Chương 154: Brothers Reunited

Plum Manor. Sitting in his room, quietly listening to the chirping of insects around him, Song Que felt exceptionally at ease. At this moment, his soul seemed to merge with nature. Even the slightest vibrations from the surrounding blades of grass and leaves could be clearly captured. After more than a week of continuously nourishing and strengthening his spirit, even though his physical strength hadn't progressed a single bit, Boss Song knew clearly in his heart that his combat prowess had increased significantly.

Leaving aside anything else, his control had become far more precise, and his reflexes had doubled! Whenever facing an enemy, this would allow him to easily seize the initiative and save quite a bit of energy. Now, his Domain had drastically transformed; it was truly like upgrading from a bird-hunting musket to a heavy cannon! Not to mention its range expanding to twenty meters, the sensation it provided was no longer as monotonous as before, becoming incredibly intricate.

Song Que was absolutely certain that he could sense the life fluctuations of all living things around him! Every person, animal, blade of grass, and flower within his Domain radiated a distinct, unique aura or magnetic field. That fluctuation originated from the very depths of the soul—it couldn't be hidden or faked. Therefore, if anyone dared to disguise themselves in front of him now, Boss Song would happily reward them with an ultimate move! Eye of Truth!

Who can deceive my, Boss Song's, Fiery Golden Eyes anymore?! Grandee Song threw his head back and let out a long laugh. That dead dog Blood-Robed Venerable! If you dare appear in front of me now, I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth and dig you out!... The next morning. Four young men, handsome and full of vitality, rode into Qinghe County through the East Gate, naturally causing a stir among the crowds. As their identities were revealed, hidden undercurrents in the county began to churn silently.

"A'Xin, go visit your family. Brother Hong, take everyone to book a banquet table, and invite Brother Yi and Guan Yu as well. We will gather later. I'm going to make a trip to the Sea of Clouds Pavilion." After giving instructions, Song Que split from the group and headed toward the Sea of Clouds Pavilion. He was also curious about what important matter Old Yun wanted to see him about....

"Halt! I wonder what business this brother has at the Sea of Clouds Pavilion?" Boss Song: "..." It feels like using facial recognition on a smartphone but forgetting to put on makeup today. It seems even if I tell them I am Song Que, these guys won't believe me. He smiled awkwardly, remembering he still had the token Yun Xi had given him in his spatial storage, and took it out to show the two guards.

"Help me call General Manager Yun." Seeing the token, the two men's expressions changed to seriousness:"Milord, please wait a moment!" One of them quickly ran inside to report. Before long, he came out panting, leading Yun Shan.

"General Manager Yun, long time no see!" Looking somewhat doubtfully at the person in front of him for a moment, Old Yun finally smiled bitterly:"So it's Young Master Song! I was wondering which official from the headquarters had come down for an inspection." Seeing Boss Song again, Yun Shan's eyes almost popped out. He was truly unrecognizable! Not only had his facial features completely changed from before, but he had also grown a full size larger.

Just tilting his head up to look at him for a moment made Old Yun's cervical vertebrae ache unbearably. If it weren't for this token, and his voice remaining the same, he wouldn't have believed even if beaten to death that this 'African tribal chief' was his little brother Song Que! If he hadn't seen Song Que with a shaved head and dyed-black skin last time, he probably wouldn't have dared to acknowledge him carelessly now.

"Take a good look! This is Young Hero Song, he just changed his hairstyle. Don't make a mistake next time!" Hearing the General Manager's reprimand, the guards were left speechless inwardly. Boss, you can't just lie through your teeth so blatantly!

"Haha, please don't be too harsh, General Manager. My transformation has been so drastic, it's only natural the brothers here didn't recognize me. I wonder what instructions you had for looking for me last time?" Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

"Let's go inside to talk." Yun Shan smiled and led him up to the fourth floor. Only after having someone serve tea did he begin to sigh with emotion:"Every time I see you, Young Master Song, I feel like you've improved again. This old man truly regrets not agreeing to your five-year request back then. It seems our Yun family has suffered a massive loss!" These were truly words from the bottom of Yun Shan's heart. Seeing Song Que today, he had been stunned for a long while.

It wasn't just because of the drastic physical changes; the person before him gave off an intense, oppressive feeling that was hard to describe. Even though Song Que just stood there smiling, not leaking a single trace of his aura, Yun Shan's years of experience instinctively recognized the danger—it was a sense of oppression originating deep from his soul! It was as if he were facing not a human, but a prehistoric, primordial beast! How could this not shock Old Yun? This guy has improved again!

How long had it been since they last met? A little over a month at most! Such rapid progress was truly hard for anyone to accept.

"Haha, General Manager Yun is too polite. Aren't we still cooperating very well together? I wonder what business you had looking for me last time?" Song Que's voice pulled Yun Shan back from his wandering thoughts. Looking regretfully at Boss Song once more, Old Yun finally smiled and said:"You are right, Young Master Song! Our Yun family will always be your best ally! I sought you out this time just to give you a reminder. My Young Miss sent word that Du Ruhui had people investigating you some time ago.

We fear he is about to make a move against you."

"So that's how it is." Song Que frowned. Trouble truly came in unceasing waves, not giving him a moment to breathe.

"Lin Ping's scheme against you last time failed. I fear this time they will prepare an even larger conspiracy. You must be extremely careful, Young Master Song! Furthermore, your incident with the Blood Demon Cult has caused an uproar; everyone in the city knows about it. This old man fears..."

"The General Manager fears they will strike secretly and make the Blood Demon Cult the scapegoat?" Yun Shan nodded solemnly:"It's highly possible. After all, the timing is too delicate. You must be careful, Young Master Song. My Young Miss sent word that if you have nowhere safe to stay, you can come to the Sea of Clouds Pavilion in the Commandery City to temporarily reside. With the Sea of Clouds Pavilion's signboard there, that Du Ruhui wouldn't dare act recklessly."

Even knowing the other party was trying to buy him over, Boss Song was still quite moved and gratefully cupped his hands:"Please convey my gratitude to Young Miss Yun Xi for her help, but there is no need to hide. As long as Du Ruhui doesn't come personally, we are not afraid of those Lingjiang Gang thugs." Initially wanting to advise him a bit more, remembering that faint, oppressive aura from earlier, Old Yun shut his mouth.

He didn't know if the other party was overly confident, but this statement conveyed quite a lot of information! At the very least, this person was very confident in dealing with anyone below a First-Tier expert! It seems I need to inform the Young Miss to re-evaluate this person.

"As long as you are on guard, Young Master Song, that is good. Du Ruhui likely won't have the free time to leave Lingjiang Commandery. The Lingjiang Gang's movements have been frequent lately; they have swallowed up quite a few medium and small factions in the city, and their strength has expanded aggressively. The properties of the Money Gang and the Frightened Swan Sword Sect have been heavily encroached upon by them.

If these two factions hadn't formed an alliance, and with the government keeping a close eye, I fear they would have been swallowed up long ago." Having not heard any news from the Commandery City for a while, Song Que was also curious that the situation had escalated to this point.

"Those two factions combined still can't match Du Ruhui alone?"

"Hehehe, a bunch of short-sighted fools who only care about profits!" Yun Shan sneered coldly.

"When the Chen family was exterminated last time, their indifferent, hands-off approach truly terrified several families in the city! They scrambled to submit to the Lingjiang Gang, causing its strength to skyrocket! By the time those two factions realized it, it was already too late. Now they can only bitterly struggle to hold on. I'm also waiting to see how much longer they can cling to life." A real headache.

With Old Du progressing so fast, Boss Song wanting to help Old Nie get his revenge would become even harder! If he waited for him to unify the entire Lingjiang Commandery, it would truly be difficult to take even half a step forward in the future. Song Que shook his head, no longer thinking about it, and turned to ask Yun Shan:"General Manager, there is a matter I would like to ask you about."

"Please speak, Young Master Song." Yun Shan smiled and nodded.

"You are well-traveled and knowledgeable. Have you ever heard of a thing called 'coal'?" This was something Song Que had been curious about for a long time. Having wandered around Qinghe County and Lingjiang Commandery numerous times, he had never seen this thing called coal. Previously, he didn't need it, so he hadn't paid much attention. But now that he had a use for it, he naturally wanted to ask Old Yun. Having coal would make many things much more convenient.

The people in the Manufacturing Camp wouldn't have to worry about the heat of their fires, and he, Boss Song, could research and invent some interesting gadgets. But unfortunately, Yun Shan was hearing this term for the first time. After thinking for a long time, he still couldn't recall anything:"I have never heard of this name. I wonder what it looks like? Could you describe it, Young Master Song? It's possible different regions have different names for it."

"That's possible. Then, General Manager, please think if you have ever encountered a type of black ore that can be burned like charcoal, but produces many times more heat than charcoal."

"Oh? There is such a thing?" This time, it was Old Yun's turn to be surprised. After thinking for a long while, he finally shook his head in embarrassment:"I have made a fool of myself, Young Master Song; I am ignorant and ill-informed. Let me write a letter to the headquarters later to inquire and see if we can help you find this item. If there is any, I will immediately inform you." Hearing Yun Shan's words, Song Que also fell into deep confusion.

Human civilization in this world has developed for who knows how many years; how is it possible that not even a trace of coal has been discovered? It was highly likely because this place had never experienced major geological upheavals or catastrophic ice ages like Earth. Thus, fossil fuels were never created.

Thinking of a world where martial arts civilization flourished vigorously on one side, while on the other, the industrial revolution and science and technology transformed daily, Boss Song didn't know which side was better. Shaking his head to banish these wandering thoughts, he continued chatting with Old Yun for a while. Seeing it was almost noon, Song Que took the opportunity to order a batch of medicinal herbs, rock salt, and various other supplies before standing up to bid farewell and leave.

Waiting until Boss Song had walked far away, Yun Shan turned around, sat down in the room, and hurriedly wrote an urgent letter to Lingjiang Commandery. He detailed every single word spoken today and reported it to Yun Xi for her consideration.