Due to her severe injuries, Xiao Ningning found it difficult to move her hand. Yet, she persisted, using her tiny hand to wipe the tears from Xia Qingyue's face as she said weakly, "Mommy, don't cry! Mommy, don't cry anymore!"
"Mommy isn't crying, Mommy isn't," Xia Qingyue quickly wiped her own tears with the back of her hand, pretending to be strong.
Then, Xiao Ningning suddenly said, "Mommy... Ningning dreamed of Daddy."
"Ningning dreamed that Daddy beat up the bad guys... He looked like a god, jumping down from a plane to chase the bad guys away!"
"Ningning also dreamed that Daddy hugged me..."
"But Ningning couldn't open her eyes, no matter how hard I tried... I could only hear Daddy's voice, but I couldn't see his face!"
"Mommy... am I dreaming? I, I... I really want to see Daddy, I really want to see what he looks like!"
"Even if it’s just for one glance..."
As she spoke, Xiao Ningning’s eyes began to fill with tears again.
Beside them, Hua Yuntian clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on his forehead bulged with rage. Even as the Valley Master of the Medicine God Valley and a renowned medical saint, having witnessed countless scenes of life and death, he couldn't help but tear up at Xiao Ningning’s words.
*Those animals of the Gu Family, my master will surely grind them into dust and tear them limb from limb!* Hua Yuntian thought, gnashing his teeth in fury.
"Ningning, don't cry, you..."
Xia Qingyue hesitated. She longed to say, "You will definitely see your father!" But would Ye Chen ever return?
This was the Jinling Gu Family and the Lin Family they were dealing with! These were two top-tier families in Jinling City with immense power, dominating both the underworld and the establishment. How could Ye Chen possibly fight against the Gu Family and the Lin Family?
In Xia Qingyue's heart, Ye Chen’s chances of survival were slim—perhaps even non-existent!
"Mommy, why aren't you saying anything... Am I dreaming?"
"Ningning... is it possible that I don't have a daddy at all?"
"Waaaah!!"
By the time she finished her last sentence, Xiao Ningning was sobbing uncontrollably.
Watching her daughter’s aggrieved and helpless appearance, seeing those bright, watery eyes filled with disappointment and despair, Xia Qingyue’s heart constricted. She pulled her daughter into a tight embrace, repeating over and over, "Ningning, don't cry. You have a daddy, you have a daddy... Your daddy’s name is Ye Chen, and he is busy fighting the bad guys."
After a long time, Xiao Ningning finally stopped crying and asked with a hiccup, "Then, when will Daddy come back?"
"Daddy will be back very soon, Ningning, don't cry!"
Xia Qingyue stroked Xiao Ningning’s cheek and said, word by word, "Mommy promises you, Daddy... he will definitely come back!"
"Really?" Xiao Ningning asked through her tears.
"Really... I promise!" Xia Qingyue answered, though her heart was filled with anxiety.
Hua Yuntian couldn't help but interject, "Master’s wife, little junior sister, don't worry. Teacher will definitely return safely."
Xia Qingyue looked at Hua Yuntian, recalled the situation, and said despairingly, "I know you are very powerful, but there are only a few dozen of you. You are simply no match for the Gu Family and the Lin Family!"
Hua Yuntian wanted to explain, but remembering the sect rules, he kept his mouth shut. On his first day of apprenticeship, Ye Chen had told every disciple that they were forbidden from revealing his name to outsiders. Even the Old Marshal of the Great Xia Country’s Ministry of War respectfully referred to Ye Chen as "that man from Kunlun Mountain"! Thus, without Ye Chen's permission, Hua Yuntian dared not reveal anything about the peak of Kunlun Mountain, even to the woman who was his teacher’s beloved.
"Master’s wife, you only need to believe that Teacher will return. That is enough!" was all he could say.
To Xia Qingyue, however, those words lacked conviction. Hua Yuntian couldn't provide any concrete reason, only asking her to believe in the impossible. It sounded like a fantasy!
*Rumble!!*
Just then, in the sky above the hotel, countless fighter jets tore through the clouds, heading in the same direction! Below them, countless tanks, armored vehicles, and fully armed soldiers marched forward in unison, creating an overwhelming, earth-shaking momentum!
"This is already the third wave of troops. I wonder what kind of earth-shattering event is happening in Jinling City?" Xia Qingyue muttered to herself.
Suddenly, she thought of what Hua Yuntian had said. Despite thinking it impossible, she couldn't help but ask, "Are these people here because of Ye Chen...?"
Hua Yuntian glanced outside and hesitated, "This... it seems not!"
"It's not?"
Xia Qingyue gave a bitter smile. As expected, she had been overthinking.
This wave of troops was indeed not Ye Chen's disciples. They were sent by the Ministry of War of the Great Xia Country to support Ye Chen, led by General Lei Chong of the Northern Territory! Although Lei Chong was not a God of War, he had brought the Old Marshal’s military seal! With the support of the Ministry of War, no one in Jinling City would dare to cross Ye Chen ever again!
...
At the same time, outside the hillside villa, Ye Chen stared coldly at Gu Tianhao and Lin Yuanhong.
Gu Tianhao and Lin Yuanhong’s legs had already turned to jelly. These usually high-and-mighty figures were now shaking uncontrollably. Looking at the sea of soldiers filling the mountains and plains, and the imposing, dark mass of people ready for battle, they were terrified to the point of turning white as paper!
They couldn't even speak properly, looking at Ye Chen in horror as they stammered, "Who... who, who, who exactly are you?"
Ye Chen repeated the question coldly. By the second time, his eyes were filled with killing intent!
"Who am I?!"
"I am the husband of Xia Qingyue and the biological father of Ye Yu-ning!!"
"The Gu Family and the Lin Family have such audacity, daring to drain my daughter’s blood and carve out her heart!!"
"And... to humiliate my wife?!"
With every word Ye Chen spoke, Gu Tianhao and Lin Yuanhong’s despair deepened. With such a blood feud, today’s events would surely only be resolved with blood and lives.
Gu Nanfei, who was hanging upside down, felt equally despairing. Even with all the strength of the Gu Family, they had no way to fight against hundreds of thousands of soldiers armed with live ammunition! Gu Nanfei’s face turned paler by the second, partly from his severe injuries and blood loss, and partly from sheer terror.
"Dad, save me, find a way to save me! I, I don't want to die, I don't want to die!" Gu Nanfei shrieked in despair.
But how could Gu Tianhao dare to respond?! Not only was Gu Tianhao scared out of his wits, but even Lin Yuanhong was paralyzed by hopelessness. They had never expected that Xia Qingyue’s backer would be so formidable!
However, Gu Tianhao couldn't bear to watch his only son be killed like this. He was old, and his grandson, Gu Tian’er, was already dead. If Gu Nanfei were killed as well, wouldn't the Gu Family line be extinguished?
At that thought, Gu Tianhao dropped to his knees with a loud thud. He was terrified; he didn't dare to gamble anymore! Even if the Gu Family was strong, they couldn't possibly face hundreds of thousands of soldiers. And those fighter jets in the sky, the tanks and armored vehicles—they could reduce him to ashes in a heartbeat!!
Gu Tianhao kowtowed frantically, begging in utter despair, "I—we really didn't know you were Ms. Xia’s husband, nor did we know that little girl was your daughter!! Otherwise, even if I had a hundred guts, I wouldn't have dared to touch your wife and daughter!!"
"Give us one chance! Whatever money you want, just name it... I will give you half of the Gu Family’s assets, will that work?!"
"No, not half—all of it! All our assets! As long as you spare our lives, I will hand over the entire Gu Family foundation and all our property on a silver platter!"
In this moment, facing hundreds of thousands of dark gun barrels, planes, tanks, and cannons, Gu Tianhao was broken. He only wanted to trade the Gu Family’s legacy for his and his son's lives.
"Money?"
Before Ye Chen could speak, Ma Huayun, the chairman of the Tengli Group, laughed loudly, "Heh, with the meager wealth of your Gu Family, you dare try to bribe my Teacher?!"
"You... it’s you... Chairman Ma!!!"
Gu Tianhao looked up and saw the face he knew all too well. This Ma Huayun was the richest man in the Great Xia Country, a fixture on the Forbes list, and a man who had been the wealthiest person in the world multiple times! To the young people of Great Xia, he was practically a legend. Seeing his face, Gu Tianhao fell into total despair. The Gu Family was wealthy, but compared to Ma Huayun, their money was a drop in the ocean!
And Ma Huayun actually called this young man "Teacher"!? My god, who exactly was this young man?!
It wasn't just Gu Tianhao; Lin Yuanhong was also terrified. They hadn't noticed Ma Huayun earlier, but now that he stood out, they began to observe Ye Chen’s other disciples. The more they looked, the more their souls were shaken.
Although they didn't recognize the God of Killing from the "Yama Hall" or the medical and poison kings from the "Medicine God Valley," behind Ye Chen were other disciples who had appeared on international news channels! Even the names of several disciples were household words.
*Isn't this a top international tycoon? He's been on the cover of international news! Why is he here?!*
*And this person... isn't he the legendary number one bodyguard of Great Xia? He has protected countless presidents and heads of state visiting our country!!*
*And the founder of the "Microsoft" system!! His net worth is beyond calculation; he’s been at the top of the Forbes list for years! His wealth has been unparalleled for over a decade!!*
*And this one, the golden lawyer of Great Xia, known as the 'Litigation King' who has never lost a case!!!*
*And this one, the renowned Grandmaster of Great Xia, who founded his own sect with countless disciples both at home and abroad...*
Seeing these familiar faces, Gu Tianhao and Lin Yuanhong were so terrified they wanted to die! What was going on?! It was supposed to be just carving a heart out of a little girl... why did the other side mobilize such a massive force?!
Gu Tianhao was beyond despair. He knelt before Ye Chen, kowtowing repeatedly, hoping only for a sliver of a chance to live.
"Regret now is too late."
Ye Chen stared at Gu Tianhao and said coldly, "Your son and grandson’s lives are lives, but my daughter’s life is not?"
"It is a life, they are all lives! It was my wolf-hearted, dog-lunged nature; I was cold-blooded and ruthless. Please spare us this once!" Gu Tianhao continued to kowtow, his pleas for mercy never-ending.
"Hmph!"
Ye Chen let out a cold laugh, his smile carrying a hellish chill. "I can spare you, but you must personally carve out Gu Nanfei’s heart. Then I will spare your Gu Family once!"
"I..."
Gu Tianhao’s expression froze. After a few seconds of silence, a flash of cruelty crossed his eyes. He gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I will kill him! Just... just give me a knife!!"
*Clang!*
As soon as Gu Tianhao finished speaking, Nie Wuji tossed a dagger toward him.
*Fine, I'll do it, I'll kill him!*
Gu Tianhao’s eyes were bloodshot. Seeming to have made up his mind, he walked toward Gu Nanfei step by step.
"No! Don't, Dad, don't kill me... save me, save me! I don't want to die, I don't want to die!" Gu Nanfei panicked, struggling wildly, but he was hanging, and no matter how he thrashed, it was useless.
Gu Tianhao walked toward him like a man possessed.
"Don't kill me, Dad, I don't want to die..." Gu Nanfei continued to scream in terror, but Gu Tianhao’s expression grew increasingly sinister.
When he was about three meters away from Gu Nanfei, he suddenly raised the dagger and hissed, "When you reach hell, don't blame me!!!"
With that, Gu Tianhao lunged forward, aiming the tip of the dagger directly at Ye Chen’s heart.
"You're courting death!"
Before Gu Tianhao could reach him, Nie Wuji flashed forward and gripped Gu Tianhao’s throat.
"Ugh... *cough*, *cough*!! Save... save me!!"
Nie Wuji’s grip was powerful, instantly choking Gu Tianhao. He struggled to breathe, coughing and gasping. In less than half a minute, his face turned the color of liver.
"Heh."
Ye Chen gave another cold laugh. He had anticipated this move the moment Gu Tianhao asked for the knife. He walked over slowly, picked up the dagger from the ground, and in front of Gu Tianhao, mercilessly plunged it into Gu Nanfei’s heart.
"AAAH!!!"
Gu Nanfei let out a final, agonizing scream as blood poured out, and he died instantly.
"You, you... you bastard! You dare kill my son! Even if I go to hell, even as a ghost... I won't let you off!"
Seeing his only son die so miserably, Gu Tianhao collapsed. Ye Chen looked at him coldly and ordered, "Since you want to be a ghost, I will grant your wish."
At that, Nie Wuji tightened his right hand and twisted! *Snap!* Gu Tianhao’s neck broke. His body went limp and fell to the ground—he died before he could even scream.
Seeing Gu Tianhao’s body hit the floor, the Gu Family servants and followers were terrified. They knelt on the ground, not daring to say a word, breathing with extreme caution.
"Now, it's your turn."
Ye Chen ignored the lackeys and turned his gaze toward Lin Yuanhong, his voice as cold as a demon from hell. "I heard your daughter, Lin Wanwan, is Gu Nanfei’s wife!"
"And this plot to carve out my daughter’s heart... was her idea?"
"No, no!!"
Lin Yuanhong kowtowed repeatedly, shouting, "That was all the dirty idea of those animals in the Gu Family! My daughter is not that cold-blooded... You know, when that animal Gu Nanfei harmed your daughter, my Wanwan wasn't even at the Gu Family home!!"
"We in the Lin Family never agreed to such a beastly act as heart-carving! That’s why Gu Nanfei took the opportunity to harm your daughter while my daughter was visiting her own home..."
Lin Yuanhong frantically tried to distance the Lin Family from the situation, kowtowing incessantly, "Every word I say is the absolute truth. Please... please spare us. Our Lin Family is truly innocent!!"
"Is that so?"
Ye Chen sneered and clapped his hands. Two men in black brought forward a woman dressed in flashy clothes. These two men were experts from the Killing God Hall, who had received a secret mission while on their way to meet Nie Wuji—to kidnap the Lin Family’s daughter, Lin Wanwan.
Lin Wanwan appeared physically unharmed, but she was trembling violently. Half an hour ago, a top-tier hypnotist had forced her to spill everything. This conspiracy to persecute Xiao Ningning and perform the heart transplant had been co-planned by Lin Wanwan and Gu Nanfei!
Lin Yuanhong, unaware of this, saw his daughter appear, stiffened, and hurriedly warned her, "The heart-carving matter really has nothing to do with my daughter! It was all, all the Gu Family's idea!"
"Dad... I... I've already confessed," Lin Wanwan said weakly.
"What?"
Lin Yuanhong’s face turned paper-white. He had already seen the fate of Gu Tianhao and his son. Lin Wanwan’s confession now wasn't that just pushing the Lin Family to the brink?
As Lin Yuanhong sat there, terrified and lost, a soldier in camouflage armor ran to Chen Junlin with precise, rhythmic steps.
"General Chen, the Jinling Ministry of War, the Department of Defense, and the Police Department have arrived! And they have brought many subordinates with them."
"Oh?"
Chen Junlin’s eyes darkened. *Are these people in Jinling trying to stir up trouble?*
However, Chen Junlin was a Five-Star God of War of the Great Xia Country; he wasn't afraid of them causing trouble. He huffed, "My teacher is currently occupied and does not wish to be disturbed. Block them outside!!"
"Yes!"
The soldier saluted and turned to execute the order.
Upon hearing the news, Lin Yuanhong was overjoyed. "Heh heh heh, do you know? General Zhang of the Jinling Ministry of War is my brother-in-law... and I have connections in the Department of Defense! The Police Commissioner is my sworn brother!!"
Lin Yuanhong’s face regained a touch of arrogance. "I don't care how powerful you think you are!! Chairman of the Tengli Group? Founder of Microsoft? Golden Lawyer? In Jinling, you are nothing!! I’m not like Gu Tianhao. If you dare touch me, I guarantee none of you will walk out of Jinling alive!"
"Is that so?" Ye Chen asked coldly.