Chapter 1863 - 2055: Settling Grievances (Part 4)

Ling Chen fixed his gaze on Su He, a trace of bitterness showing on his face.

"Elder Su, at this point, why do you still struggle?" He sighed and said, "Sometimes I wish I could go back to when I first met you. Back then, you were a kind and benevolent old man, not only saving me but also teaching me martial arts. In my heart, I’ve always regarded you as a mentor. Unfortunately, greed knows no bounds, and you have repeatedly committed wrongdoings to satisfy your own desires. Elder Su, the last thing I wanted was for us to become enemies, but fate played a cruel joke, and now we stand opposite each other."

"What’s the use of saying all this now?" Su He replied coldly.

"You were once the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, renowned throughout the Martial Arts world. Now, look at yourself—resorting to taking hostages to blackmail us. Is this still the behavior of the greatest master in the world?" Ling Chen shook his head and said, "I don’t expect you to spare these two innocent lives for my sake, but I do hope you’ll consider Su Mei. She has sacrificed so much to rebuild the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. If you kill these two defenseless elders, it would tarnish her and the Pavilion. If word gets out, do you think the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion could still stand in the Martial Arts world?"

"Enough!" Su He said softly, "I don’t need you to lecture me with these grand principles. I just want to survive, that’s all. If you want to save these two people, let me go."

"Alright." Ling Chen pulled out his phone, turned on the speaker, and a familiar voice immediately came through: "Grandfather, give it up, please don’t make more mistakes."

Hearing this voice, Su He’s expression changed slightly.

"You..."

"Grandfather, if you still acknowledge me as your granddaughter, please release the hostages. I don’t want my grandfather to be a ruthless executioner. You taught me to be upright when I was a child. This is the foundation of the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion’s standing in the Martial Arts world. I’ve always taken you as my role model. But every action of yours contradicts your teachings. Grandfather, come back. I don’t mind what you’ve done before. I just hope you can help me rebuild the Pavilion. Moreover, you are my only relative in this world. If anything happens to you, what will I do?" Su Mei pleaded in the phone.

Su He opened his mouth, but it seemed as if something was stuck in his throat, and he couldn’t speak for a long time. After a while, he took a deep breath and said, "My dear granddaughter, it’s grandfather’s fault. I haven’t been a good role model and let you down."

"Grandfather, it’s not too late to turn back. Ling Chen promised me that if you return to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion and no longer involve yourself in these disputes, he won’t harm you."

Upon hearing this, Su He couldn’t help but look towards Ling Chen. The latter nodded and said, "Elder Su, despite everything that has happened between us, it cannot be denied that you once taught me. I am a person who values loyalty, and in my heart, you will always be my mentor. Release these two hostages, and I will arrange for you to be escorted back to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion. From now on, you can spend your remaining years in peace there."

Su He was silent for a moment and nodded slightly, "You are right; maybe I really should turn back. Alas..." He sighed deeply, looked at the two elders he had held hostage, and suddenly gripped his dagger, raising his arm high. Seeing his action, Ling Chen’s expression changed dramatically, and he shouted urgently, "Elder Su, don’t!"

Unfortunately, Su He ignored his cries, plunging the dagger into his own body. Blood immediately gushed from the wound, rapidly staining his clothes red.

Ling Chen rushed forward, holding the collapsed Su He, and said in a deep voice, "Elder Su, what was the point of this?"

He had thought Su He was going to kill the hostages and was extremely anxious, only to find out that the latter hadn’t harmed them but had turned the dagger on himself.

Seeing Su He’s increasingly pale face, Ling Chen quickly called out to Chen Junfeng, "Sir Chen, call an ambulance immediately."

"Ling Chen, Ling Chen, how’s my grandfather? Is he...is he alright?" At this moment, Su Mei’s anxious voice came through the phone.

"Don’t worry, he’s okay, Elder Su only suffered a superficial wound, no vital organs were harmed." Ling Chen replied while checking Su He’s wound, "I’ll take Elder Su to the hospital first, and then I’ll contact you." With that, he hung up the phone, lifted Su He, and gently placed him on the bed in the bedroom.

After seeing the location of Su He’s wound just now, he understood why the latter chose to harm himself. The wound was in the abdomen, the Dantian area, the most important part for martial artists. With the Dantian damaged, Su He’s martial skills were completely destroyed. He knew that Su He’s action was meant to make a definitive end to everything.

With his martial arts entirely lost, all grievances were settled, and from now on, he was just an ordinary old man.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, the ambulance finally arrived on the scene. Ling Chen explained a few things to Xia Mutong, asking her to help escort Su He to the hospital. Although he wanted to follow, there was no news from Su Cheng’en yet, and he was uneasy, wanting to stay and keep an eye on the situation.

After seeing the ambulance leave, Ling Chen, accompanied by Chen Junfeng and Yu Beifeng, quickly headed in the direction where Su Cheng’en and Ling Gengqiu had left. Along the way, they intermittently saw residual fist marks on the walls and shattered floors, likely traces left from their battle. Following these signs, it wasn’t long before Ling Chen finally heard fighting sounds coming from beyond the nearby wall.

The three climbed to the top of the wall and looked around, seeing Su Cheng’en and Ling Gengqiu engaged in a fierce fight in a wide-open space, neither side giving in, the battle extraordinarily intense.

Meanwhile, Qiu Yong and others, stationed around, rushed over upon hearing the commotion and surrounded the entire area. Now, even with Su Cheng’en’s skills, escape was impossible.

Under the torrential onslaught of Ling Gengqiu, Su Cheng’en gradually showed signs of fatigue, falling into a completely defensive state, with no strength left to counterattack.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ling Gengqiu advanced aggressively, forcing Su Cheng’en into a corner by the wall in no time. Seeing the wall behind him, Su Cheng’en bit his teeth, pushed himself off the ground with his legs, and leaped into the air, attempting to escape over the wall. However, Ling Chen’s trio was already stationed at the top of the wall. Seeing him attempting to escape, the three of them acted simultaneously, blocking his retreat and forcing him back.

By this time, Ling Gengqiu had reached the corner of the wall. Watching Su Cheng’en fall from the sky, he lunged forward with both fists, like twin dragons emerging from the sea, the force fierce, slamming heavily into Su Cheng’en’s back.

Spew!

A mouthful of blood spewed out, and Su Cheng’en, whose feet had just touched the ground, was thrown off again by the punch, his body colliding directly with the wall.

Seizing the moment of weakness to take his life! Seeing his opponent already injured, Ling Gengqiu didn’t think twice, immediately moving forward to press the advantage.