Ling Zuo and the others turned their terrified gazes to the man who spoke. His once fierce face was now deathly pale.
A *thump-thump-thump* sound echoed, and in mere seconds, Lin Xingwan saw an old man holding a cane appear in her line of sight.
The moment Lin Xingwan saw the old man, she knew he must be Liang Sichen's grandfather, the "Old Master Liang" spoken of by outsiders.
For, apart from his age, the old man's features bore a striking resemblance to Liang Sichen's, sharing eight or nine parts similarity.
Lin Xingwan eyed the old man warily and immediately spoke to him, "Don't come any closer, or I'll kill Liang Sichen!"
Lin Xingwan's threat to Ling Zuo had been useless. After all, Ling Zuo desperately wished for Liang Sichen to die, so he could seize the opportunity to become the leader of the Qinlong Gang. However, threatening Old Master Liang was like striking a snake at its most vulnerable point.
Liang Sichen was Old Master Liang's only grandson and the heir he had meticulously groomed. Therefore, after hearing Lin Xingwan's words, Old Master Liang immediately stopped and did not advance further.
"Don't be agitated. Don't harm my grandson. Whatever your demands, I will fulfill them."
Old Master Liang's voice trembled, especially as he looked at the bleeding wounds on his grandson's body. He wished he could bear the pain for his grandson.
"You will truly fulfill any demand I make?"
Lin Xingwan asked.
Old Master Liang nodded affirmatively. Lin Xingwan then turned her cold, hate-filled gaze onto Ling Zuo.
Ling Zuo immediately spoke, "Old Master Liang, this woman is cunning and treacherous. We have no idea what the young master's condition is right now. The best course of action is to kill this woman directly, and only then can we save the young master."
Ling Zuo had already guessed Lin Xingwan's intentions. However, as soon as he finished speaking, Old Master Liang swung his cane directly at Ling Zuo's head.
"You scoundrel! Don't think I don't know what you're scheming. You think if my grandson dies, you can rule alone? It's as easy for me to crush you as it is to crush an ant. Truly, any Tom, Dick, or Harry wants to be king now."
Having lived for so many years, Old Master Liang had become a seasoned schemer.
After he spoke, Lin Xingwan spoke again, "Ling Zuo indeed wants Liang Sichen dead. Just now, I threatened him with Liang Sichen's life, yet he still tried to deliberately kill me. He doesn't care about Liang Sichen at all. Old Master Liang, keeping a tiger as a pet is dangerous. Someone like Ling Zuo, kept by your side for too long, will never be loyal."
Lin Xingwan's gaze towards Ling Zuo began to show intense fear. She continued, "My first demand is for Ling Zuo to die!"
Upon hearing this, Old Master Liang agreed without hesitation. "Good!"
After he spoke, Ling Zuo suddenly knelt on the ground with a *thud*. "Old Master Liang, don't kill me, don't kill me! Think of how I've toiled for you all these years, please don't kill me. This woman is just sowing discord. I truly had no intention of harming the young master, I really didn't... Old Master Liang..."
Ling Zuo, who had been so imposing not long ago, was now reduced to this state. Lin Xingwan looked at him, her expression almost numb.
Old Master Liang glanced at the bodyguard beside him and nodded slightly. The bodyguard raised his gun and shot Ling Zuo dead.
Everything happened in a matter of seconds, and Ling Zuo's body crashed to the ground.
His death was remarkably similar to Liang Sichen's.
Both of them had their eyes wide open, seemingly unable to believe that they had died so easily!
Only after Ling Zuo had completely breathed his last did Lin Xingwan speak again, "And Zhou Jinbai and the others, they must be allowed to leave safely, otherwise Liang Sichen will still die!"
"Alright, I agree to all your demands. They have already left the villa and are out of danger."
Old Master Liang desperately wished he could torture Lin Xingwan to death. With his grandson's life hanging by a thread and bleeding profusely, couldn't she just state all her demands at once?
"I won't believe your words. I need to confirm they are truly safe."
Lin Xingwan had already been tricked once. Now, she didn't believe anything Old Master Liang said.
"Oh, my ancestor! What will it take for you to believe me?"
Old Master Liang looked at Lin Xingwan's expression, wishing he could cry.
Just then, a subordinate's voice was heard, "Master, the young master... the young master seems... seems to be dead..."
When the subordinate uttered these words, Old Master Liang felt as if he wanted to kill him.
But the subordinate continued, "The blood flowing from the young master is blackish-red. This kind of blood only appears when one is poisoned, so the young master has definitely died from poisoning. Furthermore, the young master's skin color is also different from usual. This rapidly yellowing hue is only seen in the deceased..."
The subordinate finished speaking in one breath. Upon hearing this, Old Master Liang could no longer dismiss it as nonsense.
He had been a formidable figure in his time. It was just that he had been too worried about his grandson earlier, which prevented him from noticing these details. But now, upon closer inspection, it was indeed exactly as the subordinate had described.
Lin Xingwan had not expected that Old Master Liang would have such a capable person by his side.
"Is my grandson... dead?"
This time, Old Master Liang's tone towards Lin Xingwan carried a powerful pressure. Lin Xingwan even felt the cold ferocity and intimidation emanating from him, making her tremble to her core.
After Old Master Liang spoke, Lin Xingwan still forced herself to remain calm. "Your grandson is indeed poisoned, but the poison is not strong, and he is not dead yet. If you continue to delay, your grandson will surely succumb to the poison."
Lin Xingwan spoke coldly, but Old Master Liang no longer believed her. "Take off the cloth covering my grandson's head!"
Lin Xingwan knew that they now suspected Liang Sichen was dead.
She was currently on the second floor. Beside this villa was the Black Triangle's port. If she was lucky enough to escape, the port was a chaotic place, and these people wouldn't catch her immediately.
Her delaying tactic had completely failed.
"Take it off? Alright." Lin Xingwan smiled slightly, but the temperature in her eyes was enough to freeze everything. "Then you can see for yourselves."
As Lin Xingwan finished speaking, she pushed Liang Sichen aside with all her might.
Then, she jumped out of the nearby window.
"Quickly check on my grandson! Quickly check on my grandson!" Old Master Liang paid no mind to Lin Xingwan's escape.
In fact, this was his territory, and he, like Liang Sichen, was too confident, never believing that Lin Xingwan could escape.
Of course, Old Master Liang did not know that Cheng Yanze had already given Lin Xingwan a secret passage, through which she could escape if she got away.
Soon, the cloth covering Liang Sichen's head was ripped off.
Liang Sichen's wide, unseeing eyes, his deathly stare, fell directly into Old Master Liang's sight.
Old Master Liang threw his cane aside and lunged towards Liang Sichen.
"Sichen, my good grandson, my good grandson... Sichen..."
Old Master Liang shook Liang Sichen's shoulders frantically. But Liang Sichen was already long dead and could no longer respond to Old Master Liang.
"Ah—" Old Master Liang let out a heart-wrenching roar. For him, his grandson was gone, the heir of the Liang family was gone. He had strived his entire life, only to end up with nothing.
It was this woman, Lin Xingwan, who had ruined everything for him. He would make her pay.
"Go and capture that woman! Catch her! I want to flay her alive."
"Yes." The subordinate acknowledged the order and quickly ran out.
When they reached the ground floor, they instinctively ran towards the entrance.
They had no idea that Lin Xingwan had not run towards the entrance at all. Instead, she had gone into a room on the first floor. Inside the room, she opened a calligraphy and painting, which triggered a switch. A door appeared in the wall, and Lin Xingwan quickly ran into it.
The entire tunnel was pitch black, with only the slightest flicker of light to guide Lin Xingwan.
Lin Xingwan had also asked Cheng Yanze to escape with her through this path not long ago, but Cheng Yanze had refused.
He had a tracking chip implanted in him, rendering any escape futile, no matter where he went.
Only Lin Xingwan could use this path to escape safely.
Cheng Yanze had also told Lin Xingwan to escape first, but Lin Xingwan had wanted them both to survive.
However, the outcome could not be changed.
Lin Xingwan ran, wiping away tears. Her mind was filled with memories of Cheng Yanze and herself.
Even the things that she had previously felt indifferent about now brought a heart-wrenching feeling, like a surging tide, when she recalled them.
Clearly... she thought she didn't love Cheng Yanze, so why did her heart feel as if it had been pierced by something when the news of his death arrived?
Even if it wasn't love, it was an indelible friendship.
More than ten years...
They had known each other for over ten years...
But they could only know each other for over ten years...
Lin Xingwan didn't know how long she had run, nor how many times she had fallen.
She saw a dazzling light in the distance.
So, had she escaped?
However, the moment Lin Xingwan ran out, she saw two groups of people confronting each other.
One group was Zhou Jinbai and his companions, their numbers appearing pitifully small.
The other group was Liang Sichen's grandfather, Old Master Liang.
Behind him stood a dense crowd, each person's eyes filled with a murderous aura.
Old Master Liang and Zhou Jinbai's gazes both fell upon Lin Xingwan.
The hope on Lin Xingwan's face turned into despair at this sight.
It seemed that no matter how she escaped, she couldn't get away.
This damned sense of fate, this damned sense of weakness.
Seeing the injured Lin Xingwan, Zhou Jinbai even wanted to rush towards her.
However, Bai Xiao and Xuan Yin forcefully held Zhou Jinbai back. At the same time, the men behind Old Master Liang became even more vigilant and serious.
Countless gun barrels were aimed at Zhou Jinbai, as if any abnormal action from him would result in him being shot into a sieve.
"Lin Xingwan, you venomous woman! You killed my grandson! Today, I will make you pay with your life!" Old Master Liang's mind was now blinded by hatred. His only thought was to see Lin Xingwan dead.
The target of both groups was Lin Xingwan.
At this very moment, Lin Xingwan knew what she had to do.
Without even waiting for Zhou Jinbai to speak, she said to Old Master Liang, "This was my doing alone. It has nothing to do with anyone else. I will accept any punishment you wish to give me, but today, you are not allowed to touch anyone other than me."
Although Lin Xingwan's words were jarring to Old Master Liang, he still agreed.
This was because Old Master Liang could not afford to offend the Dongfang family. He was even terrified by his grandson's audacity in plotting against someone from the Dongfang family.
Although the Liang family held considerable prestige in the Black Triangle, a direct confrontation with the Dongfang family would leave them severely weakened.
If he were to grant Zhou Jinbai a favor now, he could use it to his advantage when the Dongfang family investigated his grandson's matter.
Thus, Old Master Liang said, "Mr. Dongfang, this is our family matter. I hope you will not interfere, lest it cause unnecessary conflict. Lin Xingwan, this woman, I must see dead today, no matter what!"
Although Old Master Liang's face was filled with rage, he spoke to Zhou Jinbai with courtesy.
"I must take this person away. As for your grandson, his death is well deserved. He dared to plot against my wife. You should be grateful he died, otherwise, I would have made him wish he were dead."
Zhou Jinbai's tone carried an even more intense rage than Old Master Liang's.
He and his wife had attended a banquet, who could have imagined such a thing would happen.
"Since we cannot come to an agreement, it seems we must rely on our own abilities. Mr. Dongfang, I apologize." A fierce killing intent suddenly flared in Old Master Liang's eyes. He turned to the dense crowd of subordinates behind him and said, "Kill them! Leave no one alive!"
He would offend this Dongfang family today!
The resounding gunfire was like a battlefield.
Lin Xingwan watched helplessly as countless people fell.
Frightened, she instinctively shrank back. Zhou Jinbai ran towards her.
This man was truly insane!
Even amidst the hail of bullets, he was still like this!
Old Master Liang's men also charged towards Lin Xingwan.
When the bullets ran out, it devolved into primitive combat.
Lin Xingwan saw several people surround Zhou Jinbai. Xuan Yin broke through the encirclement to protect Zhou Jinbai.
But even though the subordinates dispatched by Zhou Jinbai were all skilled, they could not sustain the prolonged engagement.
Soon, only Zhou Jinbai and Xuan Yin remained.
"Young Master, Young Madam, you go first. I will hold them off." Xuan Yin stood in front of Lin Xingwan and Zhou Jinbai. His arm was already injured.
Blood flowed from it like a faucet that had been turned on, ceaselessly.
"Let's go." Zhou Jinbai pulled Lin Xingwan and ran forward. As long as they reached the crowded port, they could escape.
Lin Xingwan, however, looked at the group of people chasing them, getting closer and closer. She saw Xuan Yin, even in his dying state, still willing to die to protect her.
At this moment, Lin Xingwan withdrew her gaze and looked at the man pulling her forward, his clothes torn, his face bruised.
If she continued to flee with Zhou Jinbai, the final outcome would be the death of all three of them.
If Zhou Jinbai and Xuan Yin could survive, as long as she, the burden, was gone.
With this thought, Lin Xingwan tightened her grip on Zhou Jinbai's hand, then suddenly let go.