Chapter 73: Then I'll Grant You a Little Reward

When he saw his own courtyard, Xiao Nan still did not enter through the main gate. Instead, he circled to the side of the wall and leapt over lightly.

Treading on the soft grass, with a faint drizzle all around, the familiar scent of medicinal herbs and the sound of familiar breathing filled his senses, settling his heart at once...

The slaughter and violence from moments ago, along with the tangled thoughts in his mind, seemed to be extinguished by the gentle rain, leaving not a trace behind.

“Wait, did I forget to turn off the light before I left?” Xiao Nan suddenly noticed that there was a light shining in his room...

He hesitated for a moment, then heard footsteps—his younger sister, Xiao Bei.

The light went out. The little girl sighed softly, hunched her shoulders, and walked out, glancing around but seeing nothing.

Then, she quietly returned to her room, climbed into bed... tossing and turning, clearly unable to fall asleep.

“That girl must've had a nightmare and came to look for me, but didn’t find anyone. Now she’s overthinking and doesn’t dare make a sound... Really a clever one. Maybe she’s guessed something.” Xiao Nan smiled, opened the door, entered his room, turned on the light, and began to tidy up.

He made a bit of noise on purpose, cleared his throat twice, and soon heard the breathing in the next room become calm and steady. Clearly, someone had let go of their worries.

He hung his cotton coat and sweater on a hanger, placing them on a wire in the corner of the room...

Though he hadn’t been in the rain long, running through the drizzle had left them damp. By morning, they’d be dry.

He carefully checked his body for any scent of blood and, finding none, finally relaxed.

His sister’s sudden danger had been dealt with perfectly, leaving no loose ends—this chapter could now be closed.

If he was right, once the police discovered the tragedy at Night-Blooming Jasmine, they would surely understand it as a story of old grudges and revenge.

If they were more thorough, they might even find traces of the fox spirit... That fluffy, snowy-white tail he’d cut off, left among the broken glass, likely no one would dare pick up.

Traces of the barbarian, the gray underworld, a martial artist seeking vengeance...

It was a tale worthy of song and tears.

Along with this, the police might decide to merge the afternoon’s case of Wu Tie and Black Snake.

And then, the matter would simply fade away.

After all, though many had died, there were hardly any innocent civilians among them.

In fact, Xiao Nan’s killings had been so clean that there were barely any aggrieved parties left, and those few would not dare step forward.

As for Zhao Lei, the affiliated high school student who died near the abandoned building, the police would likely consider him collateral damage—an unfortunate bystander.

No one would ever think to suspect Xiao Nan; the difference in strength was too great.

On one side, a powerful martial artist criminal; on the other, a frail, average high school student.

There was no way to connect the two.

Moreover, if the police were even more meticulous and compared the remaining surveillance footage from Night-Blooming Jasmine,

They would find that the ghastly-faced swordsman was burly and broad, completely unlike Xiao Nan’s slender and lithe frame.

As long as the two girls didn’t give anything away, or talk about what happened that evening, this would remain an unsolvable, headless case.

Even if something unexpected occurred, once some time had passed and Xiao Nan’s strength had increased, once he’d been admitted to the Martial Arts University, his status would rise as well.

Then, things would be different—perhaps he wouldn’t care about such trivial matters at all.

...

That night, for once, Xiao Nan neither meditated nor trained his spirit and body. He simply lay on his bed, sword by his pillow, and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke the next day, the faint pink sunlight was already streaming through the window to the east, lighting up his face.

Outside, the gentle sounds of movement could be heard—Xiao Bei up and washing.

On normal days, if she saw Xiao Nan was slow to get up, she would run into his room and pinch his nose.

Sometimes she would use her ultimate weapon, tickling his ears with her hair. When Xiao Nan caught her, she would giggle and call him a lazybones.

But today, she didn’t come.

“As expected, only after going through certain things does one learn to grow up... The little girl has matured.” Xiao Nan sighed, pleased, and leapt out of bed.

He stretched, bones cracking crisply, and could even hear the taut twang of his tendons.

He was brimming with energy, filled with an urge to punch and kick.

The ever-present hunger remained, but after getting used to it, it no longer seemed so hard to bear.

He didn’t put on his school uniform, but changed into black athletic clothes—the pressing issues with his body needed to be resolved, and he had to go outside the city...

Even if he couldn’t find medicinal herbs, he could at least hunt a few fierce beasts to supplement his nutrition and complete this round of physical optimization.

He should also ask Xiao Rou about it—she’d said she’d help him find a map of the wilderness.

...

“Mom, I won’t be coming home for lunch today—I’ll be training with my classmates.” Xiao Nan was preparing to leave the city, though he didn’t plan to tell his family, lest they worry.

“Do you have enough money on you?” Tan Qiuyi, who was washing dishes in the kitchen, poked her head out to ask.

“I have enough—I haven’t really spent any,” Xiao Nan replied with a smile.

He hurried back to his room to pack. Most importantly, he needed to bring “Moonlight,” his weapon.

He also packed two wooden boxes in his backpack, so he’d have containers if he found any herbs or fruits along the way.

The rest were some spices and utensils he’d prepared while Tan Qiuyi wasn’t looking...

At the gate, Xiao Bei sidled up to him, furtively reached out her right hand, rubbed her two chubby fingers together, and whispered with a sly smile, “Brother, I saw it all yesterday—you picked up a lot of money.”

The word “picked up” was well-chosen—Xiao Nan thought his sister was quite clever.

After all, that money had been taken from corpses after he’d killed those people.

“So what do you want?” he asked.

“You see, I didn’t tell Mom about this big thing at all. I’ve been so good—shouldn’t I get a reward?” Xiao Bei immediately revealed her true colors.

So that’s what she was waiting here for.

“Pear blossom cakes from Xianglan Bakery?” Xiao Nan guessed at once.

“And almond crisps! A lot more than last time!” The little glutton nodded rapidly, making a big circle with her hands, her smile so wide her eyes disappeared.

Hopeless, he thought. Even shaking down her own brother...

Xiao Nan glanced at the tiny bit of baby fat that had quietly appeared on her cheek and decided not to warn her. She’d only understand when she grew up how much people disliked chubby women.

He had to admit, Tan Qiuyi knew her children well and treated them differently.

If Xiao Nan ever ran out of pocket money, she would immediately make up the difference and ask if it was enough.

For the little girl, however, she hardly ever gave any.

Her pockets were as clean as if a dog had licked them—just thinking about it was pitiful.

The reason was simple: Xiao Bei couldn’t hold onto money. As soon as she had some, she’d rush to buy snacks, as if she’d never had enough in her past life.

As she put it, “I just can’t control myself.”

After being scolded a few times, she dared not ask the family for money anymore, but would think up every trick to wheedle or swindle a little from Xiao Nan.

In those moments, she would call him “Brother” in the sweetest voice imaginable, acting like a little toady. Normally, she just called him by his name.

“All right, I’ll give you a little reward.”

If you asked Xiao Nan how it felt to be flattered by his sister, he would say—delightful.

Stifling a laugh, he pulled out a few bills and handed them over generously. “Here. If you behave even better next time, I’ll have more rewards for you.”

Xiao Bei quickly accepted the money, glanced at the gate to make sure their mother didn’t see, and slipped it into her pocket like a thief.

“Xiao Nan, you’re the best.”

She bounced away with a laugh, off to call Fang Luoluo to go to school together.

Her steps were light and lively, clearly in high spirits—the shadow of yesterday had vanished completely.