Chapter 32: 32 Tracking

After confirming that he wanted to secure the Young Miss, Song Cheng began to ponder.

The terror is like the sea, the great tide is coming; if one cannot climb onto a boat at this time, when the water rises, could one really count on "Yun E to save me"? The Ruyi Chamber of Commerce is that boat.

The Young Miss is the rudder.

Song Cheng had some favorable impressions of the Young Miss, and he also felt that the Young Miss should be a capable, good woman, but these favorable impressions absolutely did not reach the point of discussing marriage.

But feelings can be cultivated later; right now, he must begin to "grasp the rudder."

This is driven by self-interest.

In the darkness, the youth's eyes narrowed into two cold, sharp blades.

Suddenly, raindrops fell onto the oil-paper window.

It was raining.

At the beginning of spring, it was naturally a spring rain.

The rustling sound was like a lullaby that made people feel at peace.

Song Cheng carefully tucked the quilt in for Tong Xiaoniangzi and shifted to the side.

"Going out again?" Tong Xiaoniangzi was not asleep.

Song Cheng smiled and replied, "Yes."

"Be careful."

"Yes."

In the deep darkness, the Soul emerged from the youth's body and quickly left the room.

Tonight, light rain, gentle wind, back in one hour.

Over the past few days, he had already finished exploring the entire county.

The North District and East District were nothing special.

The area with the highest combat power in Shanghe County was the South District.

And the strongest person in the South District, the master of the Water Bird Martial Arts Hall, had already been defeated by him.

Therefore, his task today was no longer to patrol the entire county, but to be a shameless villain for once and patrol Ling'er's boudoir.

The Soul, like a ghost, traveled through the rain, unseen by anyone.

Arriving at Ling'er's boudoir.

He took a look.

The room was dark, and there was no data.

'The Young Miss only left the county today, and Ling'er isn't staying in her room in the middle of the night?'

Song Cheng turned, followed the wind out of the residence, and once outside, the Soul's form moved, floating up like wind entering the vast sky.

As for the Soul, it is a ghost... a ghost, wanting to ascend to the sky, of course it can.

As long as it isn't a windy day and it doesn't get blown too far away to return, it's fine.

After ascending, Song Cheng steadied his form and quickly scanned the surroundings.

There was almost no one walking on the road on a rainy night, so if Ling'er was still on the way, he would be able to see her.

Time passed quickly.

Song Cheng's luck was not particularly good; after the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn, he had not found Ling'er and had to start heading back.

He had gone nearly to the city gate, and even left the city to wander a bit in the wilderness east of the city, so the distance home was not short.

Just as he turned, he suddenly felt something in his heart and abruptly turned his head, only to see that a broken, strange wooden sign had appeared by the edge of the woods, like the kind of wooden sign merchants hold up while shouting.

The wooden sign was cracked, empty of any words, just stuck obliquely into the mud.

'It seems... I didn't see it just now? Or did I miss it?' Song Cheng stared at the wooden sign and looked into the distance; the east of the city led to Tanghe Village, and the distance between the two was not far... however, pondering was only a matter of a few thoughts.

Immediately, Song Cheng stopped dwelling on it, tightened his form, and left quickly.

The next day, morning.

The sky cleared.

Tong Xiaoniangzi was practicing with a blade in the courtyard.

In recent days, she truly had enough resources, and high-quality Demon Beast Meat at that; her blood energy was very vigorous, and coupled with Song Cheng's careful guidance, saying her progress was a thousand miles a day would not be an exaggeration.

She practiced for a while, and when she was resting, Song Cheng went out.

"Brother Song, good morning. You're under so much pressure, yet you're still out for a walk?"

"Brother Wang, good morning. I just needed some enlightenment, so I'm walking around."

"Brother Song, morning."

"Morning."

Greeting people with a smile along the way, Song Cheng arrived in front of the Young Miss's residence, raised his hand to knock on the door, but looked down and saw some mud on the stone steps at the corner of the wall not far from the door.

The Chamber of Commerce courtyard also had soil, but it was mostly tamped down, so even walking on a rainy day, one wouldn't get covered in mud.

As for the area around the Young Miss's residence, it was paved with stone bricks and had no mud at all.

He narrowed his eyes, looked left and right, saw no one, and quickly squatted down, picked at the mud with his finger, pinched it, and smelled it.

It smelled of chicken droppings.

Very faint.

An ordinary person wouldn't be able to smell it. But for someone who had once been blind and had stayed in a village where one frequently saw chicken and duck droppings, this scent was very clear.

Song Cheng brushed off his hands, and a "three-dimensional map" seemed to appear in the void before his eyes.

These days, he had not only been carefully observing the strength of the strongest people in Shanghe County, but had also taken the opportunity to look at the terrain.

The layout of the alleys, the core industries, etc... he remembered them all.

In the county, the only three places where one might still keep chickens were: Zaozi Lane, Wengshizi, and Mai Family Lane.

So, did Ling'er go to one of these three places yesterday?

Just as he was thinking this, a sneezing sound suddenly came from inside the door.

Ling'er, wearing pretty clothes, stepped out of the room in her little boots.

"Morning, Miss Ling'er," Song Cheng said with a smile, "The spring chill is here, and the wind is sharp at night. I'll have my wife prepare a dose of Secret Ginger Tea for you; it's guaranteed to be effective."

Ling'er was wearing a pink, fur-lined jacket, her delicate figure exquisite and her eyes like stars; as the Young Miss's personal maid, she was the perfect foil.

Seeing Song Cheng, she seemed to have not yet finished managing her expression, subconsciously revealing a faint trace of disdain, then immediately coughed to clear her throat, taking that disdain back, and said: "If you aren't cultivating properly, you're slacking off again!"

Song Cheng laughed: "I want to get a blade from the Weapon Repository; different blade shapes require different training."

Ling'er said: "Yo, you haven't even mastered anything yet and you're asking for this and that. Aren't those on the weapon rack enough for you to practice with?"

Song Cheng said easily: "Alright then, I'll go look for another one."

"Suit yourself!"

Ling'er's attitude was not very good, and her favorability also changed from 50 to 45.

She gave a delicate huff, twisted her hips, which were cinched tight by her pink skirt, and walked away into the distance.

Song Cheng swept a glance at her back.

Last night, did she go to see a lover?

He went to the several weapon racks of the merchant association and searched through them one by one.

The extra enhancements brought by the weapons flashed by one after another.

But they were either 1 or 2, not even as good as his previous Fine Blade.

In the end, he still did not find a suitable weapon.

Night fell and a light rain arrived again.

The youth carried his blade and sat cross-legged under the eaves.

He glanced at his panel, then without hesitation added the remaining "37 points" entirely to "Jue Jin Jin Jin".

Instantly, the progress of "Jue Jin Jin Jin" leaped from "Not Yet Initiated (0/4)" to "Great Accomplishment (9/32)".

His strength also changed from "39~78" to "41~80".

A mysterious feeling surged forth.

After the "Pu Jin" evolved from the White Snake Blade and the "Comfort Force" brought by the Willow-Returning Force, the arrival of this "Jue Jin Jin Jin" was just right.

Pu, Comfort, Jue Jin Jin; it seemed they were originally three stages of one power.

Pu, swift and fast.

Comfort, shaking, springing, and pulling force.

Jue Jin Jin, however, was like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting; it was an instantaneous explosion, cold, crisp, sharp, and rigid, snapping things apart inch by inch.

After the strike, the great tendons were like a bow, the force like a piercing arrow. But when the arrow reached its target, it would suddenly shudder. This shudder would bring about a terrifying, shattering force.

The blade style had not changed; it was still White Snake Swallows Sparrow. It seemed it required Completion to elevate the blade style along with it.

Song Cheng stood up abruptly, went into the room, and said to Tong Niangzi: "I'm going out for a bit."

Tong Jia did not ask, only saying softly: "Master of the house, be careful."

Song Cheng nodded, then without opening an umbrella, he stepped out of the courtyard gate and quickly hid in the bushes near the Young Miss's residence, then quietly waited for movement from the residence.

His Soul could not stay outside for long and could not remain outside the door for an extended period, so he had to keep watch himself.

But perhaps Ling'er wouldn't go out today. It's fine, just keep waiting.

With the Young Miss away, Ling'er would have to go out sooner or later, if not today, then tomorrow.

He closed his eyes, squatting in the spring rain, his black hair damp and hanging down.

The world in an instant was like ink wash.

Drops of rain hit the ground, turning into countless sound sources, expanding into ripples, striking the surfaces of all things, outlining their shapes, and weaving into a world of plain white lines.

At midnight, the door creaked with a soft sound.

Ling'er carefully poked her head out, looked left and right, then opened her umbrella, carried a crimson gauze lantern, and hurried into the rain curtain.

Her breathing was a bit fast, and her heartbeat was fast too.

A rainy night, darkness; anyone walking here without a lantern would be no different from a blind person, but if they carried a lantern, they would be conspicuous.

Song Cheng walked in the darkness, following Ling'er from afar.

He had once been a blind person.

Whether carrying a lantern or not, it didn't matter at all.

(End of this chapter)