Song Anguo finally understood that his grandfather had planned to die from the very beginning.
He certainly wasn't doing this to atone for his sins. After all, the old man had been a soldier his entire life and had killed countless people.
He was doing this purely for the descendants of the Song family.
Chen Xiao looked on with amusement, thinking that Old Master Song had truly come to offer himself for punishment, except he wasn't carrying thorns, but a knife!
Li Ziqing remained silent, quietly observing Song Kaijiang, a provocative glint in her eyes.
It was as if she was saying, "Go on, stab yourself if you dare!"
"Grandpa, stop playing around. This knife isn't a toy..."
Song Anguo, trembling, stepped forward to snatch the knife from his grandfather's hand.
No matter how times changed, without his grandfather, the Song family would not be where it was today.
His grandfather was the pillar of the family, and Song Anguo could not bear to watch him die before his eyes.
"Get lost!"
Song Kaijiang's roar startled Song Anguo, making him flinch and nearly fall to the ground.
"Miss Li, I beg you, for An Ran's sake, please don't blame my grandfather. The old man is already so old, I'm really begging you!"
Song Anguo, as if his soul had been snatched away, pleaded desperately with Li Ziqing.
Li Ziqing didn't even glance at Song Anguo, letting him babble on as if he didn't exist.
"Shut up!"
Song Kaijiang roared again. Before Song Anguo could react, the old man plunged the knife into his own chest.
*Thwack—*
With his last ounce of strength, the old man pulled the sharp blade out.
*Swoosh—*
Blood gushed out like a fountain, spraying everywhere.
Old Master Song Kaijiang fell backward, dying on the spot.
Song Anguo was stunned and slapped himself repeatedly.
"You beast, it was all your bad advice that got Grandpa killed!"
"You scumbag, what's in your head? Is it just a pile of dung..."
Song Anguo's eyes turned red, blood vessels bursting with self-reproach.
"From this day forward, the grievances between my Li family and the Song family are settled."
Li Ziqing said calmly.
Song Anguo's tears flowed like a river, but sadly, his grandfather did not hear these words.
At this moment, Li Ziqing added, "Husband, it's okay now. Save the old man."
Song Anguo was startled, not understanding.
Chen Xiao once again played the role of a tool, channeling his Green Wood spiritual energy into Song Kaijiang.
"Whoosh—"
With a long, drawn-out gasp, Song Kaijiang suddenly woke up, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at everything before him.
"Grandpa, Grandpa, thank goodness, Grandpa, you're not dead, you're alive again..."
Seeing Song Anguo crying and laughing, Song Kaijiang was utterly bewildered.
"What, what is going on?"
"Grandpa, it's Chen Xiao, Chen Xiao's miraculous healing brought you back from the dead!"
Song Anguo said, wiping away his tears.
"Miraculous healing, brought back from the dead?"
Song Kaijiang looked bewildered, his heart filled with shock.
This young man truly possessed divine abilities, no wonder the Grand Commander valued him so highly.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen..."
Song Kaijiang cupped his hands towards Chen Xiao, hesitating, unable to figure out how to address him.
After all, this young man was of the same generation as his granddaughter.
"Grandpa, it was Miss Li who asked Mr. Chen to heal you."
Song Anguo reminded him.
This statement was crucial, but Song Kaijiang became even more confused and looked at Li Ziqing, "Miss Li, this..."
"You were involved in the deaths of my parents back then, and you should pay with your life... Your suicide to atone has repaid the blood debt. From now on, the grievances between the Li family and the Song family are settled."
Li Ziqing said expressionlessly, "As for why I saved you, it's because Song Anran and I are good sisters, and Chen Xiao is our... good friend. We naturally wouldn't stand by and watch you die before our eyes."
These words, on the surface, might seem like a roundabout way of saying things, but they were not.
If Song Kaijiang hadn't offered his life for atonement just now, the outcome would have been different.
Song Kaijiang was a smart man and quickly grasped the implications, feeling both fortunate and a lingering sense of dread.
Fortunate that he had made the right choice, and dread that he had been warned in time by Song Anguo. Otherwise, he wouldn't have known who he was dealing with.
"Thank you, Mr. Chen, for saving my life, and thank you, Miss Li, for your magnanimity."
This time, Song Kaijiang expressed his gratitude sincerely.
Although he was facing two juniors, he knew that anyone who underestimated them would face dire consequences.
Just like the other four old men among the Five Great Families...
Such excellent juniors, if only they were born into my Song family, Song Kaijiang mused.
He then remembered that his granddaughter was also not bad, and it seemed he should pay more attention to her and cultivate her more in the future.
As Song Kaijiang was lost in thought, Li Ziqing spoke, "Old Song, the grievances between our two families are settled. Please leave."
Although the grievances were settled, Li Ziqing clearly still harbored some reservations towards him and directly asked him to leave.
"Ahem, actually, I have another matter to discuss today."
Song Kaijiang said, "The Five Great Families have set up a Hongmen Banquet at the Eight Immortals Tower. I am here to convey a message to you both... Of course, the Five Great Families are now only Four Great Families. My Song family has withdrawn!"
Song Kaijiang distanced himself from the situation and, in doing so, also threw his old brothers under the bus... well, onto the guillotine.
"Heh heh, a Hongmen Banquet?"
Chen Xiao couldn't help but sneer. This Old Master Song was truly straightforward in his speech!
"That's right. Li Tianxiang, the patriarch of the Li family, has invited the leader of the Imperial City's Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Nine Thousand Years Old. At noon, he will go to the Eight Immortals Tower to deal with Mr. Chen."
Song Kaijiang betrayed his old comrades completely.
"A mere leader of the Imperial City's Embroidered Uniform Guard wants to deal with me? Are there no other ambushes?"
Chen Xiao asked.
"No."
Song Kaijiang shook his head. "The Nine Thousand Years Old is the greatest reliance of those old fellows. If the Nine Thousand Years Old fails, then any other ambushes will be useless."
Song Kaijiang thought for a moment and ultimately decided not to mention the mad monk.
It wasn't that he intended to conceal it, but he felt that since the Nine Thousand Years Old was making a move, the mad monk wouldn't be needed.
"Mr. Chen, if you ask me, the Nine Thousand Years Old isn't arriving until noon, right? Why don't you rush to the Eight Immortals Tower before noon, kill all those old guys, and then leave? That way, you'll be completely safe."
Song Anguo suggested.
In his opinion, Chen Xiao did not have a hundred percent chance of winning against the Nine Thousand Years Old.
Rather than gambling on the unknown, it was safer to eliminate those old geezers.
However, when Chen Xiao heard this suggestion, he scoffed dismissively, "Wouldn't that be rather boring?"
"I'm already quite bored in the Imperial City. It's rare to encounter a named opponent, so how could I miss this opportunity?"
"Nine Thousand Years Old, is it? I want to see how capable he really is today!"