TGCFNM -Chapter 250 They Really Are Ignorant

Afterward, Wan Sanjin and Bai Xiaosheng with the bronze ring at his waist agreed on a place to meet, and the two parted on friendly terms.

Wan Sanjin looked at the group happily and said, “It’s settled. From now on, whenever this Bai Xiaosheng comes with news, he’ll come to the Fulai Inn. Uncle Wu, I’ll leave it to you to take care of him then.”

Uncle Wu nodded. “Of course I’ll take care of him, but when the young master goes up the mountain to gather information, you’ll have to… uh… well…”

Uncle Wu hesitated, unsure how to put it into words. Should he really say that their young master had apparently been tricked into agreeing to find information for someone?

Good, solid information is obtained at the risk of one’s life—how could their young master have agreed so lightly?

Still, he probably wouldn’t actually get the information.

Chu Ling patted Wan Sanjin on the shoulder and looked at Uncle Wu. “Don’t worry, we’re all here.” She had her ghost with her, and as long as it wasn’t too far from her, it could move freely. When the time came, she would let the ghost do the scouting.

Only then did Uncle Wu feel a bit relieved. He welcomed them in and personally escorted them to the small courtyard.

The courtyard had long since been cleaned; the bedding was all replaced with new ones, and the small kitchen was stocked with ingredients—everything had been prepared meticulously.

After thanking him again, Uncle Wu went ahead to attend to other matters.

A short while later, a waiter brought hot tea and snacks, and also asked what they wanted for lunch, so it could be delivered directly. After all, they had traveled a long way today and probably didn’t want to cook for themselves.

Wan Sanjin selected a few dishes according to everyone’s preferences, and then the waiter left.

“Uncle Wu’s arrangements are incredibly thorough,” Zhang Dong said, astonished. When they first met, he had assumed that such a rugged-looking man was merely there to maintain order.

Wan Sanjin sat down and began to explain, “When Uncle Wu was young, his village suffered a famine. Nobody knows how many people died. He had no choice but to escape. Later, he followed some people and became a water bandit, but he never harmed anyone and was easily swayed by compassion, so they drove him away.”

“Fortunately, he later met my father. My father once helped a martial arts practitioner, who then founded a sect, so he sent Uncle Wu there to train in martial arts. After completing his training, he returned to the Wan family and has always served as a guard. But my father also saw that he had a talent for business. At the time, he wanted to establish a foothold in Tianjian City, so he sent Uncle Wu here.”

Chu Ling marveled at the story. “Uncle Wu really is talented.”

Wan Sanjin hesitated for a moment but continued, “Actually, Uncle Wu has always held a grudge against the court. During that famine, the county magistrate hoarded grain and colluded with the rice shops to raise prices. Uncle Wu said that on the night he left, he saw the magistrate hosting a banquet, leaving a huge table of leftovers to feed the dogs, while his family starved to death.”

Hearing this, Chu Ling couldn’t help but sigh. “How could he not have a grudge?”

Wan Sanjin gave a soft hum. “That’s why Uncle Wu has never married. He says that if he eats enough, his family won’t go hungry. But if something happens and one dies, then it’s over. If he had to watch his family die before his eyes, he fears he wouldn’t be able to bear it.”

Su He looked at Wan Sanjin and asked, “But just now, it seemed like Uncle Wu didn’t show any resentment at all.”

Wan Sanjin replied, “Probably because Big Brother explained everything clearly in the letter.”

Chu Ling agreed; otherwise, she would have been kicked out immediately—because she is the county magistrate.

“After lunch, everyone should rest. If you feel like strolling around, go ahead. We traveled quickly on the road, and the sect won’t open for another three days, so we happen to have some free time,” Chu Ling said.

“I want to go out,” Xiao Hua suddenly said.

Wan Sanjin turned his head. “What’s the matter? Is there something to do?”

Xiao Hua nodded excitedly. “I saw several monks! Don’t we have Stone Lotus to sell?”

At these words, Chu Ling was also pleased—the buyers were right in front of them.

“Then we’ll try our luck this afternoon,” Chu Ling said. “But bring all your equipment: whips, gloves, the compact quiver, and so on—just in case.”

“Traveling the Jianghu, safety should indeed come first,” Wan Sanjin said, a hint of excitement in his voice.

Chu Ling was a little excited too—finally, she was seeing the legendary Jianghu. She wondered whether she would encounter a hero rescuing a beauty, a friendly martial arts duel, or perhaps some old grudges carried over from previous generations.

Su He silently watched the two of them and asked, “Does Tianjian City have a public charity cemetery?”

Chu Ling was momentarily taken aback. “I don’t think so. These are all Jianghu people—if they fight and someone dies, they’d probably just dump the body in an unclaimed graveyard.”

Wan Sanjin nodded, thinking it made sense. “Yeah, probably in an unclaimed graveyard.”

Zhang Dong said, “I’ll accompany Coroner Su to take a look when the time comes.”

Su He nodded and stopped worrying about other matters.

At lunch, Uncle Wu personally came over, bringing a jug of fine wine.

Chu Ling took the wine, and Wan Sanjin helped Uncle Wu to a seat.

Just as Uncle Wu smiled to speak, Su He suddenly looked at him intently, his expression sincere. “Uncle Wu, may I ask—where is the unclaimed graveyard in Tianjian City?”

Uncle Wu’s face stiffened; he instinctively thought he had misheard.

Chu Ling added from the side, “Uncle Wu, I heard about it from the storytellers when we came. Jianghu people settle scores on the spot—if someone dies, their body is just dumped in an unclaimed graveyard. After all, Tianjian City shouldn’t have a charity cemetery, right?”

Uncle Wu’s eyes widened. “Indeed, Tianjian City has no charity cemetery.”

Chu Ling looked at Su He. “See? I told you there isn’t one.”

“But… there isn’t an unclaimed graveyard either. Why would there be one?” Uncle Wu asked, baffled.

Su He asked curiously, “If there’s no unclaimed graveyard, where do the corpses go? Are they buried directly in ownerless plots?”

Chu Ling nodded. “Exactly. If two sides fight and someone suddenly dies, what happens to the body? There has to be a place to put it.”

Uncle Wu looked around at the five curious faces and realized—they really were ignorant.

“First of all, private fights are prohibited within Tianjian City. If you need to settle a dispute, you can go to the duel arena, but only touch lightly—killing is forbidden,” Uncle Wu explained seriously. “If someone deliberately harms another, you can go seek the disciples of Tianjian Sect to handle it.”

“The inner disciples of Tianjian Sect wear white robes, with blue robes underneath. Outer disciples with talent wear blue robes, and below them, gray robes. On the right side of their chest, there is a small Tianjian embroidery. They always move in groups, so they are easy to identify. Remember that.”

Even after explaining, Uncle Wu was still uneasy, thinking perhaps he should just follow them around every day.

Chu Ling finally understood. “I see. So Tianjian Mountain is actually safer than some county towns outside.”

Uncle Wu pursed his lips and nodded helplessly.

Outside, the powerful kill commoners with no resistance. But in Tianjian City, everyone knows some martial arts, everyone has some means. If a fight breaks out, who knows how many would die? That’s why the rules were set early: only sparring is allowed, killing is forbidden.

“By the way, Lord Chu, what brings you to Tianjian City? The eldest young master didn’t specify in his letter,” Uncle Wu asked.

Chu Ling’s voice turned grave. “We’re here to catch a murderer: Bai Zhuoxing!”