12: Chapter 12 Aftermath

Scratches from Lin Hu's struggle remained on his arm, while Lin Hu himself had long since ceased breathing on the ground, his body becoming cold and stiff at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Lin Qing squatted where he was, his heart pounding wildly as fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his temples and slid down his jawline. However, he forced himself to calm down; there were still many things to handle. A single misstep would lead to eternal damnation.

He quickly lowered his head and began searching Lin Hu's corpse. His movements were swift yet cautious, checking pockets, inner linings, waistbands, and even the cuffs and pant legs.

Before long, he pulled out a cloth pouch sewn into the inner lapel. It felt heavy in his hand. After untying the hemp rope, white silver rolled out; a rough estimate put it at about sixty or seventy taels.

Quickly tucking the silver into his own robe, Lin Qing's gaze suddenly sharpened as he immediately set about dealing with the most troublesome matter: the corpse.

He knew clearly that he could not wait until the darkest hour before dawn to act. By that time, many Martial Artists in the city would already be awake, and street vendors would be packing their gear to claim spots. If he were spotted, he would surely be doomed.

Although the moonlight was bright and illuminated the ground clearly, making it easy for his movements to be exposed, he could only brace himself and risk it. The longer he delayed, the greater the risk of being discovered.

Lin Qing did not use any unnecessary disguises; he didn't mask his face with cloth, nor did he find anything to wrap Lin Hu's body. The more one deliberately hid something, the easier it was to attract attention. If the body were wrapped tightly, any passerby would immediately notice something was wrong.

Supporting him openly like this, even if a passerby did come along, they would likely assume a companion had drunk too much and was unconscious, and thus wouldn't pay much attention.

Supporting a limp corpse that had completely lost its strength was several times harder than carrying it directly. Lin Hu had a sturdy build and was quite heavy; his entire weight pressed down on Lin Qing, making every step an immense effort.

Lin Qing gritted his teeth, lowering his body to firmly support Lin Hu's arm. He moved slowly through the shadows of trees and walls, trying his best to avoid alleys where people might pass. After walking for over an hour, he finally reached a remote riverside.

This stretch of the river was extremely secluded, with no gentle banks; instead, tall green stone courtyard walls stood directly on both sides. The walls were covered in moss. Usually, let alone pedestrians, even women washing clothes wouldn't come here, making it the most hidden and safest place for now.

Lin Qing looked around and pricked up his ears to listen carefully. Only after confirming there were no voices or footsteps nearby did he finally feel at ease.

He picked up stones of various sizes from the ground and stuffed them all into Lin Hu's clothes and pants. He only stopped once he was certain the weight was enough to sink the corpse to the bottom and keep it from ever floating back up. Taking a deep breath, he exerted force with both arms and suddenly pushed Lin Hu's body into the river.

"Plop—"

A dull splash rang out, exceptionally clear in the silent night. Weighted down by the stones, the corpse instantly sank into the pitch-black river water and vanished.

Lin Qing stood by the river, staring intently at the surface. After waiting for the time it takes an incense stick to burn and confirming there was nothing unusual, he wiped the sweat from his face and turned to leave quickly.

On the way back, Lin Qing pulled out the pile of silver from his robe. As his fingertips rubbed the cold silver ingots, his brow furrowed deeply, and he fell into deep thought.

He and Lin Hu were both from Lin Family Village and knew each other's family backgrounds very well. Although Lin Hu's family had become more prosperous over the last two years and lived better than ordinary villagers, it had certainly not reached the point where he could carry sixty or seventy taels of silver with him.

Lin Hu's family had only risen in the past year or two. Sixty or seventy taels was almost their entire fortune. Carrying so much silver with him was definitely not simple.

Unless... unless his parents were gone, and he had come to the county town alone without a formal place to stay; otherwise, it would be impossible to carry so much silver around.

This thought exploded in Lin Qing's mind, and he felt more and more that the situation might not be as bad as he had imagined. He put the silver back in his robe, quickened his pace to return to his lodgings, and spent a sleepless night cleaning up the traces left in the room.

At the first light of dawn, Lin Qing immediately got up. He went straight to the Martial Arts Hall to find the manager. With a weak expression, he lied, saying he had caught a cold last night and felt sore and weak all over, and wanted to request a few days of leave to recover.

Afterward, he immediately hurried toward the county yamen and walked straight into a Teahouse diagonally opposite the main gate. The Teahouse was in an excellent location; from a window seat, he could see everything happening at the yamen gate clearly, and every person entering or leaving was visible.

As for the Zhenwu Division, if it were confirmed that a Martial Artist had committed the crime, the yamen would naturally report it to the Zhenwu Division.

He knew clearly that if Lin Hu's family noticed anything unusual about his disappearance, they would definitely come to the county yamen to report it immediately.

For this reason, Lin Qing had made full preparations, carrying all his money—seventy-two taels—with him. Once he saw Lin Hu's parents reporting the case at the yamen, he would flee immediately.

For two consecutive days, Lin Qing sat in the Teahouse before the yamen even opened and only left after it was locked for the day.

During these two days, he couldn't taste his food or sleep at night. Even though his body felt stiff from sitting, he didn't dare leave for a second, fearing he might miss a key piece of information and end up in a situation with no place for burial.

Fortunately, for two days in a row, he didn't see Lin Hu's family come to report the case, which allowed Lin Qing to breathe a small sigh of relief.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the third day, while people were still coming and going in the Teahouse, that Lin Qing—still staring at the yamen gate—suddenly caught sight of a middle-aged man in coarse clothes with an honest face walking in. His figure looked exceptionally familiar. He recognized him as a fellow villager, a Hunter who often went into the mountains with his father.

Normally, Lin Qing might not have taken the initiative to strike up a conversation, but now was a god-sent opportunity to gather information. Suppressing the anxiety in his heart, he forced a natural smile and waved to the middle-aged man.

"Uncle Gen, over here."

Hearing the voice, Uncle Gen turned and saw Lin Qing. He walked over with a smile and pulled out a stool to sit down.

"It's Little Qing! What are you doing here?"

"I've come to the Martial Arts Hall in the county to practice. I occasionally come to the Teahouse to sit and relax when I'm resting."

Lin Qing responded calmly, pouring Uncle Gen a cup of tea as he asked casually,

"Uncle Gen, I heard there was trouble with a Vicious Beast in the village. How is it? Is it serious?"

Uncle Gen took a sip of tea and sighed, a look of lament on his face.

"It's very serious! The Village Chief's entire family is dead, and in Lin Hu's family, only Lin Hu himself survived."

Lin Qing feigned surprise:

"Heavens, doesn't that mean over a dozen people died?"

Uncle Gen shook his head, his tone full of regret yet carrying a hint of relief:

"The two wealthiest families in the village were ravaged by the Vicious Beast. The villagers even said the scent of meat from their homes was too strong, which is what attracted the Vicious Beast there."

Lin Qing was ecstatic internally, but his face showed shock and regret. "This is so sudden. Truly, misfortune can strike at any moment."

Lin Qing followed Uncle Gen's lead, lamenting for a few more moments. Lin Hu's corpse had been sunk to the bottom of the river by him, and now he learned that his entire family had perished at the hands of a Vicious Beast; no one would ever investigate Lin Hu's whereabouts again. The heart that had been hanging for two days could finally settle, and his tense body completely relaxed.

He chatted with Uncle Gen for a few more minutes about village trifles, confirming there were no other hidden details. Looking at the county yamen gate, a faint smile played on the corners of his mouth. After bidding Uncle Gen farewell, he walked out of the Teahouse with composure.