Chapter 49: 49. Matters Settled

Three days later.

Sunny.

During this period, all was safe and sound.

After the wave of Ghost servants attacked four days ago, things had become completely quiet.

At noon, Song Cheng returned from the top of the East City wall, passing through an area where the wounded were being settled, and saw Tong Niangzi checking on the injured one by one, accompanied by the original doctors in the county town.

Ying'er held her blade, following closely behind Tong Niangzi.

And every person who was treated thanked Tong Niangzi repeatedly.

Song Cheng leaned against an old tree, revealing a smile.

He was not particularly kind; he could be utilitarian and ruthless.

But being able to see Tong Niangzi doing good still made him quite happy.

Kindness has always been a precious quality.

Anyone would surely hope that the people around them are kind.

Just then, Song Cheng suddenly felt footsteps coming from afar, and those footsteps were heading toward him.

The youth turned his head and caught sight of a set of data.

【Strength: 24~40】

【Favorability: 90】

Looking again, it was a fat man wearing a soap-colored uniform with a very official air.

It was County Lieutenant Ouyang.

County Lieutenant Ouyang looked at him from afar, his hands already cupped in a salute beforehand.

Song Cheng understood clearly in his heart: that night, he had rushed to reinforce the North City; the County Lieutenant hadn't recognized him at the time, but the County Lieutenant must have found out over these past few days.

Consequently, the youth also cupped his hands and walked over to meet him.

The two drew close.

County Lieutenant Ouyang performed a salute and sighed repeatedly, saying, "Heroes emerge from the youth; amazing, truly amazing!"

Song Cheng said politely, "I am not even half as good as County Lieutenant Ouyang."

County Lieutenant Ouyang was taken aback.

The two looked at each other in dismay.

Immediately, they both burst into loud laughter together.

County Lieutenant Ouyang smacked his lips and said, "When I saw Brother Song that day, why didn't I realize that Brother Song was such a wonderful person?"

Song Cheng had joined with An Chenyu and had money in his pocket, so he dared to spend money to treat others; he smiled at this moment: "How about we drink two jars together?"

"Jars?" County Lieutenant Ouyang was excited; he had long been tired of hearing the wealthy gentry say phrases like "drink two cups."

Song Cheng affirmed, "Jars."

"Good! There has been no rain recently, and it is daytime now, so there should be nothing to do! It is just the right time to drink a large cup with Brother Song." County Lieutenant Ouyang said with a smile.

Afterward, the two went up to a tavern in the county together.

The taverns in the sealed city were actually in a semi-closed state; usually, the doors were kept shut, and buying and selling were done by "preparing cooked food and passing it through a window."

But the tavern's door would not be closed to County Lieutenant Ouyang.

As County Lieutenant Ouyang stood before the door, the tightly shut door opened magically.

The two were invited into a private room.

The cook went to the kitchen, and the waiter brought the wine.

Yet compared to County Lieutenant Ouyang, the cook, the manager, and the waiter all had their gazes lean more toward the youth.

Who was the person of the hour during this period?

No one could compare to the son-in-law of the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce's An Family.

The old woman who had originally received the bedsheet with the blood of the wedding night and had a gloomy expression was so shocked she didn't know what to say;

Stewards and the like who thought Song Cheng was just a puppet found it hard to believe. As for the people on the streets, they all had their own thoughts, the most common being the story of "the beauty and the hero."

The hero, for the sake of the beauty, was willing to become a son-in-law.

The beauty, for the sake of the hero, hastily held a wedding banquet when the Ghost Tide besieged the city.

As for Tong Niangzi, the rumors were even more outrageous; some said Tong Niangzi was the long-lost younger sister of President An, and others made up melodramatic plots. People discussed these without malice; on the contrary, it was out of affection.

Song Cheng defended the city and turned the tide in that night's wind and rain; Tong Niangzi rushed about, saving people with her medical skills; Young Miss An both defended the city and gave away grain. Thus, who wouldn't like these three?

Song Cheng was happy to see all this. "Hide six, reveal four"; the four that were revealed were naturally to gain status and position, and reputation was one part of that.

The events of the "Extreme Bliss World" had already made him fully understand that "living in seclusion in the mountains is not sustainable."

Since that was the case, then he would live in great seclusion within the city.

In the private room, the wine jars were soon placed on the table.

The two said nothing, each filling their own wine, one cup after another, downing three cups in a row.

Regarding drinking, if one used Qi to force it out, one could force out the alcohol, but one could still get drunk without forcing it.

After the two finished three cups, both felt a bit relaxed.

The County Lieutenant said, "Brother Song, my surname is Ouyang, given name Fei. I am a few years older than you, so I will take the liberty of calling myself your elder brother, is that alright?"

Song Cheng looked at the fat County Lieutenant, who was at least ten years older than him, and smiled: "Naturally, Brother Ouyang."

Ouyang Fei said, "Although this year's Ghost Tide is fierce and large in scale, it will retreat sooner or later. I wonder what plans Brother Song has after it retreats?"

Song Cheng said, "I am a son-in-law of the An Family, so I plan to just hang around the An Family."

Ouyang Fei curled his lips and smiled: "A hero has a hard time passing the beauty's trial."

Song Cheng filled his cup and also smiled: "Isn't that so?"

The two laughed, then finished their drinks.

The waiter knocked on the door, brought in hot dishes, and then left again.

The two drank and chatted, and in the blink of an eye, a jar of strong liquor had gone down their throats.

Ouyang Fei immediately clapped open a second jar, poured for Song Cheng again, and then said in a tone that seemed incomparably casual: "I am an Internal Affairs Disciple of White Camel Manor. What about you, Brother Song?"

Song Cheng said: "If I had no background, would Brother Ouyang not acknowledge me as a brother anymore?"

Ouyang Fei was stunned, then, emboldened by the liquor, he slammed the table and roared: "Bullshit! Is that even human? Not to mention anything else, Brother Song, you truly saved my life that night.

I, Ouyang Fei, am at least someone who gets by in the pugilistic world; I will not forget the grace of having my life saved."

Having said that, he whispered: "I meant, if Brother Song has no influence, why not let me recommend you to White Camel Manor? With Brother Song's aptitude, you would surely be spotted by the sect elders or even the Manor Master and taken in as a disciple.

I have inquired; Brother Song's Bai She Jin is treacherous, and the Ruyi Chamber of Commerce's Fuliu Jin Jin Jin is agile; this follows the same path as the martial arts of our White Camel Manor.

For Brother Song to come and learn our manor's cultivation methods would be a completely seamless transition; there would be no problems at all.

And as for me, on one hand, I covet the merit of recommending a talent, on the other hand, it can be considered repaying Brother Song's life-saving grace, and there is another aspect..."

Ouyang Fei suddenly fell silent, his eyes narrowing, as if he were being cautious to the extreme and thus weighing his words.

The two downed another cup.

Ouyang Fei then slowly said: "Ten thousand taels."

Song Cheng did not even look at Ouyang Fei, simply picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks and naturally putting it into his mouth.

Ouyang Fei raised his eyebrows and then stated firmly: "It is a misunderstanding."

Having said that, he leaned back and said carelessly: "Five thousand taels is also saved; after all, that was Shi Yi's business. Shi Yi is dead, so how could it still involve Brother Song's Ruyi Chamber of Commerce? Honestly, the County Magistrate and I are not in a rush to use money, and we don't want to extort money from a brother.

How about we trade for a bit of goodwill instead?"

Song Cheng filled the other's cup and said: "Good."

He felt a slight sense of emotion in his heart.

Sure enough, if you hide and tuck things away too much, others will bully you.

If you reveal even a little bit of strength, you will be looked up to, and many things that were originally considered troublesome will be easily resolved.

It is like climbing a building; many things that cannot be solved at the bottom and require carving out a bloody path become nothing at all once you climb a level higher. Not only are they not, but there will even be people who come to help you solve them, making trouble no longer trouble.

Originally, he had been thinking about waiting two days to add points before going to talk to the County Magistrate, but who would have thought there would be no need to talk at all.

He has strength, has potential, and has offered goodwill; the other party is returning the favor.

Seeing Song Cheng so decisive, Ouyang Fei was stunned for a moment, then immediately overjoyed, laughing: "Good, good, good! Good, good, good!"

After saying the word "good" six times, Ouyang Fei suddenly stood up and said: "Come, Brother Song, let's change places to drink."

Song Cheng smiled and said: "I'll listen to Brother Ouyang."

Ouyang Fei leaned in, his fat face smiling, and said: "The main thing is to bring someone else along."

As he spoke, he clicked his tongue, raised his head, and said: "Let's go to the County Magistrate's residence and bring the County Magistrate along to drink."

(End of chapter)