Chapter 525 - 525: Falling into a Trap
Seeing Wei Hua so furious, Gao Shusen couldn't help sighing., "Wei Hua, although Shao Yan didn't make this call, the orphanage that Ye Qing ran really did explode. Over three hundred students, all little kids, as well as the teachers and staff, were buried in the rubble. This matter needs to be accounted for. I see that Shao Yan didn't make the call, and the incident at Ye Qing's is not groundless, which is the biggest oddity. Perhaps, someone is manipulating from behind, intentionally trying to stir up the grudge between us and Ye Qing. If you insist on clashing head-on with Ye Qing, then you are truly falling into someone else's trap!"
Gao Shusen's analysis was logical, and after thinking for a while, Wei Hua couldn't come up with anything to refute., he just gritted his teeth and said, "Hmm, no matter who is behind this, Ye Qing barging into the Ding Family and injuring so many people, that is wrong. No matter what, he needs to be taught a lesson as punishment, otherwise, he will become lawless in Shenchuan City!"
Gao Shusen knew Wei Hua already hated Ye Qing to the bone and that anything he said was useless. He sighed softly, didn't say anything more, and turned around to leave the courtyard.
Tie Yongwen was already waiting in the car outside, and Gao Shusen followed and got into the car. Looking at Tie Yongwen leaning back in his seat, Gao Shusen for the first time realized that this mentor, hailed as a legend of Shenchuan City, had aged and looked somewhat desolate. The Xingyi Quan grandmaster, who once could bear the weight of the sky on his shoulders and with his iron fists ruled the Eastern Province and was unmatched in the Southern Six Provinces, now had hair that was half white, half black.
No matter how invincible he had been throughout his life, he ultimately couldn't escape the ravages of time. The twilight years were not only a great calamity for beauties, but also the final journey for a hero!
Gao Shusen's eyes grew moist. He knew his mentor had aged. However, he still had to consider all matters, having devoted nearly his entire life to the Ding Family. But how had the Ding Family treated him in return?
"Let's go!" Gao Shusen reached out and tapped the driver's shoulder, saying, "To Xingyi Martial Arts School!"
"Yes!" The driver nodded, tried to start the car several times, but the luxurious vehicle, unusually, failed to ignite.
After a while, seeing that the car still wasn't moving, Gao Shusen, puzzled, inquired, "What's the matter?"
"The car... the car seems to be broken..." the driver replied awkwardly, surprised in his heart, as the vehicle had just been serviced a few days prior—how could it suddenly break down?
"Broken down?" Gao Shusen was surprised; he had never encountered such an issue before.
"Let's switch cars," Tie Yongwen, who had been resting with closed eyes, suddenly suggested, opening his eyes.
The three of them got out and switched to another car parked nearby, only to find it wouldn't start either. This stunned them all, and the driver, sweating profusely, said: "What's going on? Two cars breaking down in a row, that's way too odd!"
"Switch to another one," Tie Yongwen said calmly.
Although Gao Shusen also felt this was odd, he said nothing. The three of them swapped to yet another car, and this time it finally started. However, as they drove out of the Ding Family Courtyard, a black dog darted out from nowhere, running straight in front of the car's wheels, startling the driver into hastily slamming on the brakes, nearly hitting the dog.
"What happened?" Gao Shusen asked, surprised; why were there so many issues just leaving the house?
"Just a dog," the driver replied, scanning the surroundings to make sure nothing else was there and then cautiously began to drive, not daring to speed anymore. However, a flock of birds, unknown from where, now fluttered overhead, cawing incessantly.
"The birds are really annoying at night," the driver grumbled.
Gao Shusen looked up and frowned slightly, "Those are crows."
"Crows?" the driver paused, "I... I've heard that crows cawing is very unlucky, is that... true?"
Gao Shusen also felt a shadow in his heart; the series of events that happened when they were leaving tonight gave him an ominous feeling. He turned to look at Tie Yongwen, who was resting with closed eyes on the sofa next to him, and couldn't help but whisper, "Master, I think something's strange about tonight. Maybe... maybe we should go tomorrow instead?"
"No need, let's go now!" Tie Yongwen replied without opening his eyes, unmoved by the events.
Seeing Tie Yongwen respond like that, Gao Shusen knew there was no point in discussing it further and remained silent.
When they arrived at the Xingyi Martial Arts School, there weren't many people around in the evening. Gao Shusen accompanied Tie Yongwen into the courtyard and went straight to the main hall to wait for Ye Qing.
Wu Xinghuai was also aware of the day's events, and seeing Tie Yongwen's expression, he didn't dare to ask anything. After serving Tie Yongwen tea, he immediately left, not daring to linger any longer.
Gao Shusen sat next to Tie Yongwen, and seeing that his mentor remained silent, he didn't dare to speak much either. He knew how Tie Yongwen felt; Tie Yongwen certainly believed Ye Qing. However, the fact was that Ding Shaoyan really hadn't made that phone call. So, how to protect Ye Qing was what Tie Yongwen was pondering now.
After a long silence, Gao Shusen went through everything related to Ye Qing in his mind from beginning to end and came up with a few doubts. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Tie Yongwen suddenly opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Come out!"
Gao Shusen was taken aback, glanced around, unsure to whom Tie Yongwen was speaking.
Before long, a man in his fifties emerged slowly from the darkness. The man's face was sinister, with a cold smile, his entire being exuding a chilling aura.
"After so many years, Old Tie's strength remains formidable, I must say I admire you!" The man walked slowly until he was five meters away from Tie Yongwen, looking at him, he said, "Old Tie, hope you've been well!"
Tie Yongwen gave the man a cold glance and said in a deep voice, "So it's you. I hadn't expected you to dare break the promise you once made and enter Shenchuan City. It seems that the matter with Shao Yan was also your doing!"
"Old Tie, you're misunderstanding me," the man said with a smile, "Ding Shaoyan is no good man. This wasn't my doing, but rather he colluded with me. The truly innocent one is Ye Qing, haha, he's been right all along, even in his pursuit of Ding Shaoyan. Sadly, the people of the Ding Family, as well as those from the Xingyi School, are unlikely to believe him!"
Tie Yongwen furrowed his brow and said, "Believe it or not, what does it matter? I, Tie Yongwen, believe him, and that is enough!"
"Is that so?" the man sneered and said, "Old Tie, as long as you're alive, sure, no one would dare to stop you from protecting him. But what if you were dead?"
"What did you say!" Gao Shusen suddenly stood up, his face full of rage. Tie Yongwen was the person he respected most in his life, and he wouldn't allow anyone to insult him!
The man paid no attention to Gao Shusen, just sneered as he looked at Tie Yongwen.
Tie Yongwen was composed, quietly watching the man, he said, "With just you?"
"With just me," the man said with a faint smile, "That's enough!"
"Is that so?" Tie Yongwen stood up and looked coldly at the man, his face devoid of any expression.
The man still wore a cold smile, facing Tie Yongwen with great confidence.
Tie Yongwen felt somewhat surprised, but he didn't hesitate for long and slowly took a step forward. Just as he was about to make a move, a sudden 'bang' came from above. Instinctively, he looked up, only to see a huge iron net falling down from above, directly covering both Tie Yongwen and Gao Shusen.
Tie Yongwen spun around, grabbed Gao Shusen, and rushed out. However, the iron net was too large, and despite his speed, it was not fast enough; they were enveloped by the net and thrown to the ground. The iron net trapped them both, and as they struggled fiercely, the net only tightened, making it impossible to break free.
Tie Yongwen's expression changed drastically; he finally understood why the man was so confident.
"Xu Cunxiao, you despicable man!" Tie Yongwen gritted his teeth and shouted.
This man turned out to be Xu Cunxiao, which meant that he was Xu Yingshi's father, and he dared to go against Shen Qianyue's word by entering Shenchuan City!
"Old Tie, you are the Grandmaster of Xingyi Quan. Even though I, Xu, may be bold, I wouldn't dare to face off against you directly," Xu Cunxiao said with a cold smile, "As the saying goes, all is fair in war. Old Tie, this iron net was specifically made for you. How do you like it?"
"Xu Cunxiao, what exactly do you want to do!" Tie Yongwen shouted sternly.
"Didn't I just say it? Or was I not clear enough?" Xu Cunxiao spread his hands and said, "I said I want you dead!"
Tie Yongwen's face grew colder, and Gao Shusen grew even more anxious, saying, "If you touch my Master, neither the Xingyi School nor the Ding Family will let you off the hook!"
"Indeed, if it became known that I, Xu Cunxiao, killed Old Master Tie, then my life would truly be done for. Fortunately, I have a scapegoat!" Xu Cunxiao said lightly, pulling out a gun, and said, "Old Tie, do you know whose gun this is?"
Seeing the gun, both Tie Yongwen and Gao Shusen's expressions worsened, knowing they couldn't escape this time.
Xu Cunxiao said, "This gun is the sidearm of Ding Changsheng!"
"You're going to frame Ding Changsheng?" Gao Shusen was greatly surprised.
"No, no, no!" Xu Cunxiao shook his head and smiled, "This is Ding Changsheng's sidearm, yes, but when Ye Qing broke into the Ding Family, he took this gun from Ding Changsheng and placed it in his own car. I went to Ye Qing, stole this gun, haha, you understand my intention now, don't you?"
"You're going to frame Ye Qing!" Gao Shusen was even more shocked. If they were truly killed by this gun, then Ye Qing would be finished. The gun had been taken by him, and even if Ye Qing jumped into the Yellow River, he wouldn't be able to clear his name!
"Ye Qing has no grudge against you, why are you doing this to him!" Tie Yongwen said sternly, "The one who killed your son is the Xikou Fire Butterfly, there's a debtor for every account, how does framing Ye Qing make any sense?"
"My son died in the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena, and that arena belongs to Ye Qing, so he must pay the price for this," Xu Cunxiao paused then added, "And you, Old Tie, you are Ye Qing's biggest backer in Shenchuan City, you should also share some responsibility, shouldn't you?"