Chương 90: Turmoil in Lingjiang

Lingjiang Commandery, Sea of Clouds Pavilion. Hearing Elder Kong's words, Yun Xi and Qing Zhu were both shocked and asked uncertainty:"Elder Kong, you couldn't have seen wrong? That Song Que has actually become a Second-Tier martial artist?!" Elder Kong smiled bitterly:"I am old, but I am not blind! He has only just broken through and hasn't yet learned how to restrain his aura. His blood and Qi are as blazing as the sun! Anyone who observes closely can easily notice it.

Moreover, the sense of danger he gives me suggests he is no ordinary Fourth-Grade martial artist. Even that kid Yun Shan might not necessarily be able to defeat him now!" Hearing the old man's words, Yun Xi felt a massive shock. Didn't they know Elder Kong's cultivation level perfectly well? In this Commandery, aside from the few First-Tier experts, the old man ranked among the very best! To make an expert of his caliber feel wary, Song Que definitely possessed something extraordinary!

Thinking of this, a look of deep regret quickly washed over her face:"If Elder Kong is not mistaken, then it is all too late now! Previously, he was unwilling to align himself with the Yun Family. Now that he possesses such skills, he will be even less willing to subjugate himself to others! Trying to recruit him now will only be a wasted effort, and it might even cause unnecessary misunderstandings."

"Young Miss, didn't Uncle Shan say he was willing to serve as a guest retainer for five years? Why not try to negotiate with him? Even three years would be acceptable." Hearing Qing Zhu's suggestion, Yun Xi smiled bitterly:"Things are different now. Before, he lacked martial arts manuals and guidance from renowned masters. Today, since he has broken through, it is obvious he has found his own serendipitous encounters! He no longer needs anything from us, so naturally, he will never agree to such conditions again."

"I just don't know who helped him break through! And to do it so quickly! It seems we still underestimated this person's comprehension."

"I suspect it was someone from Lingying Temple! Not long ago, didn't Yun Shan send a report saying Grandmaster Zhi Kong's disciple, Hui Wu, came down the mountain to investigate the Zheng Junqing case? Looking at the timeline, he must have recently met this kid and casually helped him break through." Elder Kong said after a moment of thought.

"That must be it. If we had known this person's comprehension was so terrifying that he could break through to the Second Tier without any difficulty, we should have intensified our efforts to recruit him last time!"

"Sigh, it's too late to say anything now. Qing Zhu, has Uncle Shan found out anything else about this person? Where does his money come from? How can he spend so extravagantly?" Hearing her Young Miss's question, Qing Zhu also felt troubled. She scratched her small head, her face scrunched up as she replied:"Young Miss, Uncle Shan hasn't found anything unusual. Song Que just runs a breakfast stall selling pork offal congee. Even at its peak, his income is only about 200 to 300 taels a month.

That is definitely not enough to cover his spending, but as for where his silver comes from... we still have no leads."

"Furthermore, this person's vigilance is incredibly high. Several times our people tried to get close to investigate, they were immediately discovered. Because of this, Uncle Shan hasn't dared to send anyone to snoop around anymore."

"Mm, he did the right thing. We must not cause him to misunderstand. Tsk tsk, counting this time, he has already spent 20, 000 taels of silver at our Sea of Clouds Pavilion! Where his money comes from remains a puzzle! He is truly a mysterious youth!" Yun Xi sighed with emotion, causing the other two in the room to also fall deep into thought.... Having escaped the entanglement of that woman Yun Xi, Song Que let out a long sigh of relief.

With nothing else to do, he took Xiong Ba out to eat and drink to calm his nerves. His mind had truly suffered a heavy torment today! This divine art, the Glass Immaculate Body, was indeed not easy to cultivate! After this experience, he decided he needed to buy some Buddhist scriptures and find a quiet place to study them further! If my soul flies to the clouds every time I meet a beautiful woman, something bad is bound to happen! This cultivation method is more potent than aphrodisiacs!

He genuinely admired Hui Wu and the others. To be able to resist it relying solely on willpower, without any external help—Song Que was thoroughly impressed! Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Actually, his thoughts were misguided. Hui Wu and the others had yet to taste the pleasures of the world; they were ignorant and naive, completely unaware of the 'wonders' of it all!

Moreover, it was only through daily chanting of sutras and meditating on the Buddha that they remained unaffected! It was all because Grandee Song simply knew too much and thought too much!... For the entire day, Song Que and Xiong Ba wandered the city, admiring the scenery and tasting the local culinary specialties. It wasn't until nightfall that they returned to their rented inn. As soon as they stepped into the inn, someone came forward to report that people from the Sea of Clouds Pavilion had arrived.

Seeing Miss Qing Zhu sitting in the lobby, glaring at him angrily with wide eyes, he guiltily scratched his head. His mind had been so unsettled today that he had completely forgotten Yun Xi's promise to deliver the goods in the afternoon!

"I am truly sorry, Miss Qing Zhu. It was my negligence; I forgot about the delivery!" He dared to completely forget the reminder the Young Miss gave him?! Qing Zhu was so angry she nearly ground her teeth to dust! But with strangers present, it wasn't appropriate to blow up. She just glared at him, huffed, and said:"Young Master Song didn't make me wait that long... just two whole hours!" The words 'two whole hours' were emphasized heavily.

Song Que blushed and scratched his head in embarrassment:"Please quell your anger, Miss Qing Zhu, it is my fault. Let's say I owe you a favor for this. If you need anything in the future, just ask." Hmph, that's more like it! At least a favor from a promising young talent with a bright future was quite valuable. Only then did Qing Zhu's anger subside, and she asked:"I'll let you off the hook this time. I wonder who this is?"

"Ah, this is my brother, Xiong Ba. Xiong Ba, hurry and greet Miss Qing Zhu."

"Greetings, Miss Qing Zhu." Xiong Ba stepped forward with a serious face, cupped his fists, and spoke in his booming voice, startling Qing Zhu and causing her to take a few steps back! After all, the man before her looked very intimidating—dark-skinned, bulging with muscles, and toweringly tall and robust! His arms were as thick as her calves! With his fierce, unapproachable face and bald head, he looked like someone you definitely shouldn't mess with!

"Step back! Why are you acting so fierce? Can't you see you're scaring Miss Qing Zhu?!" Seeing Xiong Ba get scolded by Song Que and then immediately scratch his head and smile foolishly, Qing Zhu couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle. The contrast was simply too great! The fierce face from a moment ago instantly turned silly and adorkable, making it hard for her to process.

"Please don't mind him, Miss Qing Zhu. Let's go inspect the goods first."

"Hehe, alright. Follow me, Young Master Song." Following Qing Zhu out to the courtyard, she pointed to a horse-drawn carriage in the center guarded by four people and said:"The goods the Young Master requested are all here. We managed to collect 200 ginseng roots aged between 50 and 100 years. Furthermore, there are 300 catties of various other medicinal herbs. They are all loaded on the carriage. Please inspect the goods, Young Master." Hearing her words, Song Que was slightly shocked:"Isn't that a bit too much?

How much did this cost?"

"Hehe, we calculated the price based on our original procurement cost for you, Young Master. So 10, 000 taels was just enough! I wonder if the Young Master will be returning by water or by land tomorrow, so I may arrange it for you?" Having missed the opportunity to recruit Song Que, Yun Xi didn't mind using favors to befriend this youth with a brilliant future! Therefore, this carriage full of herbs, which would cost nearly 20, 000 taels on the open market, was basically sold to him at a massive loss!

Hearing Qing Zhu's words, Song Que secretly sighed in admiration at the other party's generosity and cupped his hands in reply:"Please thank Miss Yun Xi on my behalf! I plan to return by land tomorrow. I wonder if there are any merchant convoys heading that way?" Song Que had carefully calculated this. Afraid of running into that woman Weng Hong and being pestered on the way back, it was best to avoid her if possible! Although taking the mountain road was a bit more arduous, it was fast and gave him peace of mind!

"Our merchant guild doesn't have any goods scheduled to be transported to Qinghe in the short term, but rest assured, Young Master. Tomorrow, we will arrange this carriage to be lent to you! You can just return it to Uncle Yun Shan once you reach the County City!" Originally, he had planned to just store everything in his Storage Space, but refusing Qing Zhu now would be too obvious. Therefore, he could only nod in thanks:"Then I thank you, Miss Qing Zhu.

Please convey my gratitude to Pavilion Master Yun once again!"

"Hehe, alright. Then I shall take my leave. Xiong Ba, goodbye!" Xiong Ba instantly broke into a wide grin, making her giggle like silver bells as she happily skipped away. Oh, I forgot to ask if she had eaten. Am I 'burning the bridge after crossing the river'? Grandee Song touched his head in embarrassment as he thought this. How come my intelligence seems to have noticeably declined recently from spending too much energy suppressing my desires?! Song Que thought gloomily....

Late at night, while Song Que was munching on herbs and cultivating, sounds of chaos suddenly erupted outside! Shouts, screams, and the sound of smashing shattered the stillness of the night! Xiong Ba leaped up from the next room, grabbed his saber, and rushed out to stand guard beside Song Que. Is there a war in the city?! A commotion of this magnitude is definitely not small! The two stepped into the courtyard and leaped onto the roof to observe.

They saw several groups of men and horses surrounding a specific location in the distance, engaged in a frenzied slaughter! The glow of fires illuminated the night sky! Frowning in suspicion, he immediately used his soul fragment via 'Lightning' in the sky, lowering its altitude to observe carefully. Don't ask why he always kept his soul fragment hosted elsewhere! Grandee Song was afraid of death too!

If he were unfortunately assassinated, as long as the soul fragment remained, he still had a chance to continue living! Even though he didn't know if his soul could still exist at that point, it was at least a hope! Because of this, unless necessary, he rarely allowed his main soul and soul fragment to reside in the same body! The night was dark, and the people below were tense, their focus entirely on their opponents. Therefore, no one noticed the massive 'Lightning' silently gliding above their heads.

Although he couldn't hear many words, looking at the people in the courtyard, he could roughly guess what was happening!