Chapter 4

"Zhengchun, our son has come down the mountain."

The phone receiver transmitted the voice of a woman, crying with joy, "Poor my son, he left me when he was two years and five months old, and it has been twenty years since then. Finally, he can come back."

"Xiaofei, don't cry yet. What exactly happened? Tell me."

Xu Zhengchun was overjoyed, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Zhengchun, I just received a call from the old man. He said our son called him. Our son didn't have any money and had to borrow someone else's phone to make the call..."

On the other end of the line, Yuan Fangfei briefly explained the situation and then said, "I thought since you're in Changqiu City today, you should go and pick up our son?"

"Alright, I'll go right away. Tell the old man for me."

Xu Zhengchun spoke loudly into the phone, "By the way, go to the old man's courtyard and keep an eye on him. His health can't handle too much excitement."

"Zhengchun, is your second son back?"

Gu Changqiu, seeing Xu Zhengchun hang up the phone, quickly stood up, "Congratulations, congratulations. This is truly a double joy."

"Changqiu, my son has come down the mountain, but he doesn't have any money. I need to go to Wusong County to pick him up. We'll have a good chat when you come to the capital."

Xu Zhengchun chuckled, got up, and walked out, "I'll go and tell Premier Chang and ask for a leave."

"Alright, your second son is back. When the time comes, I'll have to congratulate you. Since Premier Chang is here, I can't accompany you this time." Gu Changqiu stood up and saw Xu Zhengchun out, "Premier Chang should be done talking with Secretary Ma by now."

Xu Zhengchun nodded, opened the door, and hurried out.

The minibus drove slowly, and Xu Yizhuan turned to look out the window, his heart pounding with excitement. It had been twenty years since he last saw his family. Although his master would bring photos of his family up the mountain every few years, they were just photos. Now, he was finally going to see them in person, and the feeling would be completely different.

Although Zhao Yong tried to stay awake, the bumpy ride made him drowsy. At first, he managed to stay awake, but eventually, his head drooped, and he fell asleep, leaning against the seat. The man in the suit across from him also seemed tired, his head nodding against the seat. Clearly, both were exhausted.

Why did Master let me come down the mountain this time? The last time Master returned to the mountain, he said I needed to bathe in the Heavenly Pool for a few more years. But now, after just two months, he changed his mind?

Xu Yizhuan couldn't figure it out. He knew very well that his current Daoist cultivation was at most sixty percent of his master's. However, he had learned about seventy to eighty percent of the various Daoist arts, such as astrology, divination, feng shui, and medicine, with medicine being his proudest skill.

The minibus suddenly jolted, and Zhao Yong's eyes snapped open, a sharp glint in them. His gaze met the man in the suit across from him, and he felt relieved. He looked forward and smiled, "Xu Yizhuan, we're almost in Wusong County."

Xu Yizhuan nodded with a smile but didn't speak. He lifted his chin, and Zhao Yong, startled, quickly looked over to see the man in the suit standing up. At that moment, the minibus suddenly slowed and turned left.

The man in the suit took a step to the door, grabbed the handle with his left hand, and twisted it, quickly opening a gap. His figure disappeared in an instant.

The entire process took no more than three seconds, leaving Xu Yizhuan stunned. Zhao Yong, however, reacted immediately, standing up and shouting, "Stop the car, stop the car."

The driver, confused, instinctively hit the brakes, and the minibus stopped by the roadside. Zhao Yong leaped out of the car, and a voice came from behind, "Zhao Yong, four o'clock direction."

Zhao Yong quickly turned his head and indeed saw the man in the suit's back. He immediately ran after him. Xu Yizhuan sighed and followed, thinking that Zhao Yong seemed like a good guy and had even bought him a ticket. Now that his work was in trouble, he should help.

Xu Yizhuan caught up with Zhao Yong in a few steps. As the man in the suit was about to turn into a nearby market, Xu Yizhuan hesitated, then quickly picked up a brick from the roadside and threw it.

The brick whistled through the air and hit the man in the suit on the head as he turned to check the situation. Blood spurted out instantly.

Zhao Yong was stunned. Damn, this kid's aim is too good. He doesn't even fear hitting innocent people. Of course, now wasn't the time to think about that. First, he needed to catch this guy. He sprinted over and, as the man in the suit dizzily got up, pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

"Move, move, police business."

Xu Yizhuan shouted loudly.

The crowd quickly cleared a path. At that moment, the man in the suit seemed to regain his strength, roared, and threw Zhao Yong off. He leaped up and ran.

Xu Yizhuan laughed, kicked a small stone, and it flew like a bullet, hitting the man in the suit's knee. He stumbled and fell, and Zhao Yong quickly pounced, kneeing him in the back and grabbing his right hand, twisting it backward.

With a "crack," the man in the suit's right hand hung limp. Zhao Yong then did the same to his left arm and finally cuffed him with a pair of letter handcuffs.

"Brother, good skills, thank you. Have a cigarette, I'll make a call."

Zhao Yong took out a cigarette and threw it to Xu Yizhuan, then dialed a number. After a brief conversation, he hung up and walked over to Xu Yizhuan, "Brother, when our car comes, where do you want to go? I'll take you there."

"Brother Zhao, thank you, but it's not necessary. I've already called my family, and they're coming to pick me up."

Xu Yizhuan exhaled a smoke ring and looked ahead, feeling a bit anxious. His family only had his photos; would they recognize him?

As they were talking, a minivan slowly stopped, and a few young men got out, dragging the bloodied man in the suit into the car. One of them, dressed in a suit, walked over and gave Zhao Yong a thumbs up, "Old Zhao, you're still got it. Your moves were really harsh."

"Not really, it was all thanks to this brother Xu. He really has a good aim with stones." Zhao Yong laughed and explained the situation, making the young men laugh.

Just then, a black Audi with a Beijing license plate sped over. The car hadn't even stopped properly when the door opened, and a middle-aged man got out, holding a photo and nervously looking at everyone.

Xu Yizhuan's heart skipped a beat. Seeing the familiar figure, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. If everything went as expected, this was his father, Xu Zhengchun, who had personally come to Wusong County to pick him up.

"Brother Xu, what's wrong?"

Zhao Yong, about to invite Xu Yizhuan into their car, noticed his unusual expression and was taken aback.

At that moment, Xu Zhengchun also saw Xu Yizhuan and, with a look of wild joy, ran over, "Son, son, I'm your father, I'm your father!"

Tears streamed down Xu Yizhuan's face as Xu Zhengchun tightly embraced him.

"Son, let me see you. How is your body? Is your illness cured?"

After a moment, Xu Zhengchun grabbed Xu Yizhuan's shoulders and looked him up and down. After a twenty-year separation, the reunion was deeply emotional.

"Father, I'm fine. My illness was completely cured a few years ago."

Xu Yizhuan looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar man, frowning. Why did his father look so unwell? This wasn't just from fatigue; it was a sign of poor health.

With his knowledge of divination and other arts, Xu Yizhuan had often calculated his family's fortunes. His father's fortune should have been good, and he was expected to advance in his career. What had changed in just two months?

What's the story behind this?

"Good, that's good. Let's go home."

Xu Zhengchun, overjoyed, pulled Xu Yizhuan's hand and walked toward the Audi. Zhao Yong, seeing this, was stunned and watched Xu Yizhuan's back, feeling happy for the reunion. If it weren't for Xu Yizhuan, the spy might have escaped.

However, Xu Yizhuan's father seemed familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

"Xiao Cheng, Xu Yizhuan's father seems familiar."

Zhao Yong put a cigarette in his mouth and slowly walked toward the minivan. Xiao Cheng, hearing this, was surprised, "Xu Yizhuan, who is Xu Yizhuan?"

Zhao Yong then remembered he hadn't introduced Xu Yizhuan to Xiao Cheng, "Xu Yizhuan is the young brother who helped me catch the guy. Without him, we might have failed today."

"Old Zhao, just look at the car. A black Audi with a Beijing government license plate. It must be someone at least at the vice-ministerial level." Xiao Cheng watched the Audi speed away and chuckled, "Old Zhao, you're in luck. You've made a friend with such a high status."

Zhao Yong was stunned. As someone from the National Security Department, he knew the basics of Beijing's political landscape. Thinking about Xu Yizhuan's surname, his heart skipped a beat, "No way, could Xu Yizhuan really be from a prominent family?"

"Old Zhao, didn't you see the car come directly to pick someone up?"

Xiao Cheng chuckled, "They used their resources to track your phone and find you. Anyone with that kind of ability can't be simple."