NOVEL NEXT Chapter 54: The Three Great Families' Hunt
Chapter 54: The Three Great Families’ Hunt
The next day.
Xu Lian rode his horse to the Pei Family Estate.
He arrived just as the Pei Family patriarch, Pei Heng, Pei Zhaoxi, and a group of younger children from the side branches rode out on horseback carrying bows and quivers. A procession of guards followed closely behind.
Seeing Xu Lian, Pei Heng paused, then cupped his hands and smiled. “Brother Xu, are you here to visit me? We’re just about to leave.”
The Pei family patriarch also greeted him politely with a cupped hand salute.
However, Pei Zhaoxi averted her gaze, pretending that she didn’t know him.
Such a terrible act. Xu Lian smiled inwardly. It was clear that Pei Zhaoxi wasn’t comfortable revealing that she had invited him, so he had no choice but to speak up himself. Feigning ignorance, he asked, “Where are you all headed? I wanted to invite you for a drink.”
Pei Heng explained, “The Three Great Families have a tradition – four collective hunts each year, one for each season. Today is the winter hunt.”
Four hunts a year? These people do not give the animals time to recover. Xu Lian hesitated for a moment. “Would it be convenient for me to join you?”
Before Pei Heng could respond, the Patriarch Pei chuckled and said, “Of course it’s convenient. I had considered inviting Manager Xu, but I heard that you were away on business recently and had just returned. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Xu Lian replied, “Uncle Pei, you’re too polite. If you had said the word, how could I, a junior, dare to refuse?”
While Xu Lian exchanged these polite pleasantries with her father and brother, Pei Zhaoxi’s emotions churned. He’s so good at putting on an act. Last evening in the carriage, he wasn’t nearly this courteous to me.
Pei Heng motioned for someone to fetch a fine bow and quiver of arrows for Xu Lian.
Xu Lian slung the gear over his shoulder, joining the Pei family’s group as they galloped off in high spirits.
Along the way, passersby quickly stepped aside and waited for the Pei Family procession to pass before continuing on their way.
After traveling 20 to 30 miles, the group arrived at a hunting ground in the mountains.
This was the designated meeting place for the three great families’ hunts. They would leave their horses here and continue on foot, as the terrain in the mountains wasn’t suitable for riding.
After waiting for a short while, they saw another group of riders approaching, raising a long trail of dust behind them.
Xu Lian spotted Han Du among the group and immediately recognized the leader as Su Qing, the patriarch of the Su family and former mayor of Green Bamboo Town, one of the three great families.
When the riders arrived, Su Qing energetically dismounted despite his age and tossed the reins to Han Du. “Take my Wuluo horse to the shelter and give it its own stall. Feed it some premium forage.”
Wuluo Horse… Xu Lian’s gaze became strange. He had seen people showing off before, but never so blatantly.
Moreover, the way Su Qing addressed Han Du was like giving orders to a servant. Despite the presence of so many guards, Su Qing chose to have Han Du lead the horse instead. Is this familiarity or deliberate humiliation?
“Understood, brother-in-law,” Han Du replied, though his expression stiffened slightly as he led the horse to the shelter.
Xu Lian’s eyes flickered. Judging from Han Du’s reaction, it wasn’t friendliness-it was indeed a slight humiliation.
He recalled Han Du mentioning that ever since his sister had fallen out of favor with Su Qing as she aged, the old mayor had grown cold toward him as well.
“Old Brother Su is truly a man of great energy, still going strong in his later years,”
The Pei family patriarch stepped forward and greeted Su Qing with a cupped hand salute and a smile.
Su Qing stroked the ring on his thumb before returning the salute with a slight nod. “Brother Pei, you are still as charming as ever.”
The two exchanged pleasantries, engaging in small talk that had no real meaning.
Remembering not to neglect Xu Lian, the Pei family patriarch gestured toward him with a smile. “As for my children, I’m sure that Old Brother Su is already familiar with them. This is Xu Lian, Manager Xu, who joined us for the hunt today.”
“Manager Xu?”
Su Qing turned his gaze toward young Xu Lian, a hint of doubt crossing his face. “What is it that you manage?”
Xu Lian humbly replied, “I manage the new mine that was recently opened. It’s nothing special.”
“Ah, you manage a mine.”
Su Qing seemed to understand and nodded. However, his attitude immediately became more indifferent. “My useless brother-in-law is in the same position as you. He’s been at it for more than twenty years without ever making any progress. All those years of training and still no results.”
The words were grating. Xu Lian’s brow furrowed slightly. It was hard to imagine that a town leader would speak like this, but this world was such that it wasn’t so surprising.
The Pei family patriarch’s eyes flickered for a moment.
Judging by Su Qing’s attitude towards Xu Lian, it was clear that he didn’t know that Xu Lian had a connection to the quarry patrol inspector.
In other words, Han Du had never mentioned this relationship to Su Qing.
This made sense. Since Su Qing had treated Han Du poorly, it was only natural that Han Du wouldn’t share this information with him.
This was actually good news.
Although the three great families seemed to be united outwardly, there was actually an undercurrent of competition between them. If Su Qing made an enemy of Xu Lian, it would be a loss for the Su family and an advantage for the Pei family.
The patriarch of the Pei family quickly smiled, “Manager Xu is a capable man. Surely, he won’t be confined to managing a mine for his entire life.”
Su Qing dismissed the comment. “If you want to be promoted as a mine manager, you need to produce five Earth Flesh. As long as you complete the blood sacrifice on time, the rest is a matter of luck. Your skill doesn’t matter, it’s all about fate”.
The Pei family patriarch wisely decided not to push the issue any further, not wanting to cause any unnecessary misunderstandings.
Xu Lian also understood. Su Qing clearly looked down on someone like him – a mere mine manager. But he wasn’t about to force any interaction with them. Saying a polite “excuse me,” he distanced himself from the “family head circle” and joined Pei Heng and Pei Zhaoxi for a more casual chat.
After a while, Han Du returned with the horses. After reporting to Su Qing, he joined Xu Lian, Pei Heng, and Pei Zhaoxi.
Almost half an hour later, the Pei and Su families were getting impatient when another group of riders appeared on the mountain. Xu Lian could tell right away that it was the Fang family’s entourage.
However, there was something strange. The lead rider was not the patriarch of the Fang family, but a young man dressed in luxurious brocades who exuded an air of nobility. The patriarch of the Fang family didn’t seem to be that young.
Behind this young man, there was a middle-aged man and a handsome young man – were these the actual Fang family patriarch and his son?
If that was the case, then who was this young man and why was he leading the way?
In prestigious families, the etiquette of who led and who followed was very important. This departure from the usual order seemed unusual.
As the group approached and exchanged greetings, Xu Lian learned that the young man in the brocade was actually a young master from a family in Pingyang County. The middle-aged man and the handsome young man were indeed the patriarch of the Fang family and his son.
Both Su Qing and the patriarch of the Pei family were somewhat moved. They hadn’t expected the Fang family to have established ties with a family from Pingyang County, and even invited them to join the winter hunt. What could this relationship mean?