Chương 23: Showing Off Skills

The Campsite. Seeing Zhao Hu ready to resort to underhanded tactics, Song Que was equally prepared to respond aggressively. He had never killed a man before, but intimidating people was his specialty. In the hospital, before any surgery, a doctor always had to go through a routine with the patient's family. It wasn't to extort money, but to lay out the absolute worst-case scenarios in advance, just in case an unpredictable complication occurred.

After all, everyone's body is different, and there's always a certain probability of unexpected mutations or reactions. Having done this countless times, he was thoroughly accustomed to it and could spout terrifying possibilities without batting an eye. Moreover, if the time really came, and anything happened to the Li family, he absolutely would not let the Zhao family off. It wouldn't just be an empty threat. In a desolate mountain village, dealing with desperate men was truly hard to guard against.

Plus, this kid had no parents—a typical 'barefoot man who isn't afraid of someone wearing shoes' with no weaknesses to exploit. Thinking of this, a chill ran down Zhao Hu's spine, leaving him in a dilemma. Seeing the tense, deadlocked atmosphere, Zhong Kui secretly cried out in dismay and hastily intervened:"You two, calm down. Zhao Hu, Song Que, we are all villagers. There's no need to tear at each other's throats like this. Why don't both sides take a step back?"

Saying that, he kept winking frantically at Old Li. Naturally, the money-loving 'Timid Li' craved the five hundred taels of silver and loathed to part with it. But thinking about opposing the entire village, he knew they wouldn't have a good time. Gritting his teeth, he tried to persuade Song Que:"A'niu, why don't we listen to your Uncle Zhong? We see these villagers every day. Harmony is paramount."

Seeing a turning point and someone offering a way out, Zhao Hu also softened his tone and coaxed:"Little Brother Song, everyone has a share of the credit in catching this creature. If you want to hog it all to yourself, your eating posture is just too ugly."

"How about this? I'll handle selling this thing, and we'll split the profits evenly. You take three shares, and from now on, we'll agree to let the two of you hunt freely in the Great Ridge Mountains." For the sake of village unity, Lord Hu had truly put a lot of thought into this today! He never knew he could be this selfless and devoted. Lord Hu was actually moved by his own magnanimity. But the youth opposite him remained entirely unmoved. Regarding Zhao Hu's proposal, Song Que still refused.

He genuinely had no intention of skinning the little creature to sell. That would be a complete waste of heaven's gifts. Five hundred taels was far below its true value. Therefore, he could only shake his head and ponder before saying:"That's impossible. I already told you, I want to keep this little guy as a pet. Stop thinking about killing it for its pelt."

"However, finding it and chasing it all the way here means you guys did put in some effort. How about this? I keep the animal, and I'll compensate you all with fifty taels. Consider it my contribution to the village." You want to raise a Blazing Fire Fox just like that? Even if you take it back, do you think it will even look at you? Zhao Hu sneered inwardly. Let alone him, the crowd behind him didn't believe a word of it either. They all thought Song Que was just making excuses to hog all the benefits.

Thinking of this, vicious intent bred in his heart. He growled:"Song Que, you want to hog the benefits and brush us off with fifty taels like we're beggars?! I'll leave my words right here: hand over the goods today, or don't blame us for being ruthless!" Yielding to this extent was already his limit. Grandee Song couldn't be bothered to explain further. He shook his head contemptuously:"Believe what you want. If you want to fight, I'll play with you to the end."

Seeing the situation about to explode, Zhong Kui hurriedly tried to mediate. But both sides were resolute, neither willing to back down a single step. Although his interactions with Song Que were limited, Old Zhong believed the kid's moral character could withstand scrutiny. His usual behavior also showed that he viewed money as mere worldly possessions. It was highly likely he wasn't driven by greed to swallow the profits alone, but genuinely wanted to raise the Fire Fox. Enjoying this book?

Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Thinking this, he turned to Zhao Hu and advised:"Captain Zhao, the way I see it, since Song Que wants to raise the creature and has already offered compensation to everyone... give Old Zhong some face, and let's leave the matter at that." Alas, having his face slapped repeatedly had thoroughly provoked Zhao Hu's stubbornness. Furthermore, with numbers on his side, his courage swelled.

Not giving Zhong Kui an ounce of face, he sneered through gritted teeth:"Good for you, Zhong Kui! Biting the hand that feeds you! Let me guess, is it because Song Que promised to give you a larger cut later? Don't think people don't know you two are always sneaking around together!" Hearing this, Old Zhong erupted in sudden fury. Excellent! He asked his conscience and found he had never done anything to wrong anyone in his life. He treated everyone and everything with fairness and objectivity.

And now, he was being accused of colluding with a thief?! Ungrateful wretch! You truly have no eyes to recognize a good person's heart, biting the hand that feeds you! Seeing that everyone's eyes were clouded by greed, Old Zhong felt mentally exhausted. Sighing without another word, he stepped back. However, he secretly tightened his grip on his bow, keeping a hand ready in case things went too far. Having scolded and driven Zhong Kui back, Lord Hu's arrogance surged.

Gripping his saber with a malicious glare, he signaled the crowd to surround the uncle and nephew. He growled:"Kid, I'll give you one last chance. Are you handing it over or not?" The entire group—excluding the two unlucky bastards still moaning on the ground, and Zhong Kui and Li Hui who had retreated—consisted of over ten men. Gripping their weapons tightly, their eyes red with greed, they glared at Song Que. Taking all this in, Song Que expanded his Domain to its maximum.

The Tesseract churned violently, pumping energy into every single cell, making his body incredibly sharp, alert, and exhilarated. His eyes radiating a terrifying, piercing light, he flashed a cruel smile:"If you're not afraid of death, come at me!" A dead duck still has a hard beak! Zhao Hu roared viciously:"Get him!"

"Charge!"

"Raaaaaaargh!" The mob brandished their weapons and lunged at Song Que, lacking any real technique, just swinging with brute force. But unfortunately for these level 1 normal mobs, they were destined to pose absolutely zero threat to Grandee Song. Like a hunting cheetah, he nimbly darted into the center of the crowd. Tilting his body, he effortlessly dodged a wooden club swung by the closest man.

Under the opponent's terrified, death-struck gaze, a fist rapidly magnified in his vision before making intimate contact with his face. Casually snatching the wooden club from the unlucky man's hands, Song Que swung his arms, creating a flurry of afterimages. Wherever he passed, the hunters fell like weeds, rolling on the ground in agony, clearly completely incapacitated. After shouting the charge, Zhao Hu had secretly held himself back, retreating to observe the situation.

Seeing Song Que effortlessly mowing down a crowd of grown men, he was terrified out of his wits, secretly praising his own brilliant foresight. Seeing fewer and fewer people left standing in the clearing, he frantically searched for a solution. His small eyes darted around until they landed on Li Tie, who was standing to the side, trembling. His eyes lit up. Hostage! Time waited for no man. Decisively, Lord Hu let out a roar, drew his saber, and charged toward Old Li.

When had Li Tie ever witnessed such a scene in his life? Seeing the bear-like Zhao Hu charging at him, his legs turned to jelly. Gripping his spear, he didn't even know how to react. Continuously monitoring his surroundings with his Domain, Song Que saw this and erupted in fury. He hurled his wooden club, knocking aside the remaining attackers, gripped his saber, spun around, and brought it down hard toward Zhao Hu.

"Zhao Hu, you want to die?!" Charging forward, Zhao Hu's heart suddenly tightened. Operating on pure instinct, he raised his saber above his head to block. CLANG! An ear-piercing sound of clashing metal rang out. A spray of blood erupted, and the saber in Zhao Hu's hand was blasted away, embedding itself thirty centimeters deep into a nearby tree trunk, vibrating violently.

"Spare him!" Observing from the side, Zhong Kui's jaw had practically dropped to the floor at Song Que's freakish martial prowess. Seeing him turn and slash at Zhao Hu, his expression changed drastically. Crying out in alarm inwardly, he hurriedly shouted. Having just taken a stroll past the Gates of Hell, Lord Hu's face was ashen. His eyes bulged as he stared at the blade hovering less than ten centimeters from his face. The bone-chilling glint of the steel made him gulp hard.

The sharp wind from the blade had cut a stinging gash across his face, but he didn't even care. His legs trembled violently, and a wet patch rapidly spread across his trousers. The webbing between the thumb and forefinger of his saber hand was torn to shreds; blood flowed like a stream, dripping heavily onto the dirt. Seeing no lives were lost, the situation could still be salvaged. Realizing things were still under control, Zhong Kui yelled joyfully:"Song Que, always leave a way out!"

"For Uncle Zhong's sake, I'll spare your life." Song Que spoke with a look of utter disgust. He twisted his wrist, using the flat of the blade to swat Zhao Hu away. He wasn't a bloodthirsty maniac, nor did he truly intend to kill Zhao Hu. His original goal was simply to scare him. It would be best if this guy learned his place after this; if not, Song Que was no saint either.

The only people still standing in the clearing—aside from Old Li, Old Zhong, and Li Hui—were two lucky bastards who had positioned themselves quite far away. Everyone was looking at Song Que as if looking at a monster. Naturally, this guy didn't forget to posture. He coldly and elegantly sheathed his saber. Giving the two lucky survivors an indifferent glance, he barked:"Why haven't you grabbed your people and scrambled?!"

As if granted a royal pardon, the two hurriedly stepped forward to support Zhao Hu and the others. Zhong Kui and Li Hui also rushed to help. Seeing that no one in the group had lost a limb—the worst injury being Black Charcoal Zhang's shattered arm bone—everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Not daring to linger a second longer, they hastily supported and dragged each other away, practically running back toward the village. Absolutely no one dared to utter a single word about the Fire Fox.

Li Hui's stomach was tied in knots of grievance, wishing he could slap himself a few times. Although he didn't start the fight today, neither side involved would feel any gratitude toward him. Furthermore, Zhao Hu had suffered a massive loss today, and eight or nine times out of ten, he would vent his pent-up rage on Li Hui's head. Thinking of his tragic future, he just wanted to bury his face in his hands and cry. Only Old Zhong felt satisfied. In handling this matter, he had originally leaned toward Song Que.

Now, having witnessed the kid's true strength, he was grinning so hard internally his mouth almost split. As expected, my eye for talent remains as sharp as ever! Before leaving, Zhong Kui winked at Song Que and cupped his hands in farewell. Song Que nodded and smiled back in acknowledgment.