Guan Sheng was busy preparing for Guan Cheng's 90th birthday celebration. When he heard that his father wanted to see him, he quickly put down what he was doing and went to the study with his son, Guan Yingjie.
"Dad, is there anything you need me for?"
"Tell me, has the Hu family done anything unusual during this period?"
"A special move?"
Guan Sheng thought for a moment, then shook his head; "No, Dad, why would you ask that?"
"No? Impossible! That old man couldn't have done nothing!"
"Dad, what exactly are you trying to say? The Hu family has always had a peaceful relationship with our family all these years, what would they do?"
"The amiable facade is just for show. Ask your son, ask him what he actually said!"
Guan Yingjie repeated what he had just said, and Guan Sheng was so angry that his hands were trembling. "How could you say such a thing out loud?"
"It was unintentional..."
"Forget it, what's the use of getting angry now? So many years have passed. Let me ask you, has the Hu family really not made any other moves all these years? Has he made any personnel changes?"
"No...no."
Guan Sheng thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"Huh? Didn't he assign his own people to important positions?"
"No, all the men in the Hu family are dead, and the married daughters rarely come back. The Hu family is now dwindling in number, so even if they wanted to make arrangements, they couldn't."
Guan Cheng stroked his beard, then nodded; "That's right, he's out of pieces now, hahaha!!!"
Guan Cheng burst into laughter; "Looks like I was overthinking it. The Hu family only has that old man left. No matter how smart he is, he can't cause any trouble!!! Hahaha!"
The official residence was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, bustling with people, and the place was packed with visitors. The celebration of the 90th birthday was a grand affair, and the number of people coming to give gifts was so great that they wore down the threshold.
In contrast, on the other side of the capital, a large mansion was deserted and no one swept away the fallen leaves on the ground.
An elderly man in his eighties or nineties, leaning on a cane, came into the courtyard. Moonlight scattered on the surface of the feng shui pond in the courtyard, and a koi carp nearly a meter long poked its head out of the water to breathe. Hu Kui casually grabbed some fish food from the side and threw it in.
Then he looked at the small bottle of wine placed to the side.
He muttered to himself, "It should be here soon..."
Not long after, a servant came to report from outside the door.
"Master, the Taoist priest has arrived."
Hu Kui nodded, stood up with the help of his cane, and someone stepped across the threshold and came in.
He quickly stepped forward to greet him.
"Thank you, Master Xie. My legs are not good, and I am truly sorry for not being able to greet you properly."
Master Xie waved his hand, not paying any attention.
“Mr. Hu, there’s no need for such formalities. You were my superior years ago, so there’s no need for this between us.”
Hu Kui smiled and said, "That was so many years ago. We were just kids back then. I was just a kid soldier leader, what kind of leader am I?"
Master Xie smiled as he reminisced about the past.
"You can't say that. Although we were young at the time, Mr. Hu, your wisdom saved us from a lot of trouble. Thanks to you, we child soldiers were spared from the Japanese devils' clutches. I am very grateful to you."
"No, no, no, Lingyun, you're giving me credit again. We were surrounded by a group of Japanese soldiers in the valley. If it weren't for your skill in killing the leader and leaving them helpless, we wouldn't have been able to escape."
Hu Kui's form of address has changed; he has gone from calling himself Master Xie to calling himself "Lingyun".
The name "Lingyun" is not Xie Laodao's original name. Xie Laodao's original name was Xie Xiaojiu. His comrades gave him this name after he killed the Japanese leader. This means that with him around, all luck will be with them.
"Sir, you used to call me Xiao Jiu, so please call me that now too."
Hu Kui's lips moved slightly, his eyes were a little moist, and he put his hand lightly on Xie Laodao's shoulder; "Okay, Xiao Jiu, don't call me any superior or Master Hu anymore, just call me Brother Kui as before. Xiao Jiu, Brother Kui has done many things to wrong you in the past, causing you to suffer some persecution. This was not what I wanted, and to be honest, I feel very guilty. Today, I hope you can forgive Brother Kui for some of the things he did back then."
Hu Kui picked up the wine glass next to him, poured a glass of wine, and handed it to Xie Laodao.
Xie Laodao accepted the wine glass.
Without a word, he drank it all in one gulp.
Seeing that Xie Laodao had drunk his drink, Hu Kui breathed a sigh of relief and also drank a cup.
"Come on! Let's have a good chat today, brothers. It's been so many years since we last met. Time flies so fast, and our hair has turned completely white."
After drinking a few glasses.
Hu Kui recalled what happened back then, then sighed; "It's quite a coincidence, really. Today, we brothers meet, and it's also the old man from Guancheng's birthday..."
Seeing that he had finally steered the conversation to the point, Master Xie gently put down his wine glass.
Hu Kui continued, "That kid Guan Cheng was always cunning. When our team was on a mission, he liked to hide in the back and slack off. Because of him, we almost got into trouble several times. He's really hateful! I still feel so angry thinking about it now. But things don't always go as planned. The sly and lazy ones are doing the best now. Look, it's his birthday today, and the whole capital is in an uproar. Where can we complain about this? Fate is really unfair."
Old Master Xie smiled and said, "Brother Kui, fate is fair."
Hu Kui gave a wry smile and shook his head; "Fair? How can you call it fair?"
He looked up at the bright moon in the sky.
“Xiao Jiu, I think fate is unfair. Back then, you and your master went down the mountain to fight the Japanese. You joined our team, and your master treated the sick and saved lives in the rear. What a good person your master was! But how did he die in the end? He was killed by the traitor he healed. Is that fair? Also, you made so many contributions over the years, but because of your identity as a Taoist priest, they were all negated. Is that fair?”
“Brother Kui, everyone’s fate is different, but the final destination is the same. Everyone will die. My master once told me that some deaths are heavier than Mount Tai, while others are lighter than a feather. I didn’t quite understand it at the time, but I understood it when he died. He died for what he fought for, and his death was worthwhile. I don’t complain about my own situation. If I had followed the path of officialdom like you, I might not have been happy. I’ve always been a free spirit. Rules and regulations would only make me uncomfortable. Having nothing is easy for me.”
Hu Kui shook his head.
"Xiao Jiu, I'm not as open-minded as you..."
He stood up, leaning on his cane, and looked in the direction of the official residence in the distance. He gritted his teeth and said, "More than 20 lives of my Hu family were lost overnight. I am heartbroken. I have struggled my whole life, scheming and plotting, trying to create a prosperous era for my Hu family, but... they are all gone! My only remaining granddaughter is also dead. Xiao Jiu, do you think I can let this go?"
“Brother Kui, everything happens for a reason. I don’t want to accuse you of anything, but I hope you understand that people are subject to retribution.”
Hu Kui was taken aback by Xie Laodao's words. He paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "Xiao Jiu, are you saying I've done too many bad things?"
"Brother Kui, try to think more positively. At our age, we're almost at the point of death. There's no need to worry too much about these last few years."
What if I insist on agonizing over it?
Hu Kui's eyes suddenly sharpened, and he couldn't help but tighten his grip on his cane.
Old Master Hu's eyes remained calm.
"So, you called me here today because of this?"
"That's right! Xiao Jiu, I'm asking you for a favor. I want to see the government destroyed! They interfered in our Hu family's affairs back then. You say there's a cause and effect, then they are the cause, and I want revenge, that's the effect!!"
"Brother Kui, do you think I'll agree to this?"
"I wasn't sure before, but now that you've come here, I'm sure. Xiao Jiu, I'm begging you, I only need to ask you for this one thing: help me kill that old bastard Guan Cheng, and I'll take care of everything else myself."
Old Master Xie shook his head; “Brother Kui, I’m getting old too, there are some things I can’t do.”
"No! You can do it! I'll show you something!"
Hu Kui walked into the room and took out an old box.
He placed the box on the stone table, then opened it and took out a letter.
Look at this!
Xie Laodao opened the letter with some doubt, and when he saw the contents, his withered old hand suddenly clenched tightly.
"This is……"
Hu Kui nodded slightly at his expression; "This was written by your master. He gave this letter to me before he passed away..."
Xie Laodao became agitated.
"Then why didn't you give me this letter sooner? That bastard Guan Cheng is related to my master's death, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
The letter reads: Xie Laodao's master discovered the identity of the traitor while treating him. He was about to report it when he was stopped by Guan Cheng, which gave the traitor the opportunity to stab him in the back. Guan Cheng ran away after seeing that he had been stabbed. Before dying, Xie Laodao wrote this letter in blood and gave it to Hu Kui, who had rushed over.
Hu Kui sighed; "Xiao Jiu, I'm in a difficult position too. Guan Cheng is our brother. If I let you know about this, you would have killed him back then, which would have damaged our unity. We still have important things to do..."
"But he's colluding with traitors!!! Isn't that a serious matter?"
"I interrogated him later, and he admitted that he had taken money from that traitor, but it wasn't anything classified. Besides, we killed the traitor when he tried to escape, so I suppressed the matter!"
"Damn it! That old bastard is dead meat!!"
Old Master Xie carefully put the letter away, then glared fiercely at Hu Kui; "Hu Kui, you're not innocent either. You let that old bastard get away with it for so long, I'll settle this score with you too. Just you wait, I'll come looking for you!"
After saying this, Master Xie hurriedly left.
After seeing him leave, Hu Kui laughed; "Little Jiu, you're not as magnanimous as you claim. Look at you, the moment your master's death is mentioned, you reveal your true colors again."
...
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