Catching Ghosts at Night!

"Absolutely true!" Chen He nodded repeatedly, his voice still carrying the excitement from earlier. "Just one punch! Lord Zhou smashed his fist into that Medicine Rat's belly, sent it flying, and embedded it into the rockery. It died on the spot—dead as a doornail!"

"Yeah, yeah, we all saw it with our own eyes. That beast was thick-skinned and tough-fleshed; we usually walked around it when we saw it. Yet Lord Zhou pounded it to death with a single punch!"

"The rockery was smashed so hard that broken stones flew everywhere. Scary as hell!"

Several men nearby could not help chiming in at once.

Du Ruming set down his chopsticks and gave Zhou Chen a thumbs-up with a solemn expression. "Brother Zhou, that was real skill! I chased that Medicine Rat several times, but even my blade could not cut through its hide. Its skin was as thick as an iron plate, and I simply could not do a thing to it. Yet you dealt with it in one punch. I have no choice but to be impressed! Zheng Hall's Wild Bull Fist truly lives up to its name!"

"Brother Du, you flatter me. It was only good luck. My punch happened to land on the soft part of its abdomen. Had I struck its back, I fear I would not have hurt it in the slightest."

Zhou Chen smiled faintly, his tone calm.

"Ah, luck is part of strength too." Du Ruming waved a hand. Rarely, he did not continue joking. His gaze lingered on Zhou Chen for an extra moment, as though he were considering something.

Zhou Chen did not stay any longer. He cupped his hands, then led Chen He and the others toward the western storerooms.

Once Zhou Chen and his men had gone far away, the smile on Du Ruming's face gradually vanished. He picked up a piece of beef and stuffed it into his mouth. As he chewed, he suddenly asked in a low voice, "Old Li, has Brother Zhou entered the storerooms lately?"

"He went in a few times and opened the medicine chests for inspection, but he did not venture deep inside." Old Li blinked his tiny eyes and chuckled under his breath. "Lord Du, rest assured. The batch of medicinal herbs we tampered with has been placed in the very back. Ordinary people will not rummage that far. I have already put all the accounts under Lord Zhou's name. When the Lian Household discovers the inferior medicinal herbs in the future, the ledger will bear Lord Zhou's inspection handwriting. The evidence will stand like a mountain, and we will wash our hands of it completely."

"Good." Du Ruming took a sip of wine, narrowed his eyes, and smacked his lips. A trace of contentment surfaced on his face. "A few new little rabbits have arrived at the pleasure house, tender as can be. Tonight, have that brat Chen He transport another batch out and bring back inferior goods to make up the numbers. As for the accounts, put them on Brother Zhou's head as usual."

Sending additional men here had been his suggestion, all so he could find a suitable scapegoat. At first, he had feared that an old hand might come. But once he saw that Zhou Chen had only recently broken through to become a Martial Warrior, and that after arriving here Zhou Chen buried himself in training every day with an attitude of hanging high what did not concern him, he was completely at ease.

Hearing that Zhou Chen had killed the Medicine Rat with one punch had indeed shocked him somewhat, but it had probably only been luck. If he had struck the beast's abdomen with one punch, he was confident he could kill it in a single blow as well.

As for the earth-shattering claims his subordinates had made earlier, he merely took them as proof that his men had seen too little and exaggerated greatly in their words.

He had only entered the martial hall a little over two months ago. Could he possibly have trained the Wild Bull Fist to Minor Accomplishment already? Absolutely impossible!

All in all, there was no need to take a minor character like Zhou Chen to heart.

Old Li, fiddling with his abacus, asked uneasily, "My lord, once we finish these accounts, we should start considering our way out."

"Rest assured! I have already made arrangements with the Shen Clan. Once these accounts are completed, and the thing in the storeroom matures, we will defect to the Shen Clan. The Shen Clan will not be taking this batch of medicinal herbs for nothing either!"

At the mention of that thing, a flash of burning desire passed through Du Ruming's eyes.

"Then that's settled!"

Night had fallen. The wind blew low against the ground, and the wind lantern hanging beneath the eaves swayed, casting shadows across the brick floor that stretched and shrank. The air was filled with the scent of mugwort, making one feel stifled just by breathing it in.

The men guarding the warehouse had already been transferred away by Du Ruming to patrol nearby.

Chen He crouched in the shadow by the wall, held his breath, and waited for a moment. After confirming that no one was around, he slipped along the foot of the wall to the ventilation opening on the side of the warehouse.

His fingers slipped skillfully into the cracks between the bricks. With some unknown motion, a loose wooden board came off soundlessly, revealing a narrow entrance. He then crawled inside.

Before long, a somewhat bedraggled figure crawled out through the vent. It was Chen He. After landing, he still looked left and right guiltily. Only after confirming that no one was there did he pull a large hemp sack from the vent and hoist it onto his shoulder.

Chen He pressed his dry lips together. Although this was not his first time doing such a thing, he still felt as though his heart were about to leap out of his throat.

At the thought that transporting this batch of medicinal herbs out would earn him a generous reward from Du Ruming, the last trace of concern in his heart vanished.

He took a fire striker from his chest and blew it alight. By the glow of the flame, he knew that although the chances of a Mist Monster appearing here were low, he still had to keep a flame lit to drive it away.

The night wind howled.

Chen He carried the sack and hurried toward the back gate.

Someone was already waiting there to receive him.

This is the last trip... he silently muttered. Once this job is done, I'll follow Lord Du and join the Shen Clan.

Although his senior brother treated him very well, his family truly lacked money. His parents had been sick for years, his younger brother was still growing, and he too hoped to enter a martial hall and train like Chen He, to fight for a future. In short, money was needed everywhere.

Especially after Du Ruming had taken him to a place like the pleasure house to broaden his horizons, he still remembered that day with perfect clarity. He had sat there blankly, watching rich people scatter silver like snowflakes. Women's coquettish laughter, men's coarse obscenities, flickering candlelight—they burrowed into his mind like a nightmare.

Du Ruming had even told him that if he wanted a conscience, he would never make money!

He wanted money!

He wanted to become someone above others and change everything for his family!

When he reached the back gate and saw that dilapidated wooden door, Chen He's heart gradually settled. He pushed it open and, sure enough, saw someone already standing there waiting to receive him.

The stone hanging over Chen He's heart finally dropped. He chuckled in a low voice. "Brother, I got what Lord Du wanted. Take it."

As he spoke, he handed over the hemp sack on his shoulder.

The man silently extended a hand and steadily caught it.

At the instant the sack changed hands, the fire striker in Chen He's hand suddenly flared. The faint glow leaped up, illuminating the other man's face.

Chen He's outstretched hand abruptly froze. He only felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to the crown of his head!

Because the person taking the sack from him was Zhou Chen, calmly looking at him!

"L-Lord Zhou! Y-you, why... why are you here..."

Chen He trembled and collapsed onto the ground on his backside. His tongue seemed tied in knots, and he could not utter a single complete sentence.