TPW Ch.3

Ye Ning hadn’t been sitting on the stone bench for long when the phone rang.

A call came from the contact saved as ‘Uncle Li (Driver)’ in the contact list.

Ye Ning looked at the bracketed words and fell silent for a moment.

The ‘Ye Ning’ in this world had some strange habits too—the contact notes were so detailed that it felt a bit eerie.

… So eerily detailed, it was almost as if they were custom-made for him.

Ye Ning answered the call. The voice on the other end sounded anxious, asking where he was, saying he had gotten a call from one of his men—they had seen him out alone in the rain.

Ye Ning answered one by one. Finally, the person asked, “Should we go back to the old house or to the mansion?”

Ye Ning hesitated for two seconds before responding, “The mansion.”

The driver let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief and quickly said, “That’s fine. The chairman hasn’t been in the country recently, and staying alone in the old house would be boring. It’s better to stay at the mansion.”

Ye Ning didn’t notice the driver’s tone. All he could hear was the word ‘Chairman,’ and he asked with a slightly dry tone, “…Grandpa?”

“Yes, the chairman said it will be some time before he returns. The investment summit in North America hasn’t ended yet, and there are more projects to inspect. He won’t be able to come back for the time being.”

Ye Ning lowered his gaze and relaxed his mind a little. It was probably better not meet in person.

If they met, he might not be able to call out ‘Grandpa,’ and it could reveal something he didn’t want to show.

Half an hour later, the driver rushed over, holding a towel and an umbrella, exclaiming in a hurry, “Goodness, how did you get soaked like this?”

Ye Ning felt a bit tired and didn’t want to talk much. He took the towel, muttered a quick thank you, wiped his face a couple of times, and then didn’t bother with it anymore.

The mansion estate was close to the city center, just a short drive away.

Ye Ning suddenly felt a little nauseous, unsure if it was because of the restless feeling, but even the scent of the air freshener in the car seemed stronger than usual.

“Uncle Li, don’t go to the garage; just stop at the mansion entrance.” Ye Ning said, unable to endure much longer. He spoke directly, “I’ll walk back and get some fresh air.”

The driver glanced at the person sitting in the back through the rearview mirror. The sky was getting a bit dark, and he didn’t notice Ye Ning’s face, which was unusually pale. He responded, “Then make sure to hold an umbrella, don’t get soaked.”

“Mhm.”

As soon as the car stopped, Ye Ning immediately opened the door.

The fresh breeze rushed in, easing the discomfort slightly.

He was saved.

Ye Ning held the umbrella, rubbing his forehead. After taking a moment to recover, he finally lifted his foot and walked inside.

Luckily, the basic information in his phone was complete, and the layout of the detached villa was clear, so it wasn’t difficult to find.

The estate was filled with a traditional Chinese style. Rain fell on the small pond and banana leaves. Ye Ning listened to the sound of the rain, his eyelids growing heavy. The dampness clung to his skin, making him feel increasingly uncomfortable.

He rubbed his temples, quickened his pace, and then—

His foot kicked something by accident.

Ye Ning lowered his head, following the movement.

Oh.

There was someone sleeping on the stairs.

“Sorry.” Ye Ning subconsciously said, then stepped aside and took two steps back before walking up the stairs.

First stair.

Second stair.

Hold on—

What was sleeping on the stairs?

Ye Ning’s foggy mind momentarily cleared, and he turned his head.

He saw a person lying across the stairs in a strange way. Their upper body bent, resting on the stairs, appearing like they were lying face down. However, the top half of the body was on the stairs, but the legs and lower body were not on the stairs, creating a weird posture. The person was holding a phone in their hand; one of the corners was broken, as if it had been dropped on the stairs. Raindrops fell steadily, hammering down on the person’s clothes.

“Friend?” Ye Ning carefully turned the person over.

It was a young man, and he was very good-looking.

He didn’t have time to care about his own dizziness. He placed the umbrella over the young man’s head to shield him from the rain, hurriedly checking for injuries. There were no obvious external wounds.

“Can you hear me?” Ye Ning asked, while lowering his head to observe the man’s chest and abdomen.

His breathing was steady, and he was still alive. That’s good.

Ye Ning reached out and patted his face. “Friend?”

In a daze, Qin Lezhou felt the fine raindrops hitting his face.

Someone was patting his face.

“Huating Mansion, mhm, …fell… no obvious external injuries… ten minutes?”

Who is speaking?

Qin Lezhou forced himself to open his eyes.

After performing first aid, Ye Ning hung up the phone. When he looked up, he saw several figures running not far away—they were security guards.

Ye Ning raised his hand toward them, about to speak when a muffled cough came from below. Following the sound, he looked down.

The person on the stairs: “Ye…Ning?”

Ye Ning: “…?”

Does he…know him?

The two locked eyes.

“It’s really you?” The man coughed again, placing his hands on the stairs, propping himself up. He shakily stood up, trembling as he tried to steady his legs.

“Hey,” Ye Ning reminded him, “You’d better not move, in case you have internal injuries.”

“It’s…it’s alright.”

The next second, the person who said ‘It’s alright’ slipped, and suddenly fell downward—

The three security guards who arrived screamed at the top of their lungs, “Ah—”

But then, Ye Ning was quick on his feet and managed to catch him.

The scream came to an abrupt stop.

“You nearly give me a heart attack! Fortunately, Young Master Ye was quick, but you…” The security guard didn’t get to finish his sentence. The next instant, they watched as Young Master Qin, who had already been helped up, took a step back. His hand instinctively reach out—

A spinning version.

The coolness of raindrops falling into the corners of his eyes.

His breath was scorching.

The corner of the shirt was being tugged.

Ye Ning completely lost consciousness amid the heart-wrenching cry of the security guards.

“Help! Young Master Qin, what are you doing?!”

–

Jianjing, Lushan, the old residence of the Lu Family.

In the pouring rain, a black Maybach pierced through the mist, speeding uphill, leaving dust behind as it ascended.

Lu Chengye dried his hands, used the inner flame of the ancestral table candle to light three incense sticks, and then gave a light flick to extinguish the flame. Amid the swirling smoke, he offered the incense before the ancestral table and asked, “Sihuai has returned?”

The butler stepped forward, holding the lotus-scented hand-washing basin, and answered, “Um, he said he wants to see you.”

“See me?” Lu Chengye wiped his hand. “If he’s not mad at me, I’ll count that as a blessing.”

“Where is the third child?” Old Master Lu asked again, “Has he gone back to the temple?”

“He come to the mountain, saying the air was good and he was going to meditate.” The butler reminded, “You should call him by his Dharma name, Huiwen.”

“Huiwen? What Huiwen? He’s just a piece of flesh that come from my body, and I still have to call him ‘Master’? What kind of nonsense is that?” Lu Chengye waved his hand, and his entire Tang suit rustled with the motion. “When he was born, they shouldn’t have named him ‘Lu Huaici.’ They should’ve named him ‘Lu Fuguai’ or ‘Lu Zhaocai’ to save me the trouble.”

The Lu Family of Jianjing was a century-old family, with many capable members from generations. The family had produced many prominent figures over time, and the current head of the family, Lu Chengye, was one of them. However, the one truly worth of being called a ‘legend’ was Lu Chengye’s youngest son, Lu Huaici.

Lu Huaci, Dharma name Huiwen, had a connection with Buddhism at the age of five, showing signs of spiritual wisdom from an early age. At six, he was taken in by an abbot from the Fayuan Temple to begin Buddhist practice. Currently, at the age of 36, he was already the chief disciple under the ancient Fayuan Temple.

The butler smiled and was about to say something when two figures appeared, walking in from the courtyard.

One of them was dressed in ochre-colored monk’s robe, and the other…had already taken off his suit jacket, which now hung over his arm, leaving only a black shirt underneath.

It was clearly a well-tailored and elegant formal outfit, yet without a tie, along with the top two buttons undone, he gave off an air of nonchalance.

“Grandfather.”

“Benefactor Lu.”

The two figures spoke at the same time, but Benefactor Lu couldn’t bear to look.

This pair of troublesome uncle and nephew.

“Why are you back?” Lu Chengye glanced at the little troublemaker. “Can’t survive in Yunjiang anymore?”

“Thank you for the kind words; I’m doing well.” Lu Sihuai handed the jacket to the maid with a smile. “I had something to discuss with little uncle. Fayuan Temple said he went to Loushan, so I stopped by and visited you.”

Lu Chengye: “…”

Lu Chengye became alert. “What are you looking for him for?”

Now, even the butler and maid paused, turning their heads to stare intently at their two young masters.

The old man was getting old, so he couldn’t stand hearing anything as such, like ‘cutting off the family lineage’ or something familiar.

Years had passed, but whenever Lu Sihuai thought back to what happened when he was 21, the Lu Family’s old residence would light up every lamp and burn incense all night.

It wasn’t really a big deal.

When Lu Sihuai was 21, during the New Year, the entire Lu family gathered at Lushan. After many years of not descending the mountain, Lu Huaici unexpectedly returned to the old family home. Before leaving, he cast a divination for Lu Sihuai.

“A prosperous life without illness or disaster.”

Old Master Lu: “Good, good, good!”

“There’s only one thing.”

“However, it’s not a big deal.”

Just as the old man relaxed, the next second—

Master Huiwen: “Sihuai is not destined to have heirs.”

Old Master Lu sprayed a mouthful of wine. “What did you say?”

Father Lu and Mother Lu were also shocked.

Old Master Lu: “Destined not to have heirs—how could that be?!”

Huiwen pulled a red string from his sleeve and, ignoring Old Master Lu’s ‘I’m doomed’ gaze, handed it to Lu Sihuai.

The red string appeared to be somewhat aged, slightly worn.

Old Master Lu stared at the red string intensely as if it were a treasure. “Is this the one?”

“No,” Master Huiwen said decisively, “The string that severs descendants and cuts off the family lineage.”

The entire Lu Family: “……….”

The red string was still in the old master’s study, ‘suppressed’ in a Qing dynasty pre-made purple sandalwood box with cloud dragon patterns. If it weren’t for Huiwen’s reminder that the string must not be lost to ensure safety, it would have been buried in the back of the mountain by now.

After the ‘severing descendants and cutting off the family lineage string’ incident, one night, the old master suddenly woke up, growing very uneasy the more he thought about it.

Prosperous life, no illness, no disaster, no heirs… Isn’t this exactly describing his youngest son?

His son became a monk; could it be that his grandson will also become one?

The old master drove through the night to Fayuan Temple, and only returned home after Master Huiwen’s assurance—“He is in the worldly life, his heart in the secular world. He has a fate, but not with Buddhism.”

However, once the seed of doubt was sown, it spread like wildfire at the slightest breeze.

Now, every time the old master heard that Lu Sihuai was heading to the Fayuan Temple, his heart began to quicken.

“What’s there to discuss with your little uncle?” The old master looked at Lu Sihuai.

Lu Sihuai poured himself a cup of tea and said, “There’s a project at the temple, and they want to cooperate.”

“A project with Fayuan Temple?” The old master was startled. It’s not some ‘passing down the mantle’ project, is it?

This time, it was Lu Huaici who responded, “Our temple’s ‘Intelligence Temple’ project involve setting up a system for analyzing data, a cloud service for managing our operations, and building a system to manage assets. ”

Lu Chengye remained silent for a long time. “…Let’s eat first.”

The kitchen was still preparing the dishes, and it was rare for Lu Chengye to meet his youngest son. The two sat across from each other, talking casually.

The chess game was just halfway through when someone came down the wooden staircase.

Lu Chengye glanced over. Lu Sihuai had changed his shirt and put on a windbreaker, which made his figure appear even more neat and sharp. He had an unlit cigarette dangling in his mouth.

“Where are you going?” Lu Chengye asked.

“I have something to do, going back to Yunjiang.” Lu Sihuai casually tucked the cigarette into his palm as he strode over, giving a slight nod. “Grandfather, I won’t have dinner today. I’ll accompany you next time.”

Lu Chengye: “It’s already late; what’s so urgent?”

Li Sihuai didn’t answer. He simply turned his head and looked toward Lu Huaici on the other side. “Little uncle, how are you getting there later?”

“You think I don’t have cars?” Lu Chengye snorted. “I’ll have someone drive him there.”

Lu Sihuai responded with a ‘mhm,’ took the car key from the butler, and walked straight out. “Then I’ll excuse myself.”

Lu Chengye: “In such a hurry, and he doesn’t even say what’s he going back to Yunjiang for.”

The butler poured the tea into Lu Chengye’s empty teacup. “I just heard the young master answer the call, and it sounded like…something about a hospital?”

“Hospital?” Lu Chengye repeated, not paying much attention. Amid the drifting fragrance of tea, he withdrew his gaze and kept quiet for a while. Then, filled with hope, he looked at the master. “Son…are you really sure you didn’t miscalculate? Look at your nephew—appearing like that, how can he be destined to not have children?”

Lu Huaici simply smiled without speaking.

He turned his head, looked at the neat figure crossing the courtyard, and calmly placed down the chess piece.

“When there is a bond, it will be. When there is none, it won’t. Fate comes when it’s time.”

“The intertwining of cause and effects is all determined by fate.”

Outside the courtyard, the loud roar of the black Maybach’s engine reverberated through the forests, rushing down the mountain.