strongest counterattack

Brother Liu’s full name was Liu Changxi. He was a so-called handsome and rich man with a good family background, whom most people would admire and envy. In Xi’an, the Liu family was considered a large and prosperous clan. There were quite a few people from the Liu family who worked in politics and were engaged in academic studies. Only the people from Liu Changxi’s branch went into business.

Liu Changxi’s grandfather had started as a salt peddler back then. At that time the branch where Liu Changxi’s family was from was considered the richest. Liu Changxi’s two granduncles took different routes. The Liu Family members placed special emphasis on brotherly love. So, Liu Changxi’s grandfather had been quietly sponsoring his two brothers, especially Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle who was dedicated to the revolutionary cause. Naturally, Liu Changxi’s grandfather would also sponsor and finance the revolutionary cause in secret as well.

The Liu family was supposed to be a family of scholars. It turned out the three brothers had eventually taken different paths, with the eldest joining the revolution, the second selling salt and going into business, and the third continuing the academic route. During the ten years of turmoil, Liu Changxi’s grandfather suffered a lot. If it hadn’t been for the secretive help provided by Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle, Liu Changxi’s grandfather would have probably been unable to survive. When society settled down, Liu Changxi’s grandfather went back to business. With the help coming from Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle’s side and the resources that the Liu family had accumulated for the revolutionary cause back then, the business was getting better and better. It was just that as Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle and junior granduncle gradually enlarged and expanded their power, Liu Changxi’s grandfather only had Liu Changxi’s father by his side. The situation of the Liu family was much better in Liu Changxi’s generation. Liu Changxi, who was the sole boy in the family, had two sisters.

This was the reason why Liu Changxi had been a favorite since his childhood and never suffered. Both his grandfather and father treated him as a treasure. And there were two other sisters senior to him. Moreover, the uncles on his eldest granduncle and junior granduncle’s side also spoiled him. He was indeed quite blessed and lucky.

The descendants on Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle and junior granduncle’s side mostly joined the military or were engaged in academic studies. While for Liu Changxi’s father and himself, they could only inherit the family business and preserve the resources built up by the Liu family in the business field. After all, on many occasions, they needed to fund and sponsor these collateral blood relatives.

It was in the last 10 years that the Liu family started to gain momentum. That was thanks to an uncle on the side of Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle, who was promoted quickly in his official career, giving a push to Liu Changxi’s other uncles. Consequently, the business of the Liu family had become more and more prosperous. However, in recent years, the Liu family started to become low key. After all, they couldn’t impact the career potential of their uncles, where the Liu family’s future and foundation lay.

Ever since Liu Changxi’s childhood, he had been a sophisticated one, who had made quite a lot of friends while following his brothers and sisters. Consequently, he, who knew how to behave well in society and act under the radar, had a lot of friends from all walks of life. However, the Liu family was strict with its descendants when it came to family education. Liu Changxi, who received frequent advice and reminders from his uncles, started to settle down after taking over the family business.

The Liu family and the Qin family didn’t have a great deal of contact. But Liu Changxi’s father had a good relationship with Qin Changan. Liu Changxi would visit Qin Changan every time he went to Beijing. Qin Changan thus entrusted many of the Qin family’s businesses in Shaanxi to the Liu family, and the Liu Family became a shareholder in many of Qin family’s projects. They cooperated quite well. That was the reason why Qin Ran had asked Qin Sheng to turn to Liu Changxi after arriving in Xi’an. After all, Liu Changxi was reliable.

Turning to Liu Changxi for help this time was not the same as the time when Qin Sheng had turned to Qu Fan in Ningbo last time. After all, there was a great gap between the social position of Liu Changxi and that of Qu Fan. Moreover, Liu Changxi could offer Qin Sheng more help.

The Liu family, who had kept a low profile and made a fortune quietly, wasn’t willing to get involved in too many things. Qin Sheng could tell Liu Changxi’s hidden meaning, as if Qin Sheng could turn to him whenever he needed help, but the Liu Family didn’t want to offend too many people and would not intervene in this matter directly. After all, the Liu Family was rooted to this land and would encounter a lot of trouble after intervening.

After Qin Sheng heard his words, he could relate to Liu Changxi and found the way how Liu Changxi had talked to him in a frank manner quite a pleasure. So he said, “Brother Liu, I get your point. After all, you know them and live with them under the same roof. So it will be inappropriate for you to help me directly. I won’t ask for too much help from you. I would only trouble you with some trivial chores.”

Liu Changxi replied in a deep voice, “Qin Sheng, I understand. Go and do your business. If they dare to play dirty tricks with you, I won’t sit on the fence and ignore you.”

Qin Sheng chuckled, “Thanks, Brother Liu.”

Liu Changxi picked up the wine cup and said, “You’re welcome. We are a family.”

After a while, Liu Changxi was curious, “Qin Sheng, it is said that you grew up in Xi’an. When Ran Ran told me about that, I was a bit shocked. To be honest, I didn’t even know that Ran Ran had a biological brother. But I figured it out later.”

Qin Sheng explained, “It has to do with some trivial matters from my family’s past. Let’s not talk about them. When I was in Xi’an, I was nurtured and raised by the Lin Family. That’s why I came back this time.”

Liu Changxi said thoughtfully, “I understand. You are being considerate in return as a gesture of gratitude. Qin Sheng, you’re such a pure man. I’ll drink a toast to you.”

The meeting went on as they joked and talked about casual matters. The atmosphere was quite harmonious. After all, they had wine as a companion. After the meeting came to an end, they went out while walking shoulder to shoulder. It wasn’t that they regretted not having met earlier. Instead, they thought they were in an equal social status after that.

Qin Sheng was rewarded by Liu Changxi’s guarantee that they wouldn’t run into any major accidents in Xi’an. Although he surely wasn’t concerned about himself, he was afraid that Xin Xin and Auntie Wang would be threatened. If it came to pass, Qin Sheng might not be able to control himself. Liu Changxi also had something to gain. The relationship between the Liu Family and the Qin Family had to be maintained. At least, Liu Changxi, who had just been connected to Qin Sheng, the future of the Qin Family, went far ahead of others.

Qin Sheng saw Liu Changxi get into the car and leave. Chang Baji and Hao Lei escorted Qin Sheng back to Jindi Furong Shijia. When Qin Sheng returned home, Auntie Wang and Xin Xin were still waiting for him. Qin Sheng accompanied Auntie Wang for a while and talked about trivial family issues. The first thing that Wang Li asked was about the health condition of Qin Sheng’s father. After Qin Sheng answered her questions one by one, he told her that he had gone to Shanghai some time ago to visit his Grandmother and Small Aunt, and about how his Grandma was in her 90s, and so on. Following that, Wang Li asked him about his relationship status with Lin Su. Qin Sheng didn’t keep anything from her, saying that everything between them was good and Lin Su had been helping his sister deal with the company’s affairs during this period; he would take her back to Xi’an for a visit when she was free. Wang Li then asked Qin Sheng when he planned to get married. Qin Sheng first said that there was no hurry and then said that this should be discussed with his family members and Lin Su.

The weather in Xi’an was pretty good except for the severe smog in winter. After all, there was a natural oxygen bar named Qinling. The flowers were blossoming and it was warm in spring. The weather that day had also been quite good. Hao Lei drove with Chang Baji and Qin Sheng along the Ziwu Avenue and headed south.

Qin Sheng asked casually, “Lao Chang, this is the first time you’ve been back to Xi’an since you left the year before, right?”

Chang Baji and Qin Sheng knew Ziwu Avenue better than anybody else. Chang Baji wasn’t emotionally overwhelmed at all by his return to Xi’an. After all, he was quite familiar with this land, which didn’t change much within less than two years.

Chang Baji said faintly, “Sort of.”

Qin Sheng didn’t want to ask Chang Baji how he felt and so on. Instead, he just replied, “Then, don’t you want to go back to see your Old Ancestor?”

Chang Baji shook his head. “After I went to Shanghai, my master asked someone to send me a message, that the time when I visit him again has to be the time for him to go back to heaven. So I won’t go there.”

Chang Baji could ignore anyone’s words except for those from his Master. That’s the reason why he had resigned from the post in Xi’an without saying a word and gone to Shanghai the next day when his Master had asked him to go there to assist Qin Sheng.

Qin Sheng said indifferently, “So that’s how it is.” But he knew the Old Ancestor’s temper and he also knew that he treated Chang Baji well. After some disciples left, the Old Ancestor never intended to see them again. In his words, there would be no more encounters between them from then on.

By the time they rushed to the hillside of the Zhongnan Mountains, the resting place of Old Master Qin, they saw an Audi Q7 that was parked by the side of the deserted and unsurfaced road, which was the only route leading to the grave mound of Old Master Qin. Qin Sheng didn’t overthink it, assuming that some visitors had decided to go for a hike in the spring. After all, many visitors would visit the Zhongnan Mountains.

However, when they almost approached the grave mound of the Old Master, they found two strange women standing in front of the grave mound. Qin Sheng couldn’t help but frown slightly. After all, few people knew his grandfather had been buried there. How come these two women knew about it?

Qin Sheng stopped subconsciously as Hao Lei frowned and asked, “Lao Qin, do you know them?”

Qin Sheng didn’t even have to think about it before he replied, “I don’t know them.”

“Then, who are they?” Hao Lei became more and more curious. It seemed that the Q7 was the vehicle of the mother and daughter pair. It was clear that it wasn’t an accidental encounter. After all, they had brought flowers and offerings with them.

Qin Sheng said indifferently, “Let’s take a look first.”

The mother and daughter in front of Old Master Qin’s grave were none other than Zhao Anzhi and her daughter, who had returned from Canada despite the long distance. They had met Qin Changan the day before after meeting her mother’s family members. Following that, they flew from Beijing to Xi’an overnight and went to pay their respects to Old Master Qin early that morning.

Zhao Anzhi didn’t know how to evaluate her father-in-law, or rather, she wasn’t qualified to judge Old Master Qin at all. Others didn’t know about the old man’s legendary life. Although she didn’t dare to say that she knew all about it, she knew more than most.

Yaya, who was standing next to Zhao Anzhi, asked softly, “Mom, was my grandfather buried here?” Although she had never seen her grandfather before, she didn’t know why her mood darkened by standing there. It seemed that she had hung around with her grandfather for many years, which might be called a family bonding.

It’s not that Yaya had never seen such a grave before. She used to go with her mother to visit her grandparents’ graves when she returned from abroad before. So she had become accustomed to it. Of course, she also had some understanding of the Chinese culture.

It was clear that Yaya was well dressed for the occasion. With long hair, a shawl and a black suit, she looked quite cool and was half a head taller than Zhao Anzhi.

Zhao Anzhi thought for a moment before she replied, “Well, this is your grandfather, my father-in-law, the spiritual pillar of the Qin Family.”

Although Zhao Anzhi didn’t like Qin Changxing, it wasn’t hatred; she only held a bit of resentment about the old man. But she respected him from the bottom of her heart. Without him, the Qin Family couldn’t be what it was at the moment.

Yaya asked in bewilderment, “Why was Grandpa buried here instead of Beijing?” Her big eyes were filled with curiosity.

Zhao Anzhi stared at the little birds chattering on the grave, whose species she didn’t know, and laughed lightly. “How many people can understand your grandfather’s life? Not even your father and your uncle can. Maybe that brother of yours knows a little. After all, he spent the longest time with your grandfather.”

Yaya asked eagerly, “So when can we get to meet my brother and sister?”

Earlier, Zhao Anzhi had already noticed Qin Sheng and the others walking not far away. After all, Qin Changan had told her that Qin Sheng had returned to Xi’an the day before and he would surely pay his respects to the Old Master this morning. That was the reason why she had been waiting there.

Zhao Anzhi turned to look at Qin Sheng and his companions directly and smiled at Yaya. “He’s already here.”

Brother Liu’s full name was Liu Changxi. He was a so-called handsome and rich man with a good family background, whom most people would admire and envy. In Xi’an, the Liu family was considered a large and prosperous clan. There were quite a few people from the Liu family who worked in politics and were engaged in academic studies. Only the people from Liu Changxi’s branch went into business.

Liu Changxi’s grandfather had started as a salt peddler back then. At that time the branch where Liu Changxi’s family was from was considered the richest. Liu Changxi’s two granduncles took different routes. The Liu Family members placed special emphasis on brotherly love. So, Liu Changxi’s grandfather had been quietly sponsoring his two brothers, especially Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle who was dedicated to the revolutionary cause. Naturally, Liu Changxi’s grandfather would also sponsor and finance the revolutionary cause in secret as well.

The Liu family was supposed to be a family of scholars. It turned out the three brothers had eventually taken different paths, with the eldest joining the revolution, the second selling salt and going into business, and the third continuing the academic route. During the ten years of turmoil, Liu Changxi’s grandfather suffered a lot. If it hadn’t been for the secretive help provided by Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle, Liu Changxi’s grandfather would have probably been unable to survive. When society settled down, Liu Changxi’s grandfather went back to business. With the help coming from Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle’s side and the resources that the Liu family had accumulated for the revolutionary cause back then, the business was getting better and better. It was just that as Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle and junior granduncle gradually enlarged and expanded their power, Liu Changxi’s grandfather only had Liu Changxi’s father by his side. The situation of the Liu family was much better in Liu Changxi’s generation. Liu Changxi, who was the sole boy in the family, had two sisters.

This was the reason why Liu Changxi had been a favorite since his childhood and never suffered. Both his grandfather and father treated him as a treasure. And there were two other sisters senior to him. Moreover, the uncles on his eldest granduncle and junior granduncle’s side also spoiled him. He was indeed quite blessed and lucky.

The descendants on Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle and junior granduncle’s side mostly joined the military or were engaged in academic studies. While for Liu Changxi’s father and himself, they could only inherit the family business and preserve the resources built up by the Liu family in the business field. After all, on many occasions, they needed to fund and sponsor these collateral blood relatives.

It was in the last 10 years that the Liu family started to gain momentum. That was thanks to an uncle on the side of Liu Changxi’s eldest granduncle, who was promoted quickly in his official career, giving a push to Liu Changxi’s other uncles. Consequently, the business of the Liu family had become more and more prosperous. However, in recent years, the Liu family started to become low key. After all, they couldn’t impact the career potential of their uncles, where the Liu family’s future and foundation lay.

Ever since Liu Changxi’s childhood, he had been a sophisticated one, who had made quite a lot of friends while following his brothers and sisters. Consequently, he, who knew how to behave well in society and act under the radar, had a lot of friends from all walks of life. However, the Liu family was strict with its descendants when it came to family education. Liu Changxi, who received frequent advice and reminders from his uncles, started to settle down after taking over the family business.

The Liu family and the Qin family didn’t have a great deal of contact. But Liu Changxi’s father had a good relationship with Qin Changan. Liu Changxi would visit Qin Changan every time he went to Beijing. Qin Changan thus entrusted many of the Qin family’s businesses in Shaanxi to the Liu family, and the Liu Family became a shareholder in many of Qin family’s projects. They cooperated quite well. That was the reason why Qin Ran had asked Qin Sheng to turn to Liu Changxi after arriving in Xi’an. After all, Liu Changxi was reliable.

Turning to Liu Changxi for help this time was not the same as the time when Qin Sheng had turned to Qu Fan in Ningbo last time. After all, there was a great gap between the social position of Liu Changxi and that of Qu Fan. Moreover, Liu Changxi could offer Qin Sheng more help.

The Liu family, who had kept a low profile and made a fortune quietly, wasn’t willing to get involved in too many things. Qin Sheng could tell Liu Changxi’s hidden meaning, as if Qin Sheng could turn to him whenever he needed help, but the Liu Family didn’t want to offend too many people and would not intervene in this matter directly. After all, the Liu Family was rooted to this land and would encounter a lot of trouble after intervening.

After Qin Sheng heard his words, he could relate to Liu Changxi and found the way how Liu Changxi had talked to him in a frank manner quite a pleasure. So he said, “Brother Liu, I get your point. After all, you know them and live with them under the same roof. So it will be inappropriate for you to help me directly. I won’t ask for too much help from you. I would only trouble you with some trivial chores.”

Liu Changxi replied in a deep voice, “Qin Sheng, I understand. Go and do your business. If they dare to play dirty tricks with you, I won’t sit on the fence and ignore you.”

Qin Sheng chuckled, “Thanks, Brother Liu.”

Liu Changxi picked up the wine cup and said, “You’re welcome. We are a family.”

After a while, Liu Changxi was curious, “Qin Sheng, it is said that you grew up in Xi’an. When Ran Ran told me about that, I was a bit shocked. To be honest, I didn’t even know that Ran Ran had a biological brother. But I figured it out later.”

Qin Sheng explained, “It has to do with some trivial matters from my family’s past. Let’s not talk about them. When I was in Xi’an, I was nurtured and raised by the Lin Family. That’s why I came back this time.”

Liu Changxi said thoughtfully, “I understand. You are being considerate in return as a gesture of gratitude. Qin Sheng, you’re such a pure man. I’ll drink a toast to you.”

The meeting went on as they joked and talked about casual matters. The atmosphere was quite harmonious. After all, they had wine as a companion. After the meeting came to an end, they went out while walking shoulder to shoulder. It wasn’t that they regretted not having met earlier. Instead, they thought they were in an equal social status after that.

Qin Sheng was rewarded by Liu Changxi’s guarantee that they wouldn’t run into any major accidents in Xi’an. Although he surely wasn’t concerned about himself, he was afraid that Xin Xin and Auntie Wang would be threatened. If it came to pass, Qin Sheng might not be able to control himself. Liu Changxi also had something to gain. The relationship between the Liu Family and the Qin Family had to be maintained. At least, Liu Changxi, who had just been connected to Qin Sheng, the future of the Qin Family, went far ahead of others.

Qin Sheng saw Liu Changxi get into the car and leave. Chang Baji and Hao Lei escorted Qin Sheng back to Jindi Furong Shijia. When Qin Sheng returned home, Auntie Wang and Xin Xin were still waiting for him. Qin Sheng accompanied Auntie Wang for a while and talked about trivial family issues. The first thing that Wang Li asked was about the health condition of Qin Sheng’s father. After Qin Sheng answered her questions one by one, he told her that he had gone to Shanghai some time ago to visit his Grandmother and Small Aunt, and about how his Grandma was in her 90s, and so on. Following that, Wang Li asked him about his relationship status with Lin Su. Qin Sheng didn’t keep anything from her, saying that everything between them was good and Lin Su had been helping his sister deal with the company’s affairs during this period; he would take her back to Xi’an for a visit when she was free. Wang Li then asked Qin Sheng when he planned to get married. Qin Sheng first said that there was no hurry and then said that this should be discussed with his family members and Lin Su.

The weather in Xi’an was pretty good except for the severe smog in winter. After all, there was a natural oxygen bar named Qinling. The flowers were blossoming and it was warm in spring. The weather that day had also been quite good. Hao Lei drove with Chang Baji and Qin Sheng along the Ziwu Avenue and headed south.

Qin Sheng asked casually, “Lao Chang, this is the first time you’ve been back to Xi’an since you left the year before, right?”

Chang Baji and Qin Sheng knew Ziwu Avenue better than anybody else. Chang Baji wasn’t emotionally overwhelmed at all by his return to Xi’an. After all, he was quite familiar with this land, which didn’t change much within less than two years.

Chang Baji said faintly, “Sort of.”

Qin Sheng didn’t want to ask Chang Baji how he felt and so on. Instead, he just replied, “Then, don’t you want to go back to see your Old Ancestor?”

Chang Baji shook his head. “After I went to Shanghai, my master asked someone to send me a message, that the time when I visit him again has to be the time for him to go back to heaven. So I won’t go there.”

Chang Baji could ignore anyone’s words except for those from his Master. That’s the reason why he had resigned from the post in Xi’an without saying a word and gone to Shanghai the next day when his Master had asked him to go there to assist Qin Sheng.

Qin Sheng said indifferently, “So that’s how it is.” But he knew the Old Ancestor’s temper and he also knew that he treated Chang Baji well. After some disciples left, the Old Ancestor never intended to see them again. In his words, there would be no more encounters between them from then on.

By the time they rushed to the hillside of the Zhongnan Mountains, the resting place of Old Master Qin, they saw an Audi Q7 that was parked by the side of the deserted and unsurfaced road, which was the only route leading to the grave mound of Old Master Qin. Qin Sheng didn’t overthink it, assuming that some visitors had decided to go for a hike in the spring. After all, many visitors would visit the Zhongnan Mountains.

However, when they almost approached the grave mound of the Old Master, they found two strange women standing in front of the grave mound. Qin Sheng couldn’t help but frown slightly. After all, few people knew his grandfather had been buried there. How come these two women knew about it?

Qin Sheng stopped subconsciously as Hao Lei frowned and asked, “Lao Qin, do you know them?”

Qin Sheng didn’t even have to think about it before he replied, “I don’t know them.”

“Then, who are they?” Hao Lei became more and more curious. It seemed that the Q7 was the vehicle of the mother and daughter pair. It was clear that it wasn’t an accidental encounter. After all, they had brought flowers and offerings with them.

Qin Sheng said indifferently, “Let’s take a look first.”

The mother and daughter in front of Old Master Qin’s grave were none other than Zhao Anzhi and her daughter, who had returned from Canada despite the long distance. They had met Qin Changan the day before after meeting her mother’s family members. Following that, they flew from Beijing to Xi’an overnight and went to pay their respects to Old Master Qin early that morning.

Zhao Anzhi didn’t know how to evaluate her father-in-law, or rather, she wasn’t qualified to judge Old Master Qin at all. Others didn’t know about the old man’s legendary life. Although she didn’t dare to say that she knew all about it, she knew more than most.

Yaya, who was standing next to Zhao Anzhi, asked softly, “Mom, was my grandfather buried here?” Although she had never seen her grandfather before, she didn’t know why her mood darkened by standing there. It seemed that she had hung around with her grandfather for many years, which might be called a family bonding.

It’s not that Yaya had never seen such a grave before. She used to go with her mother to visit her grandparents’ graves when she returned from abroad before. So she had become accustomed to it. Of course, she also had some understanding of the Chinese culture.

It was clear that Yaya was well dressed for the occasion. With long hair, a shawl and a black suit, she looked quite cool and was half a head taller than Zhao Anzhi.

Zhao Anzhi thought for a moment before she replied, “Well, this is your grandfather, my father-in-law, the spiritual pillar of the Qin Family.”

Although Zhao Anzhi didn’t like Qin Changxing, it wasn’t hatred; she only held a bit of resentment about the old man. But she respected him from the bottom of her heart. Without him, the Qin Family couldn’t be what it was at the moment.

Yaya asked in bewilderment, “Why was Grandpa buried here instead of Beijing?” Her big eyes were filled with curiosity.

Zhao Anzhi stared at the little birds chattering on the grave, whose species she didn’t know, and laughed lightly. “How many people can understand your grandfather’s life? Not even your father and your uncle can. Maybe that brother of yours knows a little. After all, he spent the longest time with your grandfather.”

Yaya asked eagerly, “So when can we get to meet my brother and sister?”

Earlier, Zhao Anzhi had already noticed Qin Sheng and the others walking not far away. After all, Qin Changan had told her that Qin Sheng had returned to Xi’an the day before and he would surely pay his respects to the Old Master this morning. That was the reason why she had been waiting there.

Zhao Anzhi turned to look at Qin Sheng and his companions directly and smiled at Yaya. “He’s already here.”