As soon as Jiang Wang asked this question, Hu You immediately turned to his own son, completely forgetting about the unconscious Chongxuan Laifu. It looked like he was ready to follow his son's lead and rush into battle together as father and son.
Seeing the strength Jiang Wang had displayed, Zhu Biqiong knew she couldn't escape on her own. She cast her hopeful gaze toward Hu Shaomeng.
Hu Shaomeng weighed his options briefly, then said righteously: "If you dare do anything to my junior sister, I won't forgive you!"
This was his choice.
Jiang Wang remained calm and composed: "You can rest assured."
"Let's go!" Hu Shaomeng was decisive. He stood up and headed for the exit.
"Hu..." Zhu Biqiong cried out in panic, but before she could utter more than a syllable, she was already restrained by the tiger-binding technique.
"Don't worry, junior sister. I'll keep a close eye on this matter. I'll urge the Chongxuan family to give an explanation as soon as possible. Once the envoy clears up the facts, they won't dare keep you restrained." Hu Shaomeng turned to comfort her, seemingly oblivious to the tears already welling in her eyes. He added some perfunctory words: "Remember, our Fishing Sea Pavilion isn't someone to be trifled with!"
Zhu Biqiong was both shocked and angry. Compared to Jiang Wang who had restrained her, she hated Hu Shaomeng, this hypocrite, even more.
Weren't we supposed to be the two people my sister cared about most?
Didn't he say he loved my sister deeply?
Didn't he promise to take care of me for my sister's sake?
Is this how he takes care of me?
Hu You hadn't said a word from beginning to end. Except for bringing the Chongxuan family elder who was responsible for transporting cultivation resources, he had been completely silent, like a clay figurine.
It was obvious that Jiang Wang knew who was in charge in the Hu family. There was no need for them to put on an act anymore.
Now that his son had made a decision, he picked up the unconscious Chongxuan Laifu and followed his son out of the mine.
The mine couldn't operate for many more days. This Chongxuan Laifu was already of little value, and Jiang Wang's slap just now had further proven his uselessness. But regardless, just based on the Chongxuan surname, the Hu family couldn't just ignore him.
As soon as they stepped out of the mine, Hu Shaomeng's expression had already turned gloomy and terrifying.
Hu You was very afraid of this son in his heart. But after thinking it over, he finally couldn't help saying: "Shaomeng, isn't it wrong to just leave your junior sister there like that? We don't even know who this Jiang person is or what his character is like. What if..."
"Do I need you to tell me? Don't you think I've thought it through?" Hu Shaomeng glared angrily, forcing his father to shut up awkwardly.
Back at the Fishing Sea Pavilion, he had indeed been deeply in love with Zhu Suyao for a period of time.
But after his cultivation caught up, the stagnant Zhu Suyao was no longer in his eyes. He had set his sights on another senior sister with superior strength and found a reason to break up with Zhu Suyao.
Unexpectedly, that woman had been stubborn. After her persistent efforts yielded no results, her love for him turned to hatred, and she even threatened revenge.
He had no choice but to secretly sabotage her, causing Zhu Suyao to have an accident during her travels, leaving her with hidden injuries and ending her path of cultivation.
With Zhu Suyao's future destroyed while he advanced rapidly, the two would never cross paths again. The matter should have ended there.
But to his surprise, Zhu Suyao had managed to obtain another opportunity to explore the Heavenly Secret Realm.
Heaven knew how terrified he was of Zhu Suyao returning successfully from the Heavenly Secret Realm. Sometimes in his midnight dreams, he would see Zhu Suyao baring her fangs and claws.
But when the Heavenly Secret Realm quota was announced and Zhu Suyao had vanished without a trace, the heavy stone in his heart was lifted.
Zhu Suyao's younger sister, Zhu Biqiong, was also a beautiful girl with even greater talent than her sister. She made a good target.
In Hu Shaomeng's view, her hatred and resentment wouldn't be hard to resolve. Because what he had done to Zhu Suyao, only he knew. On the contrary, because of Zhu Suyao's existence, as long as they reconciled, they would naturally feel closer.
He understood perfectly well that by turning and leaving today, he was letting the meat in his bowl escape, allowing others to chew on it.
But what choice did he have?
He hadn't expected Zhu Biqiong to chase him all the way to the Yang Kingdom. Once he discovered her, he had simply used some minor tricks and put on an act. That was an effortless gain.
The matters at the Hu family mine were the real priority.
He couldn't let small things cost him big things.
If he were confident he could defeat Jiang Wang, he wouldn't hesitate. He would surely stage a hero-rescuing-beauty act and capture and kill him. By the time the Chongxuan family people reacted and sent someone, he would have already gotten what he wanted and returned to the Fishing Sea Pavilion. Who would he have to fear then?
But the problem was, he wasn't confident.
Jiang Wang had already made his move twice in front of him, but both times it had been effortless and without trace. His strength was unfathomable, making it impossible to gauge his limits.
After all, this was the victor of the Heavenly Secret Realm, someone destined to possess supernatural powers within his inner palace. Chongxuan Sheng had even gone to great lengths to stand up for him against the Qi Kingdom prince Jiang Wuyong. One couldn't overestimate his importance.
Only that old fool from the Chongxuan family who had been assigned to the Yang Kingdom for years and knew nothing about the situation would be provoked by a few words and rush to make trouble.
The more Hu Shaomeng thought about it, the angrier he became. He couldn't help venting his frustration: "I've always said to keep a low profile and take things slowly, but you've caused a huge scene! Even Xi Zichu heard the news and rushed back from East King Valley, forcing me to come back personally. What can you do right?"
He cursed and swore: "At your age, all you know is to lie on that whore's belly. When I get back, I'll find her and sell her!"
Hu You kept his eyelids lowered, not making a sound no matter how much his son blamed him.
Earlier, asking one question about that little girl had already been his limit.
His son had this temper since he was young. Though he hid it well on normal days, as his father, how could he not know? Just endure it and it would pass. Anyway, no matter what, his son wouldn't do anything to him.
But when he heard the last sentence, heard that word "whore."
This fat old man with an extremely kind-looking face suddenly flew into a rage.
He threw the unconscious Chongxuan family elder off his shoulder onto the ground, then shouted furiously at Hu Shaomeng: "Hu Shaomeng! How dare you speak like that! I intend to marry her. I am your father, and she will be your mother!"
Bang!
Hu You felt his entire body instantly fly up, then crash heavily back down.
Hu Shaomeng was gripping his neck, pinning him fiercely to the ground. His expression was terrifyingly ferocious: "Old thing, remember this! I! Have! Only! One! Mother!"
"The one you abandoned, who froze to death in the dead of winter!"
Hu You struggled desperately, but that hand didn't budge an inch.
His breathing grew increasingly difficult, his entire face turning red. The unbearable pain nearly drowned him. In the end, his vision began to blur with hallucinations.
Until that hand flung him away.
Only then did those hallucinations merge into the form of his son, Hu Shaomeng.
He watched this face slowly grow up, from a young child with hanging hair to the adult he was now.
Hah! Hah! Hah!
He gasped desperately.
Collapsing on the ground, he listened as Hu Shaomeng's footsteps faded away.
"How could I have known she would rather freeze to death than leave? How could I have known she would really freeze to death?"
"I... I regret it too."
"All these years, I've lived like a corpse."
He mourned silently in his heart.
But he didn't dare make a sound.
The summer sunshine was very warm.
But his heart was cold as ice, and his old tears streamed down his face.
Le Wen