Two Months

Ning Xuezhi knew Yang Shouzhuo.

In his youth, Yang Shouzhuo had been renowned throughout the surrounding villages for his skill at farming, but he was old now.

What truly deepened Ning Xuezhi's frown was Yang Jing's status.

The main reason he could live peacefully as a wealthy landowner in the countryside was not his cunning or stinginess, but his ability to read the times and act cautiously, avoiding enemies whenever possible. Of course, farmers with neither ability nor potential did not count.

If Yang Jing had been nothing more than an ordinary country boy, he would not have cared.

But since the young man had joined a Martial Arts Hall, that changed things.

Unlike those country folk who had never seen the world, Ning Xuezhi had actually witnessed martial arts experts who could kill a maddened bull with a single punch.

Ning Xuezhi did not have the courage to provoke warriors like that.

That was why he was wary of martial artists as a whole.

"Why didn't you tell me Yang Jing had joined a Martial Arts Hall?" Ning Xuezhi asked gravely.

Steward Shi bowed and hurriedly replied in a respectful voice, "Master, th-this was handled by Feng Lei. Perhaps he told the m-madam. I only just learned about it from questioning Feng Lei's men."

Ning Xuezhi frowned and said sternly, "That woman knows nothing!"

Only after Ning Xuezhi finished did Steward Shi quietly explain, "Master, I heard from Feng Lei's men that although Yang Shouzhuo's grandson, Yang Jing, joined a Martial Arts Hall, he's weak-willed. He actually fainted from fright after spending a night in the Abandoned Mansion."

Watching Ning Xuezhi's expression, he continued, "Feng Lei's men also said they made some basic inquiries about Yang Jing in town. He's nothing special at the Sun Clan Martial Arts School. He has poor natural aptitude and doesn't work hard at his training, either. Scrap iron can never be forged into fine steel."

After hearing Steward Shi's explanation, Ning Xuezhi's expression softened considerably.

Feng Lei was not a complete fool, either. He had begun targeting the Yang Family only after deciding that, even if Yang Jing joined a Martial Arts Hall, he was mud that could never be plastered onto a wall.

After some thought, he shook his head slightly.

In his view, Feng Lei had still acted too hastily.

Previously, he had merely mentioned wanting to buy the Yang Family's two mu of grade-A farmland. He had not intended to act on it immediately; Feng Lei had volunteered.

Ning Xuezhi had not given the matter much thought at the time. It was only two mu belonging to a farming household, after all, and it would also give him a chance to assess Feng Lei's abilities.

If he had known then that Yang Jing had joined a Martial Arts Hall in town and become a martial arts disciple, he certainly would not have let Feng Lei continue pressuring the Yang Family for the time being.

The Ning Family owned over a thousand mu of land and ranked among the largest landowners in all of Wazi Township. They hardly needed the Yang Family's two mu.

The best approach was to wait.

Ning Xuezhi had been a landlord for decades and had dealt with people from every walk of life in Yuhe County. His experience and methods in handling matters far surpassed those of a brute like Feng Lei.

Although Yang Jing had poor natural aptitude and mediocre talent for martial arts, nothing was absolute.

What if Yang Jing really did develop some ability?

Ning Xuezhi knew that some martial artists cultivated something called inner force, making them utterly beyond the ability of ordinary people to handle.

The safest approach was to wait a few months, or perhaps six months to a year.

Ning Xuezhi knew the rules of the Martial Arts Halls in town. After six months to a year at most, disciples who had not developed that so-called inner force had to leave.

Essentially, the vast majority of disciples had to leave the Martial Arts Halls. Some lacked the money to support themselves for six months to a year, while others reached the deadline without developing inner force.

Once Yang Jing was expelled from the Martial Arts Hall, it would confirm that he was not cut out for martial arts. He would be nothing more than a farmer, and Ning Xuezhi could act against him then without any misgivings.

Ning Xuezhi inwardly cursed Feng Lei as a fool, then quietly committed Yang Jing's name to memory before continuing through the other names on the list.

After returning from town, he had arranged for people to investigate Feng Lei's connections.

He needed to establish why Feng Lei had been killed-whether the murderer's target was Feng Lei himself or the Ning Family behind him.

Once Ning Xuezhi finished reading the list, he had some grasp of the situation. At least he was no longer stumbling blind, knowing nothing at all.

After considering it for a moment, Ning Xuezhi looked up at Steward Shi, who stood before the desk, and said, "Investigate these people-Zhang Wei from Zhang Family Fort, Ma Deliang and Ma Chaowei from Maliu Village. Look into their recent movements and see whether anything seems strange. Be careful not to alert them. Investigate discreetly."

The people Ning Xuezhi named all had conflicts with the Ning Family.

Apart from Yang Jing, if anyone else on the list was the murderer, it would have been over a personal grudge against Feng Lei. It would have little to do with the Ning Family and pose no threat to them.

"Yes, Master. I'll arrange for people to investigate at once." Steward Shi nodded, then remembered something else. "Oh, Master, what about the authorities? Should we exchange information with them?"

"Hmph, no need." Ning Xuezhi sneered. "What could they possibly uncover? The moment they encounter a little trouble, they drop the whole thing."

"Yes." Steward Shi nodded. "Master, if there's nothing else, I'll go make the arrangements."

Ning Xuezhi grunted in acknowledgment.

Steward Shi turned to leave, but had barely taken two steps when Ning Xuezhi called him back. "Wait."

Steward Shi turned toward Ning Xuezhi. "Master?"

Ning Xuezhi slapped his forehead and hurriedly said, "I almost forgot someone. Shi, pass the word along: leave Yang Shouzhuo's two mu in Yang Family Village alone for now. Don't take any further action."

Steward Shi froze for a moment. He had not expected this to be the matter his master wanted to specifically remind him about.

Still, he did not dwell on it. He merely assumed that Feng Lei's death had left his master somewhat weary and unwilling to bother with the Yang Family. In the end, it was only two mu, while the Ning Mansion owned over a thousand mu of farmland.

But given his master's habitual reluctance to relinquish any land, this was probably only a temporary delay. Those two mu of grade-A farmland would belong to the Ning Family eventually.

"Yes, Master." With that, Steward Shi turned and left the study.

Ning Xuezhi was left alone in the room.

He leaned back in the Grand Preceptor's Chair, his eyes half-closed, and carefully turned the matter over in his mind.

He knew perfectly well that Yang Jing was also a suspect in the killing. After all, he had both the motive and the ability.

Although Yang Jing's natural aptitude was mediocre, he trained at a martial arts school and was surely stronger and fitter than an ordinary person. With one man plotting and the other unprepared, killing Feng Lei would not have been difficult.

But Yang Jing still held the status of a Martial Arts Hall disciple.

Ning Xuezhi intended to wait a few more months. Once Yang Jing failed in his training and was expelled from the Martial Arts Hall, the Yang Family would truly become a lump of dough in his hands, to knead however he pleased.

The days passed one after another.

In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by.

After Feng Lei's killing, the Ning Family made no further moves. The matter of the Yang Family's two mu of grade-A farmland seemed to have been forgotten, and no one mentioned it again.

Getting rid of Feng Lei had also temporarily removed a major threat to the family.

Yang Jing devoted all his energy to practicing martial arts.

He knew very well that martial arts were his true foundation.

In such chaotic times, a blade was safe only when held in his own hand.