Chapter 887 Blood is Thicker than Water (Part )
"father?"

"Godfather, why are you..."

Teng Sanshi ignored the horrified Xiao and Yun and rushed forward with big strides. He stared at the panicked Xiao Zhirou with violently trembling eyes and said in disbelief: "Liu Xunyi... is he really my grandson?"

"Father, I..."

"Don't make up stories to lie to me. Although I am old, I am not confused." Before Xiao Zhirou, who was at a loss, could start to evade the question, Teng Sanshi interrupted her sternly, "Just tell me, is this... true?"

Today, Teng Sanshi's hair and beard are gray and wrinkled. Although he is still energetic and strong, he is very different from the high-spirited and motivated "Chief of the Teng Clan" in Xiao Zhirou's memory.

In fact, time changes more than just appearance, it also changes one’s state of mind.

In Xiao Zhirou's memory, Teng Sanshi was full of passion and ambition, and he could remain calm no matter what storms he encountered. But today, he has become sentimental and stumbles, not only is his momentum not as strong as before, but his emotions have also become more volatile.

It is undeniable that Teng Sanshi is really old. A hero in his twilight years is often more tragic than an ordinary person.

Therefore, when Xiao Zhirou saw Teng Sanshi, who was anxious and expectant, she couldn't help feeling inexplicably sad and couldn't bear to continue lying to him.

Looking at the impatient Teng Sanshi, and then at Yun Zhuiyue who was hesitant to speak, Xiao Zhirou hesitated for a long time before she made up her mind and nodded heavily: "In fact, I not only gave birth to Ping'er, but also Xunyi. They are twin brother and sister..."

"hiss!"

Xiao Zhirou's words awakened Teng Sanshi from his dream. Even though Teng Sanshi claimed to be fully prepared, he was still shocked and speechless. His head was dizzy and he stumbled a few steps. If Yun Zhuiyue hadn't supported him in time, he would have collapsed to the ground.

"father……"

"Father..."

"No problem!"

Teng Sanshi interrupted Xiao Zhirou's concern, pushed away Yun Zhuiyue's support, shook his body a few times, and then stood there motionless, his eyes flickering, his face gloomy, because he was too shocked in his heart, so that the muscles all over his body trembled.

"Liu Xunyi... is my grandson..." Teng Sanshi was in a trance, his mind constantly recalling the few moments he had with Liu Xunyi, muttering to himself, "He is actually my grandson..."

Teng Sanshi's strange reaction made Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue feel confused and mixed.

"Adoptive father!" Yun Zhuiyue boldly guessed Teng Sanshi's thoughts and comforted him with words, "Although Liu Xunyi is your grandson, he did not grow up in Xiangxi after all, and he has not received your teachings. Therefore, his 'degeneration' has nothing to do with adoptive father, and the Teng clan should not be implicated in vain..."

"What do you mean by 'degeneration'?" Xiao Zhirou's face darkened and she said angrily, "Xunyi is my own flesh and blood. We are mother and son of the same heart. If he degenerates, I will degenerate..."

"Rou'er, you misunderstood!" Yun Zhuiyue explained hurriedly, "What I meant is... my adoptive father and the Teng clan don't need to betray the orthodoxy of the martial arts world because of Liu Xunyi, and let the Xiangxi Teng clan's hard-earned foundation be destroyed. After all, Qingfeng is the leader of the martial arts world, my adoptive father is the deputy leader of the martial arts world, and Liu Xunyi is a notorious traitor. Once my adoptive father gets involved with him, at best he will be ruined, and at worst it will bring disaster to Xiangxi..."

"Bastard!"

Teng Sanshi flew into a rage and shouted loudly, immediately interrupting the argument between Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue.

"Du Xiang, do you think I am a sycophantic person who only cares about the powerful and is afraid of death?" Teng Sanshi was furious and opened his eyes wide, shouting, "What do you mean by 'no relationship'? What do you mean by 'being implicated in vain'? Since Liu Xunyi is my grandson, he is my blood relative, how could he have no relationship with me? How could he have no connection with the Teng clan? If I abandon my own grandson in order to protect myself, am I still a human being? I am worse than a beast, worse than a pig or a dog!"

Looking at Teng Sanshi's righteous words, Xiao Zhirou felt a warm current in her heart, which made her feel surprised and happy, and her eyes filled with tears.

She has always been reluctant to tell Teng Sanshi the truth because she is worried that Liu Xunyi's "bad reputation" might bring harm to the Teng clan, putting Teng Sanshi in a dilemma.

Twenty years ago, Teng Sanshi was willing to endure shame and humiliation in order to protect the reputation of the Teng clan. Although nominally he was protecting Xiao Zhirou's innocence, in reality he was putting the overall situation first. After all, he was the patriarch of the Xiangxi Teng clan, and when things happened, he could not only consider the gains and losses of one person or one family, but also the rise and fall of hundreds of families in the Teng clan.

It was for this reason that Xiao Zhirou hesitated to speak to Teng Sanshi, not only for the honor of the Teng clan, but also for the safety of Liu Xunyi.

However, it turns out that Xiao Zhirou's worries were completely unnecessary. Tonight, Teng Sanshi used a clear attitude and firm stance to declare to the world that in his heart, family affection far outweighs reputation, and family is more important than anything else. Thinking of this, Xiao Zhirou couldn't help but feel deeply guilty for her "doubt" of Teng Sanshi.

"father……"

“No need to say more!” Teng Sanshi seemed to be in a good mood after the excitement. He laughed loudly in front of Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue’s surprised eyes, and he was full of heroic spirit. “From now on, I am no longer alone. Now I not only have a daughter and granddaughter, but also a grandson who is both civil and military, wise and brave! I, Teng Sanshi, also have a grandson! The Teng clan in Xiangxi has a successor! It is a blessing from God that I can find my daughter, and now I have a pair of dragon and phoenix grandchildren. It is really... a blessing that I have cultivated for ten lifetimes. In this life, I have no regrets! Haha…”

Having said this, Teng Sanshi's expression froze. He looked up at the night sky, and the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a deep feeling of grief. He murmured, "Madam, did you see that? Our daughter... has returned home with her grandchildren. You are still in heaven, and we can rest assured..."

Before he finished speaking, two lines of tears slowly flowed down Teng Sanshi's cheeks.

Teng Sanshi was deeply in love, and Xiao Zhirou was heartbroken, thinking of her deceased mother. For a moment, she was so sad that she cried silently.

"Alas!" After sighing for a long time, Teng Sanshi, with tears streaming down his face, waved his hand and wiped his face randomly, and said self-deprecatingly, "When people get old, they like to be sentimental and cry easily. It's really... indecent. Haha, I miss you and Ping'er day and night in Xiangxi, and I wish I could live every day like a year, so I handed over all the affairs of the clan to Teng Cang and others, and ran to Jueqing Valley to stay for a while and enjoy the happiness of family. But unexpectedly... I think everything is destined. If I hadn't decided to go to Jueqing Valley on a whim, I wouldn't know that you went south alone. If I hadn't been curious and followed to find out, I wouldn't have seen today's excitement. The most important thing is that I may never know that you are hiding a huge secret from me."

Teng Sanshi's words not only mocked himself, but also implied a mockery of Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue. It seemed that Xiao and Yun concealed Liu Xunyi's life experience, which made Teng Sanshi, who was late to realize it, quite dissatisfied.

"father……"

"Forget it!" Teng Sanshi waved his hands nonchalantly, then straightened his eyes and said anxiously, "I don't care about anything now, I only care about where Xunyi is? Rumor has it that he tried to assassinate an official of the imperial court in Lin'an, but failed and was seriously injured. He was rescued by a group of mysterious people, and now his whereabouts are unknown, and his life or death is uncertain. I wonder... is it true or false?"

"it is true……"

"Whether it's true or not, our top priority is to find him before anyone else. As for other things... we can discuss it later." Teng Sanshi's thoughts were in a mess, and he had no time to figure out the reason. So he just said whatever came to his mind, ignoring Xiao Zhirou and Yun Zhuiyue's reactions, and kept talking like a cannon. "Right now, there are too many people who want to kill him, and his situation is too dangerous. If we can't find him first... the consequences will be disastrous."

"What foster father said is absolutely right!" Yun Zhuiyue nodded repeatedly, and at the same time cast a meaningful look at Xiao Zhirou who was frowning, and said awkwardly, "Rou'er, you can disobey me, but you must listen to foster father. Now is not the time to avenge Liu Xunyi..."

"I'm in Lin'an now. Revenge for him is just a matter of convenience. It only takes half a day to go there and back. It won't take much time at all." Xiao Zhirou insisted, "What's more, only by killing one person to warn the rest can we deter other people who are plotting evil."

"Rou'er, what you are doing is not brave, it's reckless..."

"So you assassinated the deputy envoy of the Privy Council today to avenge Xunyi?" Teng Sanshi suddenly realized and interrupted, "However, going to Lin'an to assassinate an official of the imperial court is no small matter, and this matter cannot be impulsive..."

"My foster father is still far-sighted..."

"Wait!" Teng Sanshi waved his hand to interrupt Yun Zhuiyue's flattery, and said thoughtfully, "What Rou'er said about 'killing one to warn the rest'... is not without reason. If we kill one or two big shots, other gangsters will not dare to act rashly again."

"That's exactly what I meant!" Xiao Zhirou's eyes lit up and her face showed joy.

"Foster father, sneaking into Lin'an is too dangerous..."

"If Rou'er sneaks into Lin'an alone, it will be very dangerous. But if we work together and make a careful plan...it is not impossible." Teng Sanshi pondered seriously, "The three of us, plus the four guardians of Longxiang Mountain and the elite disciples of the Teng clan and Jueqing Valley, as long as we have a detailed plan and cooperate well...it will not be difficult to sneak into Lin'an and cause a big commotion."

Having said this, Teng Sanshi's secretive gaze was fixed on the embarrassed Yun Zhuiyue. His sharp and fierce eyes seemed to penetrate his eye sockets and see through his heart.

"But……"

"Xiang'er!" Before Yun Zhuiyue could finish her words, Teng Sanshi suddenly shouted, "With your courage, you wouldn't even frown even if you broke into the palace alone. What happened today? Why are you suddenly so timid?"

"Father, I..."

"Tell me, what are you afraid of?" Teng Sanshi stared at Yun Zhuiyue, whose eyes were wandering, and his tone became unquestionable. "What were you and Qingfeng... plotting in the woods today?"

……

(End of this chapter)