Chapter 43 : Chapter 43
Chapter 43: Street Tragedy
With a kitchen cleaver in hand, Lu Zhan cleaned the Pattern-Scaled Fish in no time at all. His knife work was so superb that Wang Botao could not help clicking his tongue in amazement.
“Brother Lu, your knife skills are incredible!”
Lu Zhan smiled lightly.
“Things like blade work all connect in the end. By the way, do you know how to make pickled fish?”
“I know the basics of cooking.”
Lu Zhan nodded, washed his hands clean, and started walking outside.
“All right. Then make sure you cook it properly in a bit.”
“Brother Lu, where are you going?”
“Out for some air.”
Watching Lu Zhan’s departing figure, Wang Botao’s expression tightened, and his face changed slightly. He seemed to understand what was about to happen next, and said with some concern,
“Brother Lu, come back early. Shangguan and I are waiting to drink with you...”
Lu Zhan carried the cleaver in one hand and waved without even turning his head, unable to resist grumbling.
“They are just a few nobodies. Why are you making it sound like life and death?”
“I just hope more of them come.”
“If I go a day without making progress, I feel uncomfortable all over...”
...
As dusk deepened over the Southern District of Peach Blossom Alley, at a street corner— A man in his seventies stood watch over a bamboo basket, his dark hands covered in calluses.
His palms were rough and cracked.
Even his fingernails had been stained an inky green by bamboo.
He was an old bamboo craftsman.
Three years ago, his son and wife had died in the jaws of demon beasts, and his daughter-in-law had run off with someone else, leaving only him and his six-year-old grandson to depend on each other.
Now his grandson was about to start school.
So he had wanted to make use of the summer season and his old craft to sell some handmade goods, earn a little money, and save up for tuition.
He had done well today and sold half his stock.
Though it was hard work, the thought that his grandson’s tuition was finally within reach brought an involuntary smile to his face.
“Little Stone, come over to Grandpa.”
Not far away, a filthy little boy who had been playing with a bamboo dragonfly came hopping over.
“Grandpa!”
His voice was bright and clear, endearing beyond words.
Life was hard, but with his grandson by his side, the old man had a reason to keep living.
“Come here, Little Stone. Guess what Grandpa bought for you today? Ta-da!”
The old man pulled out a wrinkled little thing from behind his back as if performing a magic trick.
“Wow, White Rabbit Candy!”
Light instantly appeared in Little Stone’s eyes, and he ran even faster.
Life was hard, but he was happy because he had Grandpa.
“Little Stone, did you get into another fight again? I am always telling you not to fight, not to fight. Why won’t you listen?”
His worn trousers could not hide the bruises on his legs.
Little Stone carefully turned around, wiped away his tears, and lied.
“No, Grandpa. I just bumped into something by accident. The other kids all really like the little toys you make, Grandpa. They all like playing with me.”
The old man’s withered hand lifted into the air and hung there for a moment. In the end, he merely rubbed Little Stone’s head. All the anger in his heart finally turned into a long, heavy sigh.
“Ah... it is not your fault, Little Stone. It is because Grandpa is useless...”
“Pack up the stall. We’ll head back soon, and Grandpa will fry you an egg.”
“All right, Grandpa.”
Just as the grandfather and grandson were packing up the stall— A furious shout rang out in the distance. “Zhang Ziliang! Stop right there!”
Immediately after, a figure flashed past like lightning.
The basketful of handmade goods the old man had woven was kicked flying with one foot.
Oh dear, why were people nowadays all so rash and careless? Those were his grandson’s tuition fees.
Looking at the things he had stayed up late making being trampled underfoot, the old man’s heart ached, but he did not dare call out in reproach.
If he and his grandson ran into some villain in the dark like this...
Wait!
The money!
He hurriedly got to his feet and rushed toward the stall.
He really was a foolish old man. That was his grandson’s school tuition for this year, yet he had forgotten to put it away for a moment.
If the ruffian from just now had taken it, what then?
Filled with self-reproach, the old man found his steps moving even faster than usual.
When he reached the stall, the money was still there. He counted it. Not a single cent was missing, and he instantly let out a sigh of relief.
Then an exasperated voice sounded by his ear.
“Brother, he turned into that street!”
“After him! Don’t let him get away!”
“That bastard is infuriating. Slippery as a loach.”
“Brother, hurry, hurry!”
Bang!
“Ow!”
A dull, sickening sound of impact rang out.
“Damn it, whose jurisdiction is this? They actually let people set up stalls wherever they like. Don’t they know the city’s in the middle of a civilized city campaign? If this were my jurisdiction, I’d fine him until he lost everything.”
Xu Er cursed under his breath.
But then, from behind him, there suddenly came a grief-stricken cry.
“Grandpa... Grandpa! Grandpa, wake up!”
“Wuu... Grandpa, don’t leave Little Stone behind...”
“Dad is dead, Grandma is dead, Mom does not want me anymore, and now Grandpa does not want Little Stone either? Wuu...”
The sobbing echoed from the corner.
It was heartbreaking to hear.
Xu Da’s heart lurched. Damn it. Had someone been there just now? He had been running too fast to notice.
When he turned back— The setting sun was blood-red. In front of a collapsed stall, an old man lay in a pool of blood.
Even in death, the old man was still clutching a fistful of money.
From a tattered cloth bag, a crumpled candy wrapper drifted down in the wind, instantly stained red with blood.
Beside the old man— A six-year-old child wept uncontrollably.
“Murder! Someone killed a man in Peach Blossom Alley!”
A woman in one of the residential buildings at the end of the street suddenly shouted.
At once, nearby residents began opening their windows and peering out.
“Shh, stop shouting. Do you have a death wish? Look at the clothes they’re wearing. They’re all from the Demon Extermination Bureau.”
“So what if they’re from the Demon Extermination Bureau? Does that mean they can kill someone in the street for no reason?”
“Ah, we should see whether he can still be saved. I heard there’s a very capable Lord Lu living in the Western District of Peach Blossom Alley. He is kind-hearted too. I saw with my own eyes yesterday how he saved a woman who had only one breath left in her.”
“I’m afraid that won’t work. That woman yesterday still had a breath left in her. But this old man...”
Everyone spoke at once, voices rising and overlapping.
“Second Brother, what is wrong with you? In broad daylight—well, with so many eyes watching—you still didn’t know enough to hold back.”
Xu Da knew the matter had grown serious. Not because someone had died, but because a jurisdiction head had caused a death in plain public view.
That would undoubtedly bring severe negative consequences to the Demon Extermination Bureau.
Still, this matter could be made either large or small...
Xu Da’s face darkened like still water, and his pace gradually slowed.
Listening to the intermittent sobbing, Xu Er felt a flash of unease and irritation.
“If you don’t want to die, then shut your mouths!”
He roared.
Bang, bang, bang!
Windows slammed shut. Doors shut as well.
Everyone hurriedly retreated back inside.
In an instant, the entire street turned bleak and desolate, leaving only Little Stone and a cold corpse behind.
“Hmph. Brother, what are you afraid of? We’re martial artists now. So what if one old man died? For jurisdiction heads like us, that’s just a word and the matter’s settled.”
“And if I remember right, Peach Blossom Alley is under Chen Lin and three newcomers. I’ve met Chen Lin before. He’s greedy for life and afraid of death. Easy to deal with.”
“As for those three newcomers, they’re even less worth mentioning.”
For a jurisdiction head, making an ordinary person disappear was far too easy. As long as no one saw it, all they had to do was throw the body to a demon beast and destroy the evidence.
Even if the Criminal Investigation Division discovered that something was suspicious, most of the time they would still choose to smooth the matter over.
One reason was insufficient manpower. Another was self-preservation.
At that point, the jurisdiction head could simply step in, kill the demon beast directly, and report the death on the casualty list. Not only would the matter be buried, it would even count as a meritorious deed.
“All right, we’ll do it your way. But pay attention. Newcomers still don’t understand how cruel the world is, and that makes them the biggest trouble. Put a bit more thought into making these people keep quiet.”
Hearing that the jurisdiction heads of Peach Blossom Alley were so weak, a trace of ruthlessness appeared in Xu Da’s eyes.
“Don’t worry, Brother. If those three newcomers know what’s good for them, then fine. But if they don’t... hmph, then don’t blame me for showing no mercy...”