Chapter 14: Become a Disciple

In the study of the Jiang family villa.

An old man with white hair and beard and wearing reading glasses leaned on a wooden chair in front of the desk, flipping through a monograph on Ming history research, "The 15th Year of Wanli".

Hearing the sudden knock on the door, the old man frowned unhappily, put down the book and said, "Come in."

The old man may not look impressive, but his name is well known among the upper class in Yanjing and even in the whole of China.

He is the founder of the Jiang family, one of the five major families in China... Jiang Hongtao.

The servants in the house all knew that he didn't like to be disturbed when he was in his study. If someone knocked on the door at this time, it must be something important.

As soon as he finished speaking, a man dressed in black walked in and said, "Master, there's a man named Tang Shuo outside who wants to see you."

Jiang Hongtao took off his reading glasses and asked doubtfully, "Tang Shuo?"

"Yes, he said his name was Tang Shuo." The man in black replied.

"Where is he?"

"He had a fight with Master Guan outside."

Jiang Hongtao silently repeated Tang Shuo's name twice, then suddenly slapped the armrest of his chair and said hurriedly, "Tell them to stop and bring Tang Shuo to see me immediately."

The man in black nodded immediately and was about to leave when Jiang Hongtao stood up and said, "Forget it, I'll go with you."

The man in black paused and opened his mouth in surprise.

Just now when Lei Zhen asked him to come and inform Jiang Hongtao, he was a little reluctant, thinking that this was a job that would definitely get him scolded.

But Lei Zhen is his superior, so he can only obey unconditionally.

But I didn't expect Jiang Hongtao to take this matter so seriously.

He had been at the Jiang family for just a year, meeting countless important figures. Earlier this year, a leader who frequently appeared on news channels came to visit, and Jiang Hongtao simply escorted him to the study door before he left.

Who is this young man who came to the door and could move Jiang Hongtao so much?

…………

Although Jiang Hongtao was old, his pace was not slow. When he walked out of the villa, the competition between Tang Shuo and Guan Lao had just ended and the two sides were in a standoff.

Seeing Jiang Hongtao go out in person, the people surrounding Tang Shuo knew that they had made a mistake, otherwise why would Jiang Hongtao go out in person?

Jiang Hongtao walked forward, looked at the young man surrounded by bodyguards with confusion and asked, "Are you Tang Shuo?"

"Yes, Jiang... Hello, Mr. Jiang." Tang Shuo said to Jiang Hongtao with a smile.

Speaking of how to address Jiang Hongtao, Tang Shuo really had a headache.

In terms of age, Jiang Hongtao is over 80 years old and old enough to be his grandfather, but according to their seniority, he should call Jiang Hongtao uncle.

After thinking about it, Tang Shuo had to call the other party "Grandpa" as a respectful title. If he called him Uncle Jiang, both parties would probably feel awkward.

"After nearly ten years of absence, Mr. Jiang doesn't seem to have changed much."

Seeing some hesitation on Jiang Hongtao's face, Tang Shuo naturally knew that he was doubting his identity, so he added: "My master Mo Yin asked me to come to you."

After hearing what Tang Shuo said, Jiang Hongtao no longer had any doubts. He excitedly stepped forward, took Tang Shuo's hand, and asked, "Where's your master?"

"My master died five years ago." Tang Shuo replied.

Jiang Hongtao widened his eyes, which looked a little dim, and stood there in a daze, obviously surprised by the news.

After a while, he slowly nodded and said, "Let's go in first."

Jiang Hongtao held Tang Shuo's hand all the way.

After the two entered the villa, Jiang Hongtao asked the nanny to make tea, then pulled Tang Shuo aside and asked, "What have you been doing all these years? Why did you only come to see me now?"

"After my master passed away, I joined the army under his arrangement, and just retired a few days ago." Tang Shuo answered respectfully.

He could see that Jiang Hongtao's concern for him was definitely not a disguise, and his master's last words before his death made Tang Shuo not at all wary of Jiang Hongtao.

"037?" Jiang Hongtao asked.

Tang Shuo nodded and acknowledged what Jiang Hongtao said.

"Thank you for your hard work," Jiang Hongtao said to Tang Shuo with a kind face. "From now on, you can take charge of this place. Don't be restrained."

Outsiders may not know about this Chinese shadow force, but Jiang Hongtao, as one of the planners and organizers, naturally knows what this place is.

"Master Jiang, can I ask you something?" Tang Shuo couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "How did my master meet you?"

In fact, Tang Shuo knew nothing about what happened before his master Mo Yin adopted him. As for the relationship between his master and Jiang Hongtao and Wang Jianye who introduced him to the army, Tang Shuo also didn't know.

In his impression, his master was the lame old man who held a wine gourd all day and was very strict with him.

Although he always called his master "cripple", he respected his master from the bottom of his heart.

"Didn't your master mention it?"

"No." Tang Shuo shook his head and replied, "My master never told me about his past."

"This isn't really a secret." Jiang Hongtao closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "At that time, the Japanese invaded China and committed the Nandu Massacre, which shocked China and the world. Upon hearing the news, your master single-handedly assassinated the mastermind of the tragedy, Nagata Heisuke."

After a pause, Jiang Hongtao continued, "In the following years, he assassinated two generals, seven lieutenant generals, and countless officers and soldiers. Finally, while assassinating an island general, he was ambushed and rescued by my father. However, both of them were seriously injured, and my father eventually died. This is also the reason why Mr. Mo's leg became lame."

Tang Shuo had never expected that his lame master actually had such a past. Although Jiang Hongtao's description was not very dramatic or thrilling, Tang Shuo could still sense the danger in it.

He learned all his kung fu from his master, but his master's skills are actually not as good as his.

When the master taught him those two skills, he just wanted to strengthen Tang Shuo's physique, but he didn't expect that Tang Shuo inexplicably developed internal strength.

Looking across China, there are many people who know some Kung Fu, but the number of people who have cultivated internal strength can be counted on one hand.

But the master is just a Taoist priest who knows a little bit of medicine and martial arts!

"Master told me before he died to look after the Jiang family." Tang Shuo said sincerely, "If the Jiang family is in trouble, please let me know and I will spare no effort."

There is no doubt that if outsiders heard what Tang Shuo said, they would laugh out loud.

Not to mention the Jiang family's connections, the Jiang family's existing assets alone are enough to make people astonished. What ability can a small bodyguard have to help the Jiang family?

But Jiang Hongtao nodded seriously, and then asked, "What are you doing now?"

"Serving as a bodyguard." Tang Shuo replied.

"What?" Jiang Hongtao asked again in surprise. He felt that he must have heard it wrong.

Tang Shuo also felt a little embarrassed and explained, "I'm a bodyguard for a friend and I promised to help."

Jiang Hongtao nodded, and seeing that Tang Shuo didn't want to answer this question, he didn't continue asking.

The two then started chatting about Tang Shuo's visits to their home when he was a child, mainly Tang Shuo answering some of Jiang Hongtao's questions.

Not long after, the old man in Tang suit who had fought with Tang Shuo at the beginning came over and stood next to Jiang Hongtao with a hesitant look on his face.

Jiang Hongtao asked doubtfully, "Deyong, what's wrong?"

"Chief, I want to become your disciple." Guan Deyong, an old man in Tang suit, gritted his teeth and spoke resolutely.

For a martial arts fanatic, nothing is more important than the pursuit of progress.

Guan Deyong is now surrounded by his children and grandchildren, and he doesn't have to worry about his livelihood or family matters. His only hobby is martial arts.

After being defeated by Tang Shuo, he stood in the yard and thought about it, and finally decided to come in and give it a try.

It's not that he couldn't bring himself to do it. At first, he was mainly worried that the young man would not agree. Later, he thought that he had no shame, so what was there to be afraid of?

"You, at such an old age, why can't you change your competitive nature?" Jiang Hongtao laughed and pointed at Guan Deyong.

"Tang Shuo, do you agree?"

Tang Shuo immediately shook his head like a rattle and said hurriedly, "No, no."

joke!

If they go out with an old apprentice in his seventies, others will definitely think that they are mentally ill.

Guan Deyong smiled awkwardly and said, "Excuse me, Chief, please continue your conversation."

He himself knew that this was a bit abrupt. How could it be so easy to learn energy?

Nowadays, many martial arts don't have the same strict rules of inheritance as they used to, but not everyone can learn it. Moreover, he is so old now and has practiced Baguazhang for many years. If he rushes into it, the other party will definitely not accept him as a disciple.

"However, we can have a sparring match. I happen to know a little bit about Chinese martial arts."

Just when Guan Deyong was about to leave in despair, he unexpectedly encountered such a sudden turn of events. He was overjoyed and hurried over to pull Tang Shuo, saying, "Come on, show me the energy again. I want to feel it again."

Jiang Hongtao smiled bitterly and shook his head, but he didn't mean to blame Guan Deyong.

Guan Deyong started to be his bodyguard at the age of thirteen. When he decided to retire from the army, Guan Deyong followed him.

To him, Guan Deyong is his family.