Chapter 31 Revenge is the best revenge
"This baby was very weak from birth, only the size of a palm. She would spit out a little milk after being fed a couple of mouthfuls. I thought she wouldn't survive..."
In the dim light of the night, Qi Zheng stood beneath a tree, listening to the person opposite him slowly recount the hardships of those years. His expression remained unchanged, as cold and indifferent as a wooden statue, not even sparing the other person a glance.
The person on the other end of the line started to get annoyed: "Don't you think she's pitiful?"
Qi Zheng remained expressionless, looking down at the 'weak' 'she' lying on the ground—a big tiger with a round head, round belly, and round body.
Its eyes shone like two golden lanterns, and its fur was glossy and shiny. Blood still clung to its sharp teeth, indicating it had just had a large meal and lived a very wealthy life. As a result, it was large and well-built, several times stronger than the average male tiger.
Her limbs, as thick as an adult's thigh, left no doubt that she could easily rip someone's arm off with a single slap.
What's pitiful about it?
What weakness?
If Qi Zheng hadn't witnessed her ruthless way of killing someone with a single slap, he might have reluctantly given her a look. But now, looking at this familiar tiger, he was at a loss for words: "Did you raise this tiger?"
Song Jin asked smugly, "What, is there a problem?"
Qi Zheng glanced at her and knew she definitely didn't know what the tiger had done. He said, "Did you ask her to lead the way at the silver mine?"
This reaction was a bit too fast. Song Jin feigned ignorance: "What silver mine? What guide? Huanghuang has been in the mountains ever since she grew up. I don't know what she did."
Qi Zheng wasn't stupid; he wouldn't believe such a thing. If he really just let it go in the mountains and ignored it, how could this tiger be so obedient as to follow him around?
He said slowly, "That day we went up the mountain to look for minerals. She ran away with a stray dog she had been raising. When we were following her trail, we ran into her again. She scratched one of my guards and then led us to a silver mine, where she killed two more people."
The reason the man in gray was able to escape that day was not only because he was familiar with the terrain, but also because Huang Huang caused trouble.
Song Jin: ...
That good-for-nothing tiger, didn't I tell her to run far away? Are you afraid someone won't kill her?
She gave a forced smile: "You might be mistaken. There are several tigers in the mountains."
Qi Zheng remained expressionless.
There are several tigers in the mountains, but Huanghuang is easy to spot. She has a round head, a round belly, and her eyes light up when she sees people—she's very friendly.
Song Jin chuckled and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Because she was born with a deficiency, I raised her little by little. At first, she couldn't even catch a mouse and was very delicate. I was worried that she would starve to death if she went into the mountains, so I trained her until she could survive before letting her out to fend for herself."
After two whole years of training, and who knows how many good things she's ruined, this useless tiger is finally showing some promise. Song Jin felt terrible just thinking about it.
However, that was her standard for viewing strange tigers from the apocalypse of her previous life.
To Qi Zheng, a native of the area, Huang Huang was enormous, with well-defined and powerful muscles, exuding a ferocious aura. Even if he just lay there rolling around, a casual slap could leave a deep mark.
The only connection between being delicate and being spoiled is a bit of an urge.
Seeing his pensive expression, Song Jin silently reached out and covered her little tiger daughter's head. Although it was too big, she could only cover her round eyes, but covering even a little bit was better than nothing.
She said all this to demonstrate their deep mother-daughter bond and to deter the person in front of her from any ulterior motives. Don't think she couldn't see it; the person's yellowish eyes were gleaming, brimming with desire.
Giving her away is out of the question; she's her own daughter. If she really wants one, she can wait until Huang Huang has her next litter, then she can have one of them.
Song Jin cleared his throat and continued, "After she was officially released from the mountain, I was afraid she would still act the same way as before, so I left her quite deep inside and didn't go looking for her for over a month. I was worried she would get hurt, but unexpectedly, she attacked me as soon as she saw me, and I gave her a good beating. Only then did she slowly become obedient."
She always thought the tiger had become wild after being released into the mountains, which angered her so much that the first thing she did when she went up the mountain was to find her and beat her up. This went on for six months, and the tiger became a docile timid tiger again.
Qi Zheng pondered, "Poppy flowers have hallucinogenic effects. She might have accidentally ingested them, or she might simply have been stimulated by the smell."
Song Jin agreed, saying, "I knew it! After all, I raised her myself; she can't be an ungrateful wretch. It was clearly a misunderstanding."
Qi Zheng remained silent, only looking with pity at Huang Huang, who had been chased and beaten for half a year.
No wonder it's so docile now; it's not that it understands human nature, it's just pure fear!
Huanghuang couldn't understand what they were saying, but she knew she couldn't beat either of them. Sensing their gazes, she wiped her face with her paw, then nimbly flipped over, her voice sweet and delicate.
"Mmm~"
It's so well-behaved and obedient, please don't hit it!
Song Jin liked it just the way it was, and patted its head happily. She then said to Qi Zheng, "I've marked the area. We can use our lightness skills to fly from Da'an Village, and it'll only take two or three hours to get there. Want to come?"
The most troublesome thing in the mountains is those towering peaks. Going around them would double the distance, and climbing them would take a lot of time; most people wouldn't have the ability. But for these two people with profound inner strength, it wasn't a problem. They could simply step on branches and leaves to climb up, greatly saving time.
As for Huang Huang, jumping off cliffs is as easy as jumping down ravines for him, it's not difficult at all.
Faced with her invitation, Qi Zheng pondered for a moment: "Let's not delay, let's do it now."
One person is not as good as two people, but two people are more convenient than carrying a bunch of burdens.
The two of them together could figure out the mountain and its approximate location by tomorrow at the latest. Regardless of whether it was the Liang family or not, they would at least have some results. If they brought a group of people, it would take them a month to finish, and they would only create more trouble.
The two immediately agreed, left a letter for their families (the guards), and rode their spirited horses toward Da'an Village—on flat roads, horses were still the best option.
...
Faced with the disappearance of the two
Niu Tielan adapted well. She had long been used to her daughter's unpredictable (and elusive) nature, and felt that going into the mountains was much safer than going to the capital. She had no objections and continued to leisurely drink tea at home.
Song Xingzhi, Li Qingshan, and the others nearly collapsed upon seeing the letter left by Qi Zheng.
Their lives matter too.
Li Qingshan took a deep breath, then closed his eyes and said, "Why don't we send some people over to keep watch? If it really is the Liang family, they'll definitely be keeping an eye on the Prince."
Compared to Song Jin, the Liang family definitely values Qi Zheng, their current son, more. Of course, there's no need to compare them now; having the two together allows them to kill two birds with one stone.
Li Qingshan's hands were trembling slightly; he was experiencing the power of a mischievous child for the first time.
Their prince had made all sorts of promises before, but now he's suddenly run away. Who would believe he has nothing to do with Song Jin?
He now even suspects that this might be a conspiracy deliberately orchestrated by the Song family.
There's one member of the Song family there responsible for abducting people, and here's another one responsible for cleaning up the mess?
In particular, Song Xingzhi said, "Who should we send? Do you know where they went? Or can you even keep up? Since we can't keep up, the Liang family is in the same boat. Sending people would only expose their whereabouts and give both families time to prepare. We might as well remain still and catch them off guard."
Upon hearing this, Li Qingshan gripped his longsword, his gaze darkening. He said, "We don't know when the men we sent out will find anything. We haven't gotten any information out of the suspects we've brought back. Now even the prince has disappeared. Are we just going to wait here like this?"
Song Xingzhi closed his folding fan and narrowed his eyes slightly: "Of course not. The Prince and Jinjin left suddenly, and the Liang family certainly couldn't have caught up with them, but they must have taken some action. It was already late at night, and the city gates were closed. Go and investigate; there must have been changes among those on duty yesterday."
Fortunately, he did take some action, which eased Li Qingshan's wariness somewhat, but he remained suspicious. He asked, "Don't you have those Thousand-Mile Bees? Can't you use them to track down the Prince? He's alone out there; if something happens to him, neither of us will be able to escape responsibility."
"They've taken Huanghuang with them, so they're definitely heading into the mountains. Do you think you can catch up with them in the mountains?" Song Xingzhi gritted his teeth, filled with grief and indignation. "Besides, that girl has already wiped out the Thousand Mile Bees. Where am I supposed to look? In their wombs?"
Li Qingshan: "...I'll go to the city gate to look for someone."
Song Xingzhi stood there, watching his hurried departing figure disappear, then let out a soft scoff: "Fool."
If it were anyone else following him, this man would have died without even knowing how he was killed in the capital. And now they're trying to test him?
Tsk
Song Xingzhi fanned himself with a folding fan, carefully examining the notes left by Song Jin and Qi Zheng, trying to discern any clues.
But after examining it carefully from top to bottom and left to right, he only discerned three words—"uncultured."
A twisted, worm-like character, sometimes with an extra stroke and sometimes with a missing one; in just two short lines, half the text is misspelled.
A horizontal and vertical line, without any sharpness or edge, like a piece of wood, extremely bland and straightforward.
Song Xingzhi felt utterly distressed no matter how he looked at it, and in the end, he simply put it away carefully, pondering the only clue he had.
During their investigation over the past few days, they naturally discovered some suspects, but they were all insignificant individuals who were only paid to gather information and knew nothing else. They did find two suspected hideouts in the vicinity, but both were completely deserted, leaving only traces of their existence; nothing more.
Song Xingzhi looked somber.
This time, he finally found traces of the Liang family, but he couldn't catch them or make them pay the price. He felt incredibly resentful.
If the investigation continues, the Liang family is now prepared. By the time they find them, most of them will have already left. He can only pin his hopes on Song Jin and Qi Zheng, two unpredictable individuals.
One is a prince found by the common people, and the other is a country girl who is suspected to be his father's biological daughter. These two people, who seem to have no connection whatsoever, appear one after another, and both are highly skilled in martial arts.
Song Xingzhi's eyes darkened, hoping it wasn't another conspiracy against the new dynasty; only a little over a decade had passed since the Hoi An Rebellion.
Just then, an announcement came from outside: "Lord Song, there's a report from the post station; this is your letter."
Song Xingzhi quickly composed himself, turning around to once again adopt the demeanor of a refined gentleman. He lightly waved his folding fan, his smile warm: "Give it to me."
The man came over with the secret letter.
Song Xingzhi's memorial to the court had only been sent back two days ago, and even if things went smoothly there, it would still take a few more days. He assumed it was a letter from the prefectural city. However, as soon as he received the letter, before even opening it, he gasped in shock. His usual warm demeanor vanished, replaced by a bitter and resentful look as he stared at the red seal on the envelope.
The intricate patterns intertwine and eventually converge to form the character "Song".
**
While the government was in chaos and turmoil, the common people outside continued with their daily lives as usual.
At the beginning of summer, the strong sunlight shines on the earth, bringing with it waves of heat waves. Few men and women on the street wrap themselves up tightly. Most of them wear cool and light materials, with their arms and calves exposed and playing around outside. There are even some who are flamboyant and flaunting half-naked outside - although they usually get beaten.
In comparison, it's much cooler in the mountains.
The trees were tall and dense, connecting inch by inch, blocking out most of the sunlight and leaving only damp shade for the smaller trees and weeds below.
The deep forest was utterly silent, save for the occasional chirping of birds and cicadas. Suddenly, a tremor shook the area from afar, startling the birds into flight. They rose in flocks, watching in fear as the tremor approached.
Then, with a whoosh, the dense foliage split open from the middle, and a golden head shot out, landing steadily on the boulder, roaring towards the sky.
"Roar~"
The forest erupted in chaos once more; birds and wild animals alike scattered and hid.
Song Jin followed closely behind, leaping up from the bottom of the cliff and scaling the precipitous surface to reach the top. He patted Huang Huang, who was panting heavily on the ground, then found a tall tree, jumped up, and picked up his homemade, rudimentary telescope to observe the surroundings.
Deep in the mountains, there are only mountains and more mountains; turn your head and you see trees, turn your back and you see trees again, dense and thick, hiding everything completely, yet also exposing everything.
After searching over ten mountains, Song Jin finally discovered something different.
A narrow, sturdy path appeared amidst the deep greenery, leading to a valley. A stone path paved the way, and signs of human habitation drifted through the valley.
Needless to say, this was their goal for this trip.
Song Jin raised an eyebrow, jumped down from the tree, squatted next to Huang Huang, and tugged at its ear. It immediately meowed, lowered its head, and let out a weak growl.
Tiger was exhausted after that night.
Song Jin patted its head reassuringly and sat on the edge of the cliff to wait. A moment later, she heard footsteps beside her. She turned her head...
Qi Zheng stepped over the branches and leaves from the other side of the mountain. He was tall, but at this moment he was exceptionally agile, walking at a steady pace, his expression calm and his face showing no sign of fatigue.
But it's impossible not to be tired.
From last night until now, the two have been at it for nearly ten hours. Even with their profound inner strength, they are almost exhausted by now. This person is just too proud to admit defeat.
Song Jin didn't care about any of that. She lay half-reclined on the ground, her head resting on the fluffy yellow cat, and yawned: "It should be in that valley over there. I see the path."
Qi Zheng also said, "We encountered two guards; the defenses here are very tight."
After speaking, the two men locked eyes, their dark pupils shimmering. They silently observed each other, concealing their astonishment at each other's profound strength, and spoke in unison.
"Let me get some sleep first, I'm so sleepy."
"Rest for now, wait until dark."
If we just barge in now, they'll be walking into a trap; they'll have a death wish.
Having reached an agreement once again, Song Jin took out two packets of medicine powder from her bosom, tossed one to Qi Zheng, stuffed the other into her mouth, closed her eyes, and fell fast asleep on Huang Huang's back.
Qi Zheng caught the powder, glanced at her, and without saying anything, he turned and jumped up the tree, leaned against the trunk, carefully swallowed the precious powder, and gently closed his eyes.
This rest lasted until midnight.
"Phew~"
Song Jin woke up yawning, having had a good night's sleep. Half-asleep, she saw a firelight before her eyes, with golden-brown fat glistening on roasted chicken, and the aroma wafting towards her. Instantly, she snapped awake and quickly wiped her mouth.
"Are you done yet?"
Qi Zheng sat upright by the fire, sprinkling some kind of powder on it. Instantly, an even more overpowering aroma wafted over. He calmly said, "Just count to fifty."
Song Jin swallowed hard and actually started counting obediently. Each time she counted, Huang Huang next to her would shake its head in sync.
"one two three……"
Qi Zheng had only said it casually. He had already planned to take the roast chicken down, but then silently withdrew his hand. As Song Jin counted, he picked up a stick and first scooped out the wild chicken and bird eggs from the fire, then continued to wait.
"Forty-nine, fifty"
After counting, Song Jin sat cross-legged, her eyes shining as she watched Qi Zheng take down the golden-brown roast chicken, then use a dagger to cut it into two pieces.
Yellowy head nudged closer, its big eyes fixed on the person: "Mew~"
Qi Zheng paused, his hand holding the dagger stilled, and looked up at Song Jin with a questioning gaze.
"It can't eat this," Song Jin grabbed Huang Huang's head and pulled it back, grinning with her white teeth. "It'll get hungry and catch some itself. This isn't even enough to fill its teeth, don't waste it."
Qi Zheng understood; he could eat.
He then handed Song Jin's portion over, and under Huang Huang's watchful gaze, he cut off his own chicken leg and, under Song Jin's piercing gaze, held it to its mouth.
"Mmm~"
Huang Huang quickly took a bite, then pulled its head back, pawed at the ground with its two front legs, buried its head, and lay there slurping as it ate the scalding hot food.
Song Jin gritted her teeth: "...What a waste! What good is this little bit? We still need to explore the valley later, so we should make sure we're well-fed and watered."
Qi Zheng silently handed over his portion of chicken wings.
Song Jin shut up, sat cross-legged, and happily ate the meat, not caring at all that her mouth was covered in oil.
In comparison, Qi Zheng ate at a similar pace, but his movements were noticeably more refined. He wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, peeled an egg, and ate it. Finally, he picked up a wooden stick from the side.
Song Jin choked, "Cough cough you..."
Qi Zheng tore off the outer skin of the 'wooden stick' and looked at Song Jin with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong?"
Song Jin withdrew his hand, wiped his mouth with his sleeve to hide his surprise, and also reached for a 'stick'. Only then did he realize that it was clearly a yam, which he had roasted by the fire until it was soft and hot, like a sweet potato.
Too lazy to peel it, she started eating it right away, asking as she ate, "Where did you find it?"
Qi Zheng: "It was right down there. I happened to see it while I was cleaning up the pheasants."
Song Jin looked at him curiously. Now she truly believed that this man had been traveling the world for many years; otherwise, his barbecue skills wouldn't be so good. Who would carry a bunch of spices around unless they were someone who traveled frequently?
She retorted without hesitation, "Why didn't you get more? I'm not full."
Qi Zheng calmly replied, "We'll deal with it when I get back; there's still a snake."
Compared to pheasants, snakes are smaller, easier to roast, and more fragrant.
Hearing this, Song Jin felt relieved. She ate the yam stick in large bites, wiped her face with her sleeve, wiped her hands with her clothes, and finally patted her bottom and stood up, full of fighting spirit.
"Let's go and take them down."
Qi Zheng silently quickened his pace, finishing the yam in a few bites. He then used a clod of earth to extinguish the fire before slowly standing up. Looking at Song Jin, who was excitedly looking like she was about to cause trouble, he cautiously said, "Be careful."
Song Jin patted her chest, a confident smirk playing on her lips: "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. I'm very familiar with this kind of thing."
Qi Zheng: ...
Coincidentally, he was also very familiar with him.
The two people's eyes met
After a while, they looked away and ran towards the valley in unison.
If there's a grudge, settle it; if there isn't, cause trouble.
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