Wang Hu's Grief, Qi-Seeking Dragon-Finding

"Tiger Boy?"

Hearing Liu Qingluo's words, Chen Mu's heart gave a jolt.

These past days, Chen Mu had deliberately kept his distance from the people of Rubble Ward, afraid that the trouble surrounding him would bring disaster upon those old neighbors.

But night had already fallen. Tiger Boy had come rushing over to find him—something must have happened.

"Where is he?!"

Chen Mu did not dare delay. After briefly questioning Liu Qingluo, he hurried away.

"Hey! Why are you running so fast?! You bastard! I'm never passing on a message for you again!"

Liu Qingluo had not even seen him clearly before Chen Mu vanished like a shadow.

She was furious, yet could only stamp her foot where she stood.

Chen Mu had been gripped by urgency just now, and instinctively used his lightness skill.

With his Grass-Top Flight now perfected and his Ghost-Shadow Step at minor accomplishment, he truly moved like lightning, reaching the west side gate of the second courtyard in the blink of an eye.

This was the passage used by the martial arts hall's servants when they went out to purchase supplies.

Back when Chen Mu had made his living as a butcher, he had also entered through this small gate to deliver meat.

It was then that he had first eavesdropped through the wall on the martial arts hall teaching boxing, and first entertained the thought of learning martial arts.

Clearly, less than half a year had passed since then, yet looking back now, it was like fleeting light and passing shadows, already nearly impossible to remember.

Feeling somewhat sentimental, Chen Mu quickly exited the gate. Sure enough, he saw Tiger Boy anxiously pacing back and forth on the long street outside.

Chen Mu immediately went forward to meet him and called out, "Why have you come over at this hour?"

"Brother Mu!!"

At the sound of Chen Mu's voice, Wang Hu spun around at once, tears filling his tiger eyes. "Brother Mu! My mother is dead!"

He shouted so loudly that even the old steward in the duty room beside the gate was startled wide-eyed.

Chen Mu's heart tightened as well. He grabbed Wang Hu and said, "Come inside first. Talk there."

Chen Mu led Wang Hu all the way to a side courtyard in the first compound of the martial arts hall.

This was temporary lodging for disciples. Every personal disciple could stay there for a time, and Chen Mu had a room of his own as well.

After entering, Wang Hu first widened his eyes and looked all around, muttering under his breath:

"My goodness, this place is really grand. Brother Mu, you're a registered disciple now? Even you get such a big room?"

Chen Mu was rendered somewhat speechless by this blockhead's question.

Was this really the time to care about that?

He heavily set down a cup of tea on the table and asked Wang Hu:

"Tell me what happened. I remember your mother being healthy and strong. How could something have happened to her?"

As he spoke, Chen Mu secretly clenched his fists, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

He felt somewhat guilty, suspecting that it was because of him that the Red Whale Gang had retaliated.

Wang Hu did not know what Chen Mu was thinking. At the mention of his sorrow, he immediately let out a deep sigh.

"Ah, it was just rotten luck. My mother was fine this morning when she went to West Market to sell buns. But on her way back this evening, someone on horseback ran her down!"

"When I got back from my shift at the docks, her body was already stiff..."

As he reached this point, rage surged into his heart. He slammed a fist on the table and growled viciously:

"Brother Mu! I came to ask if you could help me find out who killed my mother!"

"I, Tiger Boy, have nothing—just this one worthless life!"

"Once I find them, I'll trade my life for theirs with a blade if I have to! I'll avenge my mother no matter what!"

When Chen Mu heard that it had been an unexpected calamity rather than the Red Whale Gang causing trouble, he first breathed a sigh of relief.

But after hearing Tiger Boy's words brimming with blazing fury, killing intent burst forth in his own eyes as well.

"Don't panic. I'll help you ask around."

"Auntie Wang was practically half a mother to me. No matter who killed her, they must pay the price!"

Chen Mu spoke with utter sincerity.

Wang Hu had been one of the original Chen Mu's few childhood friends. When Chen Mu had first crossed over, Wang Hu had even protected him from being cooked and eaten by refugees.

Before this, Wang Hu had also risked his life to protect A-Ning.

By emotion or by reason, Chen Mu could not possibly stand by while Wang Hu lost his mother for nothing and then let him risk his own life for revenge.

Wang Hu was not stupid, but his nature was straightforward, without many twists and turns in his heart.

Seeing Chen Mu agree, he felt somewhat relieved.

Under Chen Mu's questioning, he sighed and revealed some more details.

"I asked around then. Uncle Sixi, who sells buns, said the one who hit my mother was a young woman riding a white horse."

"She wore red, and I don't know anything else..."

"I only heard them say that before that little bitch left, she even cursed that my mother's body was filthy and had dirtied her horse's hooves! She truly deserved to die!"

By the end, Wang Hu, this iron-tower of a man, was shedding tears again, smashing his fists against the table in fury.

The moment Chen Mu heard this, a bolt of lightning flashed through his mind.

Red clothes, white horse, reckless and overbearing!

Didn't it all fit perfectly?!

He could almost conclude that the one who had killed her was the Li family's second miss!

Li Bingyan!

If it truly was her, then if Tiger Boy went looking for her himself, he would likely only end up beaten to death in the street by the Li family's vicious servants and tossed into a stinking ditch.

Chen Mu understood this well. Thus, even though he had already guessed the culprit, he did not say it aloud.

"Alright, I've remembered it. Later, I'll ask some senior brothers at the hall to look into it for you."

Chen Mu first spoke to soothe Tiger Boy, then continued:

"But I'll be leaving the city for a trip these next few days to look for your sister-in-law A-Ning. Do not investigate everywhere during this time, lest you alert the snake in the grass and let that wicked woman escape."

When Wang Hu heard that Chen Mu was going to look for A-Ning, he was first taken aback.

Seeing that Chen Mu kept silent about the details of A-Ning's disappearance, he did not dare ask further.

After hearing Chen Mu's warning, he nodded.

"Alright, Brother Mu. I'll listen to whatever you say. But I came today for one more thing... You know my family's situation. My mother needs to be buried, so do you think you could..."

He looked somewhat embarrassed, stammering for a long while without managing to say it clearly.

Chen Mu understood roughly what he meant. With a sigh, he directly took out a Huitong Money House exchange note worth one hundred taels of patterned silver.

"Arrange Auntie Wang's funeral first. Also, take these..."

As he spoke, Chen Mu took out a bottle of Blood-Qi Pills for him, along with the secret manual of the Coiling Dragon Staff Technique.

The manual also contained a basic breathing method. It was incomparably precious to ordinary people, but Chen Mu no longer cared much about it now.

"Over the next few days, find Old Liu and have him teach you some characters. See if you can practice it."

"If you can learn it, afterward I'll find a chance to bring you into the martial arts hall. At least then you'll have a decent livelihood."

Wang Hu froze on the spot after receiving the items. He could barely recognize a few characters, and all his attention was fixed on the banknote.

This time, he said nothing at all. He immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed three times to Chen Mu.

"Brother Mu, don't worry! From now on, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west!"

After saying that, he bade Chen Mu farewell and returned home with the money to bury his mother.

This heartfelt exchange had taken quite some time. By the time Chen Mu saw Tiger Boy off, the sky was already nearing midnight.

Chen Mu returned to the martial arts hall, a faint glimmer flickering in his eyes.

He would leave the city tomorrow. A-Ning's whereabouts remained unknown, and he did not know how many days it would be before he returned.

Chen Mu thought of the past...

When he had lived in Rubble Ward, he had seen Auntie Wang's face every day.

She had always treated others with such kindness, yet now this unexpected calamity had befallen her. How unjustly she had died!

But that was simply how the world was now. Those of lowly status had no rights. If she died, then she died—the authorities would not even investigate.

Even Chen Mu, having only recently entered the martial arts hall, had not yet found an opportunity to ask his master to help him cast off his lowly status.

His life was not much more precious than Auntie Wang's.

If he had not possessed martial strength, then this morning at the Li Residence gates, he might well have been ridden down and killed by that wicked woman too, his corpse left sprawled in the street.

"If heaven will not take you, then I will."

A flash of killing intent crossed Chen Mu's eyes. He decided that before leaving the city, he would act tonight and eliminate this scourge.

It would also give him the excuse of being outside the city to wash away suspicion, avoiding a direct conflict with Zhao Dong.

Just as Chen Mu was about to set out at once, midnight arrived.

The night watchman's cry sounded from the long street, and a settlement panel appeared before Chen Mu's eyes at the same time.

[Slaughter Register · Today's Settlement]

[A bloody battle on the long street slew a host of foes; ghostly steps newly formed tempered the iron body. Today, you faced many with few and defeated a Qi Accumulation expert against the odds. Yet you failed to cut the grass by its roots, needlessly breeding future disaster. This is killing intent insufficient; you must strive harder.]

[Evaluation: Grade C, Low · Lower Tier]

[Reward: eighty taels of patterned silver, five Bone-Strengthening Pills. An additional Yellow Grade Low-Tier secret art: "Qi-Seeking Dragon-Finding Art."]