ion the female ghost.The original purpose of this exorcism talisman was just to drive out a ghost without attacking it, but Xiao Yu didn’t know why, but the talisman almost caused the female ghost’s s...Chapter 370: Staying in the Outer Hall

Zhang Dahai was also puzzled. He knew some of the rules here, so he naturally turned his gaze toward Xiao Yu.

"Third Brother, if you have anything on you, hand it over to them first!" Zhang Dahai said to Xiao Yu as he looked at him.

Xiao Yu had always carried a deadly dagger with him. This dagger was a legacy left by his maternal grandfather; naturally, he wouldn't entrust it to anyone else for safekeeping, so when he heard Zhang Dahai's words, he lowered his head in deep thought.

"Big Brother, what will happen if I don't hand it over" After a moment, Xiao Yu raised his head and asked Zhang Dahai.

"That’s not much of an issue. You just won’t be allowed into the Inner Hall; you’ll have to stay in the Outer Hall instead!..." Zhang Dahai explained to Xiao Yu.

Only after hearing Zhang Dahai's explanation did Xiao Yu understand. People who could come here were all from their respective families, so there was no need to worry about outsiders sneaking in. Even if someone brought something with them, it wouldn't matter much. However, due to the identity of those in the Inner Hall, they weren’t permitted to bring weapons or items inside.

Those who could enter the Inner Hall didn't undergo checks for each person; there was a special passage leading into the Inner Hall, and now everyone entering it did so through that passage. Therefore, even if someone brought weapons with them, it wouldn't be an issue because those entering the Inner Hall often had guns on them.

However, this wasn’t the case for people coming from the Outer Hall to the Inner Hall. People from the Outer Hall who entered the Inner Hall didn't meet the qualifications to go in directly and thus were subject to stricter checks. Originally, Xiao Yu and his group could have gone straight through that door without any problems, but going there required walking a considerable distance further. That’s why Zhang Dahai brought Xiao Yu in through this door.

He hadn’t expected that Xiao Yu had weapons on him right away; it would be awkward to take Xiao Yu to that other entrance now.

"Haha, Big Brother, I'll stay outside then. Please inform Uncle Song and have Yunxi deliver the gifts I brought for Grandpa Song when you come back. That’ll suffice as our courtesy!"

When he heard Zhang Dahai’s words, Xiao Yu chuckled and said to him.

"Third Brother, you..."

"Big brother, no more talk. In short, I won't hand the items over to them for safekeeping!"

Zhang Dahan was just about to speak when Xiao Yu interrupted.

"Sigh..." Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, Zhang Dahan knew his temper and thus did not try to persuade him anymore. He merely sighed and walked in first.

Right now, Zhang Dahan secretly regretted it. If he had known the outcome, taking a few extra steps from that other door would have been better. In order to take a shortcut, he led Xiao Yu through this entrance; now knowing Xiao Yu was carrying something, going back there wouldn’t look good.

If they had initially entered from the other door, even if Xiao Yu had weapons on him, no one else would know about it and thus wouldn't mind letting them in.

Since the inner hall is where state leaders sit, now that they knew Xiao Yu was carrying something, entering through that door would make those leaders think. Hence, Zhang Dahan couldn’t directly lead Xiao Yu through that entrance either; he could only secretly regret taking a shortcut earlier.

The alarm sound from before had been heard by everyone in the inner and outer halls. The people in the inner hall paused for a moment but then ignored it, while those in the outer hall all looked at Xiao Yu.

Among these people in the outer hall, those who were jealous of Xiao Yu moments ago now wore smug grins as they watched him.

"Doctor Xiao, come sit here!"

Zhou Tao saw that Xiao Yu didn’t enter and guessed what might have happened. Although he wasn't sure why Xiao Yu refused to hand over his belongings, from the bottom of his heart, Zhou Tao respected Xiao Yu a lot.

Who was in there The entire power core of Beijing resided within, and even a minister could only sit at the end of the line. It showed how high-level this gathering was.

Song’s hundredth birthday party being on such a scale wasn’t simple either; judging from the size of the celebration for Song's birthday, one could imagine what sort of person he was back then.

Although Song had retired long ago, his influence in the military and within the Party remained enormous. Not to mention...

In this situation, Xiao Yu had no lingering desire to enter the inner hall, indicating that his heart was free of desires. Only when one has nothing to cling to can they remain firm and upright. No wonder Xiao Yu, despite being a commoner, could interact with powerful figures on an equal footing, even within their own households. This is what Zhong Tao thought as he saw Xiao Yu standing outside the entrance of the inner hall without entering.

Upon hearing Zhong Tao's call, Xiao Yu walked over with a slight smile on his face. As soon as he approached, a young man who had attended Xiao Yu’s Wansheng Hall inauguration ceremony moved a chair for him. The young man was particularly attentive towards Xiao Yu at this moment.

Theoretically, these spoiled sons of officials were known to look down upon others and not bow to anyone's authority. How could they then show such respect simply because Xiao Yu knew Song Hushan and Zhang Dahuai

There are a few reasons for this: firstly, Song Hushan and his group not only had formidable power but were also idols among the spoiled sons; secondly, it was due to Zhong Tao. Since Zhong Tao showed such respect towards Xiao Yu, they naturally followed suit.

Their families formed an alliance led by the Zhongs. As long as this alliance remained intact, they would show utmost respect to Zhong Tao regardless of their true feelings; appearance mattered more than anything else.

While Xiao Yu was chatting with Zhong Tao, Song Hushan and Zhang Dahuai emerged from the inner hall.

"Xiao Yu, what's going on Just leave your things here. When you come back out later, they'll be returned to you in one piece!" Upon approaching Xiao Yu, Song Hushan said.

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He was standing at the door welcoming guests when Zhang Dahuai came in and explained the situation to him. Hearing this, he hurried over, thinking that it wouldn't hurt for someone else to keep an item for a while.

"Uncle Song, these are my late grandfather's belongings. I won’t bring them out if I don’t have to; but once I do, they never leave my side!" Xiao Yu shook his head upon hearing Song Hushan’s words.

It wasn't that he couldn't part with the items belonging to his late grandfather, but this dagger was too special—it was a truly ominous weapon. He wouldn’t dare let it out of his sight because someone might covet such a rare blade in a gathering of so many people.

Hearing Xiao Yu’s words, Song Hushan paused for a moment—he didn't expect Xiao Yu to be so stubborn. However, he couldn’t say much since he hadn’t informed Xiao Yu beforehand and it was his family's patriarch who had invited him.

"Alright then, rest here for now; I'll come find you when Old Patriarch arrives!" After saying this, Song Hushan and Zhang Dahuai went back to the inner hall. Song Hushan still needed to welcome guests, while Zhang Dahuai's master was expected to arrive soon, so they had no choice but to return.

As time passed, Ye Fei and others came out of the inner hall to greet Xiao Yu and exchanged a few words before returning inside.

At this moment, Tian Chong, with a face full of scars and wearing military attire, walked out from the inner hall. Xiao Yu never asked Song Hushan about their occupation; he only guessed that Tian Chong was probably a soldier based on his appearance.

Xiao Yu hesitated when he saw Tian Chong's uniform. Major General! Tian Chong turned out to be a Major General, and at the age of forty but not yet fifty, such a position was incredibly rare in the country.

"Uncle Tian, why did you come over" When Xiao Yu noticed Tian Chong walking towards him, he stood up and said.

"Haha, Xiao Yu, I came to see you. You sit here first; after congratulating Old Grandpa Song on his birthday, I'll join you for a drink!" Hearing Xiao Yu's words, Tian Chong chuckled and replied.

Xiao Yu didn't mention his reluctance to let these soldiers take charge of things. If one were to be strict, over half of the people in the inner hall would not qualify, but none of them entered through this door; instead, they all came from another entrance. Only Xiao Yu and Zhang Dahan had come through here because they were busy in the kitchen.

There was no way around it. If Xiao Yu agreed to let these soldiers take charge of things, then Tian Chong could go inside without any issues; otherwise, everyone else in there belonged to the core group. Knowing that Xiao Yu had something on him, they would never allow him entry.

"Haha... Alright! Uncle Tian, don't hold back when we drink later!" Hearing Tian Chong's words, Xiao Yu laughed and said.

"Alright!" Tian Chong replied and headed towards the inner hall.

At this point, everyone in the living room looked at Xiao Yu with completely changed expressions. Only a few people knew Zhang Dahan because of his work as a waiter in the canteen; very few were aware of Zhang's identity due to their lack of qualifications.

Only a limited number of middle-aged and some young people knew Song Hushan and Ye Fei, even though these middle-aged individuals did not have the qualification to enter the inner hall. Those who didn't recognize them realized that they were significant figures upon seeing them come out of it.

Especially members of the Song family's collateral branches knew that Song Hushan was a core figure in three generations and that Old Grandpa Song had even considered directly appointing him as head of the clan instead of the second-generation offspring.

When Song Hushan and others came out, people could only guess about their identities. However, when Major General Tian Chong appeared wearing his uniform and spoke politely to Xiao Yu, it left everyone speechless. The visual impact of seeing something with one's own eyes versus just guessing was incomparable.

Those who had previously mocked Xiao Yu deeply lowered their heads; those familiar with the hawkish figure Tian Chong looked even more cautious when they saw Xiao Yu.as that after beating them up, those assailants returned arrogantly to their room to continue eating as if nothing happened, completely ignoring them, while neither the restaurant owner nor security s...