Chapter 388: The Return Journey

As the crowd emerged from the Zhou family ancestral grounds, they looked up at the sun hanging high in the sky and felt as if they had been separated from the world for an eternity.

Everyone was more or less injured, both physically and mentally exhausted.

Because Zhou Li remained in a coma, Zhou Chong barely paused before immediately beginning the return journey.

The others, however, returned to their previous wooden cabins first to take a brief rest and recover.

After Kong Nian's group returned, Kong Xiang also emerged from his secluded cultivation.

The moment Gan Hua saw Kong Xiang, he immediately made an excuse to go see Ruan Tao.

Sure enough, Ruan Tao appeared completely bewildered, having no idea what had transpired within the ancestral grounds.

Gan Hua simply gave him a brief explanation, and then the two of them took Kong Yueling along to visit Kong Nian.

Although Kong Nian had lost her spiritual power, her status had not changed.

However, they did not get to see her as they had hoped; they were directly turned away at the door.

The three of them wore complex expressions. Although they didn't know the full truth, they had guessed most of it.

But more than Kong Nian's current situation, what they cared about even more was Su Yan's identity.

It was now beyond doubt that Su Yan was a member of the Kong family. Originally, this should have been a cause for celebration, but it felt as if a sword were hanging over everyone's heart.

When Kong Xiang walked out of Kong Nian's room, the three of them immediately approached him respectfully.

Kong Xiang looked no different than before, still radiating a cold aura that warned others to keep their distance.

"You all should pack up as well. We set off tomorrow morning."

"Martial Uncle, is Junior Sister Kong Nian alright?" Although Gan Hua did not interact with Kong Nian often, seeing her in such a state made his heart heavy.

"She is fine." Kong Xiang replied with only those three words before walking away with an air of indifference.

Gan Hua and Ruan Tao exchanged a glance, seeing only helplessness in each other's eyes.

On the other side, Su Yan was also preparing to depart.

She planned to return to the capital to say goodbye to Gu Yang and then go home.

She had gained a lot from this trip, but most importantly, she truly missed Su Jianguo.

Ever since her father fell into a coma, she had been away from home; she wondered how his condition was now.

And then there was Granny Li. She thought about calling the village once she returned, just to make sure the old woman was doing well.

"Su Yan, we might not be able to go back with you."

Ma Chulan's face was full of reluctance. The Ma family disciples had suffered heavy losses, and she and her elder brother needed to return as soon as possible to explain the situation to their family.

There is no feast that does not end, so Su Yan felt no great sadness upon hearing of their parting.

"Alright."

Ma Chulong suppressed the reluctance in his heart, then took a card out of his pocket and handed it over.

"This has my and my little sister's contact information on it. If you encounter any difficulties, no matter what they are, you can look for us."

Although he felt it was unlikely that Su Yan would take the initiative to contact them, this was the only thing he could do as a friend.

Though they had only spent a few short months together, Su Yan had already become a friend to whom the siblings would share life and death.

Su Yan accepted the card readily and gave a few simple instructions.

With the departure imminent, the atmosphere was filled with the sorrow and reluctance of parting.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next day.

As soon as the first light broke on the horizon, the exorcists began to leave one after another.

Su Yan bid farewell to the Ma siblings, watching them all board their vehicles.

Just as she was about to board her own vehicle, Kong Xiang appeared before her once again.

"Su Yan, this is our Kong family's address."

When he said "our," Kong Xiang deliberately emphasized the word.

Su Yan merely glanced at it and committed it to memory.

Kong Xiang did not mind her current distant attitude. "The Clan Leader and the family elders are all looking forward to your arrival."

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Su Yan's mouth. "Looking forward to me coming back to settle accounts with you?"

The expression on Kong Xiang's face froze for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.

"You will know the whole truth once you get there. Besides, don't you want to find your lost memories? I will take Kong Nian away first."

His meaning was clear: if she wanted to reclaim the memories in Kong Nian's head that belonged to her, she had to go to the Kong family.

Su Yan had long been well aware of the Kong family's methods; she felt nothing but contempt.

"Fine, I will go."

As Kong Xiang watched Su Yan's figure board the vehicle, his gaze gradually grew profound.

He truly looked forward to their next meeting.

"Martial Uncle, go quickly and check on Junior Sister Kong Nian. She said she won't be coming home with us and wants to go to the capital." Gan Hua approached Kong Xiang from behind, looking anxious.

Those who needed to leave had already left; their planned itinerary was to return directly to their family.

As for the so-called rewards from the Zhou family, they were no longer important to those who knew the truth. Moreover, whether they returned or not, the Zhou family would still owe them this favor. Therefore, after Kong Xiang spoke with Zhou Shan Kui over the phone, he decided to return directly.

But he hadn't expected Kong Nian to jump out and cause trouble at a time like this.

Kong Xiang withdrew his gaze and strode toward the room where Kong Nian was staying.

The once lively wooden cabin now only had a few people left who had not yet departed.

Kong Yueling and Ruan Tao had already packed their luggage and were guarding the door to Kong Nian's room.

Seeing Kong Xiang approach, the two quickly stepped aside to clear a path.

Kong Xiang pushed the door open and entered.

A white cloth was tied over Kong Nian's eyes. She disliked the color black, because that was the color Su Yan had used before.

But Su Yan had used it to mask the energy in her eyes, whereas she had become a complete blind person.

There could be nothing more ironic than this.

Hearing the door open, she knew who it was without even having to ask.

After all, during the past thirteen years, Kong Xiang had always been the most loyal person by her side.

Of course, that was no longer the case.

"Miss, I heard from Gan Hua and the others that you intend to stay in the capital?"

Kong Xiang walked toward Kong Nian with unhurried steps, and even his tone of voice was no different than before.

"Yes. I have become a useless person; the family no longer needs me." Kong Nian's heart felt as if it were being seared by raging flames, yet her expression grew increasingly cold.

She hated Su Yan, but she hated Kong Xiang and the entire Kong family even more.

When she still had utility, they held her up to the heavens. But when she fell into the dust, they would only stomp on her ruthlessly.

It was they who had made her live like a joke for the past twenty-odd years!

So now she was awake; in this world, aside from herself, no one truly cared about her.

"I'm afraid that won't do." Kong Xiang's voice was somewhat heavy, carrying an indescribable sense of dominance.

Kong Nian's hands suddenly clenched tight as she faced his direction.

"Why not? Is it because I've become useless that you won't let me go?"

Don't think she really didn't know what they were plotting!