116: The roots are rotten

"Wait, can you tell me more about that person?" Su Ze called out, hurrying forward as he saw Holy Sun preparing to leave.

This made Xiao Sheng, who was standing to the side, extremely nervous; after all, Holy Sun had just said he wanted to kill Su Ze moments ago.

Even though he seemed to have abandoned that idea now, one could not let down their guard.

However, Holy Sun, who usually disliked interacting with others, actually nodded at this moment. He even descended from the sky to accommodate Su Ze, who could not fly.

This scene left everyone dumbstruck. Jiang Liu, in particular, felt a mouthful of old blood clog his throat, nearly spitting it out.

The strongest helper he had found now looked like he had joined the opposing side instead?

Furthermore, Xiao Sheng followed them, still not entirely at ease.

The two Level 100 War Gods of the Xia Kingdom surrounded Su Ze in this manner, making it impossible for Jiang Liu to even trade his life for Su Ze's to avenge his two sons.

He could only cradle his son's corpse and stay in place in silence, watching the figures depart... Su Ze's conversation with Holy Sun didn't actually yield much information. Holy Sun was indeed not a transmigrator; he had simply heard many things from a friend.

Judging by the expression on his face when he mentioned that friend, their relationship was likely quite extraordinary.

But when Su Ze excitedly asked how that friend was doing and where they were now, Holy Sun's expression changed visibly to the naked eye.

He then said with a grim face, "She... has fallen asleep. She has been asleep for a very, very long time. I'm afraid she won't be able to answer your questions."

Su Ze guessed what this implied and sighed, falling silent.

Holy Sun spoke again, "Yi Yi once told me that she didn't like her current home; instead, she missed her old hometown. But her memory was incomplete, and she couldn't remember many things, which caused Yi Yi a lot of pain."

He then looked at Su Ze and said, "So I have always hoped to meet someone from the same place as her to help her remember. Until then, I will absolutely not let you die!"

Su Ze smiled and said, "Fine, it's a deal. I'll be waiting for you to bring this fellow countrywoman to see me!"

Holy Sun nodded firmly and then turned to fly away.

This left Xiao Sheng and Su Ze behind, the former having been unable to get a word in until now.

He asked in confusion, "What on earth were you two just talking about? Why couldn't I understand any of it?"

Su Ze replied, "Brother Xiao Sheng, you don't need to understand. It wasn't anything important..."

In reality, his heart was still very uneasy, fearing that the other man would keep pressing him. At that point, he wouldn't know whether he should reveal the whole story.

After all, in a certain sense, he wasn't the Su Ze that Xiao Sheng felt indebted to and wanted to compensate; one could even say he was someone who had usurped another's place.

However, Xiao Sheng ultimately did not pry into the matter, which allowed Su Ze to breathe a sigh of relief.

"In that case, I won't ask. But it seems to be a good thing. At the very least, I can understand his final words about not letting you die. With the two of us ensuring your safety, there will be no problem."

Su Ze also showed a smile of relief. When Holy Sun first appeared, he felt it was the greatest crisis he had encountered since coming to this world. Especially when that staff appeared above his head, he felt a suffocating sense of certain death.

But ironically, that person had now become one of his protectors.

"That old fellow Jiang Liu must be on the verge of collapse, right? A pity I couldn't finish him off as well," Su Ze said with regret... Meanwhile, on the other side, Jiang Liu knelt in place in silence for a long time before finally leaving with a face like dead ashes, carrying two charred corpses.

Even the strongest helper he had invited had defected; what else could he do?

"Ancestor... only the Ancestor can help me now..."

Carrying the two corpses, he made his way back to the Jiang Family with difficulty.

Along the way, those people with the same surname who should have been his relatives did not show the slightest bit of sadness; some even seemed to gloat over his misfortune.

Jiang Liu didn't give a friendly face to the few who came forward to show concern, and they subsequently left with dark expressions.

"Heh, ungrateful..."

Jiang Liu only had two sons and one grandson, Jiang Tianlong, which was why he had gone all out to seek revenge after Jiang Tianlong's death.

But now, not only had the revenge failed, but both of his sons were also gone. This meant his lineage had ended right here.

Jiang Liu now only wanted to beg the Ancestor for help, hoping he would assist for the sake of this branch having only himself left.

Others didn't know how strong the Jiang Family Ancestor was, but as the Ancestor's nephew, Jiang Liu knew clearly that the Ancestor's strength was likely the greatest below Level 100.

Xiao Sheng couldn't protect Su Ze every second. As long as the Ancestor was willing to act, Su Ze would definitely not leave the Imperial Capital alive!

Even if Xiao Sheng wanted to settle the score afterward, Holy Sun would be there to withstand him.

But just as he was about to enter the courtyard where the Ancestor tended to his flowers and plants, he was stopped at the door.

"What are you doing? I want to see the Ancestor!"

The person said expressionlessly, "There is naturally no problem if Lord Jiang Liu wants to see the Ancestor, but these two corpses must stay outside."

"That's right. Lord Jiang Liu should also know how foul the smell of charred corpses is. You already caused dissatisfaction for many when you returned home; do you now want to pollute the Ancestor's residence?"

"You... you bastard!" Jiang Liu flew into a rage and was about to strike.

However, his arm was entangled by a slender vine from the courtyard. Then, the Jiang Family Ancestor walked out slowly with his hands behind his back.

The contradictory feeling of youth and old age combined on his body seemed to have become even more pronounced.

He spoke, "Jiang Liu, there is no need to strike at the younger generation. This was my order. It's better for Donglin and Sheng'er to be buried as soon as possible. What does it look like, running around with them everywhere?"

"But..." Jiang Liu wanted to say more, but the Ancestor had already waved his hand for people to carry the corpses away.

He wanted to chase after them, but ultimately stopped his pace.

The Ancestor's attitude seemed to explain a lot, and Jiang Liu's heart grew cold.

"Rest assured, Donglin and Sheng'er will not have died in vain. I will have the entire clan hold a grand funeral for them. Everyone will remember the contributions they made to the family."

"Is that... all?" Jiang Liu said with difficulty.

Then he could no longer restrain his anger and said, "Ancestor, my two sons and one grandson were all killed by Su Ze alone. He has ended my lineage! Are we just going to let him go like this?"

The Ancestor did not get angry at his disrespectful attitude. He simply walked back with his hands behind his back and said, "What else can be done? Before you returned, Holy Sun had already found me first. He wants to protect this boy Su Ze, saying he cannot die until Yi Yi wakes up."

"Jiang Yiyi is already dead, how can she possibly wake up?! Isn't this just protecting that boy Su Ze for a lifetime?!"

The Ancestor seemed to show a hint of anger now as he turned back and said, "If you have the ability, go say those words to Holy Sun."

"In any case, both Xiao Sheng and Holy Sun want to protect Su Ze. It is impossible for our Jiang Family to risk so much to deal with him just because of your personal grudge."

"My personal grudge..." Jiang Liu suddenly lowered his head, looking as if he had aged decades in an instant as he replied, "I understand, Ancestor..."

"It's good that you understand. By the way, the orphanage in the north of the city needs a director recently. You shall take up that post."

This meant Jiang Liu was being completely relegated to a position with no real power. However, he did not struggle at all; he simply nodded to the Ancestor's appointment as if accepting his fate.

But behind him, his clenched fists caused his nails to dig deep into his flesh.

For some reason, this hatred was no longer directed at Su Ze alone, but had been transferred to the entire Jiang Family.

Looking at the lush, giant tree before him, all he could think of was the bloodiness and rot at its roots.