55: Mr. Song

Lu Ze and Song Wushuang got out of the car, and a quick glance around showed they had entered a large courtyard.

This place was unlike a modern bustling city; the various buildings were antique and had a feel of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The people passing by mostly wore long gowns from the Republic of China era, and upon seeing Song Wushuang, they all bowed and greeted her. Although they didn't know Lu Ze's identity, they still politely offered a greeting before leaving.

Song Wushuang led Lu Ze through the various buildings, and soon they arrived at the deepest courtyard.

This courtyard was very quiet; hardly any people could be seen coming and going.

At the main entrance of the courtyard, two men in Tang suits stood guard. Both men were not old, around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and the Spiritual Qi emanating from them indicated that their strength was definitely no lower than Fifth-Grade.

To reach Fifth-Grade cultivation at such an age, they could certainly be called a Genius.

Looking at their appearance, it was clear they had not joined the Demon Subduing Division, but were guarding the Song Family.

Seeing Song Wushuang bring a stranger, the two men immediately stepped forward, blocking their path, and their Spiritual Qi also erupted, subtly exuding a sense of Spiritual Pressure.

Song Wushuang's expression was calm as she introduced, “This is Cheng Ran’s Disciple, Lu Ze, the person Old Master wishes to see.”

Upon hearing the name “Lu Ze,” the two men immediately reined in their Spiritual Pressure and smiled apologetically, “So it’s you, sir. Our apologies, please come in. Old Master has been waiting for a long time.”

With that, the two immediately made way.

Song Wushuang led Lu Ze inside, and they saw pear blossoms in full bloom in the courtyard, their fragrance refreshing and comforting.

Beneath the pear blossoms, an old man with completely white hair, dressed in clean white clothes, sat at a table, tinkering with some tea sets.

Song Wushuang approached the Old Master very respectfully, performing an ancient bow, “Old Master, I have brought Lu Ze back.”

“Hmm.”

The Old Master poured two cups of tea, placing one in front of himself and the other opposite, then slightly turned to Lu Ze with a smile, “Young friend, sit.”

Lu Ze didn't stand on ceremony and sat opposite the Old Master.

Song Wushuang stood obediently to the side, taking over the tea ceremony, observing quietly and mindfully, refilling tea for the two.

“My surname is Song. As for my given name... it has been a long time, and I have somewhat forgotten it. But I am many years older than you, so you can just call me Old Song.”

Old Song's face always held a gentle smile, like a benevolent elder.

Lu Ze smiled slightly and called him Old Song.

He could feel that the old man in front of him was extremely powerful!

This Old Master had been constantly hiding his aura. If an ordinary person stood beside him, they probably wouldn't even detect a trace of his Spiritual Qi, and might even think he was a normal person without Spiritual Qi cultivation.

Lu Ze's own Soul power was already very strong, and after acquiring Myriad Things Grow, his Soul power further increased, allowing him to discover things that ordinary people couldn't perceive.

This Old Master's Spiritual Qi cultivation must be above Cheng Ran's!

As for the specific level of cultivation, Lu Ze wasn't entirely sure.

“Drink tea, drink tea.”

Old Song invited twice, then took a sip himself, “I don't know if you like this, but I'll share what I love with you.”

Lu Ze also picked up his teacup and took a sip. It was fragrant on the palate, with a slightly sweet aftertaste.

“This Junior doesn't know much about these things.”

“I only started dabbling in these things in recent years when I had nothing to do, just to pass the time.”

After a few polite remarks, Old Song glanced at Song Wushuang, “Go see how the banquet preparations are coming along. We can't let our guest go hungry.”

Song Wushuang bowed, “Yes.”

After Song Wushuang left, only Lu Ze and Old Song remained in the small courtyard.

A gentle breeze blew, and petals drifted down, creating a serene and beautiful scene.

Lu Ze looked up and saw Old Song staring at him, the expression in the latter's eyes very profound and unfathomable.

In fact... Lu Ze felt that he wasn't looking at him, but rather through him, at something else.

Lu Ze refilled his own tea cup, “Old Song, why don't you tell me why you were so eager to see this Junior?”

Old Song immediately pushed his cup forward, signaling Lu Ze to add some for him as well.

Once Lu Ze had filled his teacup, Old Song smiled contentedly, “Actually, it's nothing major. It's mainly to give you a few words of advice. After all, Xia Yuanhong died by your hand, and the Xia Family is pretty much ruined.”

Lu Ze's movements paused, and Old Song noticed, picking up his cup and blowing on it.

“No need to be surprised. All forces can roughly guess that you were the one who killed him. The little girl from the Qin Family and this little girl from my Family both have ambitions, but they are not decisive enough. And Fu Liang, although he has courage, his strength is insufficient. As for the Tang Family side... Pfft...”

Old Song couldn't help but burst out laughing, his teacup shaking in his hand, the almost full water threatening to spill out several times.

“Hahahahaha, just thinking about how much the Tang Family lost, I could die laughing. That Old Man Tang suppressed me my whole life, priding himself on having retired from Yanjing, always looking at me askance. Now that he's suffered such a huge setback, he's probably so angry he's had a stroke, hahahahaha...”

Old Song laughed for a long time, tears even appearing at the corners of his eyes. He wiped them away and continued, “In short, with so many people there that day, only you had the ability to turn the entire situation around.”

Old Song took a sip of tea, implying, “However, in this multi-party game, you are the biggest beneficiary. I wonder how you managed to turn the tables. Could it be... Cheng Ran gave you something powerful?”

Lu Ze smiled slightly, also drinking tea, neither confirming nor denying.

Seeing Lu Ze remain silent, Old Song understood. After a moment of silence, he straightened his face, mentally rehearsed what he was about to say, and then spoke, “You did, after all, kill Xia Yuanhong. There weren't many people left in their Xia Family to begin with, and Xia Yuanhong was quite talented. If he had been able to grow, he would surely have been able to protect their Family for several generations.”

“But now that he's dead, the Xia Family truly has no successor. However, I can't quite figure out whether Xia Ning, upon seeing you, will be determined to kill you or not dare to kill you. Speaking of which, I haven't seen him in over ten years; his Heart-Nature... I can't guess it anymore...”

Lu Ze didn't overthink these words; Xia Ning had reasons whether he killed him or not.

If he were to kill, it would naturally be because Lu Ze killed his son, and a father's revenge for his son must be exacted.

If he didn't kill, it was likely due to Lu Ze being Cheng Ran's Disciple. The jade token Cheng Ran gave was enough to deter members of the Demon Subduing Division.

Cheng Ran's true strength and status were definitely not something Lu Ze could clearly understand at the moment.