Chapter 322: The Huo Family Also Has a Struggle for the Legitimate Heir

Lu Xingzhou still decided to attend the meeting; after all, Huo Zhang played a significant role in this matter, and something could be learned from him.

This time, he did not bring A'nuo; he went alone.

Only after stepping out did he realize Huo Zhang was also alone, and the place he had brought him to was actually a small restaurant, not far nearby.

Compared to the luxury of places like Yan Yu Lou that others frequented, Huo Zhang choosing a small restaurant was a rare display of approachability and casualness.

The two entered a small private room in the restaurant; it was dirty and damp everywhere, lit by an oil lamp, with a few plates of peanuts on the table; the sound of the boss stir-frying outside and the cooking fumes could reach the private room.

"The food here is delicious; no matter what city you go to, the most authentic things are always found by digging into the alleys, not at places like Yan Yu Lou." Huo Zhang sat casually and poured wine for Lu Xingzhou: "I see you have suffered greatly since childhood; you don't seem to be pretending like them. You should be used to eating and drinking in places like this, right?"

Lu Xingzhou found it quite interesting: "Mm, it's quite good."

Huo Zhang raised his cup and clinked it against his, not waiting for a response, and drank first: "No matter what you think in your heart, we are essentially brothers, aren't we?"

Lu Xingzhou smiled, offered no response, but drank the wine.

In fact, being distant cousins was a fact, so Lu Xingzhou had often deliberately called him Fourth Brother or Sixth Brother before, but in others' eyes, he was thoroughly Huo Shang.

Seeing him willing to toast, as if his attitude was not as stubborn as imagined, Huo Zhang showed joy and smiled: "The old man has long regretted it; he just wanted to bow his head and apologize to you, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Now that you have reached third grade at such a young age, they regret it so much their intestines have turned green—last time you were in the capital, didn't Father bring gifts to the door to seek reconciliation? Unfortunately, he couldn't let go of that last bit of face, and all previous efforts were wasted. Now he just thinks: if only he had lowered his stance a bit more back then, the family would have another third-grade member now."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "The Huo family is full of talented people; it doesn't lack a single third-grade member."

"It lacks, how could it not lack?" Huo Zhang said: "There are many third-grade invited patrons, even second-grade ones! But are they surnamed Huo? Huh? That Yang Dechang, you know him; his ability is very strong, right? But he surnamed Yang! You, do you dare say you don't surnamed Huo?"

Lu Xingzhou truly couldn't say he didn't surnamed Huo; he was rendered speechless by this remark: "Yang Dechang's loyalty to the Huo family exceeds that of me, who surnamed Huo; Second Young Master's words are somewhat hurtful to the heart."

Huo Zhang waved his hand: "That's different! I didn't say he wasn't loyal."

Lu Xingzhou looked at Huo Zhang; to speak of Huo family members, this one was also third grade.

Only Huo Qi and Huo Zhang among the Huo descendants were third grade; Huo Qi was over thirty-one years old, while Huo Zhang had just turned thirty last month. Their breakthrough ages were roughly one or two years apart; calculating it, Huo Zhang's breakthrough age was younger than Huo Qi's. According to the public's habitual judgment, Huo Zhang's talent was stronger than Huo Qi's, but not by much.

Lu Xingzhou held his wine cup, turning it, and said leisurely: "Second... Brother, does this mean you still want me to return to my ancestral home and acknowledge my lineage?"

Huo Zhang said: "The whole family wants it; who doesn't? Letting your kind of bloodline wander outside was already a joke, and becoming enemies with them is simply making the whole world laugh; don't you agree?"

"So it was the Grand Preceptor and the Marquis who sent Second Young Master to persuade me?"

"No, I came on my own."

The two looked at each other, both seeing the smile in the other's eyes.

Who sent him made a huge difference.

At least in Huo Zhang's own heart, while others had a grudge against Huo Shang, he did not. Therefore, he could unite with Huo Shang to do things others could not propose.

He hadn't expected this "Huo Shang" to be so sharp, seeing through his thoughts almost at a glance.

At this moment, the waiter brought the stir-fried dishes, and the two paused their conversation, each eating some food.

Lu Xingzhou praised: "Indeed, this place's stir-fry is quite excellent."

"Right?" Huo Zhang was very proud: "This is where the soldiers under my command go when they return home, calling friends to eat. Damn it, they didn't invite me, but I found out, and the next day I came to eat myself; did they think I had no money or what?"

Lu Xingzhou almost laughed out loud: "I know someone surnamed Liu with the same name as you; that person's temperament is the opposite of yours, so when I first saw your name, I thought it was similar, and this contrast is huge."

Huo Zhang said: "The family names everyone with the 'King' radical, actually the 'Jade' radical, expecting everyone to be a gentleman like jade. Others are fine, but I can't learn it; who made them send me to join the army? But speaking of which, the other so-called gentlemen like jade are all faking it, monkeys wearing hats; they look ridiculous. The truly most gentleman-like person like jade is actually you, the only one without the 'King' radical."

Lu Xingzhou smiled: "I am also faking it."

"That might be; your heart is ruthless."

"That is natural; some are like jade, some are Shang."

Since the words had reached this point, Huo Zhang stopped pretending and said directly: "You have no grudge with me, but have grudges with everyone else. Therefore, if you return to your ancestral home and acknowledge your lineage, you will be my most natural ally; of course, I hope you return."

Lu Xingzhou poured himself a cup of wine, watching the wine fall, and said faintly: "Are you competing with Huo Qi for the family headship?"

"You could say so..."

"How can you say 'you could say so'?"

"Because Father and Grandfather are both first grade, with long life spans; the succession of the family head position cannot be a matter of recent years; it is still far off."

Although following Ye Tinglan made it seem as if encountering super-grade figures was worthless, such sights were common. Actually, that was the highest level, gathering the strongest human sects, the rulers of the demon race, guests from the ancient realms, and other top powers. In the general sense, first-grade powers were still the forefront of the world; a family with two first-grade members like the Huo family was still one of the strongest forces in Great Qian, enough to make ninety-nine percent of people stand in awe.

According to the lifespan of first-grade cultivation, they might outlive their children and grandchildren until those generations were extinct, so the so-called family head succession was naturally different from mortals. But fate seemed to play a joke here; when one reaches first grade, the desire to pursue the super-grade increasingly dominates, leaving no heart to manage worldly affairs, so power is gradually handed over to the next generation, unknowingly approaching the transfer of mortals.

Grand Preceptor Huo Liancheng had stopped managing affairs long ago and passed the family headship to his son Huo Xingyuan. As a result, Huo Xingyuan also reached first grade in recent years, and his sons felt that their father would eventually be like their grandfather, so naturally they had ideas.

Ideas were just ideas; before Huo Xingyuan showed any intention to pass the throne, it could only be "you could say so," merely preparing in advance.

Huo Zhang added: "I just told you that I was sent outside to learn martial arts since childhood, and later joined the army. Does that sound quite normal? But you are not others; you naturally know the Huo family passes down martial arts as its heritage. Sending me outside to learn cultivation methods might be understandable, but sending me outside to learn martial arts—what is that about?"

Lu Xingzhou nodded: "Probably from the moment you were born, it was decided not to let you compete with Eldest Brother. Originally, it might have just been to avoid conflict between two sons, but later, finding that more and more were born, the original idea became somewhat ridiculous. But since people had already been sent out, they could only make the best of a bad situation and simply cultivate two branches, civil and military."