Because Wu Haisheng's clothes did not fit him, Jiang Su’e searched through the closet for a long time before finally finding a gray shirt, starched so thoroughly it had turned almost white.

"This belonged to my father when he was alive. If you don’t mind…"

"It’s fine," Chen Zhou replied. He didn’t mind at all. They were the clothes of the deceased, but he had worn such things before. The ones he had on now were no exception.

Next, Chen Zhou received warm hospitality from the couple. He took a quick bath to wash away the blood, then changed into his fresh clothes. By the time he was done, Wu Haisheng had prepared a steaming bowl of wontons for him.

"My cooking isn’t anything special, and it can’t compare to the big restaurants. The food might not suit your taste, so please bear with me," Wu Haisheng said nervously, rubbing his hands together.

Chen Zhou picked up a wonton with his chopsticks, placed it in his mouth, and smiled. "It’s great."

He meant it. Though the taste couldn’t compare to the food he had enjoyed in his past life, considering the era and the limited seasonings available, it was already quite good.

After swallowing a wonton, Chen Zhou paused momentarily. He was waiting to see if his health bar would decrease.

One should not harm others, but one must always be cautious. Though Jiang Su’e and Wu Haisheng had expressed their gratitude, Chen Zhou remained on guard.

It wasn’t that he was being overly suspicious—it was just that Xiao Xianwei and his men had already taught him a valuable lesson.

However, his concerns proved unnecessary. After eating a wonton, his health bar remained stable. In fact, not only did his health not decrease, but the rate of its recovery actually increased slightly.

"So eating nourishing food can speed up health regeneration..."

This was a valuable discovery. Once he confirmed the food was safe, Chen Zhou began eating with relish.

Soon, the first bowl of wontons was gone, and Wu Haisheng, ever considerate, quickly served him a second.

As they ate, Jiang Su’e chatted with Chen Zhou, sharing more about their lives and allowing him to learn about the couple’s past.

Jiang Su’e had originally come from another town. Two years ago, she and her parents moved to Changqing County to live with relatives.

Unexpectedly, their journey was ambushed by bandits, and her parents were killed. It was Wu Haisheng who saved her.

At the time, Wu Haisheng had still been a warrior. He single-handedly killed several bandits, but in the process, his left leg was severely injured. He was left disabled, struggling even to walk.

Grateful for his help, Jiang Su’e took on the responsibility of caring for him. From then on, they lived together as husband and wife.

Wu Haisheng gave up martial arts and switched to making wontons. Due to his disability, he stayed home to wrap the wontons and prepare the seasonings, while Jiang Su’e took them out to sell.

Their lives were simple and poor, but happy—until one fateful day when Zhao Jing, bored and wandering the streets, laid eyes on Jiang Su’e selling wontons.

That was when their nightmare began. Wu Haisheng protected his wife once, but he was unable to do so a second time… or a third…

Jiang Su’e mustered her courage and, with tears in her eyes, told Wu Haisheng about the horrors she had endured. Meanwhile, Wu Haisheng simply hunched over, curling into a ball as he hid in the kitchen’s shadow.

"I’m just a useless piece of shit…"

After a long silence, Wu Haisheng finally spoke. His eyes avoided Chen Zhou’s gaze, filled with both inferiority and anger.

His self-loathing stemmed from his inability to protect his wife—especially in comparison to someone like Chen Zhou, who had effortlessly wiped out their oppressors.

At the same time, he was furious at himself. She was his wife, yet she needed another man to save her…

But Chen Zhou didn’t see him as useless at all. He was a man of courage who had fought to the best of his ability.

It wasn’t his fault. It was the world’s fault.

If Chen Zhou hadn’t possessed his special ability, he too would have died at the very beginning.

This wasn’t an era where one man could defy fate—at least, not for ordinary people. Without a miraculous opportunity, those at the bottom would remain trapped forever.

Chen Zhou considered offering words of comfort but ultimately held back. People only truly understand pain when they experience it themselves—empty reassurances wouldn’t change anything.

The room grew heavy with silence.

Until suddenly, a sharp knock sounded at the door, accompanied by urgent shouts: "Open up! Open the door, quickly!"

The couple tensed immediately. Wu Haisheng reacted first: "Su’e, take our benefactor upstairs to hide. I’ll handle this!"

"Alright!" Jiang Su’e responded quickly, turning to Chen Zhou.

Chen Zhou stood up without hesitation.

When the door opened, three yamen runners stood outside, their faces harsh and imposing.

"What took so long?" one of them demanded.

"Officers, I have trouble walking…" Wu Haisheng answered stiffly, pointing to his injured leg.

While he spoke, the three men forced their way inside. Their leader didn’t bother with pleasantries. "Search the place!"

"Wait, no!" Wu Haisheng hurriedly stepped forward. "Officers, what’s going on? Why are you searching our home?"

"Han Jinrong and his entire family were murdered this morning," the leader said coldly. "The killer is still at large. The county magistrate has ordered a full search of every household."

"Is that true?!" Wu Haisheng exclaimed, pretending to be horrified. "I would never dare to shelter such a criminal! You’d be wasting your time searching my house!"

"That’s not your decision to make," the yamen runner sneered. Then, suddenly shifting his tone, he sighed: "Look, we’re just following orders. We don’t want to be doing this. We’re all from the same town—no one wants any trouble."

"We’ve been searching dozens of houses all day, running around like dogs, all for a measly salary…"

The leading officer dragged out his words meaningfully. Wu Haisheng immediately caught on, nodding along. "Yes, yes, I understand…"

But the yamen runner frowned. "You don’t seem to understand. If I really start searching, and something valuable gets broken, you won’t blame me, will you?"

"Oh, I understand now!" Wu Haisheng smacked his forehead dramatically, then pulled out a handful of copper coins and discreetly pressed them into the officer’s hand. "You hardworking officers deserve a little something for your troubles. Why not have some tea first?"

The yamen runners, now smiling, pocketed the bribe. They had no interest in tea—they turned and left immediately, moving to the next house to repeat their routine.

From the second floor, Chen Zhou had heard everything clearly.

He remained indifferent.

If the upper ranks were corrupt, how could the lower ranks be any different? Officials exploited the people, so naturally, the yamen runners beneath them would follow suit.

But Chen Zhou suppressed his impulse to act. Killing them now would only bring trouble to the couple.

These men were nothing more than small fry.

The county magistrate was the real target.

If you want to shoot a person, shoot the horse first; if you want to capture a thief, capture the leader first!