13: Eliminate evil completely

Watching Su Wan fall into a deep sleep in his arms, a hint of tenderness flashed in Chen Linsheng's eyes.

Using the faint light filtering in from outside the window, he glimpsed the conspicuous spot of red on the sheet, like a winter plum blossom in the snow.

The corners of his mouth unconsciously lifted slightly, revealing a complicated yet affectionate smile.

Chen Linsheng gently lifted the quilt and got out of bed, tucking the corner of the blanket around Su Wan. His eyes turned cold again. He silently put on his clothes, picked up the Cleaver leaning against the wall, and pushed the door open.

Outside, the night rain had just stopped. The air was fresh and cold, and residual raindrops dripped from the eaves, making a rhythmic “drip-drop” sound.

He took a deep breath of the cool air fragrant with earth, his gaze sharp as a knife, directed toward the north side of the village.

That was the direction of Zhang San and Li Si’s homes.

During the day, relying on the miraculous effect of “Preempting the Enemy” brought by the Major Achievement of Tracking, he clearly sensed the malice emanating from these two people.

This malicious intent, lurking like a poisonous snake, combined with their previous actions of aiding the wicked, had already crossed his bottom line.

Since he had already broken the killing taboo in the County Town during the day, the slight apprehension he held toward the old order had long vanished.

At this moment, he was decisive in killing. Only by completely eliminating potential threats could he feel at ease.

His figure moved, and in a few quick bounds, he silently arrived near Zhang San and Li Si's homes. However, he was slightly surprised to find no sound inside either house, and the courtyard gates were ajar.

“Where did they go this late?”

Chen Linsheng’s heart stirred. He concealed himself in the shadow of the corner, restraining his Qi until he merged with the darkness.

Before long, two sneaky figures crept along from the other end of the path; they were Zhang San and Li Si.

The two hurried along, their faces showing uncontrollable excitement and greed.

“Third Brother, I saw it clearly! What that brat Chen Linsheng took out today was definitely hard silver! Where did he get the money? He must have gotten incredibly lucky and dug up some treasure in the mountains—maybe even the legendary Spirit Medicine!”

Li Si lowered his voice, his tone excited.

Zhang San spat, a vicious glint in his eyes:

“Exactly! And he definitely wouldn't dare sell it at the Medicine Gang's market. That's Master Liu's territory. If he had anything truly good, it would have been swallowed whole until not even the bones were left. He must have secretly sold it to another buyer in the County Town... This brat is getting bold, daring to bypass Master Liu!”

“Then should we go tell Master Liu right now? This would be a great service! Master Liu will definitely reward us handsomely!”

“Right! We'll say Chen Linsheng secretly hoarded a great treasure and sold it privately, breaking the Medicine Gang's rules! Let Master Liu send people to deal with him, and then... hehe, his pretty Sister-in-Law...”

The more they spoke, the more vile they became, as if they could already see the beautiful future of receiving rewards and taking possession.

Chen Linsheng, hiding in the shadows, had eyes as cold as ten thousand years of ice.

He had originally only intended to eliminate a threat, but unexpectedly, he heard information confirming that Master Liu was indeed connected to the Medicine Gang.

“So Master Liu is the Steward of the Medicine Gang.”

A flat voice suddenly sounded behind the two men.

This sudden sound scared Zhang San and Li Si Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering. Their hair stood on end, and they spun around violently: “Who?!”

However, they only saw a cold flash of blade light streak through the night, too fast for them to react.

“Uh...”

“Hk...”

The two felt a chill on their necks, immediately followed by intense pain, as blood surged out like a fountain from their slit throats.

They futilely clutched their necks, their eyes filled with extreme terror and disbelief. Their bodies swayed, then they crashed heavily to the ground, twitched a few times, and fell silent forever.

Chen Linsheng expressionlessly shook the warm blood from the Cleaver.

“In your next life, keep your eyes sharper.”

He glanced left and right, confirming no one was present. Then, holding one body in each hand, lifting the corpses as if carrying two bundles of straw, he activated his Movement Technique and sped toward the deep mountains.

Relying on the miraculous effect of [Stepping on Snow Without a Trace], his speed was astonishing, and he left almost no tracks.

He traveled all the way to the shady cliff where he had previously fought the giant python.

Standing on the edge of the cliff, the night wind fluttered his clothes, and below him was bottomless darkness.

Without hesitation, he threw Zhang San and Li Si's corpses directly down. The abyss would swallow everything; in a few days, not even bones would remain.

After tying up loose ends, Chen Linsheng returned home and silently slipped back into bed.

As soon as he lay down, Su Wan, as if sensing his presence, unconsciously nestled closer, curling back into his arms, her arm naturally wrapping around his waist... Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Linsheng was already Cultivating the Cleaver Technique in the courtyard.

The blade light flashed fiercely, sometimes sweeping across like a bolt of silk, sometimes striking like a poisonous snake emerging from its hole, and sometimes weaving a watertight defense. The Cleaver Technique, at the Major Achievement Realm, displayed astonishing power in his hands.

“Knock, knock, knock.” The courtyard gate was knocked.

Chen Linsheng sheathed his blade and stood still, his breathing steady. He walked over and opened the door, seeing Big Ox Zhang standing at the entrance with a simple, honest smile.

“Brother Linsheng, my dad asked me to call you.” Da Niu scratched his head, his smile guileless.

Chen Linsheng smiled: “Da Niu, why be polite with me? We're practically family. Let's go.” He could tell that Big Ox Zhang was genuinely grateful for his help yesterday.

Hearing this, Big Ox Zhang smiled even more happily and quickly led the way.

Chen Linsheng turned back and said to Su Wan, who was busy in the kitchen: “Sister-in-Law, I'm going over to Uncle Zhang's house for a bit.”

Su Wan poked her head out and smiled gently: “Mhm, come back soon for lunch.”

Following Big Ox Zhang to the adjacent courtyard, Hunter Zhang was standing there, holding a longbow of simple, ancient design that exuded an aura of age.

The bow body seemed to be crafted from some kind of hardwood mixed with metal, and the bowstring was thick and tough; it was clearly no ordinary item.

“Linsheng, you're here.” Hunter Zhang looked solemn as he handed the longbow to Chen Linsheng. “Try this bow.”

Chen Linsheng was slightly puzzled, but he accepted it nonetheless.

It felt heavy in his hand, significantly heavier than a regular hunting bow.

He instinctively nocked an imaginary arrow and drew the bow, using power from his core and straining his arms. With a soft “creak,” this stiff bow, which looked incredibly difficult to draw, was steadily pulled back more than halfway!

“Good!” Hunter Zhang's eyes lit up fiercely, and his face showed a mix of shock and gratification. “What strength! Indeed, this bow is meant to be yours!”

Chen Linsheng released the bowstring and asked, puzzled, “Uncle Zhang, what is this?”

Hunter Zhang took a deep breath and explained: “This is my family's heirloom, the Two-Stone Strong Bow! Only those with astonishing arm strength can draw it. Yesterday... thank you for your generosity; you saved this family heirloom and preserved the hopes of my Zhang family. I, Old Zhang, have nothing much to repay you with. This bow is yours! From now on, I will teach you Archery!”

Chen Linsheng looked at the ancient Two-Stone Bow in his hands and then at Hunter Zhang's sincere and firm gaze. He understood that this was a weighty gesture of gratitude and a sign of recognition.

He did not offer false modesty, nodding readily: “Good! Uncle Zhang, thank you very much! I really like this bow, and I will definitely study Archery seriously!”

Seeing his straightforward acceptance, Hunter Zhang's wrinkles smoothed out, and he let out a relieved laugh:

“Haha, good! Come on, I'll take you now to get familiar with this bow's nature. We'll go to the small creek outside the village; it's quiet there!”

Having said that, Hunter Zhang enthusiastically led Chen Linsheng toward the small creek outside the village.