Silence lingered over Su Village.
The corpses of the three brothers lay scattered across the dusty road, while Meng Yun's lifeless body rested where Lou Feng had thrown it. His eyes remained wide open, as though even in death he couldn't believe he had fallen to a boy he had never truly regarded as an opponent.
No one spoke.
No one dared move.
Then—
"You... you killed him!"
The terrified cry shattered the silence.
An elderly villager stumbled backward, his finger trembling as he pointed toward Lou Feng.
"Do you even understand what you've done?"
Another villager hurriedly echoed his words.
"That wasn't just anyone!"
"He was a steward of the Wind Tiger Gang!"
"The gang will never let this go!"
"They'll hunt every last one of us!"
Panic spread like wildfire.
Several villagers immediately looked toward the road leading out of the village, as though expecting dozens of gang members to appear at any moment.
One middle-aged man clenched his fists anxiously.
"Do you know why nobody dared interfere?"
"It wasn't because we wanted to watch!"
"It was because we knew what would happen!"
He swallowed hard before continuing.
"The Wind Tiger Gang is infamous throughout the county."
"I once heard of a village that lost one of their gang stewards to a demonic beast."
"The villagers weren't even responsible..."
"...yet the gang leader slaughtered the entire settlement simply because the steward died nearby."
His voice shook uncontrollably.
"Men..."
"Woman..."
"Children..."
"No one survived."
The surrounding villagers lowered their heads.
That memory had haunted everyone for years.
Now...
The same nightmare had arrived at their own doorstep.
"You've doomed us!"
Another villager shouted.
"We're all finished because of you!"
"Why didn't you just die that day?"
"If you had stayed dead, none of this would've happened!"
Lou Feng remained standing quietly.
His gaze stayed fixed upon Meng Yun's corpse.
Yet...
His thoughts weren't there at all.
Instead, he was replaying the final exchange between himself and Meng Yun.
The moment their attacks collided...
The strange current that should have invaded his body.
The effortless way it had vanished.
It was as though...
Something inside his body had instinctively devoured it.
His master's cultivation method...
Was fundamentally different from martial arts.
He hadn't fully understood it before.
Now...
He finally grasped that what he cultivated wasn't merely a stronger body.
It was something entirely different.
A completely different path.
"Feng'er!"
Aunt Wang hurried over, ignoring the fearful stares surrounding her.
She firmly grabbed his arm before turning toward the crowd.
"Enough!"
Her usually gentle voice carried an authority that surprised everyone.
"This child saved my husband."
"He saved my life."
"If the Wind Tiger Gang wants revenge..."
"Then let them come."
"I won't regret standing beside him."
Uncle Wang struggled to stand despite his injuries.
His face remained pale, but his eyes were resolute.
He slowly nodded.
"She's right."
"Lou Feng owes us nothing."
"If anyone should bear responsibility..."
"It should be me."
The surrounding villagers fell silent once more.
Not everyone shared the same opinion.
Some lowered their heads in shame.
Others looked at Lou Feng with resentment.
To them...
The boy had brought disaster to the village.
Lou Feng finally raised his head.
His expression remained calm.
"I understand."
He looked toward Uncle and Aunt Wang.
"I'll leave."
"The sooner I disappear..."
"...the less likely they'll involve the village."
Aunt Wang immediately shook her head.
"No!"
"You finally came back."
"Where could you possibly go?"
Lou Feng smiled bitterly.
"I don't know."
"But staying here..."
"...will only bring greater trouble."
Just then—
"How dare you!"
A sharp voice erupted from the crowd.
An elderly woman stepped forward, pointing accusingly at Lou Feng.
"If it weren't for your vagrant parents bringing you here years ago..."
"Our village would've remained peaceful!"
"You've been nothing but trouble since the day you arrived!"
Her words were like a knife.
The atmosphere instantly froze.
Lou Feng slowly turned toward her.
The bitterness, sorrow, and rage he had suppressed for months finally surfaced.
"My parents..."
"...never harmed anyone."
The old woman sneered.
"They brought misfortune!"
"And now you've finished what they started!"
"If only you had died—"
Slap!
A crisp sound echoed through the village.
Before anyone realized what had happened, the old woman was sent tumbling across the ground.
She rolled several meters before finally stopping, one side of her face already swollen.
No one had even seen Lou Feng move.
He stood where he had been moments earlier, slowly lowering his hand.
His voice was frighteningly calm.
"You may insult me."
"But..."
"...don't insult my parents."
The villagers instinctively took several steps backward.
No one dared speak again.
Lou Feng ignored every fearful gaze around him.
He walked toward Meng Yun's corpse, crouched down, and searched through the steward's belongings.
After a few moments, he found a small leather pouch hanging from Meng Yun's waist.
Inside were several silver taels, a handful of copper coins, and a wooden identity token engraved with the emblem of the Wind Tiger Gang.
He quietly stored everything.
Then he returned to Uncle and Aunt Wang.
Without another word, he carefully supported Uncle Wang onto his back.
"Aunt."
"Let's go inside first."
The couple exchanged glances before silently following him into their house.
Behind them...
The villagers watched in uneasy silence.
Everyone understood one thing.
The peace Su Village had enjoyed for years...
...had just come to an end.
The small wooden house was unusually quiet.
Lou Feng carefully helped Uncle Wang sit down on a chair before kneeling beside him. His eyes swept over the bruises covering the older man's body, and without hesitation, he reached into his robes.
A small jade bottle appeared in his hand.
Removing the stopper, he poured out a single emerald-green pill.
The rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the room.
Aunt Wang's eyes widened.
"...That pill..."
Before she could finish speaking, Lou Feng gently placed it into Uncle Wang's mouth.
"Uncle, swallow it."
Uncle Wang trusted him completely.
Without asking another question, he swallowed the pill.
The medicinal power erupted almost instantly.
Warm currents flowed through every corner of his body. The aching pain throughout his limbs rapidly disappeared, while the cracked ribs produced a series of faint popping sounds as they reconnected under the nourishment of the medicine.
Even the fatigue accumulated over years of hunting gradually vanished.
Several breaths later...
Uncle Wang slowly opened his eyes.
"...I'm healed?"
He looked down at his own hands in disbelief before slowly clenching his fists.
Strength.
Real strength.
It felt even better than before he had been injured.
Aunt Wang covered her mouth.
"...Feng'er..."
"Was that..."
Lou Feng smiled.
"It's a gift from Master."
Aunt Wang hurriedly shook her head.
"But..."
"That medicine must be unimaginably valuable."
"Using it on someone like your uncle..."
"Isn't it too wasteful?"
Lou Feng smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Aunt."
"Master has already given me enough."
"There are still more."
Only then did Aunt Wang finally calm down, though the gratitude in her eyes grew even stronger.
After a brief silence, Lou Feng looked toward Uncle Wang.
"Uncle..."
"I think we should leave as soon as possible."
The room became quiet again.
The Wang couple exchanged complicated looks.
Leaving...
Those two simple words carried enormous weight.
They had lived in Su Village for more than ten years.
Every field...
Every tree...
Every neighbor...
Contained memories of half a lifetime.
Abandoning everything overnight...
Was easier said than done.
Just then—
"You don't need to worry about where you'll go."
A calm voice came from outside the doorway.
The three immediately turned.
Lin Sheng slowly walked into the house with his hands behind his back.
His expression remained as indifferent as ever.
"Master!"
Lou Feng immediately bowed respectfully.
Uncle and Aunt Wang hurriedly stood as well.
"This... this must be Senior..."
Before either of them could properly greet him, Lin Sheng gently waved his hand.
"There is no need."
"We've already met."
The couple immediately understood.
It had been this mysterious senior...
...who healed Uncle Wang's crippled legs before Lou Feng returned.
Their expressions immediately filled with gratitude.
Lin Sheng calmly continued.
"A courtyard has already been prepared."
"It is located within the county town."
"You may settle there."
"The environment is considerably safer than remaining here."
Hearing those words, the Wang couple were stunned.
A courtyard...
Within the county town?
Such a residence would cost more silver than they could hope to earn in decades.
Lou Feng quickly looked toward them.
"Uncle."
"Aunt."
"Please accept Master's arrangement."
"I'll feel much more at ease."
The two remained silent for a long time.
Finally...
Uncle Wang slowly nodded.
"...Very well."
"If we continue staying here..."
"...we'll only become your burden."
After making the decision, neither of them hesitated any longer.
The next several hours were spent packing.
Fortunately, poor families possessed few belongings.
Apart from several sets of clothing, farming tools and family keepsakes, there was little worth bringing.
When they finally stepped outside...
The entire village had changed.
Doors stood wide open.
Villagers hurried back and forth carrying bundles upon their backs.
Ox carts creaked beneath hastily loaded possessions.
Children cried while elders urged everyone to move faster.
No one needed an explanation anymore.
The death of a Wind Tiger Gang steward...
...meant Su Village could no longer remain.
Even abandoning everything was preferable to waiting for slaughter.
Lou Feng quietly watched the chaotic scene.
His heart felt unusually heavy.
Lin Sheng merely observed silently.
This...
...was the reality of the martial world.
The weak possessed no true home.
Soon afterward, a horse-drawn carriage quietly arrived from the nearby forest.
The elderly driver respectfully cupped his fists toward Lin Sheng before helping load the Wang couple's belongings.
After Uncle and Aunt Wang climbed aboard, Lin Sheng calmly instructed,
"Take them directly to the eastern courtyard."
"The deed has already been transferred."
The driver nodded.
"As you command, Senior."
The carriage slowly disappeared down the forest road.
Lou Feng remained standing there until it vanished completely from sight before finally letting out a long breath.
Only then did he turn back toward his master.
Lin Sheng's gaze, however, wasn't on the departing carriage.
Instead...
He was recalling Lou Feng's earlier battle.
The steward's Internal Energy.
The movement techniques.
The weapon skills.
Everything bore striking similarities to the martial path he himself cultivated.
The only difference...
Was that the systems had clearly evolved along different directions over countless years.
Before coming here, Lin Sheng had already spent several days quietly observing the nearby county town.
Although his understanding remained limited...
He had already gathered enough information to confirm one thing.
The martial path of this continent...
...was far from simple.