Chương 22: Clashing with Zhao Hu

The Great Ridge Mountains. Song and Li's campsite. Looking at the shouting and clamoring crowd, Song Que smiled ambiguously. He didn't know whether this encounter was an accident or if they had intentionally targeted him. If it was the latter, then they had definitely picked the wrong day. Grandee Song was harboring a belly full of frustration that he couldn't vent on Old Li. Having someone volunteer as a punching bag was exactly what he needed!

But how could the "humble and courteous gentleman" Grandee Song be one to stir up trouble without cause? He merely stood there quietly, waiting to see what the opposing team intended to do. Right now, Lord Hu's eyes saw nothing but the Blazing Fire Fox; he didn't even spare Song Que a glance. Seeing the Fire Fox lying motionless on the ground, he was satisfied to the extreme and shouted loudly:"Excellent! Quickly, carry it back! We finish early today. Once the team returns to the village, drinks are on me!

We won't go home until we're drunk!" The number one lackey, Guo Shan, had been waiting eagerly. Before the words had even faded, he trotted forward, reaching out to grab the Blazing Fire Fox. How could anyone just touch Grandee Song's new pet as they pleased? Without needing Song Que to say a word, a single glance was enough. Husky instantly understood; with a low growl, it lunged forward to reward him with a swipe of its claws. Fortunately, years of hunting had honed Guo Shan's agility.

Furthermore, Lord Husky had magnanimously gone easy on him, even giving a warning growl beforehand. Startled, Guo Shan jerked back and narrowly dodged the attack. Otherwise, his arm would undoubtedly be sporting several new scars. He could only watch helplessly as the number one slave, Servant Husky, gently picked up the Fire Fox in its jaws, wagging its tail as it trotted back to claim credit from its master.

Having his face slapped by a wolf in front of his master and everyone else, Guo Shan turned purple with rage. How could he let Husky walk away so easily? He grabbed his wooden spear, raised his arm, and prepared to hurl it at the wolf. Oh? You've got some nerve. You have to look at the master before you beat the dog. Daring to act so brazenly right in front of Song Que? Grandee Song wasn't going to coddle him. With a flick of his wrist, he rewarded him with a stone.

"Pockmark Guo, you're courting death." Thwack!...

"Aaaaargh!" It was lucky that, out of consideration for a fellow villager, Song Que didn't strike to kill. Even so, Guo Shan let out a bloodcurdling scream, clutching his arm as he rolled on the ground endlessly. This sudden turn of events finally forced the crowd, whose minds were entirely consumed by the Fire Fox, to focus their attention on the uncle and nephew. This single glance nearly blinded their dog eyes.

It was exactly like a bunch of Newbie Village rookies suddenly encountering a God-tier Tycoon, radiating a blinding aura of full Divine-Tier equipment. Before them stood the two men, dressed in fine brocade inner garments. Over that, they wore leather coats and intricately stitched leather boots—clearly crafted by a skilled artisan. The older man held a long spear with a gleaming steel tip and had a knife at his waist.

The youth carried a bow on his back and a saber at his side; though sheathed, its value was obviously not cheap. He even had a dagger strapped to his thigh. It was a truly luxurious setup. Even Zhong Kui, who thought he knew their roots inside and out, couldn't help but stammer in shock upon seeing this gear. Zhao Hu was even more astonished, but his shock was quickly replaced by a furious rage boiling up to his brain. These things should all belong to me!

These two rats are practically gnawing on the flesh and drinking the blood of my Zhao family! Or at least, that was how Lord Hu saw it. His eyes turned red as he roared:"You impudent brat!" But how could Grandee Song care about him? Without even sparing him a glance, he smiled broadly at Zhong Kui and called out:"Uncle Zhong, good afternoon!" Zhong Kui felt a massive headache coming on. This situation had far exceeded his control.

With profits involving over five hundred taels of silver at stake, he had no way of preventing the imminent conflict. Truthfully, even his heart was moved by that amount of money. But as an experienced man, and given his temperament, he disliked fighting and scheming. At the very least, he kept a cool head, forcing a smile and nodding at the uncle and nephew. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Being so blatantly ignored was a first for Lord Hu in his own little backyard of Giant Willow Village. Furious to the point of vomiting blood, how could he tolerate this? He sprang up like a thunderbolt and bellowed:"You little bastard! You dare act so arrogantly?!" Hearing this, Song Que's eyes shot out two beams of icy light, piercing into Zhao Hu's soul almost tangibly, causing him to shudder uncontrollably.

"Zhao Hu, you dare speak to me like that? Do you want to die?" It was a terrifying gaze, like being stared down by a ferocious tiger, chilling him to the bone. Zhao Hu was flustered, his mind reeling as he fumbled for words, completely unnerved. The people beside him saw their Lord Hu being spoken to like that by some greenhorn kid. Their number one lackey, Pockmark Guo, was still rolling on the ground.

Among the group, there was no shortage of sycophants eager to kiss the Zhao family's boots, who were now secretly getting excited. Our chance has come!

"Bold brat! How dare you disrespect Lord Hu!"

"Kid, get over here and apologize to Lord Hu right now!"

"That's right, kneel down and beg for forgiveness! Otherwise, hehe..." A group of them rolled up their sleeves and sneered. Before they could act, Black Charcoal Zhang stepped forward, shouting loudly:"Brat, you dare disrespect Lord Hu? Let your granddaddy teach you a lesson!" Saying that, he gripped his wooden spear and lunged forward, swinging it down toward Song Que with all his might. If it were an ordinary person taking this hit, they would be crippled, if not dead. So you want to beat me to death?

Song Que's eyes flickered. The wooden spear swung fast and heavy, inching closer and closer to Song Que's head. Yet he stood perfectly still, as if paralyzed by fear. Black Charcoal Zhang's face was flushed with excitement, his eyes flashing with cruelty and thrill. He was already fantasizing about the great merit he would earn today, how Lord Hu would heavily rely on him in the future, and the life of luxury that awaited him. Standing next to Song Que, Li Tie was terrified out of his wits.

He only had time to scream:"A'niu, be careful!" It takes a long time to say, but it happened in a split second. The tip of the spear was a mere twenty centimeters from Song Que's head. Under everyone's horrified gazes, he merely tilted his body slightly. The shaft of the spear grazed the tip of his nose and smashed downward. Simultaneously, his leg wasn't idle. With a swift swing, he delivered a devastating kick. This kick was blazingly fast and immensely heavy.

The seventy-kilogram Black Charcoal Zhang was struck as if hit by a speeding truck. He flew backward for over three meters, rolling several more times before coming to a stop. His arm was already twisted and deformed, and blood poured from his mouth as he lay gasping for air in the distance. He looked countless times more miserable than Pockmark Guo. At the very last millisecond, Song Que had secretly pulled back his power. Otherwise, that piece of black charcoal would have been kicked clean in half.

Though he kept his life, that arm was practically useless from now on. Everyone present gasped collectively, falling as silent as winter cicadas. They stared deeply at the young man standing imperiously in the center, profoundly shaken, unable to calm down for a long while. If earlier they could rationalize that he had used trickery and a sneak attack to take down Pockmark Guo, now they were forced to face reality: this guy's strength was freakish.

Looking at the power behind that kick, no one in the crowd dared claim they could take it and guarantee they'd stand back up. Glancing at the silent, terrified crowd, Song Que felt secretly satisfied. The posture I copied from those movies just now, looking at their dumbfounded faces, proves the effect is incredibly shocking! He didn't forget to keep posturing, slowly lowering his leg.

Acting as if he had just done something completely trivial, he stood there indifferently, hands clasped behind his back, looking at the crowd with contempt. Seeing that everyone he looked at hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes, Grandee Song finally felt satisfied. He turned his head and asked Old Li:"Uncle Li, is this little creature very famous?" From the beginning until now, Timid Li had experienced countless emotional roller coasters.

From the excitement of seeing the Blazing Fire Fox, to the terror of encountering Zhao Hu, and now staring blankly as Grandmaster Posture Song showed off. It was as thrilling as riding a rollercoaster! Being addressed by Song Que, he jolted and stammered:"A... A'niu, it's not... not just famous. This is a Blazing Fire Fox! Over a decade ago, someone hunted one, took it to town, and sold it for over five hundred taels of silver. Five hundred taels! And buyers were fighting over it!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he got. It seemed the thought of money gave him the power to forget his fear:"I heard that lucky guy changed his life overnight! His entire family moved up to the County City that very night!" The magic of money is boundless. Hearing Li Tie's words, the crowd seemed to awaken. Snapping out of their fear, their eyes gradually regained color, and their breathing grew heavy with excitement. Zhao Hu was the same.

Being terrified by Song Que earlier had left him feeling humiliated, but also incredibly fortunate. If it weren't for his usual cautious nature, the one lying on the ground right now would probably be him. Fighting was a guaranteed loss. At this moment, his eyes began darting around. Noting that they had over ten people on their side, he felt a bit more confident. He took a few steps back and said in a deep voice:"Song Que, we discovered the Fire Fox and chased it all the way here.

This is the effort and property of the entire village. Hand it over immediately, and I can guarantee to let bygones be bygones. I won't pursue your past transgressions any further." Lord Hu evaluated himself as truly magnanimous; he was already being incredibly merciful to these two. Unexpectedly, Song Que didn't even dignify him with a shred of respect. He just sneered:"Transgressions? Ridiculous. Tell everyone here what my crimes are, so we can all have a good laugh.

As for this little guy, it became my pet a few minutes ago. It has absolutely nothing to do with you. By the way, its name is Mengmeng." Having his face slapped repeatedly, Lord Hu finally lost his temper and roared furiously:"Brat, are you determined to oppose the entire village?! Even if you don't care about yourself, don't you care about Cripple Li's family?!" The threat in these words was glaringly obvious. How could Song Que not hear it?

He raised his eyes, staring coldly at Zhao Hu, and enunciated every word through gritted teeth:"Whether I'm opposing the entire village or not, I don't know. But secretly hacking you and your father to death would be very easy for me."