..... ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI~Fire.net
Thinking this, Hong Cheng-cai rolled out of bed. He couldn't stay here any longer. He needed to quickly take his son and grandson on a "business trip"!!!
But just as his feet touched the ground, he saw a figure standing at the cave entrance. Terrifying cosmic energy pressed down as the figure appeared. Hong Cheng-cai couldn't withstand it for even a second before being flattened against the ground, his face twisted in terror.
Heavenly Perception!!!
What had he possibly done to deserve this?! How could he possibly attract a Heavenly Perception enforcer to come after him? Was this some kind of joke?
Not to put himself down, but realistically speaking, what could he have done to provoke a Heavenly Perception enforcer? There must be some misunderstanding.
"Wait a minute—" Before he could finish speaking, An Wuyang seemed to teleport forward, grabbing Hong Cheng-cai and rushing away with him.
When Hong Cheng-cai's dazed mind finally cleared, the scenery around him had completely changed. Familiar place, familiar buildings, familiar people. But what wasn't familiar was the Diancang Sect's once magnificent grand hall now severely damaged. The ground nearby was littered with minced flesh that carried the familiar energy signatures of former disciples.
This absurd scene, combined with being personally captured by a Heavenly Perception enforcer, left Hong Cheng-cai completely bewildered. What on earth had happened?
Seeing his father's stunned expression, Hong Quan-hwan's mental defenses completely collapsed. Having learned from his son's example earlier, he dared not speak or ask anything this time. Dragging his severely injured body, he repeatedly kowtowed to Kim Gyeong-joo, apologizing profusely.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! This was all my fault! I shouldn't have framed your mother! I'm sorry!"
"I'm a vile, despicable person who committed unforgivable sins! I'm willing to die to atone for my mistakes! Whether you kill me or cut me to pieces, I won't complain!!"
"I only beg you to spare my father! I only beg Corpse-Shattering Taishui to spare my father! He wasn't involved in this! He's never offended the Great Han!!!"
Having watched his son die before him without being able to do anything, now his father's life was once again in the enemy's hands. This time! He had to do something.
All pretenses of being an Earth Observation cultivator, all dignity as the Diancang Sect leader—he threw it all away. He knew he wouldn't survive this!! But maybe, just maybe, there was a slim chance his father could make it out alive.
Hong Quan-hwan understood the odds were minuscule. But if he did nothing, he would be unfilial!!
Thud! Thud! Thud!... His forehead struck the ground with heavy, dull thumps.
Kim Gyeong-joo stared at him with hatred-filled eyes: "My mother was also from the Diancang Sect back then, working tirelessly for the sect. Why then...?"
Hong Quan-hwan: "Because..."
As the two engaged in this question-and-answer confrontation, Lu Ding had already walked up behind Hong Cheng-cai. He raised his hand like a blade. In the sunlight, his elongated shadow stretched across the ground.
Cold sweat broke out all over Hong Cheng-cai's body. Before even turning his head, he shouted: "I'm willing to trade information about one of the Great Han's national treasures in exchange for my life and my son's life!!!!"
Lu Ding's hand froze mid-air. A momentary confusion flashed through his mind—why was this different from before? Wait, what did he mean "this time"? The fleeting thought didn't hold Lu Ding's attention for long as he focused on the key information in Hong Cheng-cai's words.
"What national treasure?"
The old man turned his head: "The Rabbit Head!!! One of the Great Han's Twelve Beast Heads!! I know where it is! I can tell you!!"
From Hong Quan-hwan's earlier words and the current situation, the old man had pieced together crucial information. While it appeared his son was kowtowing and apologizing to that girl, the one truly controlling the situation was this man from the Great Han nicknamed Corpse-Shattering Taishui!!!
This realization led him to offer something the other party couldn't refuse—information about himself combined with knowledge of the Twelve Beast Heads of Great Han, one of the nation's most important treasures that no Han citizen could possibly resist.
Lu Ding lowered his hand blade. He knew something about these Twelve Beast Heads. Currently, the Great Han had recovered eleven of them, but the final Rabbit Head remained missing without any leads.
After all this time, it turned out this old man who'd been in seclusion for decades knew its location. No wonder there had been no information or traces—the secret had been buried with him in seclusion! If not for today's coincidental events bringing him out, who knows how long it might have taken for clues about completing the Twelve Beast Heads collection to surface.
Lu Ding spoke: "You've mentioned something that greatly interests me. Now I want to hear more."
Hong Cheng-cai hesitated briefly. As a seasoned veteran of the martial world, he naturally understood that when possessing valuable leverage, one must negotiate terms—otherwise the likely outcome would be being disposed of after serving one's purpose.
In those few seconds of hesitation, Hong Quan-hwan—who had been recounting events to Kim Gyeong-jou—suddenly and without warning raised his sole remaining arm, preparing to deliver a fatal palm strike to his own forehead.
As leader of the Diancang Sect, he was no fool. Even if the sect was known for nepotism, the fact that Hong Quan-hwan had maintained his position for so long, even expanding the sect's influence, proved his own considerable capability.
Analyzing the current situation, the earlier lesson, and Lu Ding's character, he realized: with both him and his father still alive, and his father holding bargaining chips that tempted Lu Ding, if he remained alive, he would become a tool for Lu Ding to threaten his father—just as Lu Ding had previously used Hong Jae-myung to threaten him.
Therefore, he had to die!!! His death would free his father from concerns, allowing him to negotiate purely rationally and self-interestedly with Lu Ding using the Beast Head information to secure a path to survival! He absolutely couldn't become his father's burden!
But while the idea was beautiful, reality was cruel. Lu Ding had long been keeping part of his attention on Hong Quan-hwan. After all, the world was full of exceptional people like schools of fish in a river. Last time at Blackwater Market, he'd nearly suffered at the Huang family's hands.
No one was infallible—even the most careful could slip up. But humanity's greatest strength was the ability to learn. Having learned from past mistakes, Lu Ding naturally remained vigilant against unexpected actions from anyone besides himself.
With a slash of his hand, Lu Ding's attack severed Hong Quan-hwan's remaining arm mid-swing, foiling his suicide attempt. Ignoring the physical pain, Hong Quan-hwan shouted desperately: "Father!!! Don't worry about me!!! No matter what happens!!! Don't consider me!!!"
"Negotiate with him! You must survive!!! You must live!!!!"