I am collecting entries in reincarnation

Chapter 216 The Older Generation

"Is the source of the information reliable?" An old man with gray hair sat on a not very big bed. There was a small square table in the middle of the bed with a pipe on the table.

The old man picked up the pipe and took a puff, and two long streams of smoke rolled out from his nose.

Tong Ren, who had just finished preparing the banquet, was there. He saw her bow and said, "Grandpa, what your grandson said is absolutely true."

The old man sighed and said, "My child, there is a saying, 'In one life, there are nine brothers.'"

Tong Ren looked up and said, "Isn't this what the nine ancestors of Jiulian City said when they swore brotherhood?"

"Then do you know what the key point is?" the old man asked again.

Tong Ren pondered for a moment and said, "Nine brothers? Back then, our nine ancestors formed a sworn brotherhood and each utilized their strengths to build this family business and pass it on to future generations. It was all thanks to the unity of purpose and dedication of the nine brothers."

The old man laughed, but he didn't know what he was talking about. He coughed several times. Tong Ren was shocked when he saw this and hurried forward.

Unexpectedly, the old man waved his hand, picked up the pipe again, took a deep breath, and then exhaled another breath. Upon closer inspection, the mist seemed to be slightly bright red.

"Ahem. This Baicaohui won't last much longer. Grandpa's time is coming!"

Tong Ren's face changed drastically when he heard that, and he hurriedly said, "Grandpa, what are you talking about? Your grandson hasn't married yet and has no children to continue the Tong family's incense. Grandpa, don't you want to hold my son, no, grandson!"

"Silly child, everything has a beginning and an end, this is destined by heaven. Besides, an old man who refuses to die is a thief. Do you want me to be an old thief?" The old man smiled and put down his pipe and said, "I still have to thank Miss Bian. Even if the Hundred Grass Ashes can't heal my old injuries, it has made me feel much more comfortable these days, which is already very good. Child, let me give you a few more words of advice. You listen carefully. The Tong family will rely on you in the future. We are nine brothers in one lifetime. The key point is not nine brothers, but one lifetime!!!"

"Even though the previous generation had deep affection, will the next generation still have such generosity? The nine brothers of Jiulian City shared power—it's a great story, but why was the position of city lord decided later? It was because of disputes and disagreements, and they needed a unified voice to concentrate their strength. Just like your body, if your left and right feet disagree, you can't move!"

"But the consequence of eliminating other voices is this: look at the Chen, Chu, and Hua families. How much ability and authority do they have left? Over the years, there have been so many open and covert struggles for power and profit. Your father... Haha, it's my fault for being confused for a moment and actually believing Zhao Sihai's lies. Let alone that we are not originally a family, even if we were a family, we can still tell the closeness and distance by blood. Now that Ancestor Xiao's life is almost over, the next generation's innate combat power has not yet been cultivated. The position of City Lord represents so many resources. Many times, the most ruthless people are those who stab their own people!"

When the old man said this, he sighed again, with a hint of melancholy in his eyes.

"I know you have a kind heart, and I didn't intend to let you get involved in this mess. If the Zhao family wants it, I'll give it to them, but they've gone too far! So it's been very difficult for me. I want you to get out of this vortex, but the Zhao family may not be willing to let you go. After all, the death of You San is still fresh in our minds."

"I've been thinking about what exactly my grandson is inferior to others. What he can do that I can't do? But I'm not Zhao Sihai after all. I don't have that kind of heart. I've come this far step by step and ended up like this. But you've worked hard. You've always been low-key, but you've also built this foundation. Grandpa, I'm very happy, but when I think about you facing the Zhao family head-on, I really don't know how to be confident. The Zhao family is cruel and ruthless, and they don't care about friendship at all. My grandson, how can you compare with them? Grandpa, I'm really scared. I don't want to die. I want to help you for another two years, but my body is useless."

The old man spoke with great sincerity, and at this moment his true feelings were revealed, with tears streaming down his face.

"Grandpa!" Tong Ren looked at the old man in front of him and was also very moved. Tears appeared in his eyes and he knelt down and kowtowed three times.

Then he said: "As the saying goes, the righteous have many supporters, while the unrighteous have few! Seventh brother and eighth brother are on my side now, my grandson still has help, and I have also invited sister Chu back. The Zhao family has done so many unpopular things in the past, and it is time for us to rise up and resist! The outcome will be clear in seven days!!!" Tong Ren's smooth face was filled with determination at this moment.

"Great Elder, this is today's Huangjing rice."

"Okay, I got it. Go ahead." An old man with white hair and beard was sitting in the bamboo forest, holding a chess piece in his hand. In front of him was a stone table with nineteen horizontal and vertical stones. At this moment, most of the table was covered with black and white stones.

The man who brought the rice was a middle-aged man. He seemed to hesitate for a moment after putting down his bowl, but finally mustered up the courage to say, "Grandpa, are you really going to give up the position of City Lord this time?"

After hearing this, the old man dropped the white piece in his hand and snorted, "What? You still don't give up?"

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and said, "Grandson doesn't understand why Xiao Zu has been the Great Elder for so many years, but has always been fair and just. My Xiao family has not gained more than others. Why?"

Xiao Zu sighed, picked up another chess piece, and said, "A lot? What do you mean by a lot? I'll take down the plaque of Jiulian City and replace it with Xiaojia City. How about that? Are you satisfied? If you're satisfied, go and exchange it tomorrow, if not tonight!"

"In my third year as Grand Elder, the City Lord became my nephew. But the result, haha, is hilarious. He became the shortest-serving City Lord in Jiulian City. He's greedy, violent, and selfish. I personally drove him off the City Lord's throne. And then, look what you've done? You don't have the ability. You can't even manage a caravan. Your martial arts training is a mess. You're still stuck at the second level of the acquired realm. And you have the nerve to say that?"

"It would be fine if you were rotten, but look at you, what have you done to the next generation of our Xiao family? They're all greedy for pleasure, obsessed with wealth, unwilling to practice hard, and are even a mess at doing things. Let me ask you, who in our Xiao family is worthy of such a great responsibility?"

"I, I..." The middle-aged man stammered and couldn't speak, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

"Why, you can't say it?" The old man put down another black piece.

"Luckily, there's still Xiao Yan, who has good talent. I've been training with him since he was young, so he wasn't poisoned by you. Now he's training hard in Jingzhou, and he's making good progress. The other day, he sent me a message saying he'd broken through to the third level of the post-natal realm. Considering his age, that's pretty good!"

The middle-aged man's expression finally relaxed, and he said, "If that's the case, why didn't Grandpa transfer Yan'er back? Isn't his generation and age just right?"

Upon hearing this, the old man said with regret, "How can a sparrow understand the ambition of a swan? Your son has such talent and should have pursued higher achievements in a better environment. But all you have in mind is Jiulian City. Now he is cultivating hard in the Red Flame Sect. As long as before I die, no, even after I die, if he breaks through to the Xiantian realm one day, whether he comes back or not, you can keep your wealth and glory. You ask him to come back and inherit the position of City Lord now, and then what? The position of City Lord has many mundane matters. I know his temper. He will most likely continue to cultivate and then hand over the miscellaneous matters to you. I will watch you mess up Jiulian City and do nothing about it. You are happy, but how many years can you enjoy it? Ten years? And then what? I have a lifelong reputation, but how can I have a grandson like you? It really makes me angry!!!"

"Get out! Get out of here!!!"

The old man slammed the stone table, the chess pieces flew everywhere, and the game immediately became a mess.

The middle-aged man hurriedly rolled and crawled out.

Then the old man looked at the messed up chessboard, shook his head and sighed, "I'm old now, and my strength is failing me. I can't even play a good game of chess. It's a complete mess. Sigh."

(End of this chapter)