zled as to why Xiao Yu had yet to prompt them to light the second drawing despite the first one being reduced to ashes.Xiao Yu opened his Yin-Yang eyes and watched several piles of ashes. Suddenly, a...Chapter 410: Departure

Therefore, under duress, Wan Hongguang demonstrated his formidable strength from the side. He believed that if these people's thoughts were sound, they would definitely stand firmly by him.

Xiao Yu returned home on a bus with his companions. After getting off the vehicle, Xiao Yu went shopping. With so many elderly guests visiting them at once, it wasn't realistic to cook anything else; hence, Xiao Yu decided to make a pot of hearty stew.

The hearty stew that Xiao Yu made was something these elders had never tasted before. These guards had occasionally been treated with such stews by Xiao Yu's grandfather in the past, but since they couldn’t eat it regularly, and especially not after Xiao Yu’s grandfather passed away, they hadn't eaten it again.

Xiao Yu originally wanted to take the pulses of these guards to check for any hidden injuries in their meridians. After all, they had guarded his family for so many years. However, when he was about to speak, he remembered that with his grandfather around, how could anything be wrong with these guards' meridians Thus, he gave up the idea.

When Xiao Yu's hearty stew was ready, these elders couldn't help but swallow saliva at its strong aroma. Especially for these guards who hadn’t eaten it in years, their excitement knew no bounds upon seeing the pot of stew. Old Master Song and Mr. Li were better off since they often ate what Li Suijun made and had built up a certain immunity.

"Ah, Second Brother has reached such a divine level with his knowledge of medicine! Adding a highly toxic herb like death-cola grass didn't leave any poison behind but instead made the fragrance even more intense!" After tasting Xiao Yu's hearty stew, Li Suijun commented with admiration.

When Old Master Song’s birthday was approaching, Zhang Dahai had mentioned his intention to have Xiao Yu make a hearty stew to Mr. Li. Li Suijun also agreed with this idea initially, but when Zhang Dahai heard about Xiao Yu's method of making the stew, he knew it wouldn't pass inspection and thus didn’t put it into practice.

Upon returning home, Zhang Dahai told Li Suijun that no one dared to take the risk since they would be cooking for a national-level event with top-tier officials attending. This could only be blamed on their bad luck for not being able to enjoy such delicious food; Second Brother’s creations were so trusted that even if he offered them arsenic, they’d still eat it.

Upon hearing Li Suijun's words, these elders and the guards of Xiao Yu's grandfather didn't hesitate at all. They kept their heads down and focused solely on eating the hearty stew, afraid that stopping would mean missing out on a bite.

Lǐ Suíjūn saw that these people were not influenced by his words and couldn't help shaking his head as he started eating.

Xiao Yu ate quickly and soon finished. After putting down his chopsticks, he looked at the elderly men who were still eating and said, "Elders, you should eat this communal dish often. Not only should you eat it yourself, but also make sure your descendants practicing internal martial arts eat it too! This communal dish can treat hidden injuries in the meridians!"

"Huh" Upon hearing Xiao Yu's words, these elderly men lifted their heads and looked at him in shock. Even Lǎo Lǐ was staring at him in disbelief.

They were unaware of the communal dish’s ability to treat hidden injuries in the meridians; they had only thought it possessed the effects of tonifying the fundamental organs and strengthening the body. They never expected there to be such an effect.

"Of course, if you want to treat hidden injuries in the meridians, you need to eat this dish every few days. It will take about a year or two for its benefits to show!" Seeing that these elders were looking at him, Xiao Yu nodded and said to them.

"Uncle Tián Chōng has a prescription. Afterwards, the elders can get the medicine based on this prescription as well! Practitioners of internal martial arts generally have hidden injuries in their meridians!" Thinking for a moment, he added, then turned to address Xiao Yu's grandfather’s guards: "Grandpa Wáng, I'll give you all a prescription later. If there are descendants practicing internal martial arts at home, they should also eat this medicine for some time."

"Haha, we don't need it. Back in the day, Commander-in-Chief gave us a prescription and told us to take these medicines every few years with our descendants!" The elderly man who had been sweeping the cemetery chuckled upon hearing Xiao Yu's words.

More than twenty years ago when they moved to the ancient city, Lǎo Xiāo too gave them this communal dish along with a prescription. He had informed them that any descendant practicing internal martial arts should take these medicines every few years.

Hearing Xiao Yu's words, Lǐ Suíjūn and the others nodded; they never knew about this before. When Xiao Yu’s grandfather handed over the communal dish to them back then, he did not mention such things. If it weren’t for how delicious the dish was, they would not have gone out of their way to eat it frequently.

"Xiaoyu, are there no issues with our meridians" At this moment, an elderly man asked Xiao Yu.

"Haha, all elders here don't have any problems. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to live till such an age or achieve such a high level of strength!" replied Xiao Yu to the elder.

After saying that, Xiao Yu explained to these elders the impact of having latent injuries in meridians on one's lifespan and strength. Among these elderly gentlemen, most had broken through to the level of Hua Jin, and if their meridians were injured internally, it would be impossible for them to further break through.In such a situation, when attempting to breakthrough, the intense force during the process could tear apart the already damaged meridians; surviving under such circumstances would purely rely on luck.After finishing dinner, they took some time to rest before leaving Xiao Yu's home. They had to return to Beijing as it wasn't advisable for them to stay away from the capital for too long. Furthermore, this place was very close to Beijing, making visits at any time convenient.Before leaving, Song Hushan asked for the names and phone numbers of these old gentlemen’s guards' children from their hands.He wanted these phone numbers mainly considering Wan Hongguang; knowing that Wan Hongguang would have a long-term conflict with the newly appointed mayor, and not wanting to interfere in such matters, he could only offer some indirect assistance to Wan Hongguang.These guards’ children were rich in grassroots work experience. Over the years, most of them had become officials at the division level; if it weren't for their fathers constantly blocking their promotions each time they advanced, it wouldn’t be impossible for them to achieve the rank of full department or deputy bureau chief.Moreover, their foundation was solid in grassroots levels; although these men hadn’t been promoted recently, they still gained a lot of honors and positive evaluations. All these were capital for future opportunities.Besides, given that there was this connection between these guards and Song Hushan’s group, using them would be reassuring. Plus, the families of these old gentlemen's guards had made many sacrifices for the Xiao family, turning down numerous promotion chances; now that the Xiao family has emerged into the spotlight, it is a good time to compensate them.The bodyguards of these old gentlemen naturally understood Song Hushan’s intentions and planned to convene their relatives after returning home. They would inform them about their deep connections with Wan Hongguang.These people were seasoned in political circles. Although they worked at grassroots levels, the competition there was no less fierce than at higher levels, sometimes even bloodier; therefore, once given a hint of what is needed, they knew exactly how to proceed.Before leaving, Old Grandpa Song and Li Su Jun handed Xiao Yu a key. It was the key to a quadrangle courtyard near Beijing’s Imperial City Wall, which was allocated to Old Grandpa Xiao during the early years after liberation.

Although the Elder Mr. Xiao later resigned and left, this residence was kept by the Elder Mr. Song and Li Su Jun, among others. Now that Xiao Yu has inherited the tattoos from the Elder Mr. Xiao, it makes sense to hand over this mansion to him.

After these people left, peace returned to Xiao Yu's home. He hadn't seen his mother and sister for a long time, so they shut down their clinic and happily chatted inside.

Xiao Yu planned to visit Yun Xi's house the next day, so she didn't leave Xiao's family after all. She stayed there instead. Xiao Jian Ying also strongly supported this idea; since they had confirmed their romantic relationship, it was appropriate for them to pay a visit to Yun Xi’s home.

After setting up the visiting time, Yun Xi called her parents who were overjoyed upon hearing about it.

A few weeks ago when Yun Xi returned from the deep sea, her parents had been asking about Xiao Yu's house—how big it was, whether it was a full payment or loan-purchased. Though Yun Xi didn't care much herself, her elders were different.

They cared more about practical matters. After all, who wouldn’t want their daughter to live well and have worry-free material life This sentiment is unique to Chinese elders; one could call it the "marriage house complex."

When Yun Xi couldn't endure her family’s persistent inquiries and told them about Xiao Yu's home, they didn’t believe it at first but became ecstatic after confirming. They would never live there themselves anyway, only happy for their daughter because she found a good match.

It is undeniable that many elders in the country consider having one's own house an important criterion when their daughters find husbands to marry.

They don't mind if your house is small but you must have your own home. In the minds of the elders, only with a house do people truly have a family; without it, they feel like their children are rootless drifters who will suffer much in life.

This isn’t about whether the elders are gold-diggers or not; rather, it’s an instinctive hope that their children can establish their own home and settle down properly.

So when Yun Xi's parents learned that Xiao Yu’s house was a villa, they were beyond excited. They even planned to set a wedding date for the New Year, naturally making them very happy. also a hint of reluctance. However, they had experienced countless storms and hardships. Even though they were reluctant, it quickly faded away.All of them had heard Li Sujun talk about Xiao Yu's dec...