"You know all this? It seems your relationship with the second brother is quite unusual." Chen Zhengyi sneered.
"We were once allies, and he asked me for some things before he died," Ye Xingchen did not deny.
"So you were involved in framing me too?" Chen Zhengyi said through gritted teeth, "Despicable."
"The word 'despicable' only applies to you. It's really not accurate to say he framed you." Ye Xingchen sneered. "Anyway, you were already prepared to kill him, weren't you?"
Chen Zhengyi was speechless: "What agreement did you and my grandfather reach?"
"What makes you think that an agreement has been reached between me and Chen Wuliang?" Ye Xingchen retorted.
"In the eyes of the world, I am the future head of the Chen family. Even if something happens, the Chen family will not easily give up on me."
Chen Zhengyi said, "This concerns the prestige of the Chen family, so even if I am disgraced and can no longer be the head of the family, he cannot allow others to kill me."
"There's only one reason you were able to come: you and he reached an agreement, and he... gave up on me."
He spoke these words with a sorrowful tone. His sorrow was not for his own fate, but for the fact that his family had abandoned him.
"Not bad, your thinking is still clear." Ye Xingchen nodded slightly and said, "That's right, we've reached a consensus."
“My grandfather, Chen Wuliang, is already at the Heavenly Fate Profound Realm. I don’t understand what you have that could move him.” Chen Zhengyi was still unwilling to give up.
"He no longer cares about anything in the world—money? Power?"
"I can help him achieve sainthood, isn't that reason enough?" Ye Xingchen said leisurely.
"Entering sainthood..." Chen Zhengyi was stunned. It took him a long time to recover. He nodded repeatedly, "I understand, I understand everything."
"Hehe, if what you said is true, then this matter is truly unsolvable. Ye Xingchen, I accept my defeat willingly."
"Even if you're unwilling, what can you do?" Ye Xingchen said. "The outcome is already decided, and I suppose you have nothing more to say."
"Since you're going to die anyway, why don't you tell me everything about my father?"
"What do you want to know?" Chen Zhengyi looked at Ye Xingchen and suddenly smiled.
"How did he die? If he's not dead, where is he now?" Ye Xingchen stared at Chen Zhengyi.
"I don't know where he is now, or whether he's dead or not," Chen Zhengyi said with a smile. "What I said to Bai Yingyun was simply to make our last meeting less tense."
"Yes, no one saw Ye Jinyu die back then. What kind of place is Jinluo City? It's like a den of dragons and tigers. It would be an injustice if he didn't die."
"I don't think you're telling the truth." Ye Xingchen stared at Chen Zhengyi and said, "Why bother? He's about to die, wouldn't it be better to just speak his mind? Why keep it all hidden?"
“There are some things I don’t want to say, it’s just that saying them would be useless.” Chen Zhengyi laughed, leaning closer to Ye Xingchen: “Do you really think Jinluo City is a place you can venture into?”
"Hehe, let me tell you, that place has Western forces involved behind the scenes. Not to mention the complicated situation in the city, the three city lords alone are not someone you can shake."
"Their strength is not much less than that of the Xuan Yang Sect. Do you really think you alone can take down Jinluo City?"
"How will you know if you don't try?" Ye Xingchen smiled slightly. "Judging from your expression, you're not planning to give in, are you?"
“That’s right, there’s nothing to back down on.” Chen Zhengyi muttered to himself, “Either I’m going to die or something, there are some things I can’t say, even if it’s me, otherwise…”
Chen Zhengyi stopped there, seemingly because there was something he was extremely wary of.
"Alright then." Ye Xingchen nodded. "Then I have nothing more to say."
“You are Chen Zhengyi. Although you are my enemy, you once shed blood for this nation. Even though you committed treason for personal gain, you should still have dignity in death. You can choose how you want to die.”
"No need for trouble, I'll just end it all with this knife." Chen Zhengyi waved the dagger in his hand. It was the knife Xia Hanyue had given him, the one he intended to use to commit suicide.
"Then let's begin." Ye Xingchen nodded: "I won't lift a finger; I'll just watch from here."
"Should I thank you for letting me die with such dignity?" Chen Zhengyi chuckled self-deprecatingly, then slowly raised the dagger in his hand.
He murmured, "I have no regrets about dying by the knife she gave me."
Xia Hanyue, standing to the side, curled her lip and said, "To be honest, I'm not moved at all. If you're going to do it, then hurry up and do it. I'm getting a little impatient."
Twenty years have passed, and today a decision must finally be made. He raised the dagger in his hand and said calmly, "I owe Ye Jinyu a life, and I will repay him today."
He suddenly raised his knife and stabbed himself in the abdomen.
Pfft... Fresh blood slowly trickled down his lower abdomen.
"This knife was to save his life during the battle overseas. In that battle, we were trapped in the Golden Triangle and entrusted our backs to each other. He saved my life at the cost of serious injury."
He slowly pulled out the knife, the blade covered in blood.
He picked up the knife and plunged it into his left chest without hesitation.
*Pfft...* Another spray of blood erupted.
"This stab is also for him. It was my betrayal that led to his death in Jinluo City twenty years ago."
Chen Zhengyi drew his knife again. Even though he was physically strong, he couldn't stand up after two strikes and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"This final blow represents the brotherhood we once shared. After this blow, all grudges between us will be wiped clean," Chen Zhengyi said in a deep voice. "If we can meet again in the afterlife, we will still be brothers."
*Thud*... The final blow struck his chest, the dagger piercing his heart, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
He felt his life slowly slipping away, and his body gradually growing cold.
But he wore a relieved smile; after twenty years, he could finally be free.
In that instant, the events of his life unfolded like a series of paintings, welling up from within him like film reels.
In his youth, he was also a young man with lofty ambitions.
In those days, his footprints covered all corners of the world. He went east to the coast, traveled alone to the East, went west to the western border, went south to the barbarians, and went north to the snowy plains of Liang.
Back then, he was invincible and full of vigor.
Unfortunately, he was far inferior to Ye Jinyu.
It's hard to say what her attitude towards Ye Jinyu is—is it jealousy, or a desire to surpass him?
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