Chapter 6 - The “Bells And Whistles” Methods Of Empowerment
The scene was quiet for a moment before Chen Chen carefully approached it.
By this point, Wei Laosan was already laying in the mud, his chest collapsed from the hard hit, inhaling less than it was exhaling, eyes filled with shock.
Despite being a professional killer, he was somehow dying in the hands of a pig. This was not an acceptable end to his life, not in any way, shape, or form. At Least not to him
According to his plan for his own life, one day, he would go and assassinate a king, making sure that his name would be forever remembered in history. After that success, even if he died on the spot, the price would have been worth it.
From then on, the whole assassination industry would remember the great killer Wei Laosan, dubbed "Little Hell King."
No! By that point, the "little" should have been gone from that name.
However, just now, he and his great dreams would die at the hand of a pig.
"Pig." Not as an adjective, but as a noun. He'd be killed by a literal pig!
"Shame of killers!" Wei Laosan sighed in his heart, forever departing from the world in frustration.
...
Chen Chen, looking at the breathless Wei Laosan and Lao Hei, suddenly found himself speechless.
How could a slightly mutated pig be so powerful, able to kill a man just by charging at him?
Thinking about this, he couldn't help but raise his thumbs for Lao Hei.
"Brrrree! Brrrree!"
Lao Hei snorted as he majestically returned to the pigpen, just like how a successful individual left the scene, hiding both his name and fame.
At this point, Chen Chen's mother, Qin Rou, led the village head and others to the scene, all of whom were left speechless at the sight of the dead Wei Laosan.
A moment's silence later, a villager spoke up, "Shall we report the death to the officials? Someone's ultimately dead."
Chen Shan and Qin Rou remained hesitant. While they were villagers, they weren't exactly stupid, already having a grasp on the employer.
"No need to rush to officials, we can wait for some time," Chen Chen suddenly spoke up.
Compared to his parents, he was not only "not stupid", but also very smart.
He couldn't imagine anyone other than the Wang household hiring someone to kill his family.
As that assassin had said, his entire household combined was not worth thirty taels of silver.
Given that they haven't left the village for so long, they wouldn't have any chances to trigger someone that they shouldn't have triggered. In that case, who would send an assassin?
"Is Wang's household getting rid of our entire household from this earth just because Father mentioned the past earlier in the day? That is just too vicious."
After the baptism of the harmonic society, Chen Chen was already viewing the world with maliciousness, but reality was teaching him another lesson.
The bad guys of the world were even worse than his imagination: they are true professionals in repaying aid with a knife to the back.
"Let's wait this out a bit and disperse. We'll discuss in more detail tomorrow. First thing tomorrow, we will investigate that person's identity, and then we will report to the officials."
The village head was seasoned and immediately understood Chen Chen's intent.
Only powerful households could afford assassins. If they were to report this occurrence to officials now, the officials may very well confiscate the body and frame someone from the Stone Village for murder. In that case, no amount of explaining would work.
Therefore, for the sake of everyone's safety, the identity must be investigated in advance.
Upon hearing the village head's words, the crowd dispersed, several strong males carrying the corpse to the ancestral hall of the village.
Seeing all of this, Chen Shan and Qin Rou's faces were filled with deep worries.
Was the Wang household intending to kill them? Could they even escape?
They were just an average household of tenants. A household of powerful landlords such as the Wangs had countless means to crush them, including assassins.
Inside the room, Qin Rou said solemnly to Chen Shan, "Child's father, we should really consider fleeing overnight. Even being refugees is better than waiting for our deaths in this village."
Chen Shan was moved by this idea and soon spoke up, "Yes, we should pack up tonight and get going by tomorrow morning!"
...
Meanwhile, Chen Chen was feeding Lao Hei in the pigpen. At this point, he felt somewhat uneasy.
"Lao Hei, I think my parents are talking about fleeing. What would we do with you then? We can't flee with a big pig, it'd be way too obvious! Have you seen anyone fleeing with a flock of livestock?"
Lao Hei snorted as it kept its head low, continuing to chew its food. However, Chen Chen could see traces of reluctance and grief in his eyes.
"You are a unique pig. I think you are on track to becoming a spiritual being!" Chen Chen laughed as he patted Lao Hei's head.
He then steered the conversation away from that topic, his eyes turning much grimmer.
Having been a person for two lives, his heart was far out of reach from that of an average youth.
"Don't worry, I was just kidding. I will not flee unless it becomes the last resort."
Lao Hei kept on eating.
Looking at Lao Hei, Chen Chen showed a smile of gratitude as he silently read inside his heart.
"System, mobilize the tracking opportunity within Shichuan County. I only want something that can make me strong very fast. Nothing else."
"Roger! Tracking begins now!
"There is a mutated mushroom under the stone stele at the village gate one hundred meters away from you; consuming it increases your power.
"There is a red aquatic in the fields three hundred and twenty meters away; consuming it increases your reaction speed.
"At 12:40, there will be a koi fish swimming midstream in a creek three thousand meters away; cooking and consuming it improves your qualification of cultivation.
"At 1:52 a.m., rescue a lady below Zizai Pavilion in Shichuan County for her father to teach you martial arts skills."
...
"At 3 a.m., jump down Heifeng Cliff, north of Shichuan County, with your head down for the Big Opportunity; punctuality is required."
Reading the more than 100 pieces of information in his brain, Chen Chen was very surprised, his heart banging.
However, some of the information was a bit too much "bells and whistles." There were so many means of becoming stronger in just a mere night! Were there really that many opportunities in the world?
Whether it be eating grass, swallowing rock, having intercourse with a specific girl, tripping off, or anything else really.
But then again, most of them only provided limited benefits. For example, the one involving intercourse improved kidney functions.
Was that an improvement? Or was the System messing with him?
Despite the amount of unhelpful information, Chen Chen couldn't help but notice the last piece of information.
"Jump down Heifeng Cliff heading down at 3 a.m. for the Big Opportunity!"
Even that cultivation qualification-improving koi fish didn't count as a "Big Opportunity"--- how big did this Big Opportunity, as the System said, have to be?
Thinking about this, he became very excited. How amazing was it that a plot seen in novels, where the protagonist jumped down a cliff for opportunities, was now true!
Calculating the time, he realized he'd have to move quickly. It was about midnight, three hours from 3 am, but Heifeng Cliff was about 15 kilometers away from Stone Village.
If he ran pretty fast, he could even get that koi fish on the way there.
Without any further hesitation, Chen Chen immediately rushed home, picked up a pot and shovel, and then dashed outside.
"Little Chen, where are you going?" his mother shouted out in surprise.
Chen Chen didn't turn his head back. Instead, he waved his shovel and said, "I am going to do some weeding and catch a fish!"
"Little Chen, wait a minute! There is something --"
"Mother! Father! Wait until I return! If I am not back by sunrise, go without me! I may be up to cultivation!" Chen Chen yelled as he dashed into the darkness.