Becoming a Martial Master: Starting as a Swordsmith

The flames licked at the lamp oil, spreading rapidly until they engulfed the bed and chairs, billowing thick smoke.

Fortunately, this house was located in a corner of the Li residence, a detached house with no other houses around, so there was no fear of innocent people being harmed.

Before long, a raging fire broke out in Zhao Dezhu's house, illuminating half of the Li residence.

The servants, awakened by the commotion, rushed to help put out the fire, carrying buckets of water.

But the fire was too fierce; even when people poured water on it, they couldn't extinguish a single spark. Instead, the heatwave forced them to retreat repeatedly.

Everyone could only watch helplessly as the entire house crackled and popped in the fire, eventually turning into a burning ruin.

When Li Jiwu and Liu arrived at the scene, the fire was already completely out of control.

Li Jiwu stood at the courtyard gate, the firelight flickering on his face. His expression remained largely unchanged, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner anxiety.

Liu stood beside him, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, her brows furrowed, her eyes flickering with unease in the firelight.

The fire finally died down as dawn broke on the horizon.

The entire house had been reduced to a charred ruin, with wisps of smoke rising from the broken walls and a pungent, burnt smell permeating the air.

The commotion at the Li residence was quite significant, attracting the attention of the neighbors, and many people gathered outside the mansion to watch.

Shen Chu mingled in the crowd, arms crossed, looking at the ruins with curiosity, his expression no different from the other swordsmiths watching the spectacle.

Not long after, the government officials arrived.

Several constables stepped into the ruins and searched among the rubble for a while before making a discovery.

Two charred corpses were carried out and placed on the open ground in the courtyard.

A young constable squatted down to examine the body, then stood up and reported to his superior: "There are two bodies in the room. They are burned so badly that their faces are unrecognizable, but judging from their build, they should both be adult males. No third body was found."

Another constable dusted off his hands and said dismissively, "In my opinion, this is just a regular fire. Zhao Dezhu probably forgot to turn off the lights while he was drinking last night, and the fire started. These two probably didn't have time to escape and were burned alive. These kinds of things happen every now and then, nothing strange about it."

However, the young constable frowned and shook his head: "That's not right! If it was just a regular fire, why would these two people be in Zhao Dezhu's room? And why isn't Zhao Dezhu himself inside? Where could a grown man like him be if he's not sleeping in his room in the middle of the night?"

The constables looked at each other, speechless for a moment.

Just then, the accountant from the Li family came running over, panting, holding an account book in his hands. He leaned close to the second young master's ear and whispered a few words.

Upon hearing this, Li Jiwu's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly turned to look at the accountant: "What did you say?!"

The accountant wiped away a cold sweat and stammered, "Second Young Master, it's absolutely true... Manager Zhao withdrew three hundred taels of silver from the counter a couple of days ago, saying he was going to purchase a batch of iron. But when I checked the accounts today, there was no corresponding purchase record at all. That batch of goods never even entered the warehouse."

Li Jiwu's face immediately darkened.

He strode up to the constables and said in a deep voice, "Officers, I have something to add. Zhao Dezhu withdrew three hundred taels of silver from the counter a couple of days ago, but he didn't use it for any purchases. The money, along with Zhao Dezhu himself, is now nowhere to be found."

Upon hearing this, the young constable's eyes lit up immediately, as if he had grasped a crucial clue. He exclaimed, "Indeed! I see many suspicious points in this matter! Zhao Dezhu withdrew a large sum of money and disappeared without a trace, yet two unidentified corpses were found in his room. In my opinion, these two corpses must be taken back to the yamen for a detailed examination; perhaps we can find clues on them!"

He had barely finished speaking when a steady voice came from outside the courtyard: "I've come to take a look."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a burly middle-aged man with an official's sword at his waist stride in.

It was none other than Zhang, the head constable of the county government.

He walked up to the two corpses, squatted down, reached out and turned them over. After examining them carefully for a moment, his expression suddenly changed slightly.

The change was so subtle that almost no one noticed it.

But Shen Chu noticed it.

Shen Chu stood at the back of the crowd, her gaze fixed on Constable Zhang.

When he saw the fleeting, strange look in Zhang the constable's eyes as he examined the corpse, his heart skipped a beat.

Did he figure something out?

However, Constable Zhang quickly stood up.

He dusted off his hands and, with a calm expression, glanced around at everyone:

"It's obvious at a glance. Zhao Dezhu definitely embezzled the money and ran away. These two men most likely discovered his corrupt activities, so he killed them to cover it up and then set fire to the house to destroy the evidence. Perhaps, the recent death of Manager Li was also related to Zhao Dezhu!"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

The young constable frowned upon hearing Constable Zhang's words and couldn't help but step forward, saying, "Constable Zhang, although Zhao Dezhu is a suspect, this case hasn't been thoroughly investigated yet. Isn't it too hasty to draw conclusions like this? What if..."

"Xu Zhibao!"

Officer Zhang turned his head and gave him a deep, thoughtful look.

Are you questioning my judgment?

Xu Zhibao felt a chill run down his spine from that look, and swallowed back the words he was about to say.

Although he hadn't worked in the yamen for long, he knew Zhang the constable's temperament well.

This boss is a man of his word; anyone who contradicts him in public will not have a good outcome.

He gritted his teeth, but ultimately lowered his head and took a step back: "This subordinate dares not."

Officer Zhang withdrew his gaze and waved his hand: "Alright, take the body away and send it back to the yamen. This case is closed. Just write a file and archive it later."

Several constables responded and hurriedly lifted the two charred corpses onto a cart, covered them with straw mats, and pushed the cart out of the mansion.

Xu Zhibao followed at the back of the group. After walking a distance, he couldn't help but look back at the charred ruins.

The doubt in his eyes did not dissipate; instead, it pierced even deeper like a thorn.

Zhao Dezhu withdrew three hundred taels of silver, and his whereabouts are unknown;

Two corpses inexplicably appeared in the house;

Zhang Tou'er glanced at the corpse and hastily closed the case;

What kind of trickery is hidden in this?

He clenched his fist and secretly made a mental note of it.

At the Li residence, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Li Jiwu stood before the ruins, his face ashen.

Did Zhao Dezhu run away?

How is that possible?

But the truth is just as Officer Zhang said.

Zhao Dezhu disappeared without a trace, neither alive nor dead. An important pawn that Li Jiwu had painstakingly planted in the knife-forging compound was rendered useless inexplicably!