Chương 80: The Scent of Opportunity

Qinghe County City, outside the Yamen. Hearing a familiar shout, Wu Tian frowned and looked over:"So it is Gang Master Lu. Is there a problem?"

"Brother Wu, this is quite unfair! We agreed our two factions would cooperate! Why didn't you inform me about the manhunt today?"

"All the credit for today's events goes entirely to this 'nephew' of mine, Song Que. The Yamen only assisted in closing the case. Gang Master Lu, you are wrongly accusing people." Lu Tianxiong's eyes flickered. On his way here, he had already asked around and figured out most of what happened. He originally intended to hijack the credit with Old Wu, but hearing this tone, they didn't seem close at all. He temporarily dropped the idea and immediately shifted directions.

"Brother Wu, may I ask where Zheng Junqing's body is?" Wu Tian had no intention of hiding anything today. With years of experience, he knew this matter was dangerous, and he was afraid of being misunderstood. That's why he hadn't moved the body a single inch. He straightforwardly pointed, allowing Old Lu to inspect it at his leisure. Stepping forward to confirm the dead man's identity, Lu Tianxiong glanced at the items scattered nearby.

Not seeing what he wanted, he squatted down and, ignoring the filth, began to meticulously search the corpse inch by inch. A moment later, the clothes, shoes, and socks on Old Zheng's body had been completely stripped away, not even sparing his most private areas. Watching it made Song Que cringe.

"Brother Wu, is this truly all there is?" Knowing exactly what Old Lu was looking for, Wu Tian nodded:"With so many people watching, and having personally inspected it myself just now, this is all there is. Perhaps the thief hid the item somewhere else." Glancing at the crowds of people pushing and shoving, forming multiple rings in the distance, Lu Tianxiong knew this was likely the truth.

Feeling incredibly disappointed, he glanced at Song Que, and his eyes suddenly lit up:"The thief was killed by this young brother?"

"Greetings, Gang Master Lu. That is correct."

"Truly, heroes emerge from the youth! I wonder where this little brother hails from, and if you are affiliated with any gang?" Hearing his question, Song Que immediately understood he was trying to recruit him. He smiled and replied:"I am just a country bumpkin. I currently belong to no sect or faction."

"Haha, what a coincidence! Our Fierce Tiger Gang is currently thirsting for talent! We need outstanding young men like you, little brother! I wonder if you would be interested in joining our gang? I promise to bestow upon you the position of Hall Master!" If it were a gang with the strength of the Lingjiang Gang offering a high position, considering his current strength, he might have considered it for a moment or two. (Though, in a few years, this 'price tag' naturally wouldn't be enough).

But as for the Fierce Tiger Gang—confined to a tiny county city, with a Gang Master who was merely a Fourth-Grade martial artist—Grandee Song naturally looked down on them!

"Thank you, Gang Master Lu, but I am used to freedom and do not wish to join any gang at present. If I ever have the need in the future, I will certainly seek out your esteemed gang." As an old fox, how could Wu Tian not see through Lu Tianxiong's calculations? Knowing that Song Que was close friends with his nephew, and having the intention to recruit him, he already considered this youth as 'one of their own'.

Seeing Old Lu's expression turn sour after being rejected by Song Que, Wu Tian immediately stepped in:"Song Que is my nephew. Gang Master Lu, there is no need to force him. Whether he wants to join a gang or not, let him choose for himself." With Wu Tian present, Lu Tianxiong didn't dare push too hard. Furthermore, having not fully investigated this kid's background, he didn't want to act rashly. He forced a smile:"Brother Wu, you think too much.

I merely sincerely wished to recruit Little Brother Song, nothing more." Hearing this, Old Wu just sneered without saying a word. At this moment, several more people arrived in succession, and it looked like the crowd would only grow larger. Seeing the growing throng, Wu Tian quickly discussed with everyone and decided to first bring Zheng Junqing's body and belongings back into the Yamen to avoid blocking the street. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site.

Support the author by reading it there. The subsequent events unfolded just as Song Que had predicted. He had only ambushed and killed the thief; he hadn't touched the body in front of everyone, so no one paid much attention to him. Their entire focus was on observing Old Zheng and trying to uncover the truth. Only a few factions took the opportunity to try and recruit him, but he declined them all.

After exchanging a few words with Wu Tian and arranging to visit his residence another day, Song Que, having fulfilled his obligations, took his leave and went home. Watching his retreating figure, Wu Tian turned to the young man beside him and asked:"Fan'er, did Little Yi mention this person to you?" The young man beside him was indeed Old Wu's son, Wu Fan!

Wu Yi had previously entrusted him to look after Song Que, but thinking the other party was just a village kid, he hadn't paid any attention and merely delegated the task to Guan Yu. He had long since forgotten about the matter. Today, suddenly encountering the person, the situation was completely different! This person's worth was entirely different now; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was red-hot! Hearing his father's question, Wu Fan smiled bitterly:"Father, about that...

Cousin Wu Yi did send a letter saying he had made a very close brother in Yellow Leaf Town and asked me to look after him. But I've been so busy with work lately that I haven't had the time, so I handed the task over to Guan Yu." This kid worked under him; what tasks he had, wouldn't his father know?! Where was he busy?! Hearing this excuse, Wu Tian glared at him in disappointment:"When are you ever going to change your attitude?! Why are your eyes always fixed on the top of your head?!

You don't even consider that your grandfather, and even me, came from ordinary backgrounds! What right do you have to look down on others?!"

"Hmph, now that the tables have turned, even if you try to get close to him now, he might not even bother looking at you!"

"Father, I really was just busy and couldn't make it! It's not that I look down on him! Besides, this kid just got lucky! What's so special about him?" Hearing this, Old Wu laughed out of sheer anger:"Haha! Lucky?! Do you know who the dead man is?! It's Zheng Junqing! Just yesterday, Lu Tianxiong and I joined forces to pursue him, and he still managed to escape! A slight misstep, and we could have been killed! You tell me to go 'get lucky' and kill a Second-Tier martial artist!"

"Who knows? Maybe his injuries from yesterday hadn't healed, and his combat strength was less than ten percent! He just picked up a cheap bargain!" Looking at his son, who was still stubbornly refusing to admit fault, Wu Tian felt utterly disappointed. It seemed he had spoiled him too much in the past, leading to this arrogant and disrespectful attitude today. Use your brain! If the thief was that heavily injured, would he be confident enough to sneak near the Yamen to eavesdrop?!

Mentally exhausted, Old Wu didn't want to say anything more. He waved his hand and dismissed Wu Fan.... In the city, the news of Zheng Junqing's death spread like wildfire. Everyone heard about how this Old Zheng had the audacity to disguise himself and sneak back into the city to hide! Furthermore, he even dared to drink tea and eavesdrop near the Yamen! In the end, he was unluckily discovered by a young man named Song Que, who engaged him in a fierce battle and struck him down on the spot!

His body and belongings were thoroughly inspected by everyone present. They only found a few miscellaneous items and a used Peacock Plume. As for the rumored divine martial arts manual, there was no sign of it. Many people refused to believe it and went to the scene to ask around. Finally, after seeing Old Zheng's corpse for themselves, they had no choice but to accept the truth. While disappointed, they also deeply envied Song Que. Regardless of the manual, the man had obtained a promise from Grandmaster Zhi Kong!

In this Nanyang Circuit, it might not be enough for Song Que to walk sideways unhindered, but very few would dare plot against him! With the promise unfulfilled, if you dared harm him, wouldn't you be making Lingying Temple break their word?! Did you still want to survive in this region?! Don't think for a second that monks don't know how to 'exorcise demons'! And this was exactly what Song Que needed most right now! With the Tesseract, his future was destined to be bright.

But while he was still weak, he also needed a sturdy umbrella to shield him from the wind and rain. This was perfect! With this protective amulet, anyone who wanted to harm him would have to think twice! Goal achieved! Grandee Song was naturally delighted as he whistled a tune all the way home to continue studying the Glass Immaculate Body. Little did he know, out on the roads, groups of martial artists were standing in the wind, utterly bewildered!

To think that for the sake of making a name for themselves in the martial world, upon hearing the news of Zheng Junqing, they had ridden day and night without rest, braving the sun and the dew, to rush here as fast as they could! Before they could even take a sip of water or wash their faces, they were informed that the thief was dead! And there was no secret manual! We traveled so far to get here... what was the point?! Thinking of the long journey back, these tough men couldn't help but shed silent tears....

Qinghe County, Sea of Clouds Pavilion. Listening to Yun Jiu's full report of the incident, Yun Shan couldn't help but sigh.

"This kid's luck is truly too good! Moreover, his strength is unfathomable. It seems that when I tested him last time, he didn't even use all his skills! Now, with Lingying Temple's protection, his future development is practically a wide, open road! We need to intensify our efforts to recruit him!"

"A'Jiu, I'll write a letter. Find someone to immediately deliver it directly to the Pavilion Master! She needs to make the decision on this!"

"Understood, Chief Manager!"... The Wu Family Residence. After an exhausting day receiving an unknown number of martial artist groups, Wu Tian finally found the time to drag his tired body home.

"Invite the Second Master to my study." Sitting back in his chair to rest, Old Wu spoke to the butler, then ignored everything else, closing his eyes to rest. The old butler bowed and left. A short while later, a middle-aged man with a slight resemblance to Wu Tian entered. This was Wu Yi's father, Wu Ping.

"Big Brother, you called for me?"

"Second Brother, you know about Zheng Junqing's death today, correct?"

"I've heard about it. He was killed by a youth named Song Que. Is something the matter, Big Brother?"

"Mm, there is something. I just found out that this Song Que is actually very close friends with your Little Wu!"

"Is that true?!" Understanding the implication, Wu Ping was overjoyed.

"It is. You must immediately send a letter to Little Wu, telling him to drop everything and return to Qinghe. We will discuss the rest later!"

"Understood, Big Brother!" Wu Ping didn't hesitate, accepting the order and immediately leaving.... Furthermore, practically every other faction in the city dispatched people to investigate this Song Que. Before long, his name resonated throughout Qinghe County!