"He's dead?"
"Zhao Ang is dead? How did he die?"
"Who killed him?"
The quiet street erupted in an uproar.
Everyone was stunned, and they all started chattering at once.
The man who spoke could barely suppress the smirk on his face. "I don't know the details. I just heard someone went to take a piss and found him dead in the corner of an alley, with his head chopped off. The guy was so scared he nearly shat himself. He came scrambling out without even pulling up his pants."
"I told you he'd get what was coming to him sooner or later!"
"That heartless bastard finally got what he deserved!"
"If I could've beaten him, I would've stabbed the bastard to death myself long ago!"
The stall vendors who had been bullied by Zhao Ang were all overjoyed at the news, celebrating with undisguised glee.
Amid the cheers, Ding Fei looked at Chen Che, who sat beside him as if none of this concerned him, and couldn't help but shudder. 'This guy goes out for a bit, and Zhao Ang ends up dead. Isn't that a bit too much of a coincidence?'
'Could it be?'
Just as he was thinking this, he noticed the other man watching him with a faint smile. He quickly said:
"He deserved to die! I wonder which hero did such a great deed, ridding the people of a menace!"
"You've already guessed?" Chen Che asked lightly.
Ding Fei's eyelid twitched, and sweat beaded on his forehead. "Senior, I don't know what you're talking about. I can prove that you were here at the stall the whole time and never left. In fact, I was even advising you to let it go and take the high road!"
Chen Che's eyes half-closed as he began packing up the goods on his stall.
'Zhao Ang was notoriously vengeful. By refusing to let him buy on credit multiple times, I had publicly shamed him. A man with his personality would never let that slide. It's funny, really. These kinds of people do shameless things, yet they care so much about face.'
'Patience brings peace? Taking a step back opens up a wider world?'
'Go ask all the oppressed stall owners in the Market. If they had the power, I wonder if they'd agree with that idea.'
"Senior, you're packing up. Are you heading back?"
Seeing Chen Che actually closing his stall, Ding Fei couldn't help but ask.
"Go back for what? I'm going to go watch the commotion."
Chen Che finished packing his stall and stood up abruptly.
'The murderer returning to the scene of the crime... isn't that standard procedure?'
Ding Fei could hardly believe his ears. When he saw Chen Che walk a few steps then turn back to look at him, a chill went through his heart. He had no choice but to steel himself and hurry after him.
"Make way!"
The small alley was tucked away in a remote corner, and the reek of piss was overwhelming.
The Cultivators who had come to see the commotion had packed the alley entrance so tightly it was impossible to get through.
Chen Che couldn't help but marvel.
No matter where you were, rubbernecking was just human nature.
The two of them squeezed through the crowd with great effort. Inside the alley, they saw a man who looked like an old farmer, his face a roadmap of wrinkles, kneeling on the ground and stammering, "When I came in, Master Ang was already dead. I didn't see anyone suspicious..."
Zhao Ping stood there with a grim expression, listening to the old farmer describe what happened.
Besides those two, there were several other disciples from Jinyun Valley in the alley examining the corpse.
"Get lost!"
After questioning him several times, Zhao Ping realized the old farmer didn't know much and he wouldn't get anything else out of him. He turned to the men examining the body:
"Junior Brothers, have you found any clues?"
"Er..."
The men exchanged a glance, their expressions troubled.
'The killer was clearly prepared. The attack was clean and decisive. How could there be any clues left behind?'
"His pants were down, so he was likely ambushed while relieving himself. His right arm is broken, looks like it was shattered by brute force. But the real fatal wound was the sword strike that beheaded him. In my opinion, this killer's strength is considerable. It was a complete curb-stomp against your brother."
Seeing the looks on his men's faces, Zhao Ping was about to lose his temper when he suddenly heard someone speak up.
He looked over in surprise and saw that the speaker was Chen Che. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hmm?!"
SWISH!
In an instant, countless eyes focused on him.
Ding Fei, standing to the side, jumped in fright.
'Is it really a good idea to say that to his face?'
However, Zhao Ping only glanced at him before quickly turning his attention back to the corpse.
"Not bad!"
After careful consideration, he largely agreed. "My cousin was at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. Even if he was ambushed, to be able to kill him so quickly and silently, the attacker must be at least at the Sixth Layer, or even the Seventh Layer Realm!"
"What else did you notice?"
Zhao Ping asked.
"The deceased's clothes are in disarray, they've clearly been searched. This means the killer is audacious, stealing his valuables after the murder. And with no traces left behind, it means this person is meticulous and calculating."
Chen Che explained slowly.
Zhao Ping nodded. "Continue."
"There are only three main motives for murder: revenge, a crime of passion, or for money... You could start from these three points, Brother. Then, investigate which Cultivators at the Sixth, Seventh Layer, or higher visited the Market today. You should be able to deduce who the killer is!"
Zhao Ping heard this and thought it made sense.
But on second thought, a headache set in. There were so many Cultivators at the Sixth and Seventh Layers. Investigating them one by one would be no small task!
But.
His own cousin had been slaughtered right under his nose. How could he possibly swallow this insult? His gaze swept over the crowd. "I don't care who it is. Daring to kill my cousin in public in the Market is a slap in my face, and a slap in the face of our Jinyun Valley!"
"This debt... I will settle it with you, slowly!"
His final words seemed to echo, each one deafening.
He scanned the crowd, but no one responded.
Well, of course.
'The killer has probably already fled. How could they still be hiding here in the crowd? Let alone be scared into revealing a flaw by a few of my harsh words?'
"Let's go. Back we go!"
"Senior Brother, the body..."
A disciple pointed at Zhao Ang.
Zhao Ping glanced back, his face instantly filling with disgust. The body was lying in a puddle of piss, the stench overwhelming. How were they supposed to carry it back?
Just then, Chen Che spoke up.
"My friend, don't worry. I've already borrowed a donkey cart for you."
Before his words had even faded,
Ding Fei appeared, leading a donkey cart.
Looking at Chen Che, who had analyzed the clues for him and was now being so considerate, Zhao Ping actually felt a pang of guilt. He recalled how he had deliberately given him a hard time simply because of his good relationship with Hu Yao. It was truly uncalled for.
"My cousin bought a bottle of Pills from your stall on credit today. I'll pay for them on his behalf."
With that, he tossed over two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
...
Seeing the main party leave, the crowd of onlookers also began to disperse.
Chen Che left as well, returning to his stall and setting up his goods again. Ding Fei, however, followed him like a shadow. Throughout the entire process, the thought of exposing Chen Che never even crossed his mind.
Although,
Chen Che had seemed very helpful at the time, if a bit deliberately so,
but so what? Most people would just assume Chen Che was worried about the money for that bottle of Pills, afraid that Zhao Ping would use the death as an excuse to cancel the debt.
Not only did he have no proof, but he also kept one thing firmly in mind:
Chen Che might not have been a match for Zhao Ang, but he could definitely take care of him with ease. After all, the other man knew everything about him, while he knew nothing about Chen Che...
"Senior, while you were out relieving yourself, I sold a Body Nourishing Pill for you. This is the money for the Pill." Thinking of this, Ding Fei took out a coin pouch and handed it over.
Chen Che nodded, took the pouch, and separated out a portion of the money. "This is for you."
"Huh?"
Ding Fei froze.
Then he heard Chen Che say lightly, "I have a proposal. Whenever I get my hands on some Pills, you sell them for me. I'll give you a twenty percent cut of the profits. Are you in?"
Truth be told,
he had been wanting to find a partner for a long time.
After all, going it alone in Yunzhou was just too inefficient, so he had started looking for a candidate early on. He had considered teaching his techniques to Chaoyang, who was quick-witted but not truly intelligent, a classic brown-noser who kicked those below him. But this Ding Fei was quite smart!
But the most important reason was:
He was afraid of dying!
"I'm in! Only a fool would say no!" Ding Fei said immediately.