Chương 32: Heading to Town for Information

Giant Willow Village. Upon returning to the village, the hunters acted like victorious soldiers, proudly showing off their spoils and boasting about their exploits to anyone they saw. Song Que, his heart heavy with worry, paid them no mind. He separated from the group and headed home alone. When he arrived at the Li residence, the courtyard was a chaotic mess. It turned out that Er'ya wanted to hug the Fire Fox, but Mengmeng wanted nothing to do with the crazy little girl.

The fox stubbornly leaped onto the roof beam and sat there, leaving the girl crying and throwing a tantrum for a long time. Seeing Husky, who had been resting on the side, suddenly stand up and dart toward the door, everyone's face lit up with joy.

"Big Brother, you're back!"

"Brother A'niu, hurry up and tell Mengmeng to let me hug her!" The two kids immediately ran out to greet him, with Er'ya not forgetting to lodge a complaint against Mengmeng. Smiling, Song Que ruffled Er'ya's hair. He drove the cart into the courtyard, and as if by magic, a skewer of candied hawthorns appeared in his hand. This instantly made the little girl's eyes crinkle with delight. Completely forgetting her grudge against Mengmeng, she snatched it up and began munching happily.

Only then did he have a moment of peace. He nodded in greeting to Aunt Li, then pulled out a bow and a cloth sack from the cart, handing them to Li Xin with a smile:"A'Xin, see if you're satisfied with these." Seeing the bow, Li Xin was overjoyed. He eagerly grabbed it, raised it, and tried to draw the string. After using the strength he used to suckle milk and barely making it budge, he sullenly put it down. Only then did he open the cloth sack, revealing a saber and a dagger inside.

Gripping one in each hand, he raised them and struck a few poses, beaming happily as he shouted:"Brother, thank you!" Standing to the side, Aunt Li watched the children's joy. Though happy in her heart, she still grumbled:"A'niu, don't spoil them so much. These things must have cost a lot of money."

"Auntie, it's nothing. Just some pocket change."

"I also bought you a few new sets of clothes, Auntie. Don't be stingy and hide them away, wear them! Also, there are some sunflower seeds and candied preserves for the New Year. They won't keep for too long." Seeing Aunt Li about to say more, Song Que hastily interrupted her. Hearing there were candies and new clothes, Er'ya cheered and jumped for joy again, her eyes squinting so hard they practically disappeared.

"A'Xin, come help me unload the goods."

"Sure, Big Brother!" Shooing Er'ya away, Song Que and Li Xin unloaded a pile of items from the cart. The remaining half-cartload was driven back to Mirror Lake by Song Que. Nowadays, he rarely returned to his old house. Politely declining Aunt Li's offer to stay for a meal, Song Que called Husky and Mengmeng to hop onto the cart and head back together. Li Xin wanted to tag along for a free meal but was shooed off.

Under the kid's resentful gaze, Song Que bid farewell to Aunt Li and drove the cart out of the Li family courtyard.... The Zhao Residence. Returning home, the Zhao father and son sat by the table drinking water, their faces dark and gloomy. Lord Hu was still fuming over Old Zhong overstepping his authority and daring to distribute the spoils of war on his own. Such a massive pile of goods, and his family didn't even get a drop of the soup! It truly drove him mad with rage.

Zhao Cairong, however, was thinking much deeper. Witnessing the battle between the two gangs outside the city today had profoundly shaken him. It had genuinely overturned his entire worldview.

"Dad, you have to think of a way to kick out that Zhong Kui—that fox exploiting the tiger's might! Otherwise, it won't be long before his prestige in this village surpasses our Zhao family's!" It was Lord Hu who couldn't hold back and spoke first. Hearing his words, Old Zhao sighed and said:"Zhong Kui is nothing to worry about. But with that kid Song Que around, whatever we try to do will be difficult."

"Old man, didn't you say that kid would leave eventually? Then what's there to be afraid of? The main concern right now is Zhong Kui seizing power while the iron is hot!" Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Glaring at him, Old Zhao said in frustration:"What do you know?! Originally, I thought that kid was just born with divine strength, which was why he was so capable. But outside the East Gate today, you saw it too!

Nine times out of ten, that kid knows martial arts!"

"Martial arts so what? What's the damn difference? His Song family came from elsewhere; it's not strange if they have some martial arts passed down through the family." Lord Hu brushed it off indifferently. Hearing this, Old Zhao glared at him and slapped the back of his head hard:"Stupid beyond belief! Knowing martial arts means he can teach it to others! Others can learn those same skills! If he teaches Zhong Kui or that Li family brat before he leaves, our Zhao family will never see the light of day again!"

Hearing this, Zhao Hu seemed to wake from a dream, breaking out in a cold sweat. His father and he valued the profits from Giant Willow Village above all else. Losing them meant the Zhao family would have nothing, and they would quickly fall into ruin.

"Old man, then what do we do?!" Old Zhao's face was equally gloomy. After pondering for a long time, he leaned in and whispered into his son's ear. The father and son muttered and plotted for hours before standing up, their hearts heavy with dark schemes. ……. Another New Year passed. The residents of Giant Willow Village joyfully celebrated the New Year, smiles frequently gracing everyone's faces. Only Song Que wore a gloomy expression.

Ever since returning from Yellow Leaf Town, he had frequently frowned in frustration. He had wanted to return to town several times, but since the New Year was upon them, he had to endure. His impatience stemmed from two matters. First, naturally, was his desire to find a way to learn martial arts. Second, ordinary food now provided him with almost negligible energy. The sluggish pace of his physical enhancement these past few days made Song Que anxious.

He wanted to go to town to buy some medicinal herbs or tonics to consume. Therefore, just a few days after the New Year passed, Song Que, unable to wait any longer, dragged Husky and Mengmeng to the Li residence to drop them off, while he drove the cart to Yellow Leaf Town alone.

"A'Xin, Big Brother has business in town today and won't be back tonight. Stay home and help me take care of them." Before leaving, he didn't forget to instruct Li Xin. Watching Song Que disappear into the distance, not long after, three people riding donkeys quietly slipped out of the village as well.... Yellow Leaf Town. The festive New Year atmosphere hadn't entirely faded. In the town, people were still leisurely gathering to drink wine and play cards. Upon arriving, Song Que's restless heart finally settled.

He found a high-end inn, rented a room, and stored his belongings before unhurriedly heading to the Zhong residence to offer New Year greetings. With the pleasantries concluded, he signaled Zhong Hong, and the two strolled out leisurely. Heading to the Five Flavors Pavilion, they booked a large banquet table. They had only sat for a short while before Zhong Hong's gang of fair-weather friends arrived. Seeing the two, they hurriedly offered their greetings:"Brother Hong, Brother Song, Happy New Year!"

"Haha, brothers, Happy New Year to you all!" Song Que smiled and returned the greetings one by one. Calling the waiter to serve the food, the group gathered around to eat and drink, the atmosphere incredibly lively. After three rounds of wine, the skinny lackey named Pockmark Luo finally spoke up:"Brother Song, I've looked into the matter you assigned me. This Butcher Zhu is famous throughout the entire South Gate area for his greed and cunning."

"He has two sons. The eldest joined the Black Tiger Gang and has made quite a name for himself. The second son inherited his father's business and is a butcher now."

"His Zhu family specializes in shortchanging customers and selling bad meat. But because their family has many people and strong backing, no one dares to say anything."

"There were a few people who tried to open meat stalls in the South Gate area, but his sons smashed their stalls to pieces. So now, his family holds a total monopoly. If anyone wants to buy meat, they have to hold their noses and buy from him." Hearing this, Song Que already had a plan forming in his mind. Involving the Black Tiger Gang, even if it was just a minor leader, made things tricky. Who told the Black Tiger Gang to be so powerful right now?

The guys who had just been loudly volunteering to help Song Que teach the Zhu family a lesson suddenly sat in deafening silence. Song Que had long anticipated this kind of reaction, so he didn't mind. Only Zhong Hong, acting out of loyalty, patted his chest:"A'Que, if this Zhu family offended you, wait a bit, and we brothers will go over there and f*ck them up!"

"Brother Hong, it's fine. It's just a minor issue." To him, it truly was a minor issue. Song Que didn't want Zhong Hong getting entangled in it, so he smiled and said:"What about buying the eagle? Any leads?" Hearing it wasn't about dealing with the Zhu family, the crowd became enthusiastic again. One of them said:"Brother Song, what a coincidence! The day before yesterday, I went back to my uncle's house in a neighboring village for the New Year and brought this up.

It just so happened that someone in his village had caught an eaglet! The man wasn't home at the time, but I arranged for him to bring it to town tomorrow morning." Hearing this, Song Que was overjoyed. With things going smoothly, the worry in his heart instantly vanished. Laughing loudly, he raised his cup to toast the group. The meal was thoroughly enjoyable. When had Brother Hong's friends ever dined in such a luxurious establishment?

Being able to eat and drink to their hearts' content today would surely give them bragging rights for days when they went home. After eating and drinking for over two hours, the group staggered out, officially ending the gathering. Before leaving, Song Que didn't forget to hand Pockmark Luo and the guy who found the eagle one tael of silver each, leaving the two bowing and profusely thanking him. The rest of the gang watched with undisguised envy.

Giving Brother Hong a look, the two leaned in and whispered for a moment before parting ways. Brother Hong supported Pockmark La on the way back, while Grandee Song comfortably returned to the inn to rest. He still had quite a bit of work to do tonight.... He slept until he woke up naturally. Outside, it was already late afternoon. Taking a leisurely bath to refresh his body and mind, Song Que slowly descended to the lobby.

Seeing Zhong Hong already sitting at a table, drinking wine and eating peanuts, he quickly walked over and called out:"Brother Hong, you arrived early! Why didn't you call me?"

"Just got here a little while ago. Figured you'd be coming down soon, so I secretly drank a little wine first," Zhong Hong replied with a hearty laugh.

"Perfect timing. I brought a few jars of fine wine I brewed myself. Today, us two brothers will have a proper drinking session."

"If you praise it as fine wine, A'Que, it must be good. It seems my mouth is in for a treat today."

"Wait here, Brother Hong. I'll go up to my room and bring two jars down. I guarantee you won't be disappointed." Saying that, Song Que turned and headed upstairs. In reality, he went to a secluded corner, pulled two jars of wine from his Storage Space, and then slowly walked back down.