Chương 69: Explosive Popularity

The Zhan Family Residence. Watching Song Que walk away, Old Zhan finally lowered his guard, grumbling non-stop.

"Hmph, a beast in human clothing! My precious, don't be fooled by his appearance, otherwise, it will be too late for regrets!" How could the obedient daughter Xiaoxiao dare argue with her father? She nodded hurriedly:"Father, rest assured."

"The congee is still hot inside. Father, let's take advantage of this quiet moment to go in and taste it."

"Taste what?! Nine times out of ten, it's nothing good. Just throw it away!" Old Zhan was absolutely determined not to have any entanglements with Song Que. Hearing her father's words, Xiaoxiao widened her eyes in protest:"How can we be so wasteful, Father?! We've already traded for it anyway, so let's go taste it. After all, we are neighbors."

Reluctantly dragged into the house by his daughter, Zhan Sheng sat down with an unwilling expression, picked up the bowl of congee, and took a tentative taste, still grumbling.

"Their grand opening must have been a flop; that's why they had to go door-to-door peddling it. I bet this stuff tastes awful..." Saying that, he brought the bowl to his mouth and took a sip. Oh? Not bad. He swallowed too fast to fully appreciate it, so he took another bite. Slurping a large mouthful of congee, the flavor was rich, fragrant, sweet, and perfectly suited his palate! Old Zhan raised an eyebrow, picked up his chopsticks, and grabbed a piece of offal to try.

"The flavor is... truly peculiar." Watching her father eat continuously while his mouth refused to admit defeat, Xiaoxiao smiled until her eyes turned into crescents. She picked up her own bowl and took a small sip. This is nothing like what Father said! It tastes incredibly delicious! Delighted, she also sped up her eating. The father and daughter, without saying another word, quickly demolished their breakfast....

Having been busy since early morning, they hadn't anticipated the dish selling so incredibly well on their very first day, so they had prepared far too little. In less than two hours, the massive pot of congee was scraped completely clean, and not a single scrap of offal remained. After repeatedly apologizing to the customers who arrived late, the whole family happily packed up their equipment and closed the stall.

Carefully calculating their income and expenses—not even counting Guan Yu's red envelope—they had made a net profit of two taels of silver in just half a morning! Looking at the pile of copper coins on the table, Aunt Li felt it was almost surreal. The others weren't doing much better. Although they had grown accustomed to seeing Song Que casually spend massive sums of money, earning a large chunk of silver through their own hard work left them incredibly excited.

If they prepared enough, they could probably earn three or four taels of silver in a single morning! A conservative estimate meant a monthly income of 100 taels—an absolutely substantial sum! Compared to those gangs back in town, they wouldn't be far behind! The spending power in the county city is truly different! Song Que didn't participate in this business, but seeing everyone reap such bountiful rewards made him exceptionally happy as well.

"It seems our food is very well received! Tomorrow, Aunt Li, remember to double the ingredients to avoid having customers wait until we sell out like today. From tomorrow on, if you see we're running low, announce it in advance so customers don't waste their time waiting."

"I understand!" Aunt Li nodded vigorously, her entire being burning with motivation.

"Er'ya, starting tomorrow, help your mother collect money from the customers. As for you four, divide the tasks of serving and cleaning up. But I must remind you of one thing: absolutely no trash or filth is allowed! Everything must be kept spotlessly clean!"

"We understand, Master Song!" The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.... Over the next few days, "Aunt Li's Pork Offal Congee" stall officially made a name for itself. The number of people flocking to taste it grew daily. There was no shortage of wealthy households sending servants to wait in line to buy it to go, keeping Aunt Li and the others busy from dawn till dusk. But the harvest was proportional to the effort.

Watching the daily revenue climb, their net profit had now broken past 6 taels of silver a day! Everyone's fatigue seemed to vanish instantly, replaced by boundless motivation. Seeing that everything was on track, Song Que simply instructed Zhong Hong to devise a fair profit-sharing scheme and then largely stopped paying attention to it, focusing entirely on practicing martial arts with Xiong Ba and Li Xin. Xiong Ba, this kid, hadn't wasted the meticulous nurturing Song Que poured into him.

He was now showing signs of breaking through to the Third Grade. Remembering the two unused Python Tendon Pills in his Storage Space—which were practically useless to him but probably quite effective for others—Song Que gave both of them to Xiong Ba. He instructed him to solidify his foundation for a few days, then try swallowing the pills to break through. As for Song Que himself, he still occasionally visited the Zhan family, but the results were growing increasingly worse.

Song Que was gradually extinguishing the idea of pestering the old man. There are many grand roads in this world; there's no need to smash my head against one spot. It wasn't that he lacked persistence, but the other party's attitude was making Grandee Song feel annoyed. Although he didn't understand where the hostility came from, if he kept pressing, they might turn from strangers into enemies. Letting go might actually be better. Besides, he had a few backup plans in mind.

For example, he could seek out the Wu family and ask Wu Yi's eldest uncle for help. Or, he could join some sect. However, until he reached a dead end, he wouldn't rush into a decision. Furthermore, he had heard from Guan Yu that rumors spoke of a ferocious beast, the "Ink Scale Tiger" deep within Eagle's Sorrow Ravine. Legend had it that this creature possessed innate An Jin! It was the true overlord of that mountainous region.

Once, a Fourth-Grade martial artist had gone in searching for spirit herbs and accidentally encountered it. No one knows how the battle played out, only that the martial artist barely returned with half his life. Since he personally confirmed seeing the Ink Scale Tiger, the credibility of the rumor was quite high. Song Que was beginning to lean toward the plan of finding a way to capture this Ink Scale Tiger alive and attempting to use Symbiosis to unravel the mysteries of An Jin.

However, this creature's movements were elusive. Let alone fighting it, just finding it would require immense luck. Therefore, he only had Lightning keep a lookout for it for now.... The Sea of Clouds Pavilion. On the top floor, two men stood looking down at the bustling crowds of Qinghe County below.

"What has that kid been up to lately?"

"Reporting to the Chief Manager, aside from fiddling around and opening a pork offal congee stall, he hasn't done anything unusual. He only occasionally visits the Zhan family, and spends the rest of his time hiding at home practicing martial arts." The two men were Yun Shan and Yun Jiu. Hearing the report, Old Yun sneered:"He still hasn't given up? Old Zhan hates playboys the most! With that label slapped on him, it would be a miracle if he got a good look from Old Zhan!

Let alone having him teach him martial arts!" So this was the mastermind! If Song Que knew these people had deliberately spread rumors to slander him and ruin his plans, a massive blood feud would have been forged!

"The Chief Manager calculated flawlessly! Just as predicted, Zhan Sheng now utterly despises Song Que; his efforts are destined to be in vain! Furthermore, we haven't seen him get close to any other factions. Only a minor constable occasionally visits him."

"A constable? Is it someone from the Wu family?" Hearing this, Yun Shan's expression shifted slightly.

"No, this person is named Guan Yu. He just happens to be relatively close to Wu Tian's son, Wu Fan." Yun Jiu shook his head and explained, but Old Yun's internal suspicions didn't diminish. Thinking for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said:"Delays invite trouble. This kid is quite patient and shows no signs of bowing his head. Perhaps we need to display some of the Yun Family's true foundation to him; empty words lack persuasive power."

"Do this: find someone to pass a message to Song Que. Tell him we've found the heavy saber he requested. In five days, isn't there an auction in Lingjiang Commandery? Invite him to travel with me to the Commandery Capital to attend the auction and retrieve the saber at the same time."

"When the time comes, he'll witness the Yun Family's financial power. Furthermore, with the Seventh Miss making an appearance... Hmph, this kid won't escape our grasp!" Hearing him lay out the plan, Yun Jiu's eyes lit up beside him. He clapped his hands in excitement:"Brilliant! Truly a masterful plan! With the Seventh Miss making an appearance, this matter is half settled!"

"Chief Manager, let me personally go pass the message to him right now!"

"Mm, it's good for you to go personally. It will show him the Yun Family values him." Yun Shan nodded in agreement. The two, having reached a consensus, hurriedly went their separate ways to begin preparations.... Hearing that Yun Jiu had come looking for him, Song Que was slightly surprised. Casually straightening his clothes, he walked into the reception room to find Zhong Hong and Yun Jiu chatting happily.

"Brother Jiu, what brings the dragon to the shrimp's house today?" Seeing him arrive, Yun Jiu smiled warmly:"Young Master Song, we haven't seen each other for a few days, yet your cultivation has grown again! Seeing you dedicate your days entirely to martial arts, it's no wonder you possess such profound cultivation at such a young age. This humble one feels thoroughly inadequate in comparison!"

"Brother Jiu praises me too highly."

"Didn't you ask me to keep an eye out for a heavy saber the other day, Young Master Song? Today, I bring good news! Fortunately, I did not fail my mission. We've found a saber forged from Black Iron, weighing 350 catties. It's currently being held in Lingjiang Commandery."

"Conveniently, there is an auction in five days. The Chief Manager instructed me to invite you to attend it together and retrieve the saber at the same time." Having plenty of money but nowhere to spend it, Song Que had been feeling quite stifled lately. Now, with someone suddenly arriving with good news, he was absolutely thrilled. How could he possibly refuse?

"That's excellent! Please thank Chief Manager Yun on my behalf, Brother Jiu. When do we set off? I will certainly be there on time!"

"Haha, I knew you would agree, Young Master Song! We set sail early morning, four days from now. We'll gather at the South Docks. Is that a problem for you, Young Master Song?"

"No problem at all. We'll meet then. Thank you, Brother Jiu!" After offering him to stay for a meal several times and being refused, Song Que and Zhong Hong didn't insist further, politely walking Yun Jiu to the door.