Visiting Grandma

The interaction between Xiwang and his father had been a brief one. It was indifferent and insipid. But, the three guests were not that surprised because they all understood the nature of the relationship between this father and son pair. Without commenting on what had just transpired, Zhu Guanyu saw his guests off politely and the matter ended like that.

For his part, Zhu Guanyu was more relieved than angry when he saw Xiwang's indifference. He was glad that his eldest son seemed to be doing well, but that was all he felt. He did no really know how to face Xiwang so he preferred that they interacted as little as possible. After so many years of ignoring his existence, it was impossible for him to suddenly act like a father towards his eldest son. He had always been indifferent towards this eldest son of his. So, it was only natural that his eldest son felt neither love nor respect for him. Zhu Guanyu accepted that fact and did not really want to change it either.

Zhu Guanyu also knew that as long as his wife and his other children were around, Xiwang would never really be able to fit into the family. It was obvious seeing as how they basically tortured him for ten years when he was a child. Xiwang would get neither love nor support from the Zhu family. So, it was good if he could just ignore the family himself and not expect anything from them. Zhu Guanyu felt that mutual indifference was the best form of relationship for them. It was better than hating each other, at least.

---

The three guests parted ways after exiting the mansion. There was a luxurious limousine waiting for Long Min by the time he exited the gates. He went inside flanked by guards. The limo then drove off as Long Min lit a cigar and started smoking.

Beside him sat a bespectacled young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. This young man was from the Long clan's Intelligence Wing and had been tasked to act as liaison between Long Min and the Intelligence Wing. Long Min turned to him and said, "Long Tau, how much do we know about the Zhu bastard?"

Long Tau answered respectfully, "If you are talking about Zhu Xiwang, then not a lot. He was classified as 'Insignificant' by the Intelligence Wing and we stopped keeping tabs on him. At this point, all we know is that Zhu Xiwang was hated and mistreated by the other Zhus. He had no power in the family. He was chased out of the house thirteen years ago and he went to France. I'll look deeper into what he has been up to, sir."

Long Min took a deep puff from his cigar and said, "You do that. Perhaps we can use this famous bastard of the Zhu family in our future plans."

---

After entering the mansion, Xiwang made his way to the Ancestral Hall. The Ancestral Hall was the place where the Zhu family honored and worshipped their ancestors. It was a huge room with hundreds of little tablets that contained the names of different ancestors. On his way there, he met a few servants and guards but they did not react at all when he went past them. It was as if they could not detect his presence at all. There were two guards stationed outside the door of the Ancestral Hall. As before, Xiwang simply walked past them like a phantom and entered the hall quietly. In truth, he had masked his presence and the two men were not able to see him at all. The man renowned as the ultimate assassin was that skilled and fearsome. He could be utterly invisible when he wanted to be.

Xiwang found Zhu Guoming's tablet and made his way towards it. On his way here, he had wondered how he would react when he saw his grandfather's tablet. Perhaps he would be seized by a sudden fit of anger and start smashing things when he saw the memorial tablet of the man who had caused him much grief and suffering in the past. But, standing there he found that he felt nothing but indifference. He felt neither happiness nor sorrow. Zhu Guoming was nothing but a stranger to him. His death did not affect him in any way.

Adhering to the custom, Xiwang lit some joss sticks and kowtowed to his grandfather. He did not stay a second longer once the formality was completed and immediately left for his grandmother's quarters.

While he was walking, Xiwang recalled the past and eventually thought of his mother's grief. He did not really hate his father but he hated the fact that he had abandoned his mother. His mother had loved his father till her death but the man had been a source of great pain for her.

A sudden fir of rage seized him and he had the impulse to go and beat up Zhu Guanyu. The myriad methods of torture that he had learned over the years came to his mind one by one. 'Can't really kill the man. Perhaps I should give him a taste of the 'Ten Bites of Hell', or maybe the 'The Hundred Dancing Needles', or maybe 'The Devil's Ensemble' would suit him more. On second thought..Nah! Mother would not like that.' Luckily for Zhu Guanyu, Xiwang was able to stop himself before he acted out his impulse.

In the past, Xiwang had had thoughts about punishing the Zhu family for slighting his mother. After he adopted the path of an assassin, Xiwang had seriously thought about eliminating the Zhu family. But, his mother's last words held him back and he abandoned any thoughts of revenge in the end. His mother had asked him not to hate his father.

Also, he knew that his mother was a gentle and peace-loving woman and would not want him to massacre the Zhu family. He did not want to dishonor her memory by unleashing a bloodbath on the family of the man she had loved until her death. It was fortunate for the Zhu clan that Florence was such an amiable woman. If she had asked Xiwang to take revenge for her then the wrath of the ultimate assassin would have fallen on the Zhu clan. In that case, there is no doubt that there would be no more Zhu clan today.

The courtyard of Xiwang's grandmother was situated next to the patriarch's courtyard. It was spacious and had its own garden with different kinds of flowers and flowering trees. Zhang Xinya loved to spend time in that garden and Xiwang would often accompany her there. Xiwang knew that at this time of day his grandmother was most likely be in the garden so he made his way there directly.

When he got to the garden, he saw his grandmother sitting down on an old, cushioned rattan chair and attended by two maidservants. The kindly old woman that he knew had gotten even older and her hair had turned white completely. There were more wrinkles on her face and she looked a little tired. But, she still looked refined and dignified. In his memory his grandmother had never been snobbish and she was always the perfect example of a classy lady. Xiwang just stood there observing the old woman from a distance and a smile involuntarily formed on his handsome face.

After a while, he called out to her, "Grandma, I'm back." The old woman turned her head slowly and saw a handsome young man approaching her. For a moment she did not recognize him. But, as he got closer recognition suddenly dawned on her. She exclaimed in surprise, "Little Xi?! Is that really Little Xi?" Xiwang smiled at her gently and took her wrinkled hands in his own strong ones. Grasping her hands he said softly, "Yes, grandma. It's Little Xi. I'm finally back."

Zhang Xinya's eyes suddenly turned moist. She looked at her grandson carefully and felt very happy to finally see him again after such a long time. She took his face in her wrinkled hands and caressed him gently. "Little Xi! Little Xi! It's really you. You're finally back. Good! Good! Good!" She observed him more carefully and continued happily, "You've grown into such a tall and handsome young man. It's really good that you're healthy and well."

She turned to the two maidservants and instructed, "Juan-er, Ke-er, come serve my grandson some tea. Then, you can go and do other things for a while. I wish to catch-up with my grandson and chat with him alone." "Yes, old madam." The two maidservants did as they were instructed, bowed respectfully and left the garden.

"Little Xi, there's plenty of tea and snacks here. Make sure you eat your fill."

Xiwang smiled and helped himself to the tea and snacks. He looked at his grandmother that was smiling at him happily and said, "Grandma, are you doing well? How's your health these day?"

"I'm as well as I can be at this age, I suppose. Little Xi, I won't lie to you. Grandma has been felling very tired lately. As you know, I'm seventy-five years old this year. The old man has already left before me and I, too, won't be long for this world. That's why I'm so happy that I could see you again before I move on. But, enough about this old woman. Tell grandma about yourself. What have you been up to all these years?"

"Well, I've been travelling a lot and have visited many places. I even went to see mom's family. They're really nice folks. When I left that year, I met a very brilliant man who helped me a lot. With his help, I was able to find work and meet a lot of interesting people. He passed away later but we became good friends and were very close until the end. After my friend died, I started a small..er..business, and it has been doing quite well. Basically, I'm living very well these days. I occasionally travel for work. Most of the time, though, I'm just eating good food and having fun."

"I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. It's really a shame, what happened to your mother. And the way the family has treated you is really unfair. Little Xi, grandma is really sorry. You're such a good boy but grandma has not been able to help you with anything. I'm really sorry."

"It's fine grandma. None of it was your fault. You don't have to worry about it. As I said, I'm doing quite well now. I think mom will be happy now that I've come this far."

"You're such a good boy, Little Xi. Not like Guanyu's other boys. *sigh* They're too much like their grandfather. Anyway, you said you started a business? That's really good. What kind of work do you do exactly?"

"Well…er…I guess you could say I'm in the..er..cleaning business. I help people to clean some mess up or take care of the trash every now and then. It pays quite well and I get to travel around a lot."

Zhang Xinya didn't understand what Xiwang really meant when he said 'cleaning'. She thought that Xiwang was literally in the cleaning business, having to work with grime and dirt. She imagined him cleaning filth up for people and performing menial tasks like sweeping, cleaning toilets etc.

She was happy that he could start his own business but she felt really sorry for her grandson for having to perform such hard, manual labor. She said, "Little Xi, it must be tiring working like that. The family operates a lot of businesses. Why don't you just sell your business and work for the family instead. I'll ask Guanyu to arrange an executive position for you. I'm sure.."

"Haha..Grandma, don't worry about it. It's really not that tiring and I told you the pay is really good. It's okay. You don't have to be concerned." Xiwang was amused because his grandmother had taken his words literally. He understood her thoughts and he appreciated the fact that she cared about him. But, if she knew just how much money he made in a year, she might just die from the shock. He felt bad about lying to her but he could not exactly say 'Grandma, I'm an assassin. A super good one'. So, he decided to change the topic.

"Grandma, I actually have a lot of friends who work in the health industry. This time, I brought back a good medicine for you." He opened his bag and took out a jade box. Inside, there was a black capsule. He gave the capsule to his grandmother and said, "Grandma, this is the latest life-extension medicine. Eat it and it will help you live for another twenty years."

Zhang Xinya was surprised. "Life-extension medicine? Like the ones sold by Raven Pharmaceuticals? But, those medicines are really hard to get. And they usually come in red capsules. Why is this one black?"

"That's because this one is special. I asked my friends at Raven Pharmaceuticals to specifically make a better version of their standard life-extension medicine for you. This one works better than the red ones. Trust me, grandma. It will be good for you. You should take it now." He was not lying.

Raven Pharmaceuticals was conducting cutting-edge research into cellular stimulation, manipulation, revitalization and regeneration. Their standard life-extension capsules could extend one's life up to three years. There were more expensive ones that could help one to live up to ten years longer, which were reserved for VVIP clients. But, the one that Xiwang had brought for his grandmother was unique and could really extend a person's life-span by twenty years. If it were to be placed in the market, it would be priceless.

The medicine worked at a cellular level and revitalized the old and dying cells. In essence, the person actually became younger. It was not made to cure diseases but was strictly a medicine for cellular revitalization. In other words, old people could become younger under normal circumstances. But, it could not cure diseases that specifically cause cellular deterioration. For that, a modified version of the medicine was needed.

Zhang Xinya found the whole thing to be unbelievable. But, she trusted her grandson, so she directly took the medicine. After some time, she felt her strength returning to her. She actually felt many years younger. Her looks also changed visibly-her hair became darker and she began to look younger, like she did in her sixties.

Xiwang took out a mirror and showed his grandmother her own reflection. He smiled and said, "See? I told you it works, grandma. The medicine is still taking effect. As your body absorbs all of the medicine it will help your body to revert back to how it was twenty years ago. The whole thing should take about a month or so. Just relax and let the changes happen."

"This is amazing, Little Xi. You brought your grandma such a great gift. Thank you. It must have been very expensive."

"Haha..Not really. Don't look so concerned, grandma. The medicine did not cost me a single cent. I told you that I met a lot of interesting people in my travels. I've made some very reliable friends. It was my friends at Raven Pharmaceuticals that made it for me and they did not charge me anything for it."

"Really? That's good, then. You really seem to be doing well. I'm happy for you. Grandma is happy to have such a good grandson."

Xiwang just smiled. "But, grandma, this medicine is a secret between us. So, don't tell anyone else about it. Ok? If anyone asks, just say that I helped you to buy one of those special red capsules."

"Okay."

"By the way, grandma, how is aunty Ying doing these days? Is uncle Gong's business doing well?"

Zhang Xinya's happy expression suddenly froze and slowly changed to one of great sadness. "Your aunty Ying passed away five years ago."

"What?!! Aunty Ying is dead?!"

"It's true. Ying-er died in an accident five years ago. She was hit by a car on her way home from her shopping. The driver didn't even stop when he hit her and just sped away. When the Police started investigating, they found the car abandoned on the road. It turned out that the car had been stolen earlier and the owner even filed a report. The culprit was never caught. *sigh* Such a sad fate. You know, Ying-er was always my favorite among my children. After Ying-er passed away, you uncle Gong's business didn't do so well. He ran into a lot of problems and eventually went bankrupt. I asked you grandfather to help poor Ying-er's family but you know how he was. The family did not lift a single finger to help. It made me really angry but there was nothing I could do. After my clan declined, I don't really have any power in the family. *sigh* Your uncle Gong started a small gaming company after he sold his old company. Luckily Little Hai was able to get a scholarship and stay in his old school. They moved and are now living on Pingan Street. Here's the address. You should go visit them."

"I will, grandma. I had planned to go visit aunty Ying later anyway." Xiwang had a thoughtful look on his face as he contemplated on the story that he just heard from his grandmother. 'A hit-and-run, eh! The culprit was never caught and uncle Gong's business started declining after that. I detect a hint of some mischief here. Messing with my aunt and her family? You must be tired of living!!'

Xiwang's expression suddenly turned cold. The air around him suddenly became chilly as his monstrous killer's aura seeped out uncontrollably. Detecting the chill in the air, Zhang Xinya called out to Xiwang in a concerned tone, "Little Xi, are you alright? What happened?"

Xiwang suddenly realized that he was currently with his grandmother so he quickly suppressed his aura. He smiled at his grandmother and said' "It's nothing, grandma. I just added something else on my list of things to do while I'm here. It's starting to get late and you need to rest. I think it's time for me to go."

"You want to go already? Little Xi, this is your home. You should stay here. Don't look for somewhere else to stay."

Xiwang just smiled and said lightly, "Grandma, we both know that except for you, nobody in this family wants me to stick around. Don't worry. Beijing used to be my home, remember? And I have a lot of money now. I can find a good place to stay outside. Here's my number. Call me if you ever need anything. I'll come again when I get the chance."

Zhang Xinya knew that Xiwang was right. She did not like it but the fact was that he could not stay in this mansion. She hated herself for being so powerless. She looked at him sadly and said, "Little Xi, you're all grown up now and you can take care of yourself so grandma is relieved. Go find a place to settle in first then come and visit me often."

Xiwang smiled at her and said, "I will, grandma. I have a lot of things to take care of so I might not be able to come too often. Take good care of yourself and wait for my next visit. I also plan to go and visit the Zhang clan later."

Zhang Xinya was very pleased to hear that. "Yes, you should definitely go and do that. The Zhang clan is also your family, you know. My brother's the current patriarch and he's a good man. I think you'll like him. I'll call him later and tell him you're coming. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you since you got here. Why has the color of your eyes changed like that? It's not because of some illness, is it? You used to have black eyes."

"Haha..It's a long story, grandma. But, don't worry, it's actually something good. I'll tell you more about it later. I'm leaving now. Don't see me out. Just go in and rest, and remember to take care of yourself. I'll come again later."

Xiwang gave his grandmother a hug and then walked off. Watching him leave, Zhang Xinya felt a little sad. She was mad at the Zhu family for treating him so badly. But, she was also relieved and happy because she knew that her beloved grandson had grown into an excellent man.