Su Beichen could have divined the truth, but he chose not to. He didn't want to foresee any misfortune, still clinging to a sliver of hope.
Unfortunately, the very thing he wished to avoid was destined to happen. As the car moved forward, it wasn't long before they entered the Su family's rear mountain. This place… about two kilometers from where the Su family resided, was the burial ground for generations of Su ancestors.
The Su Family Cemetery!
Parking outside the cemetery, Su Beilie led Su Beichen into the gravesite without a word.
Among the graves, one new tomb stood out, absent from Su Beichen's memories before he left.
Tomb of Su Yuheng, Patriarch of the Su Family!
Su Yuheng!
Su Beichen's grandfather!
"Little Brother, the year you disappeared, the whole family searched for you everywhere. We scoured all of Jinling, even mobilized all our resources and offered two-thirds of the family's entire fortune as a reward across the Great Han for any news of you. One day, Grandpa received a call claiming to have information about you. He and Dad rushed to the designated spot, but…"
Su Beilie paused here, his eyes reddening slightly. "But… Grandpa was killed there. Dad vanished without a trace. Mother's hair turned white overnight upon hearing the news. She vowed to find the killer and tasked me with the investigation."
Su Beichen remained silent, saying nothing, waiting for Su Beilie to continue.
"I lived up to expectations and uncovered some clues. These clues… they pointed directly to the Tang family of Jinling. You know, the Tang family is one of the six great families of Jinling. Our Su family is no match for them. But Mother was determined to seek revenge, and Little Sister agreed. The problem was, what I found were only clues, no direct evidence. Acting rashly would have been suicide…"
"So, you didn't agree?" Su Beichen asked.
In truth, the answer was obvious even without Su Beilie's reply.
Just as Su Beilie said, although the Su family were natives of Jinling, they were worlds apart compared to a behemoth like the Tang family. Put simply… four years ago, the Tang family was several times stronger than the Su family is today!
Against the Tang family, the Su family didn't stand a chance.
If the two families had truly clashed, the Su family could never have developed into what it is now.
"Yes."
Sure enough, Su Beilie nodded and continued:
"I promised Mother, asked her to give me ten years. Ten years, and I would surely avenge this blood debt. But… she didn't agree. She went with Little Sister anyway, taking people to the Tang family to demand accountability. The result was predictable… If I hadn't arrived in time, both of them would have died there!"
"So, they're okay? Where are they now?" Su Beichen asked.
"Little Brother, let me finish."
"Saving Mom and Little Sister from the Tang family's hands was no easy task. They had taken over a hundred people to the Tang residence, but in the end, only the two of them could return. And the condition was…"
Su Beilie seemed to recall a painful memory. He paused before continuing:
"The condition was… the Su family must become the Tang family's dog. I must become the Tang family's slave. And I had to… expel Mom and Little Sister from the Su family!"
"So… you agreed?" Su Beichen narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Su Beilie.
"If it were you, what would you have chosen?" Su Beilie retorted, hands behind his back, looking at Su Yuheng's tombstone.
"What I would choose isn't important. What's important is… you intended to kill me as soon as I returned home, didn't you?" Su Beichen's gaze was piercing, like a sharp blade, fixed on Su Beilie.
"Hmm?" Su Beilie frowned. "Little Brother, what do you mean by that?"
"Still pretending? If you didn't want me dead, why are four martial artists closing in on us right now?" Su Beichen sneered.
The Great Han was founded on martial prowess; martial artists were numerous.
Almost every powerful or prominent family had martial artists in their employ!
Their aura was vastly different from ordinary people. Within a five-hundred-meter radius of Su Beichen, even without actively sensing, he could easily detect them!
Moreover,
These four carried killing intent!
Su Beilie seemed somewhat surprised. He looked at Su Beichen for a long moment before suddenly smiling. "My foolish little brother… I never expected, after four years apart, you've actually become smarter?"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
As soon as he finished speaking, four figures leaped forth, surrounding Su Beichen completely.
All four were Huang Level 9 martial artists!
Martial artists were ranked: Heaven, Earth, Xuan, Huang. Each rank had nine stages.
Becoming a martial artist wasn't easy. Reaching the peak of Huang Level, one in ten thousand managed it, was even harder. And now, four appeared at once.
It had to be said, Su Beilie's determination to kill him was resolute!
One must remember, Su Beilie didn't know his current capabilities. In his eyes, Su Beichen should just be an ordinary person.
Yet for one ordinary person, he directly dispatched four top-tier Huang Level martial artists.
He wasn't leaving any room for survival!
"You vanished for four years. Vanished and that was that. Su Beichen, wouldn't it have been better if you'd died out there? Why come back? Why force me to take action myself?"
The current Su Beilie seemed like a different person, like a roaring beast, his face contorted ferociously, no longer the elder brother from Su Beichen's memories:
"Do you have any idea how much effort I've poured into building the Su family to what it is today? But… that fool father of yours was willing to give away two-thirds of everything just to find you! That fool mother actually opposed the Tang family for your sake? And she slapped me, made me kneel for three days and three nights! Is it because you're the biological son, and I was just picked up off the street?"
All this resentment, Su Beilie directed at Su Beichen.
Su Beichen looked at his former brother, his eyes filled with disappointment.
Amidst the disappointment, there was also a trace of sorrow.
"If it were you who had disappeared, I believe Grandfather and Father would have spared no effort to find you too."
Su Beichen wasn't just saying this.
When he was fourteen, his grandfather and father had a talk with him.
They told him that in the future, if his father and grandfather retired, he would only inherit one-third of the family property. The rest would be split,一部分 (one part) for his younger sister Su Yan, and the other part for Su Beilie.
In fact, because Su Beilie was the elder brother and had been clever since childhood, his father and grandfather even said they would give him more, entrusting him with managing most of the Su family's enterprises.
They often told him to respect his elder brother like a father, and to love and protect his younger sister.
Those words felt like they were spoken yesterday, vivid in his memory!
He never imagined that four years later, the two brothers would confront each other with drawn blades.
"One thing I don't understand, Su Beilie. Did you bring me in front of Grandfather's tomb and spout all that nonsense just to stall for time, waiting for them to arrive?" Su Beichen glanced at the four martial artists and asked.
"Stalling for time is one reason, yes."
Su Beilie said:
"There are two other reasons. First… I wanted you to see the current strength of the Su family under my leadership. I can casually summon four martial artists. This was something your father and grandfather could never achieve. Under my leadership, the Su family will only reach greater heights and go further."
Second, we've been brothers for over ten years. It was fate. Since I'm going to kill you, I should let you die with clarity, die in peace. Let you die here in the Su family cemetery. Right? My dear little brother."