It was difficult for Zhao Changhe to judge whether this was just an ordinary encounter... If not, and he was waiting for him here specifically, it would be a bit unbelievable.
The Eighteen Long Rivers scattered in all directions. Before that, he didn't even know which door he would go through. He chose it completely randomly. Could this person predict it? Or was he following behind him, starting later but arriving first, so much faster than the Snow-Treading Black Horse
If you can't figure it out, just think about it for now. Zhao Changhe simply treated it as an ordinary encounter and sat down opposite the old man. "Although I also like to drink a few sips, but father-in-law, it's not good to drink on an empty stomach in the morning."
"Who said you were hungry? Aren't there some peanuts here?" The old man pushed the peanuts in front of him and asked, "Eat some?"
Zhao Changhe snapped his fingers at the waiter and said, "Give me some steamed buns."
Soon, the steaming buns were served, and Zhao Changhe pushed them towards the old man: "It will fill your stomach."
Having said that, he didn't hesitate and grabbed a steamed bun and ate it all in a few bites. Then he leisurely poured himself a glass of wine and drank it with the steamed bun.
The old man also took a steamed bun and ate it slowly. Seeing Zhao Changhe wolfing down the food, he did not disturb him by saying anything, but there was a smile in his eyes.
Only after watching him finish one did he say, "You have a good appetite. The man is majestic, and the knife is majestic too."
Zhao Changhe was chewing on his second steamed bun and looked up at him: "Father-in-law, do you recognize this knife?"
"Such a unique knife, no one would have to look at it twice before."
"Is your father-in-law a high-ranking official?"
"Forget it." The old man sipped his wine and asked, "Don't look like it?"
"Not really. At least I've never seen a high-ranking official who didn't have an entourage."
"So what do you think of this kind of official, little brother?"
Zhao Changhe squinted his eyes and looked at him for a long while before he slowly said, "Whether an official is good or not, you can't tell from a place like this."
"Then how can we tell?"
Zhao Changhe pointed to the side of the post station, where a beggar was curled up in a corner, still sleeping. "This is the capital, under the feet of the emperor. Don't you find it dazzling, old man?"
The old man said, "Since it's an eyesore, how about killing him?"
Zhao Changhe's eyes turned stern, but the old man continued to drink as if nothing had happened.
Zhao Changhe suddenly laughed: "I think the Hu people are more eye-catching, should we kill some of them, old man?"
The old man smiled again: "Indeed, he can be killed."
"What if I don't like my father-in-law? Will he wipe his own neck?"
"Then please kill it yourself, little brother."
"No one is without me, and no one is unkillable?"
"It's just that fists are the truth. For example, if you want to eliminate beggars in the world, first you have to let others listen to your ideas. If you can only ask others, then you can only get others' ideas. It's useless to disagree because you can't control it."
Zhao Changhe nodded slightly: "Not bad."
"Where are you going to, little brother, after leaving Beijing?"
"Yanmen."
"The problem of beggars can only be solved in the capital."
"Only Yanmen can deal with the Hu people."
"Is that so?" The old man smiled and said, "Just like killing beggars won't make them disappear. Killing the Hu people won't make the Hu problem disappear. The root of the Hu people should be solved in the capital, not in Yanmen."
Zhao Changhe was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "As you said, it's useless for me to disagree with the capital. I can't control it."
"Did you want to take care of it?"
Zhao Changhe stared at him with narrowed eyes, unconsciously biting the steamed bun one bite at a time, as if he wanted to fill himself up as quickly as possible so that he would have the strength to deal with any unexpected events.
The old man laughed and suddenly changed the subject: "Little brother, yesterday evening at Zhang's Restaurant, we drank a bowl of wine and beat a man. When the wine was finished, everyone was silent. Wasn't it fun? Why did you leave in a hurry before dawn? It seems that you didn't finish it on purpose, which is really a pity. I happened to meet you by chance, can you ask the reason?"
Zhao Changhe said cautiously: "But we came to Beijing for fun, and when we felt there was nothing to do, we left. What was there to linger about?"
The old man laughed and said, "It started off well but ended badly. Isn't it because you left with something unfinished?"
Zhao Changhe simply asked: "Father-in-law, are you waiting for me here just to help me complete this unfinished task?"
"You could think so."
Zhao Changhe swallowed the steamed bun and almost choked to death.
What is your unfinished business
It is to see Xia Longyuan with my own eyes.
Tang Wanzhuang and Huangfu Qing could both see that they were making a big fuss in the restaurant just to attract Xia Longyuan's attention and get him to summon them... After all, they were the inheritors of Xia Longyuan's Liuhe Divine Art and Dragon Bird, and there was no way Xia Longyuan didn't know about this. Since he let it go, that meant they couldn't communicate.
It is very likely that Xia Longyuan knew everything about his relationship with Xia Chichi from the beginning to the end... Since he was already here, Zhao Changhe thought it would be better to see him directly. What was there to hide? As a result, he was frightened when he went to the gambling house to get information... If Xia Longyuan would kill his son, he might have some mental problems. The consequences of this exchange are unpredictable. Combined with Huangfu Qing's information, the real Xia Longyuan is not someone he can see. It is very likely that he saw a fake, which is worthless. The fake might even want to kill him.
Tang Wanzhuang knew it all and was worried about His Majesty.
The situation was not in line with previous expectations, so it was better to run away. So this trip started well but ended badly, and he fled in disgrace at night, completely giving up the idea of meeting Xia Longyuan.
As a result, the person in front of you said that he was here to help you complete the unfinished business.
Fuck you!
Don't tell me this is Xia Longyuan!
Not only is it Xia Longyuan, but he is also the real thing! At least, he is the real thing sent here for communication.
But Zhao Changhe felt that sending someone was meaningless. It was not easy to find a more loyal subject than Tang Wanzhuang. She was the best mouthpiece, so there was no need to send anyone else. Since she came to meet him, it was probably him.
Even though Zhao Changhe had estimated the identity of this old man countless times before, he never thought that he would meet Xia Longyuan in this situation, and sit here and chat with him like an old man on the street. He was completely unprepared and was completely stunned.
If this guy wants to kill me, just go to bed.
Holding on to the last bit of luck, Zhao Changhe carefully probed: "After all this talk, I still don't know your father-in-law's name."
The old man smiled and said, "Whoever you think it is, that's it."
Oh shit.
Zhao Changhe simply said, "If you have something to say, just say it directly. Why do you have to pretend to be a senior official? Is there any point in trying to find out? It's just lowering your standards."
"Yes." Xia Longyuan said calmly, "For many, many years, no one, regardless of who I am, has advised me not to drink so early in the morning, to fill my stomach, and even bought me steamed buns to eat."
Zhao Changhe: "You masters love to test people like this?"
Xia Longyuan: “…”
"But I don't think that someone like you would look at others differently because of this. In your eyes, this should be an insignificant thing. In your perspective, everyone is quantified in terms of strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages."
"Is this Xia Longyuan in your eyes?"
"Isn't it? When I said that beggar was an eye-catcher, your reaction was to kill him."
Xia Longyuan thought for a while, then suddenly smiled and said, "Maybe you are right. At least I won't kill you just because of such a kind-hearted mantou."
"So why didn't you kill me? My son?"
"Don't you think I'm very nice to you?"
"?"
"Look, I know you have regrets about your trip, so I came here specially to satisfy your request to come to the capital, so that your trip will be complete and not in vain. Do you think it's good for you?"
Zhao Changhe said speechlessly: "That's true."
Xia Longyuan sipped his wine leisurely and continued, "My martial arts, my daughter, my most loyal subject, and my nominal concubine, you see, are all yours. Have I ever caused you trouble? If I treat you badly, who in this world would treat you well? A blind man?"
Zhao Changhe: “…”
This Xia Longyuan is really different from what I imagined... Of course, that's because everyone hasn't gotten too deep into the topic yet and the boss is still teasing people.
But no matter how amusing it was, Zhao Changhe finally met the only person in the world who could communicate with him as a blind man in such a casual manner.
I originally thought that this trip to Beijing was a mistake and meaningless, so I left in embarrassment.
But I didn't expect that the real meaning was here.
"You should have come a long time ago. You are a bunch of little kids, speculating and scaring yourself, making people laugh. Who has the patience to calculate with a group of little ants and think they are right?"
"… "
Xia Longyuan drank the wine in his glass, stood up and said, "It's a beautiful autumn day, and the rising sun makes people happy. Would you like to walk with me?"
Zhao Changhe: ""
Drifting in the long river for half a lifetime...
No, you were just talking about your daughter, which shows that you know everything. How come you suddenly call yourself the father
The world's best martial arts force is not visible for the time being, but the world's best jumping speed is really hard to keep up with. Zhao Changhe took a deep breath and chased after him: "I have never recognized him, don't claim to be him."
"Father-in-law is not my father? If you have the guts, don't call me that."
“…” The best in the world is the best in the world. Just one sentence is enough to kill the opponent directly.
(End of this chapter)