Chương 20: Chasing Shadows

The Great Ridge Mountains. Hearing Song Que's urgent pressing, Old Li looked up, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said:"You probably don't know this, but your family isn't originally from this village. It was only twelve years ago that your parents carried you—still a tiny baby—to Giant Willow Village to seek shelter." So that's how it is! No wonder I don't have any relatives here!

According to the novels, the trash-tier male lead gets possessed, awakens a System, goes on a counterattack spree, and gradually discovers his extraordinary background, accompanied by a blood feud of clan extermination. And there's always an ordinary, crippled old uncle taking care of him, who is actually an injured super-expert living in seclusion, secretly protecting the male lead! Thinking of this, Song Que glanced sideways at Li Tie. The character settings matched perfectly!

But this timid, trouble-fearing Old Li being a super-expert... that didn't seem very reliable. Seeing Li Tie still keeping him in suspense, he hurriedly urged him to continue. Taking a sip of wine and closing his eyes unhurriedly to savor the aftertaste, Old Li finally spoke slowly:"We drank together a few times, and I heard your father mention it. The Song family was originally from the town.

But they were schemed against by despicable people who stole their family fortune, forcing them to flee to Giant Willow Village." Is that it? Not the descendants of a prestigious noble house, nor the heirs of a martial arts giant? Song Que felt a wave of disappointment. He had genuinely thought his transmigration came with a grand main questline to grind. Business feuds, snatching wealth and lives... although the scale being set in Yellow Leaf Town is a bit small, as a class-change quest, it's not too shabby.

Sinful, sinful. Is this the time to be thinking about this? He had been worrying about how to repay the immense karma of occupying this body. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity knocking at his door? Brother A'niu, consider this the only thing I can do to repay you. He silently swore an oath to the body's original owner. In a solemn voice, he asked:"Uncle, did my father say why? Who are the enemies?" Although it happened many years ago, Old Li was reliable and remembered the events clearly.

He said:"According to your father, your grandfather was dragged into gambling by a close friend and became deeply addicted. He was swindled out of all his money and racked up a mountain of debt. Ultimately unable to pay, he was forced to sign over the entire house and farmland to him."

"Your grandfather died of bitter resentment because of this. Left with nowhere to go, your parents were forced to flee their hometown and come here." Hearing this, Song Que silently shook his head. These were stale, cliché tropes, but they were effective throughout the ages. His grandfather wasn't the first, nor would he be the last, to be scammed like this. As long as gambling existed, there would be no shortage of families torn apart and ruined. But when would gambling ever truly end?

He was completely helpless regarding this issue. He had only ever heard of dynasties rising and falling, but he had never heard of this "sport" losing its heat. Just look at the modern era—how many countries lived in luxury solely relying on gambling? Grandee Song shook his head and sighed. Although the main responsibility lay with the body's grandfather, as the grandson, he still intended to collect this debt.

"Uncle, so what exactly did they steal from my Song family?" Li Tie was stunned by the question and replied:"Didn't I just tell you? Your grandfather was scammed by his friend, who forced him to hand over the house and all the farmland to cover his debts." So that's how it is. My family wasn't in business; we had land. We were landlords! His brain vividly conjured an image: Grandfather Song, a wealthy landlord with ten thousand acres of fertile land.

Eating and sleeping all day, just waiting for rent collection day. With too much free time and nothing better to do, he was lured into a gambling trap by bad friends. Ultimately, he lost everything, plunged into massive debt, and died of depression. His children had to flee the ancestral land, escaping debt to eke out a miserable existence in a foreign place. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Thinking of how tragic it was, Song Que sighed:"Is that so? It turns out my Song family used to be landlords. To think we've fallen to such destitution now."

"No, no," Li Tie hastily corrected him.

"Your father said your family had been farmers for generations. You only had a few acres of farmland passed down from your ancestors." What?! Song Que's eyes bulged. It felt as if ten thousand wild boars had just stampeded through his brain, squealing deafeningly. How is that possible?! The art style is completely wrong! Uncle, are you messing with me, or did you grab the wrong script? He looked at Old Li's honest, simple face, blinking innocently back at him with confusion. Song Que almost coughed up blood.

In his heart, he genuinely wanted to pin this old man down and beat him up to vent his frustration. Old Man Li! Where is my heaven-shaking background?! Where is the martial world's most coveted hidden legacy?! Where is the clan extermination tragedy and the suffocatingly powerful enemy faction?! You act all sneaky and mysterious, and THIS is all you have to tell me?! Filled with grief and indignation, Grandee Song took a deep breath, suppressing the fury that was about to shatter the ceiling.

Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out the words to Li Tie:"Uncle, then do you know who my Song family's enemy is?" Seeing his terrifying expression, Old Li was spooked and tried to console him:"A'niu, calm down. It's been a long time; maybe your family's enemy is already dead." His mouth twitched. Using every ounce of restraint in his body to avoid resorting to violence, Song Que forced an incredibly ugly smile:"Uncle, it's fine. Just tell me. When I go to town, I'll ask around to clarify things."

Old Li saw that his expression was weird but he seemed relatively calm, so he didn't hide anything and laid out the whole story. He had absolutely no idea that he had just narrowly escaped a beating.

"Your father said your family lived in Wutong Alley at the South Gate. The one who ruined your grandfather was your Song family's old neighbor. His family slaughters pigs; everyone calls him Butcher Zhu." Butcher Zhu, South Gate District, Wutong Alley. Slowly repeating these words in his mind, Song Que sat in a daze for a moment before bursting into laughter at his own runaway imagination. It makes sense. They say a sunken ship still has a few pounds of nails.

If my background truly had some massive hidden secret, the original owner wouldn't have lived so wretchedly, even freezing to death. At the very least, he would have been well-fed and warmly clothed, taught literature and martial arts from a young age. It seems reading too many novels really does a number on you. Song Que sighed, tossing these ridiculous thoughts to the back of his mind. He would have plenty of time to deal with this later. He tilted his head and said to Li Tie:"Uncle, thank you."

Seeing him back to normal, Li Tie let out a sigh of relief. Afraid the boy might overthink it, he quickly changed the subject:"Alright, hurry up and eat so we can get moving." The n-th generation poor peasant, 'A Certain Song', sullenly focused on devouring the roasted rabbit and pheasant in his hands. Lord Husky was also leisurely munching on a rabbit-pheasant combo. Only Li Tie, with a smaller appetite, held a piece of chicken in one hand and a wine gourd in the other, taking occasional sips.

Right now, eating meat and drinking wine was his greatest passion. Since their family's living conditions improved, every time Song Que went to town, Old Li specifically instructed him to buy plenty of wine.

"A'niu, want a sip?" Song Que looked with absolute disgust at the mouth of the gourd, which Old Li had made dirty and messy, and waved his hand:"Uncle, you drink it yourself. This wine is too weak; it tastes like nothing." And wasn't it true? In his eyes, the brewing technology of this era was absolute garbage. He didn't know what the famous wines outside were like, but throughout Yellow Leaf Town, every wine he tried tasted pretty much the same.

In short, it was basically just fermented fruit juice, full of cloudy sediment. After a few sips, he found it completely tasteless.

"Weak? Not at all!" Old Li said, taking another large gulp.

"All wine tastes like this. Is it because you can't hold your liquor, so you're making excuses?" Great, now I'm being looked down upon. Grandee Song shook his head, not bothering to argue. He simply said:"Just you wait, Uncle. When we get back this time, I'll brew some wine. Then I'll show you what true strong liquor is. That is what a real man should drink." Hearing there would be good wine—whether he believed the kid could actually brew it or not—Old Li nodded vigorously in praise.

He quickly etched it into his memory, resolving to hound the kid about it later so he couldn't back out. The two talked and ate. Before long, they had finished their lunch. Suddenly, Song Que looked up into the distance with a puzzled expression. Lord Wolf also stood up from its relaxed posture, looking in the same direction. There were faint sounds of shouting echoing over. It was still very far away, but given how freakishly acute Song Que's and Husky's hearing was, they caught it easily.

He immediately willed the Mountain Sparrow to fly toward the sound to investigate. A moment later, the corners of his mouth curled up, and he called out:"Uncle, we have guests." Rewinding the time slightly. At the northern foot of the Great Ridge Mountains. A group of about fourteen or fifteen people sat under the trees, taking the opportunity to eat dry rations, drink water, and rest to recover their strength. Beside them lay two hunting dogs, occasionally raising their heads alertly.

They were gathered around two men: a middle-aged man and a burly youth. They were conversing in low voices, their moods quite relaxed, indicating a good harvest for this trip. This group was the hunting team led by Zhao Hu and Zhong Kui. While eating, someone sharp-eyed spotted something and shouted:"Lord Hu, Captain Zhong, look! Smoke!" Everyone turned in the direction he pointed. In the distance, a small plume of smoke was rising, looking exceptionally conspicuous in this pristine wilderness.

"People? Which bastards dare poach in our Giant Willow Village's territory?!" Seeing that someone dared to reach into his backyard, Zhao Hu was furious. Zhong Kui pondered:"I don't think so. The boundaries at the foot of the Great Ridge Mountains have long been established by the various villages. We haven't seen anyone encroach on another's territory in years. Moreover, if they were poaching, wouldn't they do it stealthily? Anyone with half a brain wouldn't light a fire and alert us."

The group found his words reasonable and began discussing among themselves. Suddenly, Li Hui shouted:"Oh, right! I..." Then, as if remembering something, he clamped his hands over his mouth.