My martial arts skill bar can be infinitely merged.

8. The Calamity of Night Demons

"My dad?"

Lu Feng frowned almost imperceptibly and reassured Madam Yuan, "Mother, don't panic."

"Okay, okay." Seeing her son's calm and composed demeanor, Mrs. Yuan was moved by his composure and nodded repeatedly.

Then, turning to the constables in front of him, he asked in a low voice, "Officers, what happened to my father?"

The two constables who arrived exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing helplessness; they had only said half of what they needed to say.

The taller man standing at the door continued, "Lord Lu is unharmed. Not only is he unharmed, but he has also gained the magistrate's favor and is fully involved in the suppression of the rampant Night Demons, making a great contribution to Cangwu County!"

The other man, with a smile plastered on his face, clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute to Lu Feng, saying, "We two brothers are here to deliver a message to you. Also, part of the county government's reward has already been distributed in advance."

As he spoke, the tall constable standing at the door took out a bulging cloth bag from the lining and handed it to Yuan Shi.

"Our mission is complete, so we will not bother you any longer."

The two did not linger; they exchanged words and gave a reward before leaving the alley.

Yuan Shi held the money bag in her hand, her eyes glazed over, as if she were thinking of something terrible, and subconsciously looked at her son.

Lu Feng was equally alarmed and kept quiet for the time being. He went to the door and said, "Let's go back first and talk in the courtyard."

The group returned from outside the house to the courtyard, and then back inside the house.

In the dimly lit room, Yuan's voice was filled with deep worry: "Will your father come back today?"

To be honest, Lu Feng was speechless when asked this question; he didn't know what to say.

In the evening, Tiger was talking about the county government's inaction, and now he heard that his father could actually help to exterminate the night ghosts?

Isn't this ridiculous?

His father, Lu Chen, was a master at saving money; that's how he saved the money that saved him.

But killing the Night Demon...

Don't joke around, how could a scholar have that ability?

Lu Feng pondered for a moment and then replied, "Father should be fine. He was just assisting. Perhaps he came up with some scheme that caught the county magistrate's eye. The attitude of the two people who came today reveals part of the situation."

As for the original question about the Yuan family, he did not respond. This old man definitely wouldn't be coming back tonight. Sending someone over to let them know he's safe and sound is the best he can do.

The second aunt also comforted her, and after a few words, she dispelled Yuan's concerns; otherwise, she would have rushed to the county government.

Life went on as usual: cooking, eating, and another night passed.

As dawn broke, Second Uncle Lu Zhou hurriedly returned home, his face beaming with joy. But after looking around and asking around, he discovered that his eldest brother hadn't come home that night. Upon learning that the man had gone out to do such a dangerous thing, his expression immediately changed.

Lu Feng was still drinking his soup when he heard his second uncle's voice, and he knew immediately that his good mood had been completely ruined.

"I went to the county government office and they advised me to think more about my family. I didn't consider the consequences at all and didn't even think about going home!"

"Sister-in-law, don't follow me. Wait at home first. Xiaofeng, you should learn a trade. Taking leave after only a few days will make people gossip."

After taking off the smelly jacket and putting on a clean gray cloth outfit, revealing his muscular arms, Lu Zhou disappeared into the courtyard.

As usual, Lu Feng took two meat-filled pies to the butcher shop. He knew he couldn't interfere in this matter, or things would only get worse.

In any case, we must not lose our rhythm. Things have not reached their worst point yet, so let's focus on doing our own things well first.

Upon arriving at Zhang's Butcher Shop, they immediately got busy, following the same process as yesterday, except that there were fewer pigs today, only three.

Zhang Dayou's expression had been rather unpleasant since the morning; it was unclear what had happened to cause him to be in a bad mood.

It seemed that something had happened at the shop as well. After lunch, Zhang Dayou left the shop without telling the shopkeeper where he was going.

In the afternoon, Li Laowu's rough, large hands swished across the cutting board, chasing away flies that were biting the meat. His brows were furrowed, but he remained silent.

In the backyard, Luo Mu, a novice swordsman, was washing his pig-slaughtering knife with water. After washing it, he sharpened it with a whetstone, and the sound of sharpening the knife echoed intermittently from the backyard.

Lu Feng sat on a small stool, watching the two of them. He knew something in his heart, but he wasn't sure.

Finally, Li Laowu couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed his hand on the chopping board and sat down on the high stool behind him in a fit of anger.

Lu Feng knew his opportunity had come, so he asked a question.

"What's wrong, Brother Li? Something feels off about our shop!"

He was very careful when he asked questions, behaving like a young apprentice apprehensive about unknown changes happening to the shop.

Li Laowu was clearly not a shrewd person. When Lu Feng, his usual partner, asked him a question, and considering his perception of Lu Feng, he immediately poured out his grievances.

"Brother Lu, didn't you notice that there are fewer pigs coming today?"

Lu Feng nodded. Yesterday there were four heads, and today there were three. He originally thought this was normal, but since Li Laowu said so, it was not normal.

Li Laowu continued, "Any butcher in the outer city can't do without the Li family. The Li family owns the largest livestock farm in the outer city. They do all kinds of business, except for cattle, which they dare not slaughter."

"Our business is based on getting the best deal, but now the price has increased by 20%, where is the profit left?"

Understood. The Li family is the source of the supply. Now they want to take 20% of the profits. As far as Lu Feng knows, meat prices in Cangwu County are quite high, and the profit margin is also decent. He usually keeps the accounts, so it's probably around 40%.

Sixty percent is pure cost, excluding staff wages, daily maintenance, and expenses for auxiliary items.

After all the calculations, the net profit might only be 20%.

If the Li family wants to take 20%, wouldn't that be the same as letting Uncle Zhang work for nothing?

No wonder the atmosphere was so tense today, and no wonder Uncle Zhang disappeared this afternoon; he must have gone to smooth things over.

In the evening, Zhang Dayou returned, his expression was normal, but he didn't say a word. Anyone with eyes could see that the negotiations hadn't gone well.

Luo Mu and Li Laowu didn't dare to go up and talk to each other. They silently went about their work, and even when they had nothing to do, they would sweep the floor with a dustpan, cleaning the shop inside and out.

As usual, it was time to finish their shift. The two said goodbye to Zhang Dayou and left the shop to go home.

Lu Feng followed behind, waving hello, and prepared to go back.

Zhang Dayou called out to him, still holding the thick oil paper bag in his hand, his voice calm: "Take this. Don't worry about or listen to anything that happens in the shop. I didn't call you 'Uncle' for nothing. I'll make sure you get your fill of meat."

"Um!"

Lu Feng looked into Zhang Dayou's eyes. If he didn't accept it, he would be disrespecting Uncle Zhang. So he took the paper package.

"Uncle Zhang, if there's anything you need to say, just say it. We can discuss it together and there's always a way."

These words left Zhang Dayou speechless. He then shook his head with a smile and said, "Kid, how old are you? The waters of this outer city are much deeper than you think. Alright, go back first. Come back as usual tomorrow."

Helpless, Lu Feng took the meat and headed home.

When Lu Feng arrived at his house through the narrow alley, the gate to the courtyard was slightly ajar. He kept a close eye on a prismatic stone at his feet and hid it in his sleeve.

Pushing open the gate, I looked through the front yard and saw the open door of the main hall, and then my tense body relaxed.

In the main hall, apart from his second uncle who had left in the morning, his father, who was in this body, had also returned home. The two brothers were sitting on benches, chatting and laughing.

Seeing that everything was alright, Lu Feng bolted the courtyard gate and strode into the main hall.