My martial arts skill bar can be infinitely merged.

9. Urgency

"Father, Second Uncle."

Lu Feng greeted them naturally; both of them had saved his life and were incredibly kind to him.

"I'm back."

The one who said this was Lu Chen, the father who, in his memory, hadn't shown him much kindness. Now, his expression was one of relief, and his tone softened.

"You did a good job yesterday. I wasn't home, so you were calm and patient. It was the right thing to do to wait at home. Seeing you like this now, I'm relieved."

He also didn't like to yell at his son. In Cangwu County, boys were all treasures, especially since Lu Feng was an only child.

The reason for his strictness was that Lu Chen had read many classic texts and his views on things were far superior to those of the illiterate people in the outer city.

How should people change to make the future better?

Lu Feng is a hard worker, and he didn't have to be driven back by his old friend. He has the ability to stand on his own two feet. Last night, he encountered an emergency, but he made his own judgment, which will help him avoid being taken advantage of when dealing with people.

Feeling a little uncomfortable with his father's praise, Lu Feng asked a question to change the subject.

"The constables who came told us about your involvement in the operation to suppress the night ghosts. I'm still very worried about you. If we hadn't stopped you, you would have run to the county government office long ago."

Hearing this, Lu Chen felt a little embarrassed. If he really went to the county government office to make a scene, he would probably lose all face.

Lu Feng's second uncle, Lu Zhou, laughed heartily and answered Lu Feng's question first.

"Xiao Feng, your father really showed off yesterday! He outsmarted the villains' scheme and helped the county magistrate catch the so-called 'night ghost' who was causing trouble for those nobles in the inner city!"

Lu Zhou paused for a moment, seemingly recalling something, then hummed merrily twice, his expression ambiguous, before continuing.

"The Night Demon has been caught, but it wasn't a real ghost; it was a notorious thief from out of town! The county lost many people trying to catch him, and these positions are highly coveted."

Lu Zhou emphasized the last sentence: "We lost manpower."

Now it was Lu Feng's turn to be disappointed. He really thought that if the county government killed the Night Demon and his father had done a good deed, he would have to go see the dead Night Demon even if he got beaten up, and he might even gain a considerable amount of martial arts points.

But the second half of what he said completely ruined his mood.

And what does the loss of manpower have to do with him? Is it so easy to eat the food of an official?

If it's easy to eat, it won't kill anyone.

Perhaps the second uncle considered that his father had made a name for himself in the higher-ups, and that he might receive preferential treatment in the future. But in essence, this was just a competition to see who was luckier and wouldn't be eaten by the night ghosts.

It requires luck.

He preferred to work at the pork shop, collecting points by taking advantage of the lurking night ghosts, because it was safer.

Seeing that Lu Feng remained silent, Lu Zhou, the second uncle, felt a little embarrassed, but he immediately changed the subject and started talking about his own affairs.

"I've become the captain of the Pang family's guards, currently in charge of the Pang family's shops in the western part of the eastern city. Xiao Feng, would you like to come with me and become a guard?"

He really wanted to find a better path for his nephew.

Lu Feng thought about how his second uncle often didn't come back until late at night, and how his guard duties certainly didn't allow him much freedom, and how collecting martial arts points would take time.

Once the butcher shop is closed, there's plenty of time.

"No, Second Uncle, I'd better learn the skill first, after all, it's hard to explain to Uncle Zhang."

Seeing his nephew shake his head, Lu Zhou tacitly refrained from mentioning it again. Since he had found something he wanted to do, it was a good thing.

Lu Chen stood up and waved his sleeve: "Let's have dinner first. Everyone has work to do tomorrow, so let's leave it at that for now. Second brother, you also need to be careful. The night ghosts in the inner city are gone, but the night ghosts in the outer city are still there. I also need to think of a way to temporarily get our two families into the inner city."

Lu Zhou nodded in agreement and stood up as well: "Brother is right. I also need to get the money as soon as possible. Once I have enough, I'll immediately go to the inner city to buy property!"

Instead of being complacent about their achievements, the two were even more eager to move into the inner city.

Tonight's dinner was far too lavish in Lu Feng's eyes: braised beef, roast goose, poached chicken, and fried vegetables. There were at least three main meat dishes, making a total of seven or eight dishes.

The rice was steamed until it was snow-white and had a soft, sticky texture. With the soup, Lu Feng ate three large bowls.

After the meal was finished, it got completely dark.

The night passed, and the sun rose as usual.

Lu Feng headed to the butcher shop, having deliberately taken a different route today in order to meet more different people and see if he could find a talent possessor.

Unfortunately, they didn't encounter another talented person along the way until they arrived at the shop.

On the donkey cart parked on the bluestone road, there were only two large black pigs, and Zhang Dayou's face turned completely gloomy.

Lu Feng arrived just in time. Of the other two people in the shop, only Luo Mu had come. This mediocre man was clenching his fists and glaring angrily at the old man pulling the cart.

He naturally walked over to Zhang Dayou's side, waiting to see what would happen next.

The old man, holding a whip in his hand and leaning against the cart shaft, became impatient when he saw that no one was moving. He flicked the soft whip he used to drive the donkey with a contemptuous tone.

"Shopkeeper Zhang, do you want this pig? If not, I'll give it to the next shop. A new shop has opened to the west, and they're offering even lower prices."

The old man must be from the Li family to dare to speak in such a tone.

"You old scoundrel, come on, drag it away, hurry up and drag it away. We'll say we didn't receive the pig and make you pay us back, we'll make you pay until you're bankrupt!"

Luo Mu rolled up his sleeves; his physique, honed from years of slaughtering pigs, was no match for this obviously old man—it was a matter of a single slap.

Seeing that he couldn't control the other party and might even suffer a loss, the old man instantly turned his contempt into flattery. Who knew that the other party wouldn't fall for his act and seemed to be turning his anger on him, a mere deliveryman.

If you can't afford to mess with them, just admit defeat.

"Sir, you're amazing. Just pick up the goods. Why are you arguing with an old man like me?"

Zhang Dayou spoke up from behind, stopping a potential argument from taking place.

"Move! Business has to be done today."

Lu Feng immediately took action, stepping past Zhang Dayou and stopping behind the donkey cart. He then picked up the lean black pig he had chosen earlier.

With arms outstretched, it was not too difficult to lift it up, but due to its height, it could only barely leave the ground.

This display of strength surprised Zhang Dayou, and Luo Mu was completely stunned.

Live pigs aren't inanimate objects; they can move and struggle. This Lu family boy doesn't look strong, so how can he be so powerful?

Zhang Dayou followed closely behind and pulled down another pig.

Luo Mu watched the two men enter the shop, his hands empty, realizing he hadn't done any work. He glared at the old man before returning to the shop.

Li Laowu did not appear in the backyard of the shop, not even after the pig was slaughtered and the meat was divided.

Lu Feng found it strange. Usually, Li Laowu was honest and didn't talk much. He was simple-minded and worked very hard. He was usually the first to arrive. Today was very unusual.

Because there was less meat today, it sold much faster than usual. The work was completely finished before noon.

After finishing his work, Zhang Dayou left the shop after telling Li Laowu to check on him.

Lu Feng started standing behind the chopping board, shooing away flies and cutting and weighing meat. The sound of sharpening knives echoed from the backyard again. There were many knives for slaughtering pigs, and it would take a long time to sharpen just one a day.

Around noon, Zhang Dayou returned, bringing with him a statement that left everyone speechless for a long time.

"The entire Li family has been wiped out; it's suspected to be the work of a night ghost."

Luo Mu looked terrified, while Lu Feng fell silent.

The calamity caused by the ghosts at night was so severe in the outer city that people around me started dying.

Upon realizing this, Lu Feng, who had thought he could relax after suppressing the cold aura of Willow Lake, suddenly became vigilant.

When I go back in the evening, I'll go to Li Laowu's house first!