My Heart Is Kind—Can't Bear to See This

As someone knocked on the courtyard gate, he called out, "Aunt Lin, are you home?"

Hearing the voice, Mother Lin wiped her hands on her patch-covered apron.

"Coming."

With a creak, the gate opened.

A middle-aged man who looked to be in his thirties or forties stood at the entrance.

"So it's Little Wang from next door."

"Auntie, I heard the children crying and fussing all day. They must still be hungry, right?

My heart is kind—I can't bear to see this. These are freshly steamed corn buns, still warm. Take them and make do for a meal for the children.

Oh, right. Is Chunlan feeling any better?"

At those words, Lin Feng abruptly turned toward the courtyard gate.

Those words were etched into his bones. When he had been locked in the woodshed, the employer who delivered the silver had said something similar.

The original words had been: "My heart is kind—I can't bear to see this. Once you kill him, bury him."

"Mother, who's here?" Lin Feng walked over to the courtyard gate and saw a middle-aged man whose beard had not been shaved very cleanly.

The moment the man saw Lin Feng, his eyes went wide, filled with disbelief.

The terror on his face lasted only an instant before it was swiftly replaced by a broad smile.

"Oh, isn't this Xiao Feng? Your mother said you went out yesterday and didn't return all night. You had your mother and wife worried sick."

Lin Feng saw every shift in his expression clearly.

Pretending not to have noticed anything, he turned to his mother and asked, "This is?"

Mother Lin smiled. "This is Brother Wang. He moved in next door half a month ago, and you two haven't run into each other much.

While you were away, Brother Wang took very good care of us."

With a smile, Lin Feng nodded slightly. "Hello, Brother Wang. Thank you, Brother Wang."

Lin Feng checked the man's status panel.

Name: Wang Shanxiong.

Life: 8.

Martial Skills:

Twelve Slaying Rivers Blades (Low-grade) (Level One).

Arhat Fist (Low-grade) (Level Seven).

Stele Breaking Hand (Low-grade) (Level Two).

Iron Claw Wall Traversing Skill (Low-grade) (Level Six).

Swallow Dips Water Skill (Low-grade) (Level Five).

Muscle Tendon Cleansing Scripture (Low-grade) (Level Three).

Yin Gathering Art (Low-grade) (Level Three).

This was a vicious man. He could not provoke him yet.

This man knew so many martial arts, and all of them were Low-grade Martial Arts. He definitely had a master and a lineage.

So many of his skills had already reached the entry level. By rights, his Life should not have been so low. Could he have suffered serious injuries and been unable to act conveniently, which was why he had sought out those little thugs?

But Lin Feng had neither grievance nor enmity with him. Why did he want to kill him?

After the three exchanged a few pleasantries, Mother Lin ultimately did not accept the man's corn buns.

Just as Lin Feng was about to close the courtyard gate—

Someone suddenly rushed over and stuck his head through the gap in the gate, staring at Lin Feng as he called out, "Brother Feng, you're back."

The newcomer was Lin Feng's cousin, Lin Hu. When Lin Hu had been young, he had been mischievous and often played in the Small River Gully beside the village. Once, he had accidentally gotten a cramp and begun drowning. The other children had all been scared stupid, but Lin Feng had disregarded the danger and gone into the water to save him.

That was why his relationship with Lin Feng was exceptionally close. He had not distanced himself from Lin Feng even after Lin Feng became a drunkard.

Lin Feng opened the gate and let Lin Hu in. "Huzi, where have you been, looking so travel-worn?"

Lin Hu did not enter immediately. Instead, he pulled his head back and glanced at Wang Shanxiong, who had just left.

Then he entered and shut the gate behind him.

Lin Hu gave Lin Feng a hug. "Brother Feng, seeing that you're alright puts my mind at ease.

Today, I secretly went to the County Town to look for you without telling my family. On the way, I ran into the City Guards pursuing a group of Horse Bandits and got so scared that I turned back."

Lin Feng's heart filled with gratitude. He patted Lin Hu's shoulder. "Good brother, don't take such risks next time."

Lin Hu nodded repeatedly. "It was terrifying. The City Guards were too fierce.

With one slash, they cut a Horse Bandit and his horse into two halves. Guts and intestines spilled all over the ground.

Brother, get me some water. I'm thirsty."

Lin Feng scooped him a bowl of water.

Lin Hu gulped down the water in two mouthfuls. "Ah, that hit the spot!"

After drinking, Lin Hu swept his eyes over the courtyard and saw that there were only the two brothers there.

He pulled Lin Feng to a spot far from the house.

Lin Feng asked curiously, "What is it? Why so mysterious?"

Leaning close to Lin Feng's ear, Lin Hu said, "Brother Feng, you need to watch out for your neighbor—the one who just left."

Lin Feng widened his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"The way that man looks at Sister-in-law isn't right. Yesterday, when he looked at her, he was practically drooling."

"Really?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. Sister-in-law is pretty. Anyone who sees her would want another look, and taking a few extra glances is normal.

But his gaze was different. It was frightening, lecherous, and downright sinister."

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. Could that man be planning to kill him and steal his wife?

"Alright, I understand. I'll be careful.

I bought some cured meat in town. Stay here for dinner tonight."

Lin Hu sniffed. He really could smell meat, and his stomach immediately began to growl.

Rubbing his belly, Lin Hu said, "No, Brother Feng, I've already eaten."

As he spoke, Lin Hu headed outside.

Lin Feng knew that Lin Hu thought Lin Feng's family was poor and had too many mouths to feed, so he did not want to eat their food.

Lin Feng grabbed him. "Stay for dinner. Your brother can spare one more pair of chopsticks."

Lin Hu tugged back with all his strength. "I really ate already. Brother, let go. Don't tear my clothes."

The two brothers tugged at each other all the way to the courtyard gate. Lin Feng asked, "You snuck out for an entire day. How are you going to explain it when you get back?"

"Ah, I'll take a beating. What else can I do?"

Lin Feng took out several copper coins and stuffed them into Lin Hu's clothes.

"Just say you went out to do odd jobs. This is the money you earned. It might save you a beating."

"Brother, what are you doing?"

"Take them. Your brother isn't drinking anymore. From now on, I'll lead you to prosperity. A few copper coins mean nothing.

If you won't take them, I'll get angry."

Lin Feng pushed Lin Hu out and shut the courtyard gate.

"Fine. Then I'll count these copper coins as a loan from you, Brother."

Lin Hu did not take Lin Feng's vow to quit drinking seriously.

Lin Feng returned to the house to brew medicine. The medicine had to simmer slowly over a low flame for at least two hours.

As he brewed the medicine, he thought things over.

Huzi was someone worth befriending. Without Huzi, he still would not have known why his neighbor wanted to kill him.

So the man next door was called Wang Shanxiong.

Lin Feng felt that the name sounded familiar.

Smack! He slapped his thigh and stood up.

There had been a Flower Picking Bandit named Wang Shanxiong on the Wanted Poster at the County Town gate, with a reward of two thousand taels of silver.

But that man was a monk with a face full of bushy whiskers.

Lin Feng compared the two men's appearances in his mind. Remove the hair and beard, and they really did look alike.

Only, Wang Shanxiong was much thinner now.

And there was also his Arhat Fist, trained to great mastery. At a glance, it was a Buddhist martial art. There could be no mistake—it had to be him.

Could he really have guessed correctly? Had Wang Shanxiong truly suffered serious injuries, which was why he had hired someone to kill him?

After doing so much evil, he wanted to snatch Lin Feng's wife and spend his old age here in Xiaohe Village.

This man was far too impatient. Wouldn't it have been safer to wait until his injuries healed and act personally?

Perhaps Lin Feng's wife was simply too alluring to him, making him unwilling to wait.

Those three kidnappers were truly courting death. With their three-legged-cat skills, they had actually wanted to control such a vicious man.

Once Wang Shanxiong recovered from his injuries, he definitely would not leave those three alive.

He must have been planning to wait until Lin Feng died, then take advantage of the opening and marry Lin Feng's wife, turning her into a young widow with five children.

Then he would deal with Lin Feng's mother and children.

A Flower Picking Bandit would not raise elders and children for someone else.

This man was so lustful that he would never let the matter rest. He would certainly find a way to kill Lin Feng.