Leaving the manor, Ling Chen and Ling Gengqiu returned to the car. After a moment of contemplation, the latter asked, "Do you think He Honggang is believable?"
"Didn’t you just check yourself? The Soul Stone in his body has already been stripped away. For people like you, the Soul Stone is akin to the Dantian of martial artists. Having lost the power of the Soul Stone, he’s already become a ruined person. Besides, you saw what he turned into, that ghostly figure—he probably hasn’t got many days left." At this point, Ling Chen said in a somber voice, "I’m more worried now about Chen Younian and Su Cheng’en. Although we’re unclear on what secrets they hold, we all know the power of the Soul Stone. Once they discover how to use the Soul Stone, not only us but also the guardians of the clan will be in danger."
"For now, send a team to the laboratory and investigate the situation there. Confirm the situation inside. If Chen Younian and Su Cheng’en are there, we will then discuss countermeasures."
Ling Chen nodded and said, "Alright." After speaking, he glanced at Ling Gengqiu in the passenger seat, unsure of what he was thinking, his mouth slightly moving as if he wanted to say something but dared not speak.
Seeing his hesitant demeanor, Ling Gengqiu couldn’t help but say, "Just ask whatever you want to ask directly. Why are you being so wishy-washy?"
"Um... brother, when we first encountered the Netherworld Snake, you suddenly changed your temperament. Later, you told me that you had a grudge against the Netherworld Snake, but you always refused to explain clearly the deep-seated hatred between you and the Netherworld Snake."
"Do you really want to know?"
Ling Chen rubbed his nose, embarrassedly smiled, and said, "I know I shouldn’t pry into your privacy. I’m just a bit curious. If you’re unwilling to talk, then just consider I didn’t ask."
"Actually, there’s nothing that can’t be said." Ling Gengqiu turned his head to look out the car window, his eyes flashing a trace of nostalgia. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "The feud with the Netherworld Snake... to be precise, should be the hatred between me and Chen Younian. I’ve led a promiscuous life, flirting with many women just to satisfy my personal desires. But over the years, I’ve truly loved two women. One was my first wife, who eventually married Su Cheng’en. I took you to her grave last time. The other was Chen Younian’s sister, Chen Yinmeng."
Mentioning Chen Yinmeng, Ling Gengqiu sighed lightly and said, "When I first met Chen Yinmeng, I was captivated by her beauty, thinking of seducing her. But later, I found she wasn’t the kind of vulgar woman. She was knowledgeable, gentle, and had an extraordinary charm. She would attract any man’s heart after a few interactions, hard to resist."
"At that time, there were many pursuing her, one of whom was Chen Younian."
"Chen Younian?" Ling Chen was startled and asked, "Isn’t he..."
Ling Gengqiu waved his hand and said, "Don’t get the wrong idea. Chen Yinmeng was Chen Younian’s cousin. In our era, it was normal for cousins to marry." After a pause, he continued, "Chen Younian and I both used our ways to try to win Chen Yinmeng’s heart. Although Chen Younian was closer to Chen Yinmeng, I was an experienced lover, skilled in courtship. So, with my persistent efforts, Chen Yinmeng eventually fell for me. At the time, we hadn’t yet married, but she gave me her most precious thing."
"Upon learning about this, Chen Younian was filled with resentment towards me, and also hatred towards Chen Yinmeng. In his view, it was his sister’s betrayal. One day, Chen Yinmeng told me she wanted to go home for a few days to confess our relationship to her parents. Honestly, I truly wanted to be with her for a lifetime. Besides my first wife, no other woman stirred such impulses in me. So, her parents needed to be convinced. However, what I didn’t expect was, instead of joyous news, I received a tragedy. The young girl who served Chen Yinmeng closely came running to tell me that Chen Yinmeng hanged herself in her room. And she had suffered humiliation before her death."
"When I got the news, I felt like I was going insane, my mind blank. I wanted to see her one last time, but Chen Younian blocked me at the door, personally telling me it was all his doing. If he couldn’t have something, no one else could. At that moment, my heart was filled with murderous intent. It was due to my loss of sanity then that I fell into Chen Younian’s trap. He had long planned everything, pushing the blame for Chen Yinmeng’s humiliation onto me. Thus, I became an enemy of the entire Netherworld Snake."
"For revenge, I killed many Netherworld Snake members. However, Chen Younian suddenly vanished, nowhere to be found. He must be in hiding, afraid of my vengeance, not daring to show himself. But, Chen Younian doesn’t know my abilities. Decades later, I visited Chen Yinmeng’s grave to pay my respects. Nearby, I saw someone, discovering it was Chen Younian. Although many years had passed, he looked as he did before, without any change. That’s when I knew he, like me, possessed immortality. Unfortunately, he moved quickly, and I couldn’t catch up. Since then, I’ve lost track of him."
After hearing Ling Gengqiu’s account, Ling Chen finally understood the cause and effect of the situation, feeling inevitably thoughtful. Ling Gengqiu spent his life driven by emotions, trapped by them. While he seemed carefree, in reality, his heart was full of hatred, just well-concealed to prevent others from seeing his true self.
Back at Dragon Tiger Hall, Ling Chen called Zhu Qing over, instructing her to take a few people to the secret laboratory to investigate the situation. Although He Honggang had already expressed that the Dark Pavilion would cooperate in their actions at any time, waiting for orders, Ling Chen couldn’t easily trust the other side and needed to be somewhat prepared. For such important matters, it’s safer to send his own people to check.
In the blink of an eye, three more days passed.
Finally, news came from Zhu Qing’s side. Her information was similar to that provided by Tian Xiong. The secret laboratory was still operating normally, but there was no sign of Chen Younian and Su Cheng’en, indicating they had likely left.
After discussing with Ling Gengqiu, Ling Chen actively contacted Tian Xiong, asking him to send reinforcements to cooperate with Zhu Qing in taking over the secret laboratory. Since the laboratory was a place where resources were shared among three parties, it surely contained much confidential information.
The operation went very smoothly, taking less than ten minutes from start to finish. Although they encountered resistance, the strength of the Dark Pavilion was indeed impressive, easily resolving the battle. Zhu Qing’s team was merely going through the motions, hardly contributing any effort.
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