Chapter 57: Chapter 57: A Sudden Encounter
The culprit was swift and should have left no trace, but a clue remained here.
’Could the thief have been injured?’
At this thought, Fang Yue couldn’t help but think of the wanted man, Chen Cheng’an.
Since Chen Cheng’an was on the run in the area, it was highly likely he could have appeared in Da Liushu Village.
"Could it be Chen Cheng’an?"
Fang Yue glanced at the faint trace, then looked in the direction the person had fled and couldn’t help but wonder.
’Whatever, it doesn’t matter who it was.’
’Since he stole instead of robbing, it means he hasn’t reached the point of treating human life as worthless.’
’So as long as the person doesn’t ’cross the line,’ I naturally won’t get involved.’
’As for reporting it to the Government Office... should I really file a report just because a tenant lost two chickens?’
’Whether the Government Office would even bother with it is one thing; if they sent people and found nothing, wouldn’t that just be asking for trouble for myself?’
"Young Master, did you see anything? That damn chicken thief is just despicable."
Fang Atong saw Fang Yue standing by the chicken coop, just staring.
He waited for a moment, but his anxiety got the better of him, and he couldn’t help but ask.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. How could he speak to a Scholar Master like that? The Young Master hadn’t asked anything, yet he had questioned him first. Wasn’t that a breach of etiquette?
Fang Yue, however, didn’t mind, or rather, he hadn’t even noticed.
He replied, "The person isn’t from our village. They should be long gone by now."
Analyzing the time, a few hours had already passed.
Even at a walking pace, he could have traveled a great distance, let alone a chicken thief suspected to be Chen Cheng’an, who possessed Martial Arts Cultivation. He was probably long gone.
"Ah, what are we going to do! The chickens we worked so hard to raise... what now? My wife was counting on the eggs to regain her strength..."
Fang Atong didn’t doubt Fang Yue’s words.
They had already searched nearly the entire village and found nothing. Some villagers even suspected that his family had eaten the chickens themselves and were now playing the victim.
However, the surrounding villagers also did not doubt what Fang Yue said.
After all, Fang Yue was a Martial Scholar Master, the biggest landowner in the village besides the Scholar Liu family.
Whatever he said must be right.
"My goodness, to think our village was targeted by an outsider."
"Aiya, everyone better be more careful these days. Don’t give the thief another chance."
"Hmph, if I get my hands on that thief, I’ll beat him to death!"
The surrounding villagers chattered amongst themselves, but after a while, they started praising Fang Yue again.
"Still, the Young Master is really capable! In just a short while, he figured out the chicken thief had already fled!"
"Exactly, exactly! He’s the first Martial Scholar in our village’s history. My third aunt’s daughter is as beautiful as a flower; she should be a good match for the Young Master."
"Your third aunt’s daughter? Ptooey! A waist as thick as a water bucket and skin as dark as soot from a stove, and you have the gall to say that here."
"A wide waist is good for bearing children, and dark skin means she’s a hard worker. Why can’t I say it?"
But the village women’s conversation went on and on, eventually straying off-topic.
Listening from the side, Fang Yue’s face darkened, and he naturally couldn’t stay any longer.
He left immediately.
~~~~~~
Because a Martial Artist, suspected to be Chen Cheng’an, had been spotted in Da Liushu Village.
Fang Yue warned his parents, brother, and sister, telling them not to leave the village for the time being and to stay at home unless necessary.
Although they were a little confused, they saw how serious Fang Yue was and took his advice to heart.
For the next ten-plus days, Father Fang and Fang Cheng, who normally couldn’t sit still and would be out farming, stayed home to organize their tools.
Ms. Chen, who no longer worked as a kitchen helper for the Liu Family, also didn’t go out to chat with the neighboring women in the village.
His sister, Fang Lan, stayed quietly at home as well. Of course, she kept up her habit of making decorative knots; in her words, she couldn’t sit still if she wasn’t doing something with her hands.
Seeing his family so simple and down-to-earth, even though their lives had improved, their way of life was basically the same as before, without much change.
This kind of life was good.
Fang Yue was content. This was exactly what he wanted, and exactly what he wanted to protect.
’A Ten-Stone Bow’s power is already comparable to a firearm. Within thirty *zhang*, it can pierce through a full-grown tiger.’
’I’m afraid that even a Martial Artist who has achieved the third stage of the Martial Dao, Copper Skin and Iron Bones, wouldn’t dare to take an arrow head-on.’
Fang Yue hadn’t gone out for the past ten-plus days; instead, he had been at home, specially crafting this Ten-Stone Bow.
Of course, he wanted to make an even stronger bow, but he found that with the materials he could currently find, none were strong enough.
If the draw weight exceeded ten stones, it would break after just a few uses.
Even this Ten-Stone Bow would break after fifty shots.
After finishing the bow, Fang Yue slung it over his back and left the house.
It had been some time since he last went hunting in the mountains.
Besides, more than ten days had passed, and nothing else had happened in the village.
Perhaps that Chen Cheng’an had already fled somewhere else and was no longer near Da Liushu Village.
So, Fang Yue’s life returned to normal.
He still had to hunt when it was time to hunt. Relying solely on the meager rent from his tenants wasn’t enough to afford the Secret Medicine he needed for cultivation.
Only by consistently hunting with good results could he guarantee his monthly portion of the Skin Polishing Secret Medicine.
’Sigh, no wonder the Great Wei dynasty doesn’t prohibit martial arts, and no wonder the Martial Arts Halls aren’t that strict about controlling Martial Arts Techniques. Because as long as they control the Secret Medicine, they control the path for a Martial Artist’s advancement.’
Walking on the quiet mountain path, Fang Yue thought about how most of the wealth he had painstakingly earned from hunting these past few years had to be sent to the Martial Arts Hall.
But that’s just how things were in the world.
The weak are prey for the strong. It seemed like he spent a fortune on Secret Medicine, but he also grew stronger through his cultivation.
Several more hours passed,
Fang Yue arrived at a thatched hut near the ’line’.
He had built it to store some supplies and to rest during his hunts.
"Hm?"
’Something’s wrong. There’s someone inside!’
Just as he came within about ten *zhang* of the hut, Fang Yue’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He discovered that the simple trap he had set on the hut’s door had been triggered.
Moreover, he could Sense someone was inside the wooden hut.
Fang Yue immediately nocked an arrow to his bow, cautiously watching the hut as he slowly retreated several *zhang* to keep himself at a relatively safe distance.
"COUGH, COUGH... Brother Fang, don’t be alarmed. It’s me."
A weak voice came from inside the hut. Apparently, the person inside had noticed him as well.
But the person didn’t show his face, clearly not trusting Fang Yue either.
"Chen, how did you end up here? Never mind, that’s not my business. For the sake of our past acquaintance, you should leave this place quickly. Leave Xiahe County."
Fang Yue said in a low voice, but the arrow on his bow remained drawn and ready to fire.
