Chapter 4

"Grandpa Xiao, please do me a favor and let me off this time. I promise it will be the last time."

"Your last time was ten years ago. Besides, I don't have the final say in this. If the young master truly wants to repent, he needs to show it through action."

"No! Don't! Don't..."

"Ouch! My butt!"

Early in the morning, the gate of the Wei Guogong residence creaked open, and a yellow figure was thrown out, flying straight for six or seven zhang before landing with a thud and a cry of pain. His body bounced twice and then fell to the street like a dead pig.

"Listen up, everyone. The master specifically instructed us just now. The young master can only enter the house when he gives the order. No one is to let him in without permission, understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Very good, close the gate!"

"Wait a moment!" Hearing that he was to be locked out, Xun Qiu, who had just struggled to his feet after being thrown to the ground, ignored his sore buttocks and lunged toward the house like a rabid dog.

"Bang!"

The red-painted gate immediately closed, just in time for Xun Qiu to crash into it headfirst.

"Ah! My nose, damn it!" Xun Qiu clutched his face and bent over, cursing loudly. He kicked the gate, but his legs gave out, and he tumbled down the steps, landing in a heap of dirt and dust, looking like a mud monkey.

"Xun Changfeng, you old bastard, let me in quickly!"

"I'll give you a moment to think about it."

"Open the door! Someone is hanging here!"

At noon...

"Old bastard, open the door quickly, I'm about to starve to death!"

"Wait until my mother comes, she'll make you kneel on a washboard!"

"Try keeping me out forever!"

In the afternoon...

"Old... cough, cough, old bastard, quickly..."

"Even if you disown me, you should at least give me some money. Where will I eat and sleep tonight?"

Sitting cross-legged in front of the Wei Guogong residence, Xun Qiu, looking like a ruffian, had been cursing from morning to night. His throat was dry, and his stomach was empty. He had no strength left to shout. According to past experience, his father would usually open the door and welcome him back after a morning of cursing. It seemed he had miscalculated this time, and the old man was determined to punish him.

The curses echoed throughout the street all day long, and passersby kept their distance. When they heard that Xun Qiu had returned, everyone on the street became more cautious. This kind of persistent troublemaker brought bad luck to anyone he stuck to.

Unconsciously, it was already evening, and the street was becoming deserted. The houses around the Wei Guogong residence had closed their doors early, and the lights in the various rooms of the Xun residence were already lit. Xun Qiu, sitting on the ground, felt the cold on his buttocks and the numbness in his legs.

"Right now, I should be lying on a golden-threaded yellow silk quilt, with a warm stove by the bed and a plump, curvy girl in my arms, and then... tsk tsk." In the cold night breeze, Xun Qiu shivered, waking from his fantasies. Seeing his current miserable state, he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Hmph, fine, I don't need your door open. I don't care!"

"Spit!"

He spat at the tightly closed gate, cursing the fact that he, the only son of the Wei Guogong, was locked out of his own home. If this got out, how would he save face in the casinos and brothels?

Xun Qiu grew angrier the more he thought about it. He undid his belt, pulled down his pants, and urinated on the steps of the residence, until the stench rose and his feet were splashed. Pinching his nose, he turned back and forth, cursing as he headed toward the city outskirts.

"It's just peeping at my senior sister bathing, what's the big deal..." Xun Qiu muttered to himself, head down, still不服气 (unwilling to admit defeat).

"Tsk! Even when I groped the junior sister in her bedroom, it wasn't a big deal."

As Xun Qiu left with a grudge, the Wei Guogong residence returned to normal, but a subtle and ominous atmosphere lingered.

"Heh, Xun Changfeng's bastard son has really disgraced him."

In a dark alley to the west of the street, a small, thin figure in black peeked out, chuckling softly, with eyes full of sinister intent.

"The decline of the Xun family is truly the will of heaven." Another similarly dressed figure in the darkness agreed.

"He hasn't inherited a single trait from his old man."

"Maybe he was born from the wife's affair with someone else."

"Makes sense, hahaha..."

"How is the surveillance going?"

A stern and cold voice came from the darkness, and the two figures immediately straightened up, a chill running up their spines. They hurriedly answered in fear.

"Reporting to the head of the family, everything is ready."

"Very good. I will deal with Xun Changfeng. As for the other places, follow the plan without fail!"

"Understood."

"Hmph, by tomorrow night, the entire Kaiping Empire will be in my hands." The unseen figure in the darkness laughed menacingly, then with a swift movement, a faint black shadow leaped onto the roof, disappearing in an instant...

The night was dark, the moon hidden behind thick clouds, and the street was dimly lit. A cold wind blew, and a calm before the storm enveloped the area.

The study of the Wei Guogong residence was built in an ancient style, with rows of bookshelves filled with ancient texts and documents. After morning court, Xun Changfeng would either stay in the training room or read in the study, except for eating and sleeping.

"That little rascal is gone?" The noisy cursing had finally stopped. Xun Changfeng put down his book, rubbed his temples, and sighed, looking suddenly much older.

"Yes, I just checked, and the young master headed out of the city." The old butler nodded, seeing the master's worried face and feeling bitter.

"When will you truly grow up, young master?" The old butler silently grieved, having followed Xun Changfeng for most of his life. Even during the critical battle with the Qianyuan Empire, he had never seen him so worried.

His lips moved slightly, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. "Master, should I go and bring the young master back?"

Xun Changfeng waved his hand weakly and said in a沧桑 (weathered) voice, "No need, he won't starve."

Looking at the old butler's concerned eyes, Xun Changfeng smiled bitterly and continued, "It's late, go and rest. I just need some time alone."

A trace of regret crossed the old butler's eyes, and his mouth twitched, his expression conflicted. He nodded silently, not wanting to argue, bowed to Xun Changfeng, sighed, and turned to close the study door, disappearing down the corridor.

Dinner time had passed, and the night grew darker. The light in Xun Changfeng's study continued to burn lonely, the carved wooden windows tightly shut. The thin wick flickered with a dim yellow light, as if it could go out at any moment, casting a fragile glow in the room.

Suddenly, the wick jumped, and the room darkened for a moment before brightening again.

Xun Changfeng, dozing in his armchair, jerked his head up, his eyes dazed. He had been overworked by the trouble with the young rascal and was very tired.

Not noticing the subtle changes, Xun Changfeng closed his eyes again. Soon, a light snore came from the study, while outside, six or seven groups of black shadows slowly approached the Xun residence under the cover of darkness.

Tonight, the Kaiping Empire was in turmoil, and the first to face the sudden change was Xun Changfeng, the Wei Guogong, who had made great contributions to the unification of the empire!