Chương 98: Hunting

The Song Manor. Early morning, in the courtyard of the backyard, four people were engaged in their morning practice. It was primarily Nie Feng explaining the secrets of cultivating the Five Qi Toward the Origin Formula and the Five Elements World-Suppressing Fist to the other three. It had been a week since Song Que returned. After taking the 'miraculous panacea' Grandee Song had given him that day, Nie Feng truly saw immediate results!

Furthermore, frequently nourished by the tonics Wukong brewed, he felt he had recovered four or five tenths of his strength in just three days! Even more convinced of the preciousness of the pill he was bestowed, Nie Feng was absolutely loyal and devoted to Grandee Song! His loyalty was probably not much less than Xiong Ba's! Once he could walk normally, Song Que introduced him to the other three.

Naturally, his past was erased; they were only told his name was Nie Feng, and from now on, they were all on the same team. Known for being sincere and generous, Nie Feng didn't disappoint Song Que and quickly integrated with everyone. Now, he was even pouring his heart out, meticulously teaching his family's inherited martial arts to the others!

Having previously only practiced external martial arts and a body-tempering formula, Grandee Song, to whom this type of internal cultivation method was still very novel, gained a tremendous amount from listening. Under Nie Feng's guidance, the three of them began to cultivate. The difficulty of this martial art lay in the practitioner having to personally sense the Five Elements internal Qi within their body, and furthermore, constantly control and circulate them in balance!

It truly consumed an immense amount of mental energy! This was exactly why the Chen Family had declined for over a century—it was just too damn hard to practice! But for Grandee Song, it was truly as easy as eating porridge! Need the five organs to generate Five Elements internal Qi? The Tesseract stimulates them! Five Elements are unbalanced? Whichever is weak, stimulate it! He could literally practice it while sleeping! Song Que was delirious with joy! Wasn't this just giving him cheat codes?!

Moreover, practicing this art meant that when he reached the Fifth Grade—Tempering the Organs—he would truly achieve twice the result with half the effort! It could massively increase his progression speed! He had originally estimated it would take three to five years to reach the First Tier; now, it seemed he could slash that estimate! When a person is happy, everything they do brings joy. Feeling refreshed and energetic, Song Que practiced the Five Elements Fist in the courtyard. Suddenly: Crash! Bang!

Neighhhh...! Roar... Grrr!... The sounds of smashing and animals roaring startled him! Song Que hurriedly leaped toward the back door near the stable. The others also changed expressions and ran after him. The stable was now a scene of utter devastation! Broken tiles and shattered wood lay strewn across the ground! In the courtyard, the two Black Dragon Horses were going berserk, stomping wildly! Below them, the Husky and Mengmeng were continuously dodging, while not forgetting to growl and counterattack!

Neither side was giving an inch!

"Stop!" Grandee Song roared furiously! He charged forward with Xiong Ba to pin down the two horses, only then glaring at the two little rascals at his feet:"What is going on now?!" The two little ones instantly behaved. The Husky wagged its tail, circling his legs, while Princess Mengmeng activated her 'acting cute' skill! With teary eyes, she jumped into his arms and began to complain! Without even needing to listen, Song Que could roughly guess the reason.

It was nothing more than Mengmeng and the Husky being used to acting like tyrants, considering themselves the bosses of all the animals in the house! Today, they had probably gone to the stable to show off their dominance! Unfortunately, these Dragon Horses weren't vegetarians, nor were they as docile as Wukong! Why would they care about them?! The two sides didn't see eye to eye, so they started fighting! The result went without saying: this stable would have to be rebuilt again!

Hearing the little rascal indignantly criticizing the two horses, Song Que curled his lips. He definitely didn't believe the horses had initiated the trouble! Pinching the ear of the ringleader, Grandee Song scolded fiercely:"From now on, no more causing trouble! If you break my house again, I'll lock you in a cage and throw a male fox in there for you to 'enjoy' yourself!" Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Squeak squeak...!

Princess Mengmeng refused to accept this and squeaked in protest. Hearing her complain, and looking down at the Husky still wagging its tail at his feet, Song Que felt a bit guilty. His anger dissipated, and he squatted down to hug the Husky's head and rub it gently.

"Alright, alright. It's my fault. I forgot to take you guys out for some fresh air! How about we go out of the city to the forest to hunt later?!" Squeak squeak... The Master is wise! (Mengmeng, you don't need to flatter me!) Woof woof... Grrr... (And you, Husky! You're a wolf, not a dog; stop barking!) Seeing his first two loyal companions jumping around excitedly, Song Que felt a genuine sense of joy from the bottom of his heart. It was true he had been too neglectful.

They were used to the wild life in Daling Mountain. Being cooped up within these four walls must naturally be incredibly stifling for them! Today, he had to let them play to their hearts' content!

"I'll let it slide this time! In the future, no more causing trouble and breaking the house, remember?!" Squeak squeak... squeak! Princess Mengmeng, borrowing the tiger's prestige while lying in her master's arms, squeaked a demonstration of power toward the two horses. Song Que sneered inwardly. Even you want to be the boss?

'Lightning' just doesn't bother stooping to your level! Otherwise, you wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth! Shooing the little rascals away, Song Que turned and called out:"Xiong Ba, go prepare some things; we're going hunting outside the city later! A'Xin, get someone to clean this place up. Nie Feng, come with me."...

"Young Master, you actually understand the language of beasts?" Watching Song Que expertly converse with the animals, Nie Feng asked in extreme astonishment.

"I've just lived with these animals for a long time and understand their habits, so I can communicate with them simply. It doesn't count as understanding the language of beasts."

"That is already very impressive!"

"Now, go back to your room. I'll help you disguise yourself a bit, and we'll go for a stroll outside the city. Your injuries won't affect your ability to ride a horse, right?"

"No problem, Young Master! As long as I don't engage in combat, I can move completely normally."

"Mm, that is excellent." A short while later, fully prepared, Song Que's group happily left the manor. Leading the way was the Wolf King Husky! Behind him, carrying Mengmeng, were Xiong Ba and Wukong, riding the incredibly magnificent Black Dragon Horses! Nie Feng, Li Xin, and Zhong Hong followed on horseback. Song Que's group stepping onto the street drew enough stares to last a lifetime! Ninety-nine percent of the people on the street couldn't help but stare at them with deep envy and admiration!

Leaving the city, the Husky, whose paws had long been itching to run, abandoned all restraint and sprinted like the wind! Song Que also spurred his horse into a full gallop to experience the thrill of speed! Aside from Nie Feng, everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves, filled with joy from the bottom of their hearts! After venting their energy for a while, seeing the Husky looking a bit tired, Song Que found a flat piece of land by a stream to sit and rest.

He let the Husky, Xiong Ba, and Li Xin go hunt as they pleased, while he took the free time to chat with Nie Feng and Zhong Hong.

"Brother Hong, I'm feeling quite stifled living in the city too. Tomorrow, go ask around and see if there are any manors outside the city for sale. It needs to be large enough and close to the forest. If there aren't any, we can consider buying land and building one ourselves."

"Alright. What about the house we're living in now?" Zhong Hong asked, puzzled, though he nodded.

"Just leave it for Aunt Li to live in and run the business. I won't be living outside the city completely."

"Then there's no problem. I'll go ask around first thing tomorrow." Helping Wukong set up the firewood to start a fire, Song Que casually asked:"How is Aunt Li's business doing these days?"

"Very well! We don't have enough congee to sell every day! It's usually sold out by the Hour of the Dragon (7-9 AM)! We constantly have customers who come from afar but arrive too late complaining to us!" Speaking of this, Zhong Hong's face lit up! After all, this was the only business under his management right now! Everyone's main source of income came from it, so it was a good thing business was booming! Song Que nodded:"Then in the near future, we can consider opening branch locations.

You can go scout out locations to rent."

"Haha, I had the same thought; I just haven't had the chance to discuss it with you! A'Que, how many branches do you think is reasonable?"

"Since we're going to open them, let's open four! Pockmark Luo and the others should have learned how to cook the congee by now, right? Having them step up to manage the branches would be perfect." Hearing this, Zhong Hong looked slightly troubled:"I'm afraid we won't be able to find reliable people to help them if we do that."

"Just find people from back in the town or the village! Make some arrangements; we'll make a trip back to Yellow Leaf Town in a few days."

"Then there's absolutely no problem!" Zhong Hong said excitedly. Pushing those four out to manage their own branches was something Song Que had considered for a long time. It was difficult for those four to provide him with any significant assistance, but they had followed him from their hometown after all. Giving them a promising career path was his way of fulfilling his obligations and helping them out.

"Since we're planning to return to Yellow Leaf Town, Brother Hong, you can also consider establishing a gang, or an armed escort agency or merchant guild. Let's clear the route through Huanglian Mountain next time as well." Song Que decided without hesitation. The time was ripe! He no longer needed to hide his capabilities and bide his time; he could openly build his own faction! Having to support a group of martial artists, he was beginning to feel the economic pressure!

The task of making 'big money' needed to be put on the agenda! Relying on cheating at gambling probably wouldn't work anymore; his physique was now too easily recognizable! Being entrusted with such heavy responsibilities by Song Que, Zhong Hong was incredibly excited! Thinking that the opportunity to flex his muscles was finally arriving, he had already begun plotting and planning in his head!

Ignoring Brother Hong's daydreaming, Song Que turned to Nie Feng, who had been sitting quietly all this time, and said:"Nie Feng, you won't be idle in the future either. I need you to go out and do something for me. This task likely won't be simple."

"Please give your orders, Young Master." Nie Feng accepted the task without hesitation.

"I intend to destroy the Black Iron Stronghold and replace them myself!"