Chapter 850: The True Identities of the Two Old Supplicants
The uncle from Jia'er Lane wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Tang Ge'er, have you misunderstood something? As someone from a different surname, I wouldn't dare meddle in family affairs."
Tang Thirty-Six looked at him with a smile and said, "Uncle, at a time like this, can't we all make things simpler? Ning Ten-Wei is your own nephew, and you've set him up like this. Do you think your wife will let you off the hook? You'd better think of a way out quickly."
Before the final Seventh Master Tang could speak, Tang Thirty-Six's smile faded, and he looked at him seriously. "Seventh Aunt has been sleeping with Second Uncle for all these years. Don't tell me you didn't know."
Seventh Master Tang's expression turned extremely ugly. Yet, unexpectedly, after a moment, he calmed down again.
"Of course I knew you knew, but before now, no one else knew besides me. Now that I've laid it out in the open, can you still pretend not to know?" Tang Thirty-Six looked at him with a pitying gaze. "So how do we resolve this now? Helping me take down Second Uncle is your only choice."
The old Tang family supplicant had been standing by the card table the entire time.
No matter what secrets were discussed during this card game, his expression never changed.
But in the end, as he looked at Tang Thirty-Six, the appreciation in his eyes grew noticeably.
The three elders he had summoned to the ancestral hall today were usually unremarkable in the Tang family. Only a few knew they were Second Master Tang's true right-hand men. His conversation with these three elders wasn't particularly profound in thought, nor were his methods especially impressive, but... they were very fitting.
He knew what these three elders feared most, what they cared about most, and what their true temperaments were.
This kind of understanding was the most terrifying thing—and the most essential quality for becoming the head of the Tang family.
An hour had finally passed.
Wenshui City left Tang Thirty-Six's hands and returned to Old Master Tang's.
The doors of the ancestral hall closed again, and no one knew if they would ever open once more.
The three elders left with different emotions, and the final hand of cards on the table remained unfinished.
The old Tang family supplicant didn't leave. He still stood behind Tang Thirty-Six.
He was waiting for news from the Tang family's old residence.
That news would determine what he should do next.
This had nothing to do with right or wrong, only with victory or defeat.
Such was the way of commerce.
The winner takes all; the loser leaves.
If Tang Thirty-Six won, he would leave alive.
If he lost, because of his connection to Chen Changsheng, he probably wouldn't die, but he would likely never leave again.
...
...
The card game at the Tang family's old residence ended even earlier—when the Old Master heard that Tang Thirty-Six had sent someone to the Cockcrow Nunnery outside the city to order a vegetarian feast.
In fact, by the time the hour was up, that vegetarian feast was still in the nunnery's back kitchen, not yet prepared.
Wind and snow fell silently into the small courtyard of the old residence, just as the arrival of that gaunt old man had gone unnoticed by anyone.
The King of Linghai stared at the gaunt old man's face, finding it increasingly familiar.
The gaunt old man walked into the room, and several pairs of eyes turned toward him.
Even Zhe Xiu felt a bit tense—not because of the gaunt old man's identity, but because of what he was about to say.
Chen Changsheng wasn't tense. He was silently preparing himself. If the following events couldn't change Old Master Tang's mind, he would have to resort to other means.
He didn't want to use those means. Outside Wenshui City, he had a very powerful ally, but he didn't want things to reach that point.
Regardless, he wouldn't let Tang Thirty-Six remain locked in the Tang family's ancestral hall.
The gaunt old man first bowed to Old Master Tang, then to Chen Changsheng, just as he had when he first appeared at the old residence.
Chen Changsheng didn't know the gaunt old man's true identity, but seeing the respect Old Master Tang showed him, he knew this man must be extraordinary. He returned the bow seriously.
Old Master Tang asked, "What's the result?"
The gaunt old man said calmly, "His Holiness the Pope was not mistaken. The eldest master was indeed poisoned, arranged by the second master. I have already sent someone to the Longevity Sect to request the antidote."
Hearing this, Chen Changsheng and Zhe Xiu exchanged a glance and finally relaxed a bit.
Old Master Tang showed no significant reaction. After a moment of silence, he said, "You've worked hard."
He didn't ask the gaunt old man for specifics—evidence, motives, or anything else.
It was as if whatever the gaunt old man said, he would believe.
The King of Linghai grew even more curious outside the room. Who was this gaunt old man? What was the Tang family's Punishment Hall? Why did he enjoy such trust from Old Master Tang?
The gaunt old man walked out of the old residence.
Watching his retreating figure, the King of Linghai finally remembered who he was. His expression shifted, and he said, "You are Minister Wei?"
Hearing this, An Lin's expression also changed drastically, and she looked toward the gaunt old man.
The gaunt old man acted as if he hadn't heard, not pausing in his steps. He quickly vanished into the wind and snow outside the old residence.
Chen Changsheng didn't know who Minister Wei was, but seeing the strong reactions from the King of Linghai and An Lin, he figured the man must be someone very remarkable.
But he had no chance to ask at that moment, because no sooner had the gaunt old man left than another person arrived at the old residence.
Like the gaunt old man's arrival, this one was equally silent. Neither the two national religious leaders nor Chen Changsheng and his companions noticed.
The newcomer was a blind zither player.
The blind zither player paid no attention to the others in the room. He didn't bow to Chen Changsheng either. He addressed Old Master Tang directly: "That monster is hiding in the second master's estate. It is indeed of the Yellow Springs lineage, practicing the Longevity Sect's techniques—an ill-omened thing."
Old Master Tang was silent for a moment before saying, "There's no reason it couldn't have been kept."
The meaning of these words was clear: in the Old Master's view, since the blind zither player had intervened, no matter how troublesome that monster was, it shouldn't have been able to escape.
The blind zither player was silent for a long time before saying, "I couldn't bear it."
Hearing this, Old Master Tang also felt a touch of emotion. "The past is gone. Why cling to it?"
The blind zither player said, "That was my junior brother's last wisp of soul. I always wanted it to linger a little longer in this world."
Chen Changsheng listened to this exchange and only understood its meaning after a moment. He was deeply shocked.
Based on his judgment and analysis, Chu Su was a descendant of the Yellow Springs lineage, most likely the result of the previous Longevity Sect Sect Leader's severed corpse.
This blind zither player said it was his junior brother's last wisp of soul... Did that mean his junior brother was the previous Longevity Sect Sect Leader?
Then wouldn't that make this blind zither player that sect leader's senior brother?
That would mean he was a figure of extremely high seniority in the Longevity Sect, possibly even their only surviving elder from the previous generation?
Such a person was hiding in the Tang family as a supplicant?