Chương 56: Goodbye, Giant Willow Village

Mirror Lake. Having eaten and drunk their fill, Aunt Li and Er'ya were left to help Wukong clean up. Song Que, along with Old Zhong, Xiong Ba, Li Xin, and the others, brewed a pot of tea and sat in the courtyard to relax.

"A'Que, ever since I met you, I knew you were capable. But you just keep astonishing people more and more! Even now, I'm dying to know what kind of earth-shattering things you're going to achieve in the future!" Slightly tipsy, Old Zhong spoke with deep emotion.

"Haha, Uncle Zhong, to tell you the truth, I don't harbor any grand ambitions. I just want to live this life comfortably and do whatever I please. I want to travel around, see this vast land, and enjoy all the world's delicacies. As for fighting and killing, vying for power and profit... I have absolutely no interest."

"Living in this world, a man often has no control over his own destiny. Many times, we do things not because we want to, but because life forces us to.

'Living comfortably' is easy to say, but doing it is far from easy!" Old Zhong sighed with emotion. Song Que deeply agreed with this sentiment.

"A'Que, I heard that brat A'Hong is going to follow you. I must trouble you to keep an eye on him. Don't let him cause trouble! If he doesn't listen to you, just lock him up and send him back! Don't let him cause you any more headaches."

"Haha, Uncle Zhong, I'll actually be relying on Brother Hong to look after me! You're making this difficult for me!"

"Hmph! What kind of capability that brat has, do you think I, his father, don't know?! He spends all day playing around, drinking, and making a ruckus! He doesn't have a single ounce of real skill! If he didn't borrow your name, Song Que, he'd have been beaten to death on the streets long ago!" Old Zhong didn't hold back at all when it came to his second son. Hearing Old Zhong's grievances, Song Que smiled bitterly and shook his head. This old man really has deep-seated prejudices against Zhong Hong!

Actually, in Song Que's eyes, while Zhong Hong had his flaws, overall, he could be considered a talent. His social and networking skills were impeccable! And it wasn't true that he solely relied on Song Que's name. If Brother Hong were in the modern era, putting him in marketing would be absolutely perfect! He was proficient in wining, dining, and socializing, and he had a decent grasp of the big picture.

Song Que honestly felt that if he were to handle many of those tasks himself, he wouldn't necessarily do a better job. Of course, Old Zhong was as stubborn as a mule. Song Que didn't argue further, just smiling and letting the matter pass.

"You too, A'Xin! Song Que is going to a foreign place; he'll have a lot on his plate. Since you've decided to go with him, you must act carefully! Don't cause trouble for your Big Brother!"

"I'll speak bluntly: here, your Big Brother is considered a figure; everyone gives him three points of face upon hearing his name. But once you get to the County City, nobody will give a damn about you! If you go out and cause trouble, you might just bring disaster upon him!" After finishing scolding his own son, Old Zhong turned to lecture Li Xin. Song Que fully agreed with this! This was exactly what he had been worried about, which was why he initially hadn't wanted to take the Li family along.

After all, if it were just him and Xiong Ba, and they caused some trouble, worst case scenario, the master and servant could just run away! They could wait a few years, master their martial arts, and come back to settle the score! But with dependents tagging along, things wouldn't be so easy. Hearing Old Zhong's instructions, Li Xin nodded solemnly and promised firmly:"Uncle Zhong, rest assured! I will absolutely not do anything to negatively affect Big Brother!"

"I hope I'm just overthinking it. But it's best if you put caution first. The hearts of people in the outside world are hard to fathom. Sometimes, suffering a little loss is fine, as long as you stay safe."

"Uncle Zhong, thank you. We will be careful." Hearing these heartfelt words of advice, Song Que and the others bowed in gratitude. Old Zhong was quite satisfied with their attitude. He smiled, nodded, picked up his teacup, and took a large sip. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"A'Que, what do you plan to do with this place?" Hearing Old Zhong's question, Song Que smiled bitterly:"Originally, a few years ago, I planned to build this manor and gift it to Li Xin's family while I went out to roam the world. Who knew so many unexpected changes would happen? Now, it's going to be empty. Uncle Zhong, how about I give this place to you?"

"No... no!" Hearing this, Old Zhong shook his head like a rattle-drum:"Where I live now is convenient; it's easy for the villagers to find me. This place is too far! Besides, once you leave, Song Que, ghosts only know if more monsters will come to this place! This old man doesn't have the skill to exorcise demons; I don't dare enjoy this 'fortune'!" The trauma from the Water Ghost was truly etched deep into Old Zhong's bones. Even after coming here so many times, he was still afraid.

Seeing how resolute he was, Song Que didn't know what else to say and could only smile bitterly and shake his head. I spent hundreds of taels of silver building this manor, and now it's on the verge of being abandoned. What a f cking waste! * Oh well, leaving it here is fine too. It'll give me a place to stay when I return to visit my old haunts. Thinking of this, Song Que smiled:"Uncle Zhong, then I'll trouble you to keep an eye on this place occasionally. Don't let wild animals or people ruin it."

"Don't worry! Whoever dares come here to mess around, watch me break their arms!" With Old Zhong patting his chest and guaranteeing it, Song Que felt at ease. The group then sat around reminiscing about interesting events in the village. It wasn't until the sky turned dark that Song Que instructed Li Xin to escort Aunt Li and Er'ya back.

"A'Xin, help me escort everyone home. Pack your things too; we set off tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Big Brother!" Standing up and watching them leave on the cart, Song Que called Xiong Ba over to start packing. Actually, there wasn't much to take. He left most things here so he'd have stuff to use when he returned in the future.... The next morning. Traveling light, Song Que and the Li family, under the envious gazes of all of Giant Willow Village, slowly waved goodbye and set off. The belongings he wasn't taking with him, he generously gifted to the surrounding neighbors.

Most of those things had been bought just in the last year or two and were still in excellent condition. The moment he announced it, a scramble ensued. In the end, Aunt Li had to step in and distribute the items to prevent chaos. Watching the willow tree at the village entrance gradually disappear from view, Song Que sighed emotionally:"I wonder when I'll return from this trip."

"Aunt Li, we'll stay in town for a day today. Tomorrow morning, we'll follow a merchant caravan heading to the County City. If you want to take a walk, you can have A'Xin take you and Er'ya to look around Yellow Leaf Town." Seeing Aunt Li just nod, her spirits somewhat low, Song Que simply closed his eyes to rest. Leaving their hometown, no one's mood was particularly bright, so the convoy traveled in silence.... Approaching Yellow Leaf Town. Entering a city for the first time, Er'ya was burning with excitement!

If her mother hadn't been holding her back, she would have probably vanished from sight long ago! Watching Er'ya looking everywhere like an impatient little monkey, Song Que and the others finally smiled. The sorrow of parting eased significantly. Not long after they settled into an inn, Wu Yi and Zhong Hong, having heard the news, arrived hand-in-hand to visit.

"Brother Yi, Brother Hong. Your information network is quite sharp!"

"Hah! I knew you were arriving today, so I had people waiting at the city gates early on! The brothers were dying of anticipation; we were afraid you'd sneak off secretly!" Brother Hong laughed and scolded. This time, four brothers were leaving with him. They were the four Song Que frequently saw. It seemed they were determined to cling to Brother Hong's—or rather, his, Song Que's—thigh until the end. Seeing Song Que looking over, the four hurriedly bowed:"Greetings, Master Song."

These four, following Zhong Hong, frequently saw Song Que. But their attitude wasn't as casual as Old Zhong's; they were very proper, even displaying a bit of reverence and fear toward him. Among them, Pockmark Luo's real name was Luo Xian, and Shitou was called Dong Shi. The other two were Fan Yang and Jing Lin. Since they wanted to follow him, and considering they had run many errands for him recently, Song Que didn't refuse. However, maintaining a proper distance was necessary.

He understood the principle of 'balancing grace and severity'—there was no need to be warm and intimate with everyone.

"Brothers, you're too polite." Smiling and nodding at them, Song Que pulled Wu Yi and Zhong Hong downstairs to the lobby to find an empty table. Looking at the four men following behind, shifting uncomfortably and not knowing whether to stand or sit, Song Que smiled:"Brother Hong has already spoken to me about you gentlemen coming along. I've agreed to it. Go back, pack your belongings, and we set off tomorrow." Hearing this, the four men looked as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Their faces filled with excitement, they hurriedly bowed:"Thank you, Master Song, for taking us in!" Saying that, they tactfully turned to leave. But before they could take a few steps, Song Que called them back:"Pockmark Luo, Shitou. Wait a moment."

"Master Song, what are your orders?"

"You two wait here. Later, take my aunt and little sister for a stroll around town. Don't let anyone bully them." Hearing this, the two were thrilled inwardly. Nodding like pounding garlic pestles, they guaranteed:"Master Song, rest assured! If the Old Madam and the Little Miss suffer even the slightest grievance, you can take our lives!" Being personally entrusted with a private task by the boss proves you have some value and weight!

Pockmark Luo and Shitou were ecstatic, rubbing their hands together, determined to execute the task flawlessly. If the Old Madam and the Little Miss could put in a few good words for them upon returning, it couldn't be better! Watching the two swear oaths as if accepting a suicide mission, Song Que laughed and shook his head. He pulled twenty taels of silver from his robes, handed it to them, and instructed:"Take this money. Take them to look at some jewelry and clothes. If they see anything they like, buy it.

If you're short on money, come back and find me."

"Yes, Master Song!" Dismissing them, Song Que and the other two ordered a pot of tea and began to chat.