Chaos begins when one joins a martial arts school

Chapter 10 Ning Family
Yang Jing traveled at a brisk pace until he was several miles away from Fenglou Village before turning into a desolate grove of trees.

He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a clean set of coarse cloth clothes. By the moonlight, he quickly changed out of his blood-stained clothes.

The bloodstains had long since congealed into a dark red in the cold wind, carrying a sweet, metallic smell that made his stomach tighten.

Yang Jing crumpled the dirty clothes into a ball, found a dry pile of branches, and lit a tinderbox.

The flames licked at the fabric, and soon a cluster of flames rose up, burning the dark red color, along with any trace that might have been exposed, to ashes.

He stared at the fire until the embers cooled before covering them with soil and stomping on them to make sure nothing was amiss.

After doing all this, he went around in circles again, leaned against the trunk of a large tree, and took out the money pouch from his pocket.

My fingers trembled slightly when they touched the knot on the bag's opening.

Upon opening it, one finds a full eleven taels of silver inside, along with two small pieces of silver, which gleam with a cold white light under the moonlight.

Yang Jing's throat bobbed; this was the largest sum of money he had ever seen since he transmigrated.

It truly lives up to the old saying: "Murderers and arsonists wear golden belts, while those who repair bridges and roads leave no trace."

Take a deep breath and suppress the surging emotions in your heart.

Then he took out three taels and two pieces of broken silver and put them into his sleeve. He took the remaining eight taels, along with the money bag, and found an old locust tree deep in the woods. He used a dagger to dig a deep pit, buried it, covered it with a thick layer of soil, and weighed it down with a few stones as a marker.

This silver is both a hidden danger and a backup plan. To be on the safe side, Yang Jing did not carry it with him for the time being.

After dealing with these matters, Yang Jing did not linger and rushed to the post station outside the city overnight.

The lanterns at the post station cast a dim yellow light in the cold night. The night watchman yawned, took twenty large coins from him, and pointed to a guest room at the back.

The room was similar to the one I stayed in last time. When I opened the door, the room was simply furnished with only a hard bed, a low table, a few chairs, and other basic furniture.

Yang Jing closed the door behind him and slid down to the ground, leaning against the door panel.

Only then, when everything had settled down and he was alone in the room, did the emotions he had been suppressing suddenly surge up.

He raised his hand and looked at his right hand. Even though he had washed it, he still felt that his fingertips still had that warm, fishy smell.

The composure he displayed while committing the murder was like a thin layer of ice, which suddenly shattered, leaving only an overwhelming sense of lingering fear.

The faint gasp when Feng Lei's throat was slit, the twitching sensation of his body, and the blood splattered on his hands flashed before Yang Jing's eyes, making his heart pound and his breathing rapid.

This was the first time in his two lifetimes that he had killed someone, and his hands were stained with human blood.

It wasn't that he wasn't afraid; it's just that he was driven by anger and determination at that moment, leaving no room for hesitation.

But now, sitting alone in his room at the inn, the real feeling of killing overwhelmed him like a tidal wave.

Nervousness gripped his stomach, and unease chilled him to the bone.

He killed someone, and from now on, his hands will no longer be the only hands that have held knives and practiced boxing.

After all, it was the first time he had personally ended a life, and he was still feeling lingering fear, which made his breathing a little erratic.

Yang Jing sat on the ground, closed his eyes and calmed himself for a moment. He pinched the rough ground with his fingertips to slowly compose himself.

In the darkness, he thought of his family, the filth splattered on the courtyard gate, the black dog that his uncle's family had raised for many years but which Feng Lei had kicked to death, the helplessness and repression of his grandparents and mother, the fact that his father had signed up to join the grain transport cart for a little money, and the skeletons of refugees and the knives of bandits in this chaotic world.

Those images burned into his heart like a branding iron, and the panic he had felt earlier gradually faded away.

When Yang Jing opened his eyes again, there was no longer any hesitation in them.

He slowly stood up, walked to the table and sat down. He raised his hand to touch his throat, then looked at his palm. The feeling of killing was still there, but it no longer terrified him.

It turns out that ending a life with your own hands is not as unbearable as you imagined.

He was even slightly excited!
This world is inherently chaotic; the law of the jungle prevails. If you don't wield your sword, you'll only be left to be slaughtered. People like Feng Lei, relying on the backing of landlords and powerful figures, oppress the good and bully the common people. Countless innocent people have suffered because of him. Killing him is both revenge and self-preservation.

"Instead of waiting to be killed, it's better to strike first."

Yang Jing muttered to himself, his voice unusually clear in the empty room.

He clenched his fist, his fingertips turning white, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.

the next day.

Feng Lei's underlings waited in vain for a long time, so they went to Feng Lei's house together and found Feng Lei lying cold on the bed.

News of Feng Lei's murder quickly spread throughout Wazi Township.

Everyone who heard the news applauded.

"What? Feng Lei is dead?"

"Serves him right, he should have died a long time ago!"

"As the old saying goes, good deeds will be rewarded and evil deeds will be punished. It's not that retribution won't come, it's just that the time hasn't come yet. Now is the time for the King of Hell to take him away."

The Ning family on the other side also sent people to investigate, but they didn't find any clues.

With Feng Lei's death, the Ning family also lost a major henchman.

Wuzi Township, Ning Family, Study.

Ning Xuezhi, the head of the Ning family, sat in a chair. He was around fifty years old, with slightly gray hair, naturally puffy eyes, and a furrowed brow. The tip of his right index finger would occasionally tap the table.

He was in the city celebrating his friend's birthday and taking a few days to relax when he learned of Feng Lei's murder and immediately rushed back.

dong dong dong.

Just then, there was a knock on the study door.

Ning Xuezhi raised his head and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Come in."

As soon as Ning Xuezhi finished speaking, the Ning family's butler pushed open the door and walked in, holding a piece of paper in his hand.

The butler walked to the desk, handed the papers in his hand to Ning Xuezhi, and said respectfully, "Master, please take a look. This is the list you requested. We just finished organizing it with the staff."

Ning Xuezhi took the paper, unfolded it on the table, and began to read it carefully.

The paper contained more than twenty names, each representing someone who had had a conflict with Feng Lei.

Ning Xuezhi looked at the names one by one.

He knew some of the people on the list, and he didn't know others.

When he encountered someone he didn't recognize, he would ask the butler standing next to him.

Before he had any connection with the Ning family, Feng Lei was always fighting with gangs. Now that he has the Ning family's backing and is supported by money and food, he has gathered a group of thugs under his command and is running rampant in the countryside. Which village doesn't have a few enemies?
"Ok?"

After looking at the names of sixteen or seventeen people, Ning Xuezhi's gaze fell on the next name—Yang Jing.

"Old Shi, who is this Yang Jing?" Ning Xuezhi asked, frowning.

Butler Shi glanced at the names on the list on the table, thought for a moment, and said, "He is the grandson of Yang Shouzhuo from Yangjia Village. He is now studying martial arts at the Sun Family Martial Arts School in the city."

"A martial arts school disciple?" Upon hearing this, Ning Xuezhi frowned even more deeply.

(End of this chapter)