Chapter 103: How About Giving Wang Meng A Raise?
After being cooped up on the island for three or four days, the storm finally passed.
By this time, Fatty’s injuries had mostly healed. These days, they had tried every way to play chess and cards, but after a few days, they were all tired of it. There aren’t many games suitable for three people to pass the time anyway. Actually, if Zhang Qiling joined in, they could even play mahjong, but Xiaoge spent the whole day either spacing out or disappearing, and Wu Xie and the others really didn’t have the heart to force him.
When the phone lines on the island were finally repaired, Wu Xie first called back to confirm whether his Third Uncle had really returned—only for the shop assistant in Wu Sansheng’s shop to hem and haw for a long time before saying that Wu Sansheng had never returned at all, and the shop’s affairs were all being handled by them on their own.
This made Wu Xie anxious. They had analyzed everything fiercely like tigers before, all convinced that Wu Sansheng had cleverly seen through the schemer’s plot and escaped ahead of time. But if Wu Sansheng had returned first, he should at least have gone to check on his shop—that shop of his Third Uncle’s was no joke, a place that made three years’ profit in three months, unlike his own, which after three years open had barely made three months’ worth.
So Wu Xie hung up and started contacting everyone related to Wu Sansheng, from great-aunts and uncles to even his dad, but the responses were all the same: no. Thinking about it, he wasn’t willing to give up. He hadn’t seen his Third Uncle at the sacrificial pit before, which meant his Third Uncle was definitely still alive—at least not schemed against by this group. So where could he be now?
At this moment, Lin Yan’s words reminded him: “Maybe your Third Uncle isn’t coming out because the schemer behind the scenes hasn’t been exposed yet, and he’s still in danger, so he can’t let others know? Why don’t you ask your Second Uncle? Maybe he knows something.”
To be honest, before seeing that cave replicating the underwater tomb, Lin Yan had thought Wu Sansheng might be hiding in the shadows scheming, but after seeing that massive and bloody sacrificial pit, he wasn’t so sure anymore. What if Wu Sansheng had slipped up and been taken out? What the hell would they do next?
The only thing they knew now was that this force was either one not mentioned in the original story or one of the later factions making an early move. Either way, it was something he didn’t know about, so it might as well be more direct to ask the Wu Family’s head—Wu Sansheng couldn’t jump over his second brother no matter what, right? If he really kept nothing from Wu Er Bai, he might get his legs broken by Wu Er Bai when he got back!
Wu Xie suddenly realized upon hearing this. He’d asked everyone in a circle and somehow missed his Second Uncle! This wasn’t his fault—Wu Er Bai’s image in his mind was too imposing; he was the current head of the Wu Family! Plus, Wu Er Bai had always disapproved of him getting involved in these things, so whenever something happened, his first instinct was to remove Wu Er Bai from the list of people to ask for help. He’d seen Wu Er Bai hang Wu Sansheng up and whip him before. Now with his Third Uncle missing, what if his Second Uncle wanted to hang him up and whip him too? If his grandfather were around, he could talk him down or crack jokes to muddle through, but his grandfather really wasn’t there now!
After a series of difficult mental struggles—which really only lasted a few seconds—his worry for Wu Sansheng won out. Wu Xie took a deep breath, sorted his thoughts, had Lin Yan sit beside him for backup, found the spot with the best signal, and dialed Wu Er Bai’s number.
“Hello, Second Uncle?”
“Is that Little Xie? Where are you calling from?” Wu Er Bai on the other end waited a long time after the ringing before picking up, probably hesitating since it wasn’t a familiar number.
“Um, Second Uncle, I’m at sea right now.” Wu Xie glanced guiltily at Lin Yan, instinctively seeking help. Wu Er Bai’s tone was unhurried but carried a pressure that made him feel like Wu Er Bai was right in front of him.
Lin Yan raised his chin at him, his expression showing a hint of disdain: Weren’t you supposed to say it? This is your Third Uncle’s mess—why are you feeling guilty? If your Second Uncle’s going to make trouble, it’ll be for your Third Uncle, not you.
Wu Xie: Damn, that makes sense! Best if Second Uncle gives Third Uncle a good beating when he gets home, to stop him running around wildly! Damn it, this one run of his almost got not just himself but his nephew in trouble too—is there no justice? Beat him, must beat him hard!
With that in mind, Wu Xie stopped feeling guilty: “Second Uncle, has Third Uncle contacted you these past few days?”
Wu Er Bai paused: “No, he never contacts me much unless he needs something from me. What’s up? What trouble has he stirred up this time?”
It had to be said, Wu Er Bai really understood Wu Sansheng—this was a whole pile of trouble!
“Second Uncle, Third Uncle’s missing! Here’s what happened…” Wu Xie instinctively skipped over some eerie details, like the snake-browed bronze fish and sea monkey, but explained everything else in detail: the causes, the sequence of events, and their analysis, all to Wu Er Bai.
“Mm.” A muffled tapping sound came from the phone. Wu Xie knew his Second Uncle was subconsciously tapping the table again. Usually at times like this, Wu Er Bai was thinking hard, so he held his breath instinctively, afraid to disturb his thoughts.
“It’s fine, let him be.”
After a long pause, Wu Er Bai’s calm voice came through the phone. Wu Xie widened his eyes: “Huh? No need to look for him?”
Wu Er Bai chuckled lightly: “Your Third Uncle’s always been sharp. No news from him means he’s hidden himself. Since he hasn’t asked the family for help, it means he’s confident he can solve this one—no need to worry too much. If we go looking, we’ll just disrupt his plans. He’ll show up once he’s set everything up. By the way…”
Wu Er Bai fell silent for a moment, then said to Wu Xie word by word: “If he comes back, he definitely won’t contact me. If you hear from him then, remember to tell him the matter’s over and to come to the teahouse… Heh, his guts have gotten really big now, even daring to use his nephew… I’ve told him over and over not to let you get involved in these things, but he treats it like wind past his ears. Looks like I need to settle accounts with him properly this time.”
Hearing his Third Uncle’s calm tone, Wu Xie couldn’t help shivering and silently mourned for Wu Sansheng for three seconds. Who knew the next sentence would drag him in too.
“Also, Little Xie… When you get back this time, I hope to see you staying obediently at Wu Shan Ju. At least, you should show some results by now, right? You’ve been out tempering yourself for a year; you should have some gains.”
Hearing this, Wu Xie’s hair stood on end all over his body. He could tell Wu Er Bai wasn’t joking, meaning his getting involved in these things over the past one or two months had displeased his Second Uncle. Fortunately, his Second Uncle had always doted on him, so it was just about making him settle down as an antique shop boss.
Actually, even without his Second Uncle saying it, Wu Xie didn’t plan to get involved in these matters anymore. His Third Uncle seemed to have other arrangements and didn’t need worrying about. When he got back, he could “wash his hands in gold” and be a normal person—no more living rough in ancient tombs fighting monsters with wits and brawn. That sounded pretty good.
He signaled to Lin Yan with his eyes that it was fine, chatted a bit, and hung up. Only after hanging up did he remember he hadn’t told his Second Uncle about Zhang Qiling! If Fatty’s skills were traceable, Zhang Qiling was like a mist—his origins and abilities both mysteriously lethal, the whole person like he was cheating. But thinking about it, since he didn’t plan to stay in this line after, it was just curiosity, not needing a result. Whatever.
Speaking of Wu Shan Ju, Wu Xie thought of his diligent shop assistant who loafed around in the shop every day. Maybe give Wang Meng a raise?
Sorry, comrades. These past few days I’ve stayed up too late for various reasons. Yesterday I accidentally fell asleep and forgot to set the timer. When I got up, the previous chapters were still in drafts. Three updates coming now; today’s two will be a bit late.
