CHAPTER 200: CHAPTER 197 [SONG LAO SAN] (LARGE CHAPTER)

Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-Seven [Third Young Master Song]

Song Gaoyuan’s tone was sharp, his gaze staring intensely at Song Chengye.

Song Chengye suddenly burst into laughter.

"Second brother, are you starting to fear me?"

"What?"

"When our eldest brother was still in charge, he never feared me. Yet no sooner do you take power, you begin to fear me? You truly are inferior to our eldest brother."

"..."

"You’re right, oftentimes people must accept their fate. But one cannot merely live by fate alone, second brother! You know very well how you got that degree from the University of Hong Kong. Those two years you spent in M Country studying business management, what actually went into your head, you’re also clear on that. You wasted so much of the family’s money, learned little from your studies, but ended up with two illegitimate sons—if it weren’t for our eldest brother covering for you, you’d probably be bringing your foreign sons to meet our father!"

"What did you say!!!" Song Gaoyuan shouted, his color changing.

Song Chengye maintained his smile, but his eyes seemed as if they were filled with needles!

"Among us three brothers... you are actually the weakest, and you know that very well, don’t you? The eldest may not be good at management or business, but he’s willing to put in the hard work to practice martial arts! That’s his strength. I have always been physically weak and couldn’t practice martial arts, but I studied diligently and have talent in management. Only you, second brother, can neither excel in literature nor succeed in martial arts! You merely rely on your mother being the principal wife and that small bit of cleverness you’ve had since childhood to maneuver in front of our father! Do you know, a few days ago, I heard that a film company owner came to see you with a director, saying they wanted to base a story on the Song Family Fist and make a martial arts movie, planning to spend millions to hire the most popular martial arts stars to act—and they wanted you to invest as well. But without a second word, you turned them away. Once they left the Song Family’s door, they turned to those practicing Wing Chun instead. Based on this incident, I’ve confirmed once again that you’re truly incompetent!"

Song Gaoyuan: "..."

His sturdy body trembled slightly, and his fists were tightly clenched.

But in the end, he didn’t dare to actually throw a punch.

Although his younger brother seemed weak and wasn’t too talented in martial arts, he had seriously and rigorously practiced in his younger years too!

To say that Song Chengye was not talented in martial arts—that was compared to Song Zhicun!

Song Chengye initially practiced very hard. But he’s smart, and upon realizing that his talent wasn’t outstanding, he decisively gave up—if he couldn’t catch up to his elder brother no matter how hard he trained, then there was no need for him to continue wasting energy in the field of martial arts.

However, beating up Song Gaoyuan, the playboy, would still pose no issue!

Looking at Song Gaoyuan with his fists clenched yet ultimately not daring to make a move against him, Song Chengye actually felt a bit of pity in his heart.

If only you had made a move.

Our eldest brother had just lost his power, and at this time, if the second brother, having just taken over most of the family business, were to immediately lay hands on his younger brother inside the inner residence—if he did, a reputation of being frivolous and unruly would be unavoidable!

And if he couldn’t even win a fight... then in the eyes of the old man, the label of "incompetent" would also be hard to avoid!

What a pity.

Speaking of this, Song Chengye deliberately lowered his voice and said with a smile, "Second brother oh second brother, think about it, does father really favor you and our eldest brother? Eldest brother is a martial arts prodigy, but can the Song Family’s business really be well-managed by someone who only knows martial arts? As for you... apart from womanizing, loving grandeur, enjoying horse betting, and gallivanting around the world... what abilities do you have?? And me... think about it, what name did Father give me? Hahahahaha!!"

Having said that, Song Chengye no longer looked at the uncomfortable-looking Song Gaoyuan. He turned around, held his head high, puffed out his chest, and left with a loud laugh.

After leaving the Song Family, he got into his private car, and Song Chengye sat in the back seat, letting out a soft sigh.

As the car slowly drove away, a middle-aged man sitting in the front passenger seat turned his head to look at him.

"Third Young Master, you were a bit impulsive just now. You shouldn’t have provoked Second Master like that."

Song Chengye shook his head, "Uncle Ma, it’s not like that. If it were my eldest brother, such tactics would certainly be useless. But the second brother, he’s frivolous and impulsive, the more you provoke him, the more likely he is to make mistakes."

The middle-aged man named Uncle Ma didn’t say much after that one comment, seeing that Song Chengye had his own plans, he didn’t continue and changed the subject, "Are we going directly to the hotel to meet with the people from the main house?"

Song Chengye touched his eyebrows—he had always felt that his eyebrows were a bit faint, not like his elder and second brothers’ thick brows that easily gave a person a sense of stability.

"Directly meeting with Mr. Jiang is not a good idea," Song Chengye frowned and shook his head.

He had roughly guessed the old man’s intentions—for his father’s thoughts, Song Chengye was actually somewhat disdainful. In the end, Father had grown old and his actions could not escape those old frameworks; having suffered losses, he thought about how he could exhaust all means to recover them...

To set up a family banquet, to invite the people from the main house, these tactics, and the following actions, Song Chengye just found them a bit laughable.

Perspective, ah...

But since the task was entrusted to him, he had to do it well to score points with the old man.

Mr. Jiang, whom he had met before, was a stubborn man with strong principles, and it might not be easy to persuade him.

However...

An image of a grinning face suddenly popped into Song Chengye’s mind.

Of the two disciples by Old Jiang’s side, the one who couldn’t fight but was always grinning and seemed to be the most troublesome.

Based on his intuition, Song Chengye felt that this guy named Chen Nuo seemed to have the greatest influence on Old Jiang!

He vaguely seemed to be the backbone.

Chen Nuo was half-reclining on the couch in the hotel suite’s living room, watching television.

An old Hong Kong movie was playing on TV.

A martial arts film: "The Kung Fu Cult Master."

Li Lianjie in his peak physical condition, Sharla Cheung and Zhang Min at the peak of their beauty.

Ah, all memories.

Especially vivid was the memory of the end of the movie, when Zhang Min looked back and smiled: "Zhang Wuji, I will wait for you in the capital..."

The tears just streamed down.

Who knew that this waiting would last for more than twenty years without result.

The actress who played Xiao Zhao married someone else after breaking up with Wong Jing, the ’Fatty Wang,’ and had aged by the time she made a comeback.

Zhao Min completely retired from acting after being an unsuccessful director several times.

And Zhang Wuji became an old man immersed in Buddhism—In his last life, the last time Chen Nuo saw Jet display his martial arts on the screen was in Papa Ma’s movie "Gong Shou Dao" (also known as: money really can do whatever you want), where he accompanied a group of martial arts superstars in supporting Papa Ma.

The director of "The Kung Fu Cult Master" was Wang Jing.

People say that Wang Jing liked to remake his old pieces to make quick money and ruin childhoods, but in fact, deep down, Chen Nuo truly hoped that this chubby guy would ruin "The Kung Fu Cult Master."

Even if the remake was terrible, at least it would offer an ending.

Alas, there would be none.

Because, back then, the movie "The Kung Fu Cult Master" actually didn’t make much of a splash in Hong Kong either. It was the pirated copies that made this film a White Moonlight in the hearts of young audiences on the mainland.

At that time, the film’s box office was only over ten million Hong Kong dollars, and it was a financial flop.

Wang Jing, despite ruining childhoods and making easy money, only did so with his own bestselling works, such as "God of Gamblers".

"The Kung Fu Cult Master," a money-loser in Wang Jing’s career, wasn’t something he’d consider rehashing.

Thinking of this...

Hey!

It’s only 2001 this year.

Wang Jing hadn’t yet fallen as low as he did in my previous life, blatantly scamming money. And Li Lianjie could still fight.

The appearances of Zhang Min and Sharla Cheung were still...

Should I...

Chen Nuo had the thought, but then dismissed it.

Forget it, forget it, being Invincible after rebirth is good enough; why play around with rebirth in the Hong Kong entertainment industry of 2001.

As Chen Nuo was watching a movie, lounging on the sofa, Brother Lei and Zhu Dazhi were also in the room.

Xiao Yezi had gone to Song Qiaoyun’s room to accompany her godmother and godfather.

As for Brother Haonan, he was lying in his room, recuperating and adjusting his "Inner Breath".

Zhu Dazhi clearly couldn’t resist martial arts films. Moreover, the kid had a regretful thought—he had heard that yesterday Master Chen Nuo and Brother Haonan went with their master to a fight club.

To miss out on such an event was truly disheartening.

Chen Nuo was sipping a bowl of Mango Pomelo Sago delivered by takeout, and on the TV, "The Kung Fu Cult Master" had reached the scene where Zhang Wuji and Zhao Min were bickering.

The phone rang in the room.

Brother Lei picked it up, asked a couple of questions, then looked up and said, "Chen Nuo, the hotel’s front desk, says someone is looking for you."

"Looking for me?" Chen Nuo raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, says his name is Song Chengye."

After a moment of thought, Chen Nuo finished the rest of his Mango Pomelo Sago in one gulp, rose from the sofa and said, "I’ll go out for a bit."

Brother Lei, attentive, asked, "Do you need us to come with you?"

"No... um, let Dazhi come with me," Chen Nuo said, changing his mind halfway through.

"Mr. Chen, a promising youth, your performance at the fight club yesterday was truly astonishing," said Song Chengye with a genial smile as if the defeat and losses on the fight club platform had not involved his own Song family members.

Chen Nuo smiled back, "You’re too kind. The one competing yesterday was my senior brother; I was just a backdrop."

Song Chengye smiled, "There is something I’d like to discuss with you. May I invite you to tea, Mr. Chen? I wonder if you would honor me with your presence?"

"No problem at all," Chen Nuo nodded in agreement.

"Then... I’ve arranged for an afternoon tea spot at the Peninsula Hotel..."

Wow, quite the expenditure.

Chen Nuo was intrigued.

In Hong Kong, afternoon tea at the Peninsula Hotel is a well-known affair, and it’s an activity popular among both the upper class and those aspiring to appear as such.

Ever since tycoons like Li Ka-shing began frequenting the Peninsula Hotel for afternoon tea, it has become a fashionable trend.

But well...

Chen Nuo had visited the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong in his past life, and he also experienced that afternoon tea that the locals never tired of.

That was about it.

"Let’s skip the tea snacks, I happened to get up late this morning and ate breakfast late, so I skipped lunch and I’m still hungry now. I wonder if Boss Song would be willing to treat me to a good meal?" Chen Nuo said with a smile.

Song Chengye naturally said that it was no problem.

Chen Nuo slapped Zhu Dazhi on the back, "Dazhi, the big boss is treating, what do you want to eat?"

Zhu Dazhi thought for a moment, "Milk tea, roast goose, rice noodle rolls!"

Chen Nuo sighed.

Still so unpretentious, this saved Boss Song at least a few thousand Hong Kong dollars in an instant.

However, Chen Nuo didn’t care and just looked towards Song Chengye.

After pondering for a while, Song Chengye said with a smile, "I know of an old tea restaurant in Kowloon. My father took me there a few times when I was a child, several uncles and eldest uncles like to eat there, the food is very authentic."

"Let’s go then." Chen Nuo said with a grand smile.

Outside the hotel, Song Chengye’s van was already waiting there.

But as Zhu Dazhi climbed into the car, CLANK! A wrench hanging from his belt fell to the ground.

Song Chengye saw what was on the ground, swallowed his saliva and his gaze turned a bit strange.

"Don’t mind it, my brother here’s family runs an auto repair shop, he’s used to carrying the tools of his trade with him."

Zhu Dazhi silently bent down to pick up the wrench and tucked it back into his belt, then got in the car and sat in the last row.

This position made Song Chengye feel a bit uneasy.

While the car was on the road, he would occasionally worry, afraid that the guy in the back might suddenly hit him with a wrench.

As the car drove past the tunnel they had taken before the martial arts match yesterday, Chen Nuo deliberately chuckled, "Boss Song, we won’t encounter another car accident today, will we?"

Song Chengye smiled calmly, "Just kidding."

The tea restaurant was indeed an old establishment.

These old establishments in Hong Kong all share a few common traits: old! dilapidated! worn-out!

It was a two-story establishment, with barbecued geese and other cured meats hanging at the open food stall by the entrance.

There were a few tables of customers seated inside the first-floor dining area, with business looking neither good nor bad.

When Song Chengye walked in with Chen Nuo and the others, an old man had already come out to welcome them.

"Uncle Xu. I brought some friends over to grab a bite and chat."

Song Chengye nodded to the owner in greeting and then led Chen Nuo and Zhu Dazhi in, then went up a rickety, creaky staircase to the second floor.

Clearly, Song Chengye had arranged everything beforehand, as the small space on the second floor was reserved and the largest table was cleared for them.

Song Chengye invited Chen Nuo and Zhu Dazhi to sit down, and then saw his driver walk away to sit at the table closest to the staircase, pick up a newspaper, and settle himself there.

This position blocked the staircase entrance, so he could see everyone who came and went, and any unrelated person coming upstairs would be stopped immediately.

"I took the liberty of having them prepare some special dishes, we can eat and talk," Song Chengye said with a smile as he poured tea for Chen Nuo. He was very humble, even pouring a cup for Zhu Dazhi, and then said with a reminiscent tone, "The first time I came here, I was only seven or eight years old. It was my father who brought me to have a meal with a leader from the XX triad."

The "XX" Song Chengye mentioned is a well-known triad name in Hong Kong.

Chen Nuo understood that the man was subtly revealing a bit of the Song family’s power base.

It wasn’t a threat, but it did imply a show of muscle.

This was quite normal; having relationships with triads when running a martial arts school in Hong Kong is simply natural.

"Was Old Master Song also a veteran of the triad society?" Chen Nuo deliberately asked.

"No," Song Chengye laughed, "Our branch of the Song Family came to Hong Kong quite early. Back in the day, it wasn’t easy for our ancestors to start a business. In a place like Hong Kong, if you wanted to establish something successful, you couldn’t do it without the triads. Fortunately, after two generations of hard work, we finally established some foundation and status. Today, some of the famous triads hold my father in high regard. For instance, a few years back when my father was still in good health, he would be invited to act as a witness when some triads changed their leader. He could also act as a mediator in conflicts that weren’t too critical. However, my Song Family is of pure and official descent. We wouldn’t really join the triads. This is a rule within the Song Family."

Zhu Dazhi, who was sipping his tea without much interest, couldn’t help but ask Chen Nuo upon hearing this, "Master Nuo, what does ’triad leader’ mean?"

"It means the boss of the triad."

"Oh! Like Chen HaoNan and Mountain Chicken?"

"No, to be exact, Chen HaoNan and Mountain Chicken are enforcers within the triads, tough fighters. ’Triad leaders’ are their bosses," Chen Nuo explained with a smile.

"Oh, like Mr. Jiang in ’Young and Dangerous,’ the one who got killed?" asked Zhu Dazhi dismissively.

Song Chengye’s face showed a bit of embarrassment.

However, Song Chengye soon took a deep breath and said with a feigned amiable smile, "Although yesterday’s martial arts competition was exciting, there were some loose ends. I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to resolve."

"Oh?" Chen Nuo looked at the third son of the Song Family with a smile full of kindness and justice.

"The way Brother Haonan defeated my elder brother’s disciple, Liu Shiwei, was too excessive; it was quite a loss of face. The Song Family martial arts school has always turned out good fighters. Many of the gangsters from various Hong Kong triads learned their boxing at our school. Not to mention anything else, among Liu Shiwei’s disciples, there are a few who have already risen to become enforcers in some triads. Hearing that Liu Shiwei was defeated so miserably in the ring, some of these disciples, who are quite hot-tempered, I’m afraid will not let the matter rest easily!"

With that, Song Chengye looked at Chen Nuo and Zhu Dazhi with a purposely worried expression.

If the two showed even the slightest difficulty or concern, Song Chengye was ready to play his next move.

Then he would say in a helpful tone, "I also know some of these disciples of Liu Shiwei. They all give me face. If things really can’t be settled, I’ll talk to them, and nobody would dare to cause trouble..."

Saying such things would be equivalent to the other party owing him a favor. Afterwards, the conversation would flow more smoothly.

But to his surprise...

Chen Nuo was completely unfazed, and even Zhu Dazhi appeared totally unconcerned, flipping through the menu on the table.

"Mr. Chen, don’t think this is a joking matter..."

"Oh, it’s no problem," Chen Nuo replied cheerfully, looking at Song Chengye, "I know the address of the police station, and I know the number to dial for an emergency." Chen Nuo answered with a smile.

And besides, the People’s Liberation Army garrison isn’t far away.

A bunch of triads? As if they could turn the sky upside down.

Pshaw!

Typical Hong Kong arrogance!

Do they really think it’s still before ’97?

Not to mention that our group is quite capable of fighting, even if we were just ordinary people, we are bona fide citizens of Huaxia!

If, in Hong Kong, a triad dare to openly attack Huaxia tourists on the street, do you believe that the next day everyone in their hall would be directly arrested?

Stability overrides everything, get it? Country bumpkin!

Song Chengye sighed in his heart.

This young man was tough to crack. And he was not just some foolishly brave type; he genuinely seemed to not care.

The goodwill wasn’t sold, but fortunately, the food that followed was served promptly.

A roasted goose was brought out, and Zhu Dazhi immediately grabbed a leg and took a couple of bites, then frowned and said, "Eh, the taste is just average, not as delicious as the Jinling roast duck. It’s dry."

Chen Nuo picked up a piece of char siu unhurriedly, chewed it slowly, and took a couple of sips of milk tea with a straw before looking at Song Chengye with a smile and saying, "Boss Song, inviting me here today means you have something to discuss, right? Why not just be direct about it?"

"Actually, it’s nothing much. My father is hosting a family banquet tomorrow and wishes to invite Senior Brother Jiang and Sister Qiao Yun to our place."

Chen Nuo thought for a moment, "For this matter, Boss Song, you can send the invitation to my master; there’s no need to tell me."

"No rush. I have brought the invitation, and I will deliver it to Senior Brother Jiang and Sister Qiao Yun this evening," Song Chengye said, intentionally letting out a sigh. "It’s just that after meeting Mr. Chen yesterday, I was deeply impressed, so I made a special visit today to make the acquaintance of such a talented young man."

"You’re joking. My senior brother is the true winner of the competition; I’m just a trash talker." Chen Nuo maintained his kind and righteous smile.

"Hahahaha! Whether you admit it or not, I’m confident in my judgment of people," Song Chengye laughed. "No rush, let’s just chat casually."

After a pause, Song Chengye slowly said, "I wonder, Mr. Chen, what do you think of the Song Family?"

"What do I think?" Chen Nuo pondered, "They’re pretty good."

"Pretty good?"

"Quite so. The second branch of the Song Family has toiled in Hong Kong for two generations and has built the enterprise to what it is today, which is quite impressive," Chen Nuo remarked without any insincerity.

"I have heard that you have opened several martial arts schools in Hong Kong, opened branches in Taiwan, and also have a few in Southeast Asia. You also have one in San Francisco, North America. To have built the business to this extent over two generations is indeed very successful," Chen Nuo said seriously, dropping his smile.

"Well, I do thank you for the compliment."

"However..."

Song Chengye’s eyebrows rose, "However what?"

"The path taken was crooked."

Song Chengye frowned, speaking slowly, "How so?"

Chen Nuo shrugged his shoulders, grabbed another piece of rice noodle roll and put it into his mouth, then uttered two words indifferently: "Underworld connections."

When speaking of underworld connections, it truly was not an injustice to the Song Family.

In Hong Kong, the number of people in societies amounted to several hundred thousand.

Those running martial arts schools in the community inevitably had intricate connections with these societies, even if the Song Family’s rules strictly forbade their own descendants from joining them. But being in this line of business, it was natural that they could not sever ties with the underworld.

Chen Nuo had already looked through the information about the Song Family gathered by President Dong Tian’s subordinates over the past few days.

Among the apprentices of the Song Family’s martial arts schools, there was no shortage of those involved with societies.

Some of the masters at these schools even had backgrounds tied to these societies.

Even among the disciples taken in by Song Zhicun, there were quite a few with underworld links.

Liu Shiwei was one of them.

Liu Shiwei was infamous in Hong Kong’s martial arts circles for his ruthlessness, often breaking his opponents’ limbs during sparring!

If an ordinary martial artist dared to be so savage, he would have been taken care of a long time ago!

Although Liu Shiwei wasn’t directly involved with any societies, his disciples were all enforcers within them.

And they were cultivated and trained with great care.

While the Song Family didn’t personally join the societies, their invisible influence within many of Hong Kong’s societies was very much real.

If it were not so, Chen Nuo wouldn’t have been so heavy-handed in his match against Liu Shiwei the day before. He humiliated Liu Shiwei in public, reducing him to tears and utterly destroying his reputation!

Against Ding JiaQiang, he hadn’t been nearly as ruthless.

Liu Shiwei was a vicious gangster; one need not hold back against such a person.

"Hong Kong has its unique environment, and the Song Family’s way of doing things is out of necessity," Song Chengye shook his head, "To start a business in Hong Kong, to open martial arts schools among the people, one cannot remain detached from the societies. Otherwise, if you don’t get involved in them, other martial arts schools will! If you dare open a school, you will face challenges every other day! Even if you make a name for yourself, no one will come to sign up and pay teaching fees. Even if you defeat every challenger, many of those who want to learn are society members, and no matter how strong you are, they will not come to learn from you..."

Chen Nuo nodded, "I know, but that’s all in the past. In Hong Kong there are a few hundred thousand society members among millions of people, walk down the street, and one in ten people could have been a society member, that’s for sure. But things will be different in the future. Moreover, beyond Hong Kong, the martial arts schools you have opened elsewhere don’t face this environment. The Song Family, for so many years now, has only established one school in San Francisco in North America and hasn’t made a breakthrough anywhere else, that’s because you’ve taken the wrong approach."

Song Chengye fell silent.

How could he not be aware of these issues?

But that’s how it is with the Song Family at the moment, the old man holds the highest power in the family, and his eldest brother, Song Zhicun, who was at an advantage, was personally trained by the old master.

They are all following the same old path.

Building networks within their own society, establishing influence, and then relying on the influence of the society to take in disciples among society members...

It has been this way for decades.

Song Chengye was of course aware of the drawbacks... He also clearly knew change was needed and had many ideas about it.

But... after all, he wasn’t yet in charge.

Looking at the young man before him, Song Chengye suddenly smiled and said, "I previously said you were a young talent, actually, I wanted to ask you to speak with Senior Brother Jiang, to ask him not to hold any prejudice against the school, and to attend the family banquet my father has prepared. But now, I truly do admire you. Mr. Chen, would you be interested in developing in Hong Kong? I really appreciate you."

"Huh?" Chen Nuo laughed.

He’s inviting me to join just like that?

Seriously... I’m afraid you’ll think I’m bragging if I say this...

I’m much richer than you!

Zhu Dazhi was also stunned for a moment, looked at the third Song brother, and muttered, "My Master Nuo is someone who pays wages, not someone who receives them."

"No rush, let’s just chat for now," Song Chengye smiled and then slowly said, "Opening a martial arts school, it’s said to be a business, but in reality, it’s about promoting martial arts. As a cultural form, the popularity of martial arts is the foundation that the business of a martial arts school depends on.

My father’s generation and my eldest brother... the way they do things has actually peaked under the current environment, but they still stick to those methods, actually not seeing many things clearly.

Opening a martial arts school, business is just the surface, promoting a popular culture is the core."

Huh?

Chen Nuo looked at Song Chengye somewhat surprised.

This perspective would not be surprising twenty years later.

But now... it’s 2001!

"To turn martial arts into a popular culture, to take the grassroots civilian route by cozying up to local societies, and then relying on society influence to slowly expand... is the dumbest and silliest method. To promote such a cause, actually, the most effective and most efficient way... is the entertainment industry! In terms of popularizing and attracting public curiosity and interest in martial arts, one Bruce Lee is worth a hundred martial arts champions! Our Song Family now spends millions annually to maintain relations with these societies. If it were done my way... investing a few million a year to make martial arts films! Using Song Family Fist as the story background, even if we burn ten or twenty million, as long as we can produce a blockbuster film, we can earn back the cost several times over!"

Chen Nuo sighed.

This Song Chengye, he is a wise man indeed!

Not to mention Bruce Lee from a long time ago.

Just look at the "Ip Man" series of movies after 2008, which sold so well and supported so many Wing Chun martial arts schools! They attracted so many young people to learn Wing Chun!

In the end, if martial arts are promoted as a cultural industry...

Looking at the past decade or so and the next decade to come...

Who has made the greatest contribution?

Is it those so-called martial arts competitions held by officials? How many viewers do those competitions really attract?

The ones who contributed the most to the promotion are Jin Yong, Li Lianjie, Jackie Chan, and Donnie Yen!

It’s Yuan Heping!!

A successful kung fu movie can promote the art more effectively than a hundred martial arts competitions!

"Boss Song, you’re going a bit far," Chen Nuo said with a smile. "I’m just a high school student who hasn’t graduated yet. It’s not possible for me to come to Hong Kong and mix with you."

"I felt yesterday that you have a unique perspective, and today I find you even more perceptive," Song Chengye said with a smile. "Education isn’t important, and I can wait for you to graduate. If you come to Hong Kong and mix with me, starting as my assistant, in two or three years, you could stand on your own. What I need now is young people with different perspectives."

"Let’s talk about that another time," Chen Nuo declined cheerfully. "Let’s go back to the Song family’s banquet."

Song Chengye sighed inwardly.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Actually, I’d like to talk to you and Senior Brother Jiang about the family banquet. Everyone competes fiercely in the arena, but behind closed doors, we are still one family.

My father has extended a sincere invitation this time. The main and second branches of the family have been competing for so many years; it might be good to take this opportunity to resolve some of the enmity left behind by our ancestors and create a favorable situation.

I know Senior Brother Jiang is very stubborn.

However, I think, Mr. Chen, that you should be able to persuade him."

Chen Nuo laughed, "I’m just a junior disciple, and the one with the worst martial arts at that. Brother Haonan is the master’s pride and joy."

"I’m not blind," Song Chengye said with a light smile. "I don’t know about the level of martial arts. But obviously, from what I observed yesterday, the weight of your words in front of Senior Brother Jiang is much heavier than that of Brother Haonan."

Chen Nuo sighed, "Your father, the old master Song, isn’t setting up a trap, is he? A treacherous feast where you lure us over and then set up executioners, giving the signal by smashing a cup?"

Song Chengye simply ignored such a jest and slowly proposed another idea.

"At tomorrow’s family banquet, I would like to ask Senior Brother Jiang to agree to a request of mine."

"Huh?"

"I want to perform a brotherhood ritual with him!"

Chen Nuo was taken aback.

Zhu Dazhi asked with wide eyes, "Master Nuo, what’s he talking about? What’s a brotherhood ritual?"

"It’s like beheading a chicken and burning yellow paper to become sworn brothers," Chen Nuo answered offhand.

Then, he stared at Song Chengye for two seconds and suddenly laughed!

"Old Master Song... is playing a good game!" Chen Nuo laughed uproariously, and then slowly sobered up, saying slowly, "If I’m not wrong... at tomorrow’s family banquet, Old Master Song probably wants to invite my master and madam to represent the main branch, and together with Hong Kong’s Song Family’s second branch, unify the sect, and recognize the ancestral lineage, right?"

Song Chengye’s gaze flickered, but his heart was filled with complexity...