Chapter Thirty-Two: The Butcher Wu’s Other Side

After purchasing Wu Yue’s favorite date cakes, pineapples, and dragon beard candy at the marketplace, Jiang Chen walked briskly, arriving at the Wu family home in no time.

Aside from Wu Yue, neither Old Wu nor Wu Qingshan were present at home, as if they had deliberately left to give the two some time alone.

“My brother went out fishing with friends. Can’t he ever just rest? Yesterday he said he accidentally fell, but I still don’t understand how he managed to injure himself like that.”

Even Wu Yue saw through such a clumsy lie, and Jiang Chen couldn’t help but shake his head.

“Forget him. I bought all your favorites. Come, sit down and eat.”

Seeing that Jiang Chen had brought so many things she loved, Wu Yue sat and began tasting them with delight.

“So, where’s your father? Why do I rarely see him these days? Is he avoiding me on purpose?”

Jiang Chen felt uneasy, wondering if Old Wu was having second thoughts again. If he tried to obstruct their marriage once more, Jiang Chen was resolved to elope with Wu Yue.

Wu Yue burst out laughing at his words.

“Eloping? Chen, would you really take a burden like me and run away?”

“Why, are you unwilling?” Jiang Chen gently tapped Wu Yue’s nose with indulgence.

Wu Yue had lived in this small town all her life, never venturing beyond a hundred miles from home. She believed that if she eloped with Jiang Chen, she would surely be a burden.

“No, wherever you wish to take me, I’ll go, as long as you don’t mind me being a burden.”

“By the way, my father has been coming home later than usual lately. I don’t know what he’s been up to, but he hasn’t said anything about opposing our marriage. Don’t worry.”

As they spoke, Old Wu returned. After exchanging a few casual words with Jiang Chen, he went straight to the kitchen.

Both Jiang Chen and Wu Yue were puzzled. Wu Yue always prepared the family meals, and dinner was already cooked. What was Old Wu up to?

Soon, Old Wu came out carrying a bowl of food, reminding them as he left, “I’m feeding the ox. You two go ahead and eat. No need to wait for me.”

After Old Wu walked away, Jiang Chen asked Wu Yue in confusion, “Isn’t your ox in the barn supposed to eat fodder? Since when does it eat white rice?”

Wu Yue furrowed her brow, astonished. “I saw a chicken leg in that bowl!”

Considering Old Wu’s recent unusual behavior, Jiang Chen felt it necessary to investigate. After all, this was his future father-in-law; it was only right to show concern.

He told Wu Yue to start dinner and headed toward the barn.

Before he reached it, he heard voices coming from inside. Was Old Wu really confiding in the ox?

Things were becoming increasingly strange. Could Old Wu be so reluctant to marry off his daughter that he was anxious and hid from the family to avoid showing it?

Questions flooded Jiang Chen’s mind. He slowed his steps deliberately, minimizing any noise.

Thanks to his professional training and countless experiences in the field, Jiang Chen’s approach was flawless. There was no chance Old Wu would sense his presence.

“Stop killing those cats and dogs. Your bizarre actions are causing alarm among the neighbors and raising suspicion.”

Old Wu’s words sent a jolt through Jiang Chen’s mind.

The strange events he’d heard about at the marketplace were suddenly connected here. That meant there was another person present—the one who had killed animals and dumped their bodies.

“Doesn’t bringing me food every day make your family suspicious?”

The voice was that of a man. Jiang Chen didn’t recognize it, but he could almost picture the man in his mind.

“My affairs are none of your concern. In any case, I can’t let you run amok outside, even if I’m no longer the man I once was.”

“Fresh raw meat suits my palate better—the kind that drips blood and reeks of its pungent scent, though it makes me sick.”

The man’s tone was utterly flat, as calm as a still lake.

“Did you develop this peculiarity on the battlefield?”

“If survival instincts count as peculiarities.”

The conversation between Old Wu and this mysterious man stunned Jiang Chen. The stranger was someone who had spent years on the battlefield.

Only those who skirt death daily speak with such coldness and harbor such conflicting feelings about blood.

Jiang Chen could sense this strongly. He too had once survived on the knife’s edge; without a few brushes with death, one could never understand that taste.

He must be a soldier of the Great Qian!

“What’s your next move?” After a long silence, Old Wu finally asked.

“I must fulfill my mission, even if it costs me my life.”

At this, the two suddenly fell silent, as if listening intently for any movement around them. This reaction surprised Jiang Chen even more.

He had already slowed his breathing to near silence, yet the two inside seemed aware of his presence.

How could that be?

It was utterly absurd. The butcher Old Wu, whom Jiang Chen had known since childhood, clearly had an unknown side. Now Jiang Chen was deeply curious about Old Wu’s past—what exactly had he been?

“Time’s up. If I don’t go back soon, they’ll start suspecting something.”

Old Wu stood to leave, and the man made no further sound. When Old Wu returned home, he found his daughter and Jiang Chen happily eating dinner together.

“Hmph, you don’t even wait for me. They say a married daughter is like spilled water, but you haven’t even married yet!”

“Didn’t you tell us to start eating?” Jiang Chen reminded him.

Old Wu suddenly grew haughty. “Hmph, elders say such things just out of courtesy. Don’t you young people know a bit about manners?”

Though he put on a stern face, it was clear Old Wu wasn’t truly angry. The always-serious man could even crack a joke now.

Back at his own home, Jiang Chen sat alone, pondering. He had a strong feeling that the man hiding in the Wu family’s barn was the same one he’d seen before.

Gu Jun said the man carried the military insignia of Great Qian, yet he had appeared in such an unremarkable place. For what purpose?