Chương 208: 5th Grade

Lingjiang Gang. Harboring a belly full of melancholy, Du Ruhui hurried back to the gang headquarters in the dead of night. He had originally intended to gather his men to secretly assassinate Song Que's group and eliminate all future troubles. However, after a weary journey, he stepped into his home at dawn only to find the courtyard in utter ruins, with debris scattered everywhere. His entire body felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him, and he stood frozen on the spot.

"Waa... Father!" A mournful wail rang out. A young boy of seven or eight years old, upon seeing Du Ruhui return, bawled loudly and ran over to hug his thigh. Several women were not much better; pale and panic-stricken, they rushed over to seek his shelter. Seeing that his most beloved youngest son was merely disheveled and completely unharmed, Du Ruhui took a deep breath to calm his churning emotions and asked in a deep voice:"Who can tell me exactly what happened here?"

"Gang Leader... it's like this..." A head guard had to bite the bullet, stepping forward to recount the entire sequence of events.

"What did you say? The small courtyard was burned down?!" Du Ruhui roared madly. Shoving the crowd aside, he utilized his lightness skill to rush to the place where the Jade Sun Rice had been planted. When he truly laid eyes on the scorched black courtyard, where not even a single blade of grass remained, Gang Leader Du felt a suffocating tightness in his chest. His blood rushed straight to his head. Unable to suppress his attacking fury, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Gang Leader!"

"Husband!"

"Father!" The surrounding crowd once again fell into chaotic panic. Loyalty Hall. A group of Lingjiang Gang higher-ups sat in absolute silence, their heads bowed low. They only dared to cast occasional, fleeting glances at Gang Leader Du, whose face was as black as the bottom of a pot in the main seat. The dignified overlord of the county, the Lingjiang Gang Headquarters, had actually been infiltrated by a thief as if strolling through an empty room. It was a complete humiliation.

If this matter spread, they would undoubtedly become the laughingstock of the world. They were not entirely sure what Old Du had lost to the thief, but judging by his demeanor, it was obviously a monumental blow. Thus, despite harboring a belly full of questions, they honestly and obediently kept their heads down, staring at their feet, terrified of displeasing the Gang Leader at this delicate moment. The consequences of doing so were unthinkable.

Du Ruhui's heart at this moment, aside from fear and unease, was filled with bone-piercing agony. The Jade Sun Rice was something he had exhausted a massive favor and a vast sum of wealth to obtain—just ten mere seeds. He had intended to use them to build an everlasting foundation for his future, but who could have expected that it would fail on the verge of success, leaving him empty-handed in the end?

Thinking of the immense financial and mental effort he had poured into cultivating this treasure over the past year, Old Du hated the thief to his very bones. He was truly ready to carve their flesh, peel their skin, and drink their blood. His favors had been used up. Knowing that it would be virtually impossible to get his hands on such seeds again, Du Ruhui asked bitterly:"Have you found any clues about the thief?"

Grand Elder He Xuan, the person who had taken over the gang's affairs since last night, stepped forward:"Gang Leader, the thief's methods were truly brilliant, leaving not a single clue. However, judging from his use of the Thunderbolt Fire, it is highly likely that this is the exact same person who burned our warehouse previously." Hearing this, Du Ruhui shuddered. Clues linked together in his mind, quickly forming the image of a meticulous scheme targeting him.

It was highly probable that the thief had previously used a trick to lure him away from the gang unsuccessfully, and upon finding the opportunity of his absence today, finally struck again. In that case, the implication was terrifyingly clear: the thief knew his actions inside and out. Even his secret departure was known. Thinking of this, Old Du couldn't help but feel a chilling dread rise in his heart. Today, it was taking the Jade Sun Rice. Tomorrow, would it be taking other treasures?

Eventually, there would come a day when his life was taken, and his Lingjiang Gang seized. Du Ruhui began to fall into deep paranoia. Originally, he had still thought of gathering the higher-ups to kill Song Que and eradicate future troubles, but compared to this immediate, lurking crisis, that surnamed Song was nothing. Du Ruhui shouted in a deep voice:"Continue to investigate! Do not miss a single detail. From today onwards, the Lingjiang Gang is under martial law.

No one is allowed to enter or leave until this seat finds the culprit!" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Understood, Gang Leader!" ….. The next morning, when Nie Feng once again stepped into the Song family's courtyard, seeing the several Jade Sun Rice plants growing perfectly in the garden, he was left dumbfounded.

"Young Master! You actually managed to get your hands on this?" Looking at Old Nie, whose face was flushed red with excitement, Song Que just smiled mysteriously:"Hehe, impressive, isn't it?" Ignoring his smugness, Nie Feng hurriedly ran over, squatted down, and observed the plants meticulously:"Young Master, this thing is not yet fully mature. Will moving it here cause any problems?"

"Haha, put your mind at ease. I have a method to ensure it matures smoothly." Smiling to reassure Old Nie, Song Que pointed at a few bags of soil on the table and continued:"Old Nie, go into the city later and console the families of our fallen brothers for me. At the same time, find someone skilled in agriculture to analyze what this soil is composed of."

"Young Master, this soil...?"

"Exactly. It is the soil used to cultivate the Jade Sun Rice. You must figure out its composition clearly for me."

"Understood, Young Master!" Nie Feng joyfully accepted the order and departed. Master Song once again immersed himself in cultivation. This incident should be able to hold Old Du back for the time being, but it was not a long-term solution. The most crucial factor was still his own personal strength. Once his strength was sufficient, if Du Ruhui dared to come, he would simply punch him to death, settling the matter once and for all. Lighting a fire brings up the luck.

The fate of fire matching the act of starting fires—Master Song's assessment was not wrong in the slightest. From that day on, everything started going smoothly for him again. Not only did the Jade Sun Rice mature perfectly under the nourishment of the Tesseract's energy, but the total harvest yielded over a thousand seeds. Each seed was as large as a soybean, amounting to a few catties in total.

If this batch were cooked, it would probably be enough for a hearty meal, but even if he were a spendthrift, he wouldn't dare taste it right now. Instead, he carefully collected it and stored it safely in his spatial dimension. His martial arts had also progressed by leaps and bounds these days. Furthermore, with ample energy, it took less than a month for him to successfully break through to the 5th Grade organ-refining realm. His strength advanced greatly, now possessing around 1. 3 Elephants of Force.

Moreover, the Five Qi Return to Origin Art began to display its miraculous effects, making his combat prowess even more formidable than before. With grain in his pockets, his heart did not panic. Temporarily lacking a way to rapidly spike his strength further, Master Song also began to relax, setting aside some time to care for his businesses. The construction of the Blazing Fire Liquor distillery was nearing completion. Two types of yeast had also been successfully cultivated.

One was a normal rice wine yeast, and the other was a special leaf yeast. Compared to normal wine, it was far more fragrant and the required ingredients were more premium. He wasn't planning to produce it just yet; Song Que intended to use it later for a 'Limited Edition' route. Speaking of which, the Tesseract's energy also had an obvious optimizing effect on microorganisms. After being modified by Great Official Song, the effectiveness of this batch of yeast increased by several levels.

Right now, even without distillation, if this batch of wine flowed into the market, it would absolutely be considered fine liquor. Last night, Nie Feng went up to the Black Iron Stronghold and transported back a batch of distillation equipment. Today, after they finished bringing the equipment to the distillery, they began to follow Pavilion Master Song—this rather irresponsible boss—into the city to patrol his territory.

It was worth mentioning that among the group following Master Song, aside from the familiar faces, there was a new one: Knife. Having prepared a plan to whitewash the Black Iron Stronghold in the near future, Song Que no longer minded keeping his identity a secret. He was perfectly comfortable letting this subordinate show his true face in public, which was why he called him to tag along down the mountain this time. Moon Leak Pavilion Headquarters. This place was originally the site of the Fierce Tiger Gang.

After some renovations, Old Shen and the others were able to move in comfortably. Hearing Shen Ziming and the others report on recent operations, Master Song nodded in satisfaction. These days could be described as calm and tranquil; the entire Qinghe County was unusually peaceful. Everyone in the Moon-Lacking Pavilion minded their own business, not causing friction with a single soul. The Lang Bac Lake project had selected its location, and the official documents from the government had been approved.

Now, they had started surveying the land and preparing the foundation. It was expected to be completed by next year. Other major and minor tasks were also proceeding in an orderly and extremely smooth manner, with nothing troublesome enough to bother him, the Pavilion Master. After they finished their reports, Song Que smiled happily:"Very good, brothers, you've worked hard. Brother Shen, stay behind. Everyone else is dismissed."

"Understood, Pavilion Master!" With only Song Que's few confidants and Shen Ziming remaining in the room, Song Que finally asked:"Brother Shen, how is your comprehension of the Five Qi Return to Origin Manual? Have you seen any signs of a breakthrough recently?" Previously, Old Shen had also cultivated his bone-refining to perfection, only lacking a bit of comprehension to break through to the 5th Grade organ-refining realm.

Now, having studied the Five Qi Art for a few months, Nie Feng had already broken through first, yet he was still marching in place. Shen Ziming couldn't help but blush in shame:"Young Song, I am ashamed. I feel I am still lacking a bit. My internal organs still cannot achieve the balance of the five qi." Old Nie's family martial art was exactly this tormenting, placing extremely harsh requirements on its practitioners. Therefore, Song Que was not very surprised that Old Shen hadn't broken through yet.

After careful consideration, he decided to give Old Shen a hand. After all, Shen Ziming's character over the recent days had proven that he could be relied upon, and right now was a time when he desperately needed capable manpower. Thus, Song Que spoke in a deep voice:"Brother Shen, I possess a secret technique that can help stimulate one's internal organs. I will perform it on you once now. Seize the opportunity to harmonize your five qi, and take the chance to break through to the 5th Grade."

Hearing this, Shen Ziming was shocked:"There is actually such a secret technique in the world?"

"Big Brother Shen, it's true. I was only able to quickly break through to the 5th Grade with the Young Master's help. However, this Seven-Star Life-Sustaining Needles technique heavily consumes the practitioner's mental energy; the price the Young Master pays is not small. Therefore, Big Brother, you must absolutely keep this a secret." Nie Feng couldn't hold back and stepped out to share his own experience.

Old Shen was moved beyond words, hurriedly turning to Song Que and bowing deeply:"Thank you, Young Song, for your grace of recognition and nurturing!"

"It's just a small matter!" Master Song casually waved his hand like the passing breeze and clouds. Regarding sacrificing himself to fulfill others, he was more than happy to see it happen.