A man dressed in a plain navy and grey changsan [1] walked down the open corridor. Small wooden pillars held up the well-crafted rooftop. He blended with the wind, nimble and quick, but invisible and silent.
He gently slid the screened door open. Bowing before the esteemed guest, he opened his mouth and in a respectful voice, spoke, "Honorable guest, Master Yang is ready to see you now."
Elder Su Guang got up from his sitting position on the bamboo mats. He rarely came to the waiting room, since Elder Yang Mujian was usually not that busy, maybe because he had passed on the majority of his workload to Yang Feng.
Elder Su Guang wondered who his predecessor was. As he accompanied the Head Butler, through the corner of his eye, he could see a tall and muscular man clothed in forest green. The corridor was wrapped around a large and expansive garden, thus, by the time Elder Su Guang turned his head to observe the man on the other side, he was gone.
The Head Butler saw Su Guang's curious glances at the corner where the man in dark green clothing disappeared. He picked up his pace, forcing the man beside him to walk faster. Pausing before the looming wooden door with carvings of a bamboo forest underneath a breezy spring morning with puffy clouds and a sun rising in the east, the Head Butler waited three seconds before knocking on the door.
"Come in." Yang Mujian's gruff voice responded. He was inside his private study, holding a thick agreement contract that was missing his signature. It was an interesting idea, one that he would contemplate for a while. When his door opened, he had already placed the paper into a locked drawer.
Unfortunately for him, Su Guang was able to see him close the drawer when he entered. He pretended to not have witnessed such an important thing. "Good morning, Master Yang." He respectively greeted, cupping his fists and bowing low.
"There's nothing good about such a hot, blazing day." Yang Mujian responded, glancing towards his garden.
"I suppose so…" Su Guang muttered, stepping into the room. He waited until the Head Butler closed the door and walked down the hallway. Only after the man was gone, did he finally voice his displeasures.
"What brings you here today?"
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Your grandson… No, I meant Young Master Yang Feng, had ordered his people to break into my house, murder my soldiers, and toss the detect— ahem, someone important to me, in front of my tea room." Elder Su Guang angrily bit out. He was half angry that he nearly spit the truth out about the detective, whereas the other anger was directed towards the tyrannical young man.
Yang Mujian's sharp ears did not miss the change in his sentence. "Someone important, as in your detective?" He chuckled, turning around to finally set his eyes on the man before him. He disdainfully skimmed over the changsan before turning his eyes away.
Su Guang paused. He debated whether or not he should lie. "Yes, my detective. I've always used him to find out information about my competitors and enemies."
'Competitors and enemies.' Yang Mujian thought to himself, highly amused. "I didn't think you considered us in that category." He coldly said.
Su Guang's face was horrified by the sudden change in events. He came here to complain about Yang Feng's unruliness and the way he abused his powers. He did not come here to reveal all of his secrets! "Why, I'd never—"
"You use the detective to scoop out information about enemies and competitors, yet you sent the same man to trail after Yang Feng. Am I wrong?" Yang Mujian retorted, a shadow looming over his face. He was notified a few hours ago by his grandson. He had to admit, the timing was perfect, and because of it, he knew who the man behind the brutal murder was.
"No, wait, I meant yes! I did not ask him to trail after Yang Feng, it was only to keep an eye on Zhao Lifei." Su Guang tried to divert his attention. "I wanted to see if she has pure intentions towards the Young Master. With so many gold diggers leeching around the Young Master, I fear she is one of them."
"I suggest you worry more about that granddaughter of yours." Yang Mujian thoughtfully replied, a judging expression on his face.
He was beginning to warm up to the idea of Zhao Lifei, especially because she was Zhao Moyao's granddaughter. If she proved to be a beneficial woman with heavy pockets, rather than a distraction to his grandson, she would be the most ideal candidate. Reputation did not matter much to Yang Mujian whose own reputation, in his youth, was not the best.
Elder Su Guang's face became a fiery shade of red, while he suppressed his anger at the insult. His granddaughter-a gold digger? That would be the highest insult for her! "I believe we should worry about the Young Master's newfound temperament now that he is smitten by that woman."
"Smitten?" Yang Mujian repeated. He was intrigued by what other delusional words Elder Su Guang would spew out.
"Yes, he's wrapped around her little fingers, wagging his tail, like a lovesick fool! It has been reported she brought him to visit her maternal grandmother, Hua Yuxi, where the two were practically inseparable! He risked offending the Vice President of Ren Toy Inc just because the poor lad wanted to strike up a conversation with Zhao Lifei. That possessiveness is not good for him."
Yang Mujian raised a brow. He was quite proud that his grandson staked a domain over the woman. She was a useful pawn with a heavy pocket. Letting the world know whose possession she was did not seem like a bad idea. Letting other men approach the pawn would be a sign of weakness. His grandson did a good job of keeping his claim. However, he did not voice such thoughts.
"These pictures were given to me by close friends who attended the birthday party." Elder Su Guang was glad his connections ran deep. All of the men he sent to spy on them came back dead. Nothing useful was acquired from them.
He placed down the photos that showed Yang Feng intimidating the Vice President, a kiss between the couple, the way he could not keep his hands off of her, all of the pictures were revealed. With so many photos on the desk, it might as well have been a video.
Yang Mujian took the picture into careful consideration, picking a few up to thoroughly examine them. These were most certainly useful evidence, but it was not enough. "That's it?" He scoffed. " You had a week to search for evidence, and this is what you bring me? How disappointing."
"T-this is only the beginning…. I am currently digging up more as we speak." Elder Su Guang nervously said.
Yang Mujian's upper lip curled back in disgust. "You've gotten weak and stupid. I recommend you giving a thought to transferring your power to one of your successors." He spat out, throwing the pictures back onto the table. "Go and seek out more. The next time you make bogus statements with brittle evidence like this will be the last time you're granted an audience with me. Do not waste my time."
Elder Su Guang was silenced due to such insulting words, he could do nothing but nod his head like a broken bob-toy. "I apologize." He gritted through his teeth.
Su Guang thought it would be a good idea to change the subject now. "I heard Young Miss Ruqin would like to learn self-defense to ensure history does not repeat itself."
Yang Mujian smiled to himself, a rough glint in his eyes. "Yes, my dear granddaughter has been taking lessons on improving her frame."
Su Guang's eyes brightened at the opportunity to earn back the good grace of Yang Mujian. He smiled and asked, "Which instructor is she under? I can have her transferred to the best of the best, if she does not already have him."
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"She is being trained by the head instructor of the Lian family. I'm sure you've heard of them?"
Su Guang's smile dropped. The Lian family…? Of course, he had heard of them! For the longest time now, they were rivals of the Sus. Whereas the Su pride themselves in the techniques passed on from generations to generations, the Lian family had always adapted to the changing generations. They specialized in mixed martial arts and because there was not an exact tradition being passed down, the Sus often looked down upon them. One who does not honor their ancestors is not worthy of respect.
It was the biggest slap to Su Guang for Yang Ruqin to train with their competitors. It showed Yang Mujian's trust in them was fading. The eight generations of friendship were deteriorating…
"If I may, Master Yang, it would be better if Miss Ruqin trained with us—"
"It has been brought to my attention three of your finest instructors have resigned. Seeing as you have made no plans on bringing new ones in, I'm sure your men already have their hands full with the current pupils."
"But Master—"
"Leave."
Yang Mujian turned his back to the man, preferring to look at his expansive garden rather than his subordinate.
Nonetheless, Elder Su Guang swallowed back his complaints, cupped his fists and bowed. "I will be excusing myself now. Have a good day, Master Yang." He ground his teeth, his eyes flashing dangerously at the wide back of the aging man. How he wished to plunge a knife—
"Su Guang." Yang Mujian suddenly said, prompting the man to lift his head.
"Yes, Master Yang?"
"If you spy on my family one more time, I will ensure you're fed with the eyes of your children."
A shiver passed through Su Guang's frail frame. "Y-yes, Master."
Yang Mujian's expression changed, although Su Guang couldn't see it. It was originally a simple threat but, seeing as the man readily agreed to it without much thought, Yang Mujian discovered his suspicion was true. This bastard had been spying on his family. It would not go by unpunished.