Self-Preservation (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

After entering the room, Chen Xiao scanned left and right, as if checking to see if anyone else was inside.

"As for how Chen Qing actually died, I have no idea.

I just happened to bag some game that day, and after selling it, I had just enough silver to start martial arts training."

Li Yuan shook his head; he certainly wouldn't admit that he was the one who killed him.

Chen Xiao's breathing was long and steady, and his muscles were sleek and well-defined, comparable to those of Third Senior Brother.

If they were to face off directly, Li Yuan would be no match for him.

"Tell me your itinerary for that day, and I will be the judge of it," Chen Xiao said, his expression turning cold.

"That day..." Li Yuan told Chen Xiao the truth, naturally omitting the murder.

Seven parts truth and three parts lie is the hardest kind of deception to see through.

Chen Xiao didn't speak, simply sitting there in silence.

A moment later, Li Yuan's expression grew increasingly grim, and he began to lose his patience:

"If Chen Qing was killed by a pebble to the back of the head, who else but a martial artist could have struck him?

I only signed up for the Martial Arts Hall the next day; how could I possibly have had such strength?"

Suddenly, Chen Xiao stood up and reached out toward Li Yuan's shoulder.

Li Yuan was startled and instinctively raised his right hand to swat Chen Xiao's hand away.

"Oh? Ox Skin Realm?" Chen Xiao's eyes widened, his face showing surprise.

As for Chen Xiao himself, he was perfectly fine, as he was already in the Stone Skin Realm.

"You've only been in the Martial Arts Hall for a month and you've already reached the Ox Skin Realm?"

Chen Xiao narrowed his eyes, asking with a hint of suspicion.

"Good talent, good luck."

Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief inwardly; Chen Xiao must have only recently broken through to the Stone Skin Realm, as the pressure he exerted wasn't nearly as intense as Third Senior Brother's.

If they were to fight, even if he couldn't win, he could still run.

Upon discovering that Li Yuan was in the Ox Skin Realm, Chen Xiao's temper softened considerably.

No matter where you are, strength is the most effective way to command respect.

Before confirming that Li Yuan had killed Chen Qing, he didn't want to casually offend a martial artist who had already begun tempering his skin.

Perhaps he really was overthinking it?

With that thought, he cupped his hands toward Li Yuan: "I only came by today to make some inquiries. If you find any clues about the killer, hand them over to me, and there will be a generous reward!"

"Rest assured, Brother Chen. If I find any leads, I will certainly help you catch the killer. After all, we are both from the same village."

Li Yuan shook his head and sighed.

"Good, then I can rest easy." Chen Xiao gave Li Yuan a long, searching look before turning to leave.

Outside, Chen Xiao walked down the road, his brow furrowed.

He had asked everyone in the village, and Chen Qing didn't know anyone in the Inner City. Could it really have been a case of killing for money?

He felt like something was off, but he couldn't quite grasp that spark of intuition.

As he pondered, a soft "pop" sounded, and a small pebble struck his calf. The force was negligible.

Yet, it snapped Chen Xiao back to reality.

"Who's there?" Chen Xiao whipped his head around, scanning the direction from which the stone had flown.

A few young boys stood in a panic not far away, holding crude slingshots. One of them still held his hand in the firing position, clearly frozen in fear.

"S-sorry, Big Brother! We didn't mean to! The... the slingshot went off course..."

An older boy realized what was happening and rushed over to apologize, his face deathly pale.

Judging by Chen Xiao's attire, they knew he wore the kind of clothes only people in the Inner City could afford.

A slingshot?

Chen Xiao looked at the toy made of a tree branch and rubber bands in the boy's hand, then back at the pebble on the ground, and a bolt of lightning seemed to flash through his mind!

A slingshot!

Chen Qing had only obtained the silver after selling a sable.

And Li Yuan just happened to have enough money to sign up that very day?

If that were the case... then it all made sense.

On the other side, after seeing Chen Xiao off.

Inside the room, the sense of crisis in Li Yuan's heart did not vanish with Chen Xiao's departure; instead, it grew increasingly intense.

Would he believe it? Would he really just let it go? Li Yuan thought to himself.

No, he did not believe it.

Since Chen Xiao had spent a month tracking him down, he would never give up so easily.

The fact that he came alone this time was likely due to his wariness of the Martial Arts Hall backing Li Yuan, combined with a lack of evidence.

If Chen Xiao were determined to kill him, he wouldn't even need evidence; as long as there was suspicion, Li Yuan would end up exactly like Chen Qing.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious Li Yuan became, and the more anxious he felt, the more he feared.

"No, I cannot just sit here and wait for death!" Li Yuan's breathing grew heavy.

His gaze turned toward the Bear Heart still boiling in the pot.

He decided then and there to eat the Bear Heart immediately, then go and beat Chen Xiao to death while his blood and qi were at their peak.

Chen Xiao would come knocking sooner or later anyway; if he brought others next time, it would be Li Yuan who ended up dead.

With his mind made up, a fierce glint flashed in Li Yuan's eyes. "To hell with it, I'll just kill him first!"

Chen Xiao had only just broken through to the Stone Skin Realm; it wasn't impossible to fight him.

Scooping up the two-pound Bear Heart that had been boiled and de-scented, Li Yuan brought it to his mouth and began to gnaw.

"Ugh—"

Even though the heart had been de-scented and bolstered by his minor mastery of Consumption, the raw, gamey stench still made his scalp tingle.

He didn't know how he had managed to eat the raw Bear Gallbladder back then.

Gagging as he chewed, Li Yuan finished it all in no time.

His Consumption skill was digesting it rapidly.

Suddenly, Li Yuan felt a surge of scalding blood and qi rushing through his body, his muscles beginning to swell and engorge with blood.

To consume such potent tonics as the Bear Gallbladder and Bear Heart within a single day—it was fortunate that his skill helped him digest and absorb them.

In just a few moments, Li Yuan's blood and qi had risen significantly higher than before.

With killing intent surging in his eyes, he opened the door and rushed out to pursue Chen Xiao, who hadn't walked far.

Chen Xiao had intended to return to ask Li Yuan for a clear answer; he had turned back and hadn't walked long before reaching a corner.

Pfft!

A cloud of quicklime was flung directly into his face.

Chen Xiao reacted quickly, raising his hands to shield his eyes and retreating several steps, just about to shout a demand for an explanation.

He had barely raised his hands to block the first handful of lime, and before he could even see the situation clearly, Li Yuan's fist was already smashing toward his face.

Chen Xiao instinctively opened his eyes to block, and the lime instantly stung his eyes, causing a searing, burning pain.

"You!" Chen Xiao clutched his eyes, tears already streaming down his face.

Without a word, Li Yuan feinted with a swinging motion.

Having already suffered, Chen Xiao hurriedly raised his hands to protect his head and face, only to find there was no lime this time!

"You have no martial honor!"

Li Yuan couldn't be bothered to waste breath on him; he lifted his leg and kicked viciously toward his crotch.

The most vulnerable part of a man—never mind Stone Skin, even Iron Skin wouldn't be able to withstand that.

By attacking both high and low, Li Yuan was invincible in these low-level skirmishes.

In a life-or-death struggle, the one who survives is the winner.

"Urgh!"

Chen Xiao was in such agony he couldn't straighten his back; he curled up and crouched down, clutching himself tightly with both hands.

Li Yuan seized the opportunity to pull out his last handful of lime and flung it directly into his face again.

Chen Xiao let out a miserable shriek, completely blinded, his hands flailing wildly in the air.

Li Yuan circled behind him and brought a fist down hard on the back of his head.

With a crisp crack, Chen Xiao's neck went limp; he collapsed to the ground, twitched twice, and then went silent.

Confirming the man was dead, Li Yuan scanned the surroundings quickly to ensure no one was watching.

He crouched down swiftly and rummaged through Chen Xiao's robes.

"That's not right, why isn't there a secret manual on him?"

He had been hoping to score a free technique manual.

In the end, he only found some silver and a token from the Martial Arts Hall, which he shoved into his own pocket.

Having finished, Li Yuan left the scene at a brisk pace.

He didn't return to his residence but headed straight toward the Martial Arts Hall.

His palms were still sweating, but Li Yuan's mind was clear.

"I am merely protecting myself."

Chen Xiao was dead, and it would be discovered sooner or later; the most important thing now was to seize the time to improve his strength.

He touched the silver in his pocket, thinking that with this money, he could buy medicine and meat, and perhaps make another breakthrough in the near future.