On the street.
Chu Ming was carrying books piled high above his head, and his thin body seemed about to topple over, drawing considerable attention. However, despite this, no one stepped forward to help.
Of course, Chu Ming didn't need any help; although his body appeared frail, it was surprisingly strong, evident from his firm and steady steps.
He hurried along the way, passing by Burial Alley, where a pungent smell of blood wafted out.
The surrounding pedestrians looked terrified and quickly left the alley entrance in haste.
Chu Ming continued without pausing, indifferent to his surroundings, and headed toward the end of West Street.
Soon, he finally arrived home.
"Young master is back." Little Shan immediately came forward with a bowl of water, staring curiously at the thick books. "Young master, why are these books so thick?"
Chu Ming gulped down several mouthfuls of water, as the aroma of rice wafting from the kitchen made his mouth water uncontrollably.
"Little Shan, quickly get me a bowl of rice."
He was indeed starving, and the snacks he had earlier were long digested.
"Ah... the dishes aren't ready yet."
"White rice will do. Never mind, I'll go myself."
Chu Ming took a few quick steps into the kitchen, lifted the steaming pot lid, and scooped up a spoonful of rice, stuffing it into his mouth.
"Young master, it's hot..." Little Shan tried to stop him, but Chu Ming seemed unfazed, taking several bites in succession before stopping.
"I feel much better now."
Chu Ming took another sip of water and contentedly walked out of the kitchen, hugging the "Poetry, Politics, and Military" book, heading into his small room.
"Call me when dinner's ready."
After saying this, Little Shan watched the young master close the door to his room.
Inside the room.
Chu Ming's eyes sparkled as he first took out the two taels of silver from his robe and placed them on the table.
Two taels of silver weren't much, just about enough for a month's food, allowing for meals with fish and meat.
But now that he was cultivating the Body Refining Technique, setting aside the costs of tonics and medicines, his appetite had increased by several times compared to before, making these silver taels woefully inadequate.
"Currently, the only income is the monthly allowance from the Chu Family, which is not a long-term solution..."
Thinking this, his gaze shifted to the "Poetry, Politics, and Military" book, picking up two travelogues of only palm thickness.
These two travelogues, he couldn't remember who put them there.
Chu Ming glanced at them; they were ones he had read before. After flipping through a few pages and seeing the content was the same, he casually tossed the two books aside.
"Poetry, Politics, and Military..."
He took a deep breath, his gaze burning as he looked at the towering pile of blue books.
"Poetry, Politics, and Military" wasn't just one book but many books bound together.
He picked up the top volume, the cover a dark blue, with the words "General Theory of the Book of Songs - First Volume" written boldly in black print.
Opening it, he saw that the content was identical to the "General Theory of the Book of Songs" he had finished reading.
Then, he pulled out the second book, titled "General Theory of the Book of Songs - Middle Volume," containing poems and songs he hadn't seen before.
Ten lines at a glance, never forgetting what he read.
Since he hadn't seen it before, he delved into it.
Although his [Reading] skill had reached perfection, with no progress increase,
with the aid of two special effects, 'Integration' and 'Inference,' he could optimize and deduce the Tiger and Python Body Refining Technique during the reading process.
Moreover, he had a hunch that he could similarly use reading to accumulate insights and develop higher-tier martial skills, even as advanced as his already perfected martial technique [Slapping Wind Palm].
Or perhaps, he might comprehend a special ability like the [Sword Gourd Spirit].
...
Liuu Town, Arresting Office.
Fang Xiao and Captain Hou sat with serious expressions in the hall, the tea on the table already cold.
"The sixth one has happened." Captain Hou muttered, "Brother Fang, this matter has even alarmed the Criminal Defense Bureau of Baiyuan County. If we still can't catch the murderer, you and I will be held accountable."
Fang Xiao looked at the junior constable below, speaking gravely, "All six murders took place in Wheat Alley, with their chests ripped open and their innards removed... Is there anything special about that place?"
"Special about that place?" The junior constable shook his head in response, "In reply, sir, very few people enter Wheat Alley, and every year a few beggars die there; apart from that, there's nothing special..."
Hearing this, Fang Xiao fell silent.
He had known about Wheat Alley since the first murder, but in less than a month, six murders with almost identical methods had occurred, and he couldn't connect them.
"I should go again." Fang Xiao said, getting up to leave.
Captain Hou hesitated for a moment and reluctantly followed.
For the first five murders, they had investigated every time, in the eerie and chilling alley, with the gruesome corpses, the claws ripping open the chests, and the missing innards...
It was always the same. He didn't want to see it again, but he couldn't just leave it unreported to the Criminal Defense Bureau, so he followed Fang Xiao.
Sure enough, when the two arrived at Wheat Alley, the scene remained unchanged.
Fang Xiao inspected for a while, frowning more deeply.
"How is it?" Captain Hou asked, wiping off the filth from his hand, also full of worry.
Fang Xiao shook his head.
"Sigh..."
They continued searching the surrounding alleys for clues.
For a long time.
"Sir, it's getting dark," the constable reminded them.
"Brother Fang, let's return."
"Alright."
The two left Wheat Alley, returning to the Arresting Office.
Just then, a sneaky head peeked out from the doorway, spotted immediately by the worried Captain Hou.
"Boy, come over here!"
With a low shout, a figure appeared at the door, "Dad..."
"You rascal, weren't you supposed to attend the academy exam? Why are you at the Arresting Office?"
"I..."
The person who approached was actually the tall young man, Wu Chun, from the private school earlier in the day.
"Hey, no, what happened to your face? Who hit you?"
Captain Hou was just about to scold when he saw Wu Chun's swollen forehead, injured chin, and a seemingly missing tooth.
Wu Chun, upon hearing this, his eyes immediately reddened, yet no tears flowed.
At the same time, Captain Hou felt a surge of hostility from outside the door.
"Hou Wuchun! I told you to report a crime, not to find your father!"
With a voice so loud, even Fang Xiao couldn't help but frown.
After the shout, a furious woman stormed in.
The woman lifted Hou Wuchun with one hand and pointed at Captain Hou with the other, "Look at your son, beaten up, with a missing tooth! All you do is investigate cases without caring for your own son. What are you even investigating?!"
Captain Hou looked embarrassed, shifting his gaze from the woman to Hou Wuchun quickly before locking onto Hou Wuchun, "Boy, don't tell me the academy exam required a fight?"
"A fight? What fight? Hou Ping, your son was beaten up by someone! Can't you handle this? If not, I will!" The woman put down Hou Wuchun, arms akimbo, looking somewhat aggressive.
The junior constables at the Arresting Office, seeing the scene, instinctively shrank their necks, quietly and cautiously sneaking away.
Captain Hou cast an apologetic glance at Fang Xiao, got up, and approached the woman, whispering, "Madam, Brother Fang is here, show some respect."
The woman glanced at Fang Xiao, but continued to stand akimbo, raising her voice, "What respect? If you don't find out today who beat Hou Wuchun, then you can forget about investigating any cases!"
Seeing Captain Hou's distressed look, Fang Xiao was about to get up and leave when he saw Captain Hou grab Hou Wuchun by the collar, "Explain, who beat you up!"
It seemed like he was ready to take decisive action to 'investigate.'
"Chu Ming, it was a guy named Chu Ming!" Hou Wuchun gritted his teeth and said.
Who?!