"Master."

Inside Huichun Hall.

Elder Wu, who was in the middle of writing a prescription, subconsciously looked up when he heard the voice.

When he saw the young man at the door grinning at him, the small, old man froze for a moment. Then, a hint of warmth flashed across his gaunt, stern face.

After nodding at the young man, he returned to his work.

He finished writing the prescription and handed it to the old woman waiting before him. With a calm expression, he said, "Go to the front to get the medicine. Take it according to the prescription for ten days, one bowl a day. Come back to see me in ten days."

The old woman hurriedly said, "Thank you, thank you..."

Elder Wu waved his hand, and the old woman left gratefully.

Only then did Elder Wu look at the young man at the door. "What brings you here today? Is the Government Office not busy?"

The young man smiled. "No matter how busy I am, I still have to come see you, Master..."

He walked over as he spoke, lifting the things in his hand. "Heh heh, I brought some good food. It’s been a while since we’ve had a drink, the two of us. Look, beef from the Huang Family, Qianqiu Drunk from the Ji Family... it cost your apprentice—me—several taels of silver!"

He placed the items on the table as he spoke.

"Master, please, take a seat!~"

The young man deftly arranged the food and wine, then grinned and invited Elder Wu to sit.

Elder Wu shook his head but sat down anyway. The young man quickly filled Elder Wu’s cup, poured one for himself, and then sat in the lower seat.

"Master, cheers!~" The young man held his cup with both hands.

Elder Wu raised his cup. The young man quickly clinked his cup lightly against his master’s before downing the wine in one gulp.

"Good wine!~"

he exclaimed.

The Ji Family’s Qianqiu Drunk was considered the most famous wine in True Martial.

Elder Wu smacked his lips, a look of enjoyment crossing his face. He glanced at the young man. "The Qianqiu Drunk is good, but you probably went more for the proprietress, didn’t you, kid?"

The proprietress of the Ji Family was a widow... and a famously beautiful one in True Martial.

The young man’s face immediately flushed red at the comment. "What are you talking about, Master... That’s not it at all!"

"Master, hurry and try some. It’s freshly cut."

The young man eagerly changed the subject, handing over the prepared bowl and chopsticks with both hands. Elder Wu shot him a look. "If you’re really interested in her, I could go and have a word..."

"No, no, no, Master, please spare me."

The young man shook his head frantically.

Seeing his disciple’s reaction, Elder Wu sighed. "You’re not young anymore, kid. You should have someone by your side to care for you..."

"Master!!!"

Seeing his disciple was genuinely flustered, Elder Wu looked at him, rolled his eyes, but ultimately didn’t press the matter. He took the chopsticks, picked up a piece of beef, and chewed on it, nodding slightly.

"It’s good, right?"

The young man quickly asked with a grin.

Elder Wu swallowed the beef, looked at the young man, and then said, "Alright, kid. You’re here for something, aren’t you?"

The young man paused, then gave a goofy smile. "Is there anything you don’t see right through? There is something..."

"Speak." Elder Wu looked at his disciple.

The young man sighed, a helpless look on his face. "Master, that matter you asked me to handle last time... it’s looking a bit difficult right now."

’The matter from last time?’

Elder Wu froze for a second, then his brows knitted. "What happened?"

The young man had no choice but to explain everything from the beginning.

He finished with a sigh of resignation. "As you know, An Changyu and I haven’t gotten along for a long time. Now that he’s been transferred to the Household Department, he’s intentionally obstructing things, and there’s not much I can do... The County Magistrate is also too preoccupied with the fugitive rebel incident to help... so..."

Hearing his disciple’s words, Elder Wu’s brow furrowed deeply. He was silent for a long while before asking, "So what do we do now?"

"Even if I were willing to swallow my pride and go directly to An Changyu, it would be useless. That man is petty and holds a grudge over the smallest things. He won’t let what happened last time go so easily... So right now, the only way is to wait."

Zhou Xing said helplessly, "We wait and see how things develop. If Master Yang can get through this crisis safely, then everything will be simple. It would just take a word from him... Otherwise, we’ll have to wait for the new County Magistrate to arrive and see if we can figure something out then."

Elder Wu’s brow furrowed even tighter.

"Can we afford to wait?" he asked after a pause.

"It shouldn’t be a big problem."

Zhou Xing said seriously, "The fugitives have been suppressed. The officials from above might arrive in the next few days... But the situation in True Martial is chaotic right now, so they probably won’t conduct a large-scale investigation anytime soon... Who knows how long it will take for the dust to truly settle... By then, it shouldn’t be an issue."

Hearing this, Elder Wu didn’t say anything more. As he was about to finish the wine in his cup, Zhou Xing quickly refilled it.

"Master... who exactly is this Qin Fang? Why are you so concerned about him?"

Zhou Xing asked tentatively.

Although Elder Wu had asked for his help, the old man never liked to explain things. So, despite agreeing to help, he still didn’t know who this Qin Fang, the owner of the identity papers, actually was.

Elder Wu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head. "I’ll tell you later."

He didn’t know how to introduce him either.

After all, Qin Fang was still just a Registered Disciple for now.

He was still hesitating and observing, deciding whether to truly accept him as a formal disciple.

Seeing that Elder Wu was unwilling to say more, Zhou Xing, though curious, didn’t press further. He started making small talk with the old man as they drank.

He did most of the talking.

As they chatted, the conversation turned to today’s case...

"...the killer isn’t even a Martial Artist. He relied on Darts to kill eight people in one night... Three of them were killed inside Lan Gui Fang. In the end, he most likely escaped using a self-injury ploy..."

Elder Wu’s hand, which was raising his cup, suddenly stopped. He cut Zhou Xing off.

"Who did you say died?"

Zhou Xing was taken aback for a moment, then answered truthfully, "Wang Long of the Iron Tiger Gang... Wang Hu’s older brother, along with a few of his ruffians, his mistress, and a degenerate gambler named Bald Li..."

Elder Wu’s eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of silence, he asked, "The killer doesn’t know martial arts and used Darts?... How did you determine he doesn’t know martial arts?"

"He climbed over the adjacent courtyard wall to get into Wang Long’s yard. He even fell when he landed, leaving marks near the base of the wall... Someone who knows martial arts couldn’t possibly be that clumsy."

Zhou Xing said.

Elder Wu’s expression shifted slightly, a glint in his eyes.

Zhou Xing noticed Elder Wu’s expression and suddenly froze. He asked in a low voice, "Master... you don’t... you don’t know who the killer is, do you?"

Elder Wu snapped back to his senses, then frowned and drank his wine. "How would I know?"

Zhou Xing stared at Elder Wu. Elder Wu’s brow twitched. "Hm? Kid, are you starting to suspect your own master?"

"Uh... no, no..." Zhou Xing faltered and quickly said, "How would I dare? You’re overthinking it, Master... Drink up, drink up..."

Elder Wu ignored him and went back to eating and drinking on his own.

After he had eaten and drunk his fill, Elder Wu put down his chopsticks. "Alright, I understand the situation. Just keep an eye on it... and do your best to get it done."

"Uh, okay."

"If there’s nothing else, go get back to your business... I still have a pile of things to do here."

Elder Wu waved his hand, dismissing him.

"Alright... Well then, Master, I’ll be going. I’ll come see you again in a couple of days."

Zhou Xing stood up.

"Mm, go on, go on."

Elder Wu waved his hand.

Zhou Xing bowed again, cleared the leftovers from the table, and then took his leave.

After leaving, Zhou Xing’s brow furrowed tightly.

His eyes glinted faintly.

’Even though Master vehemently denied and tried to hide it, my professional intuition tells me... he might actually know the killer.’

He pursed his lips and remained silent for a short while. He glanced back at Huichun Hall, then finally walked away with heavy steps.

Meanwhile, after Zhou Xing left, Elder Wu’s expression also changed.

After a moment of flickering light in his eyes, he stood up, left Huichun Hall, and headed toward Yangjiao Alley.