Yet Ye Wudao was the only inheritor of the old man's mantle, while Qu Xingguo was a nominal disciple of the old man's earlier years, with no higher standing than Ye Wudao. On the contrary, Qu Xingguo even had to address Ye Wudao as Senior Brother.
The thought of an eighty-year-old man tremblingly calling himself Senior Brother sent a chill down Ye Wudao's spine; he decided to stop thinking about it and focus instead on finding a way into the banquet.
Qu Xingguo had always kept a low profile, and even when celebrating his eightieth birthday, he did not make a big public event of it. He merely held a modest birthday feast within the Qu Residence, inviting a former state banquet chef from the Xiangxinglou, a chef who wouldn't normally agree to cook for just anyone, even if they could afford his services. Only Qu Xingguo had such prestige.
