Chapter Twenty-Two: The Wu Family

Intuition told Cui Xiu that Wu Yu would bring trouble. Since Wu Yu did not mention anything, Cui Xiu pretended to be unaware and focused on eating and drinking, occasionally exchanging polite remarks.

After a few rounds of conversation, the atmosphere became rather harmonious.

“Brother Cui, I have a request. I hope you will assist me!”

In the end, Wu Yu could not hold back any longer. After all, he was only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth. Though his upbringing made him seem mature, he lacked the patience forged by workplace experience that Cui Xiu possessed.

Cui Xiu frowned slightly. He had intended to drag out the conversation and then take his leave, but unexpectedly Wu Yu spoke up.

Once he did, the situation changed.

“Brother Wu, you are too polite. If there is anything within my ability that I can help with, please speak frankly. If it is within my power, I will not refuse.”

Whatever he may have thought privately, Cui Xiu would not refuse him outright at this moment. To do so would be to make an enemy.

No matter what, he had to at least hear what Wu Yu had to say.

“Brother Cui, you are forthright!”

Hearing Cui Xiu’s answer, Wu Yu’s expression eased and he let out a sigh of relief, as if Cui Xiu’s words had already secured most of his hopes.

Cui Xiu only smiled and nodded.

Seeing this, Wu Yu did not stand on ceremony. He first drank a cup himself, then sighed, “To speak of it, this matter is somewhat related to Liu Family Village…”

Whenever Wu Yu mentioned Liu Family Village, his expression darkened, clearly recalling the ordeal he suffered there.

It was not surprising. As a pampered young master, he had never endured such treatment, and this time he had nearly lost his life—the greatest hardship he had ever faced.

“…That wicked god did not take my life, but demanded I retrieve something for him, or else he would continue to harm me. He declared that the item he wanted was in your possession, Brother Cui. I had no choice but to come to you.”

“If you can help me, whether it be wealth, treasured medicines, beauties, or fine residences—so long as I can provide it, I am willing to offer it as repayment.”

From the moment Wu Yu first mentioned Liu Family Village, Cui Xiu had suspected nothing good would come of it, but as he listened, he was still somewhat stunned.

The only thing on him connected with Liu Family Village was that short rod.

He had no idea how the wicked god Wu Yu mentioned knew the short rod was in his possession.

Regardless, the fact that others knew about the rod was not good news for him.

Especially since the one involved was no ordinary person, but a rather unscrupulous deity.

Moreover, he had not expected Wu Yu to be so direct, asking for help face-to-face, which made it even harder to handle.

He could pretend not to understand, but that was not a good option.

First, Wu Yu had invited him over and explained everything in person—a gesture of goodwill. Refusing him would be discourteous.

Second, should he deny or refuse to help, given the Wu family’s influence, if anything happened to Wu Yu, the Cui family would surely be implicated.

That was not something he wished to see.

Truthfully, he was reluctant to part with the source energy the short rod provided. In just a few days, it had supplied over ten points of energy—and it was still flowing.

At this rate, even if it slowed down later, it would likely grant him another five or six points over the next half month.

Do not think five or six points of source energy is insignificant. Cui Xiu had used only four points to perfect his basic swordsmanship.

That is to say, with five or six points, he could bring another skill, akin to basic swordsmanship, to perfection.

Ordinary people might spend decades to reach such a level in any art, but with the aid of source energy, Cui Xiu could achieve it effortlessly—proving its value.

More importantly, besides this short rod, he had no idea where else to obtain source energy.

And he knew nothing of the rod’s origins, making him even more conflicted.

“…Brother Wu, since you have spoken sincerely, I will not feign ignorance. If my guess is correct, the item that wicked god desires is indeed in my possession. However, I have some questions—can you clarify my doubts?”

As Cui Xiu suspected, Wu Yu was not one for underhanded schemes. Even under the wicked god’s coercion, he had not tried to steal the item from Cui Xiu, but instead invited him over to discuss matters openly.

Of course, Wu Yu understood that anything coveted by a deity must not be simple—perhaps extremely precious. He was unsure how Cui Xiu would respond after hearing his request.

What surprised him was that Cui Xiu actually admitted the item was in his hands.

“Brother Cui, please speak freely.”

Now that he had confirmation, and seeing that Cui Xiu seemed inclined to help, Wu Yu’s expression brightened and he seemed more animated.

“Since you say that deity is a wicked god, why obey its commands? Have you not considered dealing with it directly? With the Wu family’s resources, surely you know some virtuous experts. If not, under the rule of the court, with the government’s support, you need not fear a wicked god.”

Cui Xiu believed that families like the Wu clan, thriving in a world where ghosts and gods existed, must know certain secrets.

After all, even in a small county like Anyuan, there were monsters and evil gods. The world was vast; such anomalies were only more numerous elsewhere.

Moreover, if the court could govern the land securely, it must have ways to deal with demons and spirits. Otherwise, the world would not belong to humanity, but to monsters.

Hearing this, Wu Yu paused, then shook his head with a wry smile. “It seems my reputation as a scholar is undeserved. Brother Cui is much wiser than I am. Matters of ghosts and gods are recorded in my clan, but I only learned of them recently.”

“If I could resolve the wicked god myself, I would not have come to you…”

It was a straightforward reason. With Wu Yu’s character, if he could solve the problem himself, he would not have sought Cui Xiu’s help.

“This matter is rather complicated. While some details are inconvenient to share, certain things I do not mind you knowing.”

“You may not realize, Brother Cui, but the Wu family’s situation is not as good as it appears. Though we have managed in Anyuan County for years, trouble has arisen lately, and things are not as glorious as outsiders believe.”

“As for the government?”

Wu Yu shook his head and sighed, “My return this time was only thanks to others’ pity—seeing I am a young scholar with some prospects, they lent a helping hand…”