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Chapter 997: The Birthday Celebration at Hui Lake Mansion
Chapter 997: The Birthday Celebration at Hui Lake Mansion
December 23rd, Wuding District, Hui Lake Mansion.
Today marked the 80th birthday of Cheng Zhou, the former deputy director of the Handling Bureau and now a senior advisor. Since morning, a steady stream of visitors had been coming and going from the mansion.
The Cheng family originally hailed from Yangzhi, and their ancestors had passed down martial arts since the old era. A century ago, the Cheng ancestors led a group of disciples to join the expeditionary army that overthrew the former imperial palace, suffering significant casualties. Afterward, they settled down in the central city of Jinbei Province.
The Cheng patriarch, in his younger days, had been a teacher both locally and at the Central City's Wuyi Academy. He also owned a family-run martial arts school, and his students were numerous, with at least a hundred of them being particularly outstanding. These students now held important positions in the Central City's Handling Bureau, the military, Wuyi, and various surrounding cities.
There were many families in the Central City who practiced martial arts, and some of them maintained close relationships with the Cheng family, while others gathered or relied on the Cheng family for support. In the Central City, they were undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.
However, the Cheng family upheld strict family traditions and maintained a low profile. Their disciples and followers adhered to rules and etiquette in everything they did, which made their presence in the outside world less noticeable.
Since it wasn't a day off, the birthday celebration was held at night. But after noon, many of the Cheng family's younger generations started arriving from various places to offer their birthday wishes.
Liu Yin followed his elders into the mansion. As the most outstanding member of the younger generation, he was now qualified to join the elders in the hall to offer birthday greetings.
According to the old customs of Yangzhi, the younger generation would wait outside before the celebration. After the elders had finished their greetings, the banquet would officially begin. The elders would give their blessings first, and then the younger generation would stand up together to offer their respects.
However, Liu Yin was different. Now a third-level fighter, he was entitled to a seat inside the hall.
But he didn't want to sit with the solemn and rigid elders, following strict rules and barely daring to breathe. Especially with the patriarch, Cheng Zhou, being a stickler for rules, even the slightest mistake was unacceptable.
So, after delivering his birthday wishes to Cheng Zhou, Liu Yin stepped outside. In the past, someone might have been dissatisfied, but a third-level fighter had the freedom to act as they pleased, and no one thought there was anything wrong with it.
As he stepped outside, he saw Xiao Jing waving at him, "Brother Liu Yin, over here!" He looked over and saw several familiar friends, including Han Kuang and Qiao Qiao, so he walked over and sat in the reserved seat.
Xiao Jing said, "Brother Liu Yin, it's been a long time since we played together."
Liu Yin smiled and said, "We often go on missions at the Handling Bureau. Everyone on the team is hardworking, and the competition is intense. It pushes me to train even on my days off to keep up."
Han Kuang patted his shoulder enviously, "You've made a name for yourself now. You don't have to worry about what your family thinks anymore."
The other young people at the table nodded in agreement. Liu Yin had defied his family's arrangements and forged his own path, and he was doing quite well. It was said that he had joined the Handling Bureau's most elite execution team and was even in the second action team led by the investigation supervisor Xu Chan.
With this experience, in the next two or three decades, he could rise through the ranks from an executioner to an execution team leader, then to an investigation supervisor, and maybe even become a deputy director like Cheng Zhou. As for them, becoming an executioner would already be a significant achievement.
In fact, Liu Yin's example had sparked some ambition in them, but they lacked the courage and talent to follow in his footsteps. So, they could only dream about it.
Xiao Jing and the other friends were curious about Liu Yin's work at the Handling Bureau, so he shared some non-critical and sensitive information.
As they were talking, Xiao Jing suddenly tugged at Liu Yin's sleeve, "Brother Liu Yin, look over there."
Liu Yin looked in the direction she indicated and saw a young man accompanying an elderly man into the hall. "Is that Master Qiao? And the young man, is he Master Qiao's disciple?"
"Yes," Xiao Jing replied. "I heard that Master Qiao brought him from Yangzhi. They say he's incredibly talented, but I don't like him. He speaks so formally, like a little old man."
A few years ago, they might have looked down on someone from Yangzhi, but with Liu Yin's example, they dared not underestimate them. Moreover, this young man's dedication to martial arts training was impressive, and it put pressure on them. Their elders often used him as an example.
"I can't stand it," Xiao Jing said. "I heard that this guy does nothing but eat, sleep, and train. He practices martial arts non-stop. If a person reaches this point, is it even worth living?"
Qiao Qiao spoke softly, "I heard that Master Qiao didn't used to teach his students like this. It seems he was influenced by Master Cheng..."
Liu Yin nodded. It wasn't just Master Qiao who had been influenced by Master Cheng; many of their elders had been affected to some extent. But for some reason, he felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart.
As the evening approached, more guests arrived, and they were all high-ranking officials from the Handling Bureau's city patrol division, including some teachers from Wuyi. At that moment, firecrackers were lit, and lanterns were hung, making the inside and outside of the mansion exceptionally lively.
The square in front of the mansion was now filled with vehicles. An unassuming off-road vehicle drove up and parked.
Cheng Zitong and Xiao Ke got out of the car.
Xiao Ke went to the trunk to retrieve the birthday gift they had brought. Seeing so many well-dressed and influential figures at the entrance, he felt a bit intimidated. "Brother Tong, didn't your student come with you?"
"Xiao Chuan..."
Cheng Zitong replied nonchalantly, "Xiao Chuan is currently on a mission in the outer seas. He's busy with the Horizon Line connection, which just happened yesterday. I can't very well go and hold him back as his teacher, can I?"
Xiao Ke thought about it and realized that the Horizon Line was of utmost importance. Even if they took an airship from Haidong Province, it would take at least three days to return to Central City. He couldn't make it back today, and he felt a tinge of regret.
Cheng Zitong patted his shoulder, "Don't overthink it. We're here to celebrate the old man's birthday, so cheer up."
"Okay, Tong Ge."
The two of them carried their gifts to the entrance, where several younger members of the Cheng family were greeting guests. Among them was a man in his thirties who seemed to recognize Cheng Zitong. He paused, "Third Uncle, it's you... How come you're here?"
Cheng Zitong let out a 'hey', "What kind of talk is that? Is that how your father taught you? It's the old man's 80th birthday, and I'm here as his son to celebrate, isn't that right?"
"Third Uncle, I... I didn't mean it that way." The man signaled with his eyes, and one of the younger members behind him turned and ran inside.
Just as Cheng Zitong was about to enter, the man hesitantly stepped forward, "Third Uncle, please wait."
"What for?"
"Third Uncle, the invitation..." The man said, "You have to give me an invitation."
Cheng Zitong was surprised, "What a fresh idea. Do I need an invitation as a son to celebrate my father's birthday?"
"No, Third Uncle, you know the rules in our family are strict. It's been decided from above, no matter how unreasonable it may seem, we younger ones have to follow them..."
Cheng Zitong looked at him, "Fine, I won't make it difficult for you. I've also suffered from these rules as your Third Uncle. Go and call someone, I'll wait here."
Just as they finished talking, a Handling Bureau SUV drove up.
...
...
Ni Qianqi sat in the back seat, wearing a red mandarin collared shirt and a light pink pleated skirt. Next to her was a female colleague, who took out a mirror to check her makeup before getting out of the car.
As Ni Qianqi glanced at the people standing at the entrance of the mansion, she noticed something and tapped the shoulder of the action team leader in front of her, "Hey, Old Li, looks like we're in for a show."
The action team leader turned and looked in the direction she indicated, "That's..."
"That's Cheng Laoyezi's son, Cheng Zitong, the manager."
"Sounds familiar..." Old Li suddenly felt a chill and asked in a low voice, "The one who's a teacher to Chen Chief?"
Ni Qianqi nodded, "Yes, that's him."
Old Li remembered, but the relationship between Cheng Laoyezi and his son wasn't very good. A subtle expression appeared on his face, and he became more alert, looking at the entrance with interest.
After observing for a while, he couldn't help but ask, "Speaking of which, what's the conflict between Manager Cheng and Cheng Laoyezi?"
Ni Qianqi, full of enthusiasm, said, "This involves an obsession of the Cheng family, Old Li. You don't know about it?"
Old Li looked at her speechlessly, his expression clearly saying, 'Ask me already!' But he had no choice, he wanted to hear the gossip too.
He leaned in, "Well, Ni Meizi, you're not only beautiful but also kind-hearted, and always well-informed. How about you enlighten me and let Old Li here broaden his horizons?"
Ni Qianqi, seeing her female colleague's brightening eyes, was pleased. She coughed and cleared her throat, "The Cheng family, since the previous generation and even the one before that, has always wanted to produce a Beyond-Limit Warrior."
"Hey, who doesn't want that?" Old Li thought to himself, even his own family wanted the same.
Ni Qianqi crossed her arms and looked at him sideways, "So, do you think you have a chance, Team Leader Li?"
Old Li sighed, "It's not right to expose others' shortcomings." The female colleague beside him chuckled.
Ni Qianqi hummed, "The Cheng family has had members reach the Third Limit in every generation, and not just one. That's not easy."
Old Li nodded. It wasn't just about cultivation resources; teaching and guiding others was also a skill. Without additional techniques, relying solely on bloodline inheritance was unreliable. Just because the previous generation was strong didn't guarantee the next generation would be. That's why many in the upper echelons supported the Implantation Faction.
He said, "Yes, I don't know about the earlier generations, but since a hundred years ago, it hasn't been easy for the Cheng family to produce outstanding individuals in every generation."
The female colleague agreed, it was rare for a family in Central City to have strong members in every generation like the Cheng family.
Ni Qianqi continued, "But how can that compare to producing a Fighter? Have you heard of the Bai family from Shannan Region? They were once similar to the Cheng family, actively responding to the call of the time and participating in overthrowing the Former Imperial Palace. But because they produced Bai Qianbei, they became a top-tier Fighter family.
Cheng Laoyezi could have done it, but for some reason, he placed his hopes on his eldest son..."
As she spoke, a middle-aged man with a square face and a robust build walked out from inside the mansion. Ni Qianqi became excited and patted the back of the seat in front of her, "Look, Old Li, someone's coming out. We're in for a show."
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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