I had no intention of entering the martial world.

Chapter 3 The Maggot on the Foot

The daughter of the Liu family in Zhenxi, the same age as him, is a "talented woman" who only wants to marry into a higher social class and leave this "small place".

He slowly turned around. Liu Rusi was wearing a brand-new light green floral dress, with a gilded butterfly hairpin in her hair that dazzled in the sunlight. Behind her were two maids who covered their mouths and snickered.

"Doesn't Miss Liu also have the same interest, always running to these 'wild mountains and wilderness'?" Lu Chenzhou asked indifferently.

"Lu Chenzhou, you don't need to be sarcastic." Liu Rusi raised her chin. "People strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill; it's the natural order. Unlike some people, who, despite their family's poverty... well, still act like spoiled young masters, going around 'upholding justice,' and what's the result? They only bring shame upon themselves."

She deliberately dragged out the word "family tradition".

Lu Chenzhou's heart sank, but his face remained impassive: "What do you mean by that, Miss Liu?"

"Is Young Master Lu truly unaware, or is he feigning ignorance?" Liu Rusi chuckled, waving her round fan. "In Qixia Town these days, who doesn't know that Master Zhao is riding high? On the contrary, there are some people," she glanced at Lu Chenzhou, "who seem aloof but are actually out of touch with reality, I'm afraid... tsk, hard to say."

The gloating and sycophantic attitude in her words were blatantly displayed on her face.

Lu Chenzhou laughed angrily: "So Miss Liu's 'elegance and purity' is just such opportunism? No wonder the Zhao family's actions were considered 'powerful' in Miss Liu's eyes. It seems Miss Liu is determined to curry favor with the powerful. We are not on the same page, Miss Liu, please leave."

After he finished speaking, he turned and went down the mountain.

"Stop right there!" Liu Rusi's face flushed red and then turned pale from his words about "climbing the social ladder," and she shrieked, "Lu Chenzhou! Don't push your luck! Let me tell you, Qixia Town will belong to the Zhao family sooner or later! If your Lu family continues to be so stubborn, you'll have your day!"

Lu Chenzhou paused, but without turning around, he coldly tossed out a sentence: "Then we'll wait and see."

He strode away, leaving Liu Rusi's furious shouts behind. However, those vicious words slithered into his ears like venomous snakes.

Family fortunes... hard to say... the Zhao family's empire...

An ominous premonition, like the mist rising from the mountains, gradually enveloped my heart.

He quickened his pace, and just as he reached the foot of the mountain, before even entering the town, he noticed something amiss.

Pedestrians on the main street hurried along, chatting in small groups, their eyes unconsciously glancing towards the south of the town—the direction where the Lu family's industries were concentrated.

Lu Chenzhou's heart tightened, and he ran away frantically.

He turned the corner and froze on the spot.

The Lu family's largest silk shop, "Jinxiu Pavilion," was tightly shut. Two official seals, each bearing a bright red official stamp, were affixed across the door.

A crowd had gathered in front of the shop, pointing and whispering. Several constables in black robes stood guard at the door, wielding fire and water sticks. The shopkeeper and his employees, their faces ashen, were herded aside.

Lu Chenzhou's mind went blank with a "buzz". He pushed through the crowd and rushed forward.

"What's going on? Why are my Lu family's shops being shut down?!" The voice trembled with shock and anger.

The head constable glanced at him sideways: "By order of the county magistrate, Jinxiuge is suspected of smuggling salt and disrupting salt laws, therefore it is hereby sealed off, and all relevant personnel must be brought back to the yamen for questioning!"

"Smuggled salt? Ridiculous!" Lu Chenzhou was both shocked and furious. "My Lu family has never touched salt! This is clearly a frame-up!"

"Whether it's a frame-up or not, the authorities will investigate." A sinister voice came from the side.

Clerk Qian Butong strolled in, hands behind his back, followed by Zhao Fu. Qian Butong had a fair complexion, a mustache, and darting eyes. He slowly stroked his beard. "Young Master Lu, please calm down. There are reports, and there is evidence, of course. However, details cannot be disclosed. Guards—" he drawled, "take all those involved back to the yamen!"

"Wait a minute!"

A deep shout rang out. Lu Wenyuan, accompanied by Mr. Chen Wang and the old steward, strode over. His expression was calm as he bowed respectfully: "Sir Qian, may I ask what offense my Lu family's Jinxiu Pavilion has committed? Is there any conclusive evidence? Where was it seized? How much salt was involved? Who handled it? I hope you will provide clear details so that my Lu family may be convinced of your guilt."

His words were reasonable and well-founded, and the surrounding neighbors nodded in agreement.

Qian Butong was speechless when questioned, his face darkening: "The government has its own methods for handling cases; how can we explain everything to you? Arrest them!"

"Clerk Qian!" Mr. Chen Wang stepped forward, his gaunt face solemn. "I am Chen Wang, and I am honored to be the tutor of the Lu family. The Great Song Criminal Code records that any seizure of property or arrest of criminals must be based on a clear case and preliminary witness and physical evidence before it can be carried out. Your Excellency, without any evidence, is attempting to seal shops and arrest people, which is contrary to the law. Although Qixia Town is small, it still has the law and public opinion!"

Chen Wang was well-known, and his words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

"Mr. Chen is right!"

"The Lu family has always been known for its benevolence and righteousness; how could they possibly engage in such illicit salt dealings?"

"Someone must have framed us!"

Qian Butong's face was grim. He hadn't expected the Lu family to be so forceful, nor had he anticipated such a strong reaction from the neighbors. He glanced at Zhao Fu, who shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"Hmph!" Qian Butong seized the opportunity to back down. "Since Mr. Chen has invoked the Criminal Code, I am not an unreasonable person. Very well, for today we will only seal the shop and not arrest anyone. However, the shop must be sealed off, and all goods and ledgers must be kept for inspection! Mr. Lu, you should also go to the county government office immediately and explain this matter clearly! If it is found that this did not happen, your innocence will naturally be restored; if there is evidence... hmph, don't blame the law for being merciless!"

After saying that, he glared fiercely at Lu Wenyuan and Chen Wang, then turned and left with his men. Before leaving, Zhao Fu turned back and gave Lu Chenzhou a meaningful and malicious smile.

The crowd gradually dispersed, but the oppressive atmosphere and whispers lingered.

Lu Wenyuan reassured the shopkeeper and his staff, then told them to go home and wait for news.

"Father..." Lu Chenzhou looked at the glaring seal, both angry and anxious.

Lu Wenyuan didn't answer immediately, but silently stared at the sealed shop sign, his gaze as deep as an ancient well. After a long while, he slowly exhaled, his voice low and weary: "Zhou'er, let's go home first."

He then turned to Chen Wang and bowed deeply: "Thank you for speaking up for justice today, sir."

Chen Wang supported him, his face showing no joy, only deeper worry: "Wenyuan, this is not a long-term solution. Closing the shop is just the beginning, a test. If they can fabricate charges of smuggling salt, they can fabricate even more terrible charges next time. You... must make plans soon."

Lu Wenyuan nodded heavily.

On the way back to the mansion, the setting sun cast long shadows of the three of them. Lu Chenzhou followed behind his father and teacher, watching their slightly hunched backs, and for the first time felt so clearly that the seemingly stable Lu family ship had already sailed into a stormy sea.

Liu Rusi's vicious prophecy, like a curse, began to buzz in his ears.

---

"Oh……"

In the cold night wind of Zhongnan Mountain, Lu Chenzhou suddenly let out a very low laugh. The laugh was dry and emotionless, like a withered leaf being crushed.

He raised his hand, looking at his palm. The new wound on the tiger's mouth overlapped with the old scar, gleaming darkly in the moonlight. These hands, just two years ago, had only held pens, turned pages of books, and fiddled with the unsharpened swords and spears in the martial arts school.

What now?

He slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking slightly. Power coursed beneath his muscles, cold and formidable, carrying the unsettling sharpness unique to the Azure Nether Sword Qi.

Is it enough to split Zhao Wanshan's neck?

That should be enough.

He loosened his grip, and the faded red string on his wrist slid down, resting against his cold skin. The last vestige of warmth that Jiang Wan had felt when she tied it was completely gone. Now, it was just an object, a reminder, an…anchor?

He closed his eyes, trying to salvage a bit of "anger" or "sorrow" from the ruins of his memory. For that afternoon two years ago, for the shop that was shut down, for his father who, in the sunset, cast a long shadow and aged instantly.

No.

My heart felt empty, with only the eternal sound of the waterfall and the endless, cold, dull pain deep in my bones.

Lu Jinghong's words, like a leech, echoed in my ears:

"Three months...taste..."

"Six months...relationships..."

"A year...forgetting 'love'..."

The price. That is the price of power.

He suddenly recalled the desolate wasteland in his heart when he raised the wooden sword for the nine thousand three hundredth time. In the center of that wasteland, was the cluster of embers called "hatred" also being devoured bit by bit by this cold sword energy, eventually turning into utter nothingness?

Will he still be Lu Chenzhou by then?

Or... is it just a humanoid scabbard for the Azure Sword?

The mournful cry of an owl shattered the silence of the valley.

Lu Chenzhou opened his eyes, his gaze blank, with only the dark red sword mark glowing faintly in the moonlight.

He leaned against the rocks and slowly stood up. His soaked trousers clung to his legs, heavy and cold. He glanced in the direction of Lu Jinghong's hut, then looked down at the boundless, dark, and desolate mountains below.

Then, he turned around, dragging his stiff and aching body, and walked step by step back down to the bottom of the waterfall.

The wooden sword is still stuck in the crack of the stone by the stream.

He gripped the sword hilt; it was cold and rough.

Lunge. Lower your waist.

The sword tip was plunged once more into that roaring, ceaseless white torrent.

Beginning the 9302nd time.

The roar of the water drowned out everything else.

It also overshadowed the hollow heartbeat in the boy's chest, which was gradually cooling, stiffening, and heading towards "inhumanity."