Jin Ye squeezed her hand and walked forward with her.
The old man in black robes saw them approaching and subtly raised his hand, signaling them to sit before him.
"Su Ding."
Hearing the elder call her name, Su Ding looked up. Her lips moved, but she couldn't bring herself to utter the word "Grandpa."
The old man in black robes said in a deep voice, "More than twenty years ago, your mother severed all contact with me. Why have you come to find me?"
His voice, cold and low, carried a hint of detachment.
Su Ding's heart tightened. She clenched her fingers, looked up, and said, "Before my mother passed away, she thought of you, Grandpa."
Finally, she managed to speak the word.
Visibly, a flicker of emotion crossed the old man's face, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by an even colder, more distant expression.
"At the time, she was headstrong and insisted on marrying your father. In the end..."
The old man in black robes didn't finish his sentence, but Su Ding detected a hint of sadness in his tone. "I thought she had forgotten about this family."
"No!" Su Ding quickly denied.
"My mother rarely mentioned you, but she cherished everything related to you. Many times when I was asleep, she would secretly shed tears."
Su Ding's eyes welled up as she remembered her mother. "You're right. My father was not someone worth entrusting with her life. He let Mother down."
Seeing Su Ding's tears, the old man in black robes frowned and gave a look to a servant.
The servant promptly handed Su Ding a tissue.
"You're still a sensible person," the old man in black robes nodded with a degree of satisfaction.
"Grandpa, can you forgive Mother?"
Su Ding looked up at the elder, her eyes filled with earnest hope. This was the purpose of her journey to the Southern Territory.
The old man in black robes remained silent, his expression solemn.
Su Ding was about to say more when Jin Ye clapped his hands, signaling her to wait.
After about five minutes, the old man in black robes finally spoke, "Su Ding, if not for your surname, I might not have accepted you so readily."
Su Ding understood. If she had still been surnamed Shao, the elder would likely not have seen her.
Then, the old man in black robes continued, "As for your mother, the estate you stayed in when you first arrived on Leaving Boundary Island, you must have already found your answer."
Upon hearing this, Su Ding recalled the sights she had seen in that bedroom at the estate...
Everything was a reflection of her mother in her youth.
It was a memorial established by her grandfather specifically for her mother, and it served as his answer.
What Su Ding desired was for her grandfather to personally acknowledge it. Now, perhaps, her mother's spirit in heaven would finally rest in peace.
"Grandpa! Thank you!" Su Ding's laughter was mixed with tears. She bore a striking resemblance to Su Qin of the past.
The old man in black robes' taut face finally relaxed considerably.
At this moment, the ice between the grandfather and granddaughter had finally thawed, and the heavy atmosphere gradually warmed.
"Returning home this time has caused you much hardship."
The old man in black robes looked at Su Ding with increased affection and sighed. "Don't worry, this matter will be resolved soon."
Her grandfather's words left Su Ding feeling somewhat bewildered. She sensed an air of everything being under control.
Su Ding asked with confusion, "What did Uncle say to you?"
"He led his men to eliminate the opposing faction on Er Island and obtained valuable information. Ouyang Gong had planned to control Ouyang Donghe and manipulate the Er Island military, but your people thwarted him."
"Now that Ouyang Gong's path for expansion on Er Island is blocked, only the Yinshan Laboratory and its scattered forces on Leaving Boundary Island remain."
As the old man in black robes spoke of these matters, his expression grew serious, exuding the authority of a person in power.
His gaze then shifted to Jin Ye, who had been silent all along.
"Young Jin, you are impressive."
Jin Ye was momentarily taken aback by the sudden praise, especially from such a senior figure.
The old man in black robes continued, "If you hadn't sent your men to Er Island, that young man wouldn't have gained the initiative so quickly." He then looked approvingly at Su Ding. "You are luckier than your mother."
Su Ding blushed and glanced at Jin Ye.
However, Jin Ye detected a subtle nuance in the elder's words. Just as he was about to grasp it, he heard the old man say, "Your Jin family has paid a heavy price because of this Yinshan Laboratory. Participating in this, in a sense, is also a form of personal revenge."