Chương 100: Calculation

The Song Manor.

"A'Que, was that person really Zheng Junqing's accomplice?" Having returned inside the house, Zhong Hong, whose nerves had finally settled down a bit, asked with lingering worry.

"It's not entirely clear yet, but I'd guess there's an eighty to ninety percent chance they are connected." He had been living incredibly low-key lately and hadn't provoked anyone. For someone to want his life today, holding an identical Peacock Plume to the one from last time, there was likely no other reason aside from Old Zheng's matters. Although he had never met Zheng Junqing, rumors and gossip on the streets were plentiful, so Zhong Hong had some understanding of the man.

Knowing he had a wide network of acquaintances and many close friends in the martial underworld—all of whom were ruthless figures who could kill and drink blood without batting an eye—having his associates come knocking made Zhong Hong anxious and fearful:"Then what should we do? Why don't you go into hiding for a while? If they can't find you after a long time, they'll probably disperse." Seeing his worried state, Song Que could only smile and comfort him:"Brother Hong, you don't need to worry.

My life isn't that easy to take! It's you guys who need to be extra careful in the coming days. I'm afraid that if they can't do anything to me, they might target the people around me."

"My cheap life isn't worth worrying about. You are the one who needs to be careful, A'Que."

"Alright, none of us should be careless. We'll wait until tomorrow to see what information the Yamen extracts, and then it won't be too late to formulate a response."

"That's all we can do," Zhong Hong said gloomily.

"Young Master, how did you notice that person was suspicious?" Having watched Grandee Song cleanly and efficiently dispatch the assassin from beginning to end, Nie Feng was not only full of admiration but also intensely curious. He couldn't hold back his question. Could Song Que admit that he relied on a 'bug' like his Domain? He could only pretend to be unfathomably profound and began to 'point out the rivers and mountains':"That wasn't difficult at all!

Leaving aside the fact that beggars are prohibited from loitering on this stretch of the street, his mere appearance caught my attention. Furthermore, he claimed he hadn't eaten or drunk for days, but didn't you notice his vigorous blood and Qi? His clothes were tattered, yet they didn't emit the slightest stench; on the contrary, they were incredibly clean."

"I tested him by tossing some broken silver on the ground. To think that person didn't grab the largest piece first, but specifically chose the smallest piece closest to me to pick up! Naturally, there was deceit involved! Moreover, his hand kept suspiciously reaching into his robes. With so many suspicious points, how could he escape my eyes?" Hearing Grandee Song's serious and solemn analysis, the entire group looked up at him in utmost worship!

Even someone as knowledgeable as Nie Feng was completely fooled, admiring his Young Master's meticulous analysis to the point of throwing himself on the ground in worship! The God of Bullshitting! Grandee Song felt utterly refreshed. With a casual wave of his sleeve, he strode back to his room, leaving behind a group of die-hard fans kneeling in admiration.... The next day, nearing noon, Song Que kept his appointment and paid a visit to the Wu Family.

Outside the door, a servant saw him arrive and hurried inside to report. Before long, the old butler came out to welcome him.

"Young Master Song, you have arrived. The Master is already waiting for you in the study."

"Then I will trouble you, Uncle Fu." Having met the man during his previous visit, Song Que still remembered him and smiled in thanks.

"I wouldn't dare. Young Master Song, please follow this old servant." Following Uncle Fu to the study, Wu Tian and Wu Ping were indeed sitting there, enjoying tea and waiting for him. Seeing him arrive, they stood up, laughed heartily, and greeted him warmly:"A'Que, you're here! The tea is still hot, hurry and sit down to enjoy some."

"Thank you, Uncles. This junior was delayed and made you both wait."

"Haha, you arrived right on time! I haven't been back long myself." The three sat down at the table. After tasting Old Wu's fine tea, Wu Tian immediately got down to business. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"The person we caught yesterday has confessed everything. This guy was quite a tough bone to chew! The interrogators in the prison had to expend quite a bit of effort to make him obedient." Since the man had tried to assassinate him, Song Que no longer cared whether he lived or died. He only wanted to know who wanted to harm him, so he asked:"Uncle, may I ask about this person's background? Was he an accomplice coming to avenge Zheng Junqing?"

Nodding slightly, Old Wu took a sip of tea and spoke softly:"It is related to Zheng Junqing, but this person was only acting on orders; he wouldn't be considered a direct accomplice."

"It turns out this person is Hu Ban, the Third Chieftain of the Black Iron Stronghold! There's an active warrant for his arrest at the Yamen, with a bounty of up to 300 taels of silver! You could say you've performed a meritorious deed by catching a bandit, Song Que!" Wu Tian smiled and continued:"According to his confession, he was ordered by their Head Chieftain, Xu Shicai, to assassinate you.

The first reason was to avenge Zheng Junqing, and the second was to retaliate for you killing several men from their Black Iron Stronghold a few days ago."

"This guy had been loitering around your house for days. Seeing you go out today, he temporarily devised that assassination attempt. The Peacock Plume was also given to him by their Head Chieftain. It seems their determination to kill you is not small! You need to be much more careful, A'Que!" So that was it. Hearing Wu Tian's explanation, Song Que felt everything suddenly click into place. The reason was exactly as expected—entirely stemming from Old Zheng's matters.

Knowing the identity of the mastermind, his heart finally relaxed. Regarding this Xu Shicai, Grandee Song only had one sentence to say: So, you have chosen death. Originally, he had planned to delay things a bit—waiting to settle Aunt Li's business expansion and clear the trade route to Yellow Leaf Town before turning back to settle the score with the Black Iron Stronghold. But since these bandits were tired of living, he didn't mind obliging them a little early!

"Uncle, did you manage to interrogate him for any intelligence regarding the Black Iron Stronghold?"

"You want to strike at the Black Iron Stronghold, A'Que? As it happens, I was also planning to investigate them thoroughly just in case we need it later. I will have someone make a copy of the intel for you shortly. But I advise you not to act rashly! These bandits are not as ordinary as they seem on the surface." The fewer people who knew about this, the better. Song Que didn't tell Old Wu the truth, merely giving a vague response to brush it off. Then, a plan formed in his mind.

He leaned in and whispered into the ears of the two men.

"This shouldn't be a problem, but do you really want to do this, A'Que?"

"Enemies should be unknotted, not tied tighter! If we can turn hostility into friendship, that is naturally the best. I will trouble you, Uncle."

"Alright. It's best if you can endure it like this, A'Que. I will pass on your message and secretly have someone release him this afternoon."

"Thank you, Uncle." With the business concluded, Song Que politely kept the two elders company, chatting and sharing lunch at the Wu Family residence before finally taking his leave.... Returning home, hearing Grandee Song recount the enemy's background, everyone felt a wave of indignation! Xiong Ba was especially boiling with rage, wanting to immediately seek out the Black Iron Stronghold to settle the score! Song Que, conversely, was exceptionally calm:"Actually, the situation isn't too bad!

It seems the so-called 'wide network' of Zheng Junqing, with his many close friends, was just a matter of 'every man for himself'. No one is actually willing to go out of their way to avenge him."

"If it weren't for the conflict a few days ago, the people from the Black Iron Stronghold probably wouldn't have come looking for us either. Right now, as long as we wipe out this group of bandits, we won't need to worry too much."

"The Young Master makes sense, I agree as well. They are just a bunch of thieves and bandits; what loyalty is there to speak of?" Nie Feng deeply agreed with Grandee Song's analysis. Nodding slightly, Song Que continued:"So, Brother Hong, you just proceed with the plan as intended. On this side, Old Nie, Xiong Ba, and I will speed up our preparations to resolve the Black Iron Stronghold!" No one had any objections to his decision.

Afterward, Zhong Hong led some people out to gather information, while Nie Feng followed Song Que to the backyard to continue their discussion. Having established the basic plan of action, Song Que asked thoughtfully:"Old Nie, if everything goes smoothly, I can investigate the specific routes, hidden sentries, and defensive layouts of the Black Iron Stronghold within two or three days. At that time, if you are forced to engage in combat, how much of your strength can you exert?"

"Young Master, at this rate of recovery, I should be able to exert about six tenths of my power by then. If forced, I could strike with full power, but I fear the subsequent flare-up of my injuries would be much more severe." Nie Feng didn't hide anything and truthfully stated his condition. Song Que nodded and considered:"When the time comes, Xiong Ba and I will be the main attackers. If everything goes smoothly, you might not even need to act.

But I fear this Xu Shicai's martial arts might far exceed our estimations. Whether this operation goes smoothly or not will depend on the power of this thing!" Grandee Song sneered and reached into his robes, pulling out the object he had confiscated from Hu Ban and shaking it.

"Young Master, isn't that the item you took from the bandit last time? What is it?" For Nie Feng to actually not recognize this object surprised Song Que slightly. It seemed Old Yun wasn't exaggerating when he said this thing was extremely rare. He smiled and explained:"Hehe, Old Nie, don't let its inconspicuous appearance fool you. If you underestimate it, I guarantee you'll be secretly killed without even knowing how! This is called the Peacock Plume! It contains hundreds of poisoned needles.

Just being hit by one is enough to be fatal!"

"This is the Peacock Plume?!" Nie Feng's voice instantly pitched up, and his face paled a few degrees!

"Heh, so you have heard of it. I just don't know if this thing is effective against external hard-body martial artists. But against an ordinary Second-Tier martial artist, I guarantee a hit is a guaranteed kill!" He hadn't just heard of it! Regarding this ultimate killing weapon, its reputation thundered in Nie Feng's ears! After all, a dead object that allowed an ordinary person to easily kill a Second-Tier martial artist—it was hard not to be wary of it!

Curiously taking it to examine, Old Nie said excitedly:"Young Master, with this item, as long as we deploy it properly, Xu Shicai is dead for sure! You might not know this, but this thing is renowned as the absolute bane of external hard-body practitioners! The poisoned needles inside have extreme penetrating power. As long as they can pierce the skin, the poison will seep into the bloodstream! Even immortals would find it hard to save them!"

"Let's hope so! But external tools are ultimately just external tools. We must figure out a way to help you restore your strength, Old Nie. Then we'll have another layer of insurance, ensuring at the very least that the three of us can escape safely!"