Speculations About Zhou Fan

Everyone's expression changed sharply.

Zhou Fan had been expelled from the martial hall by Cheng Qingshi; they had all been informed of this, but at the time, none of them had paid it much mind.

If that was truly the case, then the viciousness of this man's thoughts was hard to imagine!

In the end, it was Eldest Senior Brother Zhang Chengji who spoke in a low voice.

"It's good that he's all right. Whatever there is to say, we'll say it back at the martial hall. The main street isn't the place to talk."

Cheng Lianshan nodded. "Chengji is right. Let's go back first."

Only then did everyone fall silent.

They clustered around Chen Jing and headed toward Deer Cry Alley.

Mei Qinghe walked at the front carrying a wind lantern. The dim yellow light spread out, dragging seven or eight long shadows across the bluestone road.

The inner hall of Lianshan Martial Arts Hall was brightly lit.

Cheng Lianshan and his seven personal disciples sat gathered together.

Su Ru personally carried in a pot of hot soup and served each person a bowl. She especially ladled a few extra pieces of ribs for Chen Jing, saying they were to help settle his fright.

Chen Jing accepted the bowl of soup with both hands. The steaming heat rushed against his face, and he felt that the night's chill had been completely driven away by this bowl of hot soup.

"Thank you, Master's Wife!"

Once they had settled down, everyone began to seriously discuss their suspicions regarding Zhou Fan.

"Zhou Fan's family circumstances are quite good. His father is the chief shopkeeper of White Horse Pharmacy in Green Mountain City, Zhou Yunhan."

Zhang Chengji was responsible for managing the outer disciples, and he knew the roots and origins of every disciple like counting his own family treasures.

Hu Yang took over. "This man has served as the Green Mountain City shopkeeper for over ten years. His foundations in the trade run deep, and he has the White family's deep trust."

"If Zhou Fan is colluding with wanted criminals, then by following the vine to the melon, doesn't that mean White Horse Pharmacy has problems too?"

Cheng Lianshan held his soup bowl and shook his head.

"Not necessarily. I once had a brief encounter with the head of the White family. That man conducts himself openly and aboveboard. He doesn't seem like a treacherous, two-faced sort."

Mei Qinghe suddenly thought of something and said, "I once heard a bodyguard from the escort agency mention it in passing."

"After the brothers Du Hai and Du Shan committed their crime in Shangchuan Town, they were pursued by Six Gates. With nowhere left to go, they fled deep into the mountains."

"At the time, people on the road were spreading rumors that the two brothers had been taken in by Clear Wind Stronghold. That was why they had vanished without a trace all this time."

Chen Jing's heart stirred, and he raised his head.

"When Uncle Wang and I first entered Green Mountain City, we traveled with White Horse Pharmacy's caravan halfway here. In the end, we ran into bandits from Clear Wind Stronghold."

"At the time, I only thought it was bad luck. But if that wasn't a coincidence..."

"Then it all matches up."

Liu Yunfei slapped his thigh. "It's possible that this Zhou Yunhan is eating from the inside and picking the pockets of the outside, colluding with Clear Wind Stronghold."

"He used his position in the pharmacy to leak the routes and timing for White Horse Pharmacy's medicinal herb transports to the mountain stronghold. That's why Clear Wind Stronghold was able to intercept Bai Zhixing's caravan so precisely."

"Since Du Hai and Du Shan joined Clear Wind Stronghold, Zhou Yunhan could naturally use the stronghold's connections to dispatch them into the city."

"To get rid of Little Junior Brother, this thorn in his son's eye—Zhou Fan hates you to the bone, and his father stepped in on his behalf. That makes sense."

Everyone added a word here and a sentence there, and the outline of an originally vague lead gradually became clear.

Cheng Lianshan looked at this group of disciples of his, a trace of gratification showing in his eyes.

"Little Jing, there is nothing wrong with being cautious."

"Shopkeeper Zhou of White Horse Pharmacy has considerable influence in Green Mountain City and has many dealings with Six Gates as well. If you have no evidence, you may very likely be bitten back instead."

Chen Jing pondered for a moment.

"Master, this disciple has some friendship with Bai Zhixing, the young master of White Horse Pharmacy."

"If Zhou Yunhan truly has a problem, the White family may have noticed something as well. I can use the opportunity to go and sound him out."

"If we can grasp some leads or evidence, we can report it to Six Gates."

"Six Gates has been investigating Clear Wind Stronghold for a long time. They definitely won't let this lead go."

Cheng Lianshan nodded.

"Good. This matter involves Clear Wind Stronghold, and the depth of what lies behind it is still unclear. Above all, you must be careful in everything."

"If there is anything you need from your master or your senior brothers and senior sister, speak up at any time."

Everyone voiced their agreement one after another.

Cheng Lianshan then told everyone to disperse and rest.

Six Gates.

Early the next morning, Duan Mu held the organized dossier in his hands and knocked on the door of Li Dingfang's duty room.

Li Dingfang was sitting behind his desk reading.

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"Boss, there was a murder in Livestock Lane last night."

"Two wanted criminals with bounties on their heads intercepted a butcher, only to be killed in return."

Li Dingfang's brows lifted, and he raised his eyes.

"That butcher is an old acquaintance, too. He came from Shuang'an Town. His name is Chen Jing."

"At the beginning of the year, he killed roaming bandits together with us. Back then, he carried a butcher knife, cutting down bandits like slaughtering pigs. He had real tiger-like momentum."

"Now, he's come to the county seat and entered Lianshan Martial Arts Hall, becoming Cheng Lianshan's personal disciple."

As he listened to Duan Mu's account, Li Dingfang narrowed his eyes slightly, and the figure of a youth surfaced in his mind.

"It was him?"

"Bring me the case file."

Li Dingfang took the case file Duan Mu handed over and began flipping through it carefully.

"Cheng Lianshan and Wang Chong both came from the border army. Chen Jing entering Lianshan Martial Arts Hall could be said to follow as naturally as water flowing into a channel."

"The brothers Du Hai and Du Shan should have reached the marrow-training stage. In just half a year, that kid was able to kill experts of this level. His talent is not poor."

Li Dingfang changed tack. "According to the intelligence we've gathered, after Du Hai and Du Shan committed crimes in Shangchuan Town, they joined Clear Wind Stronghold."

"For those two to move about inside Green Mountain City, and also block a butcher so precisely in Livestock Lane, there must have been an inside man stringing the thread and building the bridge for them."

Li Dingfang paused slightly.

"What did Chen Jing say?"

Duan Mu shook his head.

"That kid is a martial fanatic. His daily routine is so simple it makes one's hair stand on end."

"He trains at the martial arts hall, slaughters pigs at the slaughterhouse, going back and forth between those two points every day. He almost never has contact with outsiders. He said he had no real clues."

Li Dingfang's knuckles tapped lightly against the tabletop, making dull thudding sounds. Suddenly, he spoke.

"Not necessarily. The simpler a daily routine is, the easier it is to lock onto the source of malice."

"Perhaps he has someone he suspects in his heart, but he has no evidence, so he didn't make random accusations and bite at people blindly, for fear of drawing trouble to himself."

"Send someone to keep a close watch on him in secret. If there really is someone striking from the shadows, since one attempt failed, perhaps they'll do something foolish again."

Duan Mu came to a sudden understanding and cupped his hands in reply.

"Yes."

Today, Chen Jing still got up at the hour of Mao.

Liang Youheng rubbed his eyes as he pushed open the door. When he saw the figure beneath the loquat tree, he was utterly shocked.

"Little Junior Brother, such a huge thing happened last night."

"And you're not even resting for a day?"

Chen Jing set out his boxing frame and grinned.

"That's no excuse to slack off."

After breakfast, he finished his morning practice.

Chen Jing did not hurry to the slaughterhouse.

He borrowed paper and brush, wrote a short note, and had a servant from the martial arts hall deliver it to White Horse Pharmacy, arranging to meet Bai Zhixing.

Then he changed into a coarse-cloth short jacket, tucked the Butcher Knife behind his waist, and headed toward Livestock Lane as usual.

Liang Youheng accompanied him the whole way.

The two walked shoulder to shoulder through the streets and alleys. Only after he had escorted Chen Jing through the main gate of Livestock Lane did Liang Youheng hurry off toward the docks.

Qian Zheng had asked for a half-day leave.

After he returned home last night, he had not slept the entire night.

The moment he closed his eyes, he saw the two bloody corpses in that narrow alley and Chen Jing's face, calm enough to make a man's hair prickle.

He wanted to dismiss Chen Jing, but he did not dare.

That personal disciple of Lianshan Martial Arts Hall killed people the same way he slaughtered pigs.

But from the looks of last night's situation, someone had clearly been bent on taking Chen Jing's life. Who knew how many people were behind it?

He was just a petty slaughterhouse steward.

Getting mixed up in this would be courting death.

After tossing and turning for half the night, he finally decided to brace himself and go to work as usual, pretending nothing had happened.

Around noon, Qian Zheng arrived at the entrance to the yard.

He stood on tiptoe and peered into the yard. At a glance, he saw that familiar figure at the chopping table, wielding his knife like the wind.

Chen Jing was splitting open the belly of a spotted pig. The blade moved through the gaps between the bones as smoothly as drifting clouds and flowing water, while pig's blood gushed along the chopping board into a wooden bucket.

Qian Zheng staggered and nearly failed to keep his feet.

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