Wang Chengwang and Steward Wang looked Chu Qiguang up and down with undisguised hostility in their eyes. In the end, it was Steward Wang who broke the tense silence as he asked, “Who told you that Young Master Wang was wounded by a dog ghost?”

“My master,” Chu Qiguang replied.

“Your master? You've never gone to school, nor have you ever taken on an apprenticeship, so what master are you talking about?” Steward Wang asked coldly.

“My master took me under his wing three years ago, and he instructed me to hide my abilities for three years,” Chu Qiguang explained with a grin. “Now that three years are up, I no longer have to hide anything. Yesterday, my master captured a dog ghost and learned that it wounded the young master of the Wang Clan, so he instructed me to come here to treat him.”

This sounded like complete nonsense to Steward Wang.

He had known Zhou Ergou for over ten years, and he knew that he was just a completely clueless and illiterate boy. People like him were a copper coin a dozen in the Wang Clan Village, and the only future paths for them were to become servants to the Wang Clan, or rent the Wang Clan’s land to farm.

In his eyes, there was no way that he could have some fiend-slaying master, and there was certainly no way that he could treat Wang Cailiang’s condition.

His immediate thought was that Ergou must have somehow heard about what had happened to Wang Cailiang. Knowing that the Wang Clan was afraid of alerting the Daoist temple, he had likely come here to use that as leverage to avoid paying the grain tax.

Hold on a second, how could an idiot like Ergou have possibly come up with all of this? Something’s wrong here!

Steward Wang thought back to Ergou’s arrogant display days earlier. How had he suddenly undergone such a drastic transformation from the timid and naïve child he once was? Someone must have been telling him what to do.

“That is utter nonsense, and you know it, Zhou Ergou!” he snapped. “Who told you about the dog ghost, and who instructed you to come here?”

He glanced at Wang Chengwang out of the corner of his eye as he spoke, and Wang Chengwang’s silence was a clear sign of approval.

Feeling emboldened, Steward Wang continued, “If you don’t confess, then we’ll beat you to death!”

Four male servants immediately surrounded Chu Qiguang, backing up Steward Wang’s threat.

Chu Qiguang knew that the people of the Wang Clan wouldn’t be convinced so easily, so he had arranged in advance for Qiao Zhi to provide some intimidation.

“Insolence! Who dares to touch my disciple, Ergou?”

Qiao Zhi’s voice suddenly rang out from all directions, followed by a string of loud bangs. All four male servants howled in pain as they fell to the ground.

Wang Chengwang and Steward Wang sprang to their feet in shock, and Steward Wang stumbled back in panic at the sight of the fallen servants.

“Y-You’re using dark arts!” Steward Wang accused frantically.

Unlike the panicked steward, Wang Chengwang was able to maintain a composed facade. Picking up a rock from the ground, he said, “It’s not dark arts; it’s martial arts.”

Wang Chengwang was a second-generation landowner and also currently the most accomplished martial artist in the entire Wang Clan Village, having trained in martial arts his entire life with the support of his father.

Even though he had failed to pass the martial examination, he had managed to reach the second state after all his years of cultivation, so he was not just some clueless landowner.

Unfortunately, he was unable to progress to the third state, and that was why he had placed all his hopes on his son.

He could tell that a martial arts master had used rocks as projectiles to knock down the servants, and he could also tell that the projectiles seemed to have come from above.

With that in mind, he looked up, only to find the rafters completely empty, and his heart immediately sank.

He then examined the injuries of the servants, and he discovered that each of them had had their right pant legs torn open, with the exposed skin looking very swollen and bruised.

Whoever did this was able to launch four rocks in an instant, faster than the eyes could follow, and strike all four targets at the exact same spot. There was enough force behind the rocks to take down the targets, yet not enough to cause death or lasting injury. Not only that, but they were also able to launch these rocks without making any sound, then escape completely undetected afterward.

In Wang Chengwang’s mind, accomplishing any one of those feats alone would not have been difficult. However, achieving all three at once was extremely challenging. At the very least, it was something he himself was incapable of.

The steward was still screaming and ranting in panic, so Wang Chengwang silenced him with a slap. The blow sent Steward Wang stumbling, and he instinctively clutched his cheek as he stared at Wang Chengwang in shock.

“Silence!” Wang Chengwang ordered. “Get these people out of here; they’re an embarrassment to our Wang Clan! Where are the maidservants? Fetch us some tea! I have a lot of catching up to do with Brother Zhou!”

Wang Chengwang led Chu Qiguang into the room as he spoke, and his high-and-mighty demeanor had suddenly been replaced with the benevolence of a kind elder.

“It’s only been a few years since we last met, yet you’ve already grown into a fine young man, Brother Zhou. I hear that you’ve become very mature and dependable. The old people in the village are always full of praise whenever they talk about you, saying that you’re destined for great things!”

Shameless bastard! You switch up even faster than the weather! Chu Qiguang scoffed inwardly, but he didn’t let his disdain show in his face.

Instead, he looked at Wang Chengwang with an earnest expression as he said, “You’re far too kind, Master Wang. It’s only thanks to your immense generosity that my family and everyone else in the village can put food on our tables and clothes on our backs.”

Wang Chengwang was very much taken aback by Ergou’s eloquence, which was completely unbefitting for a farmer like him.

“Was it your master who taught those insubordinate servants of mine a lesson just now?” he asked.

“Precisely,” Chu Qiguang replied. “My master is extremely knowledgeable and an accomplished martial artist with a deep resentment for all evil and sinister forces. He sent me here because he heard about what happened to your son.”

According to Chu Qiguang, his master had captured a dog ghost in the nearby mountains, and after some interrogation, the dog ghost confessed that it had preyed on Wang Cailiang.

His master had sent him to the Wang Manor to gain some experience, while he oversaw proceedings from the shadows.

Chu Qiguang told a very compelling story, even managing to describe the size and coat color of the dog that had attacked Wang Cailiang, as well as where Wang Cailiang had been bitten. Wang Chengwang was quickly becoming convinced.

Of course, the dog had only been sent by Qiao Zhi to bite Wang Cailiang in order to collect a blood sample from him, and at the moment, the dog was still recovering from its injuries on the rear mountain.

For further confirmation, Wang Chengwang asked Ergou to recount the events of the dog ghost’s attack on his son.

That night, Qiao Zhi had barged into Wang Cailiang’s room with a black cloak draped over his body. After knocking Wang Cailiang unconscious, he had used the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique on him. Of course, Chu Qiguang was able to recount the attack in perfect detail.

“I hope your master wasn’t injured in the process of capturing the dog ghost,” Wang Chengwang said with concern.

“Rest assured, my master is fine,” Chu Qiguang replied.

“That’s fantastic!” Wang Chengwang said as he stood up and laid a warm hand onto Chu Qiguang’s shoulder. “I’ve always had tremendous respect for fiend-slaying heroes like your master. If there were more heroes like your master in the Great Han Empire, we wouldn’t have to worry about demons and fiends anymore! It would truly be an honor if I could meet this esteemed master of yours.”

You tryna skip me and get straight to my master?

Chu Qiguang’s earnest expression remained unchanged as he replied, “Master always tells me that it’s only thanks to generous and wealthy people like yourself that we commoners are able to live in peace and prosperity. As my master’s only direct disciple, he always encourages me to help kind and generous clans like yours wherever I can.

“He also taught me the method to treat your son’s condition and instructed me to carefully administer the treatment, lest a brilliant young talent like Young Master Wang come to any harm.”

Qiao Zhi was hiding on top of a rafter, and he couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he eavesdropped on the sappy conversation.

Once again, I’m reminded of just how shameless humans are! No wonder we cats are no match.