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On the second day, a shocking news erupted in Zhao County, centered around Qinghe Town— the entire family of the Rice Shop Owner, thirteen members in total, along with seven members of Liu Manager's family and eight guards from the Rice Shop, totaling twenty-eight people, were all murdered overnight. As soon as the news broke, it spread like wildfire throughout Zhao County and even to the surrounding towns. The heads of the twenty-eight victims were neatly hung at the entrance of the Rice Shop, one head in particular had its eyes cruelly gouged out; it belonged to Liu Manager. In the kitchen of the Rice Shop's inner courtyard, a body was found floating in a pot of oil, unmistakably that of the Rice Shop Owner.
At that moment, Sun Wukong, who had just awakened at Buddha's Palm Mountain, opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "This kid has a good heart, but I wonder when he became so ruthless. To me, this scene seems trivial; back when I caused havoc in Heaven, I didn't know how many heavenly soldiers I smashed into meat paste with a single swing of my staff. But this kid has a heavy killing intent; if he continues to wipe out entire families so easily, who knows what chaos he could unleash in this world once he grows stronger. Yet for someone so young to have such cunning—after learning from his previous beating, he can endure what others cannot and resorts to assassination when he can't win openly. If anyone crosses him in the future, they might not even know how they died. Taking him as my disciple means I won't have to worry about him dying prematurely during his growth; it's a worthwhile investment."
As noon approached, a convoy of bullock carts appeared at the entrance of the Rice Shop in Qinghe Town, led by a boy who looked no older than ten—Zhao Yang.
Last night, Zhao Yang had returned home with his frightened mother and injured father just in time to witness the enormous wild boar being cooked. In Zhao Yang's yard, there were three large pots brought by villagers who had come to help. Since Zhao Yang had promised them benefits, everyone rushed forward to greet him warmly as he supported his injured father, Zhao Tianlang. Each person could eat their fill of meat and take home five pounds of pork on the condition that they helped skin and stew the pig. In these times, such good fortune was rare; initially, the villagers were worried, but after hearing Li San embellish Zhao Yang's "abilities," they felt reassured. Furthermore, when Zhao Yang was seen carrying the wild boar through the village by several gossiping villagers that evening, word spread quickly about his legendary exploits, dubbing him "born with divine strength" and "the reincarnation of a celestial being."
Zhao Yang felt immensely proud inside. He had initially intended for Li San to find some people to help slaughter a pig to spare his parents from hardship but unexpectedly received this surprising outcome instead. After distributing the wild boar among all those who came, there was barely fifty pounds left. Although he felt a bit pained by this loss, he seized the opportunity to inform the villagers that they would go together to pull rice from the Rice Shop tomorrow—those with oxen would contribute oxen and those with carts would contribute carts; those without either would still join in. Every participating household would receive a bag of white rice. This promise astonished the simple villagers; given that harvests had been increasingly poor over recent years, a bag of white rice could feed each household for half a year. Normally they used only half a bowl of white rice for porridge and relied on wild vegetables gathered from the mountains for the rest. Thus, when they heard Zhao Yang's promise of a bag of rice for every family, their joy only deepened their belief that Zhao Yang would become an extraordinary figure in the future.
After receiving their share of wild boar meat and returning home, Zhao Yang explained everything to his somewhat dazed parents. He told them that he had found an incredible master on the back mountain but that his master did not wish to reveal his name; this eased Zhao Tianlang and He Qing's worries.
Once his family fell asleep, Zhao Yang quietly got up and set out to execute his plan for revenge. Although he still couldn't feel his cultivation fully restored, he knew that the True Qi injected into his Dantian by the legendary Monkey King was extraordinary—far purer than any True Qi he had cultivated before. Therefore, dealing with ordinary people posed no challenge for him; even those eight capable guards wouldn't withstand a single strike from him.
He vividly remembered Liu Manager's terrified expression before death as he knelt on the ground begging for mercy. Zhao Yang merely replied calmly, "I told you long ago that you wouldn't see tomorrow's sun." With that said, he swiftly severed Liu Manager's head and gouged out his eyes.
In truth, with Zhao Yang's current abilities, he could have easily killed everyone at the Rice Shop when his parents were humiliated. However, he understood that framing his father for stealing rice was not so simple; it was likely orchestrated by their own Zhao Family since nearly all businesses in Zhao County were monopolized by them. His suspicions were confirmed when Liu Manager revealed before dying that it was indeed Zhao Family pulling strings behind the scenes.
Zhao Yang knew that with Zhao Family's power, it would be too easy for them to eliminate his family. Their intention was clear: they wanted to push his father into desperation so that he would die humiliated before his family—a fate more painful than anything for an educated man.
As constables processed the scene in front of the Rice Shop and noticed a convoy of bullock carts stopping at its entrance, they assumed they were there to buy rice and shouted sternly: "Get out! Can't you see what's happening here? Don't obstruct us while we carry out our duties!"
Zhao Yang raised a document high and declared: "Yesterday I made an agreement with Rice Shop Owner and Liu Manager to collect one hundred bags of rice today! It is clearly stated that under no circumstances should there be any delay—even if they are dead! It's written in black and white with signatures!"
As soon as Zhao Yang finished speaking, the crowd surrounding him finally realized that he was the same child who had saved his parents in front of the Rice Shop yesterday and had boldly wagered with the Rice Shop Owner. Someone immediately gasped in surprise. Zhao Yang glared at the onlookers, causing a few timid individuals to shrink back in fear, worried that he might remember their faces. There is an old saying that goes, "The King of Hell is easy to deal with, but little ghosts are hard to handle," which means that little ghosts hold grudges and will seek revenge. This boy had declared last night that the people from the Rice Shop would not survive until morning, and they were indeed killed that very night. Even if their deaths were not directly caused by this child, they feared being implicated. Furthermore, even if there was no connection, the fact that he could determine life and death with a single word made him someone ordinary folks should not provoke.
The Constables investigating the case listened to the crowd's words and realized that this boy was the instigator. A young Constable asked Zhao Yang sternly, "Is what they said true? Did you wager with the people from the Rice Shop last night?"
Zhao Yang nodded and replied, "That would be me."
"Hmph! So you had them killed? Who are your parents? What are their names? Speak up!"
Before the young Constable could finish his sentence, Zhao Yang interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "Listen here, Officer, there's no need for your official talk in front of me. Look at me—a mere child! I wouldn't dare kill anyone, let alone a pig." He glanced meaningfully at the villagers behind him and smiled knowingly. "Besides, my family is just an ordinary village household. My parents are honest farmers—truly genuine proletarian laborers. Do you think I would hire someone to kill these strong men skilled in martial arts? Would I recruit these defenseless villagers?"
The Constable, enraged by Zhao Yang's words, shouted, "I say you're guilty, so you're guilty! And those accomplices behind you—dare to run away and you'll face even more charges! Why don't you all surrender?"
The villagers behind Zhao Yang had never witnessed such a scene and trembled in fear at the Constable's words.
Zhao Yang laughed heartily. "Good! Very good! You're quite impressive. If I can't get my hundred bags of rice today, I'll wager with you—betting that you won't see tomorrow's sun!"
"You’re seeking death!" The young Constable roared in fury and was about to strike.
"You’re the one seeking death!" With a loud slap, the young Constable was sent flying three to five meters away, blood trickling from his mouth and half of his face swelling up with five clear handprints appearing on it. However, it was not Zhao Yang who struck him but a middle-aged man dressed in similar Constable attire who emerged from the Rice Shop. He looked scruffy and appeared to be over forty.
After sending the Young Constable flying with a single slap, this Constable did not even glance at him but instead cupped his fists towards Zhao Yang and said, "Young brother, I am Yang Quanyong, the head Constable of Zhao County. When I was young, I studied Taoism for two years under my master, who is a disciple of the Zhongzhou Cultivation Sect’s Dragon Seeking Gate. My subordinate just now acted foolishly; please do not hold it against you."
Zhao Yang nodded in understanding and said, "You're quite clever; you know your place. Since your master and I are fellow practitioners, I'll give him some face. However, your subordinate wasted my precious cultivation time; you'll have to take care of loading those bags of rice onto the cart."
When Yang the Head Constable heard Zhao Yang's words, he thought to himself, "Fortunately, I didn't guess wrong; it was a close call." He quickly replied, "Of course, I apologize for taking up your time, young brother. I'll have my men move the rice to your cart right away."
The young Constable who had been slapped away by Yang the Head Constable was both angry and shocked. He was angry that the usually fair and impartial Yang the Head Constable would help a criminal against his own men, and shocked that he had never seen Yang speak so lowly to anyone before; even the County Magistrate was wary of him. Gritting his teeth, he confronted Yang the Head Constable, saying, "Brother Yang, you often teach us to uphold the law impartially and without bias, but why are you helping..."
With a loud bang, Yang the Head Constable threw a punch, knocking the Young Constable unconscious on the ground. He turned to Zhao Yang awkwardly and said, "My subordinate is still half asleep; let him rest a bit longer. As for that bet, what do you think we should do?"
Zhao Yang chuckled inwardly, thinking, "If it came to blows, I might not be able to take this guy down anyway. It seems that putting on a show has its deterrent effect." With that thought in mind, he couldn't help but smile broadly and said, "Since you are willing to give me face, I won't stoop to the level of some blind fools. However, while death may be avoided, punishment cannot be escaped. If someone acts recklessly and tries to arrest people without reason, then we must cut off one of his hands. This matter is non-negotiable; that's how it will be."
After giving his orders and handling various matters appropriately, Zhao Yang led a group from the village back with one hundred bags of rice.
Once Zhao Yang left, the other Constables finally dared to ask Yang the Head Constable what was going on. "Brother Yang, what exactly is happening? Who is that guy?"
Yang the Head Constable dismissed the onlookers with a sigh and said, "You have no idea what kind of people are involved here. It's very likely that he is connected to the true rulers of Zhao County. Although I don't know how he relates to the Zhao Family or how much truth there is in what he says, his fearless demeanor indicates that he has some backing. Moreover, I can tell you clearly that all twenty-eight victims were killed by him; the wounds on their bodies show signs of being inflicted by a child's hand."
"But Brother Yang," one Constable interjected, "that guy said he would cut off Old Seven's hand..."
"It must be done," Yang replied firmly. "Unless Old Seven is willing to leave Zhao County, given that little demon's temperament, he might end up killing Old Seven's entire family. We must administer justice fairly but also protect ourselves; if we can't even safeguard our own lives, what justice can we talk about? You have no idea about the methods of Cultivators. When I was fifteen years old, I learned basic breathing techniques from my master for just two years and became invincible in Zhao County. Imagine what true practitioners can do! To tell you the truth—though it may frighten you—those twenty-eight heads were all twisted off by him with his bare hands!"
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