Chapter 306: Descendant (Debt 33)

"My lord, you have finally returned."

As soon as Great Wei Wei Huoshi saw Xu Yuan, he hurried forward to greet him.

Xu Yuan asked in a low voice: "Are those two craft artifacts causing trouble again?"

Lord Xu was somewhat at fault.

He had promised those two craft artifacts that he would find an opportunity to let them meet their "Grandmother Ancestor."

But Aunt Wang had arrived many days ago, and he had been busy, so he kept postponing this matter.

"Yes," Great Wei Wei Huoshi said. "Early this morning, they refused to work again."

Great Wei Wei Huoshi felt utterly drained.

With the year-end approaching, around this time every year, the Three Sisters Society would send people to begin "auditing the accounts."

Because the Champa branch had "rented" these two craft artifacts from Xu Yuan, this year's accounts here would certainly look bad.

Great Wei Wei Huoshi was worrying about how to get through this ordeal, and then the two craft artifacts went on strike again...

The person sent by the Main Hall to audit the accounts could arrive at any moment.

If they happened to run into each other, Great Wei Wei Huoshi feared he would be recalled, and everything he had painstakingly built in Champa over so many years would no longer be his.

Xu Yuan asked: "Has the Fire Virtue Salvation Hall opened for business today?"

"It's closed," Great Wei Wei Huoshi said with a gloomy face. "Those two ancestors refuse to work; how can we possibly open?"

Xu Yuan nodded: "Go back now and have all the members move to the rear hall. Leave no one in the front hall; I will handle it immediately."

"Good." Great Wei Wei Huoshi hurriedly went back first.

Halfway there, he met one of his own members rushing to find him: "Great Wei Wei Huoshi, it's bad! Secretary Fei has arrived!"

"The audit has come?"

"What else could it be?" the member said anxiously. "Hurry back; Secretary Fei is furious, and several Fire Masters don't know how to respond."

"Let's go!"

For the society's annual audit, the ones sent are always the most senior "Secretaries."

And Secretary Fei is the most unyielding and impartial among them.

The two of them moved quickly, and upon reaching the entrance of the Fire Virtue Salvation Hall, Great Wei Wei Huoshi listened closely and heard silence inside, so he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Secretary Fei wasn't cursing; the situation wasn't too serious yet.

But the member beside him said quietly: "Secretary Fei is in the rear hall."

Great Wei Wei Huoshi slapped his forehead; yes, Secretary Fei always considered the bigger picture.

If he were in the front, he would have started cursing immediately, and the people passing by on the street would have heard him through the door.

The secrets of the Three Sisters Society would be exposed.

"Go to the rear hall."

This time, even from more than ten zhang away, Great Wei Wei Huoshi heard Secretary Fei's angry shouts, full of vigor: "Where is Miao Yan? It's been so long and he still hasn't been found!"

"Is he deliberately hiding from this old man?"

"What, feeling guilty?"

"What kind of nonsense is the Champa Society pulling!"

Miao Yan was Great Wei Wei Huoshi; the fact that he had sold the society's two craft artifacts to Xu Yuan and then rented them back at a high price was, of course, known to the Main Hall.

Miao Yan had acted first and reported later—the Main Hall had no choice.

After all, without these two craft artifacts, Great Wei Wei Huoshi and the core members would not have been released.

Without these two craft artifacts, the Champa Society could not sustain itself; renting them back while holding one's nose... was the only option.

Although the Main Hall tacitly approved this arrangement, they had intended to remove Miao Yan at the time.

Miao Yan's father was the third-ranked "Secretary" of the Main Hall, ranking even higher than Secretary Fei.

Moreover, this "lease agreement" was negotiated between Miao Yan and Xu Yuan.

His father had argued: "If Miao Yan is replaced, what if Xu Yuan refuses to honor the deal and won't rent these two craft artifacts back to the Champa Society?"

That was how he saved his son.

But everyone knew Miao Yan would have a hard time during this audit.

And Secretary Fei was one of those who had strongly advocated for Miao Yan's removal at the time.

Secretary Fei had always thought the young Miao Yan was a waste, turning a perfectly fine Champa branch into this state.

The audit must be scrutinized carefully!

But as soon as he arrived at the Champa Society, he discovered the two craft artifacts had quit working!

This surge of anger shot straight to the crown of his head, and he cursed everyone in the Champa Society from top to bottom.

Outside the door, Miao Yan huddled his neck, unable to bring himself to enter for a moment!

Secretary Fei's generation had watched Miao Yan and the others grow up.

This old stick-in-the-mud never smiled or joked; if a child made even a small mistake, he would blow it out of proportion.

Miao Yan had feared him since childhood.

Now he had fallen into his hands again—the honorable Great Wei Wei Huoshi actually wanted to turn and run, find a place to hide first, and wait for Lord Xu to come rescue him.

"Who is sneaking around outside!" Secretary Fei had already noticed the commotion outside and let out a sharp shout.

The member saw Great Wei Wei Huoshi's legs tremble!

"I... it's me..." Great Wei Wei Huoshi, seeing there was no time to run, forced a smile and pushed the door open with a stiff face: "Uncle Fei..."

"Don't grin at me!" Secretary Fei didn't buy it: "I'm here to ask you, what exactly is going on with those two craft artifacts? The Champa Society spent so much silver, yet the craft artifacts still have problems; where did that money go? Did you embezzle it?!"

Secretary Fei's spit sprayed all over Miao Yan's face.

Miao Yan quietly wiped it off and carefully tugged at Secretary Fei's robe hem: "Uncle Fei, please come with me; some matters are confidential..."

"Then let them all get out!"

The other Fire Masters sprang up instantly and scurried away until none remained!

In the vast hall, only the Great Wei Wei Huoshi was left, facing Master Fei's rage alone.

Miao Yan cursed inwardly: You ungrateful dogs!

"Speak!" Master Fei roared. Miao Yan shivered again, spoke the matter in a low voice, and finally said, "Your lordship, please wait a moment longer; that Lord Xu will be here shortly."

"These two craft objects obey his discipline only..."

Master Fei frowned: "Wait! You just said that only after that Lord Xu appeared did these two craft objects keep causing trouble?"

"Yes..." Miao Yan said bitterly, "I also suspected he... secretly did something, but he is a high official of the Purification Bureau; our arms cannot twist the thigh."

So we can only spend money to avert disaster, right?

This time we invited him over again; I fear another tens of thousands of taels of silver will be spent."

This year's accounts look bad; the Great Wei Wei Huoshi planted a trap here: It truly isn't my fault.

Repairing craft objects also costs money, doesn't it?

But after Miao Yan said all this, he quietly observed Master Fei's expression, only to find the other man had drifted off...

It seemed he wasn't listening to what he said at all.

"Uncle Fei?" the Great Wei Wei Huoshi called softly again. Master Fei's eyes moved; he came back to himself.

He looked at Miao Yan, as if considering something.

Miao Yan wanted to slip away: "Uncle Fei, that Lord Xu will be here soon; I must go to the front to attend to things."

"He ordered you to bring everyone to the rear hall; no one is allowed to remain in the front. What are you going to do?"

"I'll go check if anyone is still in the front hall..."

Master Fei suddenly grabbed him, his grip extremely tight.

Miao Yan was puzzled; he turned his head and saw Master Fei's strange look: "Have you ever thought why, as soon as this Xu Yuan arrived, the two craft objects started causing trouble—each time they cause trouble, it seems as if... the two craft objects want to see him; if he doesn't come for a while, they make a fuss?"

Miao Yan recalled it and had to admit: It really does look like it!

"Your lordship means..."

Master Fei said slowly, "That Xu Yuan might be a descendant of the Ancestral Master."

Miao Yan gasped: "Descendant..."

"Think of a way to let me secretly see how he 'repairs' the two craft objects."

Miao Yan thought for a moment: "There is a secret chamber in the front hall."

(End of this chapter)