Chapter 308: Confirming the Truth

At that time, Su Jianguo had even wanted to risk his life against the Kong family, but for one, he had no idea where Kong Xiangrou's maiden family was located. Secondly, before her death, Kong Xiangrou had pleaded with him more than once to let go of the hatred in his heart, saying that everything was her own doing.

After Kong Xiangrou passed away, Su Jianguo completely broke down.

Listening to Song Sining's words, Gu Yang did not dare to miss even a single syllable.

"Did you notice anything different about Yan Yan?"

As the words left his mouth, he held his breath entirely.

"Different? What do you mean?" Song Sining sensitively realized his implication.

"Just any difference, any detail at all," Gu Yang's urgent voice was laced with a hint of a tremor.

There was a silence of over ten seconds on the receiver before Song Sining finally spoke.

"Back then, Yan Yan was bedridden and couldn't even see. Your Uncle Su took her everywhere seeking medical help, and none of us could even say a single word to her. That child was skin and bones; your father and I were even worried she wouldn't make it."

"Mom, do you... do you feel..." Even using all his strength, Gu Yang could not immediately finish the sentence.

"Feel what?"

"Do you feel that the one Concubine Kong brought back wasn't... Yan Yan?" Gu Yang felt as if his heart were being sliced by a knife.

This time, Song Sining's response was exceptionally rapid, and even her emotions were heightened.

"Gu Yang, what nonsense are you talking about? If the one brought back wasn't Yan Yan, then who else could it be?"

The veins on the back of Gu Yang's hand, which gripped the receiver, were faintly visible. "I was just saying... you said Yan Yan was gravely ill and so thin she was nothing but skin and bones. Wouldn't that mean her appearance wouldn't be quite the same as before?"

"Of course it's different. How could a healthy, fair-skinned child and a terminally ill child look exactly the same?"

Song Sining only thought of refuting Gu Yang's terrifying idea, speaking as if it were a matter of course.

However, her answer hit Gu Yang like a bolt from the blue.

Even through the receiver, Song Sining could feel the incredibly suffocating atmosphere.

"Gu Yang? Are you okay? What on earth happened?"

For the first time, she began to worry about her son's state.

"Gu Yang?"

Gu Yang's brain could no longer think normally. Hearing his mother's anxious calls, he responded with his last shred of sanity.

"I'm... fine. Nothing happened, I just suddenly wanted to ask. Don't worry, I'll handle everything."

Listening to his somewhat incoherent words, Song Sining's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Before she could speak again, the call disconnected.

Listening to the "beep beep" sound from the receiver, no matter how worried Song Sining was, she could only suppress her thoughts.

Meanwhile, Gu Yang sat in his chair as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

Although he was desperately trying to deny it, all the evidence was now telling him that Kong Nian was indeed Uncle Su and Concubine Kong's daughter!

But what was he supposed to do?

Ever since Su Yan was brought back by Su Jianguo half a year ago, from the moment he saw her, the doors to his heart, which had been closed for far too long, had swung open.

If he had previously done so because of a promise to Concubine Kong or because of their childhood friendship, then through his contact with Su Yan, she had truly broken in, and he could no longer afford to lose her.

And now, someone had suddenly appeared to tell him that he had loved the wrong person and protected the wrong person?

He could feel with absolute clarity that his body and his heart were both resisting—resisting the truth. Only at this moment did he deeply realize just how much he wanted Su Yan!

***

At the hotel.

After sleeping in her room for a day and a night, Su Yan was full of energy.

Aside from the energy in her pupils still being somewhat unstable, everything else had returned to normal.

She didn't care much about this instability; after all, she had been enduring it almost every moment for the past thirteen years, so re-suppressing all her energy was merely a matter of time for her.

She had thought Gu Yang would come today, but there was still no sign of him.

Su Yan didn't think much of it; after all, he actually needed rest more than she did.

Although she didn't wait for Gu Yang, Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan did arrive.

They brought news regarding the Zhou family's entry into the Ancestral Land.

"It's set for this weekend. Aside from the Feng family, everyone else has agreed to enter together."

Feng Zong had died without a whole corpse, and such a major incident had occurred, but after discussions and weighing the options between Ma Chulong, Su Yan, and Du Jinsong, they did not intend to let the Feng family know about this immediately. After all, it was highly possible that the entire Feng clan had already defected to the Righteous Path, and it was not advisable to alert the enemy.

Ma Chulong had already informed his father, who would contact the heads of the other clans to discuss how to handle the matter together, so the juniors did not need to intervene.

"Kong Nian agreed as well?" The first person Su Yan thought of was her.

Kong Nian had already lost her innate special ability, and even much of her spiritual power had been absorbed by Feng Zong; she likely had little strength left.

Ma Chulong nodded. "Kong Nian didn't attend today, but Kong Xiang accepted on her behalf. Since it was something previously decided, it wouldn't be good to go back on it at the last minute."

Ma Chulan looked at Su Yan, unable to hold back any longer. "Clan Leader Zhou specifically mentioned you today, saying he hopes you can participate as well."

Su Yan had indeed intended to join the excitement, but she hadn't expected to be proactively mentioned by Zhou Xiongfeng.

Ma Chulong immediately offered an explanation. "It's likely that Clan Leader Zhou also heard about the incident in the dungeon. This time, he is determined to make the trip to the Ancestral Land, so of course, he hopes to have as many powerful people as possible."

As the saying goes, there are no walls that don't leak wind. Although they had been doing their best to hide Su Yan's true strength, such a massive event would inevitably cause rumors to spread, which was why Zhou Xiongfeng had taken an interest in her.

"Su Yan, if you don't want to go, I can refuse for you."

Currently, Su Yan's identity was publicly declared as Ma Chulan's maid, so he could still make that decision for her.

Su Yan was indifferent. "It's such an exciting event; there's no harm in going once."

Rather than obtaining a treasure from the Zhou family's treasury, she cared more about the fact that the Kong family would also be traveling.

Since she already knew she was inextricably linked to the Kong family, she naturally had to find an opportunity to clear everything up.

Ma Chulong and Ma Chulan exchanged a glance; this was, of course, for the best, but they also didn't want to bring any unnecessary trouble to Su Yan.

"Have you guys eaten dinner yet? Let's go eat, my treat."

Su Yan casually changed the subject, clearly not taking the matter to heart as much as the siblings did.

Ma Chulong felt a sense of relief; as the saying goes, the bridge straightens itself out as you walk.

(End of Chapter)