Qingfeng Xu Xu

Xu Qingjiu walked in the direction he came from. After walking for a long time, he only felt that the surroundings became more and more unfamiliar, and it was completely different from when he came. When he was looking around, he suddenly saw a familiar figure on the front porch on the right. Xu Qingjiu walked quickly to the place where the person had just walked, but saw no one. He looked around again, thinking that he was probably just looking in the dark. My eyes were dazzled, so I continued to look for the way, passed a few houses that looked similar, and finally saw an acquaintance.

"Butler Wu!"

"I’ve met Mr. Xu, why is Mr. Xu here? Are you looking for the eldest son?"

"I just sent the food box to the kitchen, and when I got back I couldn't find my way back."Xu Qingjiu said, scratching his forehead awkwardly

"I see. I just want to go to the guest rooms of the two young masters. Mr. Xu, come with me."

"This will trouble Butler Wu."

"Mr. Xu is too polite."

Xu Qingjiu and Butler Wu were talking as they walked away. Where Xu Qingjiu was standing just now, a figure flashed out from the side, looking at the backs of Xu Qingjiu and Butler Wu, with their faces in the shadow of the brim of their hats. They hid until Xu Qingjiu and Butler Wu turned a corner and disappeared. The man stood there for a long time before turning around and leaving.

"Senior brother, I'm back!" Before he even got closer, Xu Qingjiu shouted loudly

"Why does it take so long to deliver a food box?"Xu Mulin opened the door as he spoke. In addition to Xu Qingjiu, he saw Butler Wu who had just left not long ago.

Xu Qingjiu sighed:"I got lost. Fortunately, I met Butler Wu to bring me back."

"...Sorry to bother Butler Wu. Is there anything wrong with Butler Wu coming here?"

"The eldest young master asked me to tell the two young masters to take a rest early, and he will not come to disturb you tonight. I've already asked someone to prepare hot water and bring it over. You two can settle in early."

"Okay, Butler Wu is here to help."

"Thank you, Butler Wu"

"You two gentlemen are very polite. I will take my leave."

"Butler Wu walked slowly."

Half an hour ago, Li Jichu settled the last guest and stayed in the front hall for a while. Thinking that no one would come to the door today, he prepared to go to the guest room where Xu Mulin and Xu Qingjiu had settled.

"The two good brothers must have finished their meals, so it would be a good time to go over there now."

"I have already delivered meals to the two Young Masters Xu as instructed by the eldest young master. Would you like the eldest young master to use some food first before going? I will ask someone to prepare it first."

"No need, Old Wu, I really don’t have much appetite. You’ve been busy with me all day. Go eat something and then go down and rest."

"eldest son..."

"It's okay, go down"

"Yes, eldest son. Eldest Young Master, please do not overwork yourself. Now that Second Young Master is not here, all the affairs of Guxia Village are still waiting for the Eldest Young Master to take charge."

"I understand, you go down first."Li Jichu said with some urging.

"Yes, the old slave resigned."Although Butler Wu was a little confused about Li Jichu's tone, he didn't think much about it and left after speaking.

After Butler Wu left, Li Jichu turned and looked at the front of the corridor. In the darkness not illuminated by the light, a man in a cloak was standing there. Moving slowly in the darkness,

Li Jichu asked in a deep voice:"May I ask why you sneaked into my Guxia Villa quietly?"

The man walked to the intersection of light and dark and stopped, and asked calmly:"Since you know that I sneaked in quietly, why did the young master send the housekeeper away?"

"Your Excellency has been reluctant to show up for a long time, and has been following me but has not made any move. You are also a martial arts practitioner, so you must be able to see that Butler Wu does not know how to use martial arts. If you really want to take action against me, then the presence or absence of Butler Wu will not matter. different. However, based on my judgment, you should be a friend rather than an enemy."

Xu Enze walked out of the shadows, looked at Li Jichu and laughed:"My nephew is still as calm and alert as ever."

"Uncle Xu! why you?"

"My nephew doesn’t want me to come?"

"The younger generation made a mistake and Ji Chu paid a visit to Uncle Xu."Li Jihua bowed and saluted,"By the way, I just want to go find the two younger brothers of the Xu family. Let's go with my uncle."

"No, I came here just to find you. I have disappeared from them. I saw them every day in Tianzong before, and it is rare for me to be quiet for a while now.

Although Li Jichu had doubts, he didn't say much,"Okay." Then please invite your uncle to my room. I will ask someone to arrange some food for your uncle, and then ask someone to arrange a room for your uncle. It is really hard for your uncle to come all the way."

"No need to bother. Go to your room first. I have something to tell you."

"Okay, uncle, please come with me."

The two arrived at Li Jichu's room. Li Jichu wanted to arrange some food for Xu Enze, but Xu Enze refused again.

"Nephew, don't bother me. I've eaten at the inn outside. After talking to my nephew, I have to leave. Don't bother me."

"When my father was buried, my uncle..."

"I have just gone to see him, and I have sent him off. I will go to see him for a drink and chat later. The situation is unclear at the moment, and it is not convenient for me to appear in front of everyone."

"...yes."Although he didn't understand Xu Enze's intention, Li Jichu couldn't question it.

Xu Enze asked:"Jihua still hasn't come back?"

"Haven't received any news yet."

Xu Enze sighed and said:"If there is still no news after the funeral date, let my two apprentices help search for it. You will have to handle all the affairs of Guxia Manor in the future. Jihua's matter, I'm afraid it's because I don't have enough energy."

"If so, then it will be troublesome for these two wise brothers."

"It's nothing, you can just do whatever you want in the past few days."

"I'm sorry to bother my uncle for worrying about Ji Chu."

"Brother Haoyuan and I have known each other for many years. I have never had a family in my life, but I treat you and Jihua as my nephews. Now that Brother Haoyuan has passed away and Ji Chu still calls me uncle, then don’t talk to me. So divided"

"Jichu has always regarded you as his biological uncle. My Li family has always been stagnant. In my father's generation, there was only one person. When my father was alive, he had the deepest contacts with Uncle Xu and Uncle Zhou. Now my father has passed away, and Uncle Zhou has been dead for many years....From now on, apart from Jihua, Jichu will only have Uncle Xu as a relative."

Hearing this, Xu Enze shook his head in pain and sighed:"Your father passed away very suddenly, and there are many doubts about it. You also mentioned it to me in your letter, saying that the cause of brother Haoyuan's death was unknown. I just went there. I've checked it, but I didn't find anything abnormal. But since you have someone you trust to look it over for you, there won't be any lies. I will definitely do my best to find out about this matter and give Brother Haoyuan an explanation."

"Yes, it’s my fault to Uncle Xu. If there is anything Ji Chu can do, Uncle Xu must tell me. I will definitely take action on this matter. I don’t dare to let my uncle face it alone. If it happens again in the meantime, If something unexpected happens, I will have no face to face my father’s spirit in heaven."

"Okay, if I find out any news, I will tell you in time. But now that your father has passed away suddenly, Guxia Village will probably face a lot of troubles. Although you pretend not to know that there is something fishy about your father's death, you can confuse those who have evil intentions. people, so that they dare not act without permission, but your situation may still not be easy, and besides, you have been in poor health, so you should take more care of yourself. If something cannot be solved, you can always send a message to I, although my ability is limited, will definitely try my best to help you"

"Yes, Ji Chu wrote it down"

"By the way, which sects have come forward now?"

"Hall Master Yi of the Tianzong Sword Hall, Hall Master Li of the Gonggong Hall, Hall Master Xue of the Shangxiu Hall have all brought their disciples here. Outside the Tianzong, Xie Chi of Longyin Hall arrived today, and all of Jisheng Hall have arrived. Kaiyuan arrived two days ago, as well as Du Shengyang from the Yuanyang sect. Originally he said he would arrive today, but yesterday he sent a message saying that something happened on the road and he had to deal with it first before coming back. There is also the Xiangchen sect....In addition, some other small sects gave some things to express condolences and paid homage before leaving."

"Has no one ever been to the high balcony?"

"No, my father did not like to interact with many sects related to the imperial court during his lifetime, so he never had any close friendship with him."

"Yes, Brother Haoyuan has such a character. After saying that, Xu Enze seemed to have just thought,"Where are Luoshengtang and Luoqiu Valley?""

"...Doesn't uncle know? Luoqiu Valley suffered a sudden fire a year ago, and no one was left alive. Luo Sheng Tang disappeared overnight six months ago. I don’t know many specific details. My father seemed to know about it, but he never mentioned it to me."

"I've heard this before. Now it seems that the same thing as what happened in Guxia Village happened suddenly and there are many doubts. That’s why I was thinking that if there were one or two survivors with the names of Luo Qiugu and Luo Shengtang, I might be able to get some clues to find out what happened to Brother Haoyuan."

"Yes, except that my Guxia Village was not wiped out in one fell swoop, everything else is basically the same."

"Are any of the sects left in the village behaving abnormally?"

"I let the disciples of Zhuang NaiPay attention and see nothing unusual"

"Okay, you have to pay more attention. The storm in Guxia Village has not calmed down yet, and there are no clues for the time being. Others are hiding, and we are hiding. Hidden arrows are the most difficult to guard against, so you must be more careful."

"Yes, Jichu understands. Uncle must be more careful outside. If the other party detects it, uncle will definitely be in danger."

"good. Then I will leave first. I arranged for two apprentices to come. Now all the visitors to Guxia Village should know it, and their eyes will be on them. Seeing that I am not here, they will probably think that I must be like you, and they will I didn't suspect the cause of brother Haoyuan's death. I just thought I was hiding in Ziqing Hall, drunk and drowning my sorrows, and fell unconscious. On the contrary, if I let others see me here again, it may make them aware of something and become alert, and it will be even more difficult to find out the matter."

"In this way, Ji Chu will not keep uncle Xu anymore. When this matter is settled, I will come to Uncle Xu in person to express my gratitude for his great kindness."

"Jichu said again,"Your father and I are both brothers and friends. This matter is not just because of you.""As he said that, Xu Enze picked up his cloak and hid himself again before preparing to leave,"Also, don't tell my two apprentices that I have been here for the time being."

Xu Enze often visited Guxia Manor in the past, but Li Jichu had never had much direct contact with Xu Enze and didn't know much about him. However, after all, they were people his father had known for many years, so Li Jichu trusted Xu Enze very much. That's why on the day of his father's death, he ordered his close associates to go to Xu Enze for help in order to find out the matter. Now Xu Enze has come all the way, but his conversations with Li Jichu always make Li Jichu doubtful," Don't tell them? Naturally, other people have to be wary, so do the two wise brothers also want to hide it?"

Hearing this, Xu Enze seemed to be very embarrassed. He hesitated for a long time before saying:"I didn't want to mention this matter, so as not to burden you. But the situation is complicated at the moment. If I don't understand Ji Chu's doubts, I'm afraid there will be a conflict between you and me. A rift arises."

Xu Enze's pretentious words moved Li Jichu's face a little, but they could not really dispel Li Jichu's doubts. Xu Enze continued:"Because of some past events of our generation, Mulin Qingjiu I have been implicated in this, so I have never wanted them to get involved in the disputes between Jianghu and Jianghu. But this time, to be on the safe side, I needed people like them who were close to me to act as a cover-up, so I had to let them come to Guxia Manor. However, I still didn’t want them to be involved, so I They concealed all the truth and only asked them to come to pay homage on my behalf. Furthermore, I thought that if they knew about my arrangements, they would probably be too worried about their words and deeds. It would be difficult to guarantee that they would not be noticed by those who were interested, and would cause those people to be on guard. So I’d better hide it from them for the time being, so that I can deceive others."

"My uncle has thought carefully. It was Ji Chu who made a mistake. Please forgive me."

"No problem. After that, just ask my two apprentices to find Jihua. I think they did a good job on the way to Guxiazhuang, being low-key and vigilant. I asked them to help find someone, or Don't worry, just don't mention me, they will help you"

"Yes, Ji Chu wrote it down."

Xu Enze raised his hand and patted Li Jichu on the shoulder, and said with concern:"You have been working hard for days, so you should pay attention to rest. I heard your father say that you have been weak since you were a child and you must take good care of your body."

"Yes, Uncle Lao is worried"

"Okay, I'm leaving."Xu Enze turned around and left, waving his hand,"No need to send it off."

"Uncle walked slowly."Li Jichu stood there and bowed and saluted.

After Xu Enze left Li Jichu's room, he looked around where several sects were. He found nothing unusual. He was about to leave Guxia Manor, but he went around in circles. After walking around for a long time, I could not find the way. While looking around, Xu Enze suddenly heard Xu Qingjiu talking to himself. Fortunately, he dodged quickly and almost hit him head-on. By the time Xu Qingjiu waited, After Jiu and Butler Wu left, Xu Enze stayed in place for a moment. He wanted to leave, but after thinking about it, he quietly followed Xu Qingjiu.

Xu Enze was lying on the roof of the room where Xu Mulin and Xu Qingjiu were staying. After listening to Butler Wu and Xu Mulin finish talking and leave, they heard Xu Qingjiu and Xu Mulin chatting below.

"Senior brother, earlier, brother Ji Chu specifically asked Butler Wu to tell us that he would come over later. He must have something to tell us. Why can't he suddenly say it now? Could something happen? Do you want to ask?"

"It's indeed a bit strange. Did you encounter anything strange on your way back?"

"Something wrong?...No, there's nothing wrong except that I can't find my way back."

"...That should be nothing. Guxia Village is in a busy time now. If something happens again, I'm afraid it won't be so peaceful. I think brother Lai Jichu must have been too tired recently, or other visitors may have kept him here."

Xu Mulin said this, but in his heart he strongly disagreed with this possibility - if he was too tired, he had worked hard for many days before they came. It is impossible that he promised to come an hour ago, and now He suddenly missed the appointment due to tiredness. What if there are guests staying? But since Li Jichu specifically let Butler Wu inform him of his intention to come in advance, it is likely that he has something important to say and cannot leave now, so he can come over later. After all, he had previously He did not specify when he would come.

Visitor? Who is coming? He asked brother Jichu to cancel the meeting directly.

Suddenly, a thought flashed in Xu Mulin's mind: Could it be Master? We are here to represent Master. If so, Brother Jichu has something to discuss with us. It is probably something that he originally wanted to discuss with Master. But suddenly he stopped coming. It could only be that Master has come on his own and there is no need to discuss it with us anymore. But if it is really Master. He's here, why didn't he show up? Why did he hide the fact that he was coming too from us before?

"In that case, let's go see if we can be of any help tomorrow."

Xu Qingjiu's words interrupted Xu Mulin's thinking. Although Xu Mulin felt that his guess was probably accurate, he was not 100% sure. Xu Mulin did not want to make arbitrary conclusions and make Xu Qingjiu worry. Just smiled and said nothing

"Senior brother, what are you laughing at? Did I say something wrong?

"That's right. It’s just that we have just arrived here today. Although the master and Master Li have many friendships in their generation, we have only met the eldest son for the first time. Although I feel that we feel like old friends at first sight, the relationship is still unfamiliar after all. What we said during the day were just polite words. Now these things in Guxia Manor are family affairs after all. You and I are just guests after all. We still have to be careful not to overstep the limit and embarrass the host. Master's previous explanations were just because we were worried that if the eldest son really made a request, we would hesitate because of concerns about Master's wishes."

After Xu Mulin explained, Xu Qingjiu also understood and nodded repeatedly.