Ziwei Immortal Path

Chapter 39 Past Events

Xu Boyang didn't know why his father brought up his own issues. After thinking about it, he was afraid there was another reason. Seeing Xu Shaohua's gaze, he smiled bitterly in his heart and could only say:
"Replying to Father Ji, my nephew was a bodyguard in his early years and was fortunate enough to have a chance to become an immortal. Now he is also considered a cultivator."

"That's good... As expected, a tiger father will have a dog son. Good... good..."

Xu Shaohua put down the palm-leaf fan, raised the corners of his mouth, and a hint of envy flashed in his eyes.

He looked vigorous and energetic, but actually there were wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, which showed that he was no longer young. And for some reason, he still exuded a sense of desolation.

"Family members don't say such things, Shaohua."

Xu Shaoliang waved his hand and smiled, picked up the teapot and poured him tea, then said,
"Just now I asked you how you got into the Kong family, but then the child started making a fuss, so I left the question unanswered. Now my son Boyang has returned. He is now managing Fengqing Town on behalf of the Ding family. You are the immortal family of Luolin Town in the Kong family. You can visit each other more often in the future!"

"That's that."

When Xu Shaohua heard that Xu Boyang was actually a cultivator, his nonchalant expression changed completely, replaced by a serious look, and he looked at Xu Shaoliang's family with a different eye.

"Brother, this is it. We haven't seen each other for so many years. It would be hypocritical to talk too much about some things."

Xu Shaohua forced a smile and said something, then slowly lowered his head, his expression a little gloomy, sighed softly, and said slowly:

"I remember when you and I escaped from Xunlong Town, I was only sixteen or seventeen. Back then, I was young and naive, with high aspirations. I always felt I was no worse than anyone else, unwilling to live in those remote and poor places and was always thinking of running away to the big city."

"That year, at the beginning of autumn, Xunlong Town suffered a great disaster. My family was scattered and no one knew whether they were alive or dead. I was lucky enough to hide in a cave for over a month, starving to the point of eating rats. Later, I followed some of the refugees to Yuchuan City. To survive, I did all sorts of jobs. There were so many things I could barely remember."

"Brother, you know, our family was poor in the early years. We weren't considered wealthy in Qinlong Village, Xunlong Town. We were just an ordinary farming family. You, my second brother, and I all followed our father to farm and hunt for a living. Fortunately, there was a teacher in the village at that time. My father let me learn calligraphy from him for a few years, and I have a skill in copying and writing."

When Xu Shaoliang heard this, his old face drooped and his brows twitched slightly.

"Later, the Xun family, a wealthy family in Yuchuan City, happened to be recruiting, so I applied with a try-it attitude. It was because my handwriting was decent, I was young, and had no ties, that my master took a fancy to me. My master's surname was Kong, and he was the accountant of the Kong family."

"Brother, do you still remember that time when you and I met in Qingxuan Town more than 20 years ago? It was Master who took me back to Luolin Town."

"Ugh…"

Xu Shaoliang sighed, shook his head slightly, and said softly in a hoarse voice:

"How could I dare forget? Back then, you and I were like rootless duckweed floating in this pond, neither of us moving on our own. You followed the master, and I helped the boss unload the cargo. We met briefly at the dock, and parted just as quickly. Over twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye!"

After a pause, he continued:
"Hmm... I see. But why did the Xun family recruit you to the Kong family?"

Although Xu Shaoliang had been escorting goods for many years, he had always been traveling around the central and southern parts of Yuchuan County and had never been to Yuchuan City in the north. He didn't know the local situation and was a little confused. After thinking about it, he decided to ask out of concern.

Xu Boyang listened quietly and was quite curious about this question.

"Brother, you haven't been to Yuchuan City in these years, right?"

Xu Shaohua picked up the teacup and smiled, took a sip to moisten his throat, and explained,
"In our Yuchuan County, besides Yuchuan City, there are a total of nineteen towns, large and small: nine large towns and ten small towns."

"Among them, the Ling family holds the most, with six towns, most of which are located on the plains and hills near Yuchuan City. That place has fertile fields, numerous immortal peaks, and towering ancient trees."

"Next is the Xun family, who own five towns. Their locations vary, scattered throughout Qingshen, but they are strategically located, mostly in the central part of Yuchuan. Then there is the Jiang family, who own four towns, most of which are close to the East China Sea."

"Finally, there's the Ding family. They also have four towns. In addition to Samadhi Town, which is close to Yuchuan, the remaining three are near Nanhuai County: Fengqing, Taihe, and Wuwei."

As soon as Xu Shaohua said this, Xu Boyang immediately became interested. He and his father had been escorting goods for many years and had been to towns like Yuchuan, but he did not fully understand the forces behind them. When his father-in-law said this, everything became clear to him.

I thought to myself:
"It turns out the Ding family has three other towns. I've visited Taihe Town once before, taking a detour from Funan Town. It's just southeast of us. I didn't expect it to be part of the Ding family's territory. I'm just not sure why the trade route and the road were cut off later. The two towns have drawn their own boundaries and no longer interact with each other. It's a bit strange."

Xu Boyang immediately felt that Ding Tianshi's status in his heart had risen again. Anyone who could have a place in the Yuchuan Ding family must be a confidant of the Ding family.

"So, the Kong family in Luolin Town is a branch of the Xun family?"

After listening to this, Xu Shaoliang suddenly realized and understood immediately.

Xu Shaohua nodded and said:

"Big brother is right. Luolin Town is generally close to the south and borders the Ding family's Taihe Town. It is far away from Yuchuan. The Xun family doesn't like to come here, so they handed it over to the Kong family."

"The Kong family is a relative of the Xun family. The two families were once related by marriage, so the Kong family follows the Xun family. There are also many cultivators in the family. To be honest, it has been many years."

After saying this, he glanced at the two of them, took another sip of herbal tea, put it down, and said with a wry smile:

"Originally, it was impossible for a mortal like me to know these things, but I was able to do so thanks to my master. My master, Kong Dehui, is the accountant of the Kong family. He is very knowledgeable and is in charge of the income and expenditure of the entire Luolin Town."

"Sometimes when the Xun family was busy and short on manpower, they would transfer him over. So, as his apprentice, I followed him during those years, going from one family to another, and covering all of the Xun family's territory. After so many trips, I naturally became familiar with the people in the Xun family's smaller branches. I heard most of these things from them."

"Shaohua, it's not easy for you to be alone these years..."

Xu Shaoliang couldn't help feeling emotional as he listened. Recalling every little detail of his youth, scenes of memories came to his mind like fleeting glimpses. For a moment, he held the cold tea in both hands, his mood complicated and indescribable.

"Brother, we all make a living, fortune and misfortune depend on it, no one can predict it. Later, my master passed away and entrusted me to Kong Zhonghai, the young master of the Kong family. Over the years, the Kong family saw that I worked hard and gave me a daughter from a small clan, my current wife, Kong, so that I could start a family at such an old age."

"Originally, I thought I would be alone for the rest of my life."

"I didn't expect that time would fly by so quickly. I had children in my old age and now I'm the father of two children. The Kong family treats me well now, and I'm in charge of the accounts of the entire Luolin Town."

After Xu Shaohua finished speaking, the doubts in the hearts of Xu's father and son immediately disappeared. Think about it, he is just an ordinary person, and he can survive alone in this world with relatives everywhere. Now he has become the accountant of the Kong family in Luolin Town. He is considered to have considerable ability.

"So, this, this Bourne and Bo Xiao are..."

Xu Shaoliang was old, and Xu Boyang had embarked on the immortal path, and they were not married. It was so hard to have two blood relatives, so naturally they loved them very much. After listening to Xu Shaohua's words, he actually understood some of it in his heart, but still couldn't help asking.

"Brother, I'm ashamed to say that I'm dependent on others and have no choice. You guessed right, Bo'en and Boxiao both have the surname Kong. I took great pains to leave the word 'Bo' in our family..."

Xu Shaoliang nodded silently and said comfortingly: "Shaohua, it's okay, it's okay. They are all our children. Whether they have the surname Kong or Xu, they are all blood relatives of our family. There is no distinction between them."

“So his last name is Kong…”

After hearing this, Xu Boyang felt sad and felt a little uncomfortable, but Xu Shaohua's situation was not difficult to understand. He was just a mortal and had no choice. If he had not married into the Kong family, how could he have his current status in the Kong family.

Although it seems that there is no connection, in this world, blood relatives are extremely important. Since his surname is Kong, he will definitely be a member of the Kong family when he grows up. There is no need to worry about the Xu family.

"Let's not talk about it anymore, it's all in the past... I'm glad you came..."

Xu Shaoliang felt a little depressed after hearing this. He waved his fan, sighed softly, and said,
"Shaohua, to be honest, I've had nothing to do these past two years, and I've been so bored that I feel empty inside. Last year, when I had some free time, I tried to write letters to you and Shaoxue, and asked the escort company to help take them to Luolin Town and Tianji Town to see if I could find you two. I didn't expect that you actually came, but there's been no news from Shaoxue..."

"Second brother..."

Xu Shaohua paused, his face becoming increasingly dejected. He didn't finish his words, but sighed and drank the half cup of tea in his hand. Xu Shaoliang saw that his expression was different, and he hesitated to speak. He raised his eyebrows and asked doubtfully:
"The last time we met, didn't you say Shaoxue was in Tianji Town? Could it be that he's not in Tianji?"

"Brother, I told you not to be sad. Second brother... is no longer alive. He left behind only two sons and a daughter. The two sons are making a living in Tianji Town, and the little girl is in the neighboring Hanguang Town. Life... is pretty good, I guess..."

"what…"

Xu Shaoliang let out a soft cry of surprise, his face and the palm-leaf fan in his hand froze at the same time, his gray brows wrinkled into a ball, his old face was full of heartache, he stared blankly at the mountains and rivers outside the pavilion, two tears flowed from his turbid old eyes.

"Brother, don't blame me. Tianji Town is the territory of the Zeng family, the relatives of the Ling family. Because the Ling family and the Xun family are on good terms, I have been to Tianji Town twice before. The first time was when I followed my master out of Yuchuan. When I passed through Tianji Town, I stopped at the Zeng family and ran into my second brother."

"My second brother worked as a guard for the Zeng family, married and had children. His wife's family were ordinary people, but their income was meager and their life was not satisfactory. But at that time, I was also a novice in this world and did not have the ability to support him."

"Later, I went to Tianji Town with the Kong family again. I found some time to secretly look for him, but I found that the house was already empty and had been taken over by someone else. After making inquiries, I learned that he had passed away due to illness, leaving behind only two sons and a daughter. His sons, Xu Boming and Xu Bozhao, both worked for the Zeng family. His daughter, Xu Boqing, was a child bride at a young age and was married off to the neighboring Hanguang Town, which was the territory of the Jiang family."

"I originally wanted to bring these two children back to Luolin Town, but unfortunately, they were still young but very ambitious and didn't want to go with me. They said their mother was still at their grandmother's house and their second brother's grave was still up the mountain. They couldn't leave until three years had passed. I couldn't persuade them, so I had to leave."

Xu Boyang had been listening silently. Seeing his father burst into tears, his blood boiling, and coughing with his fists clenched, he was afraid that something might happen to him. He immediately stood up, stroked his back, and passed spiritual energy to him, whispering comfortingly:

"Dad, it's getting late. I'm afraid you should be preparing dinner! How about we talk later?"

"Yes... yes... my son is right. It's getting late. Let's not talk about it anymore. Let's eat first."

Xu Shaoliang suddenly regained consciousness and breathed smoothly. He quickly lowered his head and wiped away his tears. He sighed, put down his palm-leaf fan, and stood up tremblingly. He forced a smile on his old face and asked:

"Shaohua, your family is small. I have an older brother in Fengqing Town named Wang, who has taken care of my family for many years. I just asked him to call a few friends. Boyang will be back tonight, so let's have a good drink tonight to welcome you back. Do you mind?"

"No problem, no problem. Since he is my eldest brother's sworn brother, he is also my sworn brother. Shaohua came here to look for my eldest brother. I should pay my respects to such a benefactor!"

Xu Shaohua quickly stood up and said.

"well…"

Xu Shaoliang nodded with satisfaction and said to Xu Boyang,

"Boyang, take Father Ji to the front hall for tea, and by the way, check if your Uncle Wang and Master Tan are here. I'll go to the kitchen and keep an eye on them. I just bought the fish this morning, don't let those little bastards mess it up."

Xu Boyang responded in a low voice, then took Xu Shaohua, called Kong Bowen, Kong Boxiao and the guard Guijiu, and went to the front hall.

Once I passed the screen, I saw Wang Mingru sitting there with his two sons.

"Uncle Wang!" Xu Boyang was the first to greet him.
"Oh! Boyang is back too!" Wang Mingru didn't expect Xu Boyang to be there, and quickly stood up with the help of a cane.

When the two men met, Wang Wanli and Wang Pengfei, who were following behind them, were startled and hurried forward to salute.

Xu Boyang nodded slightly, then introduced Xu Shaohua's family to Wang Mingru and roughly explained the purpose of his visit. Since it was their first meeting, they exchanged some polite greetings before sitting down.

Xu Boyang saw Wang Mingru looking at him with a pair of old eyes, hesitant to speak, smiled slightly, and said:
"Uncle Wang, has Master Tan not arrived yet? Let's go out and greet him."

"well…"

After not seeing him for more than half a year, Wang Mingru seemed to have aged a lot. His hair was thinning, his body was hunched, and he was leaning on a sandalwood cane, and he had difficulty walking down the stairs.

Xu Boyang reached out to support him and walked to a secluded place at the front yard gate.

"I'm so ashamed, Boyang. Your uncle Wang is old and useless." Wang Mingru took a breath and sighed.

"Uncle Wang, don't say that. You and my father have both endured hard times. Now the world is peaceful and things are looking up. If you're not feeling well, just rest more. Leave the chores to Wanli and Pengfei and don't worry about it anymore."

Xu Boyang saw that he looked old and whispered instructions to him.

Wang Mingru was old, so he naturally understood that this was true. When people get old, they should admit defeat. He was indeed in poor health and it was time for him to rest.

"Yes, Boyang is right."

Wang Mingru nodded, paused, sighed, and whispered,
"It's just that my family feels guilty towards Feng Qing and the Ding family. I, your uncle Wang, can't let go. I'm afraid these two children won't live up to their expectations and become like him..."

"Uncle Wang, let the past be the past. Don't dwell on it anymore."

When Xu Boyang heard him mention the deceased Wang Pengcheng, he interrupted him and asked,

"I see that you have something on your mind, but what trouble has Feng Qing encountered recently?"

"It's okay, it's okay. It's nothing serious. They're just trivial matters. Boyang, I won't mention these trivial matters in town. Your father and I will take care of them. It's just that Ding Dikui's wife, the eldest sister of the Song family, died of illness not long ago. You were away, so your father and I went to attend the funeral together."

"Oh, dead."

Xu Boyang's eyes flickered, and he only nodded without responding, because he knew that this matter had nothing to do with him anymore. His father had already gone to the funeral, so there was no need to express his opinion.

"It's not a big deal, you just need to know about it. But on the day of the funeral, your father and I ran into Ding Fusheng and talked about my son-in-law..."

Wang Mingru paused, looked at Xu Boyang with dry eyes, raised his head and asked,
"Counting the days, he hasn't been back for almost three years. I wonder if Boyang has any news about him?"

"Never."

Xu Boyang looked solemn, slowly shook his head, and asked, "Isn't Ding Fusheng his uncle? Who knows where he is?"

Wang Mingru sighed:
"From the way he sounded, I think he probably didn't know. I also heard that the Ding family still had some matters that needed his attention. He hasn't been back for three years, and I don't know if he's in seclusion or away on a long journey. It's been so long, it's really worrying. It's never been like this before..."

"Uncle Wang, I don't have any connections or information about this matter, but in my opinion, Immortal Ding is probably delayed because of something going on in the Immortal Sect. You don't have to worry."

Xu Boyang told the truth, which also served to comfort the old man.

In fact, he was also looking forward to Ding Tianshi's return. Now that Zi Yi has disappeared and the elixirs are cut off, his future practice will indeed be affected. At this moment, he suddenly thought of the Sishui snake monster. Ding Tianshi has not returned for a long time. Could it be related to the affairs of the Sishui Immortal Sect?

"I hope everything is fine. Whenever I think of Ding Dikui and his mysterious death, I feel terrified..."

Wang Mingru sighed and nodded slightly.

At this moment, Tan Wenli brought He Sujin, the two of them talking and laughing side by side, stepped into the door frame, and Xu Shaoliang happened to come out from behind the screen.

When the old man of the Xu family saw that everyone had arrived, he smiled and said, "You've arrived just in time. Everyone is here, the food is on the table. Let's go and eat!"

Thanks to book friends 9407 and 6019 for their monthly tickets!
Thank you all for your recommendations!

I hope everyone will vote more, thank you!


(End of this chapter)