Chapter 297: Liu Hu

Chapter 297: Liu Hu

Early the next morning, Qi Xuansu left Taiping Inn and headed to Longmen Prefecture’s Garrison Chief Military Office, where Wild Bodhisattva was.

In terms of rank, the Garrison Chief was second only to the Chief General, with a status equivalent to Deputy Protector Qin Wubing. However, Longmen Prefecture was located in the middle of the Central Plains, which had been at peace for a long time. Thus, it had a much smaller number of troops compared to the generals in Xizhou.

Wild Bodhisattva was an aide to Mei Rulin, the local Garrison Chief. Although Wild Bodhisattva had no rank, the Garrison Chief regarded him as a confidant and friend.

This time, Mei Rulin tried several times to persuade Wild Bodhisattva to stay, but Wild Bodhisattva was determined to leave Longmen Prefecture. Mei Rulin had no choice but to part ways with his friend.

Finding the Garrison Chief Military Office was simple. After arriving, Qi Xuansu reported Wild Bodhisattva’s other pseudonym, which was ordinary, like his own made-up name, Wei Wugui.

After a while, Wild Bodhisattva came out to greet Qi Xuansu and explained, “I have been here to hand over some matters. Apart from drinking, I have no time to relax.”

Qi Xuansu did not know how to answer, so he could only nod in acknowledgment. To Qi Xuansu, having time to drink was considered relaxing enough.

“Follow me.” Wild Bodhisattva turned around and entered the Garrison Chief Military Office.

The Black Robes at the door did not even stop to ask for Qi Xuansu’s identity. This showed that Wild Bodhisattva had a high status in the Garrison Chief Military Office, similar to the Garrison Chief himself.

Wild Bodhisattva said, “The Mei family is a relatively new family that only came to power in the past hundred years, producing several generations of loyal ministers and generals. Mei Rulin came from the Ru generation, which clashed with the Li family’s Ru generational name.”

Qi Xuansu scoffed. “Is the Li family offended by such a small matter?”

“The Li family didn’t say anything, but they’re known for being the Donghai Weirdos for a reason.” Wild Bodhisattva laughed.

Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh. “It seems that notoriety also has its benefits. They can do whatever they want just because they already have a bad reputation.”

“You can’t say that.” Wild Bodhisattva did not fully agree with Qi Xuansu’s statement. “The Li family is not all bad. They have a mixed reputation. After all, several influential figures, like the Holy Xuan and the Primordial Daoist Ancestor, hail from the Li family, so no one dares to openly criticize the Li family’s behavior. At most, people will only talk about it behind their backs.”

Qi Xuansu smiled and did not argue.

“Father!” The girl greeted Wild Bodhisattva. Her gaze fell on Qi Xuansu, a little curious and fearful.

A faint smile appeared on Wild Bodhisattva’s face. “He’s my friend, you can call him—”

“Wei Wugui.” Qi Xuansu took the initiative to tell her his name. “Since I’m older, you can call me Brother Wei.”

“Nice to meet you, Uncle Wei.” The girl bowed.

Qi Xuansu coughed awkwardly. They had a 10-year age gap, so it was also appropriate for her to call him “Uncle.”

Wild Bodhisattva laughed. “Well, if you count Madam Qi as my generation, then you kids are indeed the same generation. But since I introduced you as my friend, she will naturally call you ‘Uncle.’”

Qi Xuansu nodded awkwardly, feeling so old. After all, 25 years old was not considered young because most people married and became fathers before their thirties. In their thirties, they would grow a beard.

Thinking of this, he could not help but touch his chin. He did not have a beard, a wife, or a child. That was why Madam Qi called him a bachelor. Moreover, compared with those women who married in their teens, Zhang Yuelu was not young either. It was no wonder Tantai Qiong was eager to arrange a marriage for her.

At this time, Qi Xuansu did not know that Zhang Yuelu had been confirmed as Sage Cihang’s successor. So she had a bright future and no longer had to worry about marriage.

Wild Bodhisattva beckoned to the girl and introduced her to Qi Xuansu. “Her name is Liu Hu. She doesn’t have a courtesy name yet. Since you’re an elder, you can call her by her full name.”

Qi Xuansu nodded and got to the point. “Where should I escort Liu Hu to?”

Wild Bodhisattva replied, “Head up north to Zhili and look for Crimson Lips.”

Qi Xuansu said in surprise, “Li Qingnu?”

Wild Bodhisattva did not expect Qi Xuansu to know this. “Oh, so you know her. I guess that saves me the trouble of explaining who she is. This escort trip is divided into three segments. You will be responsible for the first segment, from Zhongzhou to Zhili. Li Qingnu is in charge of the second segment. Some people from Liaodong will take over the third segment from Zhili to Youzhou.”

Qi Xuansu nodded slightly as he connected the dots.

If he remembered correctly, the former Jiangnan Daoist Mansion Master was transferred to Liaodong after the major Jiangnan case.