Chapter 16: Wu Yu Pays a Visit to Grandmother

Chapter 16: Wu Yu Pays Respects to Grandmother

At the same time, in a room within the Crescent Moon Hotel in the capital, a very young man whose eyes seemed to have witnessed countless hardships quietly stared at a photo of Wu Yu for a long while. Finally, he smiled and rose from the bathtub. "I never expected Master Gouwu to be the ultimate winner! Even Master Jiejiu probably never imagined that Master Gouwu had concealed such a move!"

Droplets of water slowly fell as the qilin tattoo on his body gradually emerged.

Compared to the younger brother, this man’s qilin tattoo conveyed a stronger sense of lethal intent and solemnity.

“You old immortal!” A woman dressed in a cheongsam, perfectly accentuating her curves and elegant figure, suddenly leapt up like a flying swallow. She wrapped her robe around her and lunged forward like a sharp sword, brimming with killing intent!

Then she warned, “I don’t care what schemes you’re plotting behind the scenes, but the Crescent Moon Hotel’s stance has always been clear and unchanging over all these years!”

The man smiled faintly, twisted his body, and slipped on his robe. “You’re all my students, so killing me won’t be so easy!”

He pulled aside a screen that had a large hole torn in it. “But you should also know—if the Nine Gates cease to exist, how long will the Crescent Moon Hotel be able to hold on?”

“Though over the years you’ve insisted on remaining independent from the Nine Gates and avoided entanglement with all factions, you must realize that ever since your family’s eldest lady married our Master Fo, and since I first infiltrated the Crescent Moon Hotel, you and the Nine Gates have been inseparable!”

“Damn old ghost!” The woman glared angrily at the old man before her.

Despite his advanced age, he always pretended to be youthful and fresh-faced, which was truly infuriating.

“You were scheming against the Crescent Moon Hotel from the start!”

“You can’t say that!” The man smiled slightly. “As is well known, it was your grandaunt who willingly followed Master Fo to Shacheng and then refused to leave.”

“Hmph!” The woman snorted coldly and turned to leave, no longer paying him any heed.

The man then moved to one side, took out a silver bracelet embedded in the wall, inserted it, and entered a secret chamber.

After some searching, he eventually found a file in a box.

It was an employee record from over ten years ago for the Eleventh Warehouse—and among them was the young Wu Yu!

“I always suspected that you, this little troublemaker who cut the line, were problematic. Sure enough, you turned out to be the son of Wu Erbai! Things are getting more and more interesting!”

The chamber fell silent once more, as if nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, other families within the Nine Gates also arranged for people to visit the Wu family during the coming New Year.

Wu Yu probably never imagined that his and his son’s arrival would stir the long-dormant Nine Gates into such lively activity.

Far across the ocean, the eldest Miss Huo, studying abroad, received orders to return home.

At nearly the same time, Jie Xiao, who had been following a makeshift troupe performing opera in various counties and villages nationwide, also received news to prepare to travel to Shacheng for the New Year.

For a moment, Shacheng was ablaze with activity beneath a calm surface, the festive atmosphere barely concealing the undercurrents.

At the old Wu family residence.

Looking at the familiar old home, Third Uncle felt a wave of emotion. It had been several years since his last visit. He had even missed the New Year's Eve dinner. He wondered what punishment his mother might have in store for him this time.

Though Wu Sanshu was undoubtedly a formidable figure outside—the renowned Master Wu San—in the family, he was the lowest among the brothers.

Even Wu Tianzhen held a higher status than him! There was no helping it; the elderly favored the younger generation, and since Wu Tianzhen was the only child, the matriarch naturally doted on her eldest grandson.

“Nephew, you have to help your Third Uncle out later!” Wu Sanshu pleaded earnestly to Wu Yu.

After all, if anyone had the greatest face this year, it was undoubtedly Wu Yu.

“Third Uncle, aren’t you afraid that saying this will scare me off so I won’t dare come home to claim my roots?” Wu Yu laughed dryly. He hadn’t expected Wu Sanshu to be like this.

“Hmph! I never thought Master Wu San would even know how to come home—truly an eye-opener!” A voice filled with authority came from inside.

Following that, the main door slowly opened, revealing an elderly woman with a kind yet stern face, leaning on a dragon-headed cane.

“Grandma!” Upon seeing her, Third Uncle immediately knelt without a word.

Wu Yu was stunned, unable to believe the practiced motion.

“Hmph! Get out of my sight and stop causing trouble!” The old woman wagged her cane, swatting Wu Sanshu on the backside. Then, smiling warmly, she looked at Wu Yu. “Good child, come here and let Grandma have a look!”

“Grandma!” Wu Yu approached and knelt, respectfully kowtowing. “Your unfilial grandson, Wu Yu, pays respects to you.”

“Good! Good! Good!” The old woman tenderly patted Wu Yu’s head, carefully brushing the dust from his forehead. “Get up! We don’t do this in our family! Come inside and have a chat with Grandma!”

She took Wu Yu’s hand, about to lead him inside, then glanced at Wu Tianzhen, who was sulking in a corner, and shot a disapproving look. “You little rascal, get over here too!”

“I’ve told you countless times, stop hanging around with that Wu San fellow and mixing up your life. But you never listen and have ended up on this path!”

Though the old woman had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs, her sharp insight was unquestionable. She could see right through Wu Tianzhen’s act.

It was clear at a glance that Wu Tianzhen had just come up from below, and regardless of the reason, he was following in the old Wu family’s footsteps!

“Ah, Grandma, don’t be angry. I was wrong, okay? Little Tianzhen knows his mistake!” Seeing this, Wu Tianzhen quickly stepped forward to flatter and admit fault.

“Hmph! Just like that Wu San, learning all the bad and none of the good.” She glared harshly at the innocent-looking Wu Sanshu, then gently touched Tianzhen’s face. “Was it dangerous down in the tomb? Were you hurt?”

“Very dangerous, Grandma! Let me tell you…” Before Wu Tianzhen could finish, a sudden chorus of dog barks echoed, continuous and overwhelming like a tidal wave.

“What’s wrong with our dogs?” Wu Sanshu asked.

Their family had no fewer than a thousand dogs, all carefully trained—far superior to ordinary police dogs. Such a chaotic barking fit was unheard of.

As a member of the Wu family, and with Wu Tianzhen’s own expertise in dog training, Wu Sanshu immediately recognized the cause behind the barking.

The old matriarch laughed heartily, patting Wu Yu on the shoulder. “Do you dare to go check out the back mountain?”

“I’ve heard about our family’s back mountain from my father since I was little. I’ve always wanted to see it!” Wu Yu smiled with anticipation.

(End of chapter)