Chương 53: Mission Accomplished, Returning to the Village

Time flowed like wind sweeping across the courtyard; two weeks slipped by unnoticed. As spring deepened, the lazy, festive atmosphere of the New Year gradually dissipated. Convoys of carts carrying supplies from the surrounding villages poured into Yellow Leaf Town in a continuous stream, adding a significant amount of bustling energy to the area. Yesterday, Li Xin had followed Giant Willow Village's supply convoy into town and sought out Song Que to stay the night. Today, they would return to the village together.

That's right, Grandee Song, having been away from Giant Willow Village for a month, was finally ready to head back today. His new house was fully completed, and his parents' gravesite was also finished today. Furthermore, Song Que had nothing left keeping him in Yellow Leaf Town; naturally, it was time to go home. Over the past two weeks, he had monitored the remaining three great experts in town thoroughly, and his final harvest was extremely bountiful. As for Old Liang, things were rather simple.

Liang Jing had adopted the persona of a refined scholar to the letter. He had set up a study in his residence, and his martial arts manual, the Mountain-Cleaving Saber Technique, was placed neatly right there. He didn't even bother building a secret room or worry about someone sneaking in to steal it. Perhaps he was just too confident in the Iron Blade Society's defenses. Well, that made it easy for Song Que!

Grandee Song had Wukong bypass the sentries effortlessly, infiltrate the study, and smoothly stash the secret manual into his Storage Space. Seeing that Old Liang was a somewhat decent person, Song Que didn't scare the living daylights out of him. His main body quickly copied the manual from the Storage Space, and then had Wukong return the original to its exact place. Wiping his hands clean of the matter, Grandee Song couldn't help but sigh.

With skills like mine, not starting a delivery courier business in this life is truly a tragic waste of talent! Next up was Lu Ji. After monitoring him for just a few days, Song Que lost all patience with the old fart. This guy was the textbook definition of a corrupt official. Taking bribes was instinctual to him. He spent his days indulging in pleasures—eating, drinking, and whoring. Song Que hadn't seen him cultivate even once, and there was absolutely no shadow of any martial arts manual to be found!

On the flip side, he had a massive hoard of hidden gold and silver. Watching the man's daily routine, Grandee Song found it too much of an eyesore. He decisively gave up on that old lecher. Finally, there was Xiong Qing. At the Axe Gang, he acquired a manual for a kicking technique named Axe-Halberd Kick. Cultivating this martial art involved treating one's legs like axes and halberds; the destructive power of its strikes was extraordinary.

However, its flaw was glaring: it lacked finesse and was easily exploited by opponents. Perhaps Xiong Qing also knew this, which was why he mostly used his martial arts just for intimidation and rarely engaged in actual combat. He seemed more like a merchant, focusing entirely on running his charcoal business. Song Que didn't bother him either, simply quietly taking his treasured Axe-Halberd Kick manual. By now, he had no further desires in Yellow Leaf Town.

Therefore, when Li Xin arrived, he immediately packed his bags, bid farewell to Wu Yi and the others, and set off for the village. Right now, he was actually quite eager to return home to peacefully focus on breaking through to become a First-Grade martial artist.... Early morning. At the East Gate, Song Que cupped his hands to bid farewell to Wu Yi, the Zhong brothers, Liang Jing, and Lu Ji, who had come to see him off. He then turned his horse and headed toward Giant Willow Village.

Compared to when he arrived, aside from gaining a massive amount of wealth and the martial arts manuals he had been dreaming of, his group now had one extra person. Song Que looked at Xu Xian, who was sitting on the cart smugly hugging a book, and smiled in satisfaction. Yesterday, after deciding to return to the village, he had a talk with the man. In the end, he hired Mr. Xu for ten taels of silver a month to come to Giant Willow Village and teach Li Xin and the others how to read.

Naturally, room and board were fully covered, and he would be provided a carriage back to town to visit his family for two days every week. To this Mr. Xu, as long as he could read his books, it didn't matter where he was! Moreover, ten taels of silver a month! He agreed immediately, not even bothering to consult his family. He was 100% decisive. That very day, he went home to bid farewell to his "Lady White Snake," packed his bags, and waited to depart.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. As for Song Que, being able to kidnap a tutor for a mere ten taels of silver made him incredibly satisfied. Having lived in modern society, he fully understood the paramount importance of knowledge. Therefore, spending a little money to help the kids learn to read was the best investment possible. He just didn't know if the little brats would understand his earnest and painstaking intentions.

Looking at Li Xin's resentful expression, Grandee Song felt this endeavor might be somewhat unreliable. Furthermore, if anyone else in the village wanted to learn, he welcomed them. Teaching a few more people didn't matter; he was willing to contribute to his village. The group journeyed onward with joyful and satisfied hearts.... After being away for a month, Giant Willow Village was finally in sight. Looking at the place where he was born and raised, Song Que felt a surge of emotion.

It was still as poor and backward as ever, with no visible changes. He wondered if, as time went by, Old Zhong taking office would bring any new transformations to the village. The moment Song Que arrived in the village, it caused a sensation. Nowadays, who didn't know the grand name of Young Hero Song? He was publicly recognized as the number one expert in Yellow Leaf Town! Everyone felt honored; walking outside and meeting people from other places, they could hold their heads high and stick out their chests!

Moreover, ever since Song Que's rise to prominence, the village had never lacked gossip topics. The latest was how Young Master Song killed a Water Ghost with a single saber strike, and built his house by Mirror Lake to act as a feng shui ward to protect the village! This news came straight from the mouth of the Village Chief's son. Furthermore, when curious villagers went to Mirror Lake to observe, the story quickly spread. To the people, Song Que—who could slay demons and ghosts—was practically a god!

The rumors that he was a deity descending to earth weren't entirely baseless either. Wasn't Young Master Song already the number one expert in Yellow Leaf Town? As a result, he suddenly gained quite a few fans in the village. This even led to people burning incense and praying at his parents' unfinished gravesite! Learning of this, Song Que could only smile bitterly and shake his head helplessly.... Arriving at Mirror Lake. Looking at the rippling Mirror Lake beside his new villa, Song Que was extremely satisfied.

The entire courtyard was elegant and antiquely charming, the wooden pillars carved meticulously and beautifully. The ground beneath his feet was paved with neat, clean bluestone slabs, looking no worse than modern villas of his past life. The house had a front courtyard and a three-room backyard. It featured a spacious, modernly designed kitchen and a clean, airy bathroom. Not a single detail failed to satisfy Grandee Song. Outside the courtyard, he had transplanted several old peach and plum trees.

Song Que had bought them from villagers' yards, had them dug up, and planted here. Right now, they didn't show much vitality, but with the Tesseract's energy, they would soon be lush and leafy. By next year, sitting under the canopy, sipping tea, and admiring the blossoms would be absolutely wonderful. In a fleeting moment of distraction, Song Que even considered the idea of living out the rest of his life just like this. But he instantly banished the thought from his mind. Are you kidding me?!

I haven't even made my name resound across the world, nor have I enjoyed all the beauties yet, and I'm already thinking about secluding myself to wait for death?! That would be an utter disgrace to transmigrators everywhere!

"Young Master Song, are you satisfied with our work?" Foreman Tao, who was accompanying him on the tour, asked carefully. He didn't dare be careless. Ever since he heard the news that Song Que had defeated Feng Han, as a resident of the town, he immediately understood what that meant. Therefore, he had given 120% focus to meticulously perfect the job, terrified that this 'Grandmaster' would be displeased and punish him.

"Haha, very good. Mr. Tao has put his heart into it. After I check the graveyard, I will hand out a large red envelope (bonus) to everyone!"

"Many thanks, Young Master Song!" As long as he's satisfied, all is good! Foreman Tao breathed a sigh of relief. The boulder hanging over his head for days was finally lifted.

"A'Xin, go back and ask your mother if she wants to move in here. There are so many rooms; it's more than enough for us to live together." Song Que said to Li Xin, who had been following him. The kid's eyes lit up. Seeing a house this beautiful, several times better than even the ones in town, he was already going crazy with desire. Hearing Song Que's words, he happily bolted off to find his mother. Unfortunately, perhaps Aunt Li was afraid of gossip; no matter how much he pleaded, she refused to move.

The kid could only return dejectedly to report the news to Song Que. Regarding Aunt Li's decision, Song Que had somewhat expected it, so he wasn't surprised. He just told Li Xin he could pick a room for himself and come stay occasionally. Only then did the kid's sorrow turn to joy, enthusiastically dragging Xiong Ba along to pick out rooms. After settling Mr. Xu into the old Song family house, Song Que and the three members of the Li family headed to the graveyard to visit the tombs.

Looking at the area, enclosed by a solid stone wall with imposing, sturdy tombstones, he felt a sense of peace in his heart. After the three of them lit incense, they headed back. On the way, he asked Aunt Li for her opinion on helping her renovate her old house. After receiving a firm "no need," Song Que straightforwardly settled the bill with Foreman Tao and handed them a large red envelope, eliciting a flurry of thanks from the crew.

After a farewell meal to send them off, Song Que considered himself officially free. He prepared to close his doors and focus on cultivation for a period of time. But it seemed the heavens were determined not to let him have his way today. Not long after he got home, Old Zhong arrived. This old man seemed to have learned some bad habits, determined to freeload food and drink from him.

After dropping a few subtle hints to chase him away that proved completely ineffective, Song Que could only throw his hands up in defeat.

"A'Xin, take the cart back and pick up your mother and Er'ya. Tonight, we're throwing a housewarming party!" Left with no choice, Grandee Song smiled bitterly and sent Li Xin to pick them up. Oh well, cultivating doesn't need to be rushed at this exact moment. Taking some time to sit with friends, chat leisurely, and warm up our relationships is also necessary.