"Brother He!"
Not long after He An left, Wang Zheng and Sun Wangxian hurried over after hearing the news. To everyone's surprise, Wu Wenming had come too.
Even people who had seen their share of terrible scenes felt their hearts jolt at the sight of the bodies in the courtyard.
"Brother He, are you all right?" Wang Zheng asked worriedly.
"I'm fine. Rou'er and Ru'er weren't hurt. As for me, I only broke a few bones. I'll be better after some rest."
"Damn it," Sun Wangxian said through clenched teeth. "Those beasts have some nerve, daring to lay a hand on someone from the Town Martial Division."
"We thought they were just trying to make your life miserable. We never expected them to try to kill you this time."
"Don't worry. After what happened today, I'll bring the brothers from the Town Martial Division to their door tomorrow and get you justice. I want to see what that bastard Kong Hu is really up to."
"Uh..."
"What is it, Brother He?" Sun Wangxian asked when He Ping fell silent.
"It's nothing. It's just that Kong Hu is already dead. His body's lying out in the street."
"How is that possible?!"
Sun Wangxian sprang to his feet in shock. "Brother He, did you kill him? With your current strength, you shouldn't have been a match for him."
As soon as he said it, Sun Wangxian realized how it sounded and quickly clarified, "That's not what I meant. I just thought that with one arm gone, you must have less than two-tenths of your strength left."
"Your odds against Kong Hu really wouldn't have been good."
Wu Wenming, who had stood quietly off to the side for some time, spoke up. "Um, Brother Sun, I've seen Kong Hu too. I really did see his body in the street just now."
Sun Wangxian and Wang Zheng sucked in a breath.
They looked at He Ping with admiration in their eyes.
Seeing their reaction, He Ping realized they'd misunderstood and hurried to explain. "You've got it all wrong. I didn't kill Kong Hu. Even at my peak, we would've been evenly matched."
"I've lost an arm, and my strength is nowhere near what it used to be. There's no way I could've beaten him."
"Besides, he wasn't the only one here!"
"Then who was it?" Sun Wangxian asked curiously.
"I don't know!" He Ping shook his head.
"How could you not know? Didn't you see his face?" Sun Wangxian asked, baffled.
"No!"
He Ping shook his head again.
At that, everyone was utterly bewildered.
Sun Wangxian looked at Wu Wenming, who shook his head to show that the person hadn't been sent by the Wu Family.
"Who could it have been?"
The question weighed on everyone's mind.
Wu Wenming stared silently at the bodies filling the courtyard, his gaze unreadable. No one knew what he was thinking.
The night slowly gave way to dawn.
After returning home and seeing Sun Wangxian and the others off, He An hurriedly asked, "Eldest Brother, did they ask you who killed those people yesterday?"
"They did. But I knew you didn't want to be exposed, so I made up an excuse and brushed them off."
He An let out a long breath of relief.
"Eldest Brother, quick thinking as always. I thought you'd told them the truth. I was afraid they'd figure out I did it, so I didn't even dare come in at first."
He Ping chuckled, then asked curiously, "He An, how did you do it? You were only gone for two days. How did your strength improve so much?"
"Those two were Martial Artists in the Muscle Condensing Realm, yet they couldn't fight back against you at all."
Even now, He Ping still found the previous night's events almost dreamlike. He'd spent the entire night turning one question over in his mind:
How had He An done it?
He An smiled and explained, "Eldest Brother, I've already reached the Muscle Condensing Realm. And I've long since brought the Yi Jin Jing to Great Accomplishment."
"That's why I'm as strong as I am now."
"??"
"I've studied martial arts for all these years, and somehow it's all gone to the dogs. I never thought I'd be worse than you." He Ping gave a rueful laugh, though he couldn't keep the pride off his face.
That was his little brother—his own flesh and blood!
Wang Rou rolled her eyes at him, then asked, "He An, what if they suspect you?"
"They won't. They could suspect anyone but me. I'm just a green kid who only recently started learning martial arts!"
He An sounded utterly confident.
Meanwhile.
Wu Wenming returned home with a frown.
The events from earlier kept replaying in his mind.
"Son, what's wrong? Nothing happened to Kid He's family, did it?" Wu Feng asked, eyeing his son's troubled expression with curiosity.
"Nothing. I'm just wondering about something."
Wu Feng chuckled. "Wondering about what? I've got nothing to do, so why not tell me? Maybe I can help you think it through."
"All right!"
Wu Wenming then recounted what had happened the day before, along with his suspicions.
"You suspect that Kid He killed Kong Hu?" Wu Feng's expression lost its earlier disdain, and his face grew serious.
As the Fangcheng registrar, he knew of Kong Hu. He also understood what Wu Wenming's words could mean.
If it was all true...
What Meng Family? What Xu Family?
They'd all be on their knees before him!
Wu Wenming nodded. "It's only a suspicion. His behavior was just too strange. And from what I know of him, it isn't impossible."
"Dad, you don't know the half of it."
"From what I can tell, he's brought the Yi Jin Jing to at least Great Accomplishment."
"If he wasn't lying, and really only started learning martial arts a few months ago, then his talent is terrifying. Even I can't hold a candle to him."
"I understand."
Wu Feng's heart raced as he gave his orders. "You rascal, make sure you stay on good terms with him. It can only benefit our Wu Family."
"I'd already shown him goodwill before, but he never gave me a clear answer, so I didn't press the matter."
"But it looks like I was too narrow-minded."
"If the time comes, you can promise him whatever he needs. You don't even have to consult me!"
"Is that really necessary?" Wu Wenming asked reluctantly. He didn't want to taint his relationship with He An with self-interest.
Wu Feng understood what was on his mind and scolded him in exasperation. "You little rascal, what do you know? No matter how close you are, you can't compare with helping someone when they're down, time and time again."
"Besides, helping him will benefit him too."
"At least until he's strong enough to stand on his own, our Wu Family can protect him and keep his family safe. That'll give him more time to grow stronger."
"That's true!"
Seeing that his foolish son had finally caught on, Wu Feng nodded with satisfaction. "Remember this, you little rascal: you have to get along with him!"
"And keep working on your boxing!"
"If you want to keep up with him, what you're doing now won't be enough. I have a feeling his future may far exceed anything I can imagine."
"I know!"
Wu Feng's gaze burned as he watched Wu Wenming leave. He murmured, "Having someone like him in our lives... I don't know whether it's good fortune or bad for the Wu Family."
"I just hope our family wins this gamble."
Before you continue