Chương 77: The Pursuit

Is a promise from a Grandmaster-level expert worth risking one's life for? Song Que could now nod his head without the slightest hesitation! It's worth it! So f*cking worth it! No wonder Wu Tian and Lu Tianxiong had gone crazy!

"Chief Manager, since this person is so valuable, why didn't you make a move earlier?" Hearing his question, Old Yun only smiled faintly:"Song Que, you only see part of the picture. This Zheng Junqing has a very wide network in the underworld, with many close friends. If I harmed him now, I would very likely face endless retaliation from those martial world thieves in the future."

"I might not fear them myself, but the Yun Family is a massive enterprise. If they just started causing trouble around the periphery, it would be enough to peel a layer of skin off us!"

"Furthermore, this man has committed many crimes, and he holds no small amount of treasures. Rumor has it he has many life-saving items. It's best if we don't entangle ourselves with him. I am just a businessman; I prefer harmony to make money!"

"Of course, the main reason is his strength. Even with his injuries, he is still a bona fide Fifth-Grade martial artist. If I had a 50 or 60 percent certainty, I wouldn't have hesitated to strike. After all, it's a promise from a Grandmaster! It's worth taking a gamble!" Old Yun finished, not forgetting to sigh in regret.

"Song Que, I advise you not to wade into these muddy waters. I am 80% sure the item he was holding earlier was the Peacock Plume. With that thing, let alone you, even a Fifth or Sixth-Grade expert would die if they got too close." Seeing Song Que looking tempted, Yun Shan hurriedly warned him. He had just invested in this kid! How could he bear to watch him seek his own death?

"Mm, thank you for the reminder, Chief Manager."

"I just wonder what secret manual he stole from Lingying Temple. Do you have any information on that?" Yun Shan shook his head:"I am not clear on that either; Lingying Temple is keeping their mouths tightly shut regarding the matter. The rumor in the martial world is that it's a manual detailing how to cultivate to the Grandmaster realm, but I suspect that's just an exaggeration."

"Yet, many people believe this explanation. That's why there's been such an uproar searching for Zheng Junqing. Who would have thought he'd flee here? It seems Qinghe County won't see a day of peace for a while." By then, the area around the city gates had been cleared, and the group stopped talking and entered the city. Along the way, Song Que bid farewell to Yun Shan's group and headed home first. True to Old Yun's words, Qinghe County was no longer peaceful.

Carrier pigeons filled the sky, and chaos erupted everywhere. Throngs of people poured out of the East Gate, rushing toward Eagle's Sorrow Ravine in droves.... Returning home and parting ways with Brother Hong, Song Que sat alone at the table, deep in thought. The value of this Zheng Junqing was simply too great! Even he was tempted! Not to mention the possibility of obtaining the secret manual—even if he didn't, just Grandmaster Zhi Kong's promise alone was enough to drive anyone crazy!

If he secured that promise, let alone the techniques of An Jin, even the secrets of condensing True Qi would be answered by Lingying Temple in an instant! He could also use it to make a specific request. With the capabilities of a Grandmaster, things that were monumentally difficult for him would be incredibly simple for them. Because of this, Song Que's heart was truly moved. The opponent was injured, and quite heavily at that. With his own skills, he should be able to handle it.

Furthermore, compared to everyone else, he had a massive advantage: he knew exactly where Zheng Junqing was hiding! The temptation was too great; Grandee Song couldn't sit still! And he was not a man who could easily resist temptation! Do it! He would just go and test the waters. He'd observe from a distance; if it seemed impossible, he'd return and report the location. That would at least count as a contribution. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site.

Support the author by reading it there. Having made up his mind, Song Que didn't hesitate. He immediately grabbed his saber, stored his bow and arrows in his Storage Space, and stood up to leave the house. Zhong Hong seemed to have anticipated his decision and was already waiting at the door. Seeing Song Que come out, he hurriedly tried to dissuade him:"A'Que, you should listen to Chief Manager Yun. This man is too dangerous! He's not someone you can contend with!"

Smiling to comfort Zhong Hong, Song Que said:"Brother Hong, I might not even find the guy! Besides, the opponent is heavily injured; it won't be that easy for him to kill me. I'm just going to search the perimeter. If things look bad, I'll retreat immediately. Set your mind at ease." After trying to persuade him several times without success, Zhong Hong had no choice but to give up, though he repeatedly urged him to be careful.

"I know, Brother Hong. Please let Aunt Li and the others know for me." Saying that, Song Que rushed out of the city. By now, the streets were filled with people doing the same as him. There were gangs, clans, and rogue cultivators. Everyone's eyes burned with eager desire. They clearly didn't realize that with their meager skills, even an injured Fifth-Grade expert could snap their necks like twigs.

Shaking his head and ignoring these people, Song Que strolled slowly along the mountain path leading to Eagle's Sorrow Ravine. Seeing no one paying attention to him, he nimbly leaped into the forest and sprinted toward the north of Qinghe County. That Zheng Junqing was incredibly cunning. He had left behind all sorts of misleading tracks pointing toward Eagle's Sorrow Ravine as his hideout, while secretly changing direction to flee somewhere else.

If it weren't for Lightning, it would be almost impossible for Song Que to find him.... Navigating through the canopy, rocky crevices, and hills, Song Que traveled for an unknown number of miles before stopping on a rocky outcropping, looking at a dark cave quite a distance away. This place was about five or six kilometers away from Qinghe County. It was desolate and remote. Without someone pointing the way, it would be impossible to find. Zheng Junqing was certainly cautious, having run so incredibly far.

Looking at the hideout before him, Song Que fell into hesitation. Looking from a distance, he knew the cave was very deep. Moreover, with only one entrance, if he went inside, the person inside would instantly know. If the guy shot a Peacock Plume at him then, he would probably finally get the answer to whether his soul could survive being killed. Grandee Song decided he didn't want to find the answer to that particular question just yet. Therefore, to be safe, he needed to find a scout.

Searching the nearby bushes, a moment later, Song Que happily discovered a brave ground wasp. He caught it practicedly and initiated Symbiosis. He then controlled it to fly straight deep into the cave. About 50 meters inside, past the winding tunnel, in a spacious area at the end of the path, Grandee Song finally found Zheng Junqing! By the dim light of a night-luminescent pearl the size of a longan, Song Que was pleased to discover that the man was indeed heavily injured!

His face was deathly pale as he sat on the ground, circulating his energy to heal his wounds. Afraid the buzzing sound would wake him, Song Que landed on the rock wall and observed curiously. Beside Zheng Junqing lay a cloth sack. It looked like there were quite a few things inside, but separated by a layer of cloth, it was unclear what they were. Grandee Song was incredibly curious.

Flying very carefully until he was not far from the man, Song Que landed and used his six legs to scramble rapidly toward the cloth sack. The distance was only a few meters, but it took him quite a while of furious leg-pumping to arrive. The mouth of the sack wasn't tied shut. Taking a quick glance to confirm Old Zheng was still meditating with his eyes closed, Song Que confidently poked his head inside. It was pitch-black inside; he couldn't see a thing.

Fortunately, he had his Domain, which allowed him to roughly discern what the objects were. A long, cylindrical iron tube—that was the Peacock Plume! Several metal ingots—unknown if silver or gold—a few pieces of paper that were likely banknotes, and a silk scroll wrapped around two wooden spindles, looking like an ancient imperial edict from historical dramas. Song Que was practically buzzing with excitement! That had a 90% chance of being the martial arts manual!

But since it was pitch-black inside and he couldn't see anything clearly, his heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat, unbearably itchy. No, this is torture! Grandee Song felt secretly frustrated. He paced around the outside of the sack but couldn't find a solution. With Zheng Junqing's cultivation level, even a mouse entering the cave would be noticed. He could forget about secretly using his Storage Space to take the items! Charging in recklessly was also not an option.

Song Que was afraid of being ambushed, and if the guy destroyed the manual in a desperate last stand, all his efforts would be for nothing! Scratching his head in frustration, Grandee Song still couldn't figure out a plan. Controlling the ground wasp to crawl out and observe, Old Zheng still had his eyes shut tight, showing no other reaction. He was clearly very confident in this hideout. Why couldn't he just die?! Song Que complained inwardly. Why did he have to put the cloth sack so close to him?

And why did he have a deadly weapon like the Peacock Plume?! Smacking his lips in dissatisfaction, Grandee Song looked at Zheng Junqing, then looked at the Peacock Plume, and suddenly blanked out. Wait. Why did Old Zheng place this thing so it was pointing directly at himself? Curious, Song Que moved closer, using his Domain to observe the Peacock Plume in depth, wanting to figure out its operating mechanism. Tsk tsk. The gears and components are so diverse and complex it makes my head spin!

The front was loaded with poison-tipped needles, behind that was a pusher tube, and at the very bottom was the power source. It looks like... gunpowder! Feeling the pile of powder in the bottom chamber and recalling the Thunderbolt Bomb from earlier, Song Que instantly deduced that this was gunpowder! So it's just like a firearm! Detonating the primer causes an explosion, which generates the kinetic force to launch the poison needles forward and annihilate the enemy!

He remembered clearly from his school days: his physics teacher never took maternity leave, and his P. E. teacher never covered his physics classes! With decent physics knowledge, Song Que had already conceptualized how this thing worked. Consequently, he was overjoyed! Gunpowder only needs high temperatures to detonate! Don't forget, Grandee Song also knew how to generate electricity! Although it couldn't electrocute someone to death, it was a bona fide electric spark!

Now, he just needed to test if this was indeed gunpowder. And the test subject? Looking at Zheng Junqing, who was still meditating with his eyes closed, 'Young Hero Song's' eyes filled with pity. Old Zheng, how could you be so careless? When you were in school, didn't the soldiers teach you during military training never to point a gun at yourself?