Chương 14: Entering the Town Again

Giant Willow Village, the Zhong Residence. Standing before the main gate of the Zhong residence, Song Que stepped forward and knocked. The one who opened the door was, as expected, Zhong Kui.

"Uncle Zhong."

"Brother Zhong."

"Li Tie, Song Que, it's you two. Come in, come in."

"Uncle Zhong, we're here to ask for your help in buying that bow," Song Que said as they walked in.

"Ah, I remember. So, have you prepared enough? Are you facing any difficulties? If you're short a little, I can help you out." Zhong Kui smiled warmly. He had an incredibly good impression of Song Que. His own life was quite comfortable, and he didn't mind giving this child a helping hand. In his eyes, Song Que and Li Tie were just an old cripple and a child. Foraging in the mountains was grueling work, and the two couldn't possibly have harvested much.

But since they had come knocking, they must have gathered some capital. Being a little short was fine; he could front the rest as a loan. Who would have expected the result to leave him wide-eyed and dumbfounded?

"There's no need, Uncle Zhong. We've prepared enough money for the bow. If you can spare some time tomorrow to wait for me to sell this batch of goods, I should have enough silver to hand over to you." Hearing this, Zhong Kui borrowed the light of his oil lamp to peer into the two baskets before him. He stood there, stunned.

"This... these are Gray Wolf pelts... This is an adult Black Bear pelt and its gallbladder... This... this... this has to be the Wolf King's pelt, right?" Upon receiving Song Que's affirmative nod, Zhong Kui's heart tumbled like an overturned river and sea:"Unbelievable... truly, the younger generation will surpass the old. You've got some real skills, kid. I didn't misjudge you; you are a born, elite hunter!" As for why he didn't suspect Li Tie?

Li Tie's skills were taught by Zhong Kui himself; he knew exactly what level the man was at. Let alone now with a crippled leg, even if he grew an extra leg, his skills would still only be considered passable. Song Que merely smiled and shook his head:"Uncle Zhong praises me too much; it was mostly just luck."

"You're being too modest, kid. You can attribute one or two times to luck, but no one survives in the mountains and forests relying solely on luck. In the deep mountains and ancient forests, the slightest carelessness will land you in a beast's belly. The fact that you two could accomplish this is incredibly rare." Song Que strongly agreed with this sentiment. Even with his Mountain Sparrow and his Domain, he still had to remain hyper-vigilant in the Great Ridge Mountains.

Even so, there was that one time he got stung by a venomous scorpion. Fortunately, the Tesseract had discharged an electric current to neutralize the venom and heal the sting, leaving him unscathed. Since that incident, he was extremely careful with every step he took. He couldn't blindly and entirely rely on the Domain. To put it bluntly, the Domain only used electrical particles to simulate the surrounding magnetic field. If he closed his eyes and sensed it, it was like viewing a black-and-white world.

He could sense warm-blooded animals with crystal clarity, but for small, hibernating creatures that blended perfectly into their environment, spotting them was very difficult.

"Song Que, with the skills you possess, buying this bow will be like adding wings to a tiger. Would you like to join the hunting team? I can make the call to allocate you a 15% share of the team's profits." Before Song Que could even speak, Li Tie was so excited he couldn't sit still, frantically winking and signaling at him. Don't look down on a 15% share. The hunting team consisted of over ten men, sometimes nearly twenty. Among them, Zhao Hu as Captain and Zhong Kui as Vice-Captain took nearly half the profits.

Allocating 15% to Song Que was a tremendously substantial income. But harboring far too many secrets, Song Que knew that more people meant more mixed eyes, which could lead to troublesome explanations. So, ignoring Li Tie entirely, Song Que could only shake his head apologetically at Zhong Kui:"Thank you, Uncle Zhong. I know you mean well, but I'm used to being unrestrained. Moving alone is just more comfortable for me." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Seeing him like this, Zhong Kui sighed:"Everyone has their own ambitions. But you must not be careless. It's mating season now, and all sorts of wild beasts are highly active. You two need to be extra careful." The two hurriedly nodded in agreement. Zhong Kui then continued:"As for this pile of goods, if you trust me, let me handle it for you. My son is responsible for purchasing supplies for the Iron Blade Society. There are quite a few good things in here; he might need them."

Hearing this, Song Que was overjoyed and quickly thanked him:"Uncle Zhong, I will trouble you then." Zhong Kui smiled, shook his head, and led the two to load the goods onto his donkey cart so they could depart immediately the next morning. With the business settled, the two took their leave and returned to prepare. Tomorrow, Song Que would accompany the caravan. The next morning at the crack of dawn, the same old faces gathered at the old willow tree at the village entrance.

The hunting team seemed to have had a bountiful harvest in the early spring days; several carts were piled high to the brim. At the Village Chief's command, the caravan began rolling toward the town. The journey was peaceful and uneventful. Upon arriving in town, Zhong Kui and Song Que didn't follow the main group but split off on their own.

"Village Chief, Song Que and I have some private matters to attend to today and won't be returning to the village tonight. You all go ahead and head back first." Perhaps Zhong Kui's status in the village was high enough that no one raised any objections. Zhao Cairong and Zhao Hu merely cast a questioning glance at Song Que before nodding in acknowledgment. Song Que rode in Zhong Kui's cart. After a few twists and turns, the cart stopped in front of a house.

Following Zhong Kui, Song Que watched him knock on the door. A moment later, a middle-aged woman with graying hair opened it. Seeing him and Song Que, she snorted coldly:"You old goat, so you still know the way home."

"Ahem, hmph... The village came in to trade today. This young man is from our village; we have some business today. Song Que, this is my wife." Uncle Zhong's demeanor is truly unwavering! Facing his 'household dragon' at home without changing his expression, handling the situation with such calm composure—he is truly a role model for the younger generation. Song Que hurriedly stepped forward and greeted her: "Good day, Auntie."

Exuding the commanding presence of a boss, Zhong Kui swaggered inside, completely ignoring his wife's grumbling and disdainful muttering beside him:"Song Que, help me carry these things inside. Old woman, when you see A'Hui return, tell him to come see me." Busy carrying the goods inside, they sat down to rest and drink some water for a while before a man in his thirties, sporting a neat mustache, approached them. If he guessed correctly, this was Uncle Zhong's eldest son—Zhong Hui.

Sure enough, the man nodded at Song Que, then turned to Zhong Kui and smiled:"Dad, you're here. Mom and Xin'er mention you constantly."

"En, Hui'er, this is Song Que, a lad from our village. He's very capable." Hearing this, Zhong Hui looked at Song Que with surprise. In his entire life, he had rarely heard his old man praise anyone. For this kid to receive such favor from his father, he must have something extraordinary about him. He stepped forward with a warm smile:"Song Que, is it? You look quite handsome. Please, make yourself at home."

"Brother Zhong Hui is too polite. I've come today to trouble you with a favor." Zhong Hui chuckled. His old man had never brought anyone from the village home before. Bringing someone today naturally meant there was business to discuss. He looked inquiringly at his father. Zhong Kui took a sip of water and said:"It's like this: Song Que wants to learn archery, but unfortunately, he has nowhere to buy a bow. So, I brought him here to ask for your help."

Hearing this, Zhong Hui laughed heartily:"I thought it was something serious! That's easy to handle. Our Iron Blade Society has a rather close relationship with the military armory. After we eat, I'll send someone with a message. I guarantee you'll have it by tomorrow morning, Song Que." Without even mentioning the price, Song Que happily replied:"Brother Zhong Hui, I'll be troubling you then." At this point, Zhong Kui pointed to the two baskets in the room and spoke up:"There's no rush.

Hui'er, take a look at these. Song Que harvested all of this himself. I've looked through it, and it's excellent stuff. Conveniently handle it for him so he has the money to pay for the bow." Only then did Zhong Hui step forward to inspect the goods. Seeing the numerous high-quality items, his eyes lit up:"Good stuff! Song Que, you've got real skill. The town is completely out of stock of Black Pig Fungi and Dark Star Grass. You can't buy them even if you want to.

Our Guild Master has ordered me to find some multiple times to no avail. You've done me a massive favor."

"And is this... a Wolf King pelt? Song Que, for you to be able to kill this thing at your young age is simply unimaginable." Song Que was elated to hear this. One had to admit, Zhong Hui was extremely adept at interpersonal relations.

"Brother Zhong, you can just call me A'Que."

"Alright then, A'Que. For this batch, I'll appraise it at forty-five taels of silver. Deducting the cost of the bow, I will give you fifteen taels. How does that sound?" Song Que knew this was an exceptionally generous offer and hurriedly said:"There's no need, Brother Zhong. Just giving me ten taels is enough. I don't want you to take a loss." Hearing this, Zhong Hui laughed heartily:"Don't worry about it. Your goods are worth this price."

Zhong Hui had also grown up in the village and knew exactly how dangerous the Great Ridge Mountains were. Therefore, he genuinely admired Song Que for being able to harvest these items himself. He recognized that, just as his old man had said, this kid possessed great capabilities. Zhong Hui wanted to seize this opportunity to build a connection. Exchanging a little silver for a favor—and it wasn't even his own money to begin with—was a win no matter how he looked at it.

Being able to sell it for that much money made Song Que truly happy. Under Zhong Hui's gracious hospitality, he stayed for lunch, sharing a meal with the seven members of the Zhong family, young and old. During the meal, he clinked glasses several times with Zhong Kui, Zhong Hui, and his younger brother Zhong Hong, managing to gather quite a bit of information about the town.

Having eaten his fill and politely declining Zhong Hui's offer to stay, he carried over fifteen taels of silver and casually found an inn in town to rent a vacant room for the night.