Chapter 22: The Strange Night Knock—Brother, Let's Play Soccer Together

"Brother Chen, what do you think?" Er Mazi approached Zhou Chen and asked.

Hearing this, Wild Dog and the others all turned their eyes to Zhou Chen.

"What else can I think? I'm standing here, aren't I?" Zhou Chen spread his hands and said bluntly, "I'm just a hunter, not a divine investigator. Naturally, matters like this should be reported to the authorities."

Knowing that the killer might not be human, he had even less desire to meddle in other people's business. He was currently earning a thousand Source Points a night. Even if the 'First Blood' bonus was factored in, earning a few hundred points afterward shouldn't be a problem, right? As long as he kept a low profile for a while, his cultivation would skyrocket and his strength would increase significantly. Why bother looking for trouble?

After saying this, Zhou Chen walked away. Wild Dog and Er Mazi hurriedly followed behind him like lackeys.

"Brother Chen, I heard that Old Man Zhang went hunting on the mountain yesterday and seemed to run into something unclean. And now this happened last night... I'm afraid he really encountered..." Wild Dog's eyes were filled with fear. These things were not just nightmares for ordinary people; even Zhou Chen, who was now practicing martial arts, didn't want to provoke them.

"Then I won't go up the mountain for a while either!"

After dismissing the two, Zhou Chen frowned as he headed home. He still had ten taels of silver, which was enough to live on for a while, but what about after that? One cannot walk along the riverbank without getting their shoes wet. If he kept hunting, he would inevitably run into those things sooner or later.

"This village isn't very safe either. The city would be relatively more secure, and hunting isn't a long-term profession..." The thought of moving to the city grew stronger in Zhou Chen's mind. Large game took a long time to grow, and as Zhou Chen hunted more, the nearby prey would dwindle. Besides, the animals weren't stupid. They had keen instincts; once they sensed the area was dangerous, they would migrate, forcing Zhou Chen to venture deeper. And the deeper he went, the greater the danger.

"If I go to the city, I can sell the 'Yang Peak' herb, but if I sell it alone, it will be too eye-catching and attract covetous eyes. I must find a backer..." Zhou Chen couldn't help but think of Zhang Long. Perhaps he could try to secure a government position. While not everyone could eat from the imperial grain, he could display a bit of his strength, perhaps at the first level of body refinement. That wouldn't be too conspicuous, yet it would grant him some rights and status, reducing a lot of trouble.

"But I can't rush into it. It's best if someone else takes the initiative to recruit me..." Zhou Chen pondered his future path. The Great Qian Dynasty had stood for eight hundred years and remained relatively stable; even if it was on the decline, it wasn't something other factions or aristocratic families could easily shake. Therefore, for the time being, getting a formal position, coasting along, and biding his time to grow stronger was the best strategy.

As for being a lone wolf? Heh. In this day and age, desolate and remote places were infested with anomalies; they were the most dangerous spots, where one could die without even knowing how. Places with many people had fewer anomalies and were relatively safer. Of course, where there were people, there were conflicts, so to avoid trouble, finding a powerful backer was essential. While this would certainly bring its own set of problems, it was better than being a lone wolf. After all, he wasn't seeking promotion, so he could avoid most of the political infighting.

"Brother Chen, what's wrong?" Qin Hongyu woke up and saw Zhou Chen frowning in deep thought, asking with concern.

"It's nothing. It's just that Old Man Zhang's family was murdered last night. All six of them were decapitated!"

"Ah!" Qin Hongyu was shocked. She hadn't expected the world to have turned upside down while she slept. A mass murder. Thinking of the people who were laughing and chatting just yesterday now being separated by the veil of death, she felt a pang of sorrow and fear, and she couldn't help but reach out and hug Zhou Chen tightly.

"Don't worry, I will protect you!" Zhou Chen gently patted her smooth back, his arms tightening around her.

"Brother Chen, you must be hungry, I'll go cook!" Qin Hongyu suddenly trembled, her face flushed, and she quickly pushed Zhou Chen away to rush to the kitchen.

Zhou Chen looked down and smiled to himself. That was his greatest validation of a woman. Of course, he wouldn't tell Qin Hongyu that his soul was actually back in the 'Fenghyue Treasure Mirror,' earning 'Fenghyue Points' from Ji Fengxia!

"Squeak, squeak..." The little fox ran over and jumped onto Zhou Chen's lap, rubbing its small head against his chest in an affectionate manner. It was clearly domesticated, much like a cat or a dog. He stroked the little fox's furry body for a while before putting it down.

Zhou Chen picked up the Luoxia Bow. He was now at the second level of body refinement, the Flesh Refining Realm, but he hadn't really practiced seriously yet. Holding the Luoxia Bow, a sense of immense familiarity flooded his heart. Zhou Chen stood firmly, drew the bowstring, achieved the unity of man and arrow, and lightly pushed into the body-tempering stance. His muscles seemed to vibrate in sync with the bow, tempering his flesh. His blood and energy circulated rapidly within him. Before long, Zhou Chen, who was already famished, felt even hungrier. Practicing martial arts consumed the most energy, and the Yi Archery technique was a superior martial art; it was faster to cultivate but consumed even more energy.

"Adding points is still faster. How long would it take to practice on my own? And it consumes so much energy!" Zhou Chen put away the bow and added the dozen or so newly acquired Fenghyue Points. In an instant, it was as if Zhou Chen had practiced arduously for a month; he could clearly feel his strength increase by a fraction. His body grew stronger. Whether refining skin or flesh, the process strengthened the entire body, though each realm had a different focus.

"Brother Chen, dinner is ready!"

"Coming!"

Zhou Chen put down the bow and ate with Qin Hongyu. The little fox lay to the side, and Zhou Chen fed it while he ate. After the meal, Qin Hongyu cleaned up, and this time, Zhou Chen didn't go to the kitchen to cause trouble. It was painful enough before. After all, he didn't care if others' things broke, but he certainly cherished his own wife.

Miaotong: "..."

Zhou Chen returned to the room to take a nap, his soul back in the Fenghyue Treasure Mirror, disciplining Ji Fengxia. With her cultivation having broken through, Ji Fengxia was full of vitality. It was like switching from manual transmission to automatic. Zhou Chen didn't even need to shift gears himself; he just needed to hold the steering wheel firmly and control the gas and brake.

After finishing in the kitchen, Qin Hongyu tidied the room and then, with great joy, began making clothes from the fabric Zhou Chen had bought yesterday. Zhou Chen lay half-reclined on the bed like a landlord, wishing only for two maids to massage his shoulders and pour him tea.

While Zhou Chen enjoyed his leisure at home, Zhang Long led his subordinates back to Dahe Village.

"Boss, the background check on Zhou Chen is complete, though we can only trace back ten years. They settled in Dahe Village ten years ago!" Zhao Hu said, walking beside Zhang Long. "Zhou Chen was unremarkable before. His master, Old Man Cao, was good at archery and knew a few tricks of massage and bone-setting. After Old Man Cao was eaten by a vicious tiger, the villagers used the excuse of covering funeral expenses to eat through all of Zhou Chen's grain reserves. Later, Zhou Chen went hunting alone and returned to find Old Man Qin! Old Man Qin had originally accepted ten taels of silver to betroth Qin Hongyu to Old Man Cao. They were about to be married when the incident occurred."

"Typically, Old Man Qin would either return the money or marry Qin Hongyu to Zhou Chen, but he wanted to default on the debt. Zhou Chen put a knife to his neck to force him to marry off his former master's wife to him!"

"The next day, he ran into Wild Dog and Er Mazi and beat them both up. After that, he displayed remarkable hunting skills..." Zhao Hu detailed Zhou Chen's deeds and sighed, "It seems Zhou Chen has grown quite a bit since Old Man Cao's death!"

"His food was eaten, and someone tried to default on the woman he was supposed to inherit. Anyone would grow up after that!" laughed another constable, Yang Dagen.

Zhang Long nodded. "Before, Zhou Chen was sheltered under Old Man Cao's wings, so his talent wasn't obvious. Once Old Man Cao died, he had to face things alone—either erupt in silence or die in silence!"

"If he still died in silence with his skills, he would truly be a piece of useless trash." Zhang Long was very satisfied with Zhou Chen's subsequent performance. Zhou Chen had likely practiced martial arts and reached an entry-level, and his archery was extraordinary. If a man like that could still be bullied by ordinary villagers, he would be the ultimate failure.

As they spoke, Zhang Long led Zhao Hu, Yang Dagen, and Yang Dali to the crime scene, and they stopped talking about Zhou Chen.

"Hiss!" Seeing the scene, Zhao Hu's mouth twitched, and his eyelids jumped wildly.

Zhang Long frowned. This didn't look like the work of a human. Ordinary people wouldn't kill someone and then kick their head around like a ball, unless they were particularly deranged. After a thorough investigation, he discovered that despite the vast amount of blood, there were no traces of other people, which deepened his suspicions.

With no other leads and the sky growing dark, Zhang Long decided to stay in Dahe Village for the night. He and his three subordinates stayed at the home of the village chief, Qin Jianghe. At the same time, he intentionally or unintentionally inquired about Zhou Chen and sought Qin Jianghe's opinion of him.

After hearing of Zhang Long's arrival, Zhou Chen joined the other villagers in a simple greeting before returning home.

As night fell, Zhou Chen picked up Qin Hongyu, entered the room, pulled back the quilt, and climbed in.

"Brother Chen..." The night turned passionate.

It was unknown how much time had passed when Ji Fengxia, who was one with Zhou Chen in the Fenghyue Treasure Mirror, suddenly spoke: "Master, a ghost is approaching!"

"Hmm?" Zhou Chen's head snapped up, his eyes flashing with a sharp, piercing light. His soul instantly returned to his body, and he pulled away.

"Ah, Brother Chen, what's wrong..." Qin Hongyu was bewildered, full of confusion.

"Something's here!" Zhou Chen didn't linger and quickly put on his clothes. Hearing this, Qin Hongyu's body trembled, and the passion in her eyes was instantly replaced by terror. She hurriedly reached for her clothes.

"Hee hee..."

"Hee hee hee..."

"Big brother, let's play with the ball together..."

Accompanying a terrifying chill, the innocent laughter of a child echoed from outside the door. Qin Hongyu's body shivered, goosebumps rising on her skin as her legs began to tremble.

"Big brother, let's play with the ball together..."

"I'll play with your mother!"