Chương 9: New Year’s Eve

Outside Yellow Leaf Town. Having reached a safe distance, Song Que finally let out a long sigh of relief. His heart was still pounding wildly against his ribs; he had almost been pierced full of holes. It was incredibly dangerous, yet undeniably thrilling. Not daring to underestimate those scumbags again, Song Que immediately unleashed his "Domain." A fragmented, virtual map covering a two-meter radius flickered into existence within his mind, keeping his immediate surroundings under strict surveillance.

Zhong Kui noticed the boy's quick recovery and his immediate refocus on the battlefield, secretly praising his resilience. Seeing no immediate threat, Zhong Kui turned his attention back to the rocky slopes ahead. The bandit leader's face was dark with malice, and his subordinates gripped their weapons tightly, glaring viciously at the caravan.

"So, Giant Willow Village, what's your decision?" - the bandit leader roared. Witnessing the standoff, Zhong Kui felt a weight lift from his heart. He shot back with a cold, mocking sneer:"I already told you, there is no room for negotiation. Please step aside. Once the caravan passes, I will offer one hundred catties of rice as a token of gratitude."

"You're courting death!" The bandits bellowed in fury. It was incredibly frustrating—the cooked duck had flown right out of their mouths just when they were an inch from success. They had almost secured a cart full of supplies without breaking a sweat. Thinking of this, the bandit leader glared at Song Que, harboring the intense desire to subject the boy to the punishment of a thousand cuts.

"Bring your horses over then! Watch as your granddaddy hacks you all to pieces!" Seeing that the enemy was outnumbered and only dared to fire off "mouth cannons," Lord Hu immediately grew overwhelmingly arrogant. The villagers, well-versed in hunting and no strangers to a fight, weren't intimidated either and began shouting back in chorus.

"Come over here then!"

"Come if you have the guts!"

"Come on! If you don't, you're my son!"

"Bring it on if you dare!" Both sides had essentially opened a "keyboard warrior" battleground, yet neither dared to take actual action. In this scenario, whichever side left their cover would suffer heavy casualties. Since no one dared to charge forward, they could only hurl insults from afar, enthusiastically greeting eighteen generations of each other's ancestors. Song Que watched this scene in utter silence. I already turned on "slaughter mode," and you guys pivot to a trash-talking competition?

You call yourselves bandits? Have you no shame? A moment later, it was the steady Zhong Kui who finally put an end to the farce:"Gentlemen, wasting time here benefits neither of us. This morning, when I entered the town, I saw the caravan from Black Rock Village. They should be passing through this stretch of road any minute now." Hearing this, the bandit leader instantly understood. If he waited too long and the two villages joined forces in a pincer attack, he definitely wouldn't get a good bite to eat.

It was better to take the one hundred catties of rice to wet his whistle and lie in wait for Black Rock Village. Staring deeply at the opposition, not forgetting to glare at the foolishly grinning Song Que, he decisively waved his hand.

"Make way!" The entire gang of bandits scrambled down the slope, retreating to a distant spot. Seeing the enemy move far away, Zhong Kui finally yelled with relief:"Move out! Don't forget to keep your eyes peeled!" The team hurriedly pushed forward, not forgetting to leave the promised rice behind. As for throwing Black Rock Village under the bus, well... Amitabha, better a dead fellow Daoist than a dead poor monk. On the bandits' side.

"Big Brother, are we really just going to let them go?" The leader sighed. They are still too green and inexperienced. Even their hiding spots are amateurish.

"What else can we do? It's not a guarantee we could swallow them whole anyway." The underling sighed in indignation, his heart bleeding as he watched the carts of supplies roll away.

"Everyone, pack it up and hide yourselves properly! When the Black Rock Village caravan arrives, if anyone gets spotted again, I won't spare them!" Even after putting significant distance between themselves and the slopes, the team maintained taut nerves, staying on high alert. The Village Chief grumbled:"It truly is a chaotic time. The village is the only safe place. I wonder if Black Rock Village will be alright?" Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Old man, just worry about yourself. Why bother caring so much? When did our Great Ridge Mountains ever have these bandits poking around? We've never encountered them before." Having just aggressively cursed out the enemy in front of the "three armies," Lord Hu was still riding high on a wave of triumphant spirit. Zhong Kui pondered:"I reckon they're either folks from another village or local thugs from the town, coming out to make a quick buck for the New Year."

"Captain Zhong makes sense. I bet it's those bastards from the Black Tiger Gang!"

"Don't rule out those dead dogs from the Ou Family Fort. They aren't decent folks either and frequently bully people from the surrounding villages." Everyone chimed in, discussing the matter animatedly. As they stepped onto the solitary path leading back to the village, the group finally let their hearts settle back into their chests. Spotting the Great Ridge Mountains in the distance, the men began chattering happily.

Even Zhong Kui flashed a rare smile; though the journey was treacherous, bringing the goods back safely was a massive success. He turned to Song Que and smiled:"We were lucky your quick wits saved us this time, kid. The Village Chief needs to reward you handsomely." Not having to sacrifice a single man to repel the bandits put the Village Chief in an excellent mood. He smiled and agreed:"A reward is definitely in order. Kid, your name is Song Que, right? What do you want?" Beside him, Li Hui kept winking furiously.

Song Que roughly guessed his intent: he wanted Song Que to ask to join the hunting team. But unfortunately, harboring secrets of his own, Song Que didn't dare get too close to too many people. So, he feigned ignorance, putting on a pitiful expression for the Village Chief:"Village Chief, Uncle Zhong. The safe return of the caravan is entirely due to the Village Chief's excellent leadership. Furthermore, exerting effort for the village is my duty; how could I dare ask for a reward?...

However, this lowly one is young and lost his parents early. I don't even have enough to fill my stomach right now. So, I brazenly ask the Village Chief to grant me a bit of rice and salt. This lowly one will be forever grateful." Zhao Cairong's eyes narrowed. This kid knows how to talk. His level of awareness is high; he's definitely worth nurturing.

"Merit must be rewarded. You did exceptionally well today, kid. On behalf of the village, I reward you with one hundred catties of rice and a jar of salt. Continue to work hard for the village, and I won't mistreat you." Without losing a single hair, he received a free bounty. Grandmaster Song was thoroughly pleased and proceeded to unleash a torrent of flattery upon the Village Chief, Zhong Kui, and Zhao Hu, putting the three men in an incredibly joyful mood. Bootlicking was something he had done plenty of.

In his past life as an orphan, scrambling for jobs and civil service positions after graduating from medical school, when had he ever lacked in the art of kissing up? In modern society, it was practically a social culture. For Song Que, practice simply made perfect. With nothing better to do on the journey, Song Que pestered Zhong Kui, asking questions left and right. His efforts weren't in vain; by the time they reached the village, he had gleaned a substantial amount of information.

For instance, Yellow Leaf Town was surrounded by ten villages and a smattering of fortified manors, the exact number being hard to pinpoint. Heading out the west gate toward the Great Ridge Mountains, there were three large villages bordering the mountain range. Due to the difficult terrain, they rarely interacted with one another. Yellow Leaf Town was isolated by the Huanglian Mountain Range, with only a single treacherous path connecting it to Qinghe County.

This path was a notorious den for numerous bandit groups specializing in "zero-capital businesses," operating with extreme arrogance. Over time, traveling to the county became incredibly difficult, and merchant guilds rarely assembled caravans to pass through. The town had practically become a forgotten, dusty corner of the imperial court. Within the town itself, the Town Mayor's word was absolute law, while the local gangs ran rampant.

Small as Yellow Leaf Town was, it was divided and governed by three factions: the Black Tiger Gang, the Iron Blade Society, and the Hatchet Gang, all constantly engaged in internal strife. In terms of strength, the Hatchet Gang was the weakest, but they didn't fight for territory, focusing solely on the firewood trade. Because they had sheer numbers, they lived comfortably, and no one provoked them. The Black Tiger Gang and the Iron Blade Society were evenly matched and couldn't stand the sight of each other.

However, with the Town Mayor watching them like a "tiger eyeing its prey," they knew their limits. Zhong Kui had two sons. The eldest, nearing thirty, was a minor manager in the Iron Blade Society. His entire family had already moved into the town, leaving Zhong Kui as an "old bachelor" wandering freely through the mountains and forests. Every supply run was a convenient excuse for him to visit his wife and children. Upon arriving back in the village, the villagers swarmed the returning supplies, bustling about.

Everyone was shouting over each other, creating a deafening clamor that made Song Que's head spin. Not daring to linger, he borrowed a cart, loaded up his reward and the Li family's supplies, and headed back. On the way, he didn't forget to casually pull the candied hawthorns and honey cakes out of his Storage Space and place them on the cart. Arriving at the Li residence, another wave of joyous laughter and chatter ensued. Song Que handed over their supplies.

When Li Tie repeatedly tried to refuse, Song Que firmly pushed an extra three pecks of rice into the Li family's hands before heading home. After storing his goods and returning the cart, he hastily threw himself onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep. Waking up at the crack of dawn and trekking all day had left him exhausted beyond measure. Time slipped by leisurely. Five days had passed since Song Que returned to the village. Today was New Year's Eve.

The village echoed with bustling activity and the joyful shouts of children playing. Perhaps this was the only time of the year when the entire village brimmed with such vibrant vitality. Everyone temporarily set aside their heavy workloads and the anxieties of survival to sit down, rest, and chat about neighborhood gossip. But for Song Que, being entirely alone, he didn't feel anything particularly unusual. He simply carried on with his days exactly as before.

His life continued to loop in a simple, rhythmic pattern: aside from hunting, he engaged in relentless training. Now holding real blades and real spears in his hands, even without a master to teach him, Song Que relied on the myriad combat techniques and martial arts videos he had watched on the internet in his past life. Practicing his punches, kicks, saber slashes, and spear thrusts, he managed to develop a surprisingly structured and systematic routine.

In his eyes, martial arts boiled down to nothing more than repetitive practice to build muscle memory. Besides, didn't fighting ultimately come down to who had more raw strength and faster reflexes? With the Tesseract residing in his body, constantly refining his physique and linking his spiritual consciousness to his physical movements, his confidence had absolutely "shattered the ceiling."