When I arrived at my second uncle's house, he was waiting for me in the hall, sitting next to an old-fashioned round table. Hei Mian Shen was also there, accompanying my second uncle, and neither of them said a word. But as soon as I entered, my eyes didn't fall on my second uncle, but rather on the entrance of the hall, where I immediately saw a memorial tablet placed on an eight-immortals table, its black lacquer surface gleaming brightly. Behind the memorial tablet was a Qinghua ceramic urn.

  As I walked closer, I saw the words on it clearly: Next to Wu San Sheng's spirit tablet was a strange pattern, a set of nine linked rings, like floral patterns surrounding the entire tablet.

  It is said that when Liu Qingge was six years old, he opened the nine linked rings, so he was named Lianhuan, meaning clever.

  I put down my burden, lit a stick of incense, and respectfully kowtowed to the memorial tablet, saying: "Third Uncle, I've come to visit you." After burning the incense, I called out again to Second Uncle.

  My uncle's face didn't look so bad, he nodded and asked me to sit down, then asked: "Have you eaten yet?"

  I honestly replied, "Rushing to catch a plane, haven't eaten yet." As soon as the words fell, a plump middle-aged woman brought a bowl of soup in front of me. My second uncle asked the woman to go back first and collect the bowl tomorrow.

  I sipped the soup while thinking about my second uncle's strange attitude. From a young age, his approach to educating me was physical, but he would never let me go hungry. Even when he wanted to scold someone, he would first ask: "Have you eaten yet?" If you said no, he would let you eat first before scolding you.

  As I thought of my past experiences, I felt a bit restless. The chicken soup tasted bland in my mouth. I hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Second Uncle, what was the reason you asked me to return to Changsha last time?" His fingers tapped on the wooden table as he stared at the bowl of chicken soup, seemingly lost in thought, and I wasn't sure if he had heard me speak. Seeing that Second Uncle seemed very interested in the chicken soup, I pushed it forward and said, "Second Uncle, you drink."

  My uncle finally came to his senses, stared at me and said calmly: "You little boy is always running outside, Changsha is not far from Hangzhou, but you don't come back to see your parents."

  I quickly apologized and said that you were right, I would definitely come back more often in the future. But deep down, I knew that Second Uncle was not referring to this matter at all. As expected, as soon as my words fell, Second Uncle continued: "From now on, you don't have to worry about the affairs of the family."

  I nodded and didn't say anything.

  "Your uncle said, 'You're not young anymore, from now on, you're not allowed to do anything that would make me have to talk to your parents again. In a few days, you'll go to the UK, where cultural relics are flowing back in. Go abroad and develop yourself for a few years, broaden your horizons, and if possible, bring back a wife.' I was originally listening to my uncle's words very obediently, but this time I couldn't hold it in anymore, and suddenly raised my head, anxiously saying, 'Uncle, what do you mean?'"

  It was probably my tone that was a bit too sharp, and Second Uncle glared at me, slamming his hand on the table. "What did you just say?" I realized I had gotten too worked up, so I quickly composed myself and spoke in a humble tone: "N-nothing... it's just that England is an unfamiliar place for me, and my English proficiency has long since faded after college. You're sending me to England - isn't that like exile?"

  "Over there, I've already made arrangements. Old Lei will go with you. You can learn the language slowly, it's not like you're missing out on those two dollars. Just stay over there and don't cause any trouble."

  I'm no longer the naive young man I used to be. If it were in the past, I might have trusted my uncle unconditionally, but now, I find this matter suspicious. Let's not mention my mom; when I went to Hangzhou, she thought it was too far and wished my store was right at our doorstep. With her personality, would she be so willing to let me go to the UK for several years? In our family, major decisions are usually made by my uncle, and once he makes up his mind, even my dad can't change it. So this time, is he sending me to the UK just to prevent me from getting involved in another mess?

  Suddenly, I thought of another possibility - was Second Uncle making me travel so far to avoid someone? Thinking about the Kunlun group and that mysterious person, Road Person A, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine. Looking into Second Uncle's eyes, I spoke slowly: "Second Uncle, is it because of 'it'..." Second Uncle's expression stiffened, without directly answering me, after a long pause he said meaningfully: "Little Evil, listen to me, I didn't let you come back, you stay abroad obediently."

  My second uncle rarely called me in such a gentle tone, it sent shivers down my spine, but I knew I was right.

  As long as it still peeks at the secrets in the ultimate, then the whole thing is not over. This time Kunlun trip, passerby A doesn't know if he escaped or not, but even if he escaped, he must have returned with his feathers clipped this time.

  That force not only inserted Lao Liu into Er Shu's body, but also controlled Xiao Hua. Now our Wu family is the only one who has come out of the fight and has also escaped its control. So what will it do next? Is it because of this that Er Shu let me go abroad?

  I tidied up my thoughts and then said: "Second Uncle, do you know Qiu De Kuai?"

  My second uncle nodded, and I continued: "In the past, Qiao Deke had also cooperated with it. Even if I went abroad, I wouldn't necessarily be able to escape its control. Staying in the country is actually safer. Moreover, I now have some important information in my hands, they won't let me go easily. Rather than waiting for them to make a move, it's better to take the initiative and clear everything up before they do."

  My second uncle seemed to have not expected me to say that, he looked at me with a cold smile and said: "You really think you're someone? We haven't torn our faces apart yet, but once we truly provoke the people behind us, the entire Old Nine Gate will cease to exist. The fate of Er Yue Hong, Hei Bei Lao Liu, Qi Tie Zui, is what awaits the Wu family." My heart skipped a beat, and I felt a surge of powerlessness. Indeed, what I was resisting was a very powerful force. We have survived until now only because this force thinks we are still useful, but what if we become useless?

  Second Uncle finished speaking, rubbing his brow wearily, and said: "Don't talk nonsense anymore. If you had listened to Third Uncle's words back then, things wouldn't be like this now." After he spoke, he turned his head to look at Third Uncle's memorial tablet, staring for a long time.

  Second Uncle's face was stiff, like a cold iron plate, but his eyes were moist, without tears, just a thin layer of mist. This thin fog lingered in his eyes. At this moment, I suddenly realized that any words from me seemed pale and powerless. Regarding Second Uncle sending me to England, as I looked at Third Uncle's memorial tablet, I was at a loss for how to refute it.

  At night, I lay in bed, tossing and turning, without giving a reply to my second uncle about going to the UK. The next day, my second uncle came back home with me, but I didn't know what he said to my parents, as the atmosphere at home remained unchanged. In the evening, my second uncle wouldn't let me stay at home, saying that he wanted to have a good talk with me about going abroad, and took me back to our ancestral home. He said that everything had been arranged with Wang Meng at Xi Leng Printing House, so I didn't need to worry about it anymore.

  I suddenly felt a lump in my chest, unable to go up or down.

  That was a small shop, after graduating from university, my third uncle set it up for me. At that time, he patted my shoulder and said: "Big nephew, work hard, in the future, all of Third Uncle's affairs will depend on you, don't slack off." I didn't take it to heart at the time, after all, no matter how close I was, I was still just a nephew, not Third Uncle's own son.

  My parents are ordinary people, without any large family business, so I also work very hard and never thought of inheriting anyone's family business. I understand that everything requires my own efforts. That Xili Printing House, although it was given to me by Third Uncle, I put a lot of heart into it. I majored in architecture, and although I have some knowledge of printing and antiques due to my family background, I am not yet at the point where I can stand on my own. So after taking over the shop, I spent day and night studying printing techniques.

  But now, Second Uncle just said one sentence, and the small shop I worked hard for many years suddenly became careless.

  I always thought I was an ordinary person, so I worked hard to get by. When others thought I was lounging in my armchair taking a nap, actually most of the time I was thinking deeply about the things I had received. As a result, suddenly I discovered that I wasn't ordinary at all. My grandfather was the famous Wu Laogou, a renowned scholar; my third uncle's family was wealthy and prosperous, and he left me his entire estate. I don't know what feelings are in my heart, but I always feel like the past twenty years were just like a dream, with everyone working together to create this illusion, and I'm the one who's been dreaming.

  Now, the dream is over

  That small shop of mine is actually dispensable, for the Wu family business, it's not worth a single penny. As Third Uncle said before, as long as you don't lose money, everything will be alright. For my life, it's just an illusion, what I've been striving for all along, in others' eyes, is worthless.

  I sat in the grand hall of my ancestral home, which was very spacious and decorated with an antique flavor. My second uncle was in his study upstairs, while Old Lei stood beside him like a guardian deity at the gate. This made me think of Panzi, whose life had been saved by my third uncle. I could understand Panzi's loyalty, but what about Old Lei?

  Directly in front of me was Third Uncle's memorial tablet. I looked at the three characters "Wu San Sheng" and then at the golden-painted nine-ringed chain beside it, and couldn't quite put my finger on what I felt. When I saw Third Uncle struggling in the fire, that searing pain had almost suffocated me. Yet now, as I gazed at his memorial tablet, I felt an odd calmness in my heart, a stillness like a stagnant pool of water, without even a ripple to disturb it.

  Second Uncle said, two days later I'll follow Old Lei to the UK. Tomorrow I can go back to Hangzhou to pack my things. Along the way, Old Lei will be with me. The next day, I flew back to Hangzhou again, with a dark-faced god, Old Lei by my side. Looking at the four characters "Xi Ling Yin She" on the sign of the shop, I felt a sense of foreboding in my heart. As soon as we entered the door, Zhao Wang was holding the phone and called out to me: "Xie Ge, coincidentally there's a call for you".

  I picked up the phone, and Fatso's voice came through: "Comrade Tianzhen Wuyi, that old professor has a way out, he's asked us to meet him the day after tomorrow, hurry up and fly to Beijing to report." Seeing that I didn't respond for a while, Fatso's originally high-pitched voice suddenly dropped an octave, scolding: "I'm talking to you, dumb Wu, make a sound!"

  At that time, my mind was full of things about the Wu family. After Fatty finished speaking, I subconsciously made a sound: "Hiss..." For a while, there came Fatty's explosive laughter from the other side, and I could even imagine his shaking appearance.

  "You're so naive, you bloody well played along, I'm dead from laughing"

  I snapped back to reality and cursed back, "Laugh your ass off, I'm not buying it. If you have something to say, spit it out." The fatty sensed my bad mood and immediately shot back, "Is your aunt visiting? Give a greeting to Fatty for me."

  Old Lei was still standing beside me, I didn't dare to say more, so I said to Fatso: "I'll ask for good" After finishing, Fatso's side was stunned, seemingly not expecting me to cooperate like this. Before he could respond, I hung up the phone, then let Zhao Wang clean up a room for Old Lei, and I went upstairs to the second floor, immediately dialing Fatso's number again

  "Fat grandpa is busy, has something to say, and has farted."

  "I said: 'Alright, I had someone beside me just now and it wasn't convenient for me to ask you. Can that old professor be trusted?'"

  Fatso also straightened his attitude and said, "Don't worry, I've known him for over ten years, he's reliable. What happened on your end?" I told Fatso about Second Uncle arranging for me to go abroad, and Fatso immediately shouted on the phone, "No way, Tianzhen! You must resist, he's trying to tear us apart! Don't you care about Xiao Ge? He's alone, without food or drink, not even a quilt to keep warm. It's so cold in Changbai, can you bear to let him stay there for ten years? Comrade Tianzhen, this time you must stand firm and refuse to go to England!"

  I listened to the fat man's nonsense, and quickly interrupted him, saying: "To make a long story short, tomorrow I'll find a way to fly to Beijing. If there really is a clue in Zan Sheng Jing that can save Mian You Ping, then I can only apologize to Second Uncle. If not...I will listen to Second Uncle's words and go to England."

  Fatso didn't react and asked: "What does it mean?"

  I remained silent for a while, then said: "Fatty, too many people have died in this matter, and it involves too many people. If we continue like this, our Wu family will be finished."

  Fatso fell silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and spat out a "hiss" sound. After a long while, he said: "The situation can't keep up with the changes. You come to Beijing with me, we'll discuss countermeasures with Old Professor again. Don't be discouraged, it's like attending a funeral. Smile, boost morale, hurry up!"

  "Damn it, what's wrong with you, can't even make me laugh!"

  Fatso on the other end of the phone said: "That's right, listening to your voice, obviously full of energy, this is my brother Fatzi, come over quickly"

  After hanging up the phone with Fatso, I pretended to pack my bags, but in fact, I booked a flight to Beijing online that day. The flight was at 9 o'clock that night. Second Uncle had probably instructed Old Lei, so except when I took a bath or went to the toilet, he followed me almost every step of the way.

  I saw that the time had already reached 7 o'clock, and if I didn't take action soon, I would probably miss my flight at the airport. I immediately covered my stomach, frowned, and let out a hissing sound for half a while. Old Lei was expressionless and didn't even plan to come over and show concern for me.

  This move is indeed only effective on Third Uncle

  It seems I have to take the initiative, so I frowned and said: "Uncle Lei, can you help me buy some medicine? I don't know if it's because I ate something bad." It seemed that my sentence made Uncle Lei very happy, and the dark-faced god looked at me. Just when I thought he was going to go buy medicine for me, he walked up to me and said: "Let's go, to the hospital"

  "Never mind, I won't go to the hospital, just buy me some medicine and that's fine." It seemed like my reaction was too big, Old Lei gave me a cold glance, probably seeing through my trick, and sat on the sofa with his eyes closed.

  Just then, the phone suddenly rang. I answered it and heard Wang Meng's voice on the other end. He said anxiously, "Boss, something's wrong! Wu Er Ye has gone missing!" I was shocked and exclaimed, "What? What happened?"

  At this time, Old Six, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly opened his eyes, as if he had heard our conversation. His eyes stared straight at the microphone. Before I could finish speaking, someone pushed me onto the sofa and Old Lei quickly found a rope to tie me up. During the process, I pretended to struggle a few times before being successfully tied up by Old Lei.

  Then he stuffed a rag into my mouth and left immediately

  I almost suffocated from the smell of the rag, Old Lei left for just ten minutes, and my door was opened, Wang Meng rushed forward, quickly untying my ropes, shouting: "Boss, raise our salary"

  I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well done, add more." Wang Meng opened his big mouth and stared at me with wide eyes, saying, "Boss, when did you become so generous?" I didn't have time to bother with Wang Meng, grabbed my things, and drove the Little Golden Cup straight to the airport. Old Lei still hadn't reacted yet, and by the time he came back to his senses and called Second Uncle, everything would be exposed.

  I was driving halfway when I noticed a car following me. This damn old car, it's going to break down sooner or later. At the critical moment, it's always causing trouble. It was already 8 o'clock in the evening, and the traffic on the road had gradually decreased, missing the peak hours of commuting. The road was relatively smooth, so I stepped on the gas pedal and sped away, running through several red lights. But that taxi behind me also ran through the red lights recklessly.

  I couldn't help but curse in my heart, "Driver brother, how much did Old Lei give you? Do you have to drive so recklessly?" In this life, except for that one time on the road to Snake Village, I've never driven so daringly.

  Before long, a motorcycle patrol chased me. I took one look at the driver and cold sweat was about to break out. Originally, it wasn't a legitimate profession, usually when I saw police uncles, I would avoid them as far as possible, but today I still had to perform this act

  Thinking that if I were caught by Lao Lei, I would definitely be taken to the UK. No matter what, I had to go to Beijing once. The matter of the oil bottle, I couldn't ignore it. My life, even if I died many times, wouldn't be enough to repay him. Now, the only chance to save him was if I tried at least once. If I didn't even try, I would look down on myself. Thinking of this, I directly treated the guys chasing me from behind as radishes and cabbage, and it went smoothly like a movie stunt. In the end, Lao Lei probably didn't want things to get out of hand, so he actually helped me lead the police away.

  I arrived at the airport and made a phone call to remind Wang Meng to drive the car back, then I boarded the plane.

  There are still twenty minutes before the plane takes off, at this moment, there shouldn't be any major changes, I calmed down, wiped my forehead, and in the midst of September's autumn season, I had a cold sweat on my forehead.

  Just as I was relaxing and waiting for the plane to take off, a guy next to me suddenly handed me an orange. I was taken aback - this was too enthusiastic? I turned my head to look at him, and instantly my whole body stiffened, my brain buzzing as if it were lacking oxygen.

  Because I saw passerby A

  At this moment, alarm bells rang in my mind, and there was only one thought: I've been targeted.

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