Phantom City, Xin Yi Pavilion.
Boats came and went outside the window. Wherever the boat passed, the lights on the boat made the surface of the lake sparkle. After the boat passed, it fell into darkness again. The boats in the distance were like fireflies in the night sky.
The eternal night scene in the darkness had not changed for many years.
Everything in the room that could light up was hidden. Cao Man was immersed in the darkness. He stood in front of the window and looked at the lights in the distance. It was like his life, he could only hide in the darkness and look at the light.
At this moment, he was actually in a daze. His expression was perplexed, and tears welled up in his eyes. In the end, they turned into two teardrops, rolling down his cheeks and hanging on his beard. With a faint sob, he murmured, "Father …"
Qi Jue, who had been standing quietly at the side, slowly raised his head. He could hear the love and hate in this voice.
"Master, please restrain your grief …" Qi Jue consoled as he took out two Star Bells and gently placed them in front of him. "Master, these are the Star Bells that the Patriarch sent over. The Patriarch hopes to establish direct contact with you."
"Clan Head?" Cao Man closed his eyes. Two teardrops rolled down his cheeks again. "What right does he have to be the Clan Head? Is it because the eldest is no longer here and he is the last? Could it be that this thing was also based on seniority? What has he done for the Xiahou Clan? Is it because he can see the light that the rest of us can't? "
Qi Jue said with some fear, "Master, don't say these words again. If outsiders hear it, I'm afraid it will be disadvantageous to Master!"
Cao Man lowered his head and slowly shook his head. "Is it advantageous for me if I don't say these things? One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. Moreover, who knows how many tigers there are on the Xiahou Clan's mountain. As long as we are still here, can he be at ease? "
Qi Jue said, "Master, brothers, the situation may not be as bad as you think."
Cao Man said, "When the Old Master was in power, how did he treat his brothers?"
Qi Jue said, "The present cannot be compared to the past, nor can it be compared to the past. Back then, the Old Master's brothers were all in the open, and everyone had hope, so naturally, they would compete with each other. As for the Dong Family and the others in power, they were all in the dark. Perhaps this was the Old Master's brilliance. From the day the Dong Family and the others went into hiding, they already had no chance with the position of Patriarch."
Cao Man replied, "I don't have any complaints about him being the patriarch. I just don't know what the old man is thinking. Xiahou Ling has never truly taken charge of an area. He's just a person with high standards but little ability. Can he order others around as the patriarch? Once everyone disagreed, the Xiahou family would face a crisis, and they would face the situation of collapse. Could it be that the Old Master had already secretly helped him control enough power to support the family? Then why did he only contact me now? "
Qi Jue: "Boss, if you have doubts, why don't you ask the old man?"
Cao Man: "I've asked. The Old Master told me to do my own thing, but the Old Master still isn't willing to say anything at this time. What is he worried about? Just as you said, from the day I hid in the darkness all those years ago, I knew that I had no fate with the position of Patriarch. But now that it has come to this, why won't you even give me a chance to meet him? My father is in critical condition, and as a son, I don't even have the right to visit him? "
Qi Jue was silent. He didn't know what Chu Yang was thinking, but he knew that Chu Yang's emotions were a little unstable. He looked at the star bells in his hand. "The people sent by the Patriarch are still waiting. How are we going to reply to these star bells?"
Cao Man was silent for a while. Suddenly, he waved his hand and made a seal on two of the star bells. Then, he swept one of them into his hand and warned, "I won't say that I have the intention to harm others, but I must be vigilant. Even if he has any intentions to touch me now, he hasn't reached the stage yet. If he wants to control this side, he must first understand my situation. I'm afraid he will start with the people around me, and the most suitable target is you. When you go out in the future, you must be careful and bring enough experts to protect you. Don't give anyone a chance to take advantage of you! I've told you so much because I want you to understand one thing. You have followed me for so many years. Even if you rely on him, you won't be able to become his confidant. "
"This old servant understands." Qi Jue responded.
"Haha …" Cao Man suddenly let out a bitter laugh. If you asked him if he was willing, he would definitely be unwilling. Unfortunately, he didn't know how many people like him existed in the Xiahou Clan. Even if he wanted to establish connections, he didn't know where to start. He couldn't help but admire the wisdom of the Patriarch's plan back then. Without the support of other factions, even if he had any ideas, it would be a waste. He couldn't do anything by relying on just one faction. On the other hand, Xiahou Ling had obtained the Patriarch's support and could easily figure out the Xiahou Clan's background!
In the Albatross Residence, Wei Shu quickly left the forbidden garden and arrived at Xiahou Ling's residence. Xiahou Ta had yet to pass away, so Xiahou Ling didn't have the guts to enter the forbidden garden.
A servant girl welcomed him and directly led him to Xiahou Ling's study room. She reported, "Master, Butler Wei is here."
"Come in!" Xiahou Ling's voice came from inside the room.
The servant girl gestured for Wei Shu to enter and retreated. Wei Shu pushed the door open and entered. As soon as he entered, he couldn't help but twitch his nose. He smelled blood.
There was no one in the guest room. Wei Shu was stunned when he walked in. He saw the source of the blood. Xiahou Ling's housekeeper, Fu Tong, was lying in a pool of blood. His eyes were wide open. His heart had been pierced through. A blood-stained sword was thrown on the study table. Xiahou Ling sat behind the table and looked at him.
The two of them were silent for a while before Xiahou Ling said, "Starting from your father, he followed my grandfather all the way until you followed the old man. The Wei family and the Xiahou family are one. One's glory, one's loss, the other's. There is no need to doubt the old man's judgment of people, so I have never doubted his loyalty to Housekeeper Wei. Don't worry. I have no other intentions. I killed Fu Tong just to let you understand that no one can replace your position in the Xiahou Clan. You are still the Xiahou Clan's housekeeper. "
Wei Shu bowed and said, "Thank you, Master, for your trust."
Xiahou Ling stood up. "The Patriarch's spirit is not what it used to be. Every long conversation will harm the Patriarch's corporeal body. This goes against the filial duties of a son, so I need your help. Now, can you tell me what I want to know?"
Wei Shu didn't answer. He walked to Fu Tong's body and examined it carefully. He even took out the ink and put Fu Tong's fingerprints on a piece of white paper. Then he took out another piece of white paper, which also had fingerprints. He put the fingerprints on the two pieces of paper together to make a detailed comparison.
Xiahou Ling frowned and said, "What? Am I so unworthy of your trust? "
After confirming that the deceased was indeed Fu Tong, Wei Shu stood up and cupped his hands. "Forgive me, Master. This is the Patriarch's will."
Now, he had changed the way he addressed him.
Xiahou Ling was stunned. "What do you mean?"
Wei Shu said, "Before the Patriarch passed away, Wei Shu only listened to the Patriarch's orders. After the Patriarch passed away, Wei Shu only listened to the Master's orders. The Patriarch said that as long as he was alive, he couldn't sit by and watch the Xiahou Clan's secret fall into the hands of outsiders. He couldn't let the Xiahou Clan's secret fall into the hands of someone the Patriarch couldn't completely trust. This was because it was too dangerous for the Xiahou Clan. The Patriarch ordered this servant to wait for Fu Tong's death! "
"…" Xiahou Ling was a little speechless. He was very hesitant before he killed Fu Tong. After all, Fu Tong was his trusted aide for many years. However, when he asked Wei Shu several times, he didn't get any useful information. Wei Shu kept avoiding him, which made him very angry. However, he didn't dare to do anything to Wei Shu. He was already secretly angry in his heart. This debt would be settled in the future. In order to gain Wei Shu's trust, he hardened his heart and killed Fu Tong.
Who would have thought that it was actually the Old Master's intention? He now understood a little. Not only was the Old Master paving the way for him, he was also paving the way for Wei Shu. On the other hand, by removing Wei Shu's worries, he was also paving the way for Xiahou Ling. He was forcing him to make up his mind to gain Wei Shu's trust and send him a loyal official.
The resentment in Xiahou Ling's heart immediately dissipated. "If that's the case, can you tell me now?"
Wei Shu bowed and said, "If Master has any questions, please ask. Wei Shu will answer everything I know."
Xiahou Ling said word by word, "I want to know how many of my brothers are in charge of the Xiahou Clan's underground forces!"
The two of them exchanged questions and answers in the study that reeked of blood and corpses. It was only after an entire day that Xiahou Ling finally stopped asking questions.
At this moment, the shock in Xiahou Ling's heart was indescribable. He didn't expect the Xiahou Clan's power to be far beyond his imagination. To think that one of his brothers was actually working under Niu Youde. This was simply …
"Xiahou Ta's life is coming to an end. How unexpected!"
In the Nether Realm, Miao Yi and Yun Zhiqiu couldn't help but sigh when they heard the news. They couldn't help but lament that an outstanding talent of his generation couldn't escape death in the end.
Miao Yi sighed to Yun Zhiqiu, who was sitting in the pavilion drinking a cup of tea. "If Xiahou Ta dies, I wonder if there will be more changes to the world. That person from the Heavenly Palace is a member of the Xiahou Clan after all. I wonder if she will get involved and drag us into it as well."
Miao Yi said solemnly, "Have Xu Tangran keep an eye on Duke Yuan."
Yun Zhiqiu said, "I've already asked when I heard the news. Aside from Duke Yuan being much quieter, there's nothing else out of the ordinary."
By the time everyone knew about it, the news that Xiahou Ta's life was coming to an end was no longer a secret. Everyone was waiting for that day to come. More specifically, they were paying attention to whether or not there would be any changes. It made many people nervous.
In the end, Xiahou Ta didn't even manage to last a year. Before he closed his eyes, Lord Qing was there to personally hold his hand and watch as he closed his eyes. Aside from the Four Heavenly Kings, all the ministers of the imperial court were basically gathered in the Almighty Old Man's Manor.
"Does Almighty Old Man have something to say?" asked Lord Qing, who was sitting beside the bed, when he saw Xiahou Ta open his mouth.
In the end, Xiahou Ta didn't say anything. Tears began to well up in his slowly closing eyes. Two teardrops trickled down from the corners of his eyes. He was already at the end of his tether. As the last strand of transcendence energy dissipated from his decaying body, his flesh and blood also dissipated like smoke, drifting in and out of the room along with the weak airflow.
Everyone in the room watched as the wisps of smoke drifted out the door, into the cracks of the window, and onto the arches of the roof. It also seemed to touch everyone's body. It was such a gentle and wondrous sight.
In the end, Lord Qing's hand grabbed nothing but air. Xiahou Ta was only left with a set of clothes as he lay limply on the bed.
"Father!" Xiahou Ling cried out in grief and fell to his knees. His children in the room also knelt and cried bitterly, including Xiahou Chengyu.
Lord Qing stood up and sighed. His expression was complicated as he cupped his fists towards Xiahou Ta's clothes and bowed deeply. "Almighty Old Man, rest in peace!"
The ministers who were qualified to be in the room also cupped their fists and bowed solemnly.
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