Good-for-Nothing

A moment later, reeking of alcohol, Luo Kegong left.

Cheng Tian'en watched him go with his hands clasped behind his back and let out a long sigh.

"Brother, what do you make of this?"

Lowering his voice, Cheng Tianxi suddenly asked, "Do you really think Chen Yusheng, a Giant Python Realm martial artist, was killed by river bandits?"

Cheng Tian'en froze for a moment, then frowned. "What, you think there's something wrong with it?"

"Yes. The whole thing feels a little strange. Think about it—since the river bandits had already killed Chen Yusheng, why didn't they go and loot the Chen Family? They're the richest family in town, with wealth beyond measure!"

Cheng Tianxi laid out his analysis with perfect logic. "Luo Kegong is convinced the river bandits did it—that's his judgment. But you know as well as I do that Luo Kegong is a complete idiot. If he weren't a descendant of the Luo Family, how could he possibly hold office?"

The Luo Family was an aristocratic clan.

Even a useless descendant of the Luo Family was a person of high status, with a chance to become an official.

In fact, the governor of Qinghe Commandery and officials at every local level were all descendants of the Luo Family.

That was because all of Qinghe Commandery lay entirely within the Luo Family's sphere of influence.

The territory controlled by the Luo Family was simply too vast.

Qinghe Commandery was actually only one of the regions ruled by the Luo Family.

"What you say does make sense..."

Cheng Tian'en nodded. Naturally, he also knew that Luo Kegong was a worthless fool, a debauchee who knew only eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling—good for nothing else.

Luo Kegong had never cared about whether the common people lived or died.

He turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to all those refugees, indulging in wine, women, wealth, and pleasure every day, playing as he always had.

If the river bandits had not posed a possible threat to his own life, he would never have troubled himself with this matter.

Cheng Tian'en pondered, "Little Clear River Market Town lies within the Crouching Ox Mountains and is not a grain-producing region. Little Clear River is only one tributary of the Eighteen Waterways. It's remote, poor, and sparsely populated. The odds of river bandits coming here are indeed low."

Cheng Tianxi quickly added, "I suspect a master has come to town."

"A master..."

Cheng Tian'en's gaze flickered, and his brows gradually knotted together.

Just then, the old maidservant came over with a smile. "Breakfast is ready."

The two brothers were hungry as well, so they entered the main hall to eat.

Skinny Dog slowly opened his eyes, got up, and ran back to the room.

"Fang Zhixing, you were right after all. Cheng Tianxi really is a dangerous man," Skinny Dog said urgently.

Fang Zhixing remained calm and composed. "Explain it clearly."

Skinny Dog recounted everything in detail, finally saying, "Cheng Tianxi is a smart man. He saw at once that something was wrong."

After hearing this, Fang Zhixing's expression shifted slightly. He pondered, "Cheng Tianxi and the village head can both read!"

At those words, Skinny Dog was instantly speechless.

So Fang Zhixing was still thinking about that? Was this a top student's habit—learning wherever he went?

But then he suddenly realized the difference between himself and Fang Zhixing.

For example, Cheng Tianxi was dangerous. Skinny Dog's first instinct was to stay far away from him.

But Fang Zhixing was different. He immediately spotted an opportunity—an opportunity to make himself better!

Was this the difference between a poor student and a top student?

Not long after, the man and dog left the house and went to a roadside stall for breakfast.

"Have you heard? Something huge happened!"

"Riverside Restaurant burned into a pile of ashes, and the eldest master of the Chen Family is dead too."

"I heard Old Master Chen has gone mad. He's offering up his entire fortune as a reward for whoever catches the murderer."

The breakfast diners talked animatedly, spittle flying as they discussed the news.

"A reward?"

Fang Zhixing's heart stirred.

Skinny Dog transmitted, "Should we take out Old Master Chen?"

"Too late. We should have done it last night," Fang Zhixing replied.

Skinny Dog asked in surprise, "Why is it too late?"

Fang Zhixing sighed. "Before this, we didn't know much about the Chen Family, so we didn't dare rashly break in and kill anyone. Now we know that aside from their money, only that broken-backed man is a martial artist. The rest are no cause for concern. Old Master Chen can be killed whenever we want."

Skinny Dog was puzzled. "Exactly. Then why aren't you going to kill him?"

Fang Zhixing replied, "If I kill Old Master Chen now, Cheng Tianxi will immediately conclude that his judgment was correct. He may start investigating, and that would create unnecessary complications."

Skinny Dog immediately understood.

Although Cheng Tianxi had grown suspicious, he did not seem to intend to investigate further. He had merely mentioned it in passing.

After breakfast, Fang Zhixing returned to the Cheng Family Compound and put on a show of diligently practicing the Iron Mountain Art.

He needed to keep up the act. Then, after a few days, he would tell Cheng Tian'en that he had already cultivated the first level of the Iron Mountain Art to perfection. Everything would proceed calmly and naturally.

Then, barring any accidents, Cheng Tian'en should teach him the second level of the Iron Mountain Art.

Seeing this, Skinny Dog could not help but find it strange. He asked, "Why didn't your max-level cheat directly show the conditions for maxing out the second level of the Iron Mountain Art?"

"How could it show anything without the technique?" Fang Zhixing replied.

Skinny Dog explained carefully, "After you came into contact with bows and arrows, didn't the conditions for Apprentice Archer, Ordinary Archer, and Elite Shooter appear one after another, progressing layer by layer?"

"That was indeed the case with bows and arrows, but it isn't always like that." Fang Zhixing nodded. "After I came into contact with the hunting knife, it only showed the conditions for maxing out [Basic Sword-Draw Technique]. There was nothing afterward. Martial arts techniques are the same."

He analyzed on his own, "I think this is related to how complex a skill is.

"Blade techniques and the Iron Mountain Art are both relatively complex skills. Without the specific content, the system cannot obtain the corresponding max-level conditions.

"Bows and arrows are comparatively simple, so they can be upgraded three times in succession.

"But [Elite Shooter] is definitely not the pinnacle. There should be more beyond it, but because some triggering condition is missing, the system cannot display it."

Hearing that, Skinny Dog felt his head ache just thinking about it. He glanced at his own system panel and said proudly, "Hmph, my bond cheat is still far better. It's entirely passive. I don't need to work hard at all."

Fang Zhixing looked at him disdainfully. "Weren't you the same in your previous life? Whenever you saw a pretty auntie, you'd say, 'I don't want to work hard anymore.'"