While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 118 A Meeting at the Xie Residence: Undercurrents Flow

At dusk, outside Xie Hongde's study at the Xie residence. Xie Shenglin and Xie Shengjie's men stood on either side of the doorway, while Yue Feng stood at the end of Xie Shengjie's group. Xie Shengjie himself stood inside the study, in front of his desk.

Everything was the same as the last meeting. The only difference was that the eldest son, Xie Shengling, was not standing opposite Xie Shengjie, but lying at the doorway, on a blood-soaked door panel, now a cold corpse.

The body was severely and thoroughly destroyed. The person who destroyed the body was clearly a veteran, possessing extremely sophisticated methods for making others recognize the corpse while leaving no clues to trace the perpetrator.

Xie Hongde sat quietly behind his desk, looking as if he had aged ten years in an instant. His gaze traveled across the desk, lingering on Xie Shenglin's corpse for a long time. Finally, he spoke, asking, "Has everything been investigated?"

The retainers exchanged bewildered glances, unsure who Xie Hongde was referring to. Yue Feng quickly stepped forward, standing beside Xie Shenglin's corpse, and bowed respectfully to Xie Hongde, saying, "Master, everything has been investigated thoroughly."

"explain."

"Yes. According to my friend in the Heavenly Sword Sect, the eldest young master led more than a dozen brothers last night, and with the support of Elder Ge Changqing of the Heavenly Sword Sect, they attacked Heavenly Sword Mountain. Yue Feng, the leader of the Great Wind Gang, was on the mountain at that time, and the eldest young master and Ge Changqing were also aware of this."

"Ge Changqing sent her prized disciple, Shi Lin, to lure Yue Feng into a trap. Unexpectedly, Shi Lin betrayed them at the last minute, revealing everything to Yue Feng. Yue Feng killed Ge Changqing and more than a dozen of his brothers, and even the eldest son... could not escape."

Xie Hongde asked, "Where were you when it happened?"

Yue Feng replied respectfully, "I am at Shuiyue Manor, handling official business overnight."

Xie Hongde hummed in agreement: "Thanks to you, I now know how the Holy Spirit died. You've worked hard, you may leave. Saint Jie."

Xie Shengjie was horrified: "Father, your son is here."

"Young Master Feng is your subordinate, so give him some more rewards."

"Your son obeys."

All the retainers looked at Yue Feng with great admiration, but Yue Feng seemed oblivious. He bowed to Xie Hongde again without looking to the side and quietly withdrew.

Xie Hongde said, "There must be both rewards and punishments. All of Holy Spirit's subordinates will have their salaries reduced by half a year as a form of discipline. I hope you will all learn from Young Hero Feng in the future. If he had been there last night, Holy Spirit might not have ended up like this."

The more understated Xie Hongde's tone, the heavier the sorrow he conveyed. The retainers all lowered their heads, secretly relieved. They had all already made a fortune in the Xie family; half a year's salary was nothing to them.

However, given Xie Hongde's personality, this matter certainly wouldn't end there. Sure enough, Xie Hongde said:

"If I remember correctly, my third son was killed by the leader of the Dafeng Gang. Now he has conspired with Yun Ruoyu to kill my eldest son. This grudge must be avenged. What are your plans?"

His gaze swept across everyone's faces before finally settling on Yue Feng's. But Yue Feng only frowned slightly, keeping his mouth tightly shut.

An old scholar under Xie Shenglin stepped forward and said, "Master, I have an idea. Yue Feng is so young, yet he already possesses such amazing skills and is the leader of the Dafeng Gang. He must think extremely highly of himself."

"The head of the family might as well write him a letter and send it to Tianjian Mountain. Say that in order to resolve the feud between our two families, we have specially arranged a banquet at Zhuanyu Tower to invite him to meet."

"As for the date, let's set it for the day before the Heavenly Sword Sect's birthday banquet. As long as we can eliminate Yue Feng before the banquet, it won't affect your grand plan, Patriarch. What do you think, Patriarch?"

Xie Hongde thought for a moment and nodded: "Good idea. But Mr. Liu, who do you think should be in charge of this matter?"

The old scholar's surname was Liu, and his given name was Ziliang. Among Xie's retainers, he was known for his wisdom and resourcefulness. Upon hearing Xie Hongde's question, he was immediately stumped—in fact, when he came up with this idea, he intended for Xie Hongde to take charge personally.

As the saying goes, "A person's name is like the shadow of a tree." Although he had never met Yue Feng, he had a vague feeling that only the old monster Xie Hongde could keep Yue Feng in check.

Even he understood this, so Xie Hongde couldn't possibly be unaware. But Xie Hongde still asked the question, which meant that Xie Hongde himself didn't want to go.

Cold sweat poured down Liu Ziliang's forehead. After stammering for a long time, he finally said, "Second Young Master is wise and capable. Entrusting this matter to Second Young Master will surely lead to victory."

Xie Shengjie suddenly stared intently at Liu Ziliang, then turned to Xie Hongde and said, "Father! This matter is far too important, son..."

Xie Hongde stared intently at Xie Shengjie, making Xie Shengjie uneasy and unable to speak. Xie Hongde said, "Shengjie, when your elder brother was alive, he took care of many things, so you didn't have to."

"Now that your elder brother is gone, you must try to shoulder the responsibility of the Xie family. I think Mr. Liu's words are quite good, so I'll leave this matter to you. Whether you need manpower or money, just tell your father, and I will take care of everything for you."

Xie Shengjie had no choice but to agree. Xie Hongde encouraged him a few more times before dismissing everyone. Xie Shengjie returned to his residence, dismissed everyone except Yue Feng. Just as Yue Feng closed the door, there was a loud crash; Xie Shengjie had smashed a vase to pieces.

"Why is the Second Young Master so angry? Now that the Eldest and Third Young Masters have passed away, the future of the Xie family ultimately rests on your shoulders. Perhaps the Old Patriarch's actions have a deeper purpose..."

Xie Shengjie covered his face with his hands and rubbed it vigorously, then asked Yue Feng, "How have I treated you normally?"

Yue Feng said, "Young Master has shown me great kindness and favor, a kindness as heavy as a mountain."

Hsieh Sheng-chieh then asked, "If you had to choose between me and my father, who would you choose?"

Yue Feng smiled and said, "Young Master, as I just said, the old patriarch represents the present of the Xie family, but you are its future."

"Well said!" Xie Shengjie patted Yue Feng on the shoulder. "In that case, I have a task for you to do. Are you willing?"

"I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

"Alright! I, Xie Shengjie, was right about you. Come closer."

……

After a while, at Tingsongxuan.

That's how it happened.

Yue Feng sat upright by the window on the second floor, gazing at the moon above the pine forest. Madam Ji sat opposite him with a smile, remaining silent for a moment.

A beautiful woman gracefully approached and served tea to the two of them; it was Su Yu, who had lost some weight. After serving the tea, Su Yu withdrew without glancing at Yue Feng once. Madam Ji's smile deepened, and she said to Yue Feng:

"I've already heard about Su Yu's family situation from her. Although she's nominally my maid, she's practically like my own sister. Helping her is helping me. I thank you very much."

"No need for thanks. I was just doing it as a favor."

Madam Ji chuckled, "Young Master Feng's casual act has unknowingly stirred countless hearts. I heard that Xie Shengjie has already given Su Yu to you, and I think she is willing. When you leave later, take her with you."