Gao Family Old Residence
An old man and a boy sat facing each other in the pavilion, a gomoku board on the stone table between them. Sunlight stretched the pavilion's shadow long, making its vermilion paint look even more vivid.
Old Master Gao placed a stone on the board, and Gao Yuyang sighed. "Grandpa, I lost again."
Old Master Gao smiled. "Something on your mind? Is it Gao Zhen?"
Gao Yuyang nodded. "Yan Wen said Gao Zhen is still in Weicheng, right where they are. What if he hurts Yan Wen or the others?"
"Xiao Yan Wen contacted me yesterday. He already knows about the people we sent over. He'll let us know if he hears anything about Gao Zhen."
"That's great, then. Yan Wen has helped our family so much. I don't even know how to thank him anymore."
Old Master Gao returned the stones to their containers one by one. "One friend like that is enough for a lifetime. All I hope is that you'll always be worthy of that friendship."
"I understand, Grandpa."
Gao Yuyang looked toward the mountains on the distant horizon. "Grandpa, I'm going back tomorrow to find Yan Wen and the others. This is our own problem, after all. We can't keep troubling other people."
Old Master Gao nodded. "Yes. Once you find Gao Zhen, send him where he belongs. Don't worry about what your eldest uncle and the others say. You have me backing you."
"Okay."
Wenle Five-Star Hotel
Qi Ji sat on the sofa with a cigarette between his fingers. Smoke rose and dispersed, its smell permeating every corner of the room.
Qi Jiawang stood before Qi Ji, his eyes full of questions and conflicting emotions.
Qi Ji took one last drag and tossed the cigarette into the ashtray, where the butt