Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 57: The Note’s Content

GASP... GASP... GASP...

Cheng Zongyang gasped for air. He hadn’t expected the effects of these three Body Forging sessions to be so dramatic!

His Power had increased by at least three hundred jin!

’Looks like I was right.’

Cheng Zongyang calculated inwardly:

’After becoming an Entry Grade Martial Artist at the Ninth Grade Skin Grinding Realm, the maximum Power increase is up to five hundred jin! But I’m different. Once I become a true Martial Artist, with my body’s inherent quality plus the Martial Arts boost, my Power limit should be around a thousand jin! That’s equivalent to the maximum Power of an Eighth Grade Martial Artist!’

Visible progress was the greatest motivation!

He summoned his personal interface.

——

Name: Cheng Zongyang

Age: 15

Points: 257

Equipment: Ironwood Bow; Refined Long Blade;

Skill: Archery (11401/20000, Specialization)

Martial Arts: Body Refining Skill (60/100, Uninitiated)

——

’Forty more points, two more days!’ Cheng Zongyang clenched his fist, full of anticipation!

When Cheng Zongyang emerged from the Wilderness World, the moon was already starting to set in the west.

Although it was still a long time until the city gates opened, he had to keep watch.

He squatted in a hollow, periodically swatting away mosquitoes and frowning as he tried to breathe less frequently.

This was mainly because a faint stench of corpses drifted on the wind.

’I know full well that in this weather, even a freshly dead body will start to smell by the second day,’ he thought.

’In this blistering heat, if a body is left out in the sun, the stench will become overwhelming in less than three days.’

’It’s said that a great disaster is always followed by a great plague. If this situation continues, an epidemic is probably inevitable!’

Worry began to gnaw at him again.

If they didn’t move, he was afraid the refugees would attack from time to time.

No matter how strong he became, he couldn’t fend off an assault by dozens or even hundreds of people on his home.

But if they moved, he now had to worry about a potential plague.

"This damn world. When will it ever be stable?" Cheng Zongyang cursed, deeply missing the peaceful homeland of his previous life.

He might have been a little poor, but everything else had been good.

Suddenly, the idea of heading into the mountains to build a home popped into his mind.

’We wouldn’t have to fear refugee riots, and I could develop the family’s strength in secret,’ he thought.

’If we run out of money, I can just hunt or gather mountain goods to sell in town. It’d be perfect.’

’No matter what, we’d never sink to the level of refugees and beggars.’

Watching the refugees pass by sporadically like walking corpses, he was suddenly reminded of what had happened in the County Town today.

’That’s right, those two refugees who were captured today...’

He glanced around, and seeing that no one else was passing by, he entered the Wilderness World again.

When he reappeared a moment later, a flattened slip of paper was in his hand.

By the faint moonlight, he slowly unrolled the paper. It was about a finger wide and a palm long.

He squinted, making out the characters written on it. There were quite a few.

——

My Lord, your subordinate has investigated the matter of the two stolen shipments of Official Grain. It was a conspiracy between four families in Jade Peak County: the Zhao, Wang, Ma, and Fan. County Magistrate Chang is in league with them. The four families are preparing to incite the refugees. I pray that you, Lord Prefect, will investigate this clearly and make preparations soon!

——

After reading the short message, Cheng Zongyang’s expression instantly turned grim.

’Seems I’ve stumbled upon something big.’

No wonder those two had been disguised as refugees and were fleeing for their lives. If they were discovered and caught, it meant certain death.

Based on the situation at the time, he could roughly piece together what had happened.

’Two Government Office personnel disguised as refugees were secretly investigating the stolen grain. They found out what was going on and were preparing to send a message by carrier pigeon or something similar. But before they could send it, they were discovered and had to flee for their lives...’

’I don’t know if that’s exactly how it went, but it must be close.’

After a moment’s thought, Cheng Zongyang crumpled the note into a small ball and tossed it away behind him. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

’Those two must have wanted me to get this note out, huh?’

’Sorry, but I can’t help you.’

’I’d have to be an idiot to get involved in something that concerns the four great families of Jade Peak County, the County Magistrate, and the Prefect.’

’Still, he was curious. When was this second shipment of grain stolen? And what were the four families trying to do by inciting the refugees?’

’Rebel?’

’Or seize the County Town and declare themselves kings of their own territory?’

But since the Prefect had sent people to investigate the stolen grain, he wondered, why didn’t he send Martial Artists?

If they had been Martial Artists, they wouldn’t have failed and been captured, would they?

All sorts of thoughts swirled in Cheng Zongyang’s mind, but his mood was undoubtedly heavy.

This was not good news for him.

He had been planning to kill Jin Fugui and the others, then move his entire family to the County Town.

But now, the situation felt very wrong. He had to be careful, lest he walk into a trap he couldn’t get out of.

He wasn’t just responsible for himself, but for his whole family. He had to consider everything.

As the sky grew darker and darker, Cheng Zongyang knew that dawn was approaching.

The sky is always darkest just before the dawn.

RUSTLE... RUSTLE... RUSTLE...

Suddenly, he heard a sound different from the soft, shuffling footsteps of the refugees.

These footsteps were hurried and forceful—definitely not those of a refugee.

He held a clump of long-dead wild grass over his head and peeked out to observe.

But the sky was too dark; he couldn’t clearly see who was coming.

After a moment’s thought, he pulled his head back, took a strip of cloth from his robes to wrap around his face, left his Bow and Arrow, and grabbed his Firewood Knife.

’If I can’t see, I’ll just have to ask!’

After waiting quietly for a moment, as the footsteps drew near, Cheng Zongyang suddenly burst out of the ditch.

"Halt—!"

"AHH—"

The traveler was so startled he yelped, his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground. He nearly jumped out of his skin!

Cheng Zongyang was also startled by the other’s scream, but he quickly composed himself and barked in a low voice:

"Shout again and I’ll gut you! Hand over everything you have!"

Jin Yongkang, who had nearly been scared to death, quickly choked back his terrified screams. With a tear-streaked face and a quavering, panicked voice, he replied:

"I... I don’t have anything. I’m just going to the county town to find someone. I didn’t... didn’t bring anything. You can search me if you don’t believe me."

Hearing the collapsed man say he was going to the county town to find someone, Cheng Zongyang thought to himself, ’This must be one of the Jin Family.’

But from the tearful voice, he couldn’t tell who it was. It’s not like he had nothing better to do than memorize the voices of everyone in the Jin Family.

"What bad luck! Another broke bastard!"

Cheng Zongyang cursed theatrically, but in the next second, he walked over and pressed his knife to the man’s neck. As the man froze in terror, he spoke first:

"You might not have anything now, but that doesn’t mean you won’t later! Tell me, what village are you from? What’s your name?"

Jin Yongkang trembled like a leaf in the wind, his face pale, his heart about to leap out of his throat. Feeling the cold steel at his neck, his breathing grew ragged. He opened and closed his mouth but couldn’t manage to utter a single word.

Seeing the man tongue-tied with fear, Cheng Zongyang frowned.

’Did I overdo it?’

He lowered his Firewood Knife and said coldly:

"If you don’t speak up, I’m going to lose my patience!"

At that, Jin Yongkang’s body trembled. He scrambled from a sitting position to his knees and began kowtowing, his voice cracking with utter terror as he said:

"I’ll-I’ll-I’ll talk! I’ll talk! Don’t, don’t, don’t kill me! I’m from Golden Bridge Village! My name is Jin Yongkang! I... I... I..."

"Alright, alright! Useless. Get lost!" Cheng Zongyang cut him off with a snort.

As if granted a royal pardon, Jin Yongkang kowtowed several more times in thanks. "Thank you, thank you! I’ll get lost right now..."

Jin Yongkang scrambled and crawled as he fled, stumbling and falling several times with his unsteady footing.