Before I came to see Qu Ruilin, I sensed from Song Laosan's attitude that something unexpected might happen.
But I never expected him to be so aggressive towards me.
I know that the hostility the other three families feel towards me stems from what my father did.
But I've forgotten what he looks like, so this debt definitely can't be attributed to me.
Seeing that Song Laosan couldn't stop Qu Ruilin, I wasn't one to suffer a loss either. I grabbed a chair next to me and smashed it down on Qu Ruilin's head.
"Hey!"
When Song Laosan saw my actions, he exclaimed in surprise, seemingly not expecting that I, who looked so refined, would dare to be so ruthless.
I've been in countless fights since I was a child, but I've never seen Qu Ruilin's beast-like gaze.
His gaze made me feel a huge threat, and I even felt that he really wanted to kill me.
I had intended to subdue him with one blow, but I didn't expect Qu Ruilin to be a trained fighter.
As I slammed the chair down, he nimbly dodged it, then delivered a whip kick to my cheek.
I caught a glimpse of his movement out of the corner of my eye, threw the chair aside, and used my arm to block his leg.
"Bang!"
When Qu Ruilin kicked me, it felt like I was being gored by a bull. My body shifted half a meter and I crashed into the wall.
Before I could make a further move, Qu Ruilin had already pressed down on me, his knee striking my lower abdomen.
The abdomen is one of the body's weak points. The sharp pain made me gasp, and then I punched him in the side of the face.
Qu Ruilin lost his balance, pulled on my clothes and fell down, and then we started fighting.
This was a brutal, hand-to-hand brawl.
I took several punches to the face, and it quickly swelled up to the point of numbness. But Qu Ruilin wasn't having an easy time either; he was pinned down by me, and his nose was bleeding profusely as well.
I'm the kind of person who gets crazier the more I fight, and the excruciating pain coming from all over my body really made me a little desperate.
In the chaos, I found a ballpoint pen lying on the ground, picked it up, and stabbed it into Qu Ruilin's neck.
"Duan Shenxing!"
Wei Shengnan, who had been standing by and watching, saw my actions, rushed forward, kicked my wrist with her toe, and then kicked me away.
She didn't use much force with that kick, yet it caused excruciating pain in my entire arm, and my pen flew out of my hand.
Qu Ruilin seized the opportunity and pounced on me as well.
Looking back, I'm glad I didn't really anger Wei Shengnan.
Because this woman is truly ruthless!
She stood between me and Qu Ruilin, fighting both of them simultaneously without being at a disadvantage.
I can tell that Qu Ruilin has also studied martial arts, but like me, he's only a half-baked practitioner.
In a battle, we can only use the techniques we have learned by seizing the opponent's openings.
Wei Shengnan, however, is just like in martial arts movies. Her movements are small, but every strike is perfectly timed, with each punch and palm hitting the most painful spot.
The Wei family inherited ancient martial arts. Ancient martial arts are not the martial arts moves that have evolved into performance routines in modern times, nor are they the magical skills that fly around in novels. They are pure killing techniques passed down from ancient times.
In the midst of the chaos, Wei Shengnan tapped my side with her finger, and I immediately felt a stitch in my side.
Qu Ruilin was also badly hurt, as he was knocked back by Wei Shengnan's palm strike.
Seizing the opportunity, Song Laosan rushed forward again and hugged Qu Ruilin: "Young Master Qu, calm down! The Wei family has gathered the descendants of the four families together this time not to make them fight each other, nor is it for you to take revenge, but to save people!"
Wei Shengnan then shielded me behind her and said to Qu Ruilin, "Brother Lin, I know you have hatred in your heart, but this hatred should not be vented on Duan Shenxing! He doesn't know anything about the Duan family's past, not even about his father. You can't blame him for the sins his father committed!"
"You only talk about his dad! What about my dad?!"
Qu Ruilin was still struggling: "It's because of what his father did! My father lost his life! His father killed my father, shouldn't he pay for his father's sins?!"
Upon hearing Qu Ruilin's words, I froze on the spot.
I never imagined that we had such a deep grudge against the Qu family.
What I never expected was that my dad would actually kill his dad.
What exactly did Duan Jinyan do back then?!
Wei Shengnan took a deep breath and said to Qu Ruilin, "To be honest, when I first saw Duan Shenxing, my hatred was no less than yours! But I gradually realized something: Duan Shenxing was also a victim, a victim just like you and me!"
Qu Ruilin was held tightly by Song Laosan, but his reddened eyes kept staring at me.
“You lost your father because of Duan Jinyan, and Duan Shenxing is the same! He was abandoned by Duan Jinyan when he was young and was raised by his grandfather. He has experienced the same humiliation you suffered since childhood! We are all people who have been hurt by Duan Jinyan, including himself!”
Wei Shengnan paused for a moment: "He is not the culprit who wreaked havoc on the four sects. We cannot turn from victims into perpetrators just because he is related to Duan Jinyan by blood! As someone who has never seen his father since childhood but has to bear the guilt for his father, he is the most pitiful! Everyone has their own misfortunes, and Duan Shenxing is no exception. He cannot choose his birth, and being abandoned is not his fault. He should not torment himself because of this, and we should not!"
When I heard Wei Shengnan's words, I felt a chill run down my spine.
I never expected that she would stand by my side and speak up for me.
More importantly, her words resonated with me deeply, both hurting me and touching the softest spot in my heart.
In Buddhism, there is a term called "sudden enlightenment."
A person's inner knot is often untied in a single moment.
Wei Shengnan's words instantly put my mind at ease.
My inferiority complex since childhood has been self-inflicted; being abandoned was not my choice.
After hearing Wei Shengnan's words, Qu Ruilin's expression became somewhat ferocious with pain: "You only feel sorry for him, but what about me? Have you ever thought about my feelings?!"
"The Wei family gathered the four sects this time to save my grandmother. We didn't tell you the truth beforehand because we were afraid you would hold a grudge."
Wei Shengnan took a deep breath: "My grandfather asked me to assure you on his behalf that once this matter is resolved, the Wei family will give you a satisfactory answer! Brother Lin, please, for the sake of the generations of friendship between the four families, save my grandmother!"
Qu Ruilin clenched his fists, panting heavily: "To save people, I can disregard the rules set by my grandfather and make an exception to cooperate this time, but I will always be enemies with the Duan family!"
"Hey! That's more like it. If there's anything, let's talk it out calmly. Conflicts can be resolved slowly. We're all from the same lineage, why be so tense!"
Old Song breathed a sigh of relief: "We're setting off tonight. Let's discuss how to find the tomb and how to get to work."
Fearing further complications, Wei Shengnan said, "Since Brother Lin has agreed, let's set off as soon as possible. We can talk about everything on the way!"
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