The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 10: How can one be called an adventurer without taking risks?

Tang Qi continued to sing the simple melody.

His lute hadn't been repaired yet, so all that could be heard was dry vocals.

Fortunately, her voice is good and pleasant to listen to, and can be considered music.

Although the onlookers didn't understand why he suddenly started singing, at least their ears weren't disturbed.

The jackal heard his lyrics clearly and recognized his voice.

He immediately realized that the person who had interrupted his execution twice was none other than the bard from the previous night.

He was inevitably somewhat annoyed:
"You've hindered me time and time again; you must be her accomplice, right?"

Immediately afterwards, he took a large step and leaped down from the five-foot-high execution platform.

The jackal's face was gloomy, and he moved with great speed, his chainmail rattling loudly.

Knowing the dog's temperament, the common people made way for him to avoid inadvertently offending him.

As the jackals drew closer, Tang Qi felt little fear.

Instead, he looked at the black snake in the distance, yawning and looking utterly bored.

"My lord, it's a bit far-fetched to conclude that a little girl could move a ton of Star Plum and hide it in a place unknown to anyone, based solely on footprints and one-sided statements."

Why not investigate thoroughly?
If she wasn't a thief, she was still Catherine's sister after all... It would be heartbreaking to have her hands chopped off so inexplicably.

If so, as long as the evidence is presented completely to Catherine, no one can object to this punishment, right?

The black snake stretched and yawned, and heard everything clearly.

He wasn't unaware of some of the principles.

The reason I don't do that is simply because I don't think it's worth it.

Tomorrow is the Harvest Festival.

Instead of spending a day investigating the so-called truth, you might not even be able to find out the truth in the end.

It's better to just come up with a plausible excuse and get by.

This not only saved them from trouble but also eliminated the potential for bestiality, killing two birds with one stone.

So he just let it go in one ear and out the other, too lazy to pay attention to the bard's chatter.

For some reason, Tang Qi's advice seemed to have a magical power.

These words lingered in his mind, becoming more and more pleasing to the ear with each listen.

It felt a bit like having spent half a year desperately trapped in a dungeon, finally managing to negotiate a price with someone after emerging, and then eagerly unbuckling your belt.

At the last moment, the opponent suddenly demanded an extra bit of meat sauce—

Please, at this crucial moment, how could he possibly refuse?

For a moment, the black snake actually started to consider it.

From a great distance, no one noticed the faint pink hue in Tang Qi's eyes.

[Friendship Skill], a trick I just learned last night.

The moment he acquired this trick, Tang Qi almost instinctively grasped how to manipulate the omnipresent magic net through music.

They are woven into specific forms using rhythm and syllables, and released through singing.

That's why he suddenly started singing folk songs.

Right now, the only thing he can use is his voice, which is an essential component of spellcasting.

He could tell that the jackal feared the black snake.

To be precise, it was fear.

Therefore, before taking any action, he would always subconsciously consult Black Snake's opinion, for fear of upsetting Catherine and angering Black Snake, who was in love with Morning Twilight Flower.

Even though he was the judge in name only, once he persuaded Black Serpent, he dared not disobey.

All I need to do is convince Black Snake.

Although a minute later he would realize he had used a spell—

No matter how wicked this group of mercenaries was, they still followed the rules.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have brought Ambiya to the execution platform and listed her fabricated crimes.

Therefore, as long as you summarize your statement well, you don't need to be afraid of what they might do in front of everyone.

"ridiculous."

Tang Qi's ulterior motives were obvious, and the jackal could see them too.

But he had repeatedly sought his opinion, and the answers he received were all tacit approval, so naturally he wouldn't hesitate to act now.

He bet the Black Snake wouldn't let him stop.

Then we should teach this ignorant poet a lesson.

It wasn't because he contradicted himself.

Rather, it was because the other party wasn't afraid of him. The jackal had already noticed this when it tightened its grip on the poet last night.

"You really enjoy singing, don't you?"

He grinned maliciously, his right hand holding the sword hanging down naturally, almost dragging on the ground.

He didn't want to use a sword.

He was just a poet who couldn't even kill a chicken; his only asset was his words, and he was good for nothing else.

So he would tear off his lips, crush his vocal cords, and ensure he could never sing a single note in his life.

For bards, being deprived of their right to speak was more painful and terrifying than being deprived of their lives.

And the time to welcome this moment is not far off.

Just two steps, one step...

He was right there!
The jackal suddenly raised his hand, his knuckles clenched like an eagle's, and with a fierce thrust, his arm whistled through the air—

"Brother Tang Qi!"

Ambi, who was chained to the long shackles, couldn't help but gasp.

Even the common people, who were used to the rampant tyranny of the jackals, sighed in dismay...

Those were mercenaries hired by the lord, and their seemingly gleaming swords had been splattered with the blood of countless people.

How dare a poet who makes a living by singing challenge a jackal?

Tang Qi remained relatively calm.

The martial arts skills he had learned in his previous life had almost become muscle memory at this moment, and now he had filled his stomach.

As the jackals drew closer, he was already prepared to launch an attack.

He turned his body almost the instant the other person got close—

The eagle's claws were ruthless, but it missed its target!

"What--"

The jackal was startled and enraged, and wanted to cause trouble again.

Tang Qi noticed the hand holding the sword.

He realized that the other party really had the urge to cut him down.

But he also knew that Black Snake wouldn't give him that chance—

A sharp shout interrupted the brief exchange:
"Then you investigate."

The jackal had no choice but to release its strength, and looked hesitantly at the black snake, its pupils slightly widened in surprise.

Seemingly completely unprepared, the black snake, who had previously tacitly approved, would suddenly change its mind and listen to the bard's slander.

Black Snake ignored their previous actions as if nothing had happened.

He simply walked forward slowly, grabbed the jackal by the shoulder, and calmly said:
"Since you think this has nothing to do with her, then you go and find those stolen Xingmei."

"As long as Xingmei is found, I will forgive and forget who the thief is."

The jackal was panicked and terrified, feeling as if it had two pounds of horse dung in its mouth.
"Boss..."

"Conversely, if you fail to find Xingmei before the caravan arrives tomorrow—"

I will cut out your tongue and put you in a long cangue. I will make you follow the caravan and go to my employer to beg for forgiveness.

The black snake finally abandoned its lazy expression; its sharp eyes narrowed, like a giant python intently watching its prey.

"Consider this your punishment for offending my men."

The jackal felt much better, even though it hadn't completely vomited up the horse manure.

Only now did Tang Qi realize that the black snake before him was unlikely to be just an ordinary rogue soldier:
"Yes, but please provide me with the assistance I need for my investigation."

"If we can find the lost item, everything will be fine."

For Tang Qi, this result is not something to regret.

He originally wanted to help his little fan and try to find out the whole story of the theft, so he could use it as content for his diary.

This all requires Black Serpent's support to proceed.

Record your story and earn rewards.

This means that they clearly don't intend for Tang Qi to keep a daily record of what he ate or how many songs he sang.

It needs a story, a real story with a beginning, development, climax, and resolution.

To gain access to stories and power, one inevitably has to take risks.

All I can do is minimize the risks as much as possible.

How can someone be called an adventurer if they are unwilling to take risks?
“Then please take me to the scene. I want to understand what happened again,” he said.

(End of this chapter)