The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS
Chapter 45 - 42 The Follow-up to the Story
CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 42 THE FOLLOW-UP TO THE STORY
Li Xin disclosed the biggest secret in his heart, "Actually, before this, I was not as good as Li Qiusheng. He had the support of the Li Family resources and the Family Inheritance Technique, and even guidance from Li Pingsheng, making him much stronger than me. Until I inadvertently met someone..."
"A person?" Qing Yu asked with a confirming look, "Song Ziqi?"
However, Li Xin shook his head, "It’s not Song Ziqi, but the Song Family’s steward, Song Fu, whom I normally call Uncle Fu."
"No one has really seen Song Ziqi. Although she is the Song Family’s main decision-maker, she rarely shows herself in public, and on the few occasions she does, she wears a veil. But her control power over the Song Family is not diminished by this. It’s said that even the Innate Ancestor of the Song Family cannot ignore her opinions."
"Is that so? So the Song Family is completely dominated by Song Ziqi?" Qing Yu felt a little odd.
In the feudal era, the lineage of a clan was of utmost importance to a family. That was why, irrespective of social status or wealth, the most valued in a family were always the male members.
Yet in the Song Family, where the male heir, Song Ziyu, was dissolute and irresponsible, it was a woman, Song Ziqi, who held the reins of the family.
The key point was that this woman was quite capable and the family was truly ruled by her single word.
That was a bit off. A woman leading the family - setting aside what the world thought - just the resistance within the family alone would be far greater than the opinions of outsiders. Did the Song Family also intend to let Song Ziqi inherit the position of City Lord?
Of course, these were all speculations. If only the family dossier Xiao Gao gave him about the Song Family hadn’t been so brief...
Qing Yu recalled when he first took on the assignment from Xuan Guang, who was then Mr. Mo, and received the dossier from Xiao Gao. In the dossier, the other three families were described in great detail, while for the Song Family, only its Patriarch’s incompetence and the future heir’s prodigal ways were mentioned, with a woman single-handedly managing all affairs. If not for the City Guard Army and Innate Realm experts, even the annual taxes from the other three families would be hard to collect.
’There’s a problem,’ Qing Yu confirmed to himself.
But, another point came to mind, and Qing Yu asked, "Why would the Song Family teach you Martial Arts?"
"It’s probably... to plant a nail in the Li Family," Li Xin said with some uncertainty.
"At first, I thought I could collaborate with the Song Family from within and eradicate the Li Family, but Uncle Fu never proposed such a plan. Later, for the sake of my mother and doing everything for the Li Family, regardless of whether I wanted to or not, perhaps the Song Family was disappointed that I ultimately succumbed to the Li Family. Uncle Fu gradually cut off contact with me," Li Xin said with a shake of his head and a bitter smile.
I see... That makes sense. If he truly had a protagonist’s destiny, he would have been challenging both heaven and earth from the start, not constantly cleaning up after Qiu Yan until he met me and turned his fate around.
Thinking this, Qing Yu said to Li Xin, "The City Lord Mansion is no simple matter. It seems I have underestimated the Song Family as well. Fortunately, it’s not too late to notice now."
At this point, Qing Yu suddenly said, "You go out and gather some information first, while I continue practicing to heal my injuries and recover as soon as possible."
"Yes," Li Xin bowed and responded.
Once Li Xin left, Qing Yu said, "Come out."
The room was empty, as if Qing Yu were speaking to the air.
Suddenly, the window moved slightly, and in the blink of an eye, the room was joined by a black-clothed man wearing a smooth black mask – it was Xiao Gao.
Although Li Xin’s martial cultivation was higher than Qing Yu’s, when it came to the sensitivity of spiritual sense, he was far inferior to Qing Yu. Perhaps it was due to having lived two lives that Qing Yu’s spiritual sense was far beyond that of ordinary people; even before he had practiced martial arts, his perception was incredibly sharp.
However, Xiao Gao was, after all, an Innate Expert, and if he hadn’t deliberately released a bit of his energy, Qing Yu wouldn’t have been able to sense him at all.
"You did well," Xiao Gao’s voice remained even and flat, betraying no emotion.
"I was a bit reckless, which is why I sustained such severe injuries," Qing Yu said with a wry smile.
In the battle where they captured Li Pingsheng, most of the operatives from the Iron Saber Association were killed by a sudden underground assault from Li Pingsheng himself. The few who remained, Qing Yu had quietly disposed of to prevent Li Pingsheng’s words from being leaked at the time.
Therefore, Mr. Mo, or rather Xuan Guang, still believed Qing Yu was kept in the dark.
After all, Qing Yu’s appearance was deceiving. A fifteen- or sixteen-year-old youth, even if his mind surpassed his peers, could know only so much.
Some experiences in life could not be understood without going through them.
In Xuan Guang’s memory, Qing Yu had lived almost under house arrest for the past five years, and even with superior intellect, he could not match those well-versed in the complexities of worldly society.
In the end, Xuan Guang still underestimated Qing Yu. How could he know that this body of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old housed the soul of a man over thirty? Including his previous and current life, Qing Yu’s psychological age was over forty.
"It was a bit reckless," Xiao Gao nodded, "but luring out the agents from the Six Gates was a valuable bold move. Master is very satisfied with this.
This bottle of Healing Spirit Pill is your reward."
Qing Yu caught the thrown bottle of medicine and said, "Please thank Mr. Mo for me."
He paused for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Does the Song Family have any connection to Mr. Mo?"
Qing Yu did not know how long Xiao Gao had been outside the room, nor how much of the conversation between himself and Li Xin he had overheard. By bringing up the Song Family first, it made him appear transparent and averted suspicion.
"Do not ask about things you shouldn’t know!" Xiao Gao’s voice carried a rare fluctuation.
"I understand," Qing Yu replied, his eyelids drooping, adopting an expression of complete compliance.
"Does Mr. Mo have any further instructions?"
Xiao Gao’s voice once again became neutral as he said, "Lay low for now. The people from the Six Gates made the first move and broke the rules by deploying Innate Realm forces. Mister will handle negotiations with them. For now, you should stay prudent."
"What about the bet?" Qing Yu asked.
"The situation has taken an unexpected turn, and with the court bearing down hard, the bet is already off. Why, did you regret losing that fraction of profit?"
"Not at all..." Qing Yu quickly waved his hands.
"Then stay prudent. As long as Master’s plans succeed, even without the bet, you won’t miss out on your share of the benefits," Xiao Gao stated.
Seeing Xiao Gao about to leave, Qing Yu hurriedly said, "Please wait a moment."
Xiao Gao stopped his movement and asked, "Is there anything else?"
"I want to ask about that Lord Luo, what’s his background?"
"Luo Yan, the foremost disciple of the Chasing Wind Divine Constable Lu Qifeng, an Innate Expert from the Six Gates. If you’re thinking of avenging that palm strike, you can forget about it in this lifetime," Xiao Gao said, before vanishing from the room.
’This Xiao Gao...’
Xiao Gao’s words were somewhat harsh, Qing Yu was unsure why, but it always seemed like he enjoyed making things difficult for him.
’But if there were truly no emotions, I really wouldn’t have any way of dealing with him.’
As long as there were emotions, there were weaknesses to exploit. Xiao Gao would sooner or later become an enemy, or perhaps he already was. Finding his weakness, Qing Yu could aim at it, especially since Qing Yu knew Xiao Gao was dissatisfied with him, which made things even simpler.
"In the end, it’s still too young..."
Qing Yu, who had lived two lives, said with a sigh.