Chapter 526 - 526: A Hero for All Ages, Full of Courage and Integrity!
Seeing Xu Cunxiao holding a gun and walking over, Gao Shusen struggled hurriedly, trying to shield Tie Yongwen with his body, but was pushed away by Tie Yongwen.
Tie Yongwen looked at Xu Cunxiao and spoke solemnly, "Since you dared to come to kill me, why did you need to frame Ye Qing? With your strength, killing him wouldn't have been difficult!"
Xu Cunxiao sneered, "Old Tie, it seems you really have become muddled. If I had killed you, would the Ding Family and Xingyi School have let me off? Finding a scapegoat means I don't have to take any responsibility. Besides, since I'm targeting Ye Qing, why not conserve some energy and pin the blame on him so I can sit back and watch the drama unfold? Moreover, with the Ding Family's power, keeping them around is always a hidden threat. Why not let them clash with the Ye lineage? No matter who wins or loses, my entry into Shenchuan City will be easier!"
Tie Yongwen furrowed his brows. Xu Cunxiao's methods were truly despicable. But now, trapped in this iron cage, he was as good as trapped in a jar, and although he was aware of Xu Cunxiao's plans, there was nothing he could do about it.
"Xu Cunxiao, even if you kill me and Ye Qing, you might not live much longer!" Tie Yongwen said gravely, "The General of Meng District has been watching you. This time you step out of Western Province, I don't think you should expect to return alive!"
Xu Cunxiao gave a cold laugh, "That old fool Helian Tiehua is being closely watched by Prince Naran of the Capital. He doesn't have time to come to the Southern Six Provinces looking for me. By the time he gets past the Capital, the Southern Six Provinces might have changed, and he won't have the authority to give orders here anymore!"
"What... What more do you intend to do?" Tie Yongwen's brow tightly knit, the words of Xu Cunxiao giving him an uneasy feeling.
"Hahaha..." Xu Cunxiao laughed coldly skyward, "I'm not afraid to tell you, the incident at the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena last time was orchestrated by me. What does it matter if I lose a son? The Xihang Shen Family, people from Killing Gate, Huangfu Ziyu, Chen Si, they all gathered at the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena and confronted each other once. When the people from Killing Gate return to the Southern Six Provinces, the days of Shen Family controlling the Southern Six Provinces will be over. We've been conserving energy for many years, just waiting for this opportunity, waiting for Killing Gate and the Shen Family to clash again, and then we'll reap the benefits and completely control the Southern Six Provinces. Once we control the Southern Six Provinces, no General from Meng District will be able to cross Jiangnan again!"
"You planned the Killing Gate's actions too!?" Tie Yongwen's face grew colder, the situation surpassing his imagination.
"The Bloody Monk has been missing for over a decade. How could he suddenly appear? That's just some minor manipulation by us to draw out the people from Killing Gate, and let them take revenge on the Shen Family," Xu Cunxiao sneered, "Ten years ago, the Shen Family's Blood Butcher slaughtered thousands of miles, and people from Killing Gate have held a grudge against the Shen Family, eager for revenge. Without the Bloody Monk, their strength was insufficient. Now, I've fabricated some news of the Bloody Monk's appearance, to provoke these people. As long as the Seven Hidden of Killing Gate are drawn out, the battle between the Xihang Shen Family and Killing Gate will be fierce. By then, no matter who wins or loses, the Southern Six Provinces will no longer have the strength to contend with us!"
The color drained from Tie Yongwen's face. He knew the past events best, and he was also most aware of the strength of Killing Gate and Xihang Shen Family. If these two forces were to clash, it would result in countless deaths, even more brutal than the slaughter ten years ago!
"Xu Cunxiao, you are too despicable!" Tie Yongwen gritted his teeth, "Do you realize how many people will die, how many will lose their lives in this?"
"Old Tie, you are too kind!" Xu Cunxiao slowly shook his head, "Both of us have lived through those times; you should understand how little human life is worth. In this world, if you're not at the apex, you're always just an ant. Helian Tiehua has oppressed us, forcing us to cower in Western Province for over twenty years, always fearing that he might break his word and suddenly kill into Western Province to take our lives. For twenty years, we've lived in constant fear, always amassing strength because we don't want to live like this anymore, we want to take control of our destinies!"
As Xu Cunxiao spoke, he stepped in front of Tie Yongwen, looking at him coldly, "Old Tie, to be honest, I truly respect you. Among so many people I've known, you are a true man, clear about loyalty and justice. Unfortunately, in my plan, you must die. So, I'm sorry!"
Xu Cunxiao aimed the gun at Tie Yongwen, while Gao Shusen hurriedly struggled to come forward, trying to block Tie Yongwen and shouting persistently, "Kill me instead, don't kill my master!"
Tie Yongwen pushed Gao Shusen aside, glaring intently at Xu Cunxiao, and said solemnly, "Xu Cunxiao, I, Tie Yongwen, have never begged anyone in this life. Now, I'm asking you for one thing."
"Speak!" Xu Cunxiao replied abruptly.
"Kill me, but spare my disciple!" Tie Yongwen said gravely.
"Master!" Gao Shusen cried out, tears involuntarily streaming down his face. At this moment, Tie Yongwen was still thinking of saving him, which deeply moved him.
Xu Cunxiao glanced at Gao Shusen, then back at Tie Yongwen, "Old Tie, we've talked so much, do you think I would spare him?"
Tie Yongwen's face immediately turned ashen. Gao Shusen looked at Tie Yongwen and struggled forward a bit, clenched his teeth and said, "Xu Cunxiao, I also beg you for one thing!"
"You don't have the right!" Xu Cunxiao said coldly.
Gao Shusen shouted loudly, "I'm begging you with this life, for a very simple thing!"
Xu Cunxiao frowned slightly and said, "You speak, I'm listening!"
Gao Shusen took a deep breath and said, "If you have to kill, kill me first. Even if I cannot die for Master, I will at least take a bullet for him!"
These words made even the usually dignified Tie Yongwen unable to hold back his tears. He turned his head to look at Gao Shusen, whose expression was resolute, and said, "Master, Shusen owes you so much that I cannot repay it in this lifetime. In the next life, I will be your disciple again!"
"Shusen, you owe me nothing!" Tie Yongwen's tears finally began to flow as he gently patted Gao Shusen's shoulder and said, "You are my best disciple. It's only a shame that I couldn't teach you well!"
"Master, how good my martial arts are doesn't matter to me!" Gao Shusen clenched his teeth hard, turned his head to Xu Cunxiao, and said angrily, "Can I or can't I?"
"You too are a real man. I agree with you!" Xu Cunxiao gritted his teeth and turned the gun towards Gao Shusen.
The silencer on the gun muffled the sound of the shots, which didn't carry far. In a brief moment, two gunshots rang out in the hall, followed by a clatter, the sound of the gun falling to the ground.
A hero of his time, full of courage and hot blood, ultimately turned to dust!
Ye Qing was busy until the evening, still unable to clear the rubble, though some children were rescued. These people were only injured by the collapse and no deaths had occurred, so the mood at the scene was relatively stable. However, the longer it took to dig, the more dangerous it became for those buried underneath.
Ye Qing and his men were busy the entire day, not resting even for a moment. But they dared not use any tools, only their hands, to avoid injuring people buried underneath. This made the digging process much slower. Clearing the rubble was indeed not an easy task.
Da Fei and others were also busy here all day. These gangsters, used to living luxuriously, had rarely done such heavy work. Yet, no one rested all day; at most, they drank some water and then returned to digging. Everyone's mood was quite heavy. If they couldn't rescue the people inside, nobody would feel at ease!
Due to this situation, Li Lianshan had handed over the management of the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena to Lin Mengjie and stayed with Ye Qing to help. Fortunately, Lin Mengjie was very capable and managed the dogfight arena well, so there was no need to worry about it.
Ye Qing had planned to stay busy here until all the people trapped under the rubble were rescued. However, around eight o'clock, he received a call from Du Tianyi, asking him to go to the Xingyi Martial Arts School, as Tie Yongwen wanted to see him.
Ye Qing knew that Tie Yongwen's return must have been to deal with Ding Shaoyan's issue. Looking at the situation with the rubble, Ye Qing felt even more enraged and couldn't wait to take revenge on Ding Shaoyan. Without any hesitation, he handed the site over to Li Lianshan to manage and drove straight to the Xingyi Martial Arts School.
Because he was so anxious about today's events, he didn't notice the condition of his car. If he had paid careful attention, he would have realized that the gun he had placed in his car was missing. This oversight led him straight into a trap that had been set for him.
Rushing to the Xingyi Martial Arts School, he found the main door open but no one in sight. Ye Qing walked around a bit inside. Even though it was quiet at night, it was unusual for someone to enter without being noticed.
Ye Qing felt a bit surprised and carefully observed his surroundings as he walked. Suddenly, he found a person lying behind a wooden post. Ye Qing rushed over to help the person up, only to find it was someone from the Xingyi Martial Arts School who had been knocked unconscious. Several other people lay beside him, also knocked unconscious.
A chill ran through Ye Qing's heart. Who was so bold as to break into the Xingyi Martial Arts School and injure so many people? This was, after all, the place where Tie Yongwen was in charge!
Not daring to hesitate, Ye Qing hurried into the main hall, where Tie Yongwen was supposed to be waiting for him.
The hall was enveloped in darkness. As soon as he entered, Ye Qing smelled a pungent odor of blood. His heart started to race, and he suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"Uncle Tie, Uncle Tie?" Ye Qing called out twice, but no one answered, making him even more panicked. He faintly saw two dark figures on the ground but couldn't tell what was going on.
Were the people of Xingyi Martial Arts School knocked out and thrown here? But, Tie Yongwen was supposed to be here, so why was no one answering? What exactly had happened here?