Chapter 2: Night, Deep Mountains, Mrs. Wang

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Night, Deep Mountains, Mrs. Wang

Suppressing the joy and excitement in his heart, Fang Xu fell into deep thought as he looked at the [Inherit] and [Forfeit] buttons on the virtual panel.

He noted the text on the panel stating he could randomly inherit one of Wang Ergou’s three legacies. "Random" meant uncertainty.

Legacy One was out of the question. Even with the property deed and legal procedures, Wang Erhu was a Martial Artist and a Government Soldier. The laws of the Great Yu Dynasty granted special privileges to Martial Artists. An ordinary mortal like him wouldn’t necessarily secure the house just by holding the deed. If things went south, he might end up empty-handed and neck-deep in trouble, bearing the suspicion of murder for no reason.

As for Legacy Two... Wang Ergou’s wife was indeed luscious and still retained her charm. However, in the waning years of the Han Dynasty, Cao Cao’s lust for the Lady of the Zou Family led to the deaths of his eldest son, nephew, and top general, Dian Wei. History proved that coveting another man’s wife was fine, provided one had the strength to back it up.

Legacy Three was naturally the best. A hundred taels of silver wasn’t a massive fortune nowadays, but it was still a considerable sum.

When a Martial Artist tempered their muscles and bones, they not only required an Expert’s guidance but also Elixirs and Blood Food to nourish their body. All of this cost a vast amount of money. Fang Xu had spent most of his income on these resources over the years. Although he hadn’t yet stepped into the ranks of a Martial Disciple, he had already reached the Bone Refining Realm, making him significantly stronger than an average person.

A hundred taels of silver should be enough to buy a month’s worth of Elixirs and Blood Food.

After staring at the screen of light and pondering for a long time, Fang Xu suddenly chuckled. He wondered why he was even worrying about this problem. They were all free; there was no reason to reject any of them. If it randomly landed on Legacy Three, he would simply take the hundred taels of silver. If it landed on Legacy One or Two, he would just refuse them.

Having made up his mind, he directly selected [Inherit].

The screen of light shifted as the three legacies scrolled rapidly. A moment later, the scrolling slowed down, and the screen gradually froze.

[Congratulations to the host for obtaining Legacy Two.]

[System buff applied. Wang Ergou’s delicate wife, Mrs. Wang, has developed a favorable impression of the host. Please choose carefully.]

Reading the text on the screen, Fang Xu shook his head slightly. It wasn’t the worst outcome, nor was it the best, but it was certainly the trickiest. What should he do now?

The screen of light slowly vanished, leaving him in a dilemma.

After a long while, he finally put down his rice-washing pot. Looking at the sky that had completely darkened, he tidied his clothes slightly, grabbed a jug of home-brewed rice wine, and left the house.

It was past 7 p.m. After a day of hard labor, the common people in the town had already retired early. Walking through the quiet streets, Fang Xu soon arrived at Wang Ergou’s two-courtyard home.

Because of his Government Soldier brother, Wang Ergou’s household in Fenglin Town was considered quite wealthy, even if they couldn’t compare to the powerful local landlords. Had Wang Erhu not spent most of his salary on Elixirs to temper his body, the Wang Family’s financial situation would have been even better.

Standing outside the door, Fang Xu hesitated briefly before knocking on the courtyard gate, as if driven by some inexplicable impulse.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

KNOCK KNOCK!

"Who is it?"

A moment later, a soft, sweet voice drifted from inside the courtyard, followed by the sound of light, rapid footsteps approaching.

"Mrs. Wang, it’s me," Fang Xu replied, lowering his voice for fear of the neighbors hearing.

The courtyard door slowly opened a crack. A young woman poked her head out, her hair pinned up in a bun with a hairpin, wearing a purple dress. Perhaps exactly as Wang Ergou used to brag—that his wife never lifted a finger for chores—she was exceptionally well-maintained. Even without makeup, the young woman’s pretty face had a lustrous complexion. Her delicate features carried a hint of natural charm, perfectly balanced by an air of graceful restraint.

Seeing Fang Xu outside, Mrs. Wang smiled faintly, a trace of a blush unexpectedly creeping onto her cheeks.

"Oh, it’s Fang. Please, come in."

Bending her slender waist slightly, Mrs. Wang curtsied and stepped aside, her voice gentle and soft.

Fang Xu was inwardly shocked at the sight. The System’s power was truly formidable. Ordinarily, this Mrs. Wang always maintained the demeanor of an aloof, cold beauty. She had never looked at him with such soft, alluring eyes before.

Walking into the courtyard, Fang Xu asked, pretending not to know, "Mrs. Wang, is Ergou not home?"

Mrs. Wang shook her head slightly. "He said he was going to the foot of the mountain during the day to clear some wasteland. It’s already this late, and he still hasn’t returned."

Fang Xu sighed inwardly, deducing that Wang Ergou must have died out there. However, he feigned worry aloud. "It’s so late, and he’s still not back... There are quite a few wild beasts in the mountains. Could Ergou have run into trouble?"

Hearing this, a flash of anxiety crossed Mrs. Wang’s face. She immediately looked at Fang Xu, utterly at a loss for what to do.

"Don’t worry, Mrs. Wang. How about I accompany you to go look for him?" Fang Xu consoled her.

Mrs. Wang bowed slightly in gratitude and hurriedly said, "I’m troubling you so much, Fang. Wait a moment while I fetch a lantern."

Along the small path outside the town, Fang Xu carried a hoe for self-defense while Mrs. Wang held up a lantern. The two slowly made their way up the winding mountain trail. The occasional unknown roars of beasts echoing from the woods struck fear into Mrs. Wang’s heart. She involuntarily leaned closer to Fang Xu, her free hand unconsciously gripping his clothes.

At the end of the mountain trail, guided by Mrs. Wang, the two soon arrived at an open field.

Fang Xu sighed softly. So it was this plot of land?

This was no unclaimed wasteland; it was actually the cultivated farmland of Old Liu’s family in the town. It was just that Old Liu had been mauled to death by a ferocious beast while hunting in the mountains during the winter. His only son had suffered a cultivation mishap in his early years, leaving him half-crippled and unable to farm...

"Fang, that looks like our ox!" Holding the lantern, Mrs. Wang hid half her body behind Fang Xu. She pointed tremblingly at a dark silhouette on the left.

Fang Xu squinted his eyes and looked over. Sure enough, not far to their left, an ox was lying on the ground. The two quickly approached. When they could clearly see the ox under the lantern’s light—

"Ah!"

Mrs. Wang let out a sudden shriek of terror. The lantern slipped from her grasp and hit the dirt as both her arms instantly locked around Fang Xu’s arm.

Fang Xu was also deeply startled by the sight before him. The massive ox was dead, and its corpse looked incredibly bizarre. All of its flesh and blood seemed to have evaporated, leaving nothing but a layer of hide tightly wrapped around a skeleton!

Gathering his courage, he picked up the dropped lantern and held it high to inspect the surroundings. Suddenly, he spotted a pair of feet sticking out of the tall grass in the distance.

"Mrs. Wang..." he called out. Gripping his hoe, Fang Xu slowly walked toward the pair of feet. Mrs. Wang followed closely behind, her body trembling violently as she clung to his arm for dear life.

As they neared the bushes, he handed the lantern to Mrs. Wang and used his hoe to part the tall grass. He instantly recognized the owner of the feet as Wang Ergou.

Judging by Wang Ergou’s wide-eyed, terrified expression, he must have encountered something utterly horrifying before he died. A bloody, mangled gash stretched across his neck, nearly severing his head entirely. Fresh blood had soaked his cloth garments red.

Seeing such a gory scene, Mrs. Wang’s eyes rolled back, and she fainted from sheer terror.

Fang Xu hurriedly caught her limp body. He pressed his thumb hard against her philtrum and called out, "Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Wang!"

Lying in Fang Xu’s embrace, Mrs. Wang slowly regained consciousness. In her daze, she caught another glimpse of Wang Ergou’s corpse. Whether out of fear or sorrow, she buried her face directly into Fang Xu’s chest and began to sob.

"Don’t cry, Mrs. Wang. Did Ergou... did he offend anyone recently?"

It was obvious that someone had slit Wang Ergou’s throat with a single blade. Judging from the wound, the killer was extremely professional.

Mrs. Wang cried for a while before sobbing softly, "Although Ergou was a bit overbearing normally, he wasn’t a bad person... Aside from bickering with the second young master of the Zhang Family at the Land God Temple a few days ago, he hadn’t offended anyone."

"Fang, what... what should we do now?" Mrs. Wang asked, looking at Fang Xu with an utterly lost and pitiable expression.

Fang Xu glanced at Wang Ergou’s corpse and pondered for a moment before replying, "Don’t panic, Mrs. Wang. The most pressing matter is to report this to the authorities.

"At the very least, we need to let Erhu in Huangzhou Prefecture know that Ergou has been murdered."

With Wang Ergou dead, he was able to gain a chance to inherit a legacy. Although this legacy was a bit troublesome right now, it highlighted one clear fact—he needed friends. If he helped Mrs. Wang and befriended Wang Erhu, wouldn’t he get another chance to inherit a legacy if Wang Erhu died in the future?