Chương 54: Two Years

Evening, by Mirror Lake. The entire Song household, the Li family, Old Zhong, Mr. Xu, and the others admired the lakeside scenery while slowly savoring the exquisite dishes prepared by Song Que, chatting animatedly.

"A'Niu, your cooking is truly delicious. Your aunt falls far short of this." Aunt Li sighed emotionally as she ate. Er'ya, stuffing her face, nodded in muffled agreement without stopping.

"Mm, that's right! No wonder Big Brother never eats at home and always uses the excuse of going to A'Niu's house to freeload! From now on, I want to come too!" Hearing this, Aunt Li glared in anger:"You little brat, you eat well and immediately complain about your mother! I've spoiled you for nothing!"

"Mom, I'm not complaining! It's just that Big Brother keeps sneaking off, and I just wanted to see what he was doing!" The little girl immediately defended herself, making everyone burst into laughter.

"Little girl, I'm following Big Brother to learn martial arts! You only know how to cry with a runny nose, what's the point of you tagging along?" Li Xin looked at Er'ya with a teasing, cheeky grin, making the little girl's eyes turn red as tears threatened to fall. Seeing this, Aunt Li's heart instantly ached:"There, there, be good, don't cry. From now on, I'll force your Big Brother to eat at home! He's not allowed to go freeload at A'Niu's house anymore!"

Only then did the little girl stop crying and smile, happily continuing to demolish the fragrant delicacies on the table. It's true; seeing someone else unhappy makes you a little happier yourself. An unchanging truth! Li Xin:... Who did I provoke?! Why did I catch a stray bullet just sitting here minding my own business?! He looked at his mother with puppy-dog eyes, pleading for mercy, but regrettably only received a deeply meaningful nod in return. He instantly deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Aunt Li, Uncle Zhong, starting tomorrow, Mr. Xu will be holding classes at my house to teach reading and writing. Aunt Li, please supervise A'Xin and Er'ya to ensure they listen attentively and review their lessons at home. Uncle Zhong, see if anyone in the village wants to learn; just tell them to come over." Hearing this, Old Zhong nodded joyfully. In this era, learning literature and martial arts were both noble pursuits. Aunt Li cared immensely that her children had the opportunity to learn these things.

She nodded like a pounding garlic pestle, promising repeatedly. Li Xin:... Why is the tragedy always mine...

"Mother, Big Brother... do I have to learn? Just looking at words gives me a headache!"

"If you don't learn, I'll whip you to death!" Without waiting for Song Que to reply, his mother instantly bristled and glared. The boy immediately shrank his neck. Coward! Song Que smiled:"Learning to read will be very useful in the future. You should obediently learn from Mr. Xu. Don't worry, I'll have Xiong Ba study with you, so you'll have a companion." Indeed, misery loves company! Hearing that someone else would share his misfortune, Li Xin felt instantly delighted. It turns out life isn't so bleak after all!

Xiong Ba:...

"Young Master, can I not learn? I'll take a beating instead!" Having followed Song Que for over a month and benefiting from Grandee Song frequently using Tesseract energy to strengthen his body, Xiong Ba had grown significantly taller. His body was packed with solid muscle, and combined with his bald head, he looked incredibly ferocious. Song Que had tested him; this kid had terrifyingly reached 3 Horsepower—an absolute freak of nature!

Furthermore, during his free time, Song Que occasionally communicated with him using his Split Soul. While Xiong Ba was still a bit simple-minded, he could now speak fluently and understand and analyze what people said to him. Going to school probably wouldn't be a problem. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Hearing that he would rather take a beating than study, Song Que was both angry and amused:"If you don't learn, I'll cut your rations!

From now on, you only get one meal a day!" Food was truly this guy's Achilles' heel! Hearing he wouldn't even get two meals, he instantly panicked and begged:"Don't cut my food, Young Master! I'll be hungry! I'll study, I'll study!" Isn't being obedient much better? Song Que felt smug:"You better study properly! You must learn five new characters a day! If you don't, your rations will still be cut!" Ignoring Xiong Ba, whose face was already as black as the bottom of a pot, Song Que turned to instruct Xu Xian:"Mr.

Xu, I'll trouble you to keep an eye on these brats. If they don't listen, feel free to use the cane! Even if you gave them ten guts, they wouldn't dare resist!"

"Young Master Song is too polite. Rest assured, leave this matter to me." Receiving Song Que's 'Imperial Sword of Authority', Mr. Xu's aura surged. He swept his gaze over the three youngsters, pausing specifically on Xiong Ba. This caused a chill to run down the back of all three necks as they collectively shrank back.... Watching the group leave, Song Que let out a soft sigh of relief. Finally, some peace and quiet.

Since today wasn't suitable for cultivation anyway, he wasn't in a rush and decided to take the day off. He took his pets for a stroll around the manor, watched the fish occasionally flick their tails in the lake, and passed by the ancient flower trees, giving them a little energy boost. Instructing Xiong Ba to take care of the horses and donkeys, Grandee Song returned to his room, lay down on his bed, and settled in for a long, comfortable nap. Spring passed, and summer arrived.

Two years had passed since Song Que moved into his new house. Mirror Lake had transformed completely compared to before. Schools of fish swam in the lake, and wild animals occasionally came to the shore to drink. The entire area brimmed with vibrant life. The Song Family Manor, built right beside it, occupied a prime feng shui location. Now, the entrance was shielded by a lush bamboo grove, separating it from the outside world and adding a profound sense of tranquility and seclusion to the interior.

In the courtyard, several ancient peach and plum trees, nourished over the long term by Song Que's Tesseract energy, had grown significantly thicker. Their branches and leaves were lush, and now, in the spring, they were densely packed with blossoms, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Song Que lay lounging in the courtyard admiring the flowers, his entire demeanor exuding laziness and relaxation. Over the past two years, he had fully matured. At fifteen, Song Que was now over 1. 8 meters tall.

With a broad chest, a narrow waist, and long limbs, his proportions could be called the golden ratio. His face, continuously micro-adjusted by the Tesseract energy, had become sharply defined and incredibly handsome. He was always proud of this—it was his masterpiece from his days as a cosmetic surgeon.

"Resources are too scarce here. I reached the Third Grade a few months ago, but my strength hasn't grown much since. The root cause is still the insufficient energy supply for the Tesseract!"

"Eating normal rice and meat all day only covers my body's basic consumption. Without natural treasures or aged spirit herbs, increasing my strength is too difficult."

"It seems it's time to leave and see the vast world outside." Song Que lay on his lounger, stroking Mengmeng's soft fur, and sighed lazily. After two years of uninterrupted cultivation, his current strength would rank him among the top ten experts in Qinghe County, perhaps even higher. During Wu Yi's numerous visits, Song Que had managed to extract a considerable amount of information about the outside world. Therefore, he wasn't completely ignorant of what lay beyond.

In all of Qinghe County, the number of Second-Tier martial artists—that is, Fourth Grade and above—was no more than ten. The strongest among them was Lin Ping, the Hall Master of the Lingjiang Gang stationed in Qinghe. This man had broken through to the Fifth Grade a few years ago. His Life-Stealing Shadow Sword technique was bizarre and unpredictable, making him virtually unrivaled in Qinghe County.

The remaining few included Wu Yi's eldest uncle, Wu Tian, who currently served as the Chief Constable of Qinghe County. They were all Fourth-Grade martial artists, and the gap in their strengths wasn't significant. Over a year ago, the red energy from the Tesseract had almost ceased to have any noticeable effect on Song Que's body. His physical strength had stagnated at around 1. 9 Bear Force and could not increase further.

Perhaps he needed to consume natural treasures or find a higher-level energy source to trigger the Tesseract's evolution before he could experience rapid growth again. But even so, with his freakish physical constitution, he had no rivals among martial artists below the Fourth Grade. Even if he encountered a Fourth-Grade martial artist, he could rely on his agility—which far surpassed ordinary people—to hold his own for a while. Of course, Fourth-Grade martial artists had cultivated An Jin.

If he engaged in a true battle to the death, his chances of winning were near zero, but escaping wouldn't be a problem. Because of this, he urgently wanted to leave this place and find a way to learn An Jin. The two who trained daily with Song Que had also made tremendous progress. Under his strict supervision, Li Xin could be considered a diligent cultivator. Furthermore, Song Que occasionally used the excuse of 'transmitting Jin' to push a considerable amount of energy into his body.

Li Xin had now officially become a First-Grade martial artist, possessing over 2 Horsepower! In Yellow Leaf Town, he was an absolute expert in his own right! Xiong Ba was even more of a freak. With Song Que secretly helping him 'cheat', he was already a Second-Grade martial artist and had begun to comprehend tendon refinement. His pure physical strength was approaching 1 Elephant Force! Standing taller than Song Que at over 1. 9 meters, his bald head and explosive muscles made him look utterly terrifying!

Moreover, this simple-minded guy was obsessed with martial arts. His mastery of the saber and fist techniques had reached a level of pure perfection, not much inferior to Song Que's. Possessing such power, it was only natural that Song Que wanted to carve out a career in Qinghe County. Furthermore, with no remaining attachments here, he planned to set off in a day or two. It really is time to leave the Beginner Village.