"Oh?"
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard.
Chen Tang was startled.
He didn't know what just happened outside, but Master Chai from the Evil Wolf Gang suddenly barged in. From his words, there should be a woman outside too.
Better not let her see.
Just as Chen Tang was about to hide, his eyes glanced at the courtyard gate, and his face changed, body frozen in place.
Two people stood at the courtyard entrance, quietly watching him.
The scene of murder just now, it seems, was clearly witnessed by them.
In this snowy weather, why aren't you guys staying at home, instead of wandering around?
Chen Tang really wanted to scold them.
One of them was a short, fat old man with graying hair, leaning on a bamboo staff much taller than himself.
The old man looked sly and unremarkable, with a bloated figure, like a rotund humanoid meatball.
The other was a tall young woman holding a short sword; her legs were long and straight. Even in coarse cotton clothes, her full and curvaceous figure was unmistakable.
Looking at the woman's appearance again, even with Chen Tang's experience across two lifetimes and countless encounters, he couldn't help but feel amazed.
The woman had hair like a waterfall, skin smoother than snow, a perky, elegant nose, luscious red lips, and clear, captivating eyes like a pool of spring water.
Chen Tang took a deep breath.
Stay calm!
Don't be like those mediocre thugs from the Evil Wolf Gang.
Instinctively, Chen Tang avoided eye contact and focused on the shifty-eyed fat old man, watching him for a moment to regain his composure.
The courtyard gate had already been broken open, and only now did Chen Tang notice the five bodies lying beside the fat old man and the woman, clad in Evil Wolf Gang outfits.
Each one died with eyes wide open, a sword through the brow!
Chen Tang instantly calmed down.
An expert!
He finally understood the thudding noises he had heard in the courtyard earlier.
Five members of the Evil Wolf Gang were slain in an instant with a single sword strike, without even having a chance to call for help, dying on the spot!
Master Chai was being chased by this woman and broke in here in a panic, running into him.
The woman's wrist flicked, the sword tip quivered, and the blood on it smoothly dripped onto the snow without staining the blade.
What a fine weapon.
What superb technique.
Chen Tang reckoned that even with another year of cultivation, he couldn't reach this realm.
Suddenly!
The short, rotund old man blurred, and Chen Tang, seeing only a flash, found the old man had appeared right before him!
The distance between them had been at least three to five zhang.
The fat old man had arrived in a mere moment!
His bulky figure seemingly had no impact on his body technique and speed!
Was this person going to silence him?
Chen Tang felt a chill in his heart.
In the moment of danger, his brow seemed to split open again, and that peculiar sensation descended anew!
This time, he saw clearly.
The fat old man didn't seem to bear any murderous intent, simply extending his hand toward Chen Tang's wrist.
Chen Tang wanted to evade.
Yet it felt like no matter how he dodged, he couldn't avoid it, and the old man's actions showed no sign of slowing.
What use was entering the divine state, when it seemed ineffectual before this old man?
Suddenly, sharp pain erupted from Chen Tang's brow!
"Ugh!"
Chen Tang grunted, feeling his world spin, his consciousness scattering, as if a sword was churning within his brain, excruciatingly painful.
The fat old man hesitated slightly.
His original motion paused for a moment.
He hadn't even touched Chen Tang, and yet the latter suddenly ended up like this.
What's this boy up to, trying to swindle me?
The fat old man hesitated briefly but still reached out to grasp Chen Tang's wrist.
A warm breath appeared within Chen Tang, coursing throughout his body, finally arriving at his brow, where it lingered for a moment before disappearing.
Chen Tang felt the pain in his brow slightly alleviating, his consciousness gradually recovering.
What just happened?
A side effect of the divine state?
Chen Tang's expression was uncertain and suspicious.
If this happened in a fight, would he not be hacked to death on the spot?
At some point, the fat old man had already retreated, standing beside the woman.
Chen Tang spoke gravely, "We met by chance, with no hatred or grievance. Let's pretend today never happened, each going our own way, what do you think?"
"No, that won't do."
The woman looked at Chen Tang not far away, and suddenly spoke, "You've killed someone, I'm going to report it to the authorities."
Her voice was soft and pleasant, as though she wasn't reporting to the authorities, but rather to a teacher.
Chen Tang steadied himself, taking a deep breath, "You also killed someone."
"Mm."
The woman nodded, "But I'm not afraid of you reporting me."
Chen Tang sneered.
On what basis are you so confident?
Is it just because you're good-looking?
The woman seemed to perceive the disdain in Chen Tang's eyes, raised her arched eyebrow slightly, and asked with a smile, "Want to give it a try?"
"No need to try."
Chen Tang waved his hand.
If he went to report it, he'd be implicating himself.
"What do you want?"
Chen Tang did not beat around the bush, asking straightforwardly.
If this woman really wanted to report him, there was no need to say it out loud, so she probably had another motive.
The girl's eyes were pitch black, turning slightly, bright and captivating. She said, "This lady is about to rise to great heights, reaching the clouds, and I'm short-handed at the moment."
"Hmm... You have some looks, and your skills are quite nimble. From now on, be my little follower, listen to everything I say, and I will spare you from being reported to the authorities."
You're dreaming.
Rising to great heights, reaching the clouds, and becoming an Imperial Consort in the palace.
And you're still teasing me.
Chen Tang sneered inwardly.
"Qingmu, stop fooling around."
The chubby old man coughed lightly and said, "Young brother, the wind and snow are too heavy tonight, and my apprentice and I have nowhere to rest."
What's the meaning?
Stay at my place?
I'm not someone who just goes along with anything.
Seeing Chen Tang hesitate, the girl called 'Qingmu' blinked her eyes and asked, "Young hero, how do we get to the County Government Office from here?"
Again?
Chen Tang's face darkened, and he said, "I have a small house here, simple and crude, with straw doors. I'm afraid you both won't think much of it."
First, let's settle these two.
The chubby old man chuckled and said, "It's fine, it's fine. People of the Jianghu don't mind the small things."
"Follow me."
Chen Tang picked up his blade and turned to leave.
He just wanted to leave quickly. Staying at the crime scene and chatting endlessly was really as if his head had been kicked by a donkey.
Before long, Chen Tang had brought the two back to his home.
Not a soul was seen on the road, incredibly smooth.
The three entered the house, shaking off the snow from their bodies.
Chen Tang brought some dry firewood from the yard into the house, kindled a stove, and boiled water. The room gradually warmed up.
Then he took off his blood-stained clothes, threw them into the stove, and burned them.
"I'm a bit tired, young brother. Do you have a spare room here?"
The chubby old man asked.
"There's just one."
Chen Tang pointed to the side chamber and said, "Inside there is a heated bed, squeeze a bit, and it can sleep three people."
The chubby old man picked at his ear.
This kid's scheme is so loud it even shook out my earwax…
"Hmm?"
Qingmu's brows rose sharply as she turned to Chen Tang and slowly asked, "What do you mean, you want to sleep with us?"
"This is my house."
Chen Tang said righteously, and added, "Besides, your master just said, people of the Jianghu don't mind the small things."
Qingmu said, "But there's another saying, men and women shouldn't touch hands when giving or taking."
"Understood."
Chen Tang said, "I'll sleep with your master on the heated bed, and you make a floor bed. Just add some firewood to the stove when it gets cold at night."
Qingmu: "…"
The chubby old man's mouth twitched slightly.
You kid really are a damn genius.
Qingmu resisted the impulse to stab him with a sword, lightly biting her lip, and said, "My master and I will be in the bedroom. You sleep here!"
Chen Tang shrugged.
He didn't really care.
He wasn't keen on squeezing onto the heated bed with them.
It's just that his home was mysteriously disturbed, and he was angry inside, so he had the upper hand verbally.
Chen Tang took bedding and lay by the stove, sleeping with his clothes on, deeply entering his dreams.
With the means of the two of them, wanting to take his life, even precautions would be useless.
Instead of being in fear, it was better to relax and deal with it after a good sleep.
Indeed, much happened this night.
Chen Tang was really tired.
His brow ached intensely, which left him mentally exhausted, dizzy, and unwilling to move, wanting only to sleep.
...
...
"Fell asleep so quickly, he really has a big heart."
"Able to sleep when the sky is falling, not an ordinary person."
"What talent is there in sleeping? Master, is there anything special about this person that makes him worth you staying overnight?"
"I detected something amiss when this boy fought with that man, so I probed deeper. Sure enough, this boy's Mud Ball Palace is open, equivalent to having opened the Celestial Eye!"
In the darkness, two voices suddenly sounded, barely audible.
"What is the Mud Ball Palace?"
Qingmu blinked, seemingly hitting a knowledge blind spot.
The chubby old man said, "The Mud Ball Palace is the master of the body, the meeting of the hundred spirits, the Dao united with the Great Mystical, illuminating the Divine Sense, possessing the power to nurture the soul! When the Mud Ball Palace opens, one can see spirits. Entering the Divine State, that marks a First Grade Grandmaster!"
Qingmu listened with bewilderment at first until the words 'First Grade Grandmaster' were spoken, which made her expression tense.
But she was still half-skeptical, asking, "He looks just sixteen or seventeen, how could he be a Grandmaster? Impossible, right?"
"Of course impossible."
The chubby old man said, "Though the boy's strength is not small, and he's ruthless enough, he's still a step away from the Entry Level."
"Moreover, to open the Mud Ball Palace, a Martial Artist must stimulate Innate True Qi, impacting the crucial point inwardly. This boy's Mud Ball Palace was forcefully opened by external force."
Qingmu's eyes flickered as if she realized something.
Before she could speak, the chubby old man already guessed her thoughts and said first, "Don't get any crooked ideas. The Mud Ball Palace is in the brow, at the center of the brain, a vital human spot, not to be meddled with lightly."
"Even Innate Experts have to be extremely careful when opening the Mud Ball Palace; at worst, they lose their mind, at worst, die violently. If struck open by external force, certain death follows."
Qingmu gradually understood and said, "This person had his Mud Ball Palace struck open by external force and should have died, yet he's still alive and well?"
The chubby old man nodded and said, "Only one person in the world."
Qingmu, upon hearing this, lost interest, yawning, and said, "That's not very interesting; it would be better to continue on the road and return to the Capital early."
The chubby old man said, "According to messages from the Capital, the turmoil has quelled, and the situation is settled. It's okay if you return later. If the person in the Capital misses you, they should send someone to get you. This old man won't accompany you to the Capital with these old arms and legs."
"Meeting such an eccentric, I should observe him for a few days to see what special traits he has."