Chapter 749

Chapter 749: The World Within the Bell (Part Four)

On the surface, Chen Er Gou appeared calm and composed, but deep inside, his heart was fluttering as if it were about to take flight.

Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method!

The might of this martial art surpassed all his expectations and filled him with immense confidence!

Chen Er Gou couldn’t help but clench his fists tightly.

What he most desired now was to tell his father that he had not only become a true martial artist but had also stumbled upon a tremendous opportunity.

Chen Er Gou also wished for Chen Qiao Shan to learn the Heavenly Dragon Vajra True Method alongside him.

Perhaps their father could even break through to the Bone Refinement Stage!

Overflowing with joy, Chen Er Gou swung his hoe with swift precision, clearing the weeds from the field.

He uprooted them entirely!

After breaking through the Skin Refinement Stage, his strength had surged dramatically, and his farming efficiency had more than doubled.

But there was a price to pay.

He found himself growing hungry much faster.

With all the cured meat at home consumed, Chen Er Gou eagerly awaited his father’s return to the village.

Since the nearby Wild Beasts had already been hunted to scarcity, the village’s Hunting Team usually took two or three days to return, often bringing back some prey.

As a member of the Hunting Team and a martial artist at the Meat Refinement Stage, Chen Qiao Shan would receive a generous share of beast meat.

Chen Er Gou licked his lips, feeling his stomach growl with hunger.

“Doggie!”

Just then, a middle-aged farmer rushed over and shouted urgently, “Hurry home! Something’s happened to your father!”

Chen Er Gou’s head seemed to explode with a deafening “bang,” his vision blurring as he nearly collapsed to the ground.

He didn’t spare a thought for the dropped hoe and bolted toward his home.

He had never run so fast in his life!

Before he even reached home, Chen Er Gou spotted a crowd gathered in front of his door, including several hunters.

“Father!”

He cried out, tears gushing from his eyes.

“Er Gou is back.”

“Oh, how tragic! He lost his mother before, and now his father too. How will he manage?”

“Yes, indeed.”

The onlooking neighbors whispered among themselves, casting sympathetic glances at the distraught Chen Er Gou.

Chen Er Gou rushed up to a middle-aged man and stammered, “Uncle Yan, my, my father…”

The burly man, the leader of the Little Stone Village Hunting Team, sighed deeply and placed a hand on Chen Er Gou’s head. “The Hunting Team encountered a fierce beast of the third-grade, and your father… he didn’t make it. We couldn’t even retrieve his body.”

The middle-aged man felt a deep sense of guilt: “Doggie, from now on, this family will have to rely on you alone.”

Chen Er Gou’s head buzzed; he didn’t catch another word.

All he knew was that his sole pillar of support was gone—the person who had loved him most was no more!

After that, Chen Er Gou was led around like a marionette by several village elders as they completed the funeral arrangements.

Since Chen Qiao Shan’s body had been dragged away by the fierce beast, the funeral was much simpler than it might have been.

Even so, it took an entire day and night.

By the time it was over, Chen Er Gou, who hadn’t eaten or drunk a thing, was utterly famished and exhausted, both in body and spirit.

At that moment, the neighbors had all dispersed, leaving the courtyard empty and eerily desolate.

Chen Er Gou mustered what little strength he had left and moved to close the courtyard gate.

“Doggie!”

Suddenly, a group of people barged in, led by a man who called out Chen Er Gou’s nickname. He feigned wiping tears from his eyes and said, “I’m your Fourth Uncle! I just heard about Brother Qiao Shan’s accident. We came too late!”

As he spoke, his eyes darted around, greedily scanning the courtyard and the house.

His gaze eventually settled on a nearby table, where a hefty wild sheep lay.

This wild sheep was the “compensation” left for Chen Er Gou by the Hunting Team. After being gutted, it weighed nearly two hundred pounds—enough to provide a family with meat for over half a year if cured.

Chen Er Gou’s expression darkened instantly.

He was no longer an ignorant child; at fifteen, he had already learned much about the ways of the world.

This man who called himself “Fourth Uncle” was indeed related to him, but they had rarely interacted.

Moreover, the man’s reputation was far from stellar.

To claim that he had only just learned of Chen Qiao Shan’s accident was pure nonsense. Little Stone Village had only about a hundred households, and even the smallest news traveled quickly from one end of the village to the other, let alone something as significant as this.

It was clear that the man had waited until the funeral was over and everyone had left before swooping in to take advantage of the situation!

Chen Er Gou stepped forward and blocked the man’s path, his deep voice firm as he said, “The funeral is over. You can all leave now.”

Fourth Uncle’s face twisted in anger: “How dare you speak to your elder like that?”

The people who had come with him began to clamor: “No respect for your elders! No sense of propriety at all!”

“That’s right! We came here to help, and you won’t even offer us tea or food. Just sending us away like this is downright rude!”

“A child should let the adults handle family matters!”

“Old Four, why don’t you take him in?”

“Yes!”

They chattered on, not even bothering to ask Chen Er Gou’s opinion, as if they had already decided his future for him.

Fourth Uncle pretended to hesitate, then said, “Oh well, we’re all family. It’s only right to help out.”

He forced a fake smile and reached out to pat Chen Er Gou’s head: “Doggie, from now on, you’ll stay with Fourth Uncle. As long as I have food to eat, you won’t go hungry.”

As he spoke, his eyes couldn’t help but drift toward the plump wild sheep, his greed now completely unmasked!

Chen Er Gou stepped back, avoiding the man’s touch, and sneered, “I’m fifteen years old. I don’t need to find myself a new father. And don’t even think about scheming against my family. It’s disgusting!”

With his hypocritical facade torn away, Fourth Uncle flew into a rage and swung his hand to slap Chen Er Gou.

But before the slap could land, he took a powerful kick to the stomach and was sent flying backward.

“Ah!”

Behind him, chaos erupted as people stumbled and fell, their panicked cries and screams filling the air.

“Get out of here!”

Chen Er Gou’s grief transformed into a blazing fury as he lunged at the group of scoundrels.

He struck them down one by one, sending even Fourth Uncle scrambling away, howling in pain.

Chen Er Gou used the last of his strength to shut the door.

His body swayed, and he collapsed to the ground, his vision darkening.

The overwhelming emotional shock, combined with his physical exhaustion and hunger, had finally pushed the fifteen-year-old boy past his limits.

As he lay on the cold ground, he suddenly felt a strange sense of relief.

Perhaps this was a kind of release—a good thing for him.

Chen Er Gou slowly closed his eyes, the light of life in his gaze fading like a candle in the wind, about to be extinguished.