Chương 43: The Foolish Boy... Xiong Ba

.. Xiong Ba Xiong Ba Time flowed by unnoticed. In a flash, a week had passed since Wu Yi's visit to the village. During this time, due to a shortage of medicinal herbs, Song Que focused entirely on cultivating the Horse Stance and the technique of generating Jin. By now, he could effortlessly and flexibly release Ming Jin from both his hands and feet, retracting and projecting it at will.

Therefore, while his physical constitution hadn't improved much—still lingering around 6 Horsepower—incorporating Jin into his limbs drastically increased his speed and multiplied the destructive power of his techniques! Pondering it carefully, he realized that compared to people like Feng Han, he might lack experience and martial techniques, but in terms of pure power and speed, he surpassed them! In a true life-or-death struggle, he had a very high chance of winning and surviving.

After all, he was walking around with cheats enabled—he had his Domain! Consequently, Song Que's state of mind was quite relaxed. He wasn't so arrogant as to go looking for trouble, but he harbored no scruples or fears either.... During this time, Zhong Hong was also constantly running back and forth between Yellow Leaf Town and Giant Willow Village.

Ever since the Black Tiger Gang established its absolute hegemony in the town, his older brother Zhong Hui's job had become incredibly difficult, and his income was a far cry from what it used to be. Fortunately, a turning point suddenly appeared: his old man actually had the opportunity to become the Village Chief! Over the past few days, he had been using Wu Yi's connections to run errands. Today, the official document confirming the appointment had finally arrived from the town.

In terms of prestige, no one in the village currently surpassed Old Zhong, so there wouldn't be any unexpected complications. However, without an official title, his words lacked absolute authority. Now that the document had arrived, it relieved a heavy burden from the Zhong family's minds. Don't look down on Giant Willow Village's barrenness. If managed carefully, it could still generate a surplus of 30 to 50 taels of silver annually for the Zhong family.

That was more than enough to wipe away all their financial pressure. Regarding Old Zhong becoming the Village Chief, Song Que raised both hands in approval. Zhong Hong's frequent visits weren't just for this matter. The last time, he had brought a foreman named Tao to Mirror Lake for a site survey. They had arranged for today to bring workers and materials to officially begin construction on the new house.

Building the house would take about a month, so Song Que was currently considering finding a temporary place to stay.... Giant Willow Village. On the road. Two youths were leisurely riding horses. It was Song Que and Li Xin. Over the past few days, the two brothers had squeezed out time to learn horseback riding. Furthermore, Song Que had begun teaching Li Xin the Horse Stance. Practice makes perfect, and by now, they could gallop quite proficiently.

Passing by the old Zhao family courtyard, they saw that the previously deserted place was now bustling with activity. Seeing Old Zhong there, Song Que approached curiously:"Uncle Zhong, what's going on here? Moving house?" Seeing who it was, Old Zhong blushed and said:"It's you two brats. The village decided to designate the old Zhao residence as the Village Chief's official estate. I'm just here with everyone cleaning it up." Hehe, "the village decided"? Wasn't it just a single word from you, Old Zhong?

Old Zhong's skin is still too thin! The surnamed Zhao are all dead anyway, and the widows ran off to who-knows-where. If you're going to take the house, just take it! What's there to be embarrassed about? Actually, Song Que was wronging him. Zhong Kui genuinely hadn't wanted to occupy the place. But his son and the villagers kept insisting, and declining too much would look unappreciative. So he went with the flow and moved in, though his heart was still quite apprehensive.

Right at that moment, a loud argument erupted from inside the Zhao residence, followed by the sound of smashing objects. It seemed a fight had broken out. Old Zhong and Song Que quickly rushed in to see what was happening. In the backyard, near the storehouse, a group of robust men surrounded a youth. The youth was tall and lanky, about 1. 7 meters tall, with dark skin. He was hugging a massive wooden log as thick as a calf, swinging it wildly while growling furiously.

The crowd was intimidated by his fierce aura and only dared surround him from a distance.

"Stop!" Zhong Kui shouted loudly. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

"Village Chief!"...

"Master Song!" Seeing their core pillars arrive, the crowd hastily parted to welcome them. Seeing the crowd back away, the youth stopped swinging the log. He stared warily at Song Que and Old Zhong. What immense strength! Looking at that wooden log—as thick as a calf, about two meters long, and weighing at least 40kg—being effortlessly swung around by this kid who was as black as a lump of coal, Song Que was secretly astonished. Old Zhong stepped through the crowd, approached the youth, and shouted:"Kid!

Put the log down! If you have something to say, say it to me! Why resort to violence?!" The kid clearly wasn't very right in the head. His speech was incoherent, but everyone could roughly piece together his meaning:"Back off... you... robbers!" Where did this wild brat come from, hindering them from executing official business? Old Zhong was displeased:"Nonsense! Hurry up and go play somewhere else!" Saying that, he stepped forward, waving his hand to shoo him away.

Who could have expected the kid was genuinely mentally unstable? Seeing Old Zhong approach, he frantically swung the log down at him!

"Robber... beat to death!" Old Zhong watched the log, as thick as a human thigh, continuously enlarge in his vision as if it were aiming to smash a watermelon. His soul nearly left his body, and he desperately tried to dodge backward. But having eaten a bit too well lately, his body lacked agility. He could only watch helplessly as the log drew closer and closer. I just became Village Chief! I haven't even officially taken office yet, and now I'm rushing off to reincarnate!

Old Zhong's heart was filled with nothing but sheer tragedy. Fortunately, he had met Song Que today. Seeing the situation turn dire, Grandee explosively channeled force into his legs, cracking a large crater in the ground. Like a bolt of lightning, he dashed in front of Zhong Kui, raising a hand to block the descending log. BAM! Blocked by Song Que's single hand, the counter-force proved too immense for the kid. Unable to hold on, he let go of the log, stumbled backward several steps, and fell flat on his butt.

Only then did Old Zhong snap back to his senses. His face pale as a sheet, he roared furiously:"Where did you come from, you vicious brat?!" He had every right to be furious! Before even taking office, he almost followed Zhao Cairong's footsteps to become the 'Former' Village Chief! One could imagine his rage. But the kid didn't listen to him at all. Getting up, he growled and lunged at Song Que, throwing a punch while mumbling incoherently:"Robber... you... rob... beat to death!"

But he only possessed about 1 Horsepower and was as thin as a twig. Grandee effortlessly grabbed him and pinned him to the ground, rendering him completely unable to struggle. Only then did the group of robust men sluggishly rush forward, quickly and securely tying him up. They truly deeply understood the philosophy of self-preservation.

"You... rob... lost stuff... Stupid... get beaten... hungry..." The kid continued to growl non-stop, twisting his limbs, but it was all in vain.

"Where did this kid come from?" Only then did Song Que ask curiously. He had never seen this person in the village before. Why was he so desperately trying to protect the Zhao family?

"Master Song, I know! This kid is a wild man! He lived with bears in the Great Ridge Mountains before Zhao Hu caught him. Seeing that he was strong but simple-minded, Zhao Hu brought him back to do heavy labor. It's been over three years now!" Someone hastily stepped forward to explain. Old Zhong finally remembered:"So it's him! I remember that kid was only about ten years old back then. He's grown this big already?" So that's the story. Song Que realized.

Looking at the person speaking, he found the face slightly familiar. Isn't this the guy who gave me a great 'assist' the other day? He asked:"You are...?"

"Master Song, my name is Ma Fei! I'm in the village hunting team. I've been to town with you a few times, but I suppose Master Song might not remember." Mm, very sharp and perceptive. Song Que stroked his chin and smiled:"Ma Fei, is it? I remember now. Uncle Zhong, with his help during hunts, things must be a lot easier for you." Seeing Song Que wanted to elevate this person, Old Zhong played along:"Indeed, Little Fei is very sharp. Ma Fei, help me gather the hunting team in a few days."

Hearing this, Ma Fei trembled with excitement. It seemed he had hugged the right thigh! The envious and jealous gazes from the people around him made him incredibly smug. The power dynamics in Giant Willow Village were currently being reshuffled, and he had at least managed to squeeze his way into the inner circle! Old Zhong didn't care about this; using one person was the same as using another. He was more concerned with how to deal with this kid in front of him.

He was mentally unstable, making it impossible to even reason with him!

"A'Que, how should we handle this kid?" Killing him was unnecessary; he wasn't going to stoop to the level of holding a grudge against a foolish child. But this problem put Song Que in a difficult spot. This kid was too strong; leaving him unchecked would definitely lead to disaster. Calling Ma Fei and a few others over, they attempted to explain the situation to the kid.

After a long while, talking until their mouths ran dry, the kid finally seemed to accept the fact that the Zhao father and son were dead, and the house had changed owners. Only then did Song Que ask:"Kid, you're free now. Where do you want to go?" Unexpectedly, the fool burst into loud wails:"Stupid... lost job... hungry... die!" He was probably terrified of having no work and starving to death.

Seeing that even basic communication was a struggle for him, leaving him to fend for himself meant he'd either die or get scammed. Unable to bear it, Song Que decided to take him in.

"Alright, stop crying. Follow me from now on. I'll make sure you have enough to eat." Hearing there was food, the kid instantly forgot all about the Zhao father and son and stopped crying immediately:"Stupid... eat a lot... not full..." Who the hell can understand what this kid is saying?! He was probably worried there wouldn't be enough food. Song Que massaged his temples and shouted:"Alright! I'll let you eat your fill! But you have to listen to me, understand?!" This he understood.

He nodded like a pounding garlic pestle:"Master... Stupid... listen... good... strong... work!" Communicating with him was burning through too many neurons. Song Que shook his head, unwilling to say more. He ordered him untied and told him to follow. Old Zhong was also satisfied with this arrangement:"It's best if this kid follows you, A'Que. Otherwise, no one else can control him." That was the truth. Zhao Hu had caught him when he was young, which was why he was obedient to him.

If handed over to anyone else, once his wild nature flared up and he threw a punch, no one in this village could withstand it! Looking at the goofy, simple-minded fool, Song Que figured he probably didn't have a real name, hence why people just called him "Stupid." Since you were raised by bears, I'll give you a name. Song Que pointed at him and said:"From now on, your name is Xiong Ba!"

"Name... Xiong Ba..."

"Xiong... Ba..."...

"Xiong Ba!"...

"Xiong Ba!" Seeing that he could grasp basic concepts, Song Que nodded in satisfaction and turned to leave. Seeing his meal ticket jump onto a horse, the kid hurriedly jogged after him. Later on, I'll find the 'Three Parts Return to Origin Qi' technique for you; then you'll truly be a perfect match for the name! [Author's note: Xiong Ba (Lord Conqueror) is the iconic primary antagonist from the legendary martial arts comic "The Storm Riders" (Wind and Cloud).] A certain transmigrator was secretly smug, letting his imagination run wild.