Qiu Zhiheng stepped off the train with Lu Chunying, Ma the Fifth, and the others. They did not head for Xiaoyaowu, nor did they go to Lu Chunying's residence; they went straight to the He family mansion.
After suffering an ambush at Heishipo, Qiu Zhiheng had been injured and was supposed to take a longer rest to recuperate. But word had reached him that He Haiqin's funeral was being held today. He had to escort Lu Chunying there to pay her respects; decorum could not be neglected on an occasion like this.
Duan Shaoxia had also brought Zhang Huaiyi to attend. During the service, Qiu Zhiheng stood quietly behind Lu Chunying. Duan Shaoxia kept her eyes fixed on him the entire time, her gaze brimming with resentment and bitter grievance.
Once the funeral drew to a close, Tan Fucheng had other matters to attend to and departed early.
He Yuxiu sought out Qiu Zhiheng. "Monkey, come have a drink with your elder sister."
"Where would Sister like to go?"
"Let's just go to Xiaoyaowu and give Ma the Fifth some business."
He Yuxiu was now the one calling the shots in the He family. Since she had taken the initiative to show goodwill, Qiu Zhiheng naturally agreed.
Upon arriving at Xiaoyaowu, Ma the Fifth arranged a private dining room for them. He Yuxiu said, "Junyang, for this round of drinks, I want to drink alone with Monkey."
Catching the hint, Ma the Fifth stepped outside and instructed his men not to disturb the two.
Qiu Zhiheng poured a cup of liquor for He Yuxiu, and she downed it in a single gulp.
He poured another, and she drank it straight down.
After five cups in a row, tears welled in He Yuxiu's eyes. "Haiqin is gone. He's really gone..."
Qiu Zhiheng said nothing. He knew that this was not a moment for words. Letting He Yuxiu have a good cry would do far more good than anything he could say.
After weeping her heart out, He Yuxiu looked up at Qiu Zhiheng. "What do you think of my looks?"
"You are beautiful," Qiu Zhiheng answered with utter sincerity.
"Even at my age, I'm not much worse than those young girls, am I?"
"Far better than them."
"Then why didn't you fancy me back then? I might be a few years older than you, but in my prime I was an unrivaled beauty. I threw myself at you, yet you still wouldn't marry me?"
Qiu Zhiheng held his liquor cup and stayed silent for a long while before saying, "Sister, you know I couldn't. Our stations were too different."
"Did I ever give a damn about stations? Back then, if you'd just said the word, I would've gladly taken your surname Qiu!"
Qiu Zhiheng remained quiet. He Yuxiu wiped her tears and said, "Haiqin is gone, and Haisheng isn't close with me. In this entire life, I don't have a single person I can call close anymore.
"Monkey, I asked you here today for one thing only. Haiqin left the He family to me, but I know what I'm made of.
"I'm no match for you. If a real fight breaks out between us, the He family will definitely be swallowed whole by the Lu family.
"If you still remember our past bond, won't you come work with me? I'll listen to you in everything. Come to the He family and be our head steward, all right?"
"The He family..." Qiu Zhiheng shook his head gently.
He Yuxiu sighed. "I know you're a Lu family man. Wherever you go, you're always a damned Lu family man."
"The Lu family..." Qiu Zhiheng let out a bitter laugh, saying nothing more.
He Yuxiu said, "If you won't come, that's fine too. Just cut me some slack. I won't compete with you for anything, and you don't scheme against the He family. How does that sound?"
Qiu Zhiheng sighed. "Sister, I'm a servant of the Lu family. A servant is just a servant; I'm not the one who makes the decisions."
He Yuxiu nodded. "I see what you mean. You want me to look out for that girl Lu Chunying.
"She's a good kid, and I'm quite fond of her myself. Lu Dongliang has vanished without a trace, and Duan Shaoxia has lost her damn mind.
"Even though Lu Chunying isn't Duan Shaoxia's child, she carries the Lu surname. And regardless of whose seed Zhang Huaiyi is, he carries the surname Zhang.
"I agree to this. I'll acknowledge Lu Chunying; she's the head of the Lu family."
Qiu Zhiheng raised his cup. "With those words from you, Sister, I, Qiu Zhiheng, will never become your enemy as long as I live!"
"Then it's settled!"
The two drank a few more cups. Looking at Qiu Zhiheng, He Yuxiu's gaze turned increasingly hazy. "Monkey, so many years have passed. How are you still so handsome?"
Qiu Zhiheng smiled. "Sister is still as pretty as ever."
He Yuxiu leaned close to Monkey Qiu's ear and offered a subtle hint: "How about we sleep together?"
"Sister, I'm not up to it today."
"Bullshit! What pathway do you walk to claim you're not up to it? If you could go back twenty years and choose again, would you choose me or your wife?"
"Time can't be turned back, so who can say?"
He Yuxiu poked him with a finger. "You little rascal, you just can't bring yourself to say a few sweet words, can you?"
Just as the drinks were hitting the right spot, a commotion suddenly erupted outside.
He Yuxiu frowned. "Who is that? What a buzzkill!"
Qiu Zhiheng stepped out to check. The corridor was thrown into chaos. Grabbing a guard to ask, he learned that trouble had found Ma the Fifth.
Within Xiaoyaowu's own grounds, how could trouble possibly find Ma the Fifth?
The two hurried after the guard to the dance hall. A masked figure dressed entirely in black was pointing a short knife straight between Ma the Fifth's eyebrows, barking sharply, "Where is Li the Seventh?"
The voice was low and muffled, clearly a man's, yet impossible to identify.
Standing beside Ma the Fifth, Zuo Wugang was agonizing over whether to charge forward. If the black-clad figure thrust that knife, Ma the Fifth would lose his life.
He Yuxiu, however, felt no hesitation. Letting out a liquor burp, she chuckled and sauntered forward. "Stab him! Go on, stab him! If you don't stab him today, you're the son of a turtle!"
The black-clad figure gave their wrist a slight twist, intending to carve a slash across Ma the Fifth's face.
Qiu Zhiheng's gaze darkened. The figure's heart hammered abruptly, causing their wrist to tremble involuntarily.
With an effortless flick of her hand, He Yuxiu snatched the knife straight from the black-clad intruder's grip.
Of all the people present, including Qiu Zhiheng, not one saw how she had done it.
The intruder wrenched open their lapel, and over a hundred throwing darts flew straight toward the crowd.
These darts were astonishingly swift and precise. Ma the Fifth couldn't dodge them, and even Zuo Wugang couldn't get out of the way in time.
Zuo Wugang threw himself in front of Ma the Fifth, intending to withstand the volley of darts with his own body.
He Yuxiu kicked a fruit plate off a round table. The platter zipped through midair, and every single one of the hundred-plus darts was cleanly deflected by it.
In her hands, anything could serve as a weapon—and a masterwork weapon at that.
With her hands stuffed in her pockets, He Yuxiu grinned and strolled forward. "What other good tricks do you have? Let me see!"
The intruder pushed off the balls of their feet and shot backward in rapid retreat. He Yuxiu stepped forward, giving chase at an unhurried pace.
*Is this person a journey cultivator? That speed is genuinely fast.*
Just as the intruder was about to retreat past the entrance of the dance floor, a scorching wave of heat struck from behind.
Huo Ling suddenly materialized outside the doorway and exhaled a plume of flame onto the intruder.
Engulfed in blazing fire, the figure recoiled, and He Yuxiu took a step back. "Where did this crazy hag come from? She nearly scorched me!"
Trapped between enemies on both sides, the intruder had nowhere left to run. Just as Huo Ling was about to burn them to ashes, the flames abruptly dispersed, and the figure vanished without a trace.
"Where did you hide?!" Huo Ling ground her teeth, her long hair transforming into fiery serpents that whipped through the air in all directions.
Ma the Fifth hastily urged, "Ling'er! Don't burn Xiaoyaowu down!"
Xiaoyaowu was thrown into utter turmoil, and the patrons had all fled.
He Yuxiu chuckled. "Junyang, your guards aren't up to snuff. How did this person even slip inside? Wearing an outfit like that, and nobody noticed?"
Zuo Wugang flushed bright red.
Qiu Zhiheng remarked, "That person was likely an upper-tier Craft Cultivator. They possessed an item capable of concealing them."
***
Across the street from Xiaoyaowu, He Jiaqing set down the figure in black.
"That woman's fire is truly fierce." He Jiaqing waved his hand, and a ball of flame ignited in his palm. "Not bad. It proved somewhat useful."
The black-clad figure eyed He Jiaqing with deep wariness and asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of Ling Miaoying," He Jiaqing replied. "Let's find another place to talk."
The intruder stepped back. "I don't know you."
He Jiaqing smiled faintly. "I know you. Screen Queen Tu Yinghong."
***
Late into the night, Li Banfeng returned to Xiaoyaowu to find the place closed and the dance floor in complete disarray.
"Old Fifth, what happened?"
"Someone came here causing trouble, claiming they were looking for you."
"Looking for me? What kind of person?"
"Bundled up tightly with their face covered. The voice sounded like a man's, but the person was definitely a woman."
On this point, Li Banfeng trusted Ma the Fifth's judgment without question. As long as it was a woman, Ma the Fifth could tell.
"A woman looking for me at Xiaoyaowu? Who could that be?"
While he was pondering, Qiu Zhiheng stepped out of the private room.
He Yuxiu was sound asleep, thoroughly drunk.
Lu Chunying was nodding off, but upon seeing Qiu Zhiheng emerge, she forced herself awake. "Brother Qiu, I still have some business matters I'd like to discuss with you."
Qiu Zhiheng gave a warm smile. "For business matters, discuss them with Junyang. Everything I could teach you, I already have. Junyang is better at doing business than I am."
With that, Qiu Zhiheng glanced at Ma the Fifth.
Ma the Fifth chuckled. "Brother Qiu, this is the Eldest Young Mistress of your Lu family. You can't just toss her onto my hands!"
"The Lu family..." Qiu Zhiheng murmured under his breath.
Lu Chunying asked carefully, "Brother Qiu, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I should head back." Qiu Zhiheng draped his coat over one arm, looked at Li Banfeng with a faint smile, and walked out of Xiaoyaowu.
A rumble of thunder rolled across the sky, and rain began to pour.
Looking out the window, Ma the Fifth sighed. "He's in a difficult spot. As the Lu family's head steward, Duan Shaoxia isn't an easy person to handle. That dirty ambush we ran into at Heishipo was very likely arranged by her."
Li Banfeng remained silent for a moment, then said, "Old Fifth, go pay a visit to the Garrison Commissioner."
***
At the Lu family mansion, Duan Shaoxia sat waiting in the main hall with a dark, sullen expression.
Seeing Qiu Zhiheng return, she dismissed the servants and demanded, "Xiao Qiu, do you still care about this family? Do you still care about me? Are you still a member of the Lu family?"
Qiu Zhiheng fell silent for a moment before looking up. "No longer."
Duan Shaoxia froze. "Xiao Qiu, what do you mean by that? Are you throwing a tantrum with your sister-in-law?"
"I am not," Qiu Zhiheng replied calmly, shaking his head. "I am leaving."
"Zhiheng, you cannot leave!" Duan Shaoxia's voice quivered. "Do you know who that child is? I didn't want to make things hard for you. That boy, Huaiyi, is actually..."
Qiu Zhiheng said quietly, "I know, Madam. I watched Yuanhai grow up. I know he is Yuanhai."
Duan Shaoxia stood stunned, rendered speechless.
Qiu Zhiheng let out a long sigh. "Madam, if you hadn't done this, things could still have been saved. No matter what it took, I would have found a way to heal Yuanhai.
"Yet the one lying in bed cannot be healed, because he is not Yuanhai. And the one standing upright cannot be propped up by me, because he does not bear the Lu name.
"Madam, I am powerless. I am leaving. My wife and children have already reached the train station, and it is time for me to go as well."
*His wife and child have already left?*
*When did that happen?*
Duan Shaoxia blocked his path. "Zhiheng, don't go! Everything I did was for the Lu family!"
"Everything I did was for the Lu family too," Qiu Zhiheng chuckled softly. "For half my life, every single thing I did was for the sake of the Lu family. Whatever I could do, I did.
"Back when the master took me in from the streets, I possessed nothing. Today as I leave, I take nothing with me.
"Over the years, every bit of my savings has been returned to the accounting office. The train tickets and traveling expenses were borrowed, and these clothes were bought with borrowed money as well. Everything the Lu family gave me, I have returned in full.
"Madam, farewell."
Qiu Zhiheng turned and strode out of the hall.
Gritting her teeth, Duan Shaoxia hissed, "Don't you dare leave!"
A broken blood vessel burst within her eye.
It was an emotion root she had planted in Qiu Zhiheng.
Under normal circumstances, Qiu Zhiheng would certainly have turned back at this moment.
Yet he did not look back. That emotion root had long since been plucked out by him.
He marched out of the Lu family mansion with wide, steady strides.
The rain poured down in sheets. Qiu Zhiheng stood at the courtyard gates.
He squared his shoulders and, braving the torrential downpour, walked all the way to the train station.
His wife and children were waiting for him in the ticket lobby, with Tan Fucheng standing beside them.
Leaving the funeral early had been for this very purpose: to escort Qiu Zhiheng's family safely to the station.
"Brother Qiu, take great care on the road," Tan Fucheng said. He had worried that Duan Shaoxia might make a move along the way, but on second thought, Qiu Zhiheng would have prepared against it.
"Brother Tan, you take care as well." Qiu Zhiheng thanked Tan Fucheng, then led his wife and children through the ticket gate.
*Wuuu—*
The train whistle sounded as the locomotive pulled into the station.
Qiu Zhiheng helped his wife and children board first. Then, turning toward the platform, he noticed someone watching him.
The man wore a black Western suit and a fedora, with the brim pulled low over his eyes.
Qiu Zhiheng walked over and smiled. "Here to see me off? I'm no longer the Lu family steward. There won't be much I can help you with in the future."
Li Banfeng held out a large cloth sack to Qiu Zhiheng. "Noodles, for the journey."
Qiu Zhiheng was taken aback.
Li Banfeng said, "They don't sell instant noodles around here, but dried noodles work just as well. There's enough here to last you half a month."
The rain fell heavily. Qiu Zhiheng wiped the water from his face and accepted the cloth bag.
Li Banfeng then produced a land deed. "Ma the Fifth checked your train tickets and found out you're heading for Yaowanggou. As it happens, I have a favor to ask of you.
"I've been wanting to open a medicine shop in Yaowanggou for some time, but I don't know pharmacology and worry about losing money. So I'd like to put this shop in your hands."
Qiu Zhiheng looked down. "You want me to run a business for you? I don't do that kind of work anymore."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "Not running it for me. I'm asking you to be my partner. I put up the money, you put in the labor, and we split the profits fifty-fifty. You have a big reputation and can hold down the fort. We'll call the shop Qiu's."
Li Banfeng held the deed out before Qiu Zhiheng.
The rain was pouring hard, soaking the paper.
Qiu Zhiheng took the land deed. He looked at Li Banfeng, speechless.
The train whistle wailed again.
The train was about to depart.
"Take care." Li Banfeng tugged the brim of his hat lower, turned, and walked away.
"Take care, brother." Qiu Zhiheng watched him until his silhouette disappeared into the rain. Then he boarded the train and sat down beside his wife.
His wife took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the rainwater from Monkey Qiu's face.
There was an awful lot of rainwater on his cheeks.
He handed the land deed to his wife.
She looked at it and asked, "What is this?"
"A business," Qiu Zhiheng said, wiping at his face, though the water there seemed impossible to ever dry completely. "This is the Qiu family's business."
***
*Author's Note: From this day forward, Qiu Zhiheng will never have to stand behind anyone else again.*
Chapter 319