Chương 119: A Few Trivial Affairs in Town

Five Flavors Restaurant. Sitting at the banquet table, taking advantage of the fact that the others hadn't arrived yet, Song Que introduced the men to each other.

"Guild Master Liang, this is my brother Xiong Ba; I'm sure you still have some impression of him. This is Guan Xing, Head Escort of the Shunfeng Escort Agency. In the future, the two of them will manage this trade route on my behalf, so I must ask Guild Master Liang to look after them. Uncle Guan, this is Guild Master Liang Jing of the Iron Saber Gang, the top gang in town."

"Greetings, Guild Master Liang!" The two immediately cupped their hands toward Liang Jing. Old Liang also returned the gesture with a smile, though his gaze spent most of the time focused on Xiong Ba. He had encountered this dark, hardy kid before and still had an impression of him. But looking at him today, the boy seemed even more stalwart. Standing beside a pair of massive sledgehammers, the fierce, murderous aura radiating from his body made Old Liang shudder slightly. Motherf cker.

* Leaving aside that freak Song Que, even an inconspicuous follower can make me tremble like this. Old Liang tried to convince himself that he was overthinking, but the goosebumps rising on the back of his neck told him his intuition wasn't wrong. Truthfully, ever since unleashing a massacre at the Black Iron Stronghold, Xiong Ba didn't know how to restrain his aura, making the murderous intent on his body quite terrifying.

Even his comrades from Shunfeng only dared to watch him from a distance; it was entirely reasonable that Liang Jing felt a chill down his spine standing near him. Just then, someone pushed the door open and entered.

"A'Que! Why didn't you give me a heads-up about your return?!" Seeing it was Wu Yi, Song Que laughed loudly, stepped forward, and gave him a bear hug:"Haha, Brother Yi! This trip was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so I didn't have time to inform you. Besides, I wanted to give you a surprise!" Seeing Wu Yi arrive, Liang Jing's eyes lit up, and he immediately relinquished his seat to him. Sitting next to that kid Xiong Ba made his entire body feel uncomfortable.

"Constable Wu, come sit here. You brothers haven't seen each other in a long time; I won't stand in the middle and get in your way." Unaware of Old Liang's sinister motive, Wu Yi didn't refuse. He politely thanked him and casually sat down. Being very familiar with Xiong Ba, he didn't feel the slightest discomfort, and enthusiastically continued chatting with Song Que and the others. A moment later, the door opened once again. This time, Lu Tich led another old man inside.

"Town Mayor! Lord Lu!" The seated Liang Jing and Wu Yi immediately stood up to salute. Hearing this, Song Que finally realized that this person was the Town Mayor, Lu Chengcai. To be honest, having lived here for so many years, this was his first time seeing the Town Mayor, which showed how low-key and reclusive the man truly was. As the local official, Grandee Song couldn't lack manners either. He pulled the others up and cupped his hands:"Greetings, Lord Lu, Lord Lu."

"Haha, everyone, there's no need for such formalities. This must be the young hero, Song Que?" Lu Chengcai didn't put on airs. He smiled amiably, waved his hand dismissively, and turned to ask Song Que.

"This youngster is indeed he. My Lord can just call me by name; I dare not accept the title of young hero."

"Haha, you deserve it, you absolutely deserve it! Last time, when I heard that an outstanding young talent like Young Master Song had appeared under my jurisdiction—single-handedly slaying the Second-Tier expert and heinous villain Zheng Junqing—I was thrilled for a long time, regretting that I couldn't associate with you sooner."

"Today, hearing that Guild Master Liang was hosting a banquet for Young Master Song, this old man thickly skin-and-all came uninvited. I hope you all won't hold it against me." So he heard the news and came to build a relationship. Grandee Song didn't object to this. One more friend means one more path, so he replied politely:"The Town Mayor flatters me. You are busy with a hundred affairs daily, caring for tens of thousands of households here.

To be able to spare some time to visit this youngster already fills me with gratitude; how could I possibly hold it against you?!" When it came to the ways of officialdom, perhaps 'Official Song' was born with max-level talent; his diplomatic speech didn't even require a draft. Old Lu felt extremely comfortable hearing this, and entered the room with him, smiling broadly. This left only Liang Jing standing alone, his mind in complete chaos.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. This kid Song Que could already single-handedly kill a Second-Tier expert?! That fast?! But considering that the opponent had already been hailed as the number one expert of Yellow Leaf Town two years ago, it was still somewhat acceptable. The real issue was: why did everyone else know this news except him?! Looking around the room, no one displayed the slightest hint of surprise.

Old Liang tragically realized that he was the most poorly informed person here. His Iron Saber Gang's intelligence unit was truly like an empty bucket—unable to catch even a whisper of wind. He didn't know what those guys were doing every day. If I don't beat those useless fools until their backsides bloom when I get back, I'll truly be letting down the wages I pay them every month! Liang Jing cursed them to high heaven in his mind.

Taking a few deep breaths to regain his composure, he turned and entered the room, intending to find a seat close to Grandee Song to nurture their relationship. Unfortunately, both sides of Song Que were already fully occupied, subtly placing him and Lu Chengcai side-by-side in the master seats. Liang Jing miserably discovered that he could barely even wedge himself into the conversation. Looking up and sighing, Old Liang could only comfort himself—at least he still had Chung Hui to act as a bridge.

It wouldn't be too late to seek him out for information after the banquet ended. It looks like I need to give him a promotion and a raise later. This kid handles things quite well.... Not long after the restaurant owner personally brought out the dishes, the two brothers, Chung Hui and Zhong Hong, arrived together. Grandee Song once again took up the task of introducing everyone. After two rounds of drinks, everyone began to loosen up and chat merrily.

There were no high-brow topics; it was purely a matter of building rapport. The atmosphere wasn't bad at all. The banquet finally concluded when Lu Chengcai used the excuse of his advanced age and poor alcohol tolerance to take his leave. Seeing that the sky had grown dark, Song Que abandoned the idea of returning to his village. Furthermore, with the escorts still here, he rented out an entire inn and arranged for everyone to stay there.... Inside a room. Song Que and Wu Yi sat drinking tea and chatting.

Zhong Hong had to return home tonight to visit his elderly mother and niece, so he wouldn't be staying here.

"Brother Yi, how much do you know about this Lu Chengcai? Why does he seem shrouded in mystery to me, acting a bit strange?"

"If I hadn't met him today, I would have forgotten we even had a Town Mayor." Meeting the Town Mayor for the first time left a deep, exceptionally deep impression on Grandee Song. Motherf cker, it felt like this old man hadn't bathed all year. The foul, fishy stench on his body was deafeningly pungent! He had deliberately doused himself in heavy incense to mask it, but how could that escape Grandee Song's canine nose? * To someone with a sense of smell as acute as his, this meal was no different from torture.

If the opponent hadn't been the local official, and moreover possessed a decent and amiable attitude, Grandee Song would have kicked him out long ago. Hearing Song Que's question, Wu Yi also frowned and pondered:"When I came to work here, he had already been in the position of Town Mayor for several years, so I don't know much either. There are only rumors that he used to be an official in the commandery.

His cultivation was average, and as his blood and Qi depleted with old age, he stopped competing for promotions and requested to retire here to enjoy a few peaceful years."

"Ever since returning here, he has always maintained that appearance. Aside from eating and sleeping all day, he rarely interferes with the town's affairs. Over time, everyone got used to it, simply viewing him as an elder living out his retirement, and very few people pay him any mind."

"I see." Song Que nodded:"Do you know how many years he has been the Town Mayor?"

"It should be around six or seven years?" Wu Yi wasn't entirely certain. Grandee Song smiled:"Although I saw his blood and Qi were chaotic, showing signs of leaking outward, the internal reserves are still highly abundant; he is not an ordinary character. Lu Tich might not even be able to defeat this Town Mayor in a fight. It looks like he'll be sitting in this position for a very long time."

"After all, he came down from the commandery; possessing some capability is only normal," Brother Yi smiled. True enough! Song Que was merely slightly curious. Since the matter didn't concern him, he quickly tossed it to the back of his mind. I'll just make sure to keep my distance from this walking chemical bomb in the future.

"Brother Yi, do you know when you'll be able to return to the County?" Wu Yi didn't care much about this issue and shook his head:"It's not determined yet. Half a year if it's quick, a year if it's slow. After all, I must achieve some performance metrics while I'm here."

"Hehe, wanting performance metrics isn't simple? Let me ask Guild Master Liang to cooperate with you. Leaving major cases aside, if it's just petty theft, I guarantee it can be resolved within the day. If that fails, you can always have someone confess to the crime and file the report first, then slowly solve the case later."

"Once efficiency goes up, won't you have a track record?" His max-level political scheming talent came into play once again. Grandee Song began plotting and strategizing for Constable Wu, mapping out the grand strategy. The more Old Wu listened, the more reasonable it sounded, and his eyes couldn't help but light up. Being an official can actually be played this way? I am truly too naive. Old Wu: Isn't this just collusion between officials and bandits, working together to do bad things?

Grandee Song would tell him: Wrong! This is a joint effort between officials and citizens to deter crime and maintain social order! Wu Yi: Grandee Song! I am convinced! The two continued chatting about everything under the sun for a long time. It wasn't until late at night that Wu Yi finally left, still wanting more. Having been 'enlightened' by Grandee Song today, his mind was much more agile and adaptable; he was confident he could make something of himself before long....

Early the next morning, not long after Song Que got out of bed, Xiong Ba came to announce that Liang Jing was waiting for him downstairs in the hall. Slightly curious, Grandee Song quickly cleaned himself up and went down to meet him.

"Guild Master Liang, I wonder what brings you here so early in the morning?" No matter how long he had been waiting, Old Liang showed no sign of displeasure. Seeing him arrive, he stood up, cupped his hands, and smiled:"Brother Song, there is no need for such formalities between us. I am a few years older than you; you can just call me 'Old Brother' (lão ca) from now on."

"Then this youngster won't put on airs. Old Brother, what important matter brought you to look for me so early?" Hearing his words, Liang Jing's smile grew even brighter:"Old Brother, wasn't I afraid you'd head back to your village early? That's why I hurried over to discuss cooperation!" In truth, after returning last night, he had questioned Chung Hui. Although he didn't learn the exact details, Liang Jing roughly understood that Song Que was currently a prominent figure even within the County City!

Without time to marvel at the opponent's terrifying growth rate, how could Old Liang pass up such an opportunity? He spent the entire night thinking of ways to associate with Grandee Song, and this morning, he simply couldn't wait any longer to meet and talk with him.