Chapter 3

"Old man, are you trying to screw me or screw me?"

Xu Yi watched the car drive away, unable to suppress a long howl. Going down the mountain wasn't a big deal for him, but he had forgotten to ask his master for money. From Northeast China to the capital, it's over a thousand kilometers. Could he really walk back?

It was a shame that he had just excitedly gotten into the car, only to be kicked off by the ticket inspector. It was so embarrassing; a legitimate leader of the Xuanmen sect was treated like a freeloader!

Moreover, regardless of his identity as the legitimate leader of the Xuanmen sect, the Xu family in the capital was a well-known family. Xu Yi's grandfather, Xu Haoyang, was a famous anti-Japanese war hero in the military, who had fought his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Xu Yi was the direct grandson of this Xu Yi.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

A middle-aged man in a jacket walked up to Xu Yi, his eyes casually sweeping over a middle-aged man in a suit waiting for the bus. Although he was talking to Xu Yi, his attention was entirely on the man in the suit.

"Brother, I forgot to bring money when I went out, and I was just kicked off the bus by the ticket inspector."

Xu Yi's face showed a hint of a bitter smile as he took the cigarette from the middle-aged man and smiled, "Brother, where are you going?"

"On a business trip."

The man in the jacket took out a lighter and handed it to Xu Yi, then looked up at the man in the suit again, his face suddenly showing a hint of anxiety. The man in the suit had vanished in an instant.

Xu Yi noticed the man in the jacket's expression. Having lived in Changbai Mountain for twenty years, he had sometimes spent an entire morning lying in wait in the snow to catch a wild rabbit. Thus, reading people's expressions had become a natural part of his life.

"Brother, have you had a poor appetite lately?"

Xu Yi put the cigarette in his mouth and took a puff, his eyes scanning the man in the jacket's face, "No matter how tired you are, you feel like you could eat a whole cow, but when you pick up a bowl, you have no appetite at all?"

"Huh, how did you know?" The man in the jacket was taken aback, looking around as he spoke. He suddenly saw the man in the suit buying cigarettes at a stall, and he felt relieved. He looked back at Xu Yi, "Are you a doctor?"

"Just a bit of traditional Chinese medicine knowledge." Xu Yi chuckled, "This is due to irregular living habits. A few acupuncture sessions will do the trick. I'll also give you a prescription for some medicine to get rid of the root cause."

"Oh, so you're a skilled doctor, then?" The man in the jacket chuckled, his eyes catching the man in the suit getting on a minibus. He had an idea and pulled Xu Yi toward the bus, "Come on, let's get on the bus, and you can check my pulse."

"Brother, my name is Xu Yi, Xu as in 'speech and noon,' and Yi as in 'one word is a promise.' You know I don't have any money, but I'll definitely pay you back when I get home to the capital. Or you can lend me your phone."

"No problem, get in the bus, get in the bus."

The man in the jacket chuckled and rushed onto the bus.

After getting on the bus, Xu Yi noticed that the man in the suit was sitting in a seat facing the door, with an empty seat next to him.

"Brother, you go inside, I'll sit outside." The man in the jacket pushed Xu Yi into the window seat and sat down, the man in the suit was directly across from him. He didn't need to pay special attention to him, as it might alert him. Now, this guy who forgot to bring money could be useful.

"Little brother, you said you'd check my pulse."

The man in the jacket chuckled, took out a cigarette, and handed it to Xu Yi, "By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zhao Yong."

"Brother Zhao, left hand."

Xu Yi chuckled, lit the cigarette, and grabbed Zhao Yong's right hand, placing his fingers on his pulse. Zhao Yong was shocked, watching as Xu Yi easily overpowered his resistance and grabbed his hand.

"Brother Zhao, you've had this stomach problem for a while."

Xu Yi chuckled, let go of his hand, and looked at Zhao Yong, whose forehead was dark, "You need to find time to rest and take care of yourself. I'll teach you a method that's easy to do and can help with your stomach problem."

"What method?"

Zhao Yong was taken aback. His stomach problem had indeed been around for a while, and few people in his line of work didn't have it. Hearing there was a way to alleviate it, he became interested.

"When you have free time, make a loose fist and gently tap the Zusanli point on the outside of your leg. Be gentle, not forceful. Do this for about ten minutes each time, and you'll see results in half a month."

Xu Yi chuckled, rolled up his pants, and pointed to the indentation below his knee, "The Zusanli point is four finger-widths below this indentation."

"Oh, is it here? I'll remember."

Zhao Yong chuckled, found the spot, and gently tapped it with his right hand, "Xu Yi, is this the right spot?"

"Yes, that's it. Tap it when you have free time, and you'll see results in half a month."

Xu Yi nodded, pointed to Zhao Yong's phone, "Brother Zhao, can I borrow your phone?"

"No problem."

Zhao Yong took out his phone and handed it to Xu Yi.

"Tickets, the bus is about to leave." A middle-aged woman with a handful of change walked over, and Zhao Yong took out his wallet and bought two tickets.

Xu Yi grabbed the phone and trembled as he dialed a number, his face tense as he listened to the "beep, beep, beep" in the receiver, afraid the call would be disconnected.

Changqiu City, as the capital of Liaoh River Province, had the best infrastructure in the province, especially the Dawn Road area, which was the most prosperous part of Changqiu City.

The Liaoh River Provincial Party Committee compound was located at No. 99 Dawn Road in Changqiu City.

The No. 1 Building of the Provincial Party Committee was the main office for the top leaders and the venue for the Standing Committee meetings. The Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, the Deputy Secretary, and the Secretary-General all worked in the No. 1 Building.

Usually, the working environment in the No. 1 Building was very quiet, as the leaders preferred a quiet atmosphere and disliked noise. Therefore, the staff in the No. 1 Building walked without making a sound.

However, the No. 1 Building seemed busier this afternoon, with staff members frequently moving through the corridors. The presence of several Audi cars with Beijing ministry plates in front of the No. 1 Building indicated that a central inspection team was in Liaoh River Province.

In the office of Deputy Secretary Gu Changqiu of the Provincial Party Committee.

Two middle-aged men were sitting on the sofa, one was Gu Changqiu, and the other was a man in a well-fitted dark suit with glasses, exuding a scholarly air.

"Zhengchun, how is the leader's health?"

Gu Changqiu personally poured a cup of hot tea for the middle-aged man, "I've been busy lately and haven't had time to visit him."

"Changqiu, don't worry. Father is doing well, he runs a few laps around the lake with the guards every day." The man in the suit chuckled, took out a pack of cigarettes, lit one, and threw the pack on the coffee table. The words "Special Supply" in red were particularly eye-catching.

"Xu Zhengchun, you're so shameless. After half a year, you're still smoking one of these."

Gu Changqiu suddenly stood up, grabbed the cigarettes from the coffee table, and stuffed them into the man's pocket, giving him a stern look.

"Old Gu, don't be so stingy. It's just one cigarette. Next time you come to Beijing, I'll give you two." Xu Zhengchun laughed, "Considering you're a Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, you have no hospitality at all."

"Changqiu, have you heard any news from Beijing lately?"

After a few jokes, Gu Changqiu turned to the main topic, "I heard a rumor that you might be transferred south."

"It's hard to say right now. It's just an initial idea. It's a lateral move, just to take on some specific tasks." Xu Zhengchun shook his head, took a puff of his cigarette, and showed a hint of fatigue, "I myself would like to go down and get some practical experience. Without grassroots experience, it will be hard to advance in the future."

"Where do you plan to go, southeast, northwest, or south?"

Gu Changqiu picked up his teacup, "It's not hard to achieve results in these places, but the situations are complex, and it might be difficult to do something substantial."

He paused, took a sip of tea, "I think it would be better for you to go to Jiangnan, Jiangbei, or even Zhongyuan, where the environment is better."

Xu Zhengchun didn't speak, but his face showed a hint of excitement, "Changqiu, you know me. I, Xu Zhengchun, love challenges..."

Before he could finish, his phone rang. He quickly took it out, looked at it, and answered. Before he could speak, a trembling voice came from the receiver, "Zhengchun, Zhengchun, it's me, the son is down the mountain!"

"Xiao Fei, what do you mean the son is down the mountain?"

Xu Zhengchun frowned, but before he could finish, his face suddenly changed, and he sprang up from the sofa, trembling, "What did you say? What did you say? You mean the second son is back?"

The room was very quiet, and since Xu Zhengchun didn't mind Gu Changqiu hearing, he could clearly hear the phone conversation. The caller was Xu Zhengchun's wife, Yuan Fangfei, the director of the Basic Industry Department of the National Development and Reform Commission.

He knew that Xu Zhengchun had a daughter and a son. The elder daughter was already married, and the younger son, who had been in poor health since birth, was taken away by an old Taoist. Could it be that the second son of the Xu family had returned?