Chapter 157: Kneel

As the fat man stood up, he secretly slipped a yellow talisman into my hand and whispered in an extremely low voice, "At the critical moment, stick this to your shoulder. It can temporarily light a soul lamp."

A jolt went through my heart as I looked at the fat man. Perhaps this was the only way he believed could turn the tide. At that very moment, Sun Liancheng's grandfather strode toward the fat man once again. He grabbed the fat man by the neck, his expression turning vicious and grim. He sneered at the fat man and said, "Where did you hear that Guo Zhongyong of the Ghost Sect was betrayed by someone close to him? From your master, He Xiaxia?"

The fat man was in a truly wretched state, yet even with his neck clutched, he managed to say with great difficulty, "What? Are you afraid?"

"You're courting death!" With another casual toss from Sun Liancheng's grandfather, the fat man was sent flying through the air. This time, upon crashing to the ground, the fat man tried several times to get back up but failed. In the end, he had no choice but to give up, sitting cross-legged on the ground to regulate his breathing.

"Let him go. I promise I won't say a word of what the fat man said to anyone," Xiao Qi stepped forward two paces and said.

Sun Liancheng's grandfather turned his head to stare at Xiao Qi. "No, in my eyes, dead people are the safest."

With that, he lunged at Xiao Qi, a ferocious grin plastered across his face. At that instant, Sun Liancheng finally showed a spine; he blocked Xiao Qi's path and said, "Grandfather, don't make too many enemies."

"Get lost!" The old man knocked his own grandson to the ground with a single slap, then grabbed the defenseless Xiao Qi directly. He stuck out his tongue, gave Xiao Qi's cheek a lick, and said, "Don't worry, though, I won't let you die easily. I already said, I love the scent on your body."

Though I still couldn't fathom why the fat man had deliberately provoked this ancient monster, it was clearly not the time to assign blame. I looked at the yellow talisman the fat man had given me, then at the fat man himself. He happened to be looking back at me and gave me a nod.

I gritted my teeth. Xiao Qi was now in deep peril, and the fat man was evidently out of combat shape. This definitely counted as a critical moment. I took off my outer shirt and slapped the yellow talisman directly onto my left shoulder. The moment the talisman touched my shoulder, it instantly burst into flames. The burning sensation caused me excruciating pain, as if the fire from the talisman was burrowing straight into my muscles and igniting my very soul. This sensation was entirely incomparable to using candles as a substitute for soul lamps at Han Xue's house.

The scorching heat rapidly spread across my entire body, permeating every bone and joint.

Suddenly, I felt as though my whole body was bursting with power.

It was the overwhelming sensation that with a mere stretch of my hand, I could destroy everything.

Sun Liancheng's grandfather, who was holding Xiao Qi, suddenly whipped his head around to look in my direction. His expression abruptly shifted into one of sheer disbelief, and then, amidst absolute shock, his face turned completely pale.

Even more astonishingly, he let go of Xiao Qi, walked right up to me, and dropped to his knees before me.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Just as I prepared to use this sudden surge of power to smash my fist into the head of this old beast, I felt the flames on my left shoulder rapidly extinguishing. The all-destroying strength inside me was draining away just as quickly. I knew what the fat man meant by "temporarily lighting a soul lamp," but I hadn't expected the process to be so fast. My fist had already reached the top of the kneeling old beast's head, but now, devoid of that almost wild, untamed power, even if I threw this punch, it would probably do nothing—and might even provoke him all over again. At that crucial juncture, I abruptly opened my clenched fist, turning the punch into an open palm, and gently rested it upon the old beast's head.

The gesture felt as though a master were caressing a humble servant kneeling at his feet.

Yet right at that moment, Sun Liancheng's grandfather suddenly lifted his head and, with a speed I couldn't possibly react to, seized my hand. He stood up, staring fixedly at me, his eyes turning even stranger. His grip was immensely tight; I felt as though my wrist was about to be snapped in two. Just as I was about to cry out in pain, he released his hold and gave me a casual shove that sent me tumbling to the ground. He turned his back to us, lost in thought.

After a long while, he said to Sun Liancheng, "Take them all out of here. I don't want to see them anymore."

"Alright," Sun Liancheng stood up and replied.

Then he glanced at us and said, "Let's go."

I went over to help the fat man up and pulled Xiao Qi to her feet. Led by Sun Liancheng, we walked out of the estate. Sun Liancheng drove again, but the atmosphere was completely different from the ride over. The fat man kept his eyes closed in the car, regulating his breath and healing his injuries. I still hadn't fully recovered from the sensation of having my soul lamp lit, Xiao Qi stared blankly out the window, and Sun Liancheng wore a dark expression while driving, lost in his own thoughts.

Eventually, the car drove into a villa. After parking, Sun Liancheng opened the door and said, "Get out. This is my own place, and it's very safe. Let's hide here for now. My grandfather is capricious; who knows if he'll suddenly change his mind and come after us."

"Do you really expect us to trust you now?" Xiao Qi glanced at Sun Liancheng and asked.

"I have no intention of harming you," Sun Liancheng replied.

"Get out of the car first," the fat man opened his eyes and said at that moment.

I glanced at the fat man. Like Xiao Qi, I currently held almost zero goodwill toward Sun Liancheng, and logically, we should stay as far away from him as possible. However, the fat man was effectively the backbone for both Xiao Qi and me right now, even though I had found his behavior rather bizarre ever since he started provoking that old beast.

Once the fat man finished speaking, he opened the door on his side and got out. Since he had already alighted, Xiao Qi and I had no choice but to follow suit. Sun Liancheng unlocked the villa door and ushered us inside.

Truth be told, I was quite terrified that stepping inside would reveal a scene identical to the attic in the Sun family estate, but my worries proved unfounded. The interior decoration of this villa was much more modern, resembling a place where a young person would live.

As soon as the fat man stepped through the door, he swayed and nearly collapsed. I hurried over to steady him and asked, "Are you alright?"

The fat man waved a hand and said, "How could I be alright after that old bastard hit me so hard? Don't make me stand—help me sit down quickly."

I supported the fat man over to the sofa. He sat down and closed his eyes to continue resting and recuperating. Xiao Qi and I sat nearby, remaining extremely vigilant to handle any sudden emergencies that might arise.

After a moment, Sun Liancheng brought over a few drinks and tossed them to us, but none of us had any intention of opening them. Looking at us, Sun Liancheng said, "Go ahead and drink, they aren't drugged."

"You still have the nerve to speak," Xiao Qi shot him a look and said.

Sun Liancheng shrugged. "What's the big deal? Plenty of people do things like that. Those young girls sell themselves for money, and my grandfather's demands happen to far exceed ordinary people's. It's just a mutual exchange of what each other needs."

"Will you spare me the nausea? Your grandfather is nothing more than an old beast," Xiao Qi said.

"I know that," Sun Liancheng replied.

At that point, the fat man spoke up, "Sun Liancheng, since you knew what your grandfather was like, why did you deliberately lead us to the attic and even let us witness his bestial acts? Tell us, what do you want us to do?"

Sun Liancheng smiled as he looked at the fat man. "I want you to help me kill him. So, Lady Qi, I know you must have a terrible impression of me right now, but if I use my grandfather's head to make amends to you, I suppose you'll forgive me, won't you?"

Sun Liancheng's words undoubtedly came as a massive shock to me. I suddenly felt that the inner workings of the Sun family were infinitely complex—so complex that I couldn't see through them at all. Every aspect of their world seemed reeking with an eerie aura.

"Finding it strange why I would say this? Don't worry, I'm certainly not doing this merely to curry favor with Lady Qi. Wanting him dead has been on my mind for more than a day or two." Sun Liancheng was drinking beer; he polished off a bottle in one gulp, crushed the aluminum can in his fist, and said to me.

For some reason, I suddenly thought of wealthy families fighting over property, or even the imperial succession struggles often portrayed on television. I asked, "Why would you think like this? To fight for control of the Sun family?"

"I have no interest in that. He deserves to die; he shouldn't be living in this world, should he?" Sun Liancheng sneered.