Chapter 7

"Son, how is your father doing?"

Yuan Fangfei pushed the door open and walked in, holding two cups. Her gaze fell on Xu Zhengchun lying on the sofa, and she was taken aback. "Why is your father sleeping here?"

"Mom, Dad is fine. I just gave him two acupuncture treatments to release the damp coldness in his body. He’s probably just too tired from all the work recently. Let him rest for a while," Xu Yi chuckled, took the cup of water from his mother, and drank it all in one go. He was very confident in his acupuncture skills; the small animals on Changbai Mountain were almost all scared of him. In the end, he could only practice on that colorful bird, and the grudge between him and the bird started from his acupuncture practice.

"Look at how tired you are."

Yuan Fangfei tenderly wiped the sweat from Xu Yi’s forehead. "Son, you should rest too. Your aunt called me to discuss something. When your father wakes up, tell him to come over as well."

She looked up at Grandpa Xu. "Dad, you and the grandchild can chat. I’ll go to my sister’s place for a bit."

"Go ahead, we’ll keep an eye on the second one."

Grandpa Xu nodded solemnly.

"Xiao Yi, tell me honestly, what’s wrong with your father? Even the hospital couldn’t figure it out?" Grandpa Xu picked up a cigarette from the coffee table, lit it, and took a puff, his sharp gaze fixed on Xu Yi’s face. "Don’t beat around the bush. I want the truth."

"Grandpa, you saw it just now. I just gave him an acupuncture treatment," Xu Yi’s expression turned grim. "But this is just a temporary fix."

"Before, I had family photos, and my master often had me use them to practice divination." Xu Yi’s voice grew softer. As a child from an official family, talking about divination and fortune-telling made him nervous.

Especially after what his father, Xu Zhengchun, said this afternoon, he realized his situation. How could someone who had left home to become a Taoist and never attended school bring honor to the Xu family?

Maybe being a spoiled rich kid was the best choice.

"Go on." Grandpa Xu waved his hand and sighed lightly. "Child, don’t be inferior. You becoming a Taoist was out of necessity. If you hadn’t gone to Changbai Mountain back then, you wouldn’t have survived. Besides, your master didn’t forbid you from getting married, unlike other Taoists."

"However, try not to talk about divination, fortune-telling, or feng shui in front of others."

"Grandpa, I understand. I won’t talk about these things in front of others anymore." Xu Yi nodded, feeling a bit disheartened. After learning authentic Taoist techniques for twenty years, he never thought he wouldn’t even have a chance to show off.

"Your father’s fortune was good before, but this time, I noticed a subtle change in his face. This kind of change is not noticeable to ordinary people..."

Xu Yi briefly explained the situation and concluded, "It’s very likely that someone is plotting against my father. I need to do a more detailed divination to find out what exactly is happening."

Since it concerned his father’s fate, Xu Yi knew that Grandpa Xu didn’t like these superstitious things, but he had to show his skills. Maybe it would make Grandpa Xu appreciate these ancient traditions.

"Alright, do it here. It’s quiet, and no one will disturb you."

Grandpa Xu nodded, leaned back on the sofa, and waved his hand wearily. "I just want the result."

Xu Yi nodded, sat cross-legged on the floor, calmed his mind, and slowly closed his eyes.

Grandpa Xu suddenly opened his eyes, staring at the meditating Xu Yi, sighing inwardly. This was all fate. If the child hadn’t been seriously ill back then, he would have graduated from university and entered the political world, perhaps bringing glory to the Xu family.

The second son, Xu Zhengchun, was upright but lacked flexibility. The third son’s performance in the military was average. His achievements today were mostly due to the old men’s respect for him.

What will this child do in the future?

Grandpa Xu fell into deep thought.

"Grandpa, I know."

Xu Yi suddenly opened his eyes, sweat pouring down his forehead. Clearly, the divination had taken a lot out of him.

"Clean up first." Grandpa Xu handed him some tissues. "What’s the matter?"

"Grandpa, someone is plotting against my father, and it’s related to his job transfer." Xu Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead and threw the wet tissues away. "According to the divination, the person behind it is in the northwest..."

Xu Zhengchun was taken aback, his eyes brightening, and his hand holding the cup trembled slightly. The news of his transfer was known only to a few people, and he was sure the second son wouldn’t mention it to his grandson. Could Taoist divination really be that powerful?

Xu Yi had more to say but didn’t mention it to Grandpa Xu. If this matter wasn’t handled well, his father’s career might stall at the deputy ministerial level.

Moreover, the methods used by the person behind it were too dangerous to mention. Grandpa Xu already disliked these superstitious Taoist techniques. If he knew about feng shui or other such things, he might get angry, ruining today’s efforts.

The shock in Grandpa Xu’s eyes confirmed that the plot against his father was indeed related to his job transfer.

Xu Yi had never doubted the skills he learned on Changbai Mountain, whether it was acupuncture or divination and other Taoist techniques.

"Father, if it’s in the northwest, it must be that person. It seems someone doesn’t want me to have an easy time. This is just a lateral transfer. Could it be that he’s still holding a grudge over something from my youth?" Xu Zhengchun slowly sat up from the sofa, the clothes covering him slipping off. The place where he had been needled started to bleed again, but the blood wasn’t as bright red.

"Second son, you’re wrong. This isn’t just a personal grudge." Grandpa Xu shook his head, lit a cigarette, and took a puff, looking at Xu Zhengchun. "You’ve been getting close to people from the southeast recently, and your transfer was proposed by someone from the southeast. Although it’s just a deputy ministerial position, it’s still a step into the leadership."

"Moreover, it’s likely that two factions are in conflict, and you’re just a casualty in the middle."

Grandpa Xu paused, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, we’ll talk about this later. Now that you’re awake, let’s discuss Xu Yi’s future plans."

"Father, you decide. We’ll follow your lead."

Xu Zhengchun wiped the blood from his body with tissues, sniffed, and felt a bit relieved. Since his father already knew his thoughts, and he didn’t want to go to school, it might be better to let Grandpa Xu persuade him.

"You, you little brat, you’re playing this card with your own father." Grandpa Xu was taken aback, glared at Xu Zhengchun, took a puff of his cigarette, and turned to Xu Yi. "Child, you’ve been on Changbai Mountain for twenty years. Although you’ve read and written, you haven’t had systematic education."

Xu Yi hung his head and didn’t speak. This afternoon, his father had asked him to go to school, and he hadn’t agreed. Now that his grandfather brought it up again, he couldn’t stay silent.

"Grandpa, I’m already twenty-three. People my age have already graduated from university. Besides, it’s not like going to school is the only way out."

"Hmm, what do you want to do then?"

Grandpa Xu frowned and his face darkened. "The knowledge you learned on the mountain is too basic. In today’s world, you need education. Why don’t you join the military? It’s a viable path, and with the martial arts you learned from Chisongzi, you can put your skills to good use."

"Grandpa, I just said, I’m already twenty-three. Do you think the military accepts twenty-three-year-old recruits?" Xu Yi smiled bitterly. "This suggestion is worse than going to school. Besides, it’s not like you need to go to school to have a future."

"Child, you don’t want to join the military, and you don’t want to go to school. What do you want to do?"

Grandpa Xu frowned, wanting to scold Xu Yi, but seeing his long hair, he remembered the hard life he had on Changbai Mountain for twenty years, and his heart ached a bit.

"Grandpa, Dad, it’s not that I don’t want to improve. It’s just that the conditions don’t allow it. Making me, a man in his twenties, go to school with a bunch of kids, I’d be embarrassed, and others would look down on me."

"If it’s just me being looked down on, it’s fine, but they’ll gossip about our family behind our backs. Why make things worse? If I don’t go to school, they’ll just say I’m a spoiled rich kid."

Xu Yi smiled bitterly. "Besides, my master said that if he hadn’t taken me to Changbai Mountain, I might have died twenty years ago. Since I’ve escaped death, I want to enjoy life."

His voice paused, and his expression became serious. "Grandpa, I don’t want to go to school or join the military. I want to enjoy life. I want to live a new life and reclaim the twenty years I lost!"

"I just want to be a small, spoiled rich kid!"

Grandpa Xu was taken aback, his mouth agape, not believing his ears. Xu Zhengchun was also stunned, staring at Xu Yi, speechless.

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