Chen Chuan looked at Cheng Zhou. With his current mental realm, he could naturally tell that the old gentleman spoke from the bottom of his heart, not merely out of an attempt to flatter him or win his goodwill on Cheng Zitong's account.
It was evident that this old man had been fiercely proud all his life, incapable of bowing on matters of principle—unless it was something he considered far more important and worthy would he be willing to lower his posture.
Much of the old gentleman's respect for him at this moment likely stemmed from the deeds he had accomplished, rather than solely because he was a martial artist.
Cheng Zhou continued, "This is Section Chief Chen's first visit to my door, and you have brought such generous gifts. An old man like me ought to receive you properly. However, seeing Section Chief Chen has stirred my heart, and I find myself with a few words I would like to share with you, if you wouldn't mind?"
Chen Chuan said, "Old Master Cheng, you are the host, and today is your birthday banquet. As a junior, I would naturally be honored to hear your counsel."
"I wouldn't presume to offer counsel—just some rambling thoughts, if Section Chief Chen doesn't mind an old man's blabbering." Cheng Zhou asked, "Section Chief Chen, I hear you're also from Yangzhi?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
"Then we are fellow townsmen."
Cheng Zhou called out to the Cheng family juniors behind him, "Go swap this out for my Lingyun tea."
"Right away, Old Master," a Cheng family junior attending to the table hurriedly answered.
Lingyun tea was by no means top-tier tea, merely an old variety produced in Yangzhi. They hadn't prepared it beforehand, so it would take them a little while to find it.
Meanwhile, over on Cheng Zitong's side, he looked toward Qiao Linhu, who was sipping quietly by himself, and beamed at him.
Qiao Linhu's expression turned slightly unnatural, and he subconsciously averted his gaze.
Cheng Zitong, however, wasn't about to let him off so easily. "Senior Brother... hey..." He waved his hand in front of him. "Over here, over here! Don't look away!"
Now Qiao Linhu couldn't pretend not to see him anymore. He set down his cup and said in a heavy voice, "Junior Brother, what do you want?"
"What do I want? Nothing at all!" Cheng Zitong put on an innocent face. "I just wanted to ask—why didn't you give me a word that day before slipping off like that? I could have at least seen you off, Senior Brother! That wasn't very neighborly of you. What, afraid I'd eat too much of your rice?"
Qiao Linhu picked up his teacup, took a sip, set it down, and said expressionlessly, "Something urgent came up that day. I left in a hurry. There wasn't time."
"Oh? Left in a hurry, did you?" Cheng Zitong nodded in understanding. "I heard you rushed off with your disciple in tow. As your junior brother, I completely understand. A disciple has to be brought to Center City for proper training. Mm, definitely needs proper grooming—especially since this disciple of yours has real talent. So much time has passed; he must have reached the third limit by now, right?"
He looked left and right. "Did your disciple come today too? Where is he?"
Qiao Linhu hadn't wanted to answer at first, but Cheng Zitong had spoken rather loudly, drawing glances from the elders seated nearby. In a muffled voice, he replied, "He isn't here."
"Oh, not here?" Cheng Zitong said with sudden realization.
Qiao Linhu couldn't resist looking up and adding, "He'll reach the third limit soon."
"Almost at the third limit?" Cheng Zitong gave a pleasantly surprised thumbs-up. "Great! At that age, he's rare even in Center City. It shows how well you've taught him, Senior Brother! Where does he plan to go once he reaches it? The Disposal Bureau, Wuyi Academy, or the military? Not to brag, but I..."
Qiao Linhu couldn't sit still any longer. He shot to his feet and strode outside without a word.
"Hey, Senior Brother, where are you going?"
Back at the head table, the tea had already been replaced. Cheng Zhou glanced over and pretended not to notice. He invited Chen Chuan to drink tea, took up his own cup, and said, "Section Chief Chen might have heard that my father's and grandfather's generation took part in overthrowing the old imperial house?"
Chen Chuan said, "My teacher has mentioned it."
Cheng Zhou said, "In truth, we were left with no choice back then. It didn't start from any grand ideal. In my father's and grandfather's time, at the twilight of the old dynasty, the people had no way to survive. The family martial arts hall could no longer stay open, and when they returned to the countryside to farm, they weren't even allowed to tend the fields in peace. I remember my father telling me: the imperial court bullied us, the landlords bullied us, the big merchant houses bullied us, and foreigners bullied us too. In those days, if you didn't resist, there was no way to live."
He sighed with emotion. "My grandfather had seven brothers. Twenty-three Cheng family descendants, along with three hundred fellow villagers, went to join the punitive expedition. In the end, only thirteen survived. From the Cheng family, only my grandfather and my father remained. But what they hoped to see was, in a sense, realized."
He pressed his hand firmly against the table. "No one bullied us anymore."
Then he shook his head again. "Yet was that truly the case? It was only because the Cheng family stood high enough that no one came to bully us for the time being. But the problem was still there. All an old man like me could do was restrain the Cheng family from bullying others. I have strived all my life, but no matter how hard I tried, the world still seems to be the same old world. It seems to have changed, yet also seems not to have changed at all. I am a martial artist; the only solution I could think of was to cultivate a descendant capable of bearing the profound mystery, so that perhaps they might bring about real change. But the sons, grandsons, and disciples of the Cheng family all proved disappointing. Not a single one succeeded. I had little ability myself, so I could only use the rules of the older generation to constrain the juniors—because those old methods had been proven useful across generations. Even if some suffered grievances, they had to endure it. Who hadn't lived through the same? Once you endure until you make your mark, once your fists are clenched tight..."
As he spoke, he threw a punch into the air with a dull thud. "...only then do you have the standing to strike out and proclaim new rules."
He looked at Chen Chuan. "I have watched the changes in Center City over the past two years with my own eyes. Section Chief Chen, you are the one who achieves great things. Purging the malignant tumors in the city, connecting the Skyline... each of these is something this old man wished to do but never could. You have my deepest respect."
Chen Chuan said sincerely, "Old Master Cheng, the reason I was able to come this far is all thanks to Teacher Cheng's meticulous guidance and help back then."
Cheng Zhou nodded, glanced toward Cheng Zitong at the other table, and called out, "Little Tong, come over here."
Cheng Zitong paused in surprise, not expecting Cheng Zhou to call him. He stood up, walked over to the table, and sat down.
Cheng Zhou said, "You... your talent was never equal to your eldest brother's, and my expectations for you were never high. Even later, when you started teaching others, your father feared you would teach the wrong person. Yes, perhaps you have a bit of knack for teaching, but your own skills weren't high enough to keep someone under your thumb. If the person you taught turned against you, what could you have done? Having the ability to teach but not to rein in—that won't do."
Cheng Zitong said, "Dad, those are all old ways of thinking. A new era has new rules. The world doesn't belong only to our Cheng family. If we can't rein in a student we've taught, someone else will step in to do it. Besides, Dad, you can't just expect the worst. Couldn't you look at the bright side?"
Cheng Zhou nodded and said, "On that matter, Little Tong... your father was wrong back then."
Hearing his father say this caught Cheng Zitong completely off guard. He could hardly believe his ears and stared at his father in stunned bewilderment.
Cheng Zhou looked at him and said slowly, "Your father was bound by old ways of thinking. The student you taught far surpasses every student the Cheng family has ever produced. Your father is inferior to you, and so are your senior and junior brothers."
Cheng Zitong was stunned for a moment. An uncontrollable surge of emotion swelled within him, his eyes stinging with warmth. He did not know how many years he had waited for those words. "Dad..."
Cheng Zhou tapped the table gently. "Today is your father's birthday banquet. Keep it together."
Cheng Zitong hurriedly tilted his head up and sniffled. After a moment, he managed to regain a calm exterior. He cleared his throat and said, "Dad, could you repeat what you said earlier? Your son would like to hear it again..."
Cheng Zhou said, "You secretly recorded it with your boundary credential, didn't you? Go listen to it yourself when you get back."
Cheng Zitong chuckled. "Dad, you've reminded me. I only just arrived in Center City, so I almost forgot how to use this thing."
Cheng Zhou said, "Then stay for a few more days and keep your father company."
Cheng Zitong smiled and said, "Dad, didn't I take a whole year of leave? I just wanted to come home and see the folks, relive a bit of the past. I also have to pay visits to the elders and my fellow martial brothers."
As he spoke, he was about to stand up.
Cheng Zhou looked up at him. "Where are you going?"
Cheng Zitong pointed toward the other table. "Dad, I'm heading back to my seat."
Cheng Zhou gestured. "Just sit here."
"Wait, what about the rules...?" Cheng Zitong hesitated.
Cheng Zhou said, "After today, some rules won't be rules anymore."
Cheng Zitong smiled. "Well, that sounds wonderful! Dad, hold on a moment—I'll go call Xiao Ke in. The two of us came together; I can't leave him outside all by himself, can I? Dad, Xiao Chuan, carry on talking." With that, he turned and walked outside.
Cheng Zhou shook his head and looked at Chen Chuan. "I apologize if my son has made a fool of himself before Section Chief Chen."
Chen Chuan said, "Not at all. Seeing Teacher and Old Master get along in harmony only brings me joy. If there was any offense today, I hope Old Master will not take it to heart."
Cheng Zhou said, "Section Chief Chen is being too polite. In truth, this old man ought to thank you. Without you, I'm afraid my son would not have returned today."
Chen Chuan said, "Without Teacher Cheng, there would be no Chen Chuan today either."
Cheng Zhou nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, at another table, Cheng Shang sat together with his eldest son, Cheng Zisheng. The latter watched them and said, "Dad, Third Uncle has spoken more words tonight than in the past ten days to half a month combined. He seems quite happy too."
Cheng Shang sighed with feeling. "That's a good thing. Your Third Uncle may look stern on the outside, but inside, he's delighted."
Cheng Zisheng said, "I really never imagined before that Section Chief Chen's relationship with Third Brother would be so close. Section Chief Chen never even presented a formal apprenticeship post; he's just his student."
Cheng Shang thought for a moment and said, "Zitong might seem unreliable most of the time, but when he finds someone he truly takes to, he'd dig his heart out for them. And Section Chief Chen seems deeply devoted to old ties. You can only say this teacher and student were a perfect match."
There was another sentence he kept to himself: It was fortunate that it was specifically this pair of teacher and student, Cheng Zitong and Chen Chuan. Had it been anyone else, with a different personality, today's outcome might have turned out very differently.
After Chen Chuan arrived, nearly all the guests were present. The refreshments and appetizers were cleared away, and the grand banquet officially commenced.
Afterward, juniors offered congratulatory toasts, paid respects to the birthday celebrant, presented gifts, and shared in the longevity blessings. Once the entire ceremony concluded, firecrackers were set off outside, field screens were activated in the courtyard below, while traditional performances were staged in the hall—many of which were traditional operas from Yangzhi City. To accommodate Chen Chuan, who might not be accustomed to such things, the main doors of the hall were specially opened wide, connecting the interior and exterior into one unified space.
By the time the birthday banquet was mostly over, it was already past nine in the evening. Chen Chuan did not linger any longer. After bidding farewell to Old Master Cheng and speaking with Cheng Zitong for a short while, he stepped outside.
Rows of guards were still stationed outside the mansion. Xu Chan remained standing there, speaking with a captain. Seeing Chen Chuan emerge, he came forward and saluted. "Section Chief."
Chen Chuan returned the salute and said, "Old Xu, thank you for your hard work." He then gestured forward. "There's something I need to discuss with you. Come into my car, and let's find a place to talk."
Xu Chan said, "Yes, Section Chief."
Chapter 1001