Chen Ku, clutching the money chest he had taken from Huang Ba's house, had walked over ten miles before he finally caught his breath.
Although it wasn't the first time he had killed someone, transforming into Skinny Dog and biting someone to death still left a sense of revulsion in his heart. This was also unavoidable. Safety was paramount.
And then he thought back to the words he had overheard outside Huang Ba's courtyard before he made his move.
Damn it, they were thinking almost the same as I was, planning to strike when the bandits moved to Snake Fish Town.
Chen Ku felt a lingering fear. Luckily, I acted earlier tonight. If I had acted two days later, who knows what the situation would have been!
Although he now possessed the strength of 800 jin, similar to the Green Forest Heroes of storybooks, he was, after all, still flesh and blood. He was not Vajra Indestructible and couldn't defend against blades and firearms, let alone poisoning, assassination, or ambushes.
If I encounter those unfavorable to me in the future, I must strike early if possible; otherwise, I'll surely suffer!
Chen Ku reaffirmed this thought in his heart.
Subsequently, by the light of the moon, he finally opened the money chest he had taken from Huang Ba's house.
Upon counting it, there were over fifty taels of silver.
No wonder people talk about striking it rich! Even with Skinny Dog's nose and my greatly improved earning ability, I've only managed to save over ten taels in the past half-month. This act of murder and robbery netted me over fifty taels instantly!
Chen Ku marveled at how easily the money had come.
Just as he was about to throw away or burn the money chest, he suddenly noticed something off about it. The depth inside the chest doesn't match its outside height. Could there be a hidden compartment?
He placed it on the ground and shattered it with his foot.
He was right. Amidst the scattered wood chips, a small box and several letters rolled out.
Chen Ku picked up the small box, about the size of his palm. Upon opening it, he saw three pills the size of a thumb pad. What's this? A Pill?
Huang Ba, a ruffian like that, actually had Pills? Aren't these the kind of treasures that only the top talents in the county's martial arts schools or Medicine King Hall should possess?
Then he looked at the letters. Only after reading them did he understand.
So that's how it is. No wonder Huang Ba could be a gang leader in Snake Fish Town; he turned out to be a distant relative of a Pharmacist from Medicine King Hall. That made sense. After all, for a bully like him to rise as a leader without any backing would be unlikely. He was leveraging a Pharmacist's influence.
From the content of these letters, Chen Ku learned that they were private correspondence between Huang Ba and a Pharmacist named Huang Gun, detailing tasks assigned to him and insider information from Medicine King Hall, enabling him to meddle and profit.
It turned out that over seventy percent of the Silver Coins and treasures Huang Ba extorted through his influence went as tribute to that Pharmacist Huang. In return, he was allowed to wield power in the countryside and lead a gang to bully and oppress the locals.
Additionally, he would occasionally receive a few Pills from Pharmacist Huang for martial arts training.
These three pills, for instance, were called "Primordial Nourishing Pills." Consuming one was equivalent to several potent ginseng roots.
The reason Huang Ba still had three Pills left was because his Root Bone for martial arts training wasn't very good. After swallowing one Pill, it would take him a month to digest it; otherwise, the potency would give him daily nosebleeds.
Huang Ba practiced martial arts? I didn't notice when I killed him.
Was Huang Ba too weak, or was I too strong? Come to think of it. With 800 jin of explosive force unleashed all at once, unless Huang Ba was a Force Transforming master, he wouldn't have been able to withstand it. It was perfectly normal for him to be killed instantly.
Medicine King Hall, Pharmacist Huang...
Chen Ku looked at the letters, initially intending to destroy them. But then he thought, if I really want to join Medicine King Hall in the future, perhaps these could prove useful?
He burned the money chest, found a place to hide the letters, and then Chen Ku turned and headed home.
His family, as usual, was unaware of his nighttime activities and slept soundly.
After killing Huang Ba, Chen Ku had expected to have nightmares. Instead, he slept unexpectedly soundly and peacefully.
Unexpectedly, the very next morning, he was woken up by a commotion.
Chen Ku got out of bed vigilantly. His first thought was whether, despite his meticulous planning and leaving no trace, someone had discovered the murder? But when he heard the voices in the courtyard, he realized that wasn't the case.
"Chen family, in just over ten days, it will be time to pay the autumn taxes. As the village chief of our village, I must remind you," said an elder.
In the courtyard stood an old man with a melon-rind cap, a goatee, and a ruddy complexion, wearing a long robe with his hands clasped behind his back. Two sturdy young men followed him.
Village Chief Chen was essentially the local official of Dachen Village.
He and another villager, Guo Xiangshen, were the only two in the village who could wear long robes.
Mother Chen and Xu Lan were in the courtyard, heads bowed.
Mother Chen spoke softly, "Brother Chen, we know."
Chen Ku pushed the door open and stepped out.
Village Chief Chen looked at Chen Ku and sighed, "Ku, I'm not here to cause your family trouble. I'm just here to give a reminder."
Chen Ku nodded slightly. "I understand."
Village Chief Chen raised his hand, and one of the young men behind him passed over a tobacco pipe. He took a couple of puffs and sighed, "If things really don't work out, you might as well flee. It's better than being unable to pay taxes and forced into corvée labor—that can truly work someone to death."
With that, he turned and left.
"Fleeing disaster..." Mother Chen and Xu Lan both murmured, looking at Chen Ku.
Chen Ku whispered to them, "Don't think about that. We will not flee. Right now, everywhere is full of displaced people, and fleeing might be even deadlier than corvée labor."
Mother Chen hesitated, "Child, why don't you quickly use the money you've saved to buy back our family's former land from Guo Xiangshen? That way, we'd become a Registered Household and wouldn't have to pay so much in taxes."
Chen Ku looked at his mother. "Don't worry, leave it to me."
He did have quite a bit of money on him, though it couldn't be openly disclosed. Even if it could, buying back the land would still be a losing deal; they would still be exploited regardless.
What he desired... was to leave this rustic place behind for good.
"Mother, I'm going to the county today. Once I return, all our problems will be solved," he assured.
It was divided into the Inner City and the Outer City.
The Outer City was much more dilapidated and ordinary, like an oversized Snake Fish Town. It had markets, streets, various stalls, and hawkers shouting their wares. People, mostly dressed in simple commoner's clothes, came and went.
The sights, sounds, and smells of everyday life assailed him all at once.
"Hot steamed buns for sale! Vegetable buns, Two for One Cent! Meat buns, One Cent each!"
"Homegrown vegetables, fresh and clean!"
"Fried dumplings, deliciously aromatic fried dumplings!"
"Scissors and knives sharpened! No charge if not sharp!"
"Rat poison! Rat poison! One dose kills a whole nest! Two doses kill a huge pile!"
"Gentlemen, please make way! Watch out for the carrying pole!"
Walking onto the bustling market street in the Outer City, the first section teemed with people and vendors selling all sorts of goods.
Further in was a ring of city walls, and behind them lay the Inner City, where the main Medicine King Hall store was located.
After paying an entrance fee of Ten Cents, he entered and immediately felt the difference.
It was paved with smooth, glistening flagstones, surrounded by classical architecture. The area exuded an ancient charm, much like the historical sites such as Hui People Street or the Confucian Temple he had visited in his previous life.
Even the number of people on the streets wearing short jackets and cloth shoes decreased, while those in long robes increased by twenty to thirty percent.
County Households, long robes... Being able to afford a long robe—that's what marked someone as having status and identity in this county, he reflected.
Chen Ku had now reached the entrance of Medicine King Hall.
He looked at the massive Medicine Hall before him. Its wide storefront, stretching dozens of yards, dominated the street.
The rich aroma of medicinal herbs wafted out continuously. Looking inside, he saw dozens, perhaps even hundreds, of assistants bustling about. True to Medicine King Hall's reputation, even the assistants wore long robes, signifying their status.
This was Chen Ku's goal.
With the contents of his basket,
to trade for a long robe.