Chapter 45: Doubts

The car drove smoothly on the road. Perhaps it was because I was tired from the trip, or perhaps it was because the car’s seats were so comfortable and it was so stable, so I fell asleep soon after I got on the car.

But I wasn’t sleeping very well. I kept hearing my master talking to Yun Xiaobao about someone, who seemed to be called Yun Chun or something… I should have an impression of this person. Wasn’t he the one who appraised the spirit jade when I sold it that year? Right, he was Yun Xiaobao’s father.

The reason he was talking about him with a sigh was because he had been dead for so long. I seemed to vaguely remember that I knew about this when I was ‘fighting fake goods’ that year, but I wasn’t sure.

But this old man and the master are peers, and their lifespans are not as long as those of cultivators. Just like my master, who is now approaching the age of 100, is still traveling with me, even fighting for life and death.

Life is truly incredible.

The car finally stopped at a villa area with beautiful scenery and quiet surroundings. The Yun family villa is in a special place, very large, and there is no disturbance around it.

I learned from them that they bought the land directly and built this villa for themselves, selling the rest to others.

I don’t understand these business dealings, but I just feel that the Yun family is getting richer and richer. My master and I walked through the large courtyard, and the servants who came and went along the way looked at us strangely.

This is a villa complex with three auxiliary buildings. Yun Xiaobao took us directly to the main building… It was a luxurious five-story “villa,” and I didn’t know how to call it, so I’ll just call it a villa. And when you walk in, it’s naturally magnificent, but not vulgar.

As I looked around, I knew nothing about antiques, but I did know a little about them. Looking closely, I was reminded of someone—Ge Quan, because his home was also filled with priceless antiques. The furnishings of the Yun family were comparable to his.

As soon as we entered the house, Yun Xiaobao warmly invited us to sit down, and the servants immediately served tea and snacks.

Yun Xiaobao took a sip of the tea and immediately said angrily, “What kind of tea is this? How dare you use it to entertain my important guests? Go and get the best tea.”

Upon hearing this, the master immediately waved his hand and said, “Xiao Yun, you know that I don’t like to owe people favors in my life. I’m afraid that coming to you is also a transaction of goods and money. You don’t have to pay too much attention to these details. How can you ask me to bear this?”

“But Master Jiang…” Yun Xiaobao wanted to say something else, but was stopped by the master.

Yes, our relationship with the Yun family is peculiar. On our side, it’s not a very deep friendship. Why come to this place to show off? It’s a bit too obvious… I can’t really say what it is, but I agree with my master’s approach.

I also feel that compared to twenty years ago, the Yun family has become more wealthy, but they are not as easygoing as before, and they have become arrogant.

But that’s someone else’s way of life. Making money and enjoying it, and even putting on airs, is something others are willing to do. I don’t know much about it.

“Well, if Master Jiang doesn’t like this, then feel free to do as you wish. A gentleman’s friendship is as light as water. Even drinking plain water with a character like Master Jiang is flavorful.” I have to admit that Yun Xiaobao is very good at talking. He solved the awkwardness in a few words and made people feel good.

“I…” Master Jiang still took the direct approach, probably wanting to strike a deal with Yun Xiaobao as soon as he opened his mouth, but this time Yun Xiaobao interrupted him: “Master Jiang, you have come a long way. I was overjoyed when I received your call. You must stay for a few more days this time.”

Perhaps Yun Xiaobao also realized that my master wanted to make a deal right away, and directly proposed the idea of letting us stay for a few days.

But how could that be possible? Chengdu is a dangerous city for us. After all, I used to live here, and my friends are probably here. Now Yang Sheng seems to have a strong spiritual awareness. Think about it, no matter what, we can’t stay here.

My thoughts were naturally also my master’s thoughts, and without hesitation, my master tactfully refused Yun Xiaobao and reminded him in a special way that our whereabouts needed to be kept a secret.

Yun Xiaobao looked regretful and said after a long pause, “Then Master Jiang, you have been traveling all the way here, don’t you mind washing up here, so that I can prepare some clothes for you and have a light meal? It’s just a meal at home.”

This Yun Xiaobao is simply a human genius. From the fact that my master and I have nothing, he knows what we need most. We can’t refuse these requests, so we can only nod and agree.

Here, I finally had a hot shower without worrying about the hot water running out or the noise of boiling water. After I had a good wash for nearly an hour, I came out to find a brand new set of clothes, including underwear, waiting for me at the door.

I don’t know what brand the clothes are, but they fit me well, are comfortable, and don’t show off… When I walked out of the large, empty room, I found a barber waiting at the door to cut my hair. It seems that during the days of running around, my hair, which had grown wildly to my neck, had also been noticed by Yun Xiaobao, who had thoughtfully prepared everything for me and my master.

So why is Yun Xiaobao so rich and successful? It’s not unreasonable… although I heard that they were tomb robbers or something.

After tidying up, I felt refreshed… After I came out, a servant led me to the large terrace of the villa, where a table had already been set up. There were only two people sitting at the table, my master and Yun Xiaobao.

I also went over and sat down. The servant left very quietly because Yun Xiaobao had told us to eat and drink on our own, and not to wait on them.

Here I can’t help but feel that the Yun family is very small, because apart from Yun Xiaobao, I haven’t seen anyone else here, not even Yun Xiaobao’s wife. But I vaguely remember that he bought that jade for his only son, right? Why haven’t I seen his son?

Of course, this is someone else’s family business, and it flashed through my mind. I wasn’t interested, so I just sat down and looked at the dishes. My stomach was feeling very hungry. After all, I was only eating simple food with the driver, and I didn’t have a meal for a while in order to hurry.

Especially after the driver became a little suspicious of us, he even saved money on the food. Of course, we can’t blame him. It’s already very impressive that he can do this for two strangers.

As for Yun Xiaobao, although it was only a so-called home-cooked meal, every dish was prepared with great care, and there was even a pot of good wine. Because my master likes good wine, and after I was “baptized” by Uncle Johnny, I have fallen in love with drinking to some extent.

So when Yun Xiaobao invited us to dinner, I started to eat without thinking about being elegant. I left everything to my master.

As for my master, he also ate quickly, but he was very capable of eating and drinking at the same time, and happily conversing with Yun Xiaobao. There was no focus, just chatting about everything under the sun. Yun Xiaobao talked about the strange and unusual things that his ancestors had done, and my master had too much to say.

Halfway through the meal, with the table still half full of food, Yun Xiaobao put down his cup and said to my master in a serious tone, “Master Jiang, I, Yun Xiaobao, have lived a life of wealth and prosperity. My family has not only not fallen into decline, but has become even more prosperous. However, I…”

When he mentioned this, I don’t know if it was because of the alcohol, but Yun Xiaobao’s eyes inexplicably turned red.

Master’s face also became a little more serious, but he said in a calm voice, “You say that in this life, how can it be perfect? Others can’t envy your life, so don’t think about it too much.”

This is a very wise thing to say. In a way, it is not responding to Yun Xiaobao at all. In fact, this is the attitude that Master has always had towards the Yun family. It is not a matter of looking down on others or deliberately being aloof. After all, others are not people in the circle of cultivators, so there is really no need to get too involved.

Moreover, people have a kind of unsatisfied psychology, just like Qin Shi Huang, who sat on the world, but wanted to live forever… If these rich people can get in touch with some metaphysical people, especially reliable ones, or people with many ideas,

Our Li family is more or less half a hermit family, and the purpose of learning the art is definitely not to rely on them to walk in the red dust and make a living, so Master’s unobtrusive refusal is also reasonable.

But Yun Xiaobao didn’t seem to understand what the master was saying, so he poured himself another glass of wine and continued, “Master Jiang, what if this family is very wealthy? If I can, I would like to spend all of this wealth and live a life of abundance, and have a lot of grandchildren.”

The master frowned and couldn’t help but say, “You don’t have a single heir, do you? I remember his name was Baogen.”

This time, not only was the master confused, but I was confused too.