Chapter 387: The Qilin That Bears All (1)

The solemnity on the old lady's face, and the weight and determination with which she knelt, were absolutely genuine.

She was an old lady who could summon wind and rain in Beijing, a figure from the legendary Old Nine Gates who had dominated the underworld, a matriarch nearing her final years, the head of a household with immense wealth—any one of these identities could easily crush us. Yet she knelt, knelt as if it were only right, with such resolve, as if only this act could express her piety.

My shock was no less than anyone else's. In the few seconds she knelt, it felt like a hand pressed down on my shoulder, making my knees tremble. I barely managed to suppress the urge to kneel as well. I didn't know if it was my own servility or because the atmosphere was too eerie.

In that instant, I suddenly felt that I might be different from Poker-face, that perhaps I could never understand his world.

Thankfully, this feeling passed quickly under Fatty's disruption. He was also startled, frozen for a few seconds, then blurted out, "Oh no, this old lady is a zombie!"

As soon as he said it, he realized that was impossible. He looked at me and raised his eyebrows, and I finally snapped out of my shock. "Granny, what are you doing?" I rushed over to help the old lady up, but saw her solemn expression, unwilling to rise. Huo Xiuxiu beside her was completely dumbfounded, probably never having seen her grandmother like this. For a moment, she didn't know what to do and just continued kneeling with her.

Strangely, Poker-face also made no move, watching her like a statue.

This was highly improper, and I had no experience handling such a situation. I was at a loss, so I gave Fatty a look. He was also dazed, but quicker to react than me. He joined me, and we forcefully helped the old lady to her feet.

The old lady's eyes never left Poker-face. As we helped her sit down, Fatty said, "Old lady, is it that you've never seen such mighty fingers before and your legs gave out, or what? It's the 21st century, can't we skip the old formalities? Playing like this, even if your knees don't hurt, we're afraid we'll lose years off our lives."

The old lady ignored him, looking only at Poker-face, and asked, "Do you still remember me?"

Poker-face shook his head. Fatty said, "Forget you, even his own fat lord he forgot a while back."

The old lady bit her lower lip. "That's right, you must not remember anything. If you did, you might not come to see me."

I asked, "Granny, do you know each other?"

She paused, then said, "More than just know each other. The moment I heard you mention him, I understood what happened to my daughter."

Fatty and I exchanged a glance. The old lady seemed utterly exhausted. She sat down and tears immediately fell. "It seems your mother ruined you. Retribution. Wu Laogou and Xie Laojiu's sons and nephews harming each other, our children disappearing one after another—it's all retribution. In our line of work, you can't escape the cycle of heaven's justice."

I was extremely curious. I felt things were falling into place, but before I could ask anything, Xiuxiu comforted her on the side, "Grandma, the Old Nine Gates have been passed down for so many years, and many lineages are thriving. I don't think it's really retribution. Some coincidences must be accidents. You don't need to be so fatalistic."

The old lady shook her head. "Actually, there is no Old Nine Gates anymore. After liberation, we still had illusions, then one wave after another. At first we wanted to stick together, later it was good enough just to protect ourselves. In those years, how many of those who followed us, who ate from our rice bowl, who we vouched for as our own, did we harm? And how many turned around and harmed us? In the old society, there was still honor, still a martial world. Heibei Laoliu could protect an entire street with just a knife. In those years, all that was gone. We never imagined people could be so evil." She continued, "When even people like us started harming others, I knew the Old Nine Gates' luck had run out." I didn't fully understand what she meant, but I could roughly grasp what period she was talking about. I asked, "What exactly happened?"

She looked at Poker-face and suddenly fell silent.

This silence put me in an awkward spot. I knew she might be thinking, but I didn't dare to interrupt for fear of annoying her and provoking a contrary reaction, so I held back and didn't urge her.

After a long silence, she slowly spoke: "Boy, you've been very honest with me, but you're a descendant of Wu Laogou. Back then, we swore we'd take this matter to our graves. Of course, that oath isn't so important now, but I still don't want to talk about it. Unless he wants to know, then I will speak."

My heart skipped a beat, and I cursed inwardly. Why is it always like this? Every time—Third Uncle was like this, Grandpa was like this back then, now this old lady is like this. It seems there's a huge bolt in their hearts, lodged firmly, and they refuse to mention the secret behind it. What exactly is this mess they've left? I looked at Poker-face to see his reaction. The old lady also looked at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Do you want to know?"

Poker-face met her gaze but did not answer. I gave him a look, urging him to ask quickly, not to miss this golden opportunity. But he looked at me and shook his head.

Everyone was a bit shocked. "You don't want to know?" the old lady asked.

In Poker-face's eyes was a calmness like still water. "I don't trust you."

The old lady's expression began to change as she met his eyes. "Oh?" she said. "Why?"

Poker-face did not answer her. Instead, he turned to me and said, "Take me home." Then, without looking back, he walked out.

Caught off guard, I had no choice but to follow him, all the way to the middle of the courtyard. Fatty immediately followed as well. I could imagine the old lady's stunned expression. Fatty was also bewildered, probably wondering why the little brother had suddenly become so assertive.

We hadn't taken many steps when we heard someone call out, "Wait!" I turned to see Huo Xiuxiu chasing after us, blocking our path. "Wait, wait."

I looked back and saw the old lady had already gone inside. Huo Xiuxiu looked at Poker-face with a peculiar expression. "Right now, the place is full of people from the New Moon Restaurant and Liu Li Sun. If you leave here, you won't have any peace. My grandmother said, since you're old acquaintances, she'll find you a safe place. You can lie low there for a while, and we'll stay in touch. She has many things to ask you."

"Your grandmother isn't interested in my stolen goods too, is she?" Fatty brandished the jade seal. "Our little brother said, we don't trust you."

Huo Xiuxiu said, "My grandmother always means what she says. Just go along with it—it's best for everyone. Besides, where else can you go now?" She paused, winked at us, and pointed at Poker-face. "Actually, about him, I think I might know a little something."