Chapter 335: Ambition

Kong Nian watched Kong Xiang's unpredictable expression and could roughly guess what was going through his mind.

"Miss, when did you discover that Su Yan is Kong Xiangrou's daughter?" After regaining his composure, Kong Xiang's tone of inquiry lacked its usual calm.

"In the dungeon, Su Yan absorbed my energy, and since she is Gu Yang's fiancée, I had already deduced it by then."

"So, Miss, you approached Gu Yang intentionally?"

Kong Xiang knew Kong Nian's situation best; she possessed memories of Su Yan's childhood, so it was not surprising that she could infer such things.

Kong Nian gave him a confirming look. "Originally, I intended to use my closeness to Gu Yang to confirm Su Yan's situation. Now that Su Yan has also been invited by the Zhou family, I can't think of any reason other than her being a member of the Kong family."

Kong Xiang fully believed this conclusion.

For the past few days, rumors had been flying everywhere, claiming that Su Yan was actually hiding her true strength. Because of this, even Zhou Xiongfeng looked upon the girl with different eyes, even going so far as to delay this trip to the Ancestral Land for her sake.

If Su Yan was Kong Xiangrou's daughter, then she was a member of the Kong family...

"Uncle Kong, since I was able to absorb Su Yan's energy over ten years ago, can I do it again now?"

This sentence from Kong Nian completely interrupted Kong Xiang's train of thought.

Kong Xiang's shifting gaze landed on her face, his brows knitting tightly together.

"Miss, what you mean is...?"

A thought that even he found staggering surfaced in his mind.

A sinister light flashed in Kong Nian's eyes. "I want to obtain all of Su Yan's power!"

Since she hadn't achieved perfection ten years ago, perhaps she could make up for it this time.

However, compared to her ignorant and naive self from ten years ago, her current ambition was even greater.

This time, she would not only take the energy within Su Yan's eyes, but she would also take those eyes themselves.

Kong Xiang's expression changed violently; he had never expected Kong Nian to have such a bold idea.

"Miss, I can understand your feelings, but this matter is not easy to accomplish."

Ten years ago, it had been an act of desperation. If not for Kong Xiangrou's stubbornness in defecting from the family, the family would not have treated Su Yan that way.

Furthermore, the family's cultivation methods possessed no power of plunder; the only reason they had succeeded back then was that the Patriarch had paid a massive price to reach an agreement with the Feng family.

But now, the Feng family's allegiances were unknown, and it was highly likely they had already defected from the righteous path. How could the Patriarch go and beg the Feng family again?

"Of course I know it's not easy, but Su Yan's power belongs to our Kong family to begin with. Would the Patriarch really allow this power to be controlled by someone with a different surname?"

Kong Nian struck a nerve, clearly having already prepared herself mentally.

"This..." Kong Xiang looked troubled. It was precisely because they didn't know how to do it that the incident ten years ago had occurred.

But Su Yan was no longer the child they could manipulate as they had ten years ago.

"I cannot make a decision on such a major matter. I need to report to the Patriarch before we can determine how to proceed."

In truth, Kong Xiang had another thought in his mind.

Both he and the family elders knew exactly how powerful that energy was.

Previously, they had worried that if this energy drifted outside, it would be utilized by others. But things were different now; Su Yan was clearly alone. If the family showed her even a slight kindness and allowed her to be reinstated into the family genealogy, they would directly possess a gifted successor like Su Yan, making Kong Nian's role as a substitute unnecessary.

"Fine. Then I'll trouble you, Uncle Kong, to consult the Patriarch as soon as possible. This trip to the Zhou family's Ancestral Land is our best opportunity."

As she spoke the final words, a distorted expression appeared on Kong Nian's face.

The Patriarch was her paternal uncle and had always placed high hopes on her; there was no reason he wouldn't support her idea.

She was now filled with anticipation for the future, impatient to see the day she ascended to a higher level.

When that time came, whether it was Su Yan or Gu Yang, they would both be crushed ruthlessly beneath her feet!

Looking at her determined, "must-win" demeanor, Kong Xiang felt no joy; instead, his expression grew increasingly solemn.

After exiting Kong Nian's room, he immediately dialed Kong Shan Kui's number.

The two spoke for over half an hour, and Kong Xiang only hung up after confirming Kong Shan Kui's orders.

He subconsciously looked toward Kong Nian's room, his entire aura becoming dark and inscrutable.

***

The next day.

Kong Nian, having been too excited to sleep all night, appeared before everyone the next day looking radiant.

"Uncle Kong, did the Patriarch agree to what we discussed yesterday?"

She didn't even bother to avoid Kong Yueqing and Gan Hua, asking the question directly.

She was clearly incredibly certain of the answer.

At this moment, Kong Xiang showed no sign of abnormality at all; he simply nodded to her.

A high-spirited smile appeared on Kong Nian's face. "Good, let's set off now."

Her command was issued with absolute confidence.

Her state of being made it obvious to everyone that she was different from her previous lethargic self.

Kong Yueqing's heart sank. Originally, she was certain that Kong Nian's strength must have been affected, which was why she had been making all sorts of excuses to avoid this trip. She had planned to use this opportunity to make Kong Nian expose her flaws.

But the current Kong Nian's aura seemed even more formidable than before, making her wonder if she had truly made a mistake.

"Senior Sister, let's go too."

Seeing her standing there frozen, Kong Yueiling urged her in a low voice.

Although Kong Yueqing snapped out of it, she felt uneasy from head to toe.

***

At the hotel.

Su Yan, still wearing a black cloth over her eyes, walked out dressed lightly.

She intended to go and say goodbye to her teacher first, but she was stopped at the door by a waiter, who relayed the message left by Zhou Ye.

"Miss Su, Mr. Zhou checked out and left early this morning. He said he wouldn't be seeing you off and wished you a smooth journey."

Su Yan was somewhat surprised by Zhou Ye's sudden departure, but she accepted it immediately.

After all, Zhou Ye had always possessed such a free-spirited personality.

"I thought Teacher wouldn't be able to let me go without a few words of advice."

She couldn't help but murmur to herself. Quickly composing her emotions, she went to meet the Ma siblings.

In addition to Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan, other members of the Ma family had all arrived at the hotel yesterday.

Thus, when Su Yan arrived, she was somewhat surprised to see five or six unfamiliar faces.

Ma Chulong gave her a brief introduction, and these people had clearly been informed of her identity in advance.

"Miss Su will be traveling with us this time. You all know what needs to be done, right?"

The aura of a young master of a great clan was fully displayed by Ma Chulong at this moment, brimming with dominance.

Su Yan gave a helpless smile; in truth, she really didn't require any special treatment.

"Su Yan, the car is waiting outside. Shall we depart?"

"Alright, let's go."

(End of Chapter)