Chapter 113: Dangerous as Morning Dew
Noon, north of Yingchuan City.

The Pan Mansion held a banquet, and Pan Chuba personally entertained Liu Xunyi and the other two.

Pan Huai, the shipping merchant, was the best among all the merchants in Yingchuan. The Pan family was also a prominent family here, with mountains of gold and silver, rich and powerful, with fields stretching for miles and a fortune of thousands of gold.

Before coming here, Liu Xunyi and the other two had imagined the Pan family to be a family with golden bridles and jade bridles, long spears and high gates, a magnificent gate and a calm family. The people in the Pan family were all pampered and well-fed, with fine clothes and delicious food, and they looked like a wealthy family.

But when they actually stepped into the Pan Mansion, they found that the Pan family was frugal in every way and there was no sign of extravagance at all.

Apart from the five-courtyard mansion, which looks quite grand, the layout, furnishings, items used, and complicated appliances inside the mansion... are all just like those of an ordinary home. Although the young men in the mansion are dressed in silk and satin, they are not ostentatiously dressed in gold and silver jewelry, or with tinkling pendants.

Although Pan Chuba is old, he is still energetic. He has a pair of sharp tiger eyes, white hair, straight nose and wide mouth, a clear mind and bright eyes, and a healthy body. His body is slightly hunched, but he still has a righteous spirit.

Pan Chuba, who should have been rich and prosperous, was dressed in plain clothes. He was not served by any servants when he went in and out. How could he look like a rich man? He looked even more shabby than an ordinary old man.

When Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda first met Pan Chuba, they even mistook him for a servant of the Pan family. It was not until Pan Wen introduced him that they suddenly realized what was going on. They were secretly glad that they had only thought about it in their minds and had not spoken it out loud to avoid making a fool of themselves in public.

After greeting each other, Luo Ningyu personally presented the white jade Guanyin, and the two sides exchanged pleasantries again. Pan Chuba personally invited Liu Xunyi and the other two into the main hall, where a sumptuous banquet had already been prepared.

"I have two sons and one daughter." Pan Chuba invited Liu Xunyi and the other two to take a seat, while pointing at the men and women in the hall, and said with a faint smile, "The eldest son is Pan Wen, the second son is Pan Wu. There is also a youngest daughter, Pan Feng, who married far away in Jiazhou at an early age. I haven't seen her for three to five years. Alas!"

Unlike the gentle Pan Wen, Pan Wu was a burly man, about forty years old, with big ears, a broad back and strong waist. He looked so rough, but his temperament was very reserved, even a little eccentric. Even when Pan Chuba introduced him, he just nodded slightly to Liu Xunyi and the other two, without saying a word.

Standing next to Pan Wen and Pan Wu was a woman respectively, they were the first and second wives.

After everyone was seated, Pan Chuba pointed to a handsome man about eighteen or nineteen years old and said with a smile, "He is my grandson, the son of Pan Wen, named Pan Yun. Pan Wu also has a son who is four years older than Pan Yun, named Pan Chun. Pan Yun has been weak and sickly since childhood, so he learned business from his father at home. As for Pan Chun, I sent him to the new military headquarters in Huainan three years ago to hone his skills. When a war breaks out in the future, he can take up arms and serve the country. Haha... Although Yingchuan is controlled by the Mongols today, my Pan family has been Han people for generations, so we should do our best to protect the Han people's country."

Hearing this, Liu Xunyi cupped his hands and praised: "Senior, you care about your country and the world, I admire you!"

Pan Chuba laughed and pointed to a girl of about seventeen or eighteen sitting next to Pan Yun. A touch of kindness suddenly appeared in his eyes and he said with a smile, "She is Pan Wen's daughter, my only granddaughter, Pan Yuyin."

She was just at the peak of her teen years, with willow-shaped eyebrows, star-like eyes, almond-shaped face, peach-shaped cheeks, pearly teeth, red lips, snow-white skin, plump muscles, weak bones, and a slim waist. Pan Yuyin was indeed a delicate and pretty little beauty.

When Pan Chuba introduced her, Pan Yuyin did not forget to stand up and greet Liu Xunyi and the other two in turn, showing quite good manners.

Pan Wen's children are like a pair of golden boy and jade girl. The boy is handsome and elegant, and the girl is gentle and graceful, which is really the envy of others.

"The rest of the people in the mansion are all outside relatives, and there are only these people in the Pan family." Pan Chuba's words were a little sad, and he smiled bitterly, "If it were an ordinary family, it would be considered good. But for the current Pan family, it is a bit too few. I also want to have many children and grandchildren, but unfortunately... Alas! Maybe this is God's punishment for me!"

Liu Xunyi and the other two had already learned about Pan Chuba's past from Luo Tianjin, so they naturally understood what he meant by "punishment".

When Pan Wen saw Pan Chuba bringing up the old matter again, he was afraid that he would be sad again, so he hurriedly raised his glass and changed the subject. Everyone present understood each other tacitly, so no one said much and everyone pretended to be happy.

Before they knew it, three rounds of wine had passed, five dishes had been prepared, and everyone was a little tipsy.

Pan Chuba looked back and forth between Luo Ningyu, Liu Xunyi and Lin Fangda, and finally set his sights on Liu Xunyi. He smiled and said, "You have become a master at such a young age, amazing!"

Liu Xunyi was stunned by Pan Chuba's words and said modestly, "Senior, you are too kind. I have only been practicing fancy moves for a few years."

"If there were anyone among my Pan family's descendants who could be as skilled as you, why would I be so depressed?" Pan Chuba sighed, "I believe that Lord Luo has already told you about me before you came here, right?"

Liu Xunyi first exchanged a glance with Lin Fangda, then slowly nodded and said, "The ten-year agreement between the Pan family and the Qin family is coming to an end. It concerns the ownership of the 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan', the life and death of the Pan family, and even the honor and disgrace of the Guihai Dao Sect."

Hearing this, Pan Chuba's expression changed, he nodded heavily, and said seriously: "Although I am old, I am not confused. But as long as I am here, the Qin family will never take "Xuan Shui Xia Juan" for themselves. I have retired from the martial arts world for decades, just to avoid the grievances of the past. Today, people in the world only know that the Yingchuan Pan family is doing business. How many people still remember that I was born in the martial arts world? It's a pity that destiny knows where to go. How can I escape just by saying so? Once I enter "In the Jianghu, you are a member of the Jianghu for your whole life." "Once you are in the Jianghu, you have no choice." Liu Xunyi sighed thoughtfully, "A few months ago, Senior Mo Cen also wanted to retire and live a peaceful life with his wife and children, but in the end... his family died because of it. The grudges in the Jianghu are not settled just because you want to. You may not want to provoke others, but others always want to provoke you, forcing you to either fight your way out or die."

Lin Fangda echoed, "This is called wanting to have both, but in the end you end up being caught between two boats. You deserve it! In my opinion, since you are in the underworld, you should laugh at life and death. This is how the world is. Either you kill people or people kill you. No one needs to pretend to be a saint..."

"Ahem!" Before Lin Fangda finished speaking, Luo Ningyu hurriedly coughed a few times, interrupting his next words. Lin Fangda also realized that he had spoken out of turn, and hurriedly apologized to Pan Chuba: "Master Pan Ba, don't misunderstand me. When I said 'neither end nor end', I didn't mean you, I meant others..."

Lin Fangda's explanation became more and more incoherent, and he could only smile awkwardly. Looking at the people in the Pan family, they all looked embarrassed and didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Pan Chuba didn't care about this, and said self-deprecatingly: "I have long been powerless, otherwise I would never dare to trouble Lord Luo."

Liu Xunyi said: "Before coming here, the mansion master specifically told us to convey a message to the seniors: 'Love is as heavy as a mountain, and loyalty is as deep as the sea. If you are in trouble, no matter when, Luo is willing to stand with Brother Pan Wu Yue and never abandon him.'"

Hearing this, Pan Chuba's old eyes could not help but well up with tears of emotion, and he said with emotion: "Lord Luo is worthy of being the Northern Sage King, willing to help in times of crisis. It is really a deep friendship, I am very grateful! Thank you very much!"

"Dad, why don't you hand over 'Xuan Shui Xia Juan' directly to the Qin family, so that my Pan family can live in peace." The second wife suddenly interrupted, complaining, "Now our family is big and prosperous, we have no worries about food and clothing, and the accumulated family property can't be eaten and drunk in several lifetimes. Dad, why do you have to be enemies with the Hexi Qin family? Little do they know that the Qin family are all desperate criminals who eat raw meat and drink blood and kill without blinking an eye. We are a decent family, how can we afford to offend them?"

"You are wrong, sister-in-law. The value of the lower volume of Xuanshui to Dad is more important than his life. How can I give it away so easily?" Pan Wen hurriedly explained. After that, he kept winking at the second wife, reminding her not to say too much, so as not to anger Pan Chuba.

"I'm just wondering, which is more important to Dad, the lower volume of Xuanshui, or our whole family?" The Second Madam ignored Pan Wen's "reminder" and defended herself, "I have no intention of arguing with Dad, I just don't want to ruin our Pan family's bright future because of a dead thing. Dad, even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about your children and grandchildren, right?"

After that, the second wife turned her gaze to Pan Wu, who remained silent, and suddenly choked up and sobbed, whispering, "I feel so sorry for my husband. He has accomplished nothing in these years. He can only be locked up in the backyard all day, practicing the Xuanshui sword technique. In the end, he has become neither human nor ghost. Not only has he worked so hard, but he has not gained a single cent from the huge Pan family business."

"Asshole!" Pan Chuba could no longer bear it and flew into a rage. He pointed at the Second Madam with a glare and blew his beard, shouting, "As long as I am alive, the Pan family will only have one head, and that is me, Pan Chuba! What do you mean I didn't get anything from the Pan family's fortune? No matter how big the Pan family's fortune is, it is all decided by me alone. No matter whether it is Pan Wen or Pan Wu, they are just guarding the family business before I die. Ahem..."

Seeing Pan Chuba getting angry, everyone came forward and tried to comfort him. Only Pan Wu remained sitting on the chair, motionless. The Second Lady kept wiping away tears, as if she had suffered a great injustice and dared not speak out.

"Sister-in-law, why don't you come and kowtow to father and admit your mistake?" the eldest lady urged.

The second wife wiped her tears and stood up angrily. Although she did not dare to contradict Pan Chuba, she dared to refute the first wife.

The second wife sneered with disdain, "You all have enjoyed all the benefits, so of course you will try to please Dad! I only regret that my Chun'er hasn't come back for three years. If he knew that his parents were being wronged at home, he would definitely make you pay..."

"Snapped!"

Before the Second Madam could finish her words, the silent Pan Wu suddenly raised his arm and slapped her hard in the face. He knocked her off the chair, flipped several times in the air, and fell to the ground in a mess. At first, she whimpered a few times, but then disappeared, as if she had fainted.

The sudden change made the originally harmonious banquet suddenly awkward. Liu Xunyi and the other two sat aside, dumbfounded. It was wrong for them to help Mr. Pan Ba ​​at this moment, and even more wrong for them to help the Second Madam. After all, it was someone else's family affair, and outsiders naturally couldn't interfere.

After knocking down the second wife, Pan Wu said calmly: "Dad, I'm going back to practice martial arts." Then he left the hall without looking back, leaving the mess behind.

At this moment, Pan Chuba was shaking with anger, and Pan Yun and Pan Yuyin could only comfort Grandpa submissively. Pan Wen and his wife had complicated eyes, and seemed to have a lot of emotions in their hearts.

As for the Second Madam, she remained lying on the ground motionless, and it was unknown how seriously she was injured. The Pan family's relatives were completely at a loss, standing by helplessly, not knowing what to do or what to do.

Facing this scene, Liu Xunyi, Luo Ningyu and Lin Fangda could not help but look at each other, thinking in their hearts: "The situation of the Pan family is more troublesome than we imagined. Not only is the external threat imminent, but the internal troubles... are even more imminent!"

……

(End of this chapter)