Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 45 - 44 Aftermath

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The slums were densely intertwined.

In the uneven alleyways, Shen Qing briskly walked through the muddy water.

Occasionally, when he encountered strangers, he would silently lower his head, not letting them see his face.

Once he emerged from the slums, Shen Qing started to sprint continuously, and upon reaching a grove outside the city, he leapt into the forest.

He was already at the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood, and with the breakthrough in his hunting skills, he had mastered the ability of Poison Shadow.

The combination of these skills made him as agile as a fish in water within the forest.

He moved swiftly and nimbly through the woods, appearing like fleeting shadows.

In less than half an incense stick's time, he had returned to the bushes from where he had left earlier.

Shen Qing hastily changed into the cotton clothes he had taken off before leaving, covering the bloodstains from the fight, and then, with a relaxed expression of relief, he approached the cart by the roadside.

At this moment, Shen Xiaohu and Tian Xiaohu were leaning against the cart, vigilantly eyeing the passersby.

"I'm ready, let's go," Shen Qing said casually as he walked over, quickly seating himself on the cart and grabbing the reins.

Shen Xiaohu and Tian Xiaohu didn't say much and got on one after the other.

"Giddyup!"

Shen Qing cracked the whip.

Thud-thud-thud...

The dull horse began trotting, and the two wheels of the cart slowly started to turn.

On the cart, Tian Xiaohu couldn't help but glance at Shen Qing again.

It hadn't even been a pot of tea's time, and he noticed that the bows and arrows Shen Qing had brought along were significantly fewer.

More importantly, if he remembered correctly, Shen Qing hadn't taken any toilet paper when he went to relieve himself.

And the place he went to was a bush filled with thorny shrubs, known locally as cat's claw thorns, which couldn't be used to wipe.

He definitely wasn't going to relieve himself, Tian Xiaohu was certain of that.

As for what he was really doing, since Shen Qing didn't mention it, he wisely decided not to ask.

One horse, one cart, and three people moved along the road outside Taiping City, neither fast nor slow.

It was their second time into the city, and Shen Qing was already familiar with the route.

A short while later, the three of them entered the slum area and reached the Seven Turns Alley where they had previously passed.

At this moment, Shen Xiaohu couldn't help but tense up.

"Brother Qingzi, last time, someone ambushed us here, do we really want to take this route again?"

Shen Qing didn't intend to slow down, staring straight ahead, he said, "I asked the bookworms, and coming from our direction, this is the quickest way into the city. If we don't take this route, it would mean taking a big detour, which isn't worth it."

"Besides, the people living here are all crafty as ghosts, they won't give you that many options," Shen Qing cracked the whip sharply, urging the lazy horse, "Don't worry, it's fine. Giddyup!"

Shen Xiaohu, holding the bow and arrows, broke out in cold sweat and scanned his surroundings with fierce eyes, treading cautiously along the way.

But to his surprise, no one even approached them, even those half-grown beggars who surrounded them last time were nowhere to be seen.

It was quite odd.

After walking for a while and passing through Seven Turns Alley, it suddenly became bustling again, with a large crowd gathered not far ahead in the alley.

Shen Xiaohu craned his neck curiously and asked, "What's going on up ahead?"

Shen Qing glanced over and casually said, "No idea."

As they passed by, they happened to see bodies being carried out one after another.

"Oh my gosh, so many people have died," Shen Xiaohu exclaimed.

Hearing this, Shen Qing glanced over and recognized it as the alley where he had just killed Old Ba Zi.

He didn't expect it to be discovered so quickly, attracting so many people.

He secretly rejoiced at his decisive escape; had he stayed a bit longer, it would've been difficult to get away.

The cart drove past two county government officers with shaved heads.

At that moment, they were looking at the bodies being carried out, chatting casually and leisurely.

As they emerged from Seven Turns Alley, the road wasn't very wide, with people crowding them from both sides, and the cart was quite close to them.

Their conversation echoed into the ears of Shen Qing and the others.

"Who would've thought Wang Mazi would be so ruthless, being challenged by Old Ba not long ago, and today he directly took action to kill him. Old Ba had barely stabilized his position by holding on to Boss Ba's thigh but didn't get to enjoy it for long before he was dead."

"Isn't that the truth? He died a miserable death, almost no intact skin left, practically turned into a porcupine, and the blood sprayed everywhere like a sieve. His screams of unwillingness at the time of death could be heard for miles around."

"Even his men were extremely unlucky, all killed with an arrow through the throat. Wang Mazi had no intention of letting them live."

"With this mess, even Boss Ba won't let it slide; there'll be a show to watch now."

"..."

The idle chatter of the two government officers reached Tian Xiaohu's ears, and he was instantly shocked.

A flash of lightning crossed his mind, bringing an unbelievable suspicion to the forefront.

He looked at Shen Qing in disbelief, opened his mouth, wanting to say a thousand things, yet unsure where to begin.

Shen Qing hadn't gone to relieve himself; he had gone to kill Old Ba Zi.

Yes, that must be it.

A regular person doesn't take a bow and arrows to answer nature's call, and the reason there were fewer arrows was because he had used them.

Seeing Shen Qing's indifferent demeanor, Tian Xiaohu wisely swallowed the words he was about to speak.

At this moment, a surge of doubt flooded his mind.

He couldn't fathom how Shen Qing killed so many people so quickly.

He had heard from friends before that Old Ba Zi had almost achieved the Great Perfection of Qi and Blood, just one step away from becoming a martial master.

His notorious reputation in the area was well known, and yet he was killed so easily?

Tian Xiaohu found it incredible.

He couldn't help but size up Shen Qing again, scrutinizing him carefully.

He had always thought of Shen Qing as a skillless, ordinary little hunter in the village.

Silent, honest, and even poor at hunting.

But after the events in the village, he had gained a whole new level of respect for Shen Qing.

He was ruthless.

But now, his understanding of Shen Qing's ruthlessness had deepened again.

Yesterday, he had given Shen Qing the news of Old Ba's injury, and today he came to the county. After disappearing for a while, Old Ba Zi was dead.

More terrifyingly, no one would suspect him except Tian Xiaohu.

Such skill, so sophisticated.

Old Ba Zi's death was undoubtedly beneficial to them; they wouldn't have to live in fear every time they entered the county.

If he possessed the ability, he would've definitely killed to remove the obstacle too.

But there was no way he could make it look as seamless as Shen Qing did.

Shen Qing, he would undoubtedly achieve great success in the future!

Tian Xiaohu decided to keep everything he saw today and all his thoughts to himself, never to mention them to anyone.

"Brother Qingzi, did you hear? Old Ba is dead; no one will bother us anymore," Shen Xiaohu said, jubilant.

Shen Qing chuckled and said, "Don't celebrate too soon. Without Old Ba, there's still Old Ninth, Old Tenth waiting to pop out. It'd be the same thing then."

"Well..." Shen Xiaohu was at a loss for words.

"Let's deal with things as they come," Shen Qing refocused their attention, urging the horse toward the city gate, increasing the speed slightly.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a clean robe, accompanied by three or four followers, walked toward them, brushing past Shen Qing and the others.

This middle-aged man was robust, with arms extending past his knees.

Upon closer inspection, one could see a thick layer of calluses on the sides of his palms near the pinky, clearly indicating he was someone skilled in martial arts, not to be trifled with.

As this middle-aged man approached the alley entrance, the two government officers smoothed out their casual expressions and cheerfully said, "Boss Ba is here!"

The middle-aged man, bending at the waist, clasped his hands in greeting to the two officers and inquired, "Have the two of you clarified all the matters?"

"All inquiries have been made, it's undoubtedly Wang Mazi," one of the officers calmly replied, "Many people heard it for themselves, and we've verified it one by one."

"I see, thank you both for your hard work."

As he spoke, the man known as Boss Ba took two silver ingots from his sleeve, handing them to the two officers, saying, "This is a little tea money. I hope you can pass my regards to your superior."

"Certainly. Feel free to visit the government office for a drink when you have time."

"Next time for sure, next time for sure."

"Boss Ba, you carry on, we'll be on our way."

Boss Ba courteously clasped his hands and said, "Take care then, I won't see you off."

Watching the two officers leave, the smile on Boss Ba's face vanished instantly, turning icy as he said coldly, "Go take care of Wang Mazi, he's broken the rules, he can't be allowed to stay. Also, investigate if anyone has recently had a feud with those two. We can't solely rely on others' reports; we need to verify things ourselves."

"Understood, Boss Ba."

The two young men standing behind the middle-aged man nodded and hurried away.

"This group of people really is troublesome, causing problems at this critical time, they all deserve to die."

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