The prince is very fierce

Arriving at Caojiazhuang deep in Junshan Island, Xu Buling informed the steward of the Cao family of his identity, and naturally reported that he was ‘Prince of Su Wang’ instead of ‘Xu Buling of Suzhou Prefecture’.

If there were no identity in the underworld, the Cao family would strictly speaking be just a country gentry, and one could imagine how big the gap between them and the princes was. The steward who stopped them was confused, and after hesitating for a moment, he still respectfully welcomed Xu Buling and the guard Ning Yuhe into the Cao family ancestral home.

Xu Buling and Ning Yuhe sat in the living room, looking at the high walls and tiles of the Cao family mansion. They had seen a lot of them along the way, but the weapon racks, plum blossom piles and other objects commonly used in martial arts disappeared without a trace. The elderly Cao family members could still see the foundation of martial arts from their footsteps and breathing, but the children had no foundation at all, which showed how thoroughly the Cao family withdrew from the underworld.

As a large family with hundreds of years of inheritance, the Cao family still has a large population. The houses in the manor are connected in a row, and there are no less than a thousand people living there. There is also a school built, where an old teacher teaches. The sound of reading can be heard in the rain from afar.

Xu Buling held the teacup and waited quietly for a moment. The Cao family, who heard the news, hurried to the living room. The leader was an old man dressed as a clerk. He looked relatively wealthy. He bowed and saluted as soon as he entered the door:

"I, Cao Quyi, pay my respects to the prince of Su Wang."

Ning Yuhe was shocked when he heard the name. He didn't expect that the second in command of the Cao family of Junshan Island would show up directly. The Cao family is still famous in the world. It is a behemoth that all the Jianghu people can hardly compare to. Cao Quyi, who was responsible for contacting people from all directions, is the external face of the Cao family. Those who can be on the same stage with him are all the helmsmen of major families and sects. Tang Jiao had to perform the etiquette of a junior when he met him. It is self-evident how high his status in the world is.

It is true that Ning Yuhe is very skilled in martial arts, but in terms of status in the martial arts world, she is just a little Taoist priest seeking shelter under Wudang Mountain, with no prestige or qualifications. In terms of family background, she is Tang Jiao's "daughter", not as tall as Zhu Manzhi, who has a sword saint father. Not to mention in terms of age, she can only be regarded as the same generation as Cao Quyi's granddaughter, and is not a heavyweight at all.

Seeing the second in command of the Cao family, whom he had only heard of in rumors, Ning Yuhe stood up and bowed earnestly:

"Junior Ning Yuhe, meeting Mr. Cao."

Xu Buling sat on the chair without getting up, raised his hand to indicate the host seat next to him: "Mr. Cao, no need to be polite, I was passing by Yueyang and just came to take a look."

Cao Quyi had gray hair and looked relatively wealthy, looking more like a businessman. He walked to the host seat and sat down, smiling and politely said:

"The prince came to my humble home, which really makes me flattered. I have asked my wife to prepare a banquet. I will invite the prefect to welcome the prince later..."

The words were enthusiastic, even a bit flattering, making it hard to imagine that the chubby old man in front of him was the Cao family boss who once dominated the world.

Xu Buling smiled calmly and raised his hand gently:

"We came to Yueyang lightly. It's too much to invite the prefect. Mr. Cao doesn't need to spend so much money."

Cao Quyi stroked his beard and nodded: "I have seen the reputation of General Xu with my own eyes. When I was only seven or eight years old, General Xu led his troops to the south and passed through Yueyang. I was fortunate to go to pay a visit once. It has been more than 60 years..."

Very skilled in chatting, Xu Buling did not lose manners and talked in a friendly manner.

Ning Yu sat beside him in a proper manner. It was really hard to treat Cao Quyi as an ordinary official. It was just like treating Eunuch Jia as a little eunuch with no status. As long as you know the identity, you can't sit still, so you haven't spoken.

After Cao Quyi said a few words, he respectfully asked the two about their purpose.

Xu Buling smiled: "I made a friend in Chang'an, named Ning Qingye. He went to Yueyang for a trip a few days ago and lost contact. There is no news from the government, so I want to ask Cao Yuanwai if he has seen him."

Knowing that the Cao family does not want to be involved in the affairs of the underworld, this sentence is completely said as an ordinary citizen, which can be said to be very considerate of the Cao family.

Cao Quyi obviously knew what Xu Buling was thinking, and did not hesitate. He shook his head and said:

"Your Highness, I think you know that the Cao family used to be in the underworld, but they retired ten years ago and no longer ask about the affairs of the underworld. A few days ago, a girl named Ning came over. She was quite straightforward and said that bandits had targeted the Cao family and wanted to be their guard. Cao naturally refused at the time, and the girl never came again, but appeared a few times in the market."

Hearing this, Ning Yuhe knew it was true and did not hide it, because it was in line with Ning Qingye's style of doing things.

Ning Qingye grew up in a Taoist temple since he was a child. He did not learn much about the ways of the world and was quite straightforward.

Just like when he found out that Old Man Sun's silver was stolen by Sancai in Qingshi Lane, he paid out of his own pocket to leave it to Old Man Sun. He did nothing wrong out of kindness, but he was too direct and did not consider whether Manager Sun would accept it.

Ning Qingye was brought up by Ning Yuhe, and he knew her personality very well. She must have heard about the Cao family's affairs, so she knocked on the door and said that the Cao family was in trouble and she wanted to help. Naturally, the Cao family would not agree.

Since Ning Qingye really came to the Cao family, she must not have left. She was probably waiting nearby to help the Cao family.

After Ning Yuhe learned about this situation, he glanced at Xu Buling and signaled that he could leave.

But Xu Buling did not mean to get up. After hearing Cao Quyi's answer, he smiled and said:

"I also heard that there is a group of bandits in the city who have set their sights on the Cao family. It seems not simple."

Cao Quyi sighed and glanced at the Cao family mansion: "The big tree attracts the wind, so some family members will naturally be targeted. Don't worry, the prince has already reported it to the official. Lord Zhizhou has sent a lot of detectives here. I think everything will be fine."

This is the most normal thing for ordinary people to do. The Cao family did report to the government, and the Yamen actually sent a few police officers over.

But this obviously has no meaning at all. Not to mention the few trembling patrol agents in Zhuangzi, even if a thousand troops are mobilized to guard, Zhu Liu will still kill whoever he wants, not counting the other masters of Eagle Tower.

Xu Buling knew that the person coming was Zhu Liu and that the Cao family was in danger. He thought for a moment and said softly:

"I heard that the thieves are not ordinary. How did Mr. Cao get into trouble with these gangsters?"

As the second head of the Cao family, Cao Quyi was extremely thoughtful and naturally understood the meaning of these words: I know who the person is and how you offended Dayinglou.

Cao Quyi's smile softened slightly and he thought for a moment:

"Haha... No matter who comes, a bunch of ordinary people in the Cao family can't afford a knife and have to rely on the government. As for how to offend the gangster, it's hard to say. My eldest nephew works as an errand in the Yamen and he was arrested. Many bandits have naturally offended many people.”