Changsheng: My experience in patrolling the liver

Chapter 616 The Song Family Division: The First Signs of Chaos! (Part 2)

Yunzhou, Cuibai Road.

The main city is bustling with people, and it is now far more prosperous than it used to be.

The current King Cui enjoys immense prestige, and is backed by the legendary King of Men. No noble family or clan in Cui Bai Road dares to disobey his words.

This is precisely why the monarchy can govern more effectively without having to worry too much about the distribution of interests among powerful clans.

After all, they had no choice but to cooperate.

Today, many rice and grain shops on the streets put up signs saying they were sold out early, which drew complaints from many people.

"Recently, for some reason, the price of grain and meat in the city has increased significantly compared to usual, and it looks like it's about to quadruple. Moreover, this upward trend shows no signs of stopping, which is really frightening."

"Why is this? There have been no disasters or droughts this year, so why is there not enough food?"

"I heard there's going to be a big mess; many wealthy lords up there are hoarding grain."

"It's really strange. What kind of trouble could have such a big impact? Even during the Leizhou war, I, an old man, never saw the city running out of food."

"Old man, you don't know this, but I have an uncle who works as a steward in the Lü family. Yes, yes, that's the residence of the former Minister of War, Lü. I heard that the demon race is going to cause a great disaster!"

"No way, I heard that our human race has taken over Yuanzhou. Shouldn't the demon race be keeping their tails between their legs right now? Would they dare to act recklessly?"

"Ah, that's not quite right. It's precisely because the two states of Leiyuan have been successively taken over by our human race that those demon races have no other way out and are going to fight our human race to the death!"

I've heard that some places in Yunzhou are already in chaos.

"Hiss, now that you say that, things are really going to get chaotic?"

"Why don't you tell me why the price of rice meat has risen so quickly?"

"In that case, I'd better hurry up and stock up on some food. Fortunately, we've lived comfortably these past few years, and I still have quite a bit left over."

A horse-drawn carriage travels through the street.

Seemingly having overheard the conversations of many people on the street, a little girl of about eleven or twelve years old quietly lifted the curtain and peeked out curiously.

"Dad, there are so many people!" Song Yiyan blinked twice and exclaimed softly.

Inside the carriage, Song Ping'an's eyes shone with undisguised doting affection as he chuckled and pulled the little girl back.

"Your father is too strict with you usually. In the future, I will have Song Shi take you out more often."

The little girl was Song Ping'an's daughter born late in life, and therefore he was the most favored.

The whole family adored this clever and endearing little girl.

"Okay, okay!" The little girl was overjoyed, clapping and spinning around in the car.

Still a child at heart, she naturally longed for the world outside.

He was too young in the past and was always protected at home by Song Ping'an. Even his tutor was invited to come to his home, so he didn't go out very often.

Only now has Song Ping'an relaxed his supervision of his youngest daughter.

Song Lao Er, standing to the side, felt helpless and said, "Father, I still have a lot of things to do in the Chamber of Commerce. Let's find someone else to take care of my little sister."

Song Ping'an snorted lightly, "You can just assign your little tasks. With your older brother in the Chamber of Commerce, what could possibly happen?"

Upon hearing this, Song Shi had no choice but to agree.

When the Song family divided its assets, the words of Song Ping'an, the head of the family, still carried considerable weight.

Only their mothers could discuss things with them.

"Does Second Brother not want to play with Yiyan?"

The little girl sat back down in her carriage seat, looking down and kicking her little feet.

"Oh, no way, sweetie. I'll have your second brother take you to the bustling city center of the Third District later. It's really interesting there," Song Ping'an said, patting his daughter's head to comfort her.

Then he glanced sideways at his second brother, as if to say that he was already in his forties or fifties and still had no sense of propriety.

"As you wish, Second Brother has a colorful turtle egg that he brought back from the Sea of ​​Spiritual Energy. How about you incubate it and play with it?" Song Shi immediately said.

He knew that if he didn't appease his younger sister now, he would inevitably be nagged by his father again.

"Colorful?"

"Colorful."

"Good! Good!"

The little girl's mood changed quickly; she was happy again in an instant and continued to lean against the carriage window, looking out.

“Father, the prices of grain and meat have risen sharply outside. Several groups of people have their eyes on our farms outside the main city, and it seems they want to steal the grain we have stockpiled,” Song Shi said, getting down to business.

"Who are they?" Song Ping'an asked calmly.

"We arrested several of them, saying they were bandits from the Cuibai Road area," Song Shi said truthfully.

"What do you think?" Song Ping'an asked.

"Should be...right?" Song Shi paused for a moment, then hesitated before replying.

He hadn't really thought about it carefully, and now, after being asked a question by Song Ping'an, he suddenly became uncertain about the outcome of his interrogation.

"With the strict enforcement of the Green King and the suppression by our young master's name, we haven't heard of such rampant banditry in Cuibai Road in recent decades," Song Ping'an said with dissatisfaction.

His dissatisfaction was directed at his second son.

Given his unreliable approach to things, it's no wonder he's always been wary of his second son.

In comparison, his eldest son is more meticulous and more likely to inherit his position.

Song Ping'an knew very well that his days were numbered, but the young master needed someone to continue managing the family business and handling all matters, big and small, inside and outside the Song mansion.

Therefore, he began to cultivate his two sons early on, hoping that they could succeed him in the future and continue to work by his side.

He was not satisfied with Song Shi, but fortunately his eldest son Song Wei was capable enough, which put his mind at ease.

"Go and find out the truth. If these bandits are just a group of people, then it's a minor matter. But if there are any traces of demons, then notify me immediately," Song Ping'an instructed.

"Understood," Song Shi immediately nodded.

However, he could also see his father's disappointment in him, and he wasn't in a good mood.

Song Ping'an sighed inwardly and said, "Compared to your elder brother, you are more like your mother. I also have high hopes for you and hope that one day you can reach the level of a grandmaster in martial arts. That is the right path for you."

Song Shi paused for a moment. In reality, although his martial arts talent was better than his elder brother's, it was not easy for him to reach the level of a martial arts grandmaster.

If there were any hope, it would be a one in ten thousand chance in his eyes, so what use would it be?

“Father, the young master once said that among the three of us, my younger sister has the highest talent in martial arts. Compared to me, she is the true potential master of our family. I…”

Song Shi opened his mouth as if to say something, but Song Ping'an waved his hand to interrupt him.

“My son, you are simple-minded and not suited for a life of deceit and treachery. Trust your father, martial arts is the best way for you.”

Upon hearing this, Song Shi simply nodded and said no more.

The eldest brother inherited Song Ping'an's business acumen, and the younger sister inherited their mother's extraordinary martial arts talent. Only he was stuck in the middle, neither good enough nor bad enough, appearing mediocre.

A few days later.

Cuibai Road is located on a black mountain a thousand miles away from the main city.

One after another, figures flew in from a distance and landed not far outside the mountain.

"This is it. Those bandits kidnapped a group of our tenant farmers and came here," said a martial artist of innate talent. "Second Young Master, this place is a bit strange. Should we inform the Master?" Another elderly martial artist, not young at all, looked at the black mountain and said in a deep voice.

Song Shi frowned as he examined the mountain before him.

Mount Wu is quite quiet, and the noise made by the birds and beasts within cannot be seen from the outside.

His intuition as a martial artist told him that something strange was indeed going on here.

However, the more he thought about his father's lack of regard for him, the more unhappy he felt.

"No need. Let's find out the truth first before deciding whether to contact your father."

He didn't want to fail at everything and only knew how to rely on his elder brother and father.

Upon hearing this, the innate martial artist standing to the side said no more.

"Use the concealment talisman to hide your breath, and be extremely careful!" Song Shi immediately ordered.

With a flick of his wrist, he took out a concealment talisman from his Qiankun Ring.

This is no ordinary second-tier concealment talisman, but a super-improved version of the concealment talisman made by the young master of the family. As long as it is worn, the concealment effect will be difficult for even ordinary great demons to detect.

With this concealment talisman, their safety is guaranteed.

Immediately, the group approached Wushan Mountain in front of them.

As soon as they stepped into Wushan, they immediately noticed more unusual things.

The faint, eerie aura lingering among the trees alerted them.

There's a demon here!

"Just as Father predicted, these are no ordinary bandits; there are truly evil spirits at work behind the scenes!" Song Shi muttered through gritted teeth.

Even so, he still does not intend to leave immediately.

At the very least, he needed to confirm what kind of evil spirit was so audacious as to break into the Green Cypress Road and abduct so many of their people.

"There is blood here."

There are severed limbs here.

To avoid alerting the enemy, they did not spread their senses. There were not many severed limbs and bloodstains left along the way, but it was enough for them to track the location.

The cave, which had clearly been hastily opened up, was where the demonic aura was most concentrated.

Several human bandits stood outside the cave.

However, they seemed uneasy at the moment, and screams were coming from the large hole, which terrified them.

Until all the screams inside stopped, a roar like that of a wild beast rang out.

"Food and human blood are not enough!"

The bandit outside the cave trembled and immediately turned around to reply, "I... I'll go and find you some more. Please wait a moment longer."

They were genuinely afraid that the monster inside would eat them too.

"Um"

The sounds inside the cave subsided, and the group of bandits breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went down the mountain.

"Go to the estate and gather all the brothers. Arrest people! Go and arrest them!"

The bandit leader came down the mountain and said in a great hurry.

However, before they could go far, they were intercepted by Song Shi and his men who had been tracking them down.

The bandits weren't particularly strong; only their leader had any real skill.

However, the men that Song Shi brought this time were all skilled fighters recruited by Song Ping'an. They all possessed martial arts strength at the mid-to-late stage of the Innate Realm or above, and easily subdued the bandits.

"Don't kill us! We were forced into this! If we don't capture people, that monster will eat us!" Faced with death, the bandit leader shamelessly confessed everything.

"Where did that monster come from?" Song Shi asked, his eyes wide. Then, still not satisfied, he kicked the bandit leader a few more times.

So many of their farmers were sent to be eaten by that monster, which enraged him.

"Yes, it is one." The bandit leader wanted to say something more, but suddenly his face turned red, his whole body became hot, he covered his mouth and nose, and his eyes almost popped out.

"Help! Help!"

This unexpected turn of events caused Song Shi and the others to instinctively take a few steps back.

The next moment, fire spewed from all seven orifices of the bandit leader, and in no time, his entire head was burned to ashes.

Then, the rest of the bandits did the same, all dying by self-immolation.

"We've been discovered!" Song Shi was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and abruptly turned his head to look in the direction of Wushan.

From the darkness, a deep, strange flame pierced the air and landed on the ground, revealing itself to be a tall, muscular werewolf walking upright.

The werewolf was enveloped in a deep, eerie flame, and its protruding mouth and fangs still bore traces of human blood.

"Not bad, a group of innate martial artists have arrived. Perfect, I'm still hungry."

As the werewolf spoke, it stuck out its long tongue and licked its fangs, walking towards Song Shi and the others.

The strange fire on his body suddenly surged, as if transforming into a fiery cloud that enveloped him.

The surging demonic power brought immense pressure to everyone.

“Although this demon is not a great demon, it still possesses the aura of a top-tier demon general, making it difficult to deal with!” The eldest innate martial artist said with an extremely solemn expression.

"It's alright, everyone hold him off for a moment while I deal with him!" Song Shi took a deep breath and said in a deep voice as if facing a formidable enemy.

As he spoke, he took out a talisman and began to try to activate it by mobilizing his mental energy.

Although his martial arts skills are inferior to those of the innate experts around him, he has a powerful father and the famous King of Men who is his backer!

His Qiankun Ring contained too many items for saving his life and killing enemies.

This talisman is one of them, and it is also a precious talisman inscribed by the human king Song Changming.

Ordinary talismans can be activated and used simply by crushing them.

However, the talisman paper that Song Changming inscribed had an additional function on top of this.

Crushing the talisman paper activates its use, but this hasty method directly diminishes a significant portion of the talisman paper's power.

If you continuously infuse your spiritual energy into the talisman, you can try to control the talisman itself more precisely without any loss of power.

This second activation method can also ensure that the talisman paper can be used to its fullest potential, but it sets a threshold and requirements for the user's mental strength.

If your mental strength is insufficient, then you can only honestly use the first method like everyone else.

Soon, the talisman in Song Shi's hand began to burst with lightning, and bolts of lightning and fire erupted all over Song Shi's body.

The innate martial artists did their best to besiege the fire wolf, and then Song Shi let out a loud roar.

"Disperse!"

The innate martial artists scattered in all directions.

The next moment, a thunder dragon suddenly emerged from the talisman in Song Shi's hand!
The thunder dragon, over twenty meters long, leaped into the air with a howl and crashed straight into the fire wolf.

(End of this chapter)