After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

Chapter 785: The Passing of an Old Friend

Old Liu was overjoyed to receive the culinary recipe from Chen Futu. He had a drink with Chen Futu and then told his son that he would be going home and not going to the mine anymore.

However, fate is fickle, and many things are destined to be a misfortune.

Old Liu arrived too late; his son was gone, and many other mutilated corpses were also brought back with him.

Old Liu's son was torn to pieces by something, and even the mortician couldn't stitch him back together because there were still missing pieces, so he could only fill the gaps with cloth.

The entire city was filled with sobs and wailing, and the sky was shrouded in gloom.

Xiaoyu and her mother lay on the corpse and wept for a long time, their eyes swollen from crying. Old Liu fell ill because of this. He was such a gossipy person, but in the blink of an eye, he became emaciated and extremely weak.

"Brother Daosheng, I may have to go soon. After I leave, I'll have to trouble you to take care of my daughter-in-law and Xiaoyu."

"No, I have medicine here. Taking one might help."

Chen Futu took out medicine specially made for martial artists, but Lao Liu refused to take it, saying that his mind and spirit were injured and there was no cure.

Sure enough, news of Lao Liu's death came a few days later.

Chen Futu stared at the emaciated corpse inside the coffin and remained silent for a while.

From the time the shop opened, Lao Liu occupied the vast majority of my time, and the two became close friends despite their age difference.

Unexpectedly, the old man died so soon; it was truly a cruel twist of fate.

That day, Shi Xiaoya also came to pay her respects. It turned out that she had some private dealings with Lao Liu.

After some questioning, Chen Futu finally understood that she had several skilled maids in private, and the medicinal herbs and talismans were prepared for them. Old Liu was actually a martial arts master at the innate level, who helped her solve a lot of troubles. He also said that he would protect her and help her redeem herself and become Daosheng's wife when she stopped being the courtesan.

Chen Futu remained silent for a long time after hearing these words. No wonder the old man was often injured; it turned out he was fighting in the shadows.

"Old Liu, it's one thing for you to be gossipy at your age, but you also have to meddle in other people's business. When did I say I was going to get married?"

Chen Futu sat in front of the grave and drank wine all night. When he returned to the general store, he saw that Liu had taken over the business and set up a stall in front of the store to sell all kinds of new snacks.

Xiaoyu, a little girl of only a few years old, suddenly grew up a lot after losing two relatives in succession.

Besides reading, she usually helps with the business.

Shi Xiaoya often patronized Liu's stall, saying she was bringing some good food for her sisters, deliberately taking care of Liu and her son.

Chen Futu and Shi Xiaoya did not have much interaction, and her position as the most beautiful courtesan was very secure and she would not step down in the short term.

"Have you heard? Something happened in Lizhou."

One day, during a period of continuous rain, martial arts enthusiasts arrived at Chenfutu Temple to purchase equipment. During their conversation, they mentioned Lizhou.

Upon hearing the name "Lizhou," Chen Futu felt an immediate familiarity with it and subconsciously put down his teacup to listen to their conversation.

One of them said, "Lizhou is located in the sea. Many fishermen who went out to sea have died or been injured. Some of them have been eaten to the bone. It is said that a great demon has been born in the sea."

"Isn't the Boundless Sea the territory of the sea creatures? Could it have been them who did it?"

"Impossible. Although the Great Xia Holy Emperor has abdicated, his influence remains. The sea tribes would not provoke him. Besides, the sea tribes have clarified that they did not do it."

"Has the investigation been completed? What attacked the fishermen from outlying continents?"

"I don't know the specifics, but a great battle broke out. It is said that the Li Continent dispatched powerful emperors, and the flames on the Wuwang Sea were raging, creating a huge wave that was terrifying."

"Is there a Great Emperor in Lizhou?"

"That's for sure."

After listening to their conversation, Chen Futu inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "Lizhou, why does it feel so familiar to me?"

Three years passed in the blink of an eye. Liu's business was thriving. He had transformed his grocery store into a restaurant, hired a storyteller, and even had many helpers. Chen Futu helped write the stories, which were very well received and attracted a large number of customers.

Xiaoyu didn't like the environment there, so she often came to the little shop to listen to Chen Futu tell stories. The two were like a father and daughter.

Chen Futu did indeed put a lot of effort into her, because he would always think of a little girl who was just as cute as her.

In recent years, the mines have been sealed off, so things have been relatively peaceful. Chen Futu has not heard of any evil spirits causing trouble anywhere. The mines within a radius of thousands of miles have all been sealed off, which is suspected to be due to the intervention of a powerful figure who strictly ordered the mines to be sealed off. No one dares to disobey.

"Uncle, Sister Shi asked me if I wanted to go to the academy. She said that the academy can teach people how to cultivate. Xiaoyu wants to become powerful so she can protect her mother and uncle," Xiaoyu said innocently, tilting her head back.

Chen Futu smiled and patted her head. "Go if you want to. Anyway, the academy isn't far. You should come home often."

"Okay, Xiaoyu, I'll remember."

The little girl seemed pleased to receive a positive response. Chen Futu was generous, giving her a sword for self-defense, some pills and talismans for cultivation in case of emergency, and a bag of gold coins.

"Thank you, Uncle. I will take good care of you from now on."

"Study hard and don't play too much!"

Chen Futu watched Xiaoyu leave. The little girl looked back every few steps, seemingly reluctant to part. She even hugged Wangcai before leaving.

Life returned to normal without the little girl.

Chen Futu felt as if he had forgotten something important, so he never gave up on finding out his identity. Unfortunately, the investigation into his identity was fruitless. As for cultivation, he bought several books about martial arts, but unfortunately, he could not accumulate true qi in his body. He was a born cultivation failure and could not touch the path of martial arts.

And so, Chen Futu gave up.

A year later, Liu married a middle-aged man who was pot-bellied, greasy-looking, and seemed to be quite wealthy.

Xiaoyu had a big argument with Liu about this, and left in a huff, without Chen Futu even having a chance to say a word to her.

Chen Futu specifically sought out Shi Xiaoya to inquire about the inside story.

Shi Xiaoya said, "I thought you would never come to the flower room, sir, and I never expected that your first visit would be for a widow."

"I was entrusted by Lao Liu, so naturally I have to find out the truth."

"I don't know the details very well. I only know that the man surnamed Cao is a wealthy man in this city. He has a family. He must have used dishonest means to marry Liu, or he must have been after Liu's property."

As Chen Futu listened to these words, he felt a surge of anger and a hint of murderous intent welling up inside him.

Shi Xiaoya said seriously, "I advise you not to cause trouble. That Master Cao is not simple. Not to mention that he himself is a martial artist, he also has many skilled fighters under his command. So if you go to talk to him, you may be beaten to death."

"I understand."

Chen Futu left the flower room with a heavy heart. He felt extremely uncomfortable all the way, as if a huge murderous aura was accumulating in his heart but he couldn't vent it. It was also as if things shouldn't have turned out this way. He had never experienced such a humiliating situation before, which was why he was so upset.