Aftermath

His arms still bore the scratches Lin Hu had left while struggling. Lin Hu, lying on the ground, had long since lost every trace of breath, his body turning cold and stiff at a visible rate.

Lin Qing crouched where he was, his heart pounding wildly as fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his temples and slid down his jawline. But he forced himself to calm down. There were still many things that needed handling. One careless move, and what awaited him would be eternal damnation.

He swiftly lowered his head and began searching Lin Hu's corpse. His movements were deft yet cautious. Pockets, inner lining, waistband ties—he overlooked neither the cuffs nor the trouser legs.

Before long, he found a cloth pouch sewn into the inside of Lin Hu's lapel. It felt heavy in his hand. He untied the hemp cord sealing it, and gleaming silver rolled out. By rough estimate, there were sixty or seventy taels.

He efficiently tucked the silver into his own clothes, and Lin Qing's gaze abruptly turned sharp. He immediately began dealing with the most troublesome matter: the corpse.

He knew perfectly well that he absolutely could not wait until the darkest hour before dawn to act. At that time, many martial artists in the city would already be up, and the street vendors setting up stalls would also be gathering their things and heading out to claim their spots. If anyone saw him, he would undoubtedly die.

Though the moon was bright now, its light illuminating the ground clearly and making his tracks easy to expose, he could only grit his teeth and take the risk. The longer he delayed, the greater the danger of being discovered.

Lin Qing did not bother with any unnecessary disguise. He neither covered his face with a cloth nor found anything to wrap around Lin Hu's body. The more deliberately he concealed things, the more attention he would draw. If he wrapped the corpse up tightly, anyone passing by would spot something wrong at a glance.

Supporting him openly like this, even if a passerby truly came by, they would probably only assume his companion had drunk too much and was dead drunk. Instead, they would pay no further attention.

Supporting a limp corpse that had completely lost all strength was several times harder than simply carrying it. Lin Hu was large and sturdy, no lightweight, and all his weight pressed down on Lin Qing. Every step took immense effort.

Gritting his teeth, Lin Qing lowered his body and firmly supported Lin Hu's arm. Using the shadows cast by roadside trees and corners of walls, he moved forward slowly, avoiding alleys where people might pass through. After more than half an hour, he finally reached a secluded riverbank.

This stretch of river was exceedingly quiet. There was no gentle bank; tall bluestone courtyard walls rose directly from both sides of the channel, their surfaces covered in moss. On ordinary days, let alone pedestrians, not even women washing clothes would come here. It was the most hidden and safest place available.

Lin Qing looked around, pricked up his ears, and listened carefully. Only after confirming there was not the slightest sound of voices or footsteps nearby did he finally relax.

He picked up stones of all sizes from the ground and stuffed them into Lin Hu's clothes and trousers in one sweep. Only after confirming that they weighed enough to drag the corpse to the riverbed, never to surface again, did he stop. Taking a deep breath, he exerted both arms and violently shoved Lin Hu's corpse into the river.

"Splash—"

A dull splash rang out, exceptionally clear in the silent night. Laden with stones, the corpse instantly sank into the pitch-black riverwater and vanished without a trace.

Lin Qing stood by the riverbank, staring fixedly at the water's surface. He waited for the time it took an incense stick to burn, and only after confirming there was nothing unusual did he wipe the sweat from his face, turn, and leave at a brisk pace.

On the way back, Lin Qing pulled out the pile of silver in his clothes. His fingertips rubbed over the icy silver ingots, his brows tightly knotted as he fell into deep thought.

He and Lin Hu were both from Lin Family Village, and they knew each other's family circumstances all too well. Though Lin Hu's family had gradually become better off over the past two years and lived more comfortably than ordinary villagers, they were by no means wealthy enough for him to carry sixty or seventy taels of silver on him when he went out.

Lin Hu's family had only risen to prosperity in the last year or two. Sixty or seventy taels of silver was nearly all of their family's possessions. There was nothing simple about him carrying so much silver with him.

Unless... unless his parents were gone, and he had come to the county seat alone without yet finding an official place to settle. Otherwise, it was impossible for him to carry that much silver on his person.

The thought exploded in Lin Qing's mind. He increasingly felt that things might not be as bad as he had imagined. He put the silver away, quickened his pace back to his residence, and dealt with the traces left behind in the room. He did not sleep all night.

As soon as dawn began to break, Lin Qing immediately got up. He first went to the martial arts school and found its steward, putting on a somewhat weak appearance as he lied that he had caught a chill the previous night and felt sore and weak all over. He asked for several days off to recuperate.

He then hurried toward the county yamen and went straight into a teahouse diagonally opposite its main gate. The teahouse was in an excellent location. From the window seats, one could see every movement at the county yamen's entrance, clearly observing everyone who entered or left.

As for the Martial Suppression Office, if it was confirmed that a martial artist had committed the crime, the yamen would naturally report the case to the Martial Suppression Office.

He knew that if Lin Hu's family noticed anything amiss about his disappearance, they would certainly come to the county yamen to report it immediately.

For this reason, Lin Qing made every preparation, bringing all seventy-two taels of his money with him. The moment he saw Lin Hu's parents come to report the case, he would flee at once.

For two days in a row, Lin Qing arrived at the teahouse early, before the county yamen had even opened its doors, and only rose to leave after the yamen closed and locked its gates.

Over those two days, food had no taste to him, and he could not sleep at night. Even when sitting made his entire body stiff, he did not dare leave for even a moment, afraid that one lapse of attention would make him miss vital news and leave him in a place where even his bones would have no resting place.

Fortunately, over those two days, he did not see anyone from Lin Hu's family come to report the case. This let Lin Qing breathe a small sigh of relief.

Not until the afternoon of the third day, with people still coming and going in the teahouse, did Lin Qing, as usual, keep watch on the county yamen's gate and suddenly catch sight of a middle-aged man in coarse cloth. The man had an honest-looking face, and his figure seemed especially familiar. He recognized him as a fellow villager, a hunter who often went hunting in the Mountain with Lin Qing's father.

Under ordinary circumstances, Lin Qing might not have taken the initiative to speak to him. But now was a heaven-sent chance to gather information. Lin Qing suppressed the unease in his heart, forced a natural smile onto his face, and raised a hand to call to the middle-aged man.

"Uncle Gen, over here."

Hearing the voice, Uncle Gen turned and spotted Lin Qing. He walked over with a smile, pulled out a stool, and sat down.

"It's Qing. Why are you here?"

"I came to the county's martial arts school to train. Whenever I have time off, I come sit in the teahouse to pass the time."

Lin Qing replied without betraying a thing. He casually poured Uncle Gen a cup of tea and asked in an offhand tone,

"Uncle Gen, I heard a ferocious beast caused trouble in the village. How is it? Was it serious?"

Uncle Gen lifted the teacup and took a sip. He sighed, his face showing some ruefulness.

"Serious? It was terrible! The village head's entire family died, and only Lin Hu survived from his family."

Lin Qing feigned surprise.

"My heavens, didn't that mean more than ten people died?"

Uncle Gen shook his head, his tone full of regret yet carrying a trace of relief.

"The village's two richest families were both ravaged by the ferocious beast. The villagers even said that the scent of meat from those two households was too rich, which was why it lured the beast over."

Wild joy surged through Lin Qing's heart, but his face showed shock and regret. "That was far too sudden. Truly, storms could rise from a clear sky."

Following Uncle Gen's words, Lin Qing sighed regretfully a few more times. He had sunk Lin Hu's corpse to the riverbed, and now he had learned that Lin Hu's family had all perished in the jaws of the ferocious beast. No one would ever investigate Lin Hu's whereabouts again. The heart he had held suspended for two days could finally settle, and his tense body completely relaxed.

He chatted with Uncle Gen a while longer about trivial matters in the village, confirming there were no other hidden details. Looking toward the county yamen's gate, a faint smile curved his lips. After rising to bid Uncle Gen farewell, he calmly walked out of the teahouse.