Ning Xuezhi knew Yang Shouzhuo.
In his youth, Yang Shouzhuo was a farmer renowned throughout the surrounding villages, but he was an old man now.
But what truly made Ning Xuezhi's brow furrow was Yang Jing's status.
The main reason he was able to live so comfortably as a wealthy landowner in the countryside wasn't his cunning or his stinginess, but his pragmatism. He was cautious and did his best not to make enemies—though, of course, that didn't apply to peasants with no skills or potential.
If Yang Jing were just some simple country boy, he wouldn't have cared.
But the boy had been accepted into a Martial Arts Hall, and that was a different matter entirely.
Ning Xuezhi wasn't like those sheltered country folk. He had seen true martial arts masters—men who could kill a raging bull with a single punch.
Ning Xuezhi didn't have the guts to provoke a Martial Artist like that.
That was why Ning Xuezhi was so wary of anyone who practiced martial arts.
"Why wasn't I told that Yang Jing had joined a Martial Arts Hall?" Ning Xuezhi asked, his voice grave.
Housekeeper Shi bowed low and hurriedly replied, "Master, that... that was handled by Feng Lei. He might have told the mis... mistress. I only just found out about it from one of Feng Lei's men."
Ning Xuezhi frowned. "That foolish woman," he muttered. "She knows nothing!"
Housekeeper Shi waited for Ning Xuezhi to finish before explaining softly, "Master, I heard from Feng Lei's men that while Yang Shouzhuo's grandson, Yang Jing, did join a Martial Arts Hall, he's weak-willed. He supposedly fainted from fright after spending just one night in an abandoned house."
He watched Ning Xuezhi's expression as he continued, "Feng Lei's men also said they did a quick background check on Yang Jing in the city. He's an unremarkable disciple at Sun's Martial Arts Hall. His aptitude is poor, he doesn't train hard... You can't forge fine steel from scrap iron."
Ning Xuezhi's expression softened considerably after hearing Housekeeper Shi's explanation.
'So Feng Lei wasn't a complete fool. He must have seen that Yang Jing was a hopeless case, even after joining the Martial Arts Hall, and that's why he started going after the Yang Family.'
After a moment's thought, he shook his head slightly.
'Still,' he thought, 'Feng Lei's methods were too rash.'
He had only mentioned his idea of buying the Yang Family's two mu of prime land; he hadn't ordered anyone to act on it immediately. Feng Lei had volunteered for the task himself.
At the time, Ning Xuezhi hadn't thought much of it. 'It's just two mu of land from some farming family,' he'd thought. It would also be a good chance to test Feng Lei's capabilities.
If he had known then that Yang Jing had become a disciple at a Martial Arts Hall in the city, he certainly wouldn't have let Feng Lei pressure the Yang Family, at least not for the time being.
The Ning Family owned over a thousand mu of land, making them one of the largest landowners in all of Wazi Town. It wasn't as if they were desperate for the Yang Family's two mu.
The best course of action was to wait.
Ning Xuezhi had been a landlord for decades and had dealt with all manner of people in Yuhe County. His experience and methods were far superior to those of a rash fool like Feng Lei.
Yang Jing's aptitude for martial arts may have been poor and his talent mediocre, but nothing was ever certain.
'What if Yang Jing actually managed to amount to something?'
Ning Xuezhi knew that some Martial Artists developed what they called "jin power," and they were impossible for ordinary people to handle.
The safest approach was to wait a few months, or maybe even six months to a year.
Ning Xuezhi knew the rules of the city's Martial Arts Halls. A disciple had six months to a year, at most. If they still hadn't developed that so-called "jin power" by then, they would be expelled.
The vast majority of disciples eventually had to leave the Martial Arts Halls. Some ran out of money to support their training, while others simply failed to develop jin power before their time was up.
Once Yang Jing was kicked out of the Martial Arts Hall, it would be proof that he just didn't have what it took. He'd be nothing more than a common farmer, and at that point, there would be no reason to hesitate.
Ning Xuezhi silently cursed Feng Lei for a fool and made a mental note of Yang Jing's name. Then, he returned his attention to the other names on the list.
After returning from the city, he had arranged for an investigation into Feng Lei's connections.
He had to determine the motive for the murder—was the killer after Feng Lei himself, or was the true target the Ning Family he served?
After finishing the list, Ning Xuezhi had a much better grasp of the situation. At least he was no longer completely in the dark.
After a moment of thought, Ning Xuezhi looked up at Housekeeper Shi, who was standing before his desk. "This list... look into Zhang Wei of Zhang Family Castle, Ma Deliang and Ma Chaowei of Ma Liu Village... Look into all of them. See what they've been up to recently, find out if there's anything unusual. And be discreet. I don't want to alert them."
All the people Ning Xuezhi had named were men who had grievances with the Ning Family.
With the exception of Yang Jing, if any of the others on the list were the killer, it was likely due to a personal grudge against Feng Lei. It would have nothing to do with the Ning Family, and thus pose no threat to them.
"Yes, Master. I'll arrange for someone to look into it right away." Housekeeper Shi nodded, then remembered something else. "Oh, and Master, what about the authorities? Should we get in touch with them?"
"Hmph. No need," Ning Xuezhi sneered. "What could they possibly find? They'll just drop the investigation at the first sign of trouble."
"Understood." Housekeeper Shi nodded. "Master, if there is nothing else, I will go and make the arrangements now."
Ning Xuezhi grunted in acknowledgment.
Housekeeper Shi turned to leave, but he had barely taken two steps before Ning Xuezhi called out, "Wait."
Housekeeper Shi turned back to Ning Xuezhi. "Master?"
Ning Xuezhi slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot," he said quickly. "Old Shi, pass on the order: as for the two mu of land belonging to Yang Shouzhuo's family in Yang Family Village, we're putting that on hold for now. No more moves against them."
Housekeeper Shi was taken aback. 'He stopped me just to remind me about this?' he thought, surprised.
But he didn't dwell on it. He figured the Master was just tired from dealing with Feng Lei's death and couldn't be bothered with the Yang Family right now. After all, it was only two mu of land. The Ning Mansion owned over a thousand.
'Still,' he mused, 'knowing the Master's greed for land, this is probably just a temporary pause. The Yang Family's two mu of prime land will end up belonging to the Ning Family sooner or later.'
"Yes, Master," Housekeeper Shi said, then turned and left the study.
Ning Xuezhi was now alone in the room.
He leaned back in the Grandmaster's Chair, his eyes half-closed, lost in thought.
He was well aware that Yang Jing was also a suspect. After all, the boy had both a motive and the ability. Even if his aptitude was mediocre, he was still training at a Martial Arts Hall, which made him stronger than an ordinary person. With the element of surprise on his side, killing Feng Lei wouldn't have been difficult.
The only complication was Yang Jing's current status as a disciple of the Martial Arts Hall.
Ning Xuezhi decided to wait a few more months. He would wait until Yang Jing failed at his studies and was kicked out of the Martial Arts Hall. Then, the Yang Family would truly be like putty in his hands.
...
The days passed, one by one.
「Two months passed in the blink of an eye.」
After Feng Lei's death, the Ning Family made no further moves. The matter of the Yang Family's two mu of prime land seemed to have been forgotten, and no one brought it up again.
By dealing with Feng Lei, Yang Jing had temporarily resolved a major threat to his family.
Yang Jing focused all his energy on his martial arts training.
He knew with absolute clarity that his training was the foundation of everything.
'In these chaotic times,' he thought, 'the only way to be safe is to be the one holding the sword.'