Chapter 100: The Dao is Obstructed and Difficult

Gongye Ni was a very organized person.

He had said he would buy a house, so he was going to buy one.

The day before yesterday, as a Squad Leader who had just received two hundred taels of silver in hand, he borrowed thirty taels each from Chest Hair, Ding Suian, and others yesterday.

Adding his savings, he scraped together four hundred taels and bought the small courtyard he had been eyeing in the Footman Alley in the southwest of Central Heaven.

On the eleventh of July, Ding Suian brought the Elite Cavalry Squad Leaders to congratulate Gongye on his housewarming.

“Oh my! You must be the brothers our man is always talking about! This steady and capable brother, at a glance, must be Big Brother Wang Xigui; this sturdy brother must be Brother Zhu Feifei.”

To everyone’s surprise, Mistress Gu, who had already borne Gongye Ni a son and a daughter, was actually quite beautiful.

It was just that she talked a bit too much; it would have been better if she didn’t have a mouth.

“Tsk tsk tsk! This brother is so handsome! It must be Head Ding! My man talks about you every day! I heard you aren’t married yet? My cousin on my mother’s side is still unmarried. Head Ding, let me tell you, although my cousin can’t read or write, her bottom is as big as a millstone. Sister-in-law guarantees you, she is definitely good at bearing children! If you are interested, come over to our house in a few days to meet her.”

“That’s enough!”

Gongye Ni only said two words, and Mistress Gu stopped talking.

He certainly had a high status in the household!

Gongye Ni added, “Serve tea!”

“Yes, yes, yes, right away! Head Ding, don’t be annoyed. Sister-in-law doesn’t usually like to talk much, unlike my man who is so eloquent. If I said anything wrong, please don’t take it to heart.”

Wait, where did Sister-in-law see that Gongye Ni was eloquent?

While Mistress Gu went to the kitchen to brew tea, Chest Hair looked around Gongye’s new home with envy.

A house was easy enough to deal with; he had some savings now, and if push came to shove, he could borrow from his brothers.

But to make it a home, just having a house wasn’t enough.

You need a woman!

How did a guy like Gongye Ni, who couldn’t even let out a fart after being hit with three sticks and was so rigid, find such an obedient and beautiful wife?

“Old Gong, how did you trick Sister-in-law into marrying you?”

Chest Hair asked in a low voice.

Everyone, including Ding Suian, looked at Gongye Ni; everyone was quite curious.

Gongye Ni also knew he was the center of attention at this moment.

Yet he slowly picked up the empty cup that hadn’t been filled with tea, feigned putting it to his lips, and although there was no expression on his square, upright face, everyone could see the smugness in this guy.

Then they heard him say, “When I was young, I was also a famous, handsome young man in all the surrounding villages!”

“Pfft!”

“I spit on that!”

“Have some shame!”

In the afternoon, at the hour of Wei.

Footman Alley and Chilao Alley were both in the southwest region of Central Heaven, where housing prices were low, and the two places were not far apart.

Ding Suian ate lunch at Gongye’s house and then headed to Chilao Alley to visit his father.

From afar, he saw a well-proportioned figure, shirtless, kneeling on the ground and clearing the sewer at the entrance of the alley.

The southwest of Central Heaven was low-lying, and every summer during the rainy season, rainwater mixed with the household waste and sewage from the wealthy people living higher up often flooded the vicinity.

For this reason, the sewer in Chilao Alley needed to be cleaned every few days.

“Dad, are you off today?”

Old Ding looked up. “Why are you here?”

“Nothing much, just came to see you.” While speaking, he had already picked up a wooden shovel and shoveled the sludge Old Ding had dug out onto a small cart.

“Don’t do that, be careful not to dirty your clothes.”

“Mm.”

Ding Suian agreed verbally but didn’t stop his hands.

At the same time, taking advantage of standing behind and to the side of Old Ding, he quietly observed him.

It had been over a month since the incident in Suimian Street where he encountered the highly skilled assassin in black.

He really couldn’t figure out what the person in black wanted to do.

If they were an assassin, they had the full ability to kill him, but in the end, they fled in a panic.

It was as if they had deliberately helped him break through his realm.

If it were a close relative, wearing a mask to force out his limits beforehand was fine, but there was absolutely no need to continue hiding their identity afterwards, right?

“Dad, have you ever offended anyone very powerful?”

“What do you mean?”

Old Ding continued to clear the sewer without turning his head.

“I’m guessing, are you a very powerful person who offended someone even more powerful, and then hid your name and lived in Central Heaven?”

“You wish! When I was young, I also fantasized about having a very powerful dad!”

“Then was your dad powerful? I rarely hear you mention my grandfather.”

Old Ding’s movements of digging the hole with his back to Ding Suian remained fluid, but this time, there was a pause of two or three breaths before he said, “He died early.”

“Oh.”

Before Ding Suian’s voice had faded, he suddenly raised his hand, extended his right index finger, and poked straight at the back of Old Ding’s head.

A single finger strike with Astral energy was enough to pierce a skull.

Old Ding, with his back to him, did not make any reaction.

Ding Suian’s index finger stopped half a foot away from his father’s head.

He wanted to catch him off guard and trigger Old Ding’s instinctive reaction, not actually kill him. This was his own father!

As it stood, it hadn’t succeeded.

The Astral wind stirred slightly, bringing a breeze to the back of Old Ding’s head.

Old Ding, realizing only then, turned around and saw his son pointing his finger at him, and couldn’t help but be startled. “What are you doing?”

“Uh, I realized a new Move the night before last, let me perform it for you.”

“What new Move?”

“Great Wilderness Confucian-Poking Finger!”

“Which ‘ru’?”

Huh, Old Ding is quite sharp!

“Of course, the ‘ru’ from Confucian Sect and confucian renegades!”

“Why do you want to poke the Confucian Sect?”

“Because they are confucian renegades.”

A short while later, the father and son finished cleaning the sewer together.

They returned to the small courtyard.

Ding Suian was surprised to find that Old Ding had raised two ducks in the courtyard.

“Old Ding, how did you suddenly get the leisure to raise ducks?”

Ding Suian squatted in front of the duck cage, while Old Ding wiped the sweat from his body with a cloth towel and turned back to say, “You aren’t home, so I raised two ducks to keep me company.”

Huh. That phrasing, son not here, raising two ducks as solace.

It sounded awkward no matter how you heard it.

“I asked you to Move to Suimian Street, but you wouldn’t go.”

“What would happen if I went? Staring at each other? When you get married and have a child, I will Move there and help you take care of the child.”

“.”

Here we go again.

“Son, look at those flowers in the corner, are they blooming brightly?”

“Brightly.”

“Didn’t you realize something from that?”

“Realize what?”

“Sigh, flowers have petals, but you don’t have a partner!”

“. Old Ding, the two of us, one old widower and one young bachelor, let’s just leave each other some dignity!”

“Fine, fine, fine! I won’t urge you, I won’t urge you. It’s rare for you to come back today, Dad is happy. Tell me what you want to eat.”

“Eat it!” Ding Suian decisively reached out and pointed at the duck that was competing with him for paternal love. Duck, I’m sorry, the battle for the heir has always been like this!

Old Ding’s face darkened. “If you say that, Dad won’t be happy!”

Ding Suian: Is paternal love really something that can be transferred?

In the evening, he returned to Suimian Street.

The gatekeeper Hu Couhe handed him two letters, chattering, “One is a letter from the courier, and this one was passed on by the neighbor, Officer Lin. Young Lady Chao went to find Young Lady Ruan and said she would be back later.”

Ding Suian opened the letters to look at them on his way back to the back courtyard.

The first one was a letter returned by the courier. A few days ago, he had sent a letter to Zhisheng, asking about his current situation at Shangling Temple.

At this time, it was returned unopened, with an attachment saying he had left the temple to travel.

It seemed that Ding Suian’s guess back then was indeed correct; Zhisheng could no longer stay at Shangling Temple.

The second one, the envelope had no name or address written on it.

It was clear at a glance that it hadn’t gone through the courier but was brought by an acquaintance.

‘To Young Master: The candle flame on the desk has formed a double wick again, presumably knowing my thoughts. The night watch drums on the long street always urge me on, and every time it reaches the third watch, I always feel the wind chime at the eaves is like the Young Master climbing through the window. When I push open the window to look, I see the lights of Suimian Street more than ten miles away; originally, we are separated by no more than ten miles, yet we are blocked by paperwork and haven’t seen each other for more than ten days. Today or tomorrow, perhaps when dusk falls, I might be able to return by the light of the moon. I imagine that the moment we meet, it must be the red candles shyly illuminating the twin lotus flowers, and the brocade quilt unable to separate the intertwined mandarin ducks. This ten-mile longing can finally turn into whispers in the ear. Young Master, please wait quietly for me; I will carefully repay you for the tenderness owed over these days. Su’er, kissing you a thousand times: (Lip print) July 11th, second quarter of the Chou hour.’

Oh my, the little love letter written by Sister is really so alluring and bold.

Because of the busy work at the Princesss Residence, plus her studies at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Lin Hansu had not returned home for more than ten days.

The letter was written around one o’clock this morning; it must have been when she was working overtime and suddenly felt longing.

It both expressed that she missed him very much and comforted him, with things like “the moment we meet,” red candles shyly illuminating, intertwined mandarin ducks, and whispers in the ear.

Why doesn’t Sister go and write erotic novels!

The words could hide shyness, but the content expressed was far bolder and more passionate than her usual style.

It was just that this kind of letter, the more you read it, the more worked up you got.

But there was also good news; she said in the letter that she might return in the next two days.

Ding Suian turned his head to look at the thick, dark night outside the window, thinking there was probably no chance for tonight.

But as soon as this thought popped up, he suddenly heard a “thump” on the east wall, followed by a low, soft “Ouch~” cry.

Ding Suian hurriedly got up and walked out.

He saw Lin Hansu sitting under the wall, rubbing her bottom.

It looked like she had fallen when climbing over the wall.

Ding Suian was both surprised and delighted. “When did you come back, Sister?”

Lin Hansu spread her arms, looking up at Ding Suian, and said aggrievedly, “Hug~”

Ding Suian followed her lead, bent down, scooped her up under her knees, and carried her toward the room.

He placed her on the couch, turned to latch the door, and when he turned back, Lin Hansu was already lying on the couch, her beautiful head slightly tilted, looking at Ding Suian.

She bit her lower lip lightly, her eyes shining brilliantly.

The stage was already set.

She was actually more impatient than him.

Ding Suian took a few quick steps and rushed to the battlefield.

It should have been a familiar path, but just as the two armies were about to engage, he was surprised to discover

The Dao is obstructed and difficult.

Lin Hansu let out a muffled groan, and beside her temples, a pair of furry, pointed fox ears suddenly popped out.

“”