A faint, metallic tang of blood hung in the air, spreading through the mountain ravine.
The six bandits—were all dead.
Lester Liew blinked rapidly, twice in quick succession. He didn't even know when those six men had fallen.
All he knew was that in just the blink of an eye… they were dead.
Clara wiped her blade clean on one of the corpses. The six bandits died with their eyes wide open, unseeing and soulless.
Their clothes were little more than ragged hemp sacks, worse off than even the ones Lester wore. Clara gave them a look of disdain before reaching over to search their bodies.
Unfortunately, not a single copper coin turned up. Broke as broken gets. But their knives, at least, looked serviceable.
Clara gathered up all six blades, then stood and looked around. She dragged the bodies one by one into the overgrown gully to the right—returning them to nature's embrace.
There were plenty of wild animals in the mountains. Give it a few days, and nature would take care of the rest.
After tidying up the scene, Clara swept her foot over the bloodstained ground, using gravel and dirt to cover the mess. Villagers often passed this way—no need to give someone a heart attack.
She dusted off her hands and turned to Lester. "Do any of them look familiar?"
She suddenly remembered, "If they're locals, that could get messy."
Lester stiffly shook his head.
In his mind, he was thinking—You killed them all first, and now you ask? Isn't that a bit late?
He hadn't said a word since it happened.
Clara assumed he was just the quiet type and nodded casually. "Good. Not locals. According to Sheng Kingdom law, if common folk encounter bandits and kill them, they're not guilty of any crime."
She tilted her chin toward the path. "Let's go."
Lester immediately followed. As they passed over the spot she had cleaned with her foot, he made a giant leap over it, like a rabbit fleeing danger.
The two returned home by late afternoon.
Doreen had finished preparing lunch and gone back. Several clansmen helping with construction were still busy around the house.
Tiles were being delivered one batch at a time. Thanks to everyone's efforts, the new house was finally beginning to take shape.
Clara was pleasantly surprised—meals at home had improved, and the house stayed clean. Someone was clearly tending to things daily, keeping it tidy and orderly.
And that man—Lester—he was now home every day. No more running off to chase young ladies or flirt with widows. Instead, he was handling house chores more and more competently. It was… honestly, very much to her liking.
Clara had a hunch this change probably had something to do with what happened that day when they returned from Riverbend Village.
But what she didn't know was—on that very day, the moment they stepped back into Liew Clan Village, Lester had rushed home, fished out his stash of hidden coins, grabbed a handful, and dashed back out again.
His first stop: Sister-in-law Zhou's house. She looked puzzled—and maybe a little nervous—when he handed her ten copper coins.
"What's this for?" she asked, warily.
Lester looked deeply remorseful. "Sister-in-law, those vegetables from your field a few days back… I picked them. This is the money for them. Please, I beg you, don't tell my wife I was picking from your garden."
Picking? More like stealing!
Sister-in-law Zhou's temper flared instantly. "So it was you! I chased a bunch of village boys around for two days, scolded them till my throat hurt, and no one owned up! And now you admit it!"
Seeing her so mad, Lester quickly apologized, "Don't be angry, Sister-in-law. I just forgot to pay at the time, honestly! That's why I'm here now, to pay you back."
Sister-in-law Zhou knew full well what kind of man stood before her. She weighed the coins in her hand, half in disbelief. "Lester… the sun didn't rise from the west today, did it? You've changed. Stealing and then actually coming back to pay?"
Lester hurried to correct her, "Not stealing! I bought them. Just remember, I paid for the vegetables. Totally not stealing!"
Then, to seal the deal, he handed her two extra coins—for silence.
Sister-in-law Zhou suddenly found herself struggling to read the man in front of her.
Was this really the same Lester Liew from before?
He left after making her promise not to tell Clara, then made a beeline for Granny Wang's house at the edge of the village.
Granny Wang was sewing soles on a pair of shoes at her doorway when she spotted him coming up the path. Her supposedly failing old eyes lit up with rage.
"Lester Liew, you damned rascal! You've got the gall to come back and steal my eggs again?!"
Granny Wang had broken her leg in a fall when she was younger, and it had never healed properly. Now she walked with difficulty.
During the chaos of recent years, her son had been drafted into war and died on the battlefield. Her daughter-in-law remarried and left, so now she lived with her little grandson, the two of them scraping by together.
She couldn't do heavy labor, so she raised chickens and ducks, selling their eggs to make ends meet.
Those eggs were her lifeline. That one day, she'd only gone out briefly to find bugs to feed her flock. In the short time she was gone, Lester had shown up.
Her little grandson had been tricked into opening the door. Just moments later, Lester had vanished—with five eggs in his sleeve.
The kid counted the eggs daily. It didn't take a genius to figure out who'd done it.
By the time Granny Wang got home, her grandson was bawling at the doorway, saying it was "Uncle Lester" who tricked him. She'd nearly passed out from fury.
She thought about confronting Lester but hesitated—he was unpredictable and shameless, and she feared getting hurt in her old age. So she dropped it.
She never expected this scoundrel would come back voluntarily!
Granny Wang grabbed a club from beside the door, ready to fight if Lester dared come closer.
He quickly waved his hands. "Don't be mad! I'm here to pay for the eggs! I was in a rush that day and forgot, really! You've got it wrong—I'm not that kind of man!"
He placed five coins on the ground, turned around, and started to leave.
But after a few steps, he suddenly spun back, startling the little boy, who ran behind Granny Wang in fright.
Lester chuckled—what he thought was a friendly smile—and pulled out another five coins. "I want to buy another five eggs. Gotta make a good meal for my wife tonight. She's been working hard lately—needs something nourishing."
Granny Wang was skeptical—who in the village didn't know Lester was full of lies?
She had her grandson go pick up the coins. After seeing that he'd actually paid, she grudgingly believed him. She brought out five fresh, free-range eggs, placing them on the ground for him to collect himself.
"Granny, your eggs are better than anyone's! I'll be back for more, okay?" Lester grinned and scooped up the eggs like treasure, tucking them into his shirt. Then he turned and let out a long sigh of relief.
Now he could finally relax.
Even if that terrifying woman at home found out, she wouldn't be able to find fault with him.
She couldn't kill him for this.
In all his twenty-three years, he had never imagined witnessing someone kill with such ease—as if slicing vegetables.
Even more unthinkable was the fact that he had personally married this walking death god into his house.
If only he had known! Lester looked up at the heavens with regret. He was full of remorse!
Passing by the old Liew family home, Lester stepped inside with a tragic expression. For the first time in his life, he addressed his stepmother, Martha Liew, with genuine politeness.
All so she could teach him a few cooking tips.
He needed something—anything—to help him win favor with the god of death living under his roof.
Martha Liew: Well, that was unexpected.
(End of Chapter)