Three Old Ones Gather

What could possibly happen in my own home?

Liang Qu was completely baffled.

Seeing that Xu Yuelong was in low spirits and unwilling to explain, he said goodbye, rowed Shang An, and transferred to Red Mountain.

Before he even reached home, numerous Water Beast arrived on the way, prompting Liang Qu to rein in his horse and stop, lost in thought.

"Old Turtle has come to our house?"

Moonlight Radiance surged, and Lotus Leaf floated.

Ta Ta Kai the box containing the Dragon Silk Shang An, Fat Catfish poked its head out to look around and listen attentively.

On the rocks.

The Old Toad, hands behind his back and belly puffed out, said, "I'm 196 years old this year!"

The Old Turtle scoffed, "I'm two hundred and seventy-nine years old!"

The Old Giant Clam silently counted for a moment. "I've been living for over sixteen cycles of sixty years?"

The Old Toad and the Old Turtle were greatly alarmed.

Sixteen cycles of the sexagenary cycle? That would be over nine hundred years old.

How can someone survive like that?

The Old Toad rolled its eyes and wiggled its webbed feet. "That doesn't count! That doesn't count! The younger one should be the elder! Recognize me as your elder brother!"

The Old Turtle retorted, "You little frog, you're going back on your word! You're so senior! When have you ever heard of the younger one being the elder?"

The Old Toad was speechless for a moment.

The Fat Catfish knew its chance had come. It stepped out of the pond, waving its two Long Whiskers alternately, pointing and gesturing.

"Frog Clan territory, are you trying to drive me out of the pond?"

The Old Toad and frog head were overjoyed.

Indeed, one should remain humble and unassuming, like a frog under a fence! But the Old Turtle was not at all naive.

"My owner paid a deposit, but he's kicking me out of the pond and demanding a refund of the deposit!"

Have you paid a deposit?

The Fat Catfish turned its head and looked at the Old Toad.

Croak, croak, croak! The Old Toad looked up, its white belly heaving, and began to hum an unknown song.

Squeak.

The door hinges clicked.

The Old Toad sniffed the air and exclaimed, "Young Liang is back!"

The Old Turtle shouted, "Don't interrupt! We agreed that the oldest person is the head of the family!"

"You Old Tortoise, the older you get, the more shameless you become!"

"Little frog!"

"Old Tortoise!"

"Little frog!"

Outside the courtyard.

Liang Qu unlocked the door and pushed it open.

A dark shadow flashed by.

A large, fluffy black dog stepped over the high wall and leaped over it.

"Hey, Oolong!"

Liang Qu grabbed Oolong and ruffled the fur on its head into a ball.

More than half a month has passed, and Oolong has grown even bigger, much taller and stronger than an ordinary Local Dog. He might be able to fight tigers and leopards hand-to-hand soon.

"Grown ups!"

"Xing Lai! Still up so late?"

Fan Xinglai, who rushed out from the inner courtyard, stepped forward to lead Red Mountain: "Horse breeders are all light sleepers, it's a habit."

"No need. Spirit horses are different from ordinary horses; you don't need to get up at night to feed them."

Red Mountain snorted and raised his head, revealing his long neck.

Fan Xinglai nodded. "We'll gradually change the habits we developed when we were young."

"Perfect timing, you're up." Liang Qu put down Oolong. "Has anyone come to visit recently?"

"Does the sir know?"

Upon hearing Liang Qu mention that someone had come to visit his family, Fan Xinglai breathed a sigh of relief.

"The day before yesterday, an old man came to your residence, leading a large tortoise. He said he was your superior and wanted to move in."

At first I didn't quite believe it, but later the master vouched for him, and he was led to move into the East Wing Room, and the big tortoise was moved into the pond.

Tortoise, old man...

Hearing the description, and considering the timeline and past events, Liang Qu's eyes gleamed, and he already had a clear understanding of the situation.

Is there anything else?

"Other matters? Oh, the Quiet Room Chamber of Commerce sent people to fix it at home. Also, there are a lot of invitations, all from the Zhang Clan, the Li Family, and the Huang Family, saying they want to host a banquet for you. I've put them all in your study, the expired ones on the right and the unexpired ones on the left."

After listening to Fan Xinglai's introduction, Liang Qu had a general understanding of what had happened in the more than half a month since he left, and stepped around the screen wall.

The trees cast dappled shadows, and the polished bluestone reflected the moonlight like a mirror.

Lights were on in both the east and west wing rooms.

It's past 11 PM now, and anyone still not asleep is either someone who has just returned from drinking and carousing on the river, or someone with great strength whose need for sleep has been greatly reduced.

Liang Qu turned to Fan Xinglai: "Remember not to tell anyone that someone came to the house. Not a single person, understand?"

"Knew."

"Okay, go back to your room and rest."

After watching Fan Xinglai leave, Liang Qu looked around, pondered for a moment, and decided to visit the East Wing Room first.

Going to the West Wing first might seem like a cowardly attempt to probe deeper into the matter.

Stepping onto the stone steps, Liang Qu gently knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Fan Xinglai is an elderly man, but his voice does not sound old; it is full of energy.

Liang Qu pushed open the door.

inside the house.

The silver-haired old man, dressed in white, had his back to the desk and the Liang Qu. He reached into an oil paper package, picked out some fine material, and sprinkled it out. The material floated on the surface due to the surface tension of the water.

Liang Qu tilted his head slightly and saw a tank of small turtles, about seven or eight in total, waving their limbs as they floated on the surface of the water, vying to crawl and eat the spilled turtle food.

The old man straightened the edges of the oil paper package and folded it up. "Now you know who I am?"

Liang Qu bowed respectfully.

"Prefect Huaiyin Prefecture, Perfected Elephant Grandmaster, Lord Su, I, Liang Qu, pay my respects to you, sir."

"Prefect Huaiyin Prefecture, that's ancient history." Su Guishan placed the turtle food by the tank, turned around and handed over a futon. "Come, sit down. Don't be so formal. This is your home, not mine."

As they were talking, Su Guishan picked up the kettle and poured Liang Qu a cup of tea.

Although Liang Qu couldn't understand why the old Prefect had "come back to life" and suddenly moved into his house, the Old Monk was right to his left, so he wasn't too worried about letting him stay. He took the futon and secretly observed him through the reflection of the desk.

Su Guishan doesn't look old at all. He has a tall and straight figure, a ruddy complexion, and very few wrinkles. His only notable feature is his head of silver hair, which suggests he must have been a very handsome man in his youth.

"As I get older, I enjoy chatting with energetic young people. I hear them calling you A Shui on the street, so I'll call you that too, okay?"

"Lord Su is a senior, and I am a junior. Please address me as you wish."

"You're still being too reserved. It's not easy for you to have come this far from being just a fisherman's son. You're also good at reading people's expressions, but you're kind-hearted by nature, which isn't a bad thing..."

Su Guishan brushed away the tea foam, brought it to his lips, and then put it back on the table. "Alright, it's getting late. You just came back from outside, looking travel-worn and exhausted. Tell me, were you surprised to see me?"

"I'm very surprised."

"That's right." Su Guishan closed the half-rolled book on the table. "The Ghost Mother Sect knows about the changes in Huaiyin Prefecture. The Prefect and the Great Martial Master have moved one after another, leaving the defenses weak and the supplies plentiful. It's a perfect opportunity to launch a sneak attack. Do you think we wouldn't know that? You should know that sixty years ago, we were the ones who won, not them."

Liang Qu suddenly realized.

"Waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump?"

"Indeed, but unfortunately things don't always go as Wishful. Something went wrong, and the battle wasn't completed in one fell swoop; one of them escaped."

So I teamed up with Weng Lijun and staged my own death, hoping to lure the remaining person out to kill him.

Although Liang Qu did not know the specific details, he immediately understood the whole story.

So that's how it is. I thought the Ghost Mother Sect had suddenly become more prominent, but it turns out they're still the same lousy bunch.

"Lord Su is meticulous in his thinking, but alas, he is merely a lowly Dushui Official, his strength barely exceeding that of Wolf Smoke signaler. Why does he address me as his superior, and..."

"And I'll move into your house and tell you the truth?"

Liang Qu remained noncommittal.

This is Grandmaster's contest, what does it have to do with his mere Wolf Smoke? "The Prefect was given to that brat from the Jian Family, can't I be a Water River Governor? Why aren't I your superior?"

"Damn! "Liang Qu exclaimed in astonishment.

Water River Governor, Subordinate Second Rank!

This official is several ranks higher than Xu Yuelong!

"Since I am the governor of the River Conservancy Office, is it not permissible for me to meet with my most capable young men who have received Sacred Emperor's Edict and stay for a couple of days?"

Liang Qu was speechless. "Of course it's possible."

Su Guishan stroked his beard and chuckled.

"Just kidding. I only met you out of interest. Actually, I'm more familiar with the Old Monk next door. I heard he was staying at your house and I've always wanted to come and see him."