Starting with the titmouse, seventy-two transformations

Chapter 30 The Sky Has Collapsed (Please Read On)
"My dear grandson, can we go home now?"

Grandma Liu shook her hand and wiped it on the hem of her dress, making the wrinkles on her face appear less pronounced.

There's no place like home.

She had only been in the city for a few days when she started to miss home.

Her grandson didn't come home all night yesterday, and although she didn't say it explicitly, she probably guessed it.

But what could she, a mere woman with failing eyesight, possibly do?
I was on tenterhooks and didn't sleep a wink all night...

Fortunately, thanks to the Bodhisattva, my beloved grandson returned just as dawn broke.

And there was more good news: I can go home!
"Overjoyed" is not enough to describe her feelings at this moment.

It's not just about being able to go home, but... that matter is resolved!
Our precious grandson is alright!

"In a few days, it will be time to pay the summer tax, so I have to go back."

Liu Sheng nodded, then turned to look at Yu Niang with burning eyes.

I'm really irritable after practicing all night!

Especially last night, it was further amplified by the "fierce" power...

Adding fuel to the fire, the whole person is now on fire!
Yu Niang felt as if she had been electrocuted. She bit her lip, hurriedly lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and even the roots of her neck turned red.

"Uncle, can we come to the city to play again in the future?"

At this moment, Er Ya stepped forward and looked at him cautiously.

Since she could remember, she had never lived in such a nice house or eaten so much delicious food...

These past few days have felt like a dream.

"Sure, why not? Maybe we'll live in the city from now on and never leave."

Liu Sheng lowered his head and reached out to pat her head.

Ever since her mother came into the family, she hasn't gone hungry at all, and the little one has gained a lot of weight and her skin has become much fairer...

Lovely.

In contrast, Gouwa remained the same, skinny and looking envious as he stood a short distance away.

Perhaps because they are a few years older and more mature, they seem somewhat distant.

The experiences of the past few days have truly had a great impact on him.

In the past, Uncle Liu, whom his mother called "useless," could easily pull out more than ten taels of silver to rent a courtyard in the city and settle both families in comfortably...

The rice is snow-white polished rice, the oil is top-quality lard, and the salt is snow-white frosted salt!
These days were so good that he was afraid to sleep.

I'm terrified that if I open my eyes, it will all be gone.

Not only him, but his parents were also much more reserved.

Feudal society was heavily fortified, with invisible social classes that permeated every aspect of life.

Liu Sheng didn't like this feeling.

Zhao Lei, after all, was a brother who had risked his life for me; without his constant support...

The Liu family had long been struggling to make ends meet.

So he beckoned to Gouwa with his finger:

"Come here and call me Dad."

"what?"

Gouwa stared wide-eyed at his father, then at his mother, looking utterly bewildered.

Liu Sheng laughed heartily and pointed at Zhao Lei, whose face was flushed red:
“Your own father said so, you can ask him if you don’t believe me.”

"You and I……"

Faced with his son's questioning gaze, Zhao Lei stammered:

"I'm... not dead!"

"Pooh!"

Zhao's sister-in-law blushed, spat, and turned to go inside to tidy up.

The villagers are rough and uncouth; a few crude words and they'll get down to earth, and the relationship will be restored.

Before long, the two families finished packing, put their carts together, and headed straight for Baishui Village.

Liu Sheng pulled quickly and left in a hurry, as he would have to go back to the city later to buy a wet nurse for the little tiger cub.

Before long, they arrived near the city gate, only to find it completely surrounded by people.

From afar, one could even hear words like "one thousand taels of silver," "criminal," and "ascetic."

"They weren't there when we came to the city before; were they just put up?"

Liu Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he pulled the cart forward.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the government had posted a wanted notice, offering a reward of one thousand taels of silver for the capture of the criminal!

"One thousand taels of silver!"

Zhao Lei gasped, his eyes burning.

He went into the mountains to hunt, but his annual income was only about ten taels of silver, and that was only because there had been a lot more game in the mountains in recent years.

He could never earn a thousand taels of silver in his entire life.

If we could catch that culprit...

Wealth can be a powerful motivator. He licked his lips and subconsciously glanced at Liu Sheng:
"Sheng-ge'er?"

Ever since Liu Sheng saved him from the jaws of death, he has held Liu Sheng in extremely high esteem.

Especially these past two nights, after reviewing the situation, his respect turned into awe.

Brother Sheng is a capable and talented person!
Just follow his lead, you can't go wrong.

"Let's take a look first."

Liu Sheng hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

It wasn't that he was greedy for the thousand taels of silver, but rather because he had overheard the whispers around him...

This gave him a bad feeling.

One-armed, ascetic, criminal…

The features are so obvious!
Sure enough, after pushing through the crowd, when they saw the menacing portrait on the wanted poster—

Liu Sheng's head buzzed as if struck by lightning, and he went completely blank for a moment.

"...The murderer, Wu Song, is from Yanggu County, Qingzhou!"

"...The emperor was furious and ordered the Suspended Mirror Bureau to solve the case within a specified time."

A reward of three thousand taels of silver is offered for the capture of the prisoner; for the kill, three thousand taels of silver will be awarded upon presentation of the head; and for providing clues, a reward of one hundred to five hundred taels of silver will be given at the discretion of the authorities…

"...Anyone who harbors a criminal shall be punished as an accomplice, and their entire family shall be held accountable!"

An old scholar standing nearby was reciting the announcement with a rhythmic cadence, swaying his head.

But Liu Sheng had no heart to listen anymore.

Master truly lives up to his name…

Even murders have to be carried out in such a dramatic and earth-shattering manner!
Afterwards, they would dip their blood in the ink to leave their name, as if afraid others wouldn't know!

The Qin family, even if they met the King of Hell, would probably complain about being discriminated against…

They didn't leave their names!
"My dear grandson..."

Granny Liu reached out and grabbed Liu Sheng's clothes, her face deathly pale, her lips blue, and her whole body trembling...

It felt like the sky was about to fall!
She couldn't read, but she could understand paintings...

The criminal looked about 70-80% similar to the grandson's master!

This ascetic…

It turned out to be a murderer who killed an official, and that official was much higher up than the county magistrate!

How can this be good?

Help me cover it up?

The notice stated that anyone who harbors a criminal will be punished as an equal, and their entire family will be held accountable!
But if we sue the authorities…

Would the officials believe that?
not to mention--

Granny Liu suddenly turned her head to look at Yu Niang, her old eyes flashing with a terrifying light…

Extremely frightening!

We shouldn't have been soft-hearted back then; it created a hidden danger.

The notice stated that a reward of one hundred to five hundred taels of silver would be given to anyone who provided clues.

If Yu'er harbored even the slightest greed, the grandfather and granddaughter would likely...

His life is in danger!

"what happened?"

Just then, several constables around the notice noticed the unusual behavior of Liu Sheng and his companions.

He immediately drove away the crowd and came over.

Another team of armored city gate guards quickly sealed off the city gates, and then sent men to flank from the left and right.

In the blink of an eye, Liu Sheng and his group were blocked at the city gate, unable to approach from either side.

The Liu and Zhao families were both honest villagers who had never even been to the county town many times. They had never seen such a scene before.
One by one, their legs went weak, their faces were pale, and they trembled with fear.

Even Zhao Lei, who had seen bloodshed while hunting, had to hold onto the cart to keep his footing and avoid falling.

"It's over!"

Grandma Liu let out a heart-wrenching cry, her eyes filled with despair.

She couldn't care less about looking at Yu Niang anymore; all she could think about was giving her grandson a chance to escape, even if it cost her her life.

Have you seen this perpetrator recently?

The man who spoke was about thirty years old and had a sallow complexion.

He wore a dark blue, narrow-sleeved, round-necked robe with the words "Suspended Mirror" embroidered on the chest and dark red "Kui Dragon" patterns subtly embroidered on the cuffs and hem.

"You speak, and no one else is allowed to interrupt!"

He stroked the stubble on his lips, pointed at Yu Niang, and his gaze swept over Liu Sheng, Granny Liu, and the others, his eyes icy:
"Otherwise, they will be treated as accomplices to the murderer!"

"choke!"

Several constables and city gate guards drew their swords, pointing them at Liu Sheng and his companions, the blades close to their skin, the chilling aura biting to the bone.

Today is the last day for new entries, please read on!



(End of this chapter)