chopsticks to mix the remaining rice into the beef broth, then lifted the plate and wolfed it down in one go.
“Enjoy your meal, I'll be going first.” He stood up, waved to his tablemates who were still chatting, and left with his dishes.
“Brother Yu, why do you... admire the Debt-Lending Bladesman so much?” Shortly after Zhuang Xun left, a youth at the neighboring table, who had held back for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask.
Hearing this, the others at the table turned their gazes to the short youth.
The short youth looked down at his bowl, remained silent for a moment, and then told his story.
“In the past, there was a wealthy gentry in our village. He loaned money at usurious rates, forced people to sell their land, seized lakes and mountains... He committed all kinds of evil.
“During the famine that year, everyone was driven to the brink of death by him. In the end, the Debt-Lending Bladesman stepped forward and killed him.
“He didn't take a single penny of the gentry's money and grain; he left it all to us. That was how we survived the winter, and how I got the chance to practice martial arts at the academy.
“I practice martial arts just so I can become someone like him!”
Everyone was astonished. They had never expected the Debt-Lending Bladesman to be such a morally grey, chivalrous hero!
Rate on N.U.
