Chương 225: Trouble in the City

Plum Manor, at the newly dug pond. Song Que was currently standing on the water's surface, slowly and deliberately practicing his fist techniques. He took leisurely, light steps, yet strangely, his feet didn't sink even half an inch into the water. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that with every step he took, his physical force would spread out evenly in a half-meter radius—almost as if Master Song had strapped a pair of invisible wooden boards to his feet.

His movements appeared unhurried, but every stance and strike contained an unbelievably terrifying explosive power. Any expert looking at this would immediately realize that this guy had begun to grasp a sliver of the realm of'lifting light as though heavy.' Lifting heavy as though light, and lifting light as though heavy. These two realms were complete opposites yet fundamentally similar.

Having grasped the essence of 'lifting heavy as though light' through the Tie Family Hammer Technique, and combined with Hui Wu's dedicated teachings, Song Que had finally touched the threshold of the latter. The movements of his hands were at times as ferocious as a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, at times as elegant as an eagle catching a rabbit, and occasionally as unpredictable as a viper striking. His aura fluctuated so erratically that the onlookers on the shore felt their minds reeling.

Especially the two young maids, Yang Mi and Yang Zi; after watching for only a short while, they felt dizzy and nauseous, quickly averting their gazes, not daring to look any longer. Song Que had no time to pay attention to the outside world; he was fully engrossed in comprehending this newly grasped sliver of intent. After a long while, Grandee Song finally opened his eyes with a delighted expression. Kicking off the water's surface, he vaulted ashore in two or three bounding steps.

Although it had just looked like simple practice, to achieve the desired effect, Song Que had to utilize every single inch of muscle, sinew, and flesh in his body. By now, he was utterly exhausted. Seeing her Young Master sweating profusely, Yang Mi felt a pang of heartache. She hurriedly stepped forward, standing on her tiptoes to wipe the sweat from his face.

The young girl was incredibly attentive, her body practically pressed against Master Song as she meticulously wiped every inch of his skin dry, making him feel exceedingly comfortable. Catching a whiff of the young maid's sweet fragrance, Villain Song's mind began to wander, and he teased with a frivolous grin:"Heh, smells so good!" Yang Mi's face immediately flushed red like a ripe apple, looking incredibly adorable. She chided playfully:"Young Master!"

Even as she spoke, her hands didn't stop, allowing her master to tease her as he pleased.

"Hehehe, a'Mi, how does the soap made by this Young Master feel?" Speaking of this, the girl couldn't hide her absolute adoration for it, nodding eagerly:"Young Master, it's really amazing to use. It feels so clean, and the fragrance lingers for a long time. You truly are a genius, Young Master! If the other women in the city knew about this, they would definitely go crazy trying to get their hands on it at any cost. You won't have to worry about lacking money to spend in the future, Young Master."

Seeing her eyes start to sparkle, Master Song chuckled inwardly. He hadn't expected this little maid to be a bit of a money-grubber. Spoiling her, he lightly tapped her nose with his finger and shook his head with a smile:"Having money doesn't guarantee you'll have the life to spend it. Now is not yet the time to reveal it to the world."

"Young Master is still the most thoughtful!" Yang Mi flattered in sheer admiration. Song Que naturally reveled in the praise, bursting into a delighted laugh:"Haha, you little sycophant. Hurry back and prepare my bathwater; this Young Master needs to wash up."

"Yes, Young Master!" The girl giggled and practically skipped back on her nimble little legs. During his free days, he had begun researching ways to get rich in the future. Benefiting from his past life's habit of tinkering with handmade crafts—including making all-natural soap—he naturally added this item to his backup list. Unfortunately, he had slacked off in school back in the day and didn't understand the high-level operation of electrolysis, meaning he couldn't purify pure lye.

Thus, Song Que could only simply use vegetable oil, animal fat, and alkaline plant ash to create two crude types of soap: one for bathing and one for laundry. But even so, this was enough to make neat freaks like the Yang sisters endlessly excited. …. Sitting comfortably in the courtyard, sipping tea and reading a book while enjoying shoulder massages from Yang Mi and Yang Zi, Old Master Song was becoming increasingly accustomed to this pampered life of opening his mouth for food and raising his arms for clothes.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. With the two little beauties of the Yang family personally attending to his daily needs, this guy was getting lazier by the day. He couldn't even be bothered to lift a finger to eat; a mere glance was enough for the smart little maids to understand and feed him right to his mouth. Right at this moment, Nie Feng walked over:"Young Master, the brothers from the Pavilion came to report.

Lord Xu and Lord Wu sent word, hoping you could make a trip back to the city. It's an urgent matter."

"Oh? Did something happen in the city these past few days?" Song Que raised an eyebrow, inquiring.

"Young Master, it's likely about the flower-plucking bandit that has appeared in the city. I've also heard rumors about it recently; the entire city is currently in a state of panic and unease." A flower-plucking bandit! That was the type of person Master Song loathed the most. Relying on their formidable martial arts to casually humiliate decent women, leaving the victims to lead exceptionally tragic lives afterward.

If they weren't humiliated to death on the spot, they were left to live a life of shame worse than death. Such scum deserved to die ten thousand times over. Song Que's eyes turned icy, and he ordered in a deep voice:"Prepare the carriage. We're heading back to the city!" …… County Magistrate's Estate. This was Song Que's first time visiting this place. The moment his carriage stopped, two gatekeepers immediately stepped forward and cupped their fists:"Greetings, Young Hero Song.

Lord Xu and Lord Wu are waiting for you inside the estate. They instructed that you should be invited in the moment you arrive."

"Then I'll trouble you to lead the way, brother!" Master Song waved his hand, dismissing the others to return to the Headquarters first, while he followed the official inside. Arriving at the guest hall, he saw Xu and Wu sitting there with melancholic expressions on their faces.

"Greetings, uncles!"

"Song Que, you're here! Take a seat, quick!" Seeing him arrive, Xu Qing's heart settled by half, and he happily greeted him. Nodding in acknowledgment to Old Wu, he casually sat down. Foregoing even a sip of water, he immediately inquired:"Uncles, did you seek me out because of the flower-plucking bandit that appeared in the city?"

"That's right! It's best that you've already heard about it, A'Que," Wu Tian nodded solemnly.

"I'm not entirely clear on the details yet. Could you explain the situation thoroughly, uncles? How serious has it gotten?"

"Extremely serious!" Old Wu also looked thoroughly exhausted. Every time Qinghe experienced a sudden influx of martial artists, the constables of the County Yamen would be so busy they'd be run off their feet. And it seemed that every time, the commotion was caused by the grandee right in front of him. Looking at the youth who now carried an air of imposing authority, Wu Tian couldn't help but smile bitterly inside. This mosquito-sized county town wasn't enough for the other party to toss and turn.

The Wu family being able to cling to this golden thigh was truly a mixture of pain and pleasure.

"Que, there are things you don't know. The culprit appeared in the city a few days ago. Since then, he has committed consecutive crimes every single night. Up to now, he has struck a total of five times. Every victim was an unwed maiden, women with considerable beauty, which proves that this bastard has been observing and selecting his targets meticulously. After suffering severe humiliation, the victims are brutally murdered by the killer, and their bodies are put on display in highly visible, crowded areas.

This is precisely why it has triggered such extreme panic in the city. The commoners, especially those households with daughters, are living in constant fear and trembling day after day." Hearing this, Song Que's expression turned furious, and he spoke in a deep voice:"Rest assured, uncles. I will have the Moon-Lacking Pavilion coordinate with the guards at full strength. We must absolutely sniff out this bastard and sentence him to death by a thousand cuts."

Hearing his words, Xu and Wu didn't feel elated; on the contrary, they became even more sorrowful:"A'Que, you don't understand. The matter isn't as simple as it appears on the surface."

"Oh? Could there be some hidden circumstances? Or is there something unusual about this culprit's background?" Song Que frowned out of curiosity. Wu Tian smiled bitterly and nodded:"That's exactly it. According to the intelligence provided by Six Doors, this criminal is none other than Tian Heng, a notorious flower-plucking bandit in the martial world. He has a long record of prior offenses in various places. Normally, scum like this would have been hunted down and convicted long ago.

However, his father, Tian Buer, is an 8th Grade expert who is notoriously overprotective within the Guannei Circuit. Moreover, this bastard is cunning; he specifically targets small cities to commit his crimes. Because of this, the higher-ups basically turn a blind eye to him."

"This has made him increasingly arrogant and domineering, running rampant without any scruples. Relying on his superior movement techniques, his expertise in disguise, and his 5th Grade strength, he commits crimes everywhere. It only brings suffering to lower-level officials like us; when encountering someone like this, our hands are truly tied. We report it up, but no one manages it. We can't defeat him in a fight, but if we don't fight, we're similarly cursed by the commoners for being incompetent. It truly is...

sigh." The other party actually had an 8th Grade Meridian Opening Realm martial artist backing them. Master Song also felt a headache coming on. With his meager level of strength, the other party could easily play him to death with just a twitch of a finger. The disparity in strength was far too vast; even a siege would accomplish nothing. After a moment of silence, Song Que opened his mouth and asked:"Is Tian Buer truly that overprotective of his son?"

"Yes, the intelligence notes that there were many times before when Tian Buer disregarded the rules of the martial world, personally intervening to vent his son's frustrations. That is why everyone is so wary of him," Wu Tian answered with ironclad certainty. Hearing this, Grandee Song's eyes narrowed slightly with a ruthless glint, and the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smirk as he nodded:"Very well. Uncles, put your minds at ease. I will personally resolve this matter. You don't need to worry anymore."

"A'Que, there's no need to act rashly. We only called you here to discuss a solution. You're still young; you'll have plenty of opportunities in the future to deal with people like this." Seeing his demeanor, Xu and Wu were equally worried and hurriedly stepped forward to persuade him. They were terrified that his hot-headedness would lead him to do something disastrous. With this Young Noble's strength, killing that flower-plucking bandit Tian Heng wouldn't be difficult at all.

"Haha, uncles, don't worry. I won't actually exchange blows with the other party. My path ahead is still long; I'm not foolish enough to forge a blood feud with an 8th Grade expert right now," Master Song laughed heartily, reassuring the two elders.

"Then we can rest easy. Song Que, we'll have to trouble you with this matter," Xu Qing heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing him say this.

"Just wait for the good news, you two. I'll wrap this up beautifully for you. This junior will take his leave first!"

"Alright, then we will be counting on you."

"Leave it to me, uncles. This junior takes his leave." With the matter as urgent as a fire singeing one's eyebrows, Song Que didn't linger. After briefing the two elders, he immediately stood up to take his leave. Xu and Wu also saw him to the gate with utmost politeness. Only after watching his retreating figure did the two of them truly breathe a sigh of relief.