Chương 237: The Arrival of the Golden Coin Gang (Money Gang)

Plum Manor. In a small courtyard filled with planted bamboo branches, Song Que, Nie Feng, and Xiong Ba were engaged in an intense sparring session. Each of these bamboo branches was only the thickness of a finger and nearly two zhang long. They were so slender that even placing Mengmeng on one would cause it to bend and snap. Yet right now, the three of them were treading lightly on the tips of the bamboo. They had been fighting for quite some time, and no one's feet had touched the ground yet.

Everyone's footwork was equally elegant and ethereal, yet as unpredictably strange as a darting swallow. If Tian Buer were present, he would definitely recognize without a doubt that this was his prized movement technique, the Flying Swallow Steps. Over the past month or so, Song Que and the other two had been comprehending and sharing their insights on the martial arts he had obtained from Tian Heng. By now, they had all achieved a considerable level of mastery.

Each person's moves fluidly alternated between fists, palms, and claws, leaving Knife, Li Xin, and the Yang sisters—who were watching from the sidelines—completely dazzled and unable to keep up with the action. A long while later, when everyone had worked up a sweat, Song Que gestured in satisfaction to stop. All three gracefully stepped on the air and flew back toward the edge of the courtyard.

"Young Master, let me wipe your sweat." The two girls, Yang Zi and Yang Mi, immediately stepped forward, thoughtfully dabbing his face. Comfortably enjoying the service of the two little maids, Grandee Song finally smiled after a moment:"Xiong Ba, your movement technique is still lacking; it's not flexible enough. Look at your feet—most of the time you used too much force and snapped quite a few bamboo branches. This habit absolutely must be corrected."

"Understood, Young Master!" The blockhead Xiong rumbled, committing the advice to memory. After offering a few more pointers to Old Nie, the group returned inside. For battles of this level, Knife and Li Xin could only temporarily look up in envy. With their strength not even at the 4th Grade yet, unable to emit An Jin, they couldn't even manage running on bamboo branches, let alone participating in the fight. Knife would probably reach that stage fast.

With Grandee Song sparing no effort to nurture him, this guy's progress could be described as godly. Moreover, his foundation was solid. Right now, he had already achieved large success in Tendon Training and had begun to grasp the initial emission of An Jin. Within a month, he would definitely break through to the Second-Rate realm. Li Xin was still a ways off, but his changes over these past few days were visible to the naked eye.

Perhaps the motivation of love was just too great; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say this guy had been completely reborn. Now, without Grandee Song needing to urge him, his "little universe" burned endlessly all day. He trained incredibly hard, making Qin Wu and the others look at him in a new light. Taking all of this in, Song Que and the others were genuinely happy for the kid...... With only a few weeks left until the Lunar New Year, the atmosphere in the Manor had begun to grow bustling.

Spring was coming, and Little Li's spring had also arrived. It was just unknown when Grandee Song would finally shed his virginity. Grandee Song sat dejectedly by the window, reading a book and sipping tea, occasionally looking out at the gloomy, cloudy sky and sighing. One misstep becomes eternal regret; looking back, a hundred years have passed. If he had possessed the mountain of martial arts resources back then that he had now, he absolutely wouldn't have chosen that damn Glazed Sutra!

It was too late for regrets now. The right path was to seize the time to cultivate and break through as early as possible. Waiting until he was thirty or forty to achieve grand success in his divine art would be far too tragic.

"Report!" Right at that moment, someone from the Moon-Lacking Pavilion arrived to deliver a message outside the door. By the time Yang Mi opened the door to let the person in, Xiong Ba, Nie Feng, and Knife, who were in the nearby rooms, had also heard the commotion and rushed over.

"Reporting to the Pavilion Master, the Gang Leader of Lingjiang City's Golden Coin Gang, the Wind Demon Staff Gu He, requests an audience. He is currently waiting at the Headquarters. Lord Shen instructed me to return and inform you." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Oh! A First-Rate expert, the head of the Golden Coin Gang, holding a status nearly equal to Du Ruhui. He wondered what this Gang Leader Gu wanted with him.

His curiosity piqued, he ordered a carriage to be prepared and immediately returned to the city...... Moon-Lacking Pavilion, Discussion Hall. By the time Song Que's group arrived, two rows of people were already seated inside the room. On the left were Shen Ziming and Tie Feilong, leading a group of the Pavilion's upper management. On the right were five people. Sitting in the middle was a middle-aged man he had some impression of; it was indeed Gu He, whom he had seen once at the Yun family auction.

"Greetings, Pavilion Master!" Seeing Grandee Song enter, the people on the Pavilion's side immediately stood up with solemn respect to greet him.

"Everyone, please sit!" Nodding to signal them to sit, Song Que then turned to look at the people from the Golden Coin Gang and smiled:"Greetings to Gang Leader Gu and the esteemed members of the Golden Coin Gang! Having Gang Leader Gu grace us with his presence today truly brings radiant glory to our humble Moon-Lacking Pavilion."

Observing Song Que intently for a moment, seeing that this person held no taboos and met his gaze with confident eyes, Gu He couldn't help but inwardly praise:"Pavilion Master Song's demeanor is indeed extraordinary. No wonder you have achieved such accomplishments at such a young age, I am full of admiration! We old folks have truly grown old."

"Haha, Gang Leader Gu jests. You are still in your prime, at the absolute peak of your strength. Compared to you, my minor squabbles here are nothing." Song Que laughed heartily and led Nie Feng, Xiong Ba, and the others to sit down, facing the Golden Coin group.

"Unifying Qinghe, pacifying the bandit scourge, brewing the Raging Fire Liquor, opening up Eagle Gorge—every single thing you've done has been earth-shattering. If that is still considered 'minor squabbles,' then us old guys are just sitting around doing nothing all day. Pavilion Master Song, there's no need to be so modest."

"Haha, many thanks for Gang Leader Gu's praise! I wonder what business brings you here today. If there is anything you need help with, we will naturally assist with all our might."

"Haha, no rush!" Gu He smiled leisurely and shook his head.

"This old man is a few years older than you. Would there be any problem if I presume upon my seniority to call you little brother Song?"

"Naturally, I have no objections. Gang Leader Gu, please suit yourself." Nodding, he introduced the four people behind him, and only then did Gu He get to the point:"This trip to Qinghe wasn't really for any specific business. Mainly, I wanted to get to know you, little brother Song. Indeed, hearing your name is not as good as meeting you in person. Being able to befriend you has already left this old man satisfied."

"You flatter me. Being able to host the esteemed members of the Golden Coin Gang is our honor. In that case, you must let me play the host and treat you to a hearty meal this noon." Since he hadn't yet guessed the purpose of these people, Grandee Song didn't mind exchanging pleasantries and beating around the bush with them for now.

"Haha, good. Then this time, we must drink our fill. To be honest, I am extremely fond of the Raging Fire Liquor. Alas, it is too difficult to buy. Every day I only dare to drink a few cups, and it never satisfies my craving. Meeting the owner today, I must open my belly and drink to my heart's content." The people in the room followed suit and laughed heartily. Grandee Song naturally had no objections and ordered his men to prepare the banquet.

"Little brother Song, I have also heard about the matter between you and Du Ruhui. That man is extremely narrow-minded. You must be much more careful in the future." As they were talking, Gu He suddenly let out a long sigh and shifted the topic to Old Du.

"Many thanks for Gang Leader Gu's concern. Fortunately, he is confined to his bed recovering from his injuries these days, which finally gave us a chance to catch our breath." Speaking of the thief Du, this tyrannical neighbor, Grandee Song was also full of sympathy towards Old Gu.

"You cannot be careless. Although he seemed to suffer a hidden loss in that recent battle, their gains were actually quite substantial. At the very least, ordinary 8th Grade experts absolutely wouldn't dare to provoke the Lingjiang Gang right now. Du Ruhui's general trend is already established." Old Du had progressed, but Song Que was progressing even faster. Although he had his reservations about this, he was no longer overly fearful like before.

"Fortunately, the Moon-Lacking Pavilion and the Lingjiang Gang are quite far apart, and on the surface, we have no conflicts of interest. As long as this junior is a bit careful and doesn't give him an excuse, Du Ruhui probably wouldn't actually do anything to us."

"Song Que, do not underestimate this person. Within the Nine Rivers Alliance, Du Ruhui's relationship with the upper echelon is quite good. He might not necessarily hold back just because of a single word from Grandmaster Zhi Kong." Old Gu continued to earnestly advise. Grandee Song and his people had already vaguely guessed this guy's motive for coming today—he probably wanted to form an alliance. Not intending to object, he smiled and nodded:"Gang Leader Gu is right. I will definitely be much more careful."

A teachable youth. Gu He's expression was satisfied:"Little brother, your potential is so great that it has already drawn people's apprehension. Furthermore, you now hold the Raging Fire Liquor, a goose that lays golden eggs. This truly makes others jealous and covetous." Speaking of this, Old Gu himself was equally envious. After all, pocketing over a hundred thousand taels every month was a massive sum even for their Golden Coin Gang.

Song Que remained neither haughty nor fearful, only smiling calmly:"Not attracting jealousy only means one is of mediocre talent. I have long been used to this."

"Little brother Song, what great spirit!" Carefully savoring the young man's words, Gu He couldn't help but let a glint flash in his eyes.

"But an innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth. Sometimes, holding onto too great a benefit can bring upon fatal disasters. You must understand this, right?" Here it comes. Finally getting to the point. Grandee Song also wanted to hear what kind of cooperation he was proposing, so he cooperatively cupped his hands:"Then I wonder what the Moon-Lacking Pavilion should do. I ask Gang Leader Gu to enlighten me."

"Haha, easily said, easily said. This old man came here today for exactly this purpose!"