Chapter 42: Death to the Perpetrator (Please follow, bookmark, and vote with monthly tickets and recommendation votes)

The moonlight in the sky was dim and heavy.

The wind fanned the flames, the firelight painting the sky red and reflecting off Su Mu's grim expression.

The chaotic sound of footsteps and the clamorous wails of crying filled the streets and alleys.

The joy brought by achieving Great Success in Skin Tempering was washed away completely by this blaze.

Su Mu did not know if the powerful martial artists of this world could wipe out a fire with a wave of their hands, but he could not do it himself.

He fought desperately to hack down two walls with his saber, barely managing to slow the spread of the fire; this was already the limit of what he could achieve.

By this time, the courtyard he rented had been completely reduced to ruins.

The houses of his neighbors to the left and right had also collapsed from the fire. The owners of those houses were filled with terror, wanting to cry but finding no tears.

Most of the families living in this alley were poor commoners.

For the impoverished, having their house burned down was no different from the sky falling.

They spent their days toiling just to keep themselves fed; how could they have any surplus wealth to rebuild a home?

Without a house, once winter arrived, they would most likely face death from hunger and cold.

The margin for error for the poor was too low; any single natural or man-made disaster could plunge them into eternal ruin.

Su Mu looked at the residual traces of fire oil on the ground. From the very beginning, the arsonist had not cared whether innocent people would be harmed; in fact, to ensure he burned to death, the fire oil had even been splashed into the neighboring courtyards.

Otherwise, the fire would not have spread so quickly.

"Truly unscrupulous," Su Mu muttered to himself. "An open and blatant assassination attempt on a South City Division patrol leader... do they really take me for a soft persimmon?"

A certain emotion in his eyes grew increasingly intense.

*I originally didn't want to cause extra trouble; I just wanted to live peacefully for a few days before heading to the Inner City. Since you won't let me live in peace, then no one shall have peace!*

"Stop crying."

Su Mu walked up to the neighbor sitting on the ground wailing and pulled two silver ingots from his person, pressing them into their hands.

Fortunately, he hadn't forgotten to bring his money bag when he escaped the fire.

The silver in the bag had been exchanged from the banknotes left by Steward Xu last time.

Su Mu had spent nearly half of it over these past few days, leaving him with a little over two hundred taels.

After distributing silver to the affected neighbors according to the extent of their losses, Su Mu saw a familiar face.

Liu Hongyu stood before Su Mu, looking somewhat awkward, her index fingers constantly twisting the corner of her clothes.

"Miss Liu, my apologies."

Su Mu connected this nervous, awkward girl with the proud girl who had previously demanded he serve as a constable; he wondered if she had found a partner who met her standards.

The courtyard Su Mu rented originally belonged to the cook, Liu Hai. After Liu Hai's family perished, Liu Hongyu, as Liu Hai's only niece, inherited the courtyard.

Su Mu handed the two silver ingots to Liu Hongyu.

Fifty taels was more than enough to compensate for this small courtyard.

"It's too much..."

By the time Liu Hongyu gripped the two ingots and mustered the courage to speak, Su Mu had already walked away.

Her eyes were filled with loss. If she had agreed to the marriage back when her cousin was still alive, would things be different now?

Instead of this—where that heroic silhouette was a distance she could never again catch up to.

***

Guangfu District, Xu Estate.

The Xu Estate appeared ordinary on the outside, but the interior featured pavilions, towers, and carved beams—only slightly inferior to the manors of the great families in the Inner City.

"Hey, Steward Xu, even if this fire doesn't kill that kid, it'll definitely teach him a lesson so he won't dare act arrogant in front of you again."

A young man dressed as a manservant was reporting to Steward Xu as if seeking credit.

"To dare oppose our Xu family in Guangfu District is simply seeking death!" Steward Xu sneered.

*Bang!*

Just as he finished speaking, a dull thud suddenly rang out, breaking the nighttime silence.

"Which blind fool is it?! If they disturb the Master, how many lives do they have?!"

Steward Xu's face instantly darkened. He gave his sleeve a sharp flick and strode toward the front courtyard where the sound had come from.

The manservants who had just returned from setting the fire followed him one after another, rolling up their sleeves in a sycophantic manner.

When Steward Xu led the group to the main gate of the Xu residence, he immediately saw the broken door bolt and the wide-open gates on the ground.

A youth with a long saber hanging from his waist was just stepping over the threshold of the Xu Estate.

"Su Mu! Are you insane!" Steward Xu shrieked. "Do you know where you are?"

"The South City Division is investigating a case. All bystanders, stand back," Su Mu said calmly, his gaze passing over Steward Xu to land on the several manservants behind him.

Those manservants, who had rolled up their sleeves and were carrying short clubs, were the very same ones he had glimpsed not long ago.

He had originally worried that finding the culprits within the Xu Estate would take some effort, but he hadn't expected to run into the main targets so smoothly.

The Xu family had been riding high in Guangfu District for too long; they acted recklessly and never even thought about covering their tracks.

"Investigating a case at my Xu Estate?" Steward Xu was laughed into anger. "Go back and ask Zhao Ji if he dares to investigate a case at my Xu Estate! You're truly blind! It seems the lesson tonight wasn't enough; you really won't cry until you see the coffin!"

*Thud!*

Before Steward Xu could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, followed by a surge of immense force. His feet left the ground, and he was sent flying backward involuntarily.

"Steward Xu!"

The group of manservants scrambled to catch the flying Steward Xu, but they were knocked askew by the momentum he carried, nearly collapsing into a heap.

"Arson, assault. You are under arrest," Su Mu said, slowly lowering his right foot.

"Bastard!"

Steward Xu felt as if his intestines had been kicked broken. He wiped the corner of his mouth, saw the blood on his hand, and felt like he was going mad.

Though he was merely a steward, he was the steward of the Xu Estate!

Who didn't treat him with utmost respect in daily life? Even the big shots of the South City treated him with courtesy.

When had he ever been beaten like this?

"Beat him to death!" Steward Xu shrieked. "Go! All of you, go! Beat him to death! Don't be afraid, this is the Xu Estate. If you kill him, I'll ensure you're safe!"

The seven or eight manservants exchanged glances, sneers appearing on their faces simultaneously.

They gripped their wooden clubs and surrounded Su Mu.

If they killed a patrol leader, they would have something to brag about in the future.

Looking at the approaching manservants, Su Mu's expression did not change in the slightest; he remained as calm as still water.

"One more charge: attacking an officer," Su Mu said, slowly unsheathing his saber.

"Go! A peasant who hasn't even entered the Skin Tempering stage thinks he can come to the Xu Estate and act wild just because he has a mastered saber technique? You've truly grown a death wish!"

Steward Xu shouted while clutching his abdomen. "I'm telling you, you can't even beat the Xu family's servants! All of you, go! His mediocre saber skills won't hurt you. Beat him to death with your clubs! Kill him, and everyone gets a reward of five taels of silver!"

Upon hearing the mention of silver, the manservants became even more excited.

*Whoosh!*

Several clubs swung in wide arcs, whistling through the air.

Steward Xu was right. Someone who hadn't even entered the Skin Tempering stage, even if they had mastered a saber technique, would certainly not be able to defeat these many years of strong, grown men.

"According to the Great Xuan Code: resisting arrest in public and attacking an officer—the penalty is death," Su Mu proclaimed loudly.

*Shing!*

A flash of white light illuminated everyone's eyes.