Chapter 182 - 180: Setting Out for the North (Part 2)
"This one, this knight, please save my daughter and me..." The woman, in panic, couldn’t think of much else and desperately sought help from Song Changming.
She knew very well that without someone’s help, she and her daughter would surely be found by their pursuers, with no chance of escape.
Beside them, Dahuang and White approached, sniffing the scent from the mother and daughter to gather information.
This scene frightened the woman’s face pale, her whole body trembling, yet she still protected her daughter in her arms, fearing that Dahuang might suddenly turn vicious.
"Big dog..." Instead, the little girl, who had been tearful, stopped crying upon seeing Dahuang and looked up repeatedly.
In close comparison, the little girl was not even as tall as one of the big dog’s front legs.
To her, the big dog was definitely a giant, yet she surprisingly did not fear such a giant.
Even when Dahuang’s nose came close to her face, she quietly watched and even reached out to grab Dahuang’s nose.
Song Changming witnessed this scene with some surprise and couldn’t help but ask.
"Who are you? What’s your background?"
"I... He Lian’Er, a member of the He Family from Taiqing County, encountered bandits on the road and have nowhere to turn. I beg you, young sir, save us..." He Lian’Er, upon seeing Song Changming’s youthful appearance, pleaded mournfully.
Upon hearing this, Song Changming frowned, his expression becoming a bit colder, and said, "I can understand why madam would not speak the truth. After all, we are strangers, and if I later encounter these bandits and they question me, I will pretend I have never seen you, so hurry along now."
With these words, Song Ping’an understood and prepared to drive the carriage away.
"W-wait, I truly am from the He Family in Taiqing County, only I truly do not know why those people pursue us...
If, if the young sir still has doubts, please take my daughter back to the He Family, and the He Family will certainly not let you go unrewarded." He Lian’Er, holding her daughter, urged desperately.
If she must die, she did not want her daughter to meet a tragic end as well.
Song Changming looked at the little girl again, stayed silent for a moment, then said, "Madam, get on the carriage."
He Lian’Er was overjoyed, repeatedly expressing her thanks, and boarded the carriage with her daughter.
The carriage continued forward, bypassing a high slope, and returned to the official road, heading towards Taiqing County City.
"Has madam always lived in Taiqing County City?" Song Changming asked.
"Yes, today I took my daughter out for an outing, but almost met our end here, thanks to the young sir’s help..." He Lian’Er recounted, still shaken.
She now had the mind to speculate on the true intention behind the attackers.
"Perhaps they intended to kidnap us to extort money from the He Family, or were sent by other local powers at odds with the He Family..."
As they conversed, Song Changming was also observing her, confirming she did not seem to be lying.
The young woman truly did not know the real intent behind the attack on her convoy.
"Since we’re going the same way, I will escort you back to the He Family," Song Changming said.
"Thank you, young sir! My gratitude is beyond words!" He Lian’Er bowed, with neither the arrogance nor the airs of a great family, willing to humble herself to express gratitude.
"It’s nothing. Has madam heard of the Changming Association in the city?" Song Changming asked again.
"Changming Association? I’ve vaguely heard of it, seems there was a conflict with the Sanhe Gang in the city recently, and several members were reportedly arrested by soldiers." He Lian’Er recalled.
He had heard a bit about this, but had not specifically looked into the details.
Upon hearing this, Song Changming’s brow furrowed, sighing inwardly that he seemed to have arrived a step too late.
"The government..." Song Changming pondered to himself.
The so-called government was under the Second Prince’s control, no longer related to the current Imperial Court.
Song Changming certainly had no favorable opinion of this Second Prince.
If Liang Zhao Long had been captured by that government, he wouldn’t hesitate to break into the government prison.
Concerned about whether he’d be wanted by the Second Prince, he didn’t care about that problem.
Their enmity had existed for three years.
He had long known the way to resolve this enmity and did not intend to change it at all.
Later, Song Changming obtained more news about the Second Prince and the Northern States from the young woman of the He Family.
While they conversed, suddenly the sound of urgent hoofbeats came from behind.
"Brother Song, they’re coming!" From outside the carriage, where Song Ping’an was working as the coachman, he glanced back and called out.
"Hmm." Inside the carriage, Song Changming didn’t look; just by listening, he could confirm the group chasing the mother and daughter was approaching.
Since he decided to let them onto the carriage, he was prepared to take action.
He indeed disliked unnecessary trouble, but was not indifferent to the point of being heartless.
After practicing martial arts for over a decade, beyond just self-preservation, he also wanted fewer moments of helplessness and more freedom in his long journey.
He acted according to his heart; no one could stop him from doing what he wanted, nor force him to do what he didn’t want.
His compassion for the little girl drove him to help, and with his current abilities, there was no need to be overly cautious.
The chilling aura of aggression swept in, as the pursuers locked their gaze on the solitary carriage.
Dahuang immediately bared its teeth, sensing the bloodthirsty aura and unmistakable malice emanating from them.
As soon as Song Changming gives the order, they’ll be seen as enemies, and it will leap forward without hesitation.
"That was the carriage we just saw; it shouldn’t have anything to do with the He Family," someone muttered, looking at the two big dogs with all sorts of apprehensions in their heart.
"Stop it! Search it!" The leader, however, ignored these concerns and gave the order.
The team quickly surrounded the carriage and blocked it.
"Stop right there!"
"What are you doing!" Song Ping’an rose with a knife, coldly questioning.
"Get the people inside the carriage out!" The leader ignored Song Ping’an, raising a hand to give the order.
Immediately, someone jumped off the horse, holding a longsword, ready to forcefully break the carriage open.
"How dare you!" Such arrogance immediately angered Song Ping’an.
Song Ping’an also leapt up and slashed down with his knife.
At the first clash, the opponent’s expression changed dramatically, as Song Ping’an’s power from the knife flipped them mid-air and sent them crashing to the ground.
The opponent, with only a Fourth Realm Body Refining Cultivation, stood no chance against Song Ping’an’s Sixth Realm power coupled with the Dragon Body.
At the sight of this, several more individuals from the pursuing group rushed forward.
And this time.
"Dahuang, White."
From inside the carriage, Song Changming spoke softly, as if unlocking a seal.
Woof!
Dahuang had long been impatient and jumped straight into the fray.
It charged into the pursuers, shifting their internal organs, breaking bones, causing them to vomit blood repeatedly.
Lifting claws to bite, even able to swing its tail like a metal rod, though the pursuers were formidable, none could withstand the onslaught of the two big dogs.
Soon, the ground was covered with seriously injured people.
Including the leader, who despite having the strongest Seventh Realm power among them, was also unable to withstand several attacks from Dahuang and fell to the ground covered in claw marks.
These two dogs, even facing Extreme Realm Martial Artists, would not be at a disadvantage, let alone this group of martial artists!
This is why Song Changming was at ease to leave the battlefield to Song Ping’an and the two dogs.
Dealing with these people did not require him to personally intervene.
Walking down from the carriage, he assessed them closely and didn’t even need to interrogate further; Song Changming had already discerned a few clues.
"You’re sent by the government," Song Changming spoke with certainty rather than inquiry.
Their expressions and behaviors, and many subtle characteristics, were all captured by his exceptional insight.
They were definitely not ordinary Jianghu people, more like those with an Official Position.
"Since you know who we are, why not let us go! Are you waiting to face serious charges?" said the leader, sneering and dropping the pretense, directly threatening Song Changming.
"It seems you haven’t recognized the situation yet?" Song Changming raised an eyebrow and stomped, breaking the man’s right arm.
Gritting his teeth, the man endured it with toughness, not letting out a single scream.
Song Changming then looked at the others; not all were tough, quickly confirming his suspicions were correct.
This group was indeed sent by the government.
Orders from the officials around the Second Prince; another round of coercive recruitments had begun.
But this time, besides exploiting the common people, local magnates also had to contribute money and effort.
And those aristocratic families unwilling to cooperate immediately faced official retaliation, forcing them to contribute.
The method to deal with the He Family was to kidnap this mother-daughter duo and other important family members, forcing the He Family to comply.
Of course, these actions would be conducted under the guise of Jianghu Gangs, with the government merely as the hidden manipulator.
However, they did not expect Song Changming to intervene, causing their plans to fail mid-way.
Just like years ago when the Second Prince tried to seize Donglai Prefecture, only to have his plans disrupted by Song Changming.
Now, it was the same.
One can’t help but say that Song Changming and the Second Prince seem fated to clash, destined to not get along.
And from these government officials’ statements, Song Changming unexpectedly learned that the Changming Association was also on the government’s list of forces to exploit.
Thus, the recent crises faced by the Changming Association were also orchestrated by the government.
No matter how well the Changming Association develops, how could it contend with the governmental power under the Second Prince’s command?
Therefore, division and downfall seemed an inevitable outcome.
However, now that Song Changming had arrived, everything was subject to change once again.
...