陈洛没有打扰老刘,停顿了片刻,然后向王山鞠了一躬,然后继续向前走.
他走得越远,就越荒凉.
受军事灾难破坏最严重的地区是贫穷无助的普通民众居住的地方.
每走几步,陈洛就会看到有人在烧纸.有些人失去了一个家庭成员,有些人只剩下一个幸存的成员,甚至有几户人的灯永远保持黑暗.整个家庭,无论老少,都没有活下来.
这样的场景让人心情沉重.
终于,陈洛来到了他叔叔的家门口.
他瞥了一眼破损的木门和黑暗,空旷的内饰,然后走了进去.
一进去,他就感觉到脚下的地面被黑色的灰烬覆盖,脚下柔软而摇摇欲坠.
很明显,这所房子已经被土匪士兵蹂躏了.里面的一切都乱七八糟——翻倒的家具,破损的器皿,甚至院子里的大水罐也被打碎了.正殿也被大火烧焦了;中央结构已经完全倒塌.只有侧室完好无损,这表明后来有人来灭火了.
陈洛快速扫视了一下周围,然后大步朝着三叔埋葬魏太监的地方走去.
虽然三叔的手段还挺专业的,但下葬已经很匆忙了.如果有人来调查,他们肯定会找到踪迹.
"果然,已经有人来过这里了."
陈洛的瞳孔微微收缩.
他蹲下身子,开始仔细检查这片区域.没过多久,他就注意到有些不对劲.
三叔撒的那块被石灰覆盖的地块被打乱了,魏太监等人烧焦的衣服残骸显然已经被挖穿了.虽然痕迹与后来的火灾损失有些重叠,但燃烧不同材料留下的灰烬并不相同.跟三叔当过多年的护墓人,陈洛很容易就能分辨出其中的区别.
对于训练有素的人来说,这些标记就像线索一样好.
"皇宫里的人...还是其他人?
陈洛站起身来,故意再次打扰着烧焦的遗体,将它们混入着燃烧的房子留下的灰烬中.
这件事还远未结束.魏太监背后的人很谨慎——事实上,谨慎到陈洛仍然不知道他的敌人到底是谁.
但他确实有一条线索:青雅县县长.
如果说以前他们只是想让他死,那么现在他们又获得了另一个理由.
保持被动不再是一种选择——没有人能躲在防御后面度过一辈子.必须一劳永逸地找到并切断那只隐藏的手.
陈洛不想像三叔一样度过余生——生活在阴影中,被不露面的敌人追捕,甚至不敢在睡梦中翻身.
"我不能再回到这里了."
陈洛没有逗留.他站起来,走出了房子.
他瞥了一眼远处的平民,像无意识的僵尸一样移动着,他心中点燃了领悟的火花.
强度!
只有拥有强大的力量,他才能获得生存的信心.在这样的世界里,和别人讲道理是没有用的——除非你有力量让他们坐下来听你说话.
如果不是他学过武功,很有可能在地上的尸体中,包括他和三叔.
避开前面的小巷,陈洛回到了他之前杀死两名士兵的街道上.
此时,街道已经完全寂静.一个也看不到.
尸体已经被清理干净,但没有人关心之后发生的事情.在混乱的青崖县,两人的死亡并不稀奇.留下来的土匪并不比士兵好多少——他们不是真正的士兵,而是简单地披上官方部队外衣的土匪.
在确认少女不再处于危险之中后,陈洛转身向另一个方向移动.
他打算去看看他的师父,残废的马和他的师妹何敏.
他们都不是普通人,生存的机会比普通人高得多.
Earlier, his strength had been insufficient, so he could only protect Third Uncle. Now that he had the power, it was only natural for him to take care of those around him as much as possible. Otherwise, all the martial arts training would have been for nothing.
After crossing the street, he quickly arrived at the lockdown zone.
The area that had once been sealed off was now left unattended. Chen Luo leaped over the buildings and saw several houses that had been burned down. These houses had belonged to Lord Bai of Qingya County. Because of his 'collusion with bandits,'the properties had been confiscated, and everything inside had been hauled away, leaving behind nothing but empty shells. Even the plaster on the walls had been stripped off.
As Chen Luo leapt over a house, he suddenly stopped and jumped into the courtyard.
Unlike the other burned areas, this courtyard was exceptionally well-preserved. Even the plants inside remained intact, and the study was neatly arranged. The inkstone still had traces of ink, suggesting that a significant person had likely lived here before.
Chen Luo glanced around, and after confirming that no one was present, he leapt into the room.
The room was spotless, with a faint fragrance lingering in the air. Chen Luo walked over to the desk, dipped his index finger into the inkstone, and brought it to his nose.
"Within ten days."
By the ink, he roughly deduced when the person in the courtyard had left.
This time period coincided with the "rebellion" in Qingya County. The fact that the person in the courtyard had been able to leave in advance meant they were likely connected to those involved, and at the very least, they should have known who was behind the "bandit extermination."
"Wang Chengguan?"
Chen Luo spotted the name on the desk nearby.
The calligraphy was exceptionally neat, with powerful strokes, resembling the movements of a sword.
Though Chen Luo didn't understand calligraphy, he could still tell that this was a fine piece of writing.
After tucking the paper into his chest, he searched the room one more time. After confirming there were no useful clues, he stood up and headed toward the direction of Ma, the crippled master's home.
The delay stretched on, and soon, night had fallen deeper.
The chill descended, making the post-war county town feel even colder.
Before long, Chen Luo arrived at the alley where Ma, the crippled master, lived. Just like the alley near Third Uncle's house, this one had also been looted. The boiler next to Ma's house had been knocked over, the windows were charred black, and the paper stuck to them had been burned away. Ma's house was no different—his repair tools were gone, and the bench nearby had been kicked over.
The gate was half open, gently swaying in the night wind, creaking with a faint "creak."
Chen Luo glanced at the gate and then scanned the wall beside it. Climbing over the wall was safer than using the gate, as it would avoid the risk of being ambushed when the door was opened.
With a light push of his foot, he leapt into the air like a swallow, and within two steps, he had already landed inside the courtyard. This was a technique using internal energy. After refining his bones, Chen Luo's control over his own strength had become more precise, allowing him to perform many movements that were previously impossible.
The courtyard was empty.
The equipment Chen Luo had used for his training had been overturned, the sandbag lay on one side, its canvas torn open and the sand scattered everywhere. The main hall had also been broken into, with the only intact door panel covered in slash marks from knives.
Chen Luo quickly walked to the door. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he saw a body lying inside.
His heart tightened as he quickly stepped forward and flipped the body over.
A stranger's face.
"Thankfully."
Chen Luo let out a sigh of relief, but soon, he noticed something was wrong.
Because this body had been killed with a punch. The technique used was the deadly move from Black Tiger Fist—Black Tiger Digs the Heart!
Thinking of this, Chen Luo tore off the man's clothes and found that there was indeed a hole in his chest and the heart inside had been dug out.
"Did Master Ma kill this person?"
Chen Luo touched the wound with his hand. The lingering power of the Black Tiger Fist left a familiar sensation.