Zhou You spread the news through seven or eight streets, then, instead of returning to the martial arts school, went home.
He could not let this trip go to waste, so he might as well have dinner with his parents.
Passing by the place where the incident had happened, he found a group of white-robed members of the God of Release Cult cleaning the ground.
After asking around, he learned that after he had left, passersby had discovered the bloody scene.
Too many incidents had happened in the city lately; the authorities alone could not handle them all, much less when Lu Zhigang was an outsider.
It was the God of Release Cult that came to gather the remains, wipe everything clean, wrap them in white cloth, and send them outside the city... for cremation.
That was right—the God of Release Cult believed that when a person died, their light went out like a lamp. Cremation was the best fate for mortal remains.
Yet the local custom held that fallen leaves must return to their roots. One had to be buried in their native soil for the soul to receive the offerings of its descendants.
Because of this conflict, the God of Release Cult was regarded as an evil cult in certain regions.
The locals of Gongliang City naturally avoided them like the plague. Only the refugees from Su City lacked the means to be particular about such things.
Once Lu Zhigang's remains had been cremated, the matter was settled, the dust falling back to earth.
There had been a minor twist during it all...
The bought-off Shan Wa had a tough little life. He had slammed into the wall and fainted, but when the white-robed people found him afterward, he was somehow still breathing.
He had merely taken a few brutal blows; shit and piss had flooded his crotch, and he could not even speak. He had been frightened completely witless.
Only after the God of Release Cult went door to door asking questions did they find Shan Wa's home and return the child.
"Poor Shan Wa. I heard his bones were broken, and his stomach and intestines were ruined. Everything he eats, he throws up."
While they ate dinner, his mother shared the news she had heard.
Zhou You did not explain the whole story. He just buried his head in his food. The little brat had gotten what he deserved.
The only reason he had left the boy with a breath to vent was out of consideration for the neighbors; otherwise, he would have finished him with one more stomp.
Selling him out for ten coins—what kind of bastard was that? He would grow up to be rotten stock anyway.
As they ate, curses rose from outside, growing increasingly noisy until the neighbors on both sides came out of their homes.
The more they listened, the more something felt wrong. It sounded as though they were cursing "the old Zhou family" and "Zhou You."
Dinner was over.
Zhou You and his parents stepped outside to look. Shan Wa's father was holding the child at their doorway, smearing tears and snot everywhere as he cursed.
"Zhou You, get your ass out here!"
"I just heard that my son got into trouble because he went to the martial arts school to find you! His whole second half of life is ruined—you have to pay!"
His wife was no easy character either. Wiping her tears, she cried and made a scene at the same time.
The couple cried and cursed until chickens and dogs were thrown into chaos. More and more neighbors gathered to watch.
"You'er, what is going on?"
Zhou You reassured his parents. "It's fine. Leave it to me."
He walked forward and glanced at Shan Wa. The little brat's eyes were vacant; he had clearly been scared senseless.
Then he looked at the boy's parents, who appeared so fierce they might swallow people whole.
Did they not know that Zhou You could kill their entire family with a casual breath?
"Shan Wa's father, you cannot put it that way. Whoever injured your Shan Wa, go demand compensation from that person."
Lu Zhigang had already been burned to ash. Where could they possibly find the culprit now?
Shan Wa's father dared come knocking because he knew the Zhou Family inside and out and thought they were honest, easy people to bully.
If Lu Zhigang had truly been standing before them, the couple would not have dared let out even a fart.
"I don't care! The Zhou family's son is bullying people!"
Shan Wa's mother plopped onto the ground and wailed with her mouth wide open. "My son ended up like this because of you. You have to pay!"
"Otherwise, I'll smash my head into your doorway and die!"
Beside her, Shan Wa's father raised his voice even louder. Tugging at the surrounding neighbors, he repeated himself to each of them. "My Shan Wa was playing perfectly fine in the street. He only went to the martial arts school to find Zhou You, and he ended up like this! If not him, then who?"
From the crowd, Widow Li spoke a fair word. "It might not have been Zhou You. There are so many outsiders in the city—maybe they were the ones who harmed Shan Wa."
Zhou You could not help looking at her. This auntie had some substance to her; one casual remark had come close to the truth.
"I think Zhou You is the more likely suspect."
Mao Laoyao seized the chance to fan the flames and naturally did not let it slip by. "Ever since Zhou You began practicing martial arts, he has become more vicious."
The implication was that Zhou You had injured Shan Wa.
The neighbors all spoke at once, and the more they talked, the more chaotic it became. The scene was nearing the point of losing control.
Old Man Zhou sweated profusely, his face flushed red as he explained, "It wasn't my You'er. He has a good heart. He would never deal such a vicious hand to Shan Wa."
"If not him, then who?"
Shan Wa's parents howled to heaven and cried to earth, pointing at the Zhou Family as they accused them. "Pay up! You must pay!"
"Ahem!"
Zhou You suddenly spoke, his attitude sincere. "Brother, Sister-in-law, I do bear responsibility for this matter."
The instant he softened, everyone around them was shocked. Was he not admitting it himself?
With Shan Wa's parents' temperaments, once they sank their teeth in, they would never let go. They wanted nothing more than to squeeze every last coin out of the Zhou Family.
Just moments ago, they had loudly demanded that Old Man Zhou support Shan Wa for the rest of his life!
"Listen to that! He admitted it—he admitted it!"
Shan Wa's father beamed with smug delight, carrying Shan Wa forward and trying to shove him into Old Man Zhou and his wife's arms.
"Shan Wa came to the martial arts school to warn me. Tu Laosan had hired outsiders to ambush me."
At the mention of Tu Laosan's name, the great crowd of neighbors and their dozens of mouths fell silent in an instant.
How had they gotten tangled up with Tu Laosan again?
The arrogance on Shan Wa's parents' faces vanished without a trace, and their bodies could not help trembling twice.
"Ah, thanks to Shan Wa's warning, I escaped the ambush. Tu Laosan must have retaliated afterward and harmed Shan Wa."
Zhou You turned to Shan Wa's mother. "I had not intended to mention this matter, but since you two are so eager to know the truth, I had no choice but to say it."
Shan Wa's father was nearly in tears. Who wanted to know this truth?!
His son had helped Zhou You pass along a warning. That meant offending Tu Laosan!
After offending Tu Laosan, their entire family would have nothing good to eat.
"Zhou You, my Shan Wa helped you. Shouldn't you repay him?"
Shan Wa's mother's eyes lit up. "We'll move in tonight. From now on, we'll live in your house."
That shrew's mind turned quickly. She knew that after offending Tu Laosan, only the Wooden Talisman hanging outside the Zhou Family's door could shield them from disaster.
Shan Wa's father jolted. His wife was right—this was a good idea.
Well now, they were determined to latch onto the Zhou Family for good.
The surrounding neighbors booed. What a beautiful dream—they wanted not only free food and lodging, but to bask in someone else's glory as well.
Zhou You's parents frowned, instinctively about to refuse.
"That isn't impossible."
Zhou You spoke unhurriedly. "But the three-month deadline is almost here, and I still have not cultivated Martial Force. There is no hope of becoming a full member."
"When the time comes, the martial arts school will throw me out and take back the Wooden Talisman. Tu Laosan will definitely come knocking to settle accounts."
"Shan Wa's father, Shan Wa's mother, when that time comes, our two families can share sweetness and bitterness, and face it together."
Face what? Family annihilation!
Shan Wa's parents turned pale with fright. The Zhou Family's boat was about to sink; there was no more oil or water to squeeze from them. Better to stay as far away as possible.
Unwilling to accept it, they cried and made a fuss for a while longer. Seeing that they truly could not wring out any benefit, they left in resentment.
Later, Zhou You heard that Tu Lao Er had learned of what happened that day. Furious that Shan Wa had ruined the plan, he sent people to retaliate. In the middle of the night, Shan Wa's family home was set ablaze, and all three were burned into charred corpses. Not one survived.
That fire was strange indeed. It burned only their home and did not spread to the neighbors.
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