Li Jingzhong was an exceptionally qualified teacher.
When it came to teaching disciples, martial artists stronger than him were not necessarily better at it.
Even the Transmission Elders of some major sects might not compare to Li Jingzhong.
After all, those major sects dealt with disciples of outstanding talent. They only needed to toss them a cultivation method and explain it simply; after studying it for a while, they could understand it themselves.
Li Jingzhong, on the other hand, had to start from scratch and teach disciples with no foundation in martial arts whatsoever.
Thus, every trick and bottleneck had to be broken apart and explained to everyone in meticulous detail, until everything was clear and understandable.
Li Jingzhong explained all the details and bottlenecks of the Innate Realm to Han Zheng in one go. The explanation was so thorough that even a fool could understand thirty percent of it.
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher."
Han Zheng thanked him sincerely.
Li Jingzhong smiled. "No need to be so polite. I've taught quite a few disciples over the years, and many of them broke through to the Innate Realm.
But they all broke through after leaving the Martial Arts Academy. You may be the first disciple I've taught to break through to the Innate Realm while still in the academy.
When that time comes, you'll count as a signature name of our Zhenwei Martial Arts School. When I recruit disciples again next year, perhaps even more people will come.
All right, go back and rest. Breaking through to the Innate Realm is not something that can be done overnight. Though your foundation is solid, you still need to advance steadily, step by step."
"Yes, Teacher."
After leaving the Martial Arts Academy, Han Zheng was just about to reach home when he abruptly halted.
He looked around, but found nothing unusual.
A moment ago, Han Zheng had felt as though someone was watching him. Yet when he stopped, that feeling of being watched vanished.
This was not Han Zheng being overly suspicious.
After cultivating martial arts, one's six senses naturally improved, and one's perception became far sharper than that of ordinary people.
After returning home and closing the courtyard gate, Han Zheng frowned slightly.
Had someone merely glanced at him by accident, or was someone deliberately spying on him?
Since crossing over, he had only formed a deadly grudge with the Three Harmonies Gang in secret. But with Wang Xiong dead, no one should have traced it back to him.
Openly, Guo Mingyuan and Song Tianqing did have some grievances with him.
Though both of them had been openly and fairly defeated by him in Martial Arts Academy matches, there was no guarantee they would not nurse petty resentment toward him.
But even if they did resent him, they probably lacked the strength to act against him.
The Guo Family was now the richest family in the county, but it only had silver, not much power.
Moreover, the Guo Family was now so wealthy that its riches flowed like grease, drawing the envy of many.
Han Zheng had heard that Guo Mingyuan's father had recently transferred all the household guards and shop assistants to the grain stores, afraid someone might rob the grain.
Even if Guo Mingyuan wanted to trouble him, his father would not agree.
As for Song Tianqing, he was not yet the Song Family's young master. He was still being ostracized within the Song Family.
The only person truly loyal to him was the old shopkeeper Zheng Zhishan, who likewise had no spare strength to trouble Han Zheng.
Who was watching him? Could it really be someone from the Three Harmonies Gang?
But given the Three Harmonies Gang's power and Gao Kaiyuan's arrogance, if they had confirmed that he had killed Wang Xiong, they would surely have gone straight to the Martial Arts Academy to demand him. Why spy on him in secret?
Han Zheng thought for a long time without finding an answer. In the end, he simply stopped thinking about it and focused on cultivation.
Only by becoming strong himself could he remain unafraid of any threat from outside.
The next morning, Han Zheng got up early and headed to the Martial Arts Academy. On the road, he once again sensed that spying gaze.
Though the follower did not stick particularly close, Han Zheng could now be one hundred percent certain that this person was targeting him.
After arriving at the Martial Arts Academy, Han Zheng had not even had time to head into the inner hall before Li Sancheng quietly pulled him into a corner.
"I need to tell you something. Be careful lately. It seems someone wants to cause you trouble."
"Cause me trouble? Who wants to cause me trouble?"
Li Sancheng shook his head. "I don't know. I heard it from a friend. He used to be a Martial Arts Academy disciple too, but was eliminated in the first assessment.
Yesterday, someone specifically asked about you, and asked quite thoroughly.
You're somewhat famous in our Martial Arts Academy, but who knows you outside it?
Someone specifically came to ask about you. There's a high chance they want to trouble you."
Han Zheng pondered for a moment, then patted Li Sancheng on the shoulder. "Thanks, brother."
"Why be polite between brothers? Just be careful lately."
Today was a general lesson day at the Martial Arts Academy. Han Zheng deliberately practiced there a while longer, only leaving once the sky had darkened.
As the Incense Cult's disturbances in Huainan Dao grew increasingly severe, grain prices in the county town soared wildly, and nighttime made the streets seem all the more lonely and desolate.
Even the idlers no longer wandered the streets, likely because hunger had left them without the strength.
Han Zheng rounded the corner of an alley. Then the blood and vitality throughout his body suddenly erupted. He stepped forward and twisted his body, shooting backward like an arrow released from the string.
The person who had been following and spying on Han Zheng saw him enter the alley and instinctively quickened his pace, afraid Han Zheng would disappear from sight for too long.
But he never imagined that Han Zheng would suddenly turn and pounce at him.
Han Zheng slammed the other man against the wall and covered his mouth.
Then he punched the man in the stomach. The man immediately doubled over on the ground, wanting to scream miserably but unable to make a sound.
Dragging him into the dark alley, Han Zheng gripped his neck and said coldly, "Make one sound, and I'll kill you right now!"
The icy Killing Intent condensed through the Blood Fiend Saber Art spilled out, instantly draining the man's face of color.
In his eyes, Han Zheng had become a deeply concealed homicidal madman. On the surface, he was a Martial Arts Academy disciple, but who knew how many lives he had taken in secret?
After removing his hand, Han Zheng finally examined the man's appearance.
He wore a blue short outfit and looked entirely ordinary. His strength was mediocre; it seemed he had not even opened a single Meridian.
"Speak. Who are you? Who sent you to watch me?"
The man trembled and lowered his voice. "I'm a subordinate of Feng Yuan, the Punishment Hall Master of the Three Harmonies Gang. My name is Liu San. Hall Master Feng sent me to investigate you."
Hearing that the other party was from the Three Harmonies Gang, Han Zheng's heart immediately sank.
Had the Three Harmonies Gang investigated their way to him? Had they discovered that he had killed Wang Xiong?
"Why investigate me?"
Under Han Zheng's stare, Liu San answered honestly, "Some time ago, Wang Xiong, a trusted underling of the Second Gang Leader, was killed. A little thug named Ma Gui also died with him.
The Second Gang Leader determined that the other party was probably not targeting Wang Xiong, but Ma Gui. So he had his men investigate everyone connected to Ma Gui.
Hall Master Feng Yuan was a supporter of the Second Gang Leader within the gang, so he took on this matter.
That Ma Gui was just a worthless little thug. He knew far too many people from all walks of life.
Hall Master Feng had me investigate them one by one and eliminate suspects. In the end, five people with the greatest suspicion remained and needed detailed investigation. You were one of them.
That's why I only began following and investigating you these past two days. But I haven't found anything at all. Tomorrow, I was planning to start following and asking around about someone else."
By this point, Liu San regretted it bitterly.
Feng Yuan had told him to investigate the information on these five people first and report it to him, so he could make a preliminary judgment.
Originally, Liu San only needed to investigate one person per day. But he had deliberately wanted to drag things out, so he leisurely followed Han Zheng for two days.
After all, strolling the streets and tailing someone was far easier than practicing punches inside the gang.
Who could have imagined that he would be so unlucky? The very first person he investigated turned out to be the winning ticket.
Han Zheng frowned slightly.
Back then, he had thought that killing Ma Gui and Wang Xiong would count as silencing the dead.
But he had still underestimated Gao Kaiyuan. He had not expected him to launch an investigation directly from Ma Gui.
Clearly, the causal connection between Ma Gui and Wang Xiong was substantial, and Gao Kaiyuan had no intention of giving up the investigation.
This method of elimination was the clumsiest, but also the most effective, especially in a small county like Black Stone County, where the population was limited and relationships were simple.
"Who knows about this now? Does Gao Kaiyuan know you've investigated this far?"
Liu San hurriedly shook his head. "Only the Hall Master himself knows right now. Since we haven't found the real killer, it hasn't been reported to the Second Gang Leader yet."
"Where is Feng Yuan? And what is his strength?"
"The Hall Master should be preparing to go to the Drunken Flower Pavilion now. He keeps a woman there and goes to the Drunken Flower Pavilion almost every day.
But he never spends the night there. After bedding the woman, he immediately returns to the Three Harmonies Gang.
They say that when he fought the Black Tiger Gang for territory back then, someone ambushed him in a brothel. That's why he doesn't dare sleep anywhere else.
As for his strength, I don't know. I only know that the Hall Master definitely isn't in the Innate Realm, but he should be close to breaking through to the Innate Realm.
Once, I overheard the Hall Master asking the Second Gang Leader about the tricks and bottlenecks for breaking through to the Innate Realm."
After speaking, Liu San looked at Han Zheng eagerly. "I've told you everything. I haven't concealed anything at all. Can you let me go now?"
Han Zheng narrowed his eyes at Liu San. "You lied to me about one thing."
"I didn't!"
Liu San instinctively raised his voice. "I really didn't lie to you! Everything I said was true!"
Han Zheng said faintly, "You said only Feng Yuan knows about this now. Actually, there's one more person: you.
You know even more than Feng Yuan does. Haven't you already learned who killed Wang Xiong?"
A trace of terror had just appeared in Liu San's eyes when Han Zheng exerted force with his hand. With a crack, the man's neck was snapped.
This time, Han Zheng had enough time to dispose of the body.
On the other side of the alley was a hidden culvert leading to the moat outside Black Stone County. Han Zheng directly stuffed Liu San's body into it.
Even after killing him, the Gluttonous Crucible gave no prompt that he had obtained Vitality Essence.
The man was probably too weak. He had not opened even a single Meridian and did not even count as a Postnatal Martial Artist, so he could not condense Vitality Essence.
After taking a detour home, Han Zheng frowned as he thought.
The current situation was somewhat unfavorable to him.
Using the simplest method of elimination, Feng Yuan had already narrowed the suspects down to a certain range.
If he let the other party continue investigating, within a few days they would trace it to him and lock onto him completely.
A trace of Killing Intent appeared in Han Zheng's eyes.
Strike first and gain the upper hand; strike late and suffer disaster.
If he waited until they investigated their way to him, it would be too late!
This author has filled in Chapter 24. Readers who have already read it can go back and catch up on that chapter (^ω^)