Chapter 22 Awareness

"Why did you have to force me?"

"Hey, that's just the way the world works." Sheng Hong shook his head with an air of resignation, "Everyone does it, running into me was just your bad luck."

"Are those two really knocked out by you?" Chen Mu asked, lowering his head.

"Getting scared now?" Sheng Hong sneered teasingly, "If you're scared, then be obedient and..."

"Scared? No, I have to thank you."

"What..."

"Thank you for knocking them out!"

Whistle!

Slice!

Blood splattered as Sheng Hong's eyes bulged and half of his ear flew off.

"You!" Sheng Hong looked at Chen Mu in astonishment. If he hadn't dodged fast enough just now, his eyes could have been blinded!

Whistling sounds ...

A series of Flying Locust Stones came hurtling toward him.

Sheng Hong's figure blurred instantly, leaving a series of afterimages in his place.

"Scholar, you've hidden your skills well!" Sheng Hong growled angrily, "Too bad, I've trained in dodging hidden weapons!"

He pushed the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique to its limit, the Flying Locust Stones were ferocious, but they couldn't touch him at all!

Sheng Hong laughed viciously, "Wait until you're in my hands, then we'll see how I deal with you!"

As soon as the words fell, pfft!

A Flying Locust Stone grazed his right forearm, taking away a piece of flesh.

"How is that possible?!" Sheng Hong's heart suddenly tightened.

"I clearly dodged it?"

Thud!

A Flying Locust Stone drilled through the left side under his arm, exploding a handful of blood flowers.

Sheng Hong suddenly understood.

He saw the Flying Locust Stones and made a move to dodge, but his body was gradually unable to keep up with the commands from his mind.

He suddenly looked toward the square table.

That meal ...

Whistling sounds ... pfft, pfft, pfft ...

A string of blood flowers burst open behind Sheng Hong.

The Flying Locust Stones, still carrying momentum, thudded against the earthy yellow courtyard wall, leaving behind specks of dark red bloodstains.

Sheng Hong glared at Chen Mu and fell to the ground with a thud.

It took Chen Mu quite a while to come back to his senses, and he staggered to sit at the square table.

When he turned to look at Sheng Hong, his head covered in fresh blood and his eyes wide open, his scalp abruptly went numb.

He had committed murder...

Having practiced martial arts for so long, he had had a premonition. Sooner or later, he would have to strike a deadly blow.

He had rehearsed the act more than once.

But now that it was really happening, Chen Mu felt his mind go completely blank.

This was nothing like the minor scuffles he had been involved in before!

"I just wanted to practice in peace, why did you have to push me..."

After quite some time, Chen Mu finally managed to collect his frantic thoughts.

"I need to clean up the scene quickly!"

Climbing over the wall, he walked to his own doorstep.

Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan were sprawled on the ground, soundly asleep.

Chen Mu approached and inspected them closely.

A faint smell of medicine wafted over.

"Not knocked out, put to sleep with a sleeping incense." Chen Mu let out a sigh of relief.

He dragged them to the doorway, letting them sleep against the wall in their usual squatting spots.

Chen Mu leaped back home, rolled up Sheng Hong's body with a straw mat, climbed out the door, and, using the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique, darted silently toward the north of the town.

There were several abandoned houses there, perfect for hiding the body.

...

After half an hour, Chen Mu returned home.

After cleaning the bloodstains on the ground and the walls, and changing into new clothes, Chen Mu went to the doorway.

He opened the door and saw the two still sleeping soundly, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Chen Mu rubbed his face and woke the two men, "Gentlemen, it's getting late; it's time to head home!"

Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan woke up groggily, "How come we're still asleep?"

"Thank you for guarding the door. Here, I've just prepared some pork trotters; take them to go with your drink." Chen Mu said with a cheerful smile as he handed over a package wrapped in oiled paper.

The rich aroma of meat wafted through the air, and Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan's eyes lit up instantly, "Thank you, Young Master Chen!"

"Then my brother and I will take our leave," Zheng Huan chuckled as he took the braised pig's trotters.

Chen Mu clasped his hands in farewell.

As the two figures disappeared, Chen Mu's expression quickly withdrew, and he hurried home to close the door.

...

In the alley, Zheng Huan brought the oil-paper wrapped package to his nose, "Smells so good. This scholar's cooking is getting better and better. If he opened a deli, he would definitely make a fortune."

"One painting by him is enough for you to eat for several years, he wouldn't bother opening a deli and toil away," Zhou Liang said enviously.

"Alright, let's find a small tavern and quickly nibble on these trotters while they're still hot," Zheng Huan urged.

"Sounds good, we'll eat our fill and go to bed early," Zhou Liang stretched and yawned, "I stayed up too late playing in Anle Square last night, I could fall asleep sitting up on the street, I have to catch up on sleep today no matter what."

"Exactly, exactly, let's eat and go home to sleep," Zheng Huan yawned.

"Last night at the Yicui Building..."

From the shadows of the alley, Chen Mu stood silently.

Listening to the two men's nonsense chatter, he quietly put away the broken stones in his hand.

"These two probably haven't noticed anything unusual."

"I can't stay in the city for now."

Even though Chen Mu knew fleeing in panic would seem too suspicious.

He still couldn't help wanting to get far away from Qingshan County.

If the city gates hadn't been closed, preventing him from leaving, he would have left Qingshan County that very night.

...

The next morning.

Chen Mu waited for Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan to arrive.

During their conversation, he made sure they hadn't noticed anything unusual.

He sent them away on the pretense of going home to visit relatives, then immediately packed up his things and left home, even loading the five hens from his house into a bamboo basket to carry.

After leaving Qingshan County Town's gates, he headed straight for the Chen Family Village.

...

Da Liang, year 639, January 27th.

Chen Mu opened his eyes to the chirping of birds.

Stepping outside, the refreshing air with a hint of coolness invigorated Chen Mu.

The sky was clear, and the distant hills were lush with green.

The sounds of dogs barking and chickens crowing rose from everywhere, a peaceful village scene.

His previously heavy mood was suddenly lifted.

He had been in Chen Family Village for seven days. Today, he had the most restful sleep since he arrived.

At first, every time he closed his eyes, he would see the image of Sheng Hong's face covered in blood.

Lying in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep, and even if he did fall asleep, he would often be woken by nightmares.

During the day, he was distracted while practicing martial arts and working, almost hitting the wall a few times because he couldn't stop his feet in time.

It wasn't until today that he began to calm down.

He had thought through everything from beginning to end.

Sheng Hong came to his door threatening him, saying that Chen Mu should pay for his life, but in reality, he was after his money and his life.

If Chen Mu had obediently given him money, the other party would undoubtedly have silenced him by killing him.

A martial artist who had practiced Shape Cultivation Technique and an ordinary person were practically two different species.

Stronger and faster, killing an ordinary person would not be harder than swatting a fly.

That's why it was easier for them to take lives, or there wouldn't have been the case of the Wang family's destruction.

"Sheng Hong dared to kill without restraint for money."

"For protecting myself, why can't I kill in self-defense?!"

"Should I beg others to generously spare my life?"

Recalling Sheng Hong's proficient movements and expression, Chen Mu knew that it was not the first time he had plotted for money and murder.

Chen Mu had an epiphany.

"Sheng Hong was the pest of this world, deserving death! By killing him, I protected myself and many other innocent people."

"It's not me who's in the wrong, but this world that tolerates the strong bullying the weak! It's those villains with evil intentions!"

"Facing the malice of this world, facing the overwhelming evil intentions of others, what should I do, what can I do?

"Compromise and beg for mercy?"

"No, no, no, I must respond with thunder!"

Chen Mu took a deep breath.

Next time...

Next time, he would act even more decisively!

To eradicate evil completely, one must be thorough!