Chapter 142 - 62: The Sun (Part 3)

Chapter 142: Chapter 62: The Sun (Part 3)

Amidst the murmuring chatter, the vibrant energy of daily life filled the air, and a new day began.

...

In the morning, news of the Lin Family’s annihilation from the previous night began to spread. The common folk discussed it animatedly, and Willow Alley was no exception.

Speaking of which, the city’s residents certainly hadn’t been short on juicy gossip lately. From the raids on the great families a few days prior, to the deaths of Tiger Gang Leader Chong Jihu and Wild Wolf Gang Leader Duan Lang the day before yesterday, and now to the annihilation of the Lin Family... it was one sensational event after another, giving them plenty to talk about.

"The battle cries from the Lin Family’s estate last night were so loud. It reminded me of the night the city was breached..."

Uncle Changlin said, his face etched with lingering fear, "We barricaded our door from the inside with rocks and tables. Thankfully, we were safe!"

"Yes, it was terrifying," another person chimed in. "But the Rebel Army is well-disciplined. They promised we’d be safe, and we truly were."

"The Lin Family is really gone?! *Sigh*... I heard that among the great families, theirs had a pretty good reputation."

"Good reputation?! Pfft! That’s just because the Lin Family was good at keeping up appearances. It’s like, what’s that saying... right, a whore demanding a monument to her chastity! Behind the scenes, none of those great families have clean hands..."

"Exactly! If the Lin Family was so clean, where did their thousands of acres of land outside the city come from? And this morning, the Rebel Army hauled away over a dozen large carts packed with money and treasures from their estate..."

"Didn’t the Rebel Army say it themselves? The relief grain that used to be sent down from the higher-ups was split fifty-fifty between the late County Magistrate and the Lin Family!"

"Wait, that’s not right!"

Someone voiced their doubt. "Changshan City has two great families. If the Lin Family took a cut, you’re telling me the Xia Family didn’t get their hands dirty too?"

"Shhh, quiet down! Some things are better left unsaid. Do you think that’s something for you to talk about? The Xia Family is on the Rebel Army’s side now..."

"Let’s not talk about that," someone clever said, changing the subject. "I heard that during the Lin Family’s massacre last night, some incredibly fierce expert showed up and killed three of the Xia Family’s Sixth Grade Martial Artists..."

"Sixth Grade? Isn’t our Brother Rui from Willow Alley just a Ninth Grade? A Sixth Grade Martial Artist... good heavens, what kind of big shot must that be!"

"Yeah, it’s really... Good riddance!" The latter part of the sentence was spoken so quietly it was almost inaudible.

"It’s all just retribution! From Zhang Bao to Lord Hu, to the Tiger Gang, and now the Lin Family. People’s deeds are watched by the heavens!" an old man exclaimed with a sigh.

...

’People’s deeds are watched by the heavens?’

Fang Rui stood by the window, listening to the voices outside, and shook his head slightly. ’If it weren’t for me, people like Zhang Bao, Zhang Heihu, Chong Jihu, Duan Lang, and Lin Feng... they’d all probably still be alive and well today.’

He gazed into the distance at the vast mountains and rivers under the boundless sky. After a long moment, he let out a sigh. ’Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all of creation as straw dogs. Rather than waiting for some cosmic cycle of cause and effect, I much prefer to deliver retribution with my own two hands!’

’Still, why haven’t the Xia Family and the Rebel Army suppressed the rumors about me? This is a warning shot, meant to flush out the hidden expert,’ Fang Rui mused. ’Looks like I’ll have to be extra careful for the next couple of days.’

That morning, Martial Artists from the Xia Family and officers from the Rebel Army went door-to-door, conducting an investigation.

Fang Rui was a local, born and raised, with a clearly documented life. Moreover, he was just a mere Entry Grade Martial Artist suffering from Innate Body Weakness...

Add to that, his father, Fang Baicao, was currently on a mission for the Rebel Army.

No matter how one looked at it, there was not a shred of suspicion on him.

The investigating Xia Family Martial Artists and Rebel Army officers didn’t suspect him in the slightest. They just asked a few routine questions as a formality and left.

He saw them out the door, watching the group leave until their figures disappeared from view.

Fang Rui leaned against the doorframe, his eyes narrowed into a perfectly harmless smile. ’The Xia Family,’ he thought.

...

After lunch, the sun was bright in the sky. A gentle breeze drifted through the air, carrying the listless drone of insects and cicadas.

It was the kind of afternoon that made one drowsy.

"On the banyan tree by the pond, cicadas sing their summer song; on the swing set in the yard, only butterflies gently land..."

Under the corridor eaves, the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, hummed a song, bottoms in the air as they hunched over a small table to play Chinese checkers.

Fang Rui had naturally been the one to teach them the song, just as he’d been the one to introduce them to Chinese checkers.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family sat nearby, doing some needlework.

Third Lady, wearing an apron and carrying a wooden basin and a rag, came out from an inner room. "Auntie, Brother Rui, I’m going to go over and do a bit of cleaning!"

"Third Sister, wait, I’ll help you," Fang Rui said, putting down a medical text and stretching as he stood up.

"Brother Rui, you don’t have to. I can manage on my own..."

"It’s no trouble. It’ll go faster if I help. Mom, you watch the two little ones; Third Sister and I are heading over."

Fang Rui pulled Third Lady out the door with him.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family stared suspiciously at their departing backs. ’Those two... they wouldn’t do something so improper, would they? No, surely not...’

...

In the house next door, things were still quite clean, as Third Lady came over to tidy up every other day.

With Fang Rui helping, the two of them finished wiping and sweeping in no time.

"Third Sister, I helped you, so now you have to help me," Fang Rui said, wrapping his arms around Third Lady like a child demanding a reward.

"Brother Rui, it’s broad daylight..." Third Lady seemed to sense what he was after, her cheeks flushing as red as September apples.

...

In the washed-blue sky, a few cotton-candy clouds drifted, swaying gently in the wind.

The sun, which had been hidden by the clouds, suddenly emerged. The light intensified in an instant, and a torrent of sunshine poured down like a great flood.

...

The breeze was gentle and cool, the light soft and shimmering.

And so the afternoon hours flowed by, as slowly and gently as a trickling mountain stream.

...