Chapter 496 - 492: Nanrong’s Past
Nanrong Yong was completely indifferent to the Snake King’s rage, saying lightly, "He is my elder brother, a fact that can’t be changed by anyone. No matter how you deny it, you cannot negate our blood relationship."
He paused for a moment, not waiting for the Snake King to speak, Nanrong Yong continued, "Over the years, I have always thought that it was your father who secretly hired an assassin, intending to harm the Nanrong Family, but what I didn’t expect was that he had long passed away, nor did I expect that he would have a son. Wanqing is your niece, how could you bear to have her killed?"
The Snake King sneered, "Why don’t you ask yourself why you treated my father so cruelly back then? I’m merely repaying tooth for tooth, an eye for an eye."
Nanrong Yong shook his head and said, "I think you’ve misunderstood; I have never done anything to wrong your father. If anyone is to blame, it’s your father himself. His downfall was entirely of his own making. Unfortunately, he neither realized nor repented, but instead blamed everyone else entirely, never reflecting on whether he had done anything wrong."
"Shut your mouth!" the Snake King said coldly, angrily shouting, "Don’t you slander my father!"
"I am merely stating the facts, not a single word of falsehood. If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. My father, who is also your grandfather, had some reputation locally. When your father and I grew up, the old man gave each of us a substantial amount of funds to start our own businesses. In addition, he set a rule that whoever could create the most wealth in the shortest amount of time would inherit the position of Family Head of the Nanrong Family."
"Your father was capable, but he was too eager for quick success and easily trusted others. In less than half a year, the funds he had were almost gone, either lost in failed investments or swindled by others. At the time, I took the money and contracted a pier. Although the profit wasn’t much, it was at least steady. Your father, as the eldest son, couldn’t bear to lose face in front of the old man, so he turned to me, hoping I could help him. Out of brotherly love, I gave him all my profits from the past six months, hoping he could start over."
"Regrettably, your father couldn’t change his impatient nature, always looking to make the biggest profit with the least money. Such businesses did exist, but they were all illegal activities. Later, under the guise of transportation, your father used my port for smuggling, and not only that, he also started to traffic drugs through the cargo ships. By the time I found out about this, it was too late; no matter how much I tried to dissuade him, he wouldn’t listen. In the end, I had no choice, not wanting the reputation of the Nanrong Family to be tarnished by his actions, so I secretly informed the old man, telling him everything your father had done."
"After learning of this, the old man was uncontrollably furious, and he personally reported it to the police. Your father was imprisoned for five years because of this. For this matter, your father utterly hated me and the old man, believing that we were the ones who had wronged him. Especially me—he thought I was jealous of him, afraid that he would take the position of Family Head from me, so I snitched to the old man and even instigated him to report to the police. It’s undeniable that I am partly to blame for not considering the potential consequences. But most of the responsibility still lies with your father. If it hadn’t been for his delving into the illegal business, none of this would have happened."
"Actually, your father didn’t know that with the crimes he had committed at the time, he was facing at least twenty years. It was the old man and myself who ran about asking for favors, which reduced his sentence to five years. After he was released from prison, he didn’t even enter his own home but left East Sea City immediately. Since then, I never saw your father again. Even when the old man passed away, he didn’t come back to see him one last time."
"I know your father hated me, but I didn’t expect him to pass that hatred onto you. Ling Chen, the cycle of vengeance has no end—yes, I am responsible for what happened back then, but I have no regrets. If your father had continued down that path, once his crimes came to light, he would not merely face imprisonment, but execution. I don’t expect you to understand, but I hope you can see the truth clearly and not be blinded by your father’s selfish hatred."