The laughter of Master Xie echoed in the empty courtyard at night.
"Does this mean you've agreed?"
Hu Kui asked.
"Hu Kui, you're still the same as before, always prioritizing profit in everything."
Hearing that something was amiss, Hu Kui frowned slightly. "Xiao Jiu, my promise is valid. Although I value interests, I also value my promises. Helping Chen Zhe is equivalent to helping your granddaughter. If that kid does well, your granddaughter won't be any worse off either. It's like repaying the favor you did back then. Is there anything wrong with my thinking?"
Master Xie shook his head; “You’re not only wrong, you’re terribly wrong. I’ve said it before, my granddaughter and I are people who live outside the world. We don’t crave worldly things. Besides, her relationship with that boy is still uncertain. I have no reason to help you.”
"That's not right. I know you've always been on the Heavenly Ranking for missions. Aren't you doing it for the money?"
"It's true that I'm an assassin, but unfortunately, it's not really for the money."
This time, it was Hu Kui's turn to burst into laughter; "Impossible! You risk your life to do something like this, not for money, but for what? Just for fun?"
"I do this for the sake of the Way in my heart!"
"I can attest to that," Xie Laodao said with certainty.
"road?"
Hu Kui was very puzzled.
"That's right, it's for the sake of the path in my heart. I don't know if you still remember that after the victory, many brothers who went through thick and thin with me did not die under the enemy's guns, but died inexplicably at home."
Hu Kui nodded; "That's because they come from bad backgrounds, their ancestors were all wicked people."
Old Master Xie snorted, disagreeing.
"So you mean I also come from a bad background? Because of my Taoist identity, you exposed me back then, accusing me of bewitching the people?"
Hu Kui looked embarrassed. "Xiao Jiu, it was indeed my fault in this matter, but some of your actions back then were inappropriate. Treating the sick and saving lives requires orthodox medicine, not just random tricks. The herbs you picked had not been researched..."
Old Master Xie stood up abruptly, glaring at Hu Kui; "What do you mean by orthodox? Our Xia Kingdom has been using this method for thousands of years, and it has saved countless lives. My master used this same old method to pull you back from the brink of death!"
"Xiao Jiu, don't get agitated. I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?"
"Hmph! I don't want to talk to you about this. I came here today to help you with this matter, which is my way of repaying the kindness of carrying me back from the battlefield back then. Hu Kui, from now on we owe each other nothing. You go your way, and I'll go mine. We'll never see each other again in this life!"
Master Xie left after saying those words.
Watching Xie Laodao's departing figure, Hu Kui sighed; "Alas, he's almost in his grave, yet he still has such a temper. In the end, this world is all about interests. Without the support of interests, your path won't last long."
...
The next evening.
Chen Zhe received a call from Mu Wanzhi.
On the phone, Mu Wanzhi said two things and asked him for a favor.
The first thing she mentioned was that the old master of the Guan family had died, and Guan Yingjie wouldn't have time to cause him trouble during this period, so he could relax a bit, but he still needed to be careful.
The second thing was about the bank loan, and this second thing was related to the thing she asked for.
"Chen Zhe, Uncle Zhong mentioned the Qingyun Mountain treasure to me. It belongs to the state, so you should cooperate actively. Of course, I won't let you cooperate for nothing. I can relax a bit on the loan issue from before."
Chen Zhe was in a good mood after receiving the call. With Guan Jia in trouble, Guan Yingjie wouldn't be able to bother him for a while, which was indeed a good thing.
Mu Wanzhi's agreement to the loan is a good thing.
Regarding the treasure of Qingyun Mountain, Chen Zhe knew he couldn't get it himself, but he was still a little unwilling to give it away for nothing.
The fact that Mu Wanzhi took the initiative to call him means that the terms are still negotiable.
So Chen Zhe argued with her for a long time about the interest rate, and finally Mu Wanzhi compromised and settled the matter.
When Chen Zhe returned home, he wanted to tell Hu Ling what had happened at the official residence.
But to my surprise, Hu Ling already knew.
"I don't quite understand. That old man was always in good health, so how could he suddenly die?"
"Maybe he did too many bad things and this is his retribution."
Hu Ling chuckled; "I don't believe in the concept of retribution. I've done plenty of bad things, so why haven't I received any retribution?"
Chen Zhe's eyes turned strange.
Hu Ling raised an eyebrow; "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Chen Zhe coughed. "Sister Hu, in a way, you're already suffering retribution. You can't go out or see anyone. Isn't that retribution?"
"you……"
Even Hu Ling, who was always sophistical, didn't know how to refute this statement, so she had no choice but to change the subject.
"You mean Mu Wanzhi gave you a loan?"
"Yes, she also gave me a low interest rate."
"Huh? Impossible! Is that woman really that kind? Did you two make some kind of deal?"
Chen Zhe was about to blurt it out, but then he suddenly remembered the treasure. He hadn't mentioned it to Hu Ling, and if he brought it up now, Hu Ling would definitely overthink it.
"Maybe it's because I saved her son."
Hu Ling shook her head; "Really? It's been a while since you saved her son, why is she only agreeing now? Are you hiding something from me?"
Hu Ling looked at Chen Zhe suspiciously.
"No, Sister Hu, I really have nothing to hide from you."
“I advise you to tell me the truth. I’m handing over the management of the company to you now, and I need to make sure you’re trustworthy. If I find out you’ve lied to me, you know what the consequences will be.”
"this……"
Faced with Hu Ling's persistent questioning, Chen Zhe finally revealed the truth.
Hu Ling was so angry when she heard that Chen Zhe had discovered the treasure without telling her that he had found it.
"You worthless bastard! Are you stupid?! You have so much gold, give it to me! I'll exchange it for cash right away! I'll definitely give you a very satisfactory price. With that much money, why would you need to take out a loan?"
"Sister Hu, this is way too much. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it..."
"Pah! Why can't I digest it? I still have..."
"what else?"
Chen Zhe asked.
Hu Ling almost revealed her other businesses, but she managed to stop herself.
"This has nothing to do with you. Anyway, I have the connections. You've made a mistake in this matter!"
"Sister Hu, there's nothing I can do. I was desperate and grasped at straws. I did want to tell you, but then the Silin Group issue came up. I thought Zhang Xin'ai's family runs a gold shop, so I wanted to go through her. But who would have thought she would bring Zhong Yuan over? He got involved, so I didn't dare tell you anymore."
"You!!! You're really infuriating! Did you even tell him the exact location?"
"Not yet, we agreed to take him there tomorrow."
"Then let's go now and take a look."
"Huh? Sister Hu, no need, everything's been taken care of, he's reported it to the authorities, and the archaeological team will be there tomorrow."
Hu Ling slapped Chen Zhe on the head; "You're such an idiot! I didn't say I had to take it all. I just wanted to see what treasures were there, is that not allowed?"
"this……"
Seeing that Chen Zhe was still hesitating, Hu Ling put her hands on her hips and said, "If you don't agree, I'll replace you tomorrow."
Chen Zhe said with a bitter face, "But it's already 3 a.m., and it will be almost morning when we get there. Besides, isn't it inconvenient for you to go out right now?"
"It's just that it's late, so it's suitable. Guan Yingjie has already gone back. His grandfather died, and he won't be coming back anytime soon, so I don't need to worry about anything."
Since Hu Ling had said that, Chen Zhe naturally had no way to refuse.
And so, at 3 a.m.
The two sneaked downstairs. Since Hu Ling couldn't see anyone else, Chen Zhe naturally became her driver.
When the two got into the car, they forgot to call Abao. What they didn't notice was that someone saw them in the darkness.
After they got in the car, he picked up the phone.
"Master, we've found Miss. She is indeed still alive and is now living with Chen Zhe. You guessed right, A Bao's sudden move away from here before was probably intentional."
The person on the other end of the phone was naturally Hu Kui.
He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that his granddaughter was still alive.
Then he asked.
"You mean she lives with Chen Zhe?"
"It should be true. They came downstairs together. At this time, they are most likely living together."
Upon hearing that Hu Ling was living with Chen Zhe, Hu Kui's expression turned strange.
He had never heard of his granddaughter dating other men in all these years, but now she was actually with Chen Zhe.
"Hehe, this is interesting. It seems that Chen Zhe is quite capable."
"Sir, should I follow them? They're about to leave."
"No need. Since we know she lives with Chen Zhe, there's no need to go through all this trouble. If you follow her and she finds out, it'll only make things worse. Come back. I have something else to tell you."
"yes!"
After hanging up the phone.
Hu Kui laughed. Instead of going back to sleep, he got up and went to his study.
He picked up a booklet-like object from the bookshelf, opened it, and inside was the Hu family genealogy, filled with the names of many Hu family members, many of which were marked with an "X". He found Hu Ling's name, which also had an "X" on it. He picked up a red pen and circled Hu Ling's name.
After putting down his pen, he sighed, "I thought you were hopeless and I had given up, but now you have given me a surprise. Xiaoling, you were born a member of the Hu family and you will die a member of the Hu family. No matter how you resist, the blood of the Hu family flows in your veins. Now that you are willing to interact with men, I don't need to place my hopes on those collateral relatives."
After sighing, Hu Kui sat down, picked up a piece of paper from the side, and began to write something.
Not long after, a servant came and knocked on the door. After bringing in the ginseng tea, Hu Kui gave him the written document.
"Go and arrange for these people on the list to go to Donghai. Remember, you must not let any word of this leak out."
"Yes, sir, I understand."
"Okay, go ahead."
...
An hour later, Chen Zhe and Hu Ling arrived at the foot of Qingyun Mountain.
...
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