Chương 210: The Escaped Convicts of Black Iron Stronghold

Plum Manor. Master Song summoned Qin Yu to introduce him to the others.

"Commander Qin!" Looking at the man before him offering a military salute, Qin Yu felt a sense of familiarity.

"You are...?"

"Commander Qin, I am Knife."

"Knife, so it's you!" Qin Yu suddenly realized, then patted his shoulder, sighing with emotion.

"Earlier, when Young Song asked about you, I had a feeling we would meet again one day. I just didn't expect such a massive change in you."

"Hehe, it's all thanks to the martial arts bestowed by my Young Master. Commander, I have come under your command to learn again."

"Haha, we are all Young Song's people now. I am a few years older than you; you can just call me Brother Qin. I've heard about your matter. At that time, your older brother was stationed in the Stronghold and didn't know, so I couldn't help. I am truly sorry." Bringing up the past, Knife's eyes dimmed slightly, but the look flashed past in an instant. He immediately smiled and shook his head:"I don't blame you, Brother Qin. Perhaps it was a tribulation destined in my fate.

If things hadn't turned out this way, I might not have met the Young Master." Seeing that Knife harbored no hard feelings, Qin Yu felt happy for this younger brother. Being able to follow an outstanding talent like Song Que could also be considered Knife's good fortune.

"Alright, everyone." Seeing that the acquaintances had caught up enough, Song Que finally spoke.

"Old Qin, from now on, I am handing Xiong Ba, Li Xin, and Knife completely over to you. You must drill these boys rigorously for me. If anyone disobeys orders, beat them fiercely on my behalf.

"I have only one requirement: everyone must firmly grasp the most essential military qualities. They must all be proficient in commanding and utilizing military formations against the enemy."

"Understood! Rest assured, Young Master Song!" Qin Yu immediately stood at attention, accepting the military order. Nodding, Master Song then turned to Xiong Ba's trio:"Knife, help me carefully discipline those children. Xiong Ba, you must obediently listen to Brother Qin. As for you, Li Xin... if I hear that you are slacking off, I will have Xiong Ba whip you.

"I've given you so many pills, yet you haven't shown a shred of improvement. If you still can't break through to the 3rd Grade this time, you will continue to train under Head Coach Qin until I am satisfied."

"Understood, Young Master (Big Brother)!" Looking at Ah Xin's deflated appearance, Master Song truly wanted to whip him. The vast amount of pills brought by the Sea of Clouds Pavilion—this kid had certainly enjoyed his fair share. Yet, up until now, there hadn't been any progress. This time, he had to let Qin Yu 'take good care' of this brat. Without a whip cracking at his rear, this lazy mule wouldn't budge.

After giving them a few more instructions, Song Que and Nie Feng returned to their respective private rooms to cultivate. Without the Lingjiang Gang—that malicious neighbor—causing trouble, Pavilion Master Song's days passed exceptionally leisurely and comfortably. Usually, if he wasn't practicing his culinary skills, he was cultivating, sparring with Nie Feng and Xiong Ba, or trying to break through formations besieged by Qin Yu, Knife, and a group of gang members.

In the end, he even formed arrays with Old Nie's group to withstand Qin Yu's force of over fifty men. Truly, he played a different game every day, novel and diverse, without feeling the slightest bit of boredom or fatigue. Occasionally, when he had free time, he would stroll around Silver Wave Lake, Qinghe City, or the distillery, showing concern for his subordinates' thoughts and lives. He really didn't need to be too busy. That night.

While he was sitting in his room, calmly cultivating the Lotus Visualization, a spiritual warning unexpectedly transmitted from his divided soul. Song Que shuddered and hurriedly focused his mind to sense it. It turned out something had happened at the Black Iron Stronghold. In the middle of the night, flames blazed brightly, and several buildings were burning fiercely.

"Men! Call Nie Feng, Xiong Ba, and Knife to see me!"

"Understood, Pavilion Master!" If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Shouting for his men, Master Song hurriedly changed his clothes and quickly strided out of the room.

"Young Master, what happened?" Nie Feng's group had also rushed over.

"Prepare the horses. Something has happened at the Stronghold." Song Que spoke concisely. Hearing this, the men's expressions turned incredibly ugly. They quickly followed the Young Master onto the horses and galloped urgently through the night toward the Black Iron Stronghold. Black Iron Stronghold. By the time Song Que's group arrived, the situation had mostly stabilized. The four of them sat in the main hall listening to Bucktooth Su's report.

"Are you telling me that Zhang Tai killed two brothers in the stronghold and then led the miners to escape? That everything here was caused by him?" Looking at the Impermanence Stronghold Master, the voice echoing from behind the mask lacked any trace of emotion. Bucktooth Su's heart trembled violently. He originally thought that with Knife gone, being entrusted with heavy responsibilities by the Stronghold Master meant he would work diligently and prove his worth to his lord.

How could he have known that such an incident would occur in the Stronghold just a few days after he took charge? Bucktooth Su truly hated that bastard Zhang Tai to the core. Facing Master Song's questioning, he could only kneel deeply, his voice quivering as he replied:"Stronghold Master, your subordinate is incompetent. Upon hearing that the lords were not in the Stronghold, those miners secretly planned an escape, simultaneously setting fire to several dormitories as a diversion.

"By the time we extinguished the fire and rushed over after hearing the news, this group had already fled, and the two brothers guarding the place had tragically fallen victim to their vicious hands. It is all due to my poor management. I beg Your Lordship to punish me."

"Hmph, I will record your crime for now. This Stronghold Master will personally hold you accountable later." Having no time to bother punishing this fool, Song Que quickly issued orders:"Knife, send someone to notify the Rooster Stronghold immediately. Next, strictly forbid any trade passing through Eagle's Sorrow Gorge until we apprehend the culprits. Make it clear to Sha Maiquan that this is my decree."

"Understood, My Lord!"

"Horse Face, hurry back and bring Husky, Meng Meng, and the others here immediately."

"Yes, Sir!"

"As for you, Bucktooth Su, go down to the Stronghold right now and assemble the men. We depart shortly to hunt down the escaped convicts."

"Understood, My Lord!" The men dared not delay, immediately scattering to carry out their respective orders. Before long, only Song Que and Xiong Ba remained in the room, resting their eyes. In the sky, Lightning observed the movements in the mountain forest ceaselessly. Unfortunately, the night was hazy, and under the cover of the forest canopy, it couldn't provide much use. He had no choice but to sit there and wait.

A while later, when Nie Feng returned with Husky and Meng Meng, Song Que began gathering his men to issue orders. That Zhang Tai actually had some brains, understanding rudimentary anti-tracking. The miners he incited split into three directions to flee, and he mixed himself among them to conceal his tracks. Therefore, Pavilion Master Song would remain in the Stronghold to hold the fort.

The rest of the forces would split into three routes, led respectively by Xiong Ba, Nie Feng with Meng Meng, and Knife and Bucktooth Su alongside Husky. They divided the teams this way because Xiong Ba, like him, lived off the forest year-round and possessed extremely rich hunting experience. His tracking abilities wouldn't be much inferior to Meng Meng and Husky. Once everyone had accepted their orders and departed, the atmosphere in the Stronghold instantly became incredibly desolate.

No one dared to casually approach the Stronghold Master to ask questions. Master Song was also content with the leisure, continuing to monitor the groups through Lightning's vision to guard against the unexpected.... The night passed without incident. As time ticked by, with the sharp noses of Husky's pack, finding the people naturally wasn't too difficult.

Just past the Hour of the Dragon (7-9 AM), as the weather started getting scorching hot, Old Nie's group ignited a signal fire, indicating they had caught the chief culprit, Zhang Tai. Master Song happily used Lightning to notify the other two teams to return. Sitting on the newly erected high platform in the middle of the Stronghold, looking down at the four people tightly bound by Old Nie, Song Que actually had some impression of one of them—it was indeed Zhang Tai.

This person was much thinner than before, obviously indicating that life down in the mines wasn't pleasant either, prompting him to seek an escape. Seeing that his eyes still glared back like a cold, sinister viper even now, Great Official Song gleefully settled on a conclusive fate for this wretch. Before long, Knife's group also escorted a batch of escaped convicts back. However, Xiong Ba was still nowhere to be seen.

Confused, Song Que switched his vision to Lightning to see what this foolish bear was dawdling about. Upon witnessing Xiong Ba's figure, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. It seemed this guy's hands were itchy from not hunting in the forest for a long time; he had casually bagged a prey on his way back. Seeing him carrying a black tiger as huge and plump as a water buffalo on his shoulder, Great Official Song couldn't help clicking his tongue in marvel.

Its bulk was truly too massive, both black and sturdy. No wonder Xiong Ba loved it so much he couldn't put it down. It was perfectly reasonable that he was determined to chase it down. Since there were no issues with the men, Song Que wasn't in a hurry to pass judgment. Everyone in the Stronghold stood quietly in the courtyard, imitating their Stronghold Master by resting their eyes and waiting....

Xiong Ba carrying a giant tiger weighing a thousand catties back naturally caused an uproar of awe and marvel throughout the entire Stronghold. Truth be told, tigers weren't a rare sight around here, but seeing a Black Tiger as massive and majestic as this one was a first for everyone—like a maiden stepping into a bridal sedan chair for the first time.

Naturally, no one cared about judging the thieves anymore; everyone gathered around the foolish bear, wanting to take a close look at the colossal "Lord of the Forest."

"Grrr..." The Black Tiger was actually alive, merely tightly bound by ropes. Its mouth was wrapped in a leather strap, yet merely breathing through its lungs produced a deafening roar that frightened several people into backing away.

"Ink Scale Tiger!" Standing beside Master Song was the knowledgeable Nie Feng, who immediately lost his composure upon seeing the giant beast. Ink Scale Tiger? It's it? Hadn't Song Que previously intended to enter Eagle's Sorrow Gorge to find a suitable creature to learn An Jin from? Unfortunately, after acquiring the little brother Hui Wu, he tossed the matter to the back of his mind. Today, after going around in circles, it finally ended up in Master Song's team anyway.

It seemed Song Que truly shared a destiny with the word 'Tiger'. In the future, his Tiger Fist would have a reliable reference. Great Official Song gave the foolish bear a hundred 'Likes' in his heart; tonight, he definitely had to reward him grandly. Moreover, rumors said this Tiger's combat prowess was equally extraordinary. It could be considered that Master Song had gained another high-level enforcer out of thin air. Truly, everything was working out perfectly.