365: Chapter 359: Visiting 365: Chapter 359: Visiting The next day, early in the morning.
After absorbing the dawn light and finishing his daily cultivation routine, Chen Hai washed up.
Having had breakfast, he picked up the landline phone in the guest room and dialed the number for the room where Tian Mingjian, Bai Xiaohang, and the others were staying.
The phone rang several times, but no one answered.
It wasn’t just one person; all of his subordinates’ room phones were unresponsive.
Lifting his wrist, Chen Hai checked the time.
It was only eight or nine o’clock in the morning, not that late.
At this time, Tian Mingjian, Bai Xiaohang, and the others were all nowhere to be seen; Chen Hai had no idea where they had gone!
Of course, if Chen Hai really wanted to find them, he definitely had ways to do so.
But considering what he had tasked them with the night before—to find out about Miss Qingxia’s advertising gig—and that he didn’t currently need them for anything else,
he didn’t bother calling again when he couldn’t get through.
Picking up the TV remote, he turned on the television.
He wasn’t really interested in watching TV.
He had already relayed the news of Wang Dehui’s kidnapping through Chen Zhengcong to Gong Yuxin’s end.
Having sent a message once, there was no need to pester Gong Yuxin again and again—as that would make him seem too cheap, desperate to curry favor with those wealthy circles.
According to Chen Hai’s divination, if things progressed normally, Wang Dehui, the wealthy businessman, was doomed to die.
Telling Gong Yuxin through Chen Zhengcong was giving them a chance.
If Ms.
Gong didn’t believe in his abilities and considered his warning to be nothing but hot air, then there was nothing to be done; she could watch her husband, Wang Dehui, go to his death!
After all, Chen Hai wasn’t a savior; he had never even met Wang Dehui face-to-face.
Without substantial benefits, he had no obligation to save their lives.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death are a part of life.
Whether it be an unexpected or natural death, people were dying every moment in this world.
If Chen Hai had to save everyone in trouble, he wouldn’t be able to do anything else; even if he tried to save people all day, he couldn’t save them all.
“The kidnappers won’t call Gong Yuxin today.”
“Although I’ve relayed a message to her, she probably won’t seek my help until she’s certain her husband is in trouble and they’re at their wit’s end.”
“Staying in the hotel, I have nothing to do anyway; maybe, I should visit Brother Hou?”
This thought abruptly surfaced in Chen Hai’s mind.
Brother Hou, of course, was Hou Donggui.
Hou Donggui had helped Chen Hai a great deal on his path of cultivation, and Chen Hai had always kept this in mind.
Ever since they had met, every time Chen Hai had sought his help, he had unhesitatingly and efficiently done so.
After being crippled and unable to use any spells, Hou Donggui had been living in Xiangjiang.
Chen Hai realized that it had been nearly a year since he last saw him.
The last time was when Chen Hai got engaged, and Hou Donggui had visited him in Yang City.
The registration of Sea King Company was facilitated by him, and it was also during that visit when he introduced Qiu Dazhi to Chen Hai.
Since he was in Xiangjiang, Chen Hai felt that it was only right and proper for him to pay a visit to him.
Having made up his mind, he found Hou Donggui’s contact details and started dialing.
…
In a three-story small villa in Shallow Bay.
Lazily sitting in the living room on the first floor, Hou Donggui was holding a newspaper and browsing through it.
“Honey, accompany me out later to look at some baby products, our child should be born in a couple of months!” a rather pretty woman with a big belly said as she sat down beside Hou Donggui, wrapping his arm with hers.
Her name was Zhang Wen, Hou Donggui’s wife; they had been married for seven or eight months.
Years ago, when Hou Donggui’s legacy was intact and his powers had not been abolished, women who were with him ended up either dead or maimed after various accidents.
After experiencing these incidents several times and realizing the root cause lay within him, he dared not get emotionally involved with any woman for many years after that.
It’s often said that a misfortune may be a blessing in disguise!
Once his powers were completely stripped away and he could no longer use spells, truly becoming an ordinary person,
he found that the so-called ‘five calamities and three deficiencies’ of his Lu Ban lineage had little effect on him.
There is nothing more regrettable than not having descendants.
Once he was certain he could marry and have children, he hastily married Zhang Wen just a few days after defining their relationship, with a simple wedding certificate and a modest ceremony.
“Shall we head out to the streets right now?”
Putting down the newspaper, Hou Donggui smiled in response while leaning his head close to Zhang Wen’s belly and listened for a moment.
“The little one’s kicking me, is he eager to come out?” he joked with a laugh.
Having wandered the Jianghu for most of his life, he had never imagined he would have descendants.
But now, his wife stood before him with a swollen belly—the child already conceived.
The ineffable sense of bliss often made him doubt whether all of this was just a dream.
As for his wife, Zhang Wen, he loved her dearly, cherishing her in his heart, fearing she’d vanish into thin air.
“Mmm!” With a face of sweetness, Zhang Wen smiled and nodded: “You go change, and then we’ll head out!”
She quickly added another sentence, eyeing the pajamas Hou Donggui was wearing.
“Ding-a-ling…
Ding-a-ling…” Just as Hou Donggui got up to change, the landline telephone in the living room suddenly began to ring.
“Have a seat on the sofa, I’ll go answer the call!”
After giving a shout to Zhang Wen, Hou Donggui made his way to the phone and picked up the receiver.
“Chen Hai?
You rascal, have you come to Xiangjiang?”
“Come over to my place later, alright, I got it!”
…
In less than a minute, Hou Donggui had finished the call and hung up the phone.
“Wife, I promised to take you shopping, but I’m afraid we can’t go now!”
“A good friend of mine has come to Xiangjiang and he’ll be coming over soon.”
“It’s that Chen Hai I’ve mentioned to you before…”
Returning to sit by Zhang Wen, Hou Donggui looked apologetic as he explained.
“Chen Hai?
The one with immense divine skills, extremely powerful?”
Zhang Wen pouted with dissatisfaction and huffed softly.
Still, hearing the name Chen Hai, she was a bit curious and casually asked a question.
“Yes, that Chen Hai!”
“In the current era, with his abilities, he could easily be considered a land immortal!” Nodding his head, Hou Donggui said.
“Fine, if you’re too busy to go shopping with me, I’ll get a few friends together…
they can accompany me.”
After grumbling a bit, Zhang Wen stood up, grabbed her purse, and walked towards the living room exit.
“Wife, be careful, let me help you!” Hou Donggui stood up anxiously.
He supported her to the villa’s doorway, and only after a friend of Zhang Wen’s came to pick her up by car did he turn around to head back inside the villa.
He had barely sat down on the sofa when the nearby landline rang again.
“President Ma?
Hello, hello, isn’t the port in Shen City bustling with construction?
How come you have the time to come to Xiangjiang?”
“You’re already at my front door?
Did you call to see if I’m home?”
“Well, it’s no inconvenience.
My wife just stepped out; come on in…”
Hou Donggui had thought the caller was Chen Hai again.
However, the result was somewhat unexpected.
The caller was Ma Chengshu, the vice-director of a port construction in Shen City.
Hou Donggui was a bit of a soft touch, liking to foster good karma everywhere.
Over the past year, although he had lost his mana and become a mere mortal, he mostly kept to his quiet villa in Xiangjiang and rarely made public appearances.
But those friends he had made still often knocked on his door from time to time.
Some people would just catch up and maintain their connection with Hou Donggui.
Others had run into trouble and sought Hou Donggui for help and guidance.
In such cases, there wasn’t much he could do!
After all, the friends he had made were primarily distinguished officials and nobility.
These people sincerely sought his help, and due to the obligations of friendship, he couldn’t just turn them away.
Those who came to reminisce were easy to deal with, but those who sought help and guidance often left disappointed.
Hou Donggui usually wouldn’t refuse to help with things he could manage.
But without his mana and unable to use any spells, he was often powerless to assist with others’ requests.
President Ma Chengshu wasn’t particularly close to Hou Donggui, but they were acquainted enough.
Perhaps he was worried Hou Donggui wouldn’t want to see him.
So he made a preemptive move, arriving at Hou Donggui’s villa doorstep before calling.
“This President Ma doesn’t visit without a reason!”
“I wonder what matter has brought him to my doorstep out of the blue, seeking my help?”
With a furrowed brow, Hou Donggui looked helpless and could only offer a wry smile.
A visitor is a guest, no matter their purpose.
Since he had come to his doorstep, willing or not, Hou Donggui had to meet him.
Standing up, he walked to the door of the living room.
Not far off, a man around forty years old, looking very capable, and a young man with glasses, looking refined, had already entered the villa and come into his view.
“Master Hou, hello!”
Seeing Hou Donggui, the man beamed with a smile and hastened his steps, walking over to greet him.
“This is my son, Ma Xiaoteng!”
While introducing the young man to Hou Donggui, Ma Chengshu also gave his son a nudge with his foot: “Don’t just stand there, greet Master Hou…”