With a muffled sound, Yuan Chengji's chest caved in, ribs shattered, and his whole body flew backward, not getting up again.
In the stench-filled room, a rare quiet descended.
Chu Ming stood in place, his heartbeat slightly accelerated.
His first time killing, it didn't provoke as intense a reaction as he expected. After a slight calm, he recovered.
He steadily walked next to the constable, confirmed he was dead, then came to the overturned wooden plank and looked down.
Inside, there were three or four broken, rotten entrails and a package.
Chu Ming rolled up his sleeves, covered his nose and mouth, picked up a nearby wooden plank, and extracted the package.
There wasn't much inside, seven broken silver pieces, and a book smeared with filth.
He looked around, found a relatively clean piece of clothing, wiped the silver and book, and repackaged them.
Then he carefully searched the house, besides finding some ink and paper, he had no additional findings.
The paper was somewhat moldy, likely from prolonged disuse, but fortunately, it was still writable.
Under the moonlight, Chu Ming held the pen in his left hand, quickly writing on the paper.
He wanted to write down tonight's findings and send them to Housekeeper Fang.
The handwriting with his left hand had never been shown before, and Fang wouldn't recognize it.
Constable Yuan Chengji was a mole and a murderer, with an unknown powerful tea stall owner backing him, and a little girl suspected of being the young master of an organization cultivating some Bloodthirsty Technique.
Characters, two addresses, detailed annotations.
The corpse of the constable here, the rotting organs under the floor were evidence left for Housekeeper Fang.
Under the cover of night, Chu Ming hurried all the way back to the vicinity of Wheat Alley.
He chose a deserted spot, climbed to the roof, stealthily approached the gutter of Wheat Alley. Fang was still there, but he had changed to a more concealed hiding place.
Chu Ming crumpled the written evidence into a ball, flicking it toward Fang Xiao's location.
"Hmm?" Fang Xiao was startled, abruptly got up, just about to chase out, when an object flew his way. He swiftly drew his blade for defense; the paper ball lightly hit the blade and fell straight down.
Fang Xiao didn't have time to inspect it, lifted his head to look around, but no trace of a person was found.
"Such quick body technique, high-level stealth skills. Who exactly is this?!"
He lowered his head to search, found the 'hidden weapon' at the edge of the eaves.
He picked it up, opened it, and Fang Xiao's face changed drastically.
...
West Street, at the end of the small courtyard, the lights were still on. Little Shan stood at the gate, anxiously and fearfully waiting.
Suddenly, a silhouette approached from the dark alley in the distance.
"Young Master!" Little Shan's eyes were red, she immediately went to greet him.
Chu Ming froze for a moment, then looked down at the petite maid snuggled in his arms, letting out a slight sigh.
"Is there food left?" he asked softly.
"There is, there is..."
Little Shan ran into the main room, skillfully brought the meal into the kitchen.
Soon, the aroma of food wafted out, and the reheated dishes returned to the table.
Chu Ming quietly watched. Though the dishes had been reheated, he could see there were no traces of anyone eating.
Little Shan had been waiting for him to come back for dinner...
Chu Ming got up, took a ladle, served a bowl of rice, and handed it to the maid who had served him for over twenty days.
Little Shan was instantly flustered, her face flushed red, "Young... Young Master, this is what Little Shan should do."
Without delay, she pushed the bowl of rice back to Chu Ming, then placed fragrant hot dishes in front of him, "Young Master, eat quickly."
The dim candlelight flickered, reflecting Little Shan's anxious and slender figure, Chu Ming looked away, watching calmly.
To say that in this world, who was truly good to him, Housekeeper Fang could only be second, and the first...
'If this little girl knows I'll be leaving for Baiyuan County in two days...'
He picked up chopsticks, grabbed a few slices of cooked meat: "Eat."
"Young... Young Master... I don't like eating meat..." Little Shan became more fearful, feeling bad foreboding in her heart.
Not like eating meat?
Chu Ming sighed inwardly.
Little Shan was only a year older than him, at the age of growing.
In the past life, sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls were in the springtime of their youth, and good food was one of their joys and pursuits.
Little Shan didn't dislike eating meat, she wanted to leave the meat for him.
"Eat, not eating meat won't help you grow."
Chu Ming's eyes turned slightly stern, his gaze swept over the maid's body.
Healthy slenderness is a kind of beauty, but Little Shan's thinness was certainly due to malnutrition.
Little Shan was intimidated by his stare, dared not speak again, cautiously took small bites of meat, chewing slowly in her small mouth.
Her expression appeared pained, as if she truly disliked meat, but was acting awkwardly.
It was as if as long as she ate slowly, the meat piece could stay, and then it would follow that she could say: Little Shan really doesn't like it, Young Master should eat.
Chu Ming looked, then bowed his head to eat.
Halfway through the meal, Little Shan suddenly spoke: "Young Master, when will you go to Baiyuan Academy?"
She set down her bowl and chopsticks, hid her small hands under the table, lowered her head, "Could... could you... take..."
Though Little Shan gathered courage, she ultimately couldn't finish.
Chu Ming paused, looking at Little Shan's bowl with only a few bites taken of rice and meat, his mind experienced some fluctuation.
But it was only brief upheaval, soon suppressed by him.
He was going to Baiyuan County, not suitable and impossible to take Little Shan.
Baiyuan Academy is lodging-based, Little Shan couldn't accompany him.
Moreover, Baiyuan County was far too deep, with the Chu family, forces cultivating Blood Techniques, and many unknown dangers…
He dared not claim self-preservation, let alone see Little Shan cast into the firepit.
If someday strength permitted, then consider having this little girl by his side.
"Finish your meal, tomorrow I won't leave, but the day after tomorrow I will."
Chu Ming planned to stay for one or two more days, waiting for Fang Xiao's progress.
He spoke plainly, but in Little Shan's mind, it was like a cold sharp blade piercing into her heart.
The Young Master would leave in the next few days, and he wouldn't take her!
The crystal in her eyes was like a spring, uncontrolled.
"Young Master, are you still eating? I'll get more rice."
Little Shan held the rice bowl, tried to press her lips tightly, and dashed out of the main room.
Her hurried steps, the clattering of the fallen wooden bowl collided, softly like a mosquito's choke...
Chu Ming indifferently looked out.
The moon shone bright, the night breeze gentle.
Since arriving in this world, some things were already destined.
He no longer had the appetite to eat, got up, walked out of the main room, lingered outside the kitchen briefly, then returned to his own room.
Ignite the lamp, read at night.
After a while, Little Shan returned with rice, her face with no trace of crying, quietly tidying up the dishes.
Then, she boiled water and carried it to Chu Ming's room.
"Young Master, the water is ready."
"Mm."
...
Liuu Town, East Street, Yuan Chengji's home.
Two figures entered quietly.
"It stinks!" One of them wore a Flying Fish Suit, a Embroidery Blade by the waist.
The other had slightly white hair, lots of wrinkles on his face.
"There's a bloody smell." Fang Xiao frowned slightly: "Inside."
The two gently pushed the wooden door open.
Squeak—
Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the floor.
Both were martial artists with condensed Qi Blood, their vision stunning, they almost simultaneously understood the situation inside the room.
A corpse, slouched in the corner, eyes wide open, as if witnessing something unbelievable before death.
Not far from the corpse, there was a pit in the ground with a wooden plank beside it.
"Constable, Yuan Chengji!" Shao Pengshu from the Criminal Defense Bureau murmured: "The information on that paper is true!"
"Not necessarily." Fang Xiao observed all around and, when convinced there was no danger, moved beside the corpse and squatted down to check.
Shao Pengshu then looked toward the dark pit.