Chapter 14

The old man had always held a high position, and his children all worked in the government or the military, rarely seeing him. His few grandchildren, engaged in business or studying abroad, were even rarer to meet. It was a rare occasion to encounter a child who was not afraid of him and was quite amusing to talk to, which greatly improved his mood. He immediately decided, "No problem, what do you want to eat? Tell Grandpa, and I'll have the chef prepare it."

Soon, a sumptuous lunch was laid out on the table. The old man took a bottle of special military-supplied Maotai and poured half a glass, drinking it himself.

Su Yang, on the other hand, ate with great enthusiasm. His appetite was astonishing, and in a short while, he had devoured most of the dishes on the table, along with four large bowls of white rice. The old man was also taken aback by Su Yang's incredible appetite.

The old man, who had spent his life in the military, even in times of peace, still maintained the habit of drinking large glasses of wine and eating large bowls of meat. He particularly enjoyed Su Yang's rough and bold style. After regaining his composure, he looked at Su Yang with even more fondness.

He sipped his wine and said, "Brat, if you're still hungry, just say so, and I'll have the chef make more."

Su Yang wiped the oil from his mouth and said quite contentedly, "I'm about eighty percent full, that's enough. But not giving me a cup to drink from, that's not very hospitable."

"You're still so young, and this wine has a high alcohol content."

The old man paused, then showed a mischievous smile like an old child, "If you really want to drink, you can, but you have to tell me your address first, so I know where to send you if you get drunk."

"Will I get drunk?"

Su Yang seemed to have heard the funniest joke, walked up to the bottle of special military-supplied Maotai that was still half full, and before the old man could react, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one go.

"The taste is there, but the aroma is lacking. It can't compare to the aged original mash I drank in the past."

"Brat, are you okay?"

The old man was genuinely worried about Su Yang. Seeing that he was not swaying, his face was not red, and his words were clear, he was shocked, "You must have been drinking since you were in the womb. Your alcohol tolerance is probably better than mine, an old drunkard."

Su Yang thought to himself that in his previous eight lives, he had enjoyed all the luxuries of the world. Although he was not particularly fond of alcohol, he had drunk quite a bit. Drinking seven or eight pounds of white wine was no problem for him, so there was no need to compare with the old man.

Considering that he had eaten a meal provided by the old man, Su Yang tolerated being called "brat" and sat back down, saying, "I've eaten your meal, and I'll give you something in return, so we're even."

As he spoke, Su Yang used his finger as a pen, leaned over the table, and with a few strokes, wrote the character "kill."

Su Yang had lived for over 1,400 years, most of which was spent in ancient times. Although he did not practice calligraphy intentionally, over time, he had developed a good hand. Especially in his fourth and fifth lives, he had interacted with two famous calligraphers in Chinese history, learning a lot from them and eventually forming his own style.

If the old man had seen Su Yang's calligraphy from his second or third life, he might have only said it was "not bad." But now, in his ninth life, Su Yang's calligraphy had reached a high level of mastery.

Each stroke was of the highest quality, and it carried a thousand years of ancient style, with no trace of imitation. Combined with his past experiences on the battlefield, the character "kill" he wrote had the air of a master.

When the old man, who was passionate about calligraphy, saw the character "kill" written by Su Yang, he was instantly captivated. He stared at the character carved into the rosewood table for a long time, unable to regain his composure.

"This character... it might be on par with Master Gu Deyan's work..."

The old man murmured. Gu Deyan was a master calligrapher, over a hundred years old, with a tranquil and peaceful nature. The old man had spent over half a month in Beijing to meet him and had learned a lot from him in terms of calligraphy.

"What a majestic character 'kill.' Looking at it feels like being on a battlefield, sharp as a knife, with a grand momentum. Compared to this, what I wrote earlier is nothing!"

After being immersed in Su Yang's character "kill" for a long time, the old man finally realized something strange. The rosewood table was as hard as a rock, and using a finger as a pen to carve into it to such a depth was something only a few martial arts experts in the military could do, and even then, not with such ease.

"Who would have thought there's a child like you, a genius in both literature and martial arts." The old man sighed and looked at Su Yang.

"Since you can appreciate the quality of this character, we're even. I didn't freeload on your meal." Su Yang didn't want to stay any longer and started to walk out.

"Child, don't go yet."

The old man, though old, was still agile. He stepped forward and blocked Su Yang's path, smiling broadly, "Who are you, child? Tell Grandpa, okay?"

"I'm not a child. My surname is Su, and my given name is Yang."

Su Yang was somewhat impatient. He had come here to find someone to fulfill a promise from a hundred years ago, but he couldn't find the right person and didn't want to waste time here.

The old man, seeing Su Yang's stubbornness, didn't want to let him go and came up with an idea, "You came here to find someone, and I have many subordinates. It's easy for me to help you. Why don't you tell me who you're looking for?"

"I don't know the name, but they should be surnamed Lu, and they are about your age. They have an elder in their family named Lu Dingshan."

"Lu Dingshan..." The old man pondered for a moment, then said happily, "This villa was always occupied by my old comrade before I moved in, and he is surnamed Lu!"

Hearing this, Su Yang's eyes lit up, "Does he have an elder named Lu Dingshan in his family?"

"I'm not sure. My old comrade had a stroke two years ago and moved to the Huadong Convalescent Hospital for better treatment. Before that, this villa was his residence."

"During the Anti-Japanese War, the military funds were tight, so he sold this old house to support the military. After the liberation, the house was returned to the government and then to him. I moved in at his invitation, finding the environment here pleasant, so I didn't want to go back to Nanjing. I'm retired, so I stay where it's comfortable."

Clearly, the information provided by the old man confirmed that his old comrade was the person Su Yang was looking for. Su Yang's mood improved, and he smiled, "It must be him. Where is the Huadong Convalescent Hospital? Is it far?"

"It's in Wuxi."

The more he interacted with Su Yang, the more the old man felt he was extraordinary. He tempted him, "Why don't I take you there? You won't be able to get in alone. It's a convalescent hospital for officials, not just anyone can enter."

Su Yang glanced at the old man, "Why do you look like you want to eat me? Are you trying to kidnap a child?"

"Of course not. I just admire your talent and want to get to know you better," the old man denied firmly.

"Let's leave it for today. I'll come find you in a few days."

Having learned about the Lu family, Su Yang felt more confident and wasn't in a hurry. He said this and, without waiting for the old man to detain him, disappeared from the door at a speed that surpassed the human eye's ability to capture.

Even the guards at the door only felt a gust of wind and didn't see anyone come out.

From the initial shock to the daze after Su Yang's disappearance, the old man only came to his senses when his guard, Xiao Dong, called him from outside.

"This child is not simple!" Xiao Dong, naturally, didn't understand what the old man meant but noticed the character "kill" carved into the table. Being a calligraphy expert himself, he immediately recognized its quality and exclaimed, "Sir, this character is perfect in form and meaning, a master's work!"

The old man nodded, "Find someone to take this tabletop off. I need to keep this 'kill' character. When I visit Mr. Gu in Beijing, I'll have him appraise it."

"I hope that kid will come back."

Xu Tianyang's efficiency was extremely high. In less than a day after talking to Su Yang on the phone, he had arranged all the admission procedures and even bought a three-bedroom, two-living room apartment near the school, delivering the keys and admission notice to Tangcheng Yipin through his grandson, Xu Chongyang.

"Ni Zai International Private High School? Is it run by Germans or Swiss?"

Su Yang looked at the admission notice and recalled, "I know this Ni Zai. When I was in Switzerland, he owed me a drink. He was a bit pretentious, but he was easy to get along with."

Xu Chongyang, who knew Su Yang's background, was still taken aback, "Mr. Su, this school is funded by Germans and co-founded with the Chinese side. It's just named after a famous philosopher, and they paid for the naming rights. It has nothing to do with Ni Zai. However, I have investigated, and this private high school ranks among the top 100 internationally. The students here are all from wealthy families, with net worths of at least ten million."

"A school for rich kids." Su Yang smiled, "Sounds interesting."

"With the admission notice, you can go