Chapter 49

Chapter 48: The Rich Kid Meets a Bully

The treasure of the Great Achievement Workshop in Jinling was easy to find and unlike other treasures that were never unearthed, the treasure of the Great Achievement Workshop was very likely to be discovered by the characters in the story. To avoid being preempted by others, Song Qingshu decided to head to Jinling immediately. Thus, he had subconsciously lured Mu Wanqing to Jiangnan as well, and there was a good chance they would meet again soon.

"Cool breezes carry messages, the autumn moon stretches boundless, how I yearn for my beloved, each day feels like a year..." Song Qingshu thought of Zhou Botong and Qiu Qianren's fight, which had spanned thousands of miles. Now that his lightness skill was initially mastered, he was inspired and decided to travel from Huashan to Jinling, a distance of thousands of miles, entirely on foot, without riding a horse or taking a carriage.

At the beginning, he used the lightness skill that left no trace on the sand, but after running for dozens of miles, he was exhausted. He was shocked, knowing that his internal energy was already quite substantial and enduring. If he used ordinary lightness skills to travel, although it wouldn't be as fast, he could easily cover a hundred or eighty miles. However, using the skill that left no trace on the sand, he couldn't last long. It seemed that Wei Yixiao was also only good at short-distance sprints.

After running for a few days, Song Qingshu suddenly had an epiphany and began to focus on the efficiency of his internal energy usage. With his deliberate design, he managed to extend the limit of a single sprint to over a hundred miles.

Song Qingshu continued to improve, and after running a segment with the skill that left no trace on the sand, he would spend about an hour using ordinary lightness skills to rest and regulate his internal energy. Once he felt better, he would continue using the skill that left no trace on the sand. This way, the distance he could persist in grew longer and longer.

After several days of pushing his lightness skills to the limit, Song Qingshu's internal energy had significantly improved, even faster than his usual practice. He felt the true energy surging within him, realizing that he had reached his limit. Once he solved the problem of coexistence between the Shenzhao True Energy and the Nine Yin True Energy, his internal energy would be inexhaustible.

After about five or six days, the wind-dusted Song Qingshu finally arrived at the foot of Jinling City. He sighed inwardly, "Two thousand miles, it took me five or six days, much slower than the trains in my previous life." He didn't realize how astonishing his speed was in this world. The fastest information dissemination method in this world was the land post, which, with the full power of a nation, had postmen riding the best horses, ringing bells during the day and holding torches at night, with no responsibility for any casualties, changing horses at every station and people at several stations, traveling day and night in all weather. The fastest information, known as "ten thousand urgent messages," could only travel five hundred miles a day. Song Qingshu, using just his legs, could travel nearly four hundred miles a day...

"If I can harmonize the yin and yang of my true energy and maintain the maximum speed of the skill that leaves no trace on the sand, it might not be much slower than the planes in my previous life." Song Qingshu walked into the city with tired legs, calculating in his mind, getting more and more excited the more he thought about it, "Everything is good in this ancient era, except for the slow travel speed. Horse carriages are so slow they can make you want to vomit."

He stayed at an inn in the city and casually asked the waiter about the location of the Great Achievement Workshop. After a hearty meal and a wash, he waited until the night was deep and quiet. Chapter 48: The Rich Kid Meets a Bully

At that time, Song Qingshu quietly slipped out of the inn, choosing to walk through secluded and dark places, and soon arrived at the Great Achievement Workshop.

"Strange, why is it abandoned?" A sense of foreboding rose in Song Qingshu's heart. He quickly jumped into the courtyard and headed towards the shed where the treasure was supposed to be.

After a bit of searching, he found the entrance to the underground chamber among the woodpile, pulled open the wooden board, and filled his body with energy, ready to jump in.

With the help of a flint, Song Qingshu discovered that the entire room was empty. He thought there might be a hidden room, so he searched everywhere. Finding that the walls were solid, he sat on the ground in disappointment. Finally, he noticed many marks on the floor, clearly left by heavy wooden boxes that had been placed there for a long time.

"Who moved this treasure?" Song Qingshu finally gave up, full of doubt, and returned to the inn.

The next day, he went to the inn's hall and ordered a few dishes, listening carefully to the conversations around him. The inn was a place where all kinds of people mixed, and it was one of the fastest places for information to spread. He might hear something useful from the guests' conversations.

Sure enough, not long after, he overheard a group of people talking.

"I heard that recently, Yuan Chengzhi's Golden Snake Camp has become very powerful in Shandong, even the Qing Emperor can't do anything about him."

"Yuan Daxia really brings glory to the Han people. Now that the land north of the Yangtze River has fallen to the Qing, it's rare to have such a righteous army fighting against them."

"Didn't the Qing Empire just send envoys to ally with our Song? Will Yuan Chengzhi's actions affect the relationship between the two countries?"

"Yuan Chengzhi is a remnant of the Ming Dynasty, not a citizen of our Song. How could his actions affect the diplomatic relations between the two countries? Speaking of this alliance, I'm angry. The Qing and the Jin are of the same origin, and the Jin have a deep-seated grudge against our Song. I can't understand why the Emperor would ally with the Qing."

"Brother, you don't understand. Now that the Mongols are so powerful, they have the potential to conquer the world. We are fighting them fiercely in Sichuan and Xiangyang. The Qing have also been in a long-term war with the Mongols. The enemy of our enemy is our friend, so the Emperor naturally wants to seize this opportunity to ally and fight the Mongols together."

"Hmph, I still feel uncomfortable. I wonder when the Han people will be able to reclaim their former territory. The current Emperor is only focused on defending the city, but I think Yuan Chengzhi has the qualities of a wise ruler. The hope of the Han people might rest on him."

"Shh! What you're saying is a capital offense..." The speaker deliberately lowered his voice and then asked curiously, "Why do you think so?"

"Yuan Chengzhi has led the Golden Snake Camp to repel the Qing army's encirclement several times, showing his strategic prowess. His reputation in the martial arts world in Shandong is probably the highest, showing his charisma. Last time, he cleverly obtained the treasure from the Great Achievement Workshop, which made the Jinling Prefect furious. Ha ha..."

Hearing this, Song Qingshu felt a chill: The treasure from the Great Achievement Workshop had been taken by Yuan Chengzhi! It made sense, given the huge military expenses of the Golden Snake Camp and the rapid rise of its influence in Shandong, it would be impossible without the treasure...

Song Qingshu felt extremely disappointed and lost interest in listening further. He threw a few silver pieces and walked out of the inn, feeling bored.

"Am I destined not to be the main character in this world?" Song Qingshu wandered aimlessly on the street, thinking that his plans were constantly thwarted. If he couldn't get this treasure, he might not be able to obtain other treasures for various bizarre reasons, which made him even more depressed...

"Move, move!" Accompanied by the sound of jingling bells, two horses galloped past him.

Under normal circumstances, Song Qingshu might have stopped to tease the people riding in the busy market, but he was in a low mood and had no interest in being a hero. He moved his feet and narrowly avoided the two galloping horses.

Unfortunately, the person in front of him wasn't so lucky. "Hey, who the hell is running into me?" Hearing this arrogant voice, Song Qingshu thought, "A rich kid meets a bully, this should be interesting," and looked up with interest. Chapter 49: The Thickest Thigh in Jinshu

A young man and a young woman were riding a white and a yellow horse. The young man was handsome, and the young woman was beautiful. The young man wore a yellow robe, tall and slender, while the young woman was slightly dark and graceful, with a white robe fluttering in the wind.

"What a perfect pair!" Song Qingshu praised inwardly, but he was somewhat displeased by their reckless riding in the street. He noticed their serious expressions and followed their gaze curiously.

It turned out that the person they had collided with was also a young man, but he had a long braid and wore Qing official attire. Judging by the entourage around him, he was likely a high-ranking official of the Qing.

"Damn it, catch them!" The young man, though not actually hit, was quite frightened and turned around to punish the culprit.

"Wait!" The young man turned around and saw a lively young woman on the horse, feeling delighted: "To be hugged by this woman's legs, I would die happy."

Deciding on this, the young man suddenly changed his tone and slapped his guards: "If there had really been an assassin, wouldn't I have kicked the bucket and gone to see the old man in the underworld? I owe my life to this young lady's timely warning, which made you fools more alert."

"Lord Wei's lesson is well taken..." The guards around the young man bowed and apologized.

"Wei Xiaobao?" Song Qingshu looked at him with a strange expression. So young and in a high position in the Qing, who else could it be? He thought this must be the Qing envoy mentioned by the guests in the inn.

After scolding his subordinates, Wei Xiaobao turned to the young woman with a smile: "Young lady, to thank you for saving my life, I would like to invite you and your companion to a feast at the tavern ahead."

The young woman's expression was complex. She had clearly collided with him... Seeing his sincere words, she almost felt as if she had really saved his life.

The man beside her saw Wei Xiaobao's eyes fixed on his cousin and felt a surge of anger.

Earlier, he had been worried about the consequences of the incident, given the other party's high status. But seeing that he didn't pursue the matter and instead had designs on his cousin, he coldly refused: "No need."

Wei Xiaobao's face still wore a smile, but he was already cursing inwardly: "I hate men who are as handsome as me. This pretty boy is flirting with the young lady, probably already in a relationship. I might have to use some extraordinary means..."

Hearing his companion's words, the young woman also scolded: "We, the Bell and Sword Duo, hate lecherous men like you, especially Qing officials. If it weren't for the fear of breaking the alliance between Song and your country, we would have punished you today."

"Shuisheng and Wang Xiaofeng?" Hearing her name, Song Qingshu remembered their identities. It seemed that due to his trip to Jingzhou, they had not yet encountered... Chapter 49: The Thickest Thigh in Jinshu

A young man and a young woman were riding a white and a yellow horse. The young man was handsome, and the young woman was beautiful. The young man wore a yellow robe, tall and slender, while the young woman was slightly dark and graceful, with a white robe fluttering in the wind.

"What a perfect pair!" Song Qingshu praised inwardly, but he was somewhat displeased by their reckless riding in the street. He noticed their serious expressions and followed their gaze curiously.

It turned out that the person they had collided with was also a young man, but he had a long braid and wore Qing official attire. Judging by the entourage around him, he was likely a high-ranking official of the Qing.

"Damn it, catch them!" The young man, though not actually hit, was quite frightened and turned around to punish the culprit.

"Wait!" The young man turned around and saw a lively young woman on the horse, feeling delighted: "To be hugged by this woman's legs, I would die happy."

Deciding on this, the young man suddenly changed his tone and slapped his guards: "If there had really been an assassin, wouldn't I have kicked the bucket and gone to see the old man in the underworld? I owe my life to this young lady's timely warning, which made you fools more alert."

"Lord Wei's lesson is well taken..." The guards around the young man bowed and apologized.

"Wei Xiaobao?" Song Qingshu looked at him with a strange expression. So young and in a high position in the Qing, who else could it be? He thought this must be the Qing envoy mentioned by the guests in the inn.

After scolding his subordinates, Wei Xiaobao turned to the young woman with a smile: "Young lady, to thank you for saving my life, I would like to invite you and your companion to a feast at the tavern ahead."

The young woman's expression was complex. She had clearly collided with him... Seeing his sincere words, she almost felt as if she had really saved his life.

The man beside her saw Wei Xiaobao's eyes fixed on his cousin and felt a surge of anger.

Earlier, he had been worried about the consequences of the incident, given the other party's high status. But seeing that he didn't pursue the matter and instead had designs on his cousin, he coldly refused: "No need."

Wei Xiaobao's face still wore a smile, but he was already cursing inwardly: "I hate men who are as handsome as me. This pretty boy is flirting with the young lady, probably already in a relationship. I might have to use some extraordinary means..."

Hearing his companion's words, the young woman also scolded: "We, the Bell and Sword Duo, hate lecherous men like you, especially Qing officials. If it weren't for the fear of breaking the alliance between Song and your country, we would have punished you today."

"Shuisheng and Wang Xiaofeng?" Hearing her name, Song Qingshu remembered their identities. It seemed that due to his trip to Jingzhou, they had not yet encountered... Chapter 49: The Thickest Thigh in Jinshu

A young man and a young woman were riding a white and a yellow horse. The young