Huangfu Ning suggested, "Well, should we let Abin explain this matter?"
The old patriarch narrowed his eyes and nodded slightly, saying, "Well, the matter of the Shengxi Gu is no small matter after all. Let him talk about it, and I'll listen."
"yes."
Huangfu Ning acted quickly, bringing Huangfu Bin, Huangfu Xiong's father, the next day. However, who knew who had leaked the news, but the people who followed him were still arriving in droves. Huangfu Ning calculated in his mind that the number of people who came to watch the fun today was half of the number who had come at the family banquet. The other half who didn't come could be counted on.
When the old patriarch arrived, he looked at the group of people standing in front of him and couldn't help but smile and said, "Wow, you all came here in full force. You are all grandparents, fathers, and mothers, and you are all quite old. Please take a seat."
After everyone was seated, the old patriarch stopped chatting and simply waved, "Where's Abin? I haven't seen him for a long time. Come over here so I can see him. I'm old and my eyesight is a little blurry. For a moment, I really couldn't find him."
Huangfu Bin knew that he and Huangfu Xiong were doomed today, so he no longer panicked like last night and stood up calmly: "Greetings, Master of the Family."
The old patriarch motioned him to come forward a little, then gently touched his face and said, "Well, you look quite haggard. Since you lost your vitality Gu, I imagine you haven't been eating or sleeping well either."
Upon hearing this, Huangfu Bin lowered his head in deep guilt and knelt on the ground: "It is my nephew's incompetence that has failed the Patriarch's expectations."
The old patriarch gestured to Huangfu Ning to help him up, then said, "The things have already been lost. There's no point in talking about them anymore. Is there any information about their whereabouts now?"
"Not yet."
Everyone present seemed to know what would happen next. Most of them had an expression of watching the fun, as if they were all waiting to see Huangfu Bin make a fool of himself and be punished.
All of this naturally caught the old patriarch's attention. The Life-Growing Gu was a serious matter, after all. If misused, the consequences would be disastrous. According to the rules, everyone in Huangfu Bin's lineage would be severely punished. But punishment was a later matter; the consequences had to be minimized beforehand. Otherwise, even if he used the entire Huangfu family to apologize, it wouldn't be enough.
Seeing him bravely sacrifice himself, the old patriarch knew he had made the right choice. While Huangfu Bin couldn't match his elder brother's talent, his character was positive. "Oh, I see. I've been watering the flowers these past few days and heard a rumor that a buyer, unnamed, has suddenly appeared on the black market, buying puppet silk at exorbitant prices. Bin, isn't this a bit too coincidental?"
Just as he finished speaking, a woman in fancy clothes sitting in the front row, whose identity was unknown, suddenly interrupted, "The head of the family is saying that someone wants to use puppet silk to control the Life Gu?"
The old patriarch looked at the woman and nodded slightly, then said, "When I gave you the Life-Growing Gu, it was just a small insect. You've raised it for so many years, and it hasn't grown much. But I remember you mentioned to me before that the Life-Growing Gu seemed quite active in Ah Xiong's hands."
"……yes."
The old patriarch continued, "This Life-Growing Gu is now in your family's hands. I haven't seen Ah Xiong in a while. Let him come and see me, and let everyone see him while the elders are here. If he's really as talented as you said, then there's no need to worry about the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children. Your previous suggestion is not impossible to consider."
Huangfu Ning also said: "Yes, the successor has always been judged by strength and character. Seniority and inferiority are secondary."
The people sitting in the hall were stunned when they heard what the old patriarch and his companions said. Why did it seem so different from what they had initially imagined? A few of the more astute people also said, "Come to think of it, it's been a while since we last saw Ah Xiong. Has he been locked up in his room refining Gu again recently?"
"Haha, that kid has had some talent since he was young. Maybe he can really succeed this time."
After chatting and laughing for a while, everyone in the room saw the old patriarch pick up the teacup, and in an instant they all fell silent to listen to him. The old patriarch did not say anything, but Huangfu Bin knelt on the ground again and said: "Report to the patriarch, Ah Xiong is not at home now."
The old patriarch asked with a smile, "Oh? Are you out for training?"
Huangfu Bin suddenly looked up upon hearing this. Seeing the old patriarch smiling at him, he knew he was intentionally trying to conceal Huangfu Xiong's unauthorized departure. Sure enough, there were some things he didn't want to get involved in. If he did, how many would escape his notice? "...Yes."
The old patriarch said somewhat disappointedly, "That's not a coincidence. Ahem, let's put Ah Xiong's matter aside for now. We elders can discuss it another day when we have time. The child is still young, so it would be good for him to have more experience outside. I didn't expect everyone to come today, so I'll just flatter you and let you do something."
Upon hearing this, everyone stood up, bowed their heads, and waited for the old patriarch to speak. This was what the old patriarch liked most about the Huangfu family. Normally, the family members had minor quarrels, which was normal. But when something happened, they were still very united. At least these children were still well-behaved and sensible, and they knew to put the big picture first.
The old patriarch stood up, leaning on his cane. His voice could be heard clearly from anywhere in the hall. "Let's put aside all non-urgent matters. Have someone find the identity of the buyer of the puppet silk that Xiao Ningzi mentioned. Our family has always been aloof from the world, but we are not insular. The Life-Resisting Gu is of great importance. It must not be taken away by anyone with ulterior motives, otherwise it will ruin the century-old reputation of our Huangfu family."
Everyone said, "Yes!"
The old patriarch continued, "I've already sent someone to the warehouse to get some puppet silk. You can discuss what to do next; I won't interfere. Just give me a result as soon as possible. Okay, the weather is getting hot, and it's boring to just sit around. I've had some snacks prepared to cool you down. Let's sit together, have some snacks, chat, and keep this old man company for a chat."
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, everyone thought that they were all one family after all, sharing the same blood and surname, and they were not in a palace, so they started talking to each other again.
To be honest, if it weren't for Huangfu Ning's incident, they would have no time to get together to chat and gossip, except for the New Year's Eve family dinner, the annual ancestor worship, and the old patriarch's birthday.
Although it was said that the old patriarch preferred quietness, the sight of a large family with many descendants was something everyone wanted to see. Seeing the whole family happily together, even if there were some disputes and grudges behind the scenes, he would just pretend not to know.
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