Daoqi Huangcheng

Chapter 36. Change
There are quite a few local gentry in Yongcui County, and more than fifty of them came here.

Song Chen was quite famous because of Madam Chen, the second wife of "Ruinian Snow". As soon as he arrived, many people stood up and greeted him with cupped hands, saying, "Master Chen is like a dragon that is rarely seen. Today we finally meet you in person."

Others remarked, "Master Chen is so young; he is truly a man of great promise."

Someone else said with a smile, "Master Chen's two wives are beauties, so beautiful that they could shame the moon and flowers. I feel sorry for them. Master Chen is truly a blessed man."

Someone else said, "Madam Chen is now a well-known leader in our Emerald Green Gang. As her husband, Master Chen must be even more extraordinary. Could Master Chen be a cultivator?"

"That would be great." Song Chen laughed and responded.

The man laughed and said, "That's right, that's right. Most cultivators cultivate diligently in sacred mountains or famous temples, which is different from us Jianghu people."

Song Yan glanced at the speaker and saw a burly middle-aged man with a thick beard. The person next to him called him Master Ma, presumably the owner of a martial arts school. Gangs in these small county towns mostly existed in the form of martial arts schools and didn't have any other businesses, unlike the forging gangs, which were profit-driven groups formed through iron forging. However, forging gangs required a certain number of iron forgers to form, making them only possible in large cities.

Then, some local gentry and Song Chen started chatting idly.

Song Chen responded with a smile.

Although he didn't particularly like the atmosphere, he went along with the local customs.

He had mastered the evil techniques in the "Yellow Springs Sutra" that involved killing people, gathering ghosts, and guiding them to the underworld, and he could also adapt to this meaningless, smiling situation.

However, as time went by, he discovered that he actually had quite a bit of fame in Yongcui County, all because of his wife.

Nowadays, when people in Yongcui County mention Madam Chen, they all give her a thumbs up and praise her, saying, "That woman is skilled in martial arts and beautiful," or "She is truly a remarkable woman."
An ordinary person would be delighted by such praise, but Song Chen's pupils constricted slightly. He realized something was amiss. Was his reputation really that great? Could his wife have built it up in just a few months?
Just then, a report came from outside the door.

"Young Master He has arrived!"

Among the local gentry surrounding Song Chen, only two or three looked up and headed towards the door.

Clearly, although this young master He had managed to squeeze into the circle of local gentry, his status was not high.

Song Chen turned his head to look at Young Master He who had just entered.

Young Master He was very young, with slightly dark skin and rough hands, clearly indicating that he had done a lot of work. He didn't say much when he arrived at this occasion, and was about to find a place to sit down when he suddenly felt something and looked up at Master Chen in the crowd.

He had heard of Master Chen's name, but he never imagined that Master Chen was...
Young Master He's pupils constricted, and he froze on the spot.

Suddenly, he wanted to slap himself hard.

If Que He can use his name as his surname, why can't Song Chen?

Song Chen looked at him and slowly shook his head.

Suffering and hardship often help people grow, and Que He certainly seems to have grown.

Although he was both surprised and suspicious, he suppressed the urge to rush forward and sat quietly to the side, pretending not to know Song Chen at all, without even changing his expression.

Seeing that most people had arrived, the magistrate began to speak. The gist of his speech was: "A plague is coming. Everyone who has money should contribute money, and everyone who has manpower should contribute manpower. Together, we will set up quarantine points at various key locations. To prevent anyone from forcibly breaking through, each side needs to have a trained fighter with weapons to guard it."

Song Chen listened to the conversation.

He wanted to learn more about the situation.

Now he understands.

The plague is so severe that refugees may be fleeing the capital and attempting to breach local quarantine facilities.

Combined with what he had heard before about things like "a concubine giving birth to a rat," he was pretty sure that the person behind this was either a cultivator or a demon.

When it was his turn, he paid exactly what he wanted, and someone nearby jeered, "Master Chen is incredibly wealthy, shouldn't he give more?"

Song Chen smiled bitterly and said, "I don't have any money. I'm just putting on a brave face."

After saying that, his pupils suddenly contracted slightly, because he noticed that the curator Ma was actually looking at him, his expression mysterious and unsettling. If he hadn't been a cultivator with keen senses, he probably wouldn't have noticed those unusual eyes in the crowd.

After the luncheon, the local gentry went home, but Young Master He followed Master Chen into a carriage.

Inside the carriage, Song Chen looked at Que He and smiled, "I've long heard that Young Master He was brought here after being robbed by a notorious bandit, and then he cultivated farmland, now owning thousands of acres of fertile land. He's truly a young man of great talent. I, who inherited my ancestors' wealth, am simply no match for him."

Que He was taken aback for a moment, then smiled calmly and said, "I have long heard of Master Chen's reputation, but I really did not expect Master Chen to be so young. Since we are about the same age, I should naturally get to know him better."

Song Chen smiled and said, "Then let's go to my residence for some tea, which will help sober you up."

Que He said, "That's very good, but it will be a lot of trouble for Master Chen."

Song Chen smiled and said, "No trouble at all."

Although the two were talking, their expressions were completely different from what they were saying.

Their tone was casual, as if they were just two country gentlemen chatting, but their expressions...
Que He was looking at Song Chen with an extremely complicated expression.

Song Chen looked at him with a smile.

However, the coachman would not see anything.

An hour later.

Chen Mansion.

Round table.

There is tea on the table.

It was steaming hot, but no one was drinking it.

The servants around them were dismissed. The three of them sat around a round table.

Que He already knew about what happened that day, but Song Chen only killed two Jin Kingdom assassins, so it cannot be concluded that his strength exceeded the Qi Gathering Realm.

At this moment, the former master of the Crane Mansion remained silent, his expression shifting between light and dark.

Lady Qianxue's small feet had somehow left her embroidered shoes again, slowly straightening up from under the table. She gently touched Xiao Songchen's body with her nimble and delicate toes, then rested her chin on her hand, waiting for Que He to erupt.

Regardless of the outcome, this little foot will try its best to appease Song Chen's anger.

Song Chen reluctantly lowered his hand, wanting to push the little foot away, but unexpectedly, as soon as he moved, the little foot playfully tapped him again, but wouldn't budge.

Madam Qianxue suddenly said sternly, "Aren't you going to thank your second uncle for saving your life?"

Que He suddenly looked up and stood up.

Madam Qianxue remained composed, exuding the dignified and aura unique to noblewomen. However, she swiftly withdrew her small feet from under the table, subtly slipping them into her embroidered shoes.

Que He stepped back two steps, then suddenly knelt down in front of Song Chen and kowtowed three times, saying a sentence with each kowtow.

"Thank you, Second Uncle, for your understanding and for not holding my past unreasonable behavior against me."

"Thank you, Second Uncle. You pulled me back from the brink of disaster and had me escorted here, giving me the opportunity to learn from you."

"Thank you three times, Second Uncle, for protecting my Crane Manor and allowing my clan to escape unscathed."

Three thanks and three kowtows.

When it was over, Que He said again: "From now on, if I, Que He, still have any disloyalty towards my second uncle, I will take my own life without anyone's help."

Having said that, he suddenly reached for his waist, pulled out a concealed dagger with a clang, then quickly ran it across his palm before spreading his fingers.
Blood dripped down.

Que He looked up at Song Chen and said, "This is proof, and Heaven and Earth are proof."

Song Chen hurriedly stepped forward, helped Que He up, and bent down to brush the dust off his knees. He said, "I have no family background. Now that I've married into the He family, I'm one of them. The head of the family really doesn't need to worry about me. Instead, he should be wary of the enemies outside."

Madam Qianxue took out some medicine and applied it to Que He, saying, "My He family is small, but it is surrounded by tigers and wolves."

Que He said, "I understand," and then added, "Second Uncle, you don't need to call me head of the family. I am incompetent. I almost led the entire family to ruin. Sister Chan will definitely do a better job than me."

Now that the truth has come to light, I feel at peace. I don't plan to return to the capital; I'll stay here and make a name for myself as 'Young Master He.'

Song Chen said, "You should know about the Forging Gang by now."

Que He nodded.

Song Chen said, "I will have them cooperate with you."

Que He thanked him again, then stood up, bowed, and took his leave as "Young Master He".

Only two people remained in the courtyard.

The two were still sitting at the table.

Suddenly, Song Chen felt that tiny foot shamelessly pointing at him again. He grabbed the foot, and Madam Qianxue suddenly looked towards the archway of the courtyard. Her usually dignified eyes became mischievous, and she called out, "Qingyue!"

Song Chencai was not fooled.

Seeing that he wasn't falling for her trick, Madam Qianxue put on a helpless expression, then suddenly said softly, "I just found an excuse to send Qingyue away, but she should be back in about an incense stick's time."

She looked at Song Chen with a charming gaze and said, "It'll only take the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Since it wasn't the first time, Song Chen stopped resisting. He got up, picked up Madam Qianxue in his arms, turned around and walked into the room. Just as he was about to get into bed, he felt resistance.

Upon closer inspection, they saw Lady Asahi clinging to the doorframe.

She closed the door, cast a seductive glance her way, and said in a flirtatious voice, "Don't get the couch dirty, just stay here."

It snowed late at night.
Song Chen was not in the warm quilt, but quietly leaning against the trunk of an old tree.

His figure was extremely dim in the snowy night, and the mansion not far from him belonged to "Master Ma".

He opened his senses and, after a moment's discernment, found Director Ma's voice amidst the noise of the room.

However, there was nothing unusual.

He waited patiently.

Finally, after more than an hour, Director Ma led his confidants to a secret room and said directly, "Go and tell that cultivator that if he is willing to come to Yongcui County, I am willing to offer him a mansion."

"It's the Chen family. The Chen family is wealthy, and they have two renowned beauties. That Master Chen is just a young upstart. After killing him, we can directly seize the mansion."

The confidant said, "Master, why would a cultivator want a mortal's residence?"

Master Ma said, "Some cultivators have no hope of breaking through and just want to enjoy life."

Although this old man was a cultivator, his cultivation level was not high, and he was not young. Naturally, he wanted to find a place to play and enjoy his old age.

If we help him, our family will be able to inherit a cultivation lineage in the future. At the very least, my child can become his disciple or son.

Even if he's so old, and spends his days and nights playing with the two beautiful women of the Chen family, he still won't have any offspring.

These past few days, I've gone to great lengths to promote Madam Chen, all to present the Chen family as an excellent gift.

(End of this chapter)