Settling In

This was the first time Qin Fang had set foot on the streets of True Martial County since falling gravely ill.

Night had only just fallen, yet the streets of True Martial were unusually lively... not the bustle of prosperity, but the sound of weeping in many places, white mourning cloth wound around heads, and the unceasing chants and knocks of funeral rites.

Qin Fang, following behind Elder Wu, froze for a moment. Then he immediately understood what was going on.

He frowned as he looked around. It was not quite that every household displayed mourning banners, but among every three to five homes, one was holding a funeral.

It was clear that the unrest that day had been no small matter.

The cries of grief were mournful and desolate.

In some places, signs of destruction could still be seen, making the entire street seem bleak and murderous.

"On the day the refugees rioted, many people were killed."

Elder Wu's voice sounded from ahead.

Qin Fang remained silent.

Just as he had imagined... once refugees rose in revolt, they were bound to be vicious.

Once all the pent-up negative emotions accumulated along the way were unleashed, there was no cruelty they could not commit.

"If your identity as a refugee is discovered, you may not even live to see the authorities arrest you. These people alone would be enough to take your life."

Elder Wu spoke calmly.

Qin Fang fell silent.

Then he had no choice but to admit it... Elder Wu was right.

This era was a society of acquaintances. Two villages could fight to the death over a single well, much less over such a blood feud?

They would not care whether he knew the killers or whether he had participated in the riot.

They would only say... the killers were refugees, and so was he.

That made him one of the killers' accomplices.

As for whether he had been wronged?

...Who cared?

Fortunately, Zhang Hao had not been boasting. Elder Wu's status in True Martial really was somewhat extraordinary.

Along the way, quite a few people saw Elder Wu and politely greeted him.

Elder Wu responded with cold nods, and they did not mind.

Some even wanted to invite Elder Wu inside for drinks.

Naturally, Elder Wu merely waved them off with indifference.

During this time, many people also noticed Qin Fang behind Elder Wu.

When they saw him, many of them froze, their expressions turning puzzled as they could not help giving him a few extra looks.

...Qin Fang's current appearance was simply too conspicuous.

He stood over six feet tall, yet he was skin and bones. That appearance put a trace of suspicion into many people's eyes.

They clearly began to doubt Qin Fang's identity.

But because Qin Fang was with Elder Wu, though they had their doubts, they ultimately said nothing.

Qin Fang's heart tightened... just as Elder Wu had said.

Looking the way he did, the moment he went outside and was seen, people would certainly recognize him as a refugee.

Previously, he had not known that the riot that day had led to such serious consequences.

Had he known, he would probably have had to change his plans.

Otherwise... whether people would report him to the authorities was still uncertain.

For all he knew, these victims' families might beat him to death on the spot!

For instance, Qin Fang could clearly feel that after their initial shock, the looks some people gave him had turned hostile and furious.

They had obviously linked him to the rioting refugees.

Qin Fang was utterly speechless about such a situation.

Fortunately, Elder Wu was there. In the end, none of those people did anything out of line. After winding through turns and alleys, they arrived at a quiet lane.

Following Elder Wu into the alley, they finally stopped before a dilapidated courtyard. Elder Wu took out a key from his robes, unlocked the door, and went inside.

Qin Fang followed.

He looked around curiously. The courtyard was not large, roughly five meters square. At the far end stood a rundown tiled house, completely dark inside.

"This house was where I used to live. It has sat empty for a long time, so you can stay here for now."

Elder Wu turned to look at Qin Fang, his voice calm. "Try not to go out unless necessary. Recover your health first... at least wait until people cannot recognize you as a refugee at a glance... I'll bring you some food tomorrow."

"But I will not meddle in your affair with the Iron Tiger Gang. Handle it yourself. I will not interfere."

"As for your identity... the yamen is in complete chaos right now, so they probably will not launch a census anytime soon. As for later... we'll see when the time comes."

The disaster relief grain had been burned, and the refugees had revolted... either one was an affair great enough to reach the heavens.

It was easy to imagine the chaos within the True Martial Yamen now.

Hearing this, Qin Fang let out a soft breath and bowed to Elder Wu. "Thank you for your aid, Elder Wu... Qin Fang will remember this favor."

Elder Wu waved his hand. "I am not asking for anything in return. It's just... forget it. That's all. Go take a look inside and tidy the place up a little. I'll return tomorrow."

With that, Elder Wu handed the door lock to Qin Fang, then turned and left.

Qin Fang saw him to the entrance. Only after Elder Wu had vanished from sight did he shut the courtyard gate, slide home the bolt, and let out a long breath...

His eyes flickered.

He had thought Elder Wu would not help him, yet the path had twisted around and revealed another village beyond the willows.

In truth, he did not know why Elder Wu had helped him...

But now was clearly not the time to dig into that.

At least for him, this outcome was good.

He temporarily had a place to stay. Though the problem had not been fundamentally resolved, he had at least gained more time to catch his breath.

And right now... time was what he lacked most.

After drawing a deep breath, he walked toward the tiled house.

With a creak, he pushed open the wooden door. The place was indeed run-down, with barely any furniture at all, utterly bare to the four walls. Parts of the roof had even collapsed, and broken tiles lay scattered across the floor.

But throughout his flight from place to place, what harsh conditions had Qin Fang not endured?

This was already quite good.

He began to clean the house up.

Yet after clearing out only a patch barely suitable for resting, he was already drenched in sweat, his hands and feet trembling.

He panted heavily, his face pale.

Qin Fang knew that his body was still far too weak.

In the end, he could only shake his head helplessly. He would deal with the rest of the clutter tomorrow during the day.

Panting hard, he sat directly on the ground in the cleaned corner. Only after a long while did he recover.

"The most important thing now is to nurse my body back to health first."

"Then... I need to raise my combat strength."

Combat strength was far too important in this world.

Because when danger came, no kindly policeman would come protect him.

The only one he could rely on was himself.

"Although my dagger skill has reached the Minor Accomplishment Stage, a dagger's killing power is still limited..."

A dagger was a short weapon that required close-quarters fighting. His body was too weak right now, and in close combat he would undoubtedly suffer a tremendous disadvantage. A casual blow or collision might kill him.

No matter how practiced he became with a dagger, its killing power would still be limited.

He had chosen a dagger before because it was easy to carry, and everyone had been refugees anyway. How much stronger could one be than another?

But things were different now. He had to make a change.

He needed a skill that would retain great killing power even if his body was weaker...

Qin Fang sank into thought.

Then a weapon surfaced in his mind...

Hidden Weapons.

In the world of martial arts, Hidden Weapons had always been the signature weapon for defeating the strong with the weak.

But mastering them was no easy task.

But I have the proficiency Panel... I should be able to learn it, right?

He looked at the Panel before him, which pitifully contained only "Dagger (Minor Accomplishment Stage)."

In the end, he made his decision.

"Hidden Weapons!"

Tomorrow, when Elder Wu comes, I'll ask him whether he can find me some Hidden Weapons...

As he pondered this,

Weariness gradually surged over him. He curled up in the clean area he had cleared, and before long, fell into a deep sleep.