A Chest Could Be Punched Through

He Min was also very curious about Chen Luo's martial skills. These past two days, her ears had practically grown calluses from hearing about them.

Every day, what she heard most was Crippled Ma's praise.

He said this Senior Brother Apprentice of hers was a martial arts genius seen once in ten thousand years, only regretting that he had no more profound secret manuals, and so on. He Min, who had been a genius since childhood, found this deeply unconvinced. They were the same age, and she had trained in martial arts since she was little. Even if he truly was a genius, she was confident she could defeat him.

The accumulation of time was not something talent could smooth over.

The two stood ready, each assuming an opening stance.

"Senior Brother Apprentice, be careful!"

He Min waited three breaths. When she saw that Chen Luo had no intention of attacking, she decided to strike first and seize the advantage. She stepped back to gather strength, then kicked off the ground. Her figure flashed as the five fingers of her hand clenched into a claw, clawing at Chen Luo before her.

It was precisely the killing move from Crippled Ma's fist art—Black Tiger Digging Heart!

The fist art was fierce and forceful, originally following the path of strength. Yet in He Min's hands, it became like a cheetah, turning into a speed-based fist art.

Chen Luo likewise raised his hands, shaping them into claws as well, then struck back after moving later, yet arriving first.

A bang rang out.

Their fists and palms met in midair with a muffled sound.

He Min, who had been brimming with confidence, changed expression the instant their fists and palms collided. A mountain-toppling, sea-overturning force crashed toward her from the other side. Her arm failed to evade in time and was broken on the spot. She flew backward like a tattered cloth doll, smashing hard into the sandbag behind her. After rolling once, she spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wah" and fainted.

Chen Luo was dumbfounded too.

He had only used thirty percent of his strength to test her. He had not even used Internal Qi.

Yet the moment they made contact, he sensed that something was wrong. Junior Sister He, who had charged at him so fiercely, was like paper pasted together. With the slightest touch, her bones broke, and she was sent flying.

"You brat, why didn't you know to hold back?!"

Crippled Ma shot over with astonishing speed, caught He Min, and supported her upright. He quickly pressed several acupoints, then placed his hand on her pulse. Only after confirming that there was nothing seriously wrong did he sigh in relief.

"I told you to lend a hand, not to kill her."

After settling his female disciple down, Crippled Ma pointed at Chen Luo and unleashed a stream of furious curses.

"..."

Chen Luo looked utterly bewildered.

He truly had held back. If he had not, Junior Sister He's chest would have been punched through. But he definitely could not say that aloud. If he did, he might anger Crippled Ma into something terrible.

"Get back first. I'll deal with your Junior Sister Apprentice here."

Seeing Chen Luo standing nearby with a vacant look on his face, Crippled Ma could not bring himself to scold him further and could only tell him to leave first.

"Yes."

Chen Luo had no way to save anyone, and staying would only create more trouble.

"When Junior Sister Apprentice wakes up, help me apologize to her."

After thinking it over, Chen Luo took a medicinal plaster from his clothes.

This was something he had "developed," and it was the only present he had worth giving. He only hoped that when Junior Sister Apprentice woke up, she would not blame him, much less be left with any lingering shadow.

Crippled Ma impatiently waved him away.

Seeing that, Chen Luo did not linger any longer and turned to leave.

"When you take action against others in the future, pay attention. Try to hold back your strength. Otherwise, if you accidentally cause a death, the trouble will be enormous."

Just as Chen Luo was about to leave, Crippled Ma spoke from behind him as though he had suddenly remembered something, offering a reminder.

"This disciple understands."

Chen Luo nodded solemnly.

This Time, his attack had also given him a rough understanding of his own strength. If he went all out, he could probably defeat a hundred Junior Sister Hes.

While Chen Luo was sparring with He Min, Chen Laosan, who worked at the yamen, received some news elsewhere.

Luo Cheng was dead.

The news made his heart tighten.

Back when they had Finished Dealing With the burial, he had already felt that something was off. Murdering a member of the Imperial Clan was a capital crime—how could the other side possibly rest easy after letting them leave? Even putting himself in their shoes, it made no sense. No one was willing to place their family fortune and very life upon another person keeping their word, much less a superior figure like the White-haired Eunuch.

Several peaceful days after returning had made him let down his guard. But now, hearing the news so suddenly, the unease in his heart instantly swelled.

In order to verify whether it was true, Chen Laosan specifically took on the task of burying Luo Cheng's body.

"What a tragedy."

When Chen Laosan arrived at the Luo Family residence, the yamen runners inside happened to be coming out while covering their noses. It looked as though they had just Finished Dealing With the scene.

After seeing Chen Laosan's Corpse Collector attire, the two nodded to him and left on their own.

The case had already been investigated.

Suicide.

The yamen had always handled cases with such simple brutality, and this feudal, backward era was even more so. So long as the Imperial Court's dignity was not affected, Superior Officials generally demanded that matters be dealt with as quickly as possible. Catching the culprit was best, but if they could not, they could find some vagrants to take the blame. As long as the case was closed, that was enough.

Luo Cheng's entire family was practically dead. There was no possibility of anyone causing trouble afterward, so the Authorities simply wrapped things up carelessly. The simpler, the better.

As for the truth, who cared?

Chen Laosan pushed the door open and walked in.

Inside, a row of corpses lay neatly arranged, eleven in total.

Luo Cheng, along with his Parents, wife, and children—all related family members had died. The bodies had been burned Charred and were completely unrecognizable. Chen Laosan walked over, crouched down, and began examining them carefully. He wanted to know how Luo Cheng had died.

"They died before they were burned."

A voice sounded behind Chen Laosan.

"How long have you been here?"

Hearing the voice, Chen Laosan stopped what he was doing and turned back without the slightest surprise.

The person who had come was Wang Laoshuan, who had buried corpses with him that day. This Old Fellow must have sensed the danger too and come to investigate the situation.

"Half an hour earlier than you."

Wang Laoshuan sat down nearby.

"Luo Cheng's entire family was poisoned to death. I checked their airways—they were clean. That means that after the fire was ignited, they did not breathe in even a speck of ash. But their stomachs contained traces of highly corrosive poison, the kind that would kill a Dead Man with a single touch."

Under what circumstances would someone at the scene of a fire fail to inhale even a speck of ash?

There was no need to think about it.

Wang Laoshuan took out a small porcelain bottle. Inside was the evidence he had collected beforehand.

But even with this evidence in hand, it meant nothing. The County Magistrate would not uphold justice for them and probably would not even ask a single question. They were merely three Corpse Buriers, lives as cheap as ants, while the other side came from the palace. Anyone with half a brain knew which side to choose.

Wang Laoshuan set the porcelain bottle aside, took a pipe from his clothes, stuffed it with tobacco, and ignited it.

He drew deeply, and the pungent smoke rushed straight into his lungs.

"What are you planning to do?"

Chen Laosan sat down on the steps on the other side.

He could already sense the danger.

Luo Cheng had died This Time. Who would be next? The three of them were merely Corpse Buriers, and their usual circle of contacts was frighteningly narrow. Who would come to kill them for no reason?

"My granddaughter has left the city. From now on, she'll take her mother's surname."

After Wang Laoshuan finished smoking, he knocked the bowl of his pipe twice against the doorway. Then he put his things away, got up, and left without looking back.

Compared to death, there was something he cared about more.

Chen Laosan sat at the entrance, thinking of many things. He remained there until sunset before finally coming back to himself.

He did not want to die.

But he wanted even less for his nephew to die.

Compared to that, his own old life was cheaper.

He suddenly understood Wang Laoshuan a little. That Old Man was afraid of death too. But so that his granddaughter could live, he had chosen to go to his death himself. Trading one life for another could be considered an explanation to that lord. Since Wang Laoshuan could make such a choice, how could Chen Laosan possibly fall behind another!

It's just a pity I never found Xiao Luo a wife.