Chương 35: Counter-Kill

The Rocky Mounds, outside the West Gate of Yellow Leaf Town.

"Lord Hu! He's coming!" Hearing the voice of the newcomer, Lord Hu felt as if he had heard celestial music; his entire body felt refreshed. So I don't have to lose another hundred taels of silver! Lord Hu was overjoyed and shouted:"Pockmark Guo! Where is that kid? Speak clearly!" The newcomer was indeed the Zhao family's number one lackey, Guo Shan. He had long harbored a grudge against Song Que, so when he heard Zhao Hu wanted to deal with the kid, he agreed without a second thought.

Following Zhao Hu's arrangements, he had been keeping watch at the West Gate since early morning. When he saw Song Que's donkey cart leave the town, he immediately whipped his donkey and galloped here to report the news.

"Lord Hu! Lords! This lowly one saw him leave the city and came straight here to report! That kid is driving a slow cart; he should be here any minute now!"

"Excellent! I thought that little bastard wasn't returning to the village today!" Lord Hu exclaimed joyfully. On the other side, the four men also perked up. One of the Ou family disciples rubbed his fists and palms eagerly:"Brother Tiande, why don't we just go up and finish him off? It'll save us time getting back to town."

"No need to rush. We've waited an entire morning; a little more time won't hurt. We proceed exactly according to plan." Ou Tiande said, unhooking a dark-yellow bow from his saddle. He stroked it gently and turned to the man beside him:"Old Wei, the target might know martial arts. Be careful later. Capturing him alive is best, but if not, don't hold back."

"Young Master Ou, rest assured." The middle-aged Black Tiger Gang member, who had remained silent by Ou Tiande's side until now, replied in a hoarse voice.... At this moment, Song Que was leisurely sitting on his donkey cart, trying to communicate with the eaglet. The Mountain Sparrow perched on his shoulder, curiously examining the "big guy" in front of it. Song Que had tried several times to use his Split Soul to connect with the eaglet.

However, despite its young age, the little creature possessed an unusually resilient spirit. Its fierce resistance left him at a loss for where to start. Should I injure it or knock it out? Grandee possessed immense physical strength, and he was genuinely afraid that if he wasn't careful— snap! —the little guy would be sent straight to the afterlife. Who would I cry to then? Maybe I should starve it for a few days, wait until its spirit is weak, and then try again? He scratched his head in frustration.

"Whatever, you're destined to become my pet anyway; you can't escape. Let me give you a name first. You've got golden feathers on your head, so I'll call you Lightning." The little creature completely ignored him, tilting its head back and giving him a massive side-eye, its disdain glaringly obvious.

"Oho! Little guy's got a spine! Just wait till we get home; this Master will properly 'discipline' you." Song "Tokuda" Que smiled lecherously.... While teasing Lightning, Song Que's mind suddenly tensed. Within the range of his Domain, he sensed several black streaks flashing toward him. In the blink of an eye, they were right in front of him! Hidden arrows!

Only these two words flashed in his mind before Song Que frantically drew his saber, swinging it in a wide arc while simultaneously rolling off the cart to dodge. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! The sound of several arrows sinking into the dirt sent a chill down Grandee's spine. Almost got a few extra holes punched into my body! Following the shock came immediate fury. There are always unruly peasants trying to harm 'Our Majesty'! Who the hell did I provoke?!

Casting a quick glance at Lightning, who was shrieking anxiously in its cage, Song Que decisively used his Split Soul to possess the Mountain Sparrow, commanding it to fly up and scout. Meanwhile, he gripped his saber tightly and moved forward. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Seeing only six people in his field of vision in the distance, he felt slightly relieved. It's them!

Within the group, Grandee recognized familiar faces: Zhao Hu and Pockmark Guo! So that's how it is. Murderous intent surged in his heart. I thought we could coexist peacefully. It seems I was too naive! These people actually want to kill me to vent their anger! At this moment, Ou Tiande saw that the four hidden arrows failed to kill Song Que. A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes. Stepping forward, he said:"Good skills."

"Who are you? We shouldn't have any grudges, right?" Song Que said in a low, gravelly voice. The opponent's arrows were incredibly fast and accurate; he still felt a lingering fear and wariness.

"No grudges, no enmity. We are merely 'taking someone's money to eliminate someone's disaster.' Little brother, why don't you cooperate and tie your own hands? It'll save me from accidentally hurting you." The Mountain Sparrow confirmed there were no other ambushes. As long as the opponents weren't people like Liang Jing or Feng Han, Grandee wasn't afraid. His mood calmed down significantly. Looking at the arrogant newcomer, how could Grandee care about him?

"Oh my, so arrogant! Why don't you take a piss and look at your own reflection? Hurting Grandee? Are you even worthy?"

"Bold brat! Brother Tiande cherishes talent and didn't want to hurt you, yet you don't know what's good for you! Let's see if we don't skin you alive today!" Before Ou Tiande could speak, the Ou family disciples beside him jumped furiously, ready to charge. Ou Tiande's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. In all of Yellow Leaf Town, no one had ever dared speak to him like this! Raising a hand to stop his men from charging, he let out a sinister laugh. His eyes locked onto Song Que with vicious intent:"Good!

Very good! A brat who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Allow Master Ou to personally teach you a lesson." Seeing the opponent charging at him alone, Song Que, who had been curious about martial artists for a long time, was eager to test himself. He laughed loudly:"Come at me, all of you!" The opponent clearly possessed genuine kung fu. His strength and speed alone far surpassed ordinary people. Every punch and kick fired out like a cannonball, creating continuous deafening booms.

But Song Que wasn't an ordinary person either; he could hold his ground! Sheathing his saber, he stepped forward to engage the opponent in hand-to-hand combat. Originally thinking that stepping in personally would make capturing the opponent as easy as eating porridge, Ou Tiande now found himself growing increasingly horrified as they fought. The opponent was clearly very clumsy, his moves a complete mess. Yet, this kid's reflexes were incredibly freakish!

Multiple times, he managed to shift his moves mid-strike to dodge attacks! Furthermore, the opponent possessed terrifying physical strength. Trading blows with him, the kid's face didn't flush, and his breathing didn't quicken. He faintly felt that the kid's strength was above his own and that he was still holding back significantly. Thinking of this, how could he not be afraid? Song Que rarely fought people hand-to-hand, so his movements were still a bit awkward.

But benefiting from a physique and agility far superior to his opponent's, he quickly adapted and responded naturally. After exchanging several dozen moves, he had a pretty good gauge of the opponent's 'weight'. The man's strength was several times that of an ordinary person, roughly around 500 catties. But compared to Grandee's 1, 500+ catties, he fell far short. It seemed that as long as it wasn't those four top-tier experts in town, Song Que wasn't entirely without the power to protect himself.

He began to lose patience. People often fear the unknown. Now that he had tested himself against a martial artist, Song Que felt much more at ease. The long-held anxiety dissipated, and his responses became increasingly relaxed. He gradually increased his force, occasionally countering with strikes that left 'Master Ou' looking utterly miserable.... Old Wei and the two Ou family disciples watched the two men fighting in the clearing.

Initially, they watched with relish as Ou Tiande pressed the kid, forcing him to desperately block left and right, not forgetting to cheer their master on. But things were looking increasingly wrong! Old Wei's experienced eyes noticed the shift. Sensing danger, he immediately drew his saber and charged forward.

"Master Ou is in danger! Everyone, follow me!" Ou Tiande, bitterly defending and gasping for breath, heard the shout behind him and was overjoyed. Old Wei is reliable after all! As for using numbers to bully the few? Isn't that exactly what people in gangs do?! Besides, who here would dare speak of it? Wait, no! Secretly rejoicing, Master Ou became slightly distracted, exposing a flaw. By pure bad luck, the 'noob' Song Que seized the opportunity and delivered a devastating kick.

The ill-fated Master Ou didn't have time to wait for rescue before being swept by a kick carrying over a thousand catties of force. Although he hastily raised his arms to block, he was sent flying like he had been rammed by a wild bull, his entire skeletal structure feeling as if it had shattered. Seeing this, the lackeys were horrified. But Song Que didn't give them time to react. Drawing the saber from his waist, he charged forward, hacking wildly at anyone in his path.

He had no formal saber techniques—just two words: Fast and Accurate. Aside from Old Wei, who managed to parry a few strikes, the other two Ou family disciples were basically just delivering free kills. In less than a few minutes, all three men were lying on the ground.... Zhao Hu and Pockmark Guo, with their non-existent combat skills, were naturally looked down upon and ignored by the others. They leisurely watched from the sidelines as Song Que was being ganged up on in the clearing.

But why did it seem like Master Ou was struggling more and more? Could it be that he felt taking 300 taels was too easy, so his conscience made him act out a difficult struggle to justify the price? Wait, why did those three suddenly shout in alarm?! They startled Lord Hu! And again... why did Master Ou just fly backward?! Nani?! The script is wrong! Lord Hu's hair stood on end. Sensing the situation turning sour, he instantly bolted. Frantically grabbing a horse, he mounted it and fled like a madman.

The number one lackey, Pockmark Guo, was still standing there, stunned by the wind, unable to react in time. Seeing his master already fleeing, he panicked, hopped onto his donkey, and urged it forward, not forgetting to shout:"Lord Hu! Wait for me!" Motherf cker! Even terrible teammates don't do this! * Don't you know how to slip away quietly?! Lord Hu cursed him a thousand times in his heart, not turning his head back as he whipped his horse to run even faster....

Having just finished the battle and walking toward Ou Tiande, Song Que was startled by the shout. Looking up, he suddenly realized the master-servant duo of Zhao Hu had actually run away! How could I let that happen?! He hastily pulled a bow and arrow from his Storage Space, aimed at the two, and fired a shot. Zhao Hu had run early and was too far away. The arrow struck the horse's rump but didn't penetrate deeply. The pain only made the horse run faster, disappearing from sight in mere moments.

As for the unlucky Comrade Pockmark Guo, the donkey he was riding took an arrow. Mid-sprint, it face-planted, sending Guo Shan rolling several times, his head spinning and vision blurring. When he regained his senses and looked up, Song Que was already standing right in front of him. He was so scared he peed himself, hurriedly kneeling down and crying:"Master Song! Please spare me! This lowly one was only following orders!" Song Que ignored him.

He delivered a chop to the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious, and dragged him back like a dead chicken. Over there, there was still a certain "Master" struggling to crawl away!