Chapter 289 - An Unexpected Conclusion
Chapter 289 An Unexpected Conclusion
Yu Qian’s expression changed. He had not expected that Ding Ning would be so merciless.
As one of the top three masters in the younger generation of the Liu family from Beihe, he was used to flattery, how could he suffer Ding Ning’s sarcastic remarks?
With an angry roar, he stamped his foot and shot like an arrow from a bow toward Ding Ning. His right fist was red and swollen so he did not dare to use it but he struck out with his left fist aiming for Ding Ning’s chest.
“Good hit!”
Ding Ning roared and his body twisted away, easily avoiding this strike. His left arm flowed up and landed on Yu Qian’s left shoulder.
“Ah!”
Yu Qian screamed and fell with a thud, catching a mouthful of dirt.
“Be careful!”
Before Ding Ning had a chance to take his life while he was down, the sisters Ye and Huan had already cried out in alarm.
“How despicable, a sneak attack. How could you call yourself a master?”
“How disgraceful. His younger disciple brother is disgraced and the older disciple brother mounts sneak attacks, the martial Liu family has completely lost all its face.”
“I had thought that all martial artists were honorable people, who would have thought they could be so shameless?”
“Ah, it’s over now for that young man. This Master Liu is too shameless, how could he launch such a sneak attack?”
...
In an instant, the spectators began to clamor loudly. They each disavowed and criticized Liu Zhongyu’s shameful sneak attack.
It seemed that Liu Zhongyu had expected that Yu Qian would lose and had been secretly waiting for the right time to act.
Seeing that Ding Ning had defeated Yu Qian and was at his most unguarded, he leapt out without hesitation and struck like lightning toward Ding Ning’s back.
Time seemed to slow.
The joy of revenge flashed through Gu Tianqi’s eyes, and it was as if he could already see an image of Ding Ning vomiting up blood and straining for his last breath.
However, Gu Fanran was filled with anticipation and appreciation flashed through his eyes. His previous discontent was gone with the wind. So it seemed that Master Liu was prepared for a sneak attack.
Who cared if it was disgraceful or not? He did not care. Using any means to achieve his end was the principle he always believed in. It was Liu Zhongyu’s actions that matched his personality.
Yehuan and her sister had lost all of the color in their faces and tears swam in their eyes.
The expression in Liu Shasha’s eyes was complicated and no one could understand what he was thinking.
Li Xiaoman closed her eyes hopelessly. She had finally found the chance to leave behind this nightmare, but ultimately... would it fail?
Chen Yuxi, who had just woken up, was filled with a perverted excitement. Her beautiful face was twisted and she yelled loudly, “Kill him, kill him.”
Unconsciously, the spectators all held their breaths, their hearts suspended in their throats. Some were delighting in the tragedy, others were silently pitiful, others could not bear to watch, and others who were there to watch the show, who were not concerned with the issue, and their faces were filled with excitement...
Hundreds of faces, none alone in their expressions.
Seeing that his strike was about to land, a pleased expression appeared on Liu Zhongyu’s face. He was very confident in his strength. Even if he could not kill Ding Ning with this punch, it would still take away all of his battle power and leave him helpless to his whims.
Closer and closer, until now, Ding Ning still seemed to not sense anything. He continued to stand stupidly with his back to him.
Boom!
The strike landed. Wild joy appeared on Liu Zhongyu’s face but it quickly froze on his face.
He hit empty air. The strike he had waited until the perfect time to execute had missed, and he had only hit shadows. How... could this be?
But reality was not to be questioned. It was as if he had slammed his fist into a bundle of soft cotton, the dejection almost made him spray out a mouthful of blood.
But once he came back to his senses, what welled up in his heart was a strong sense of terror. How could this young man be so fast? To the point that he had deceived his senses?
Faced with such an enemy, he could not even land a strike with a sneak attack. He would not have any chance in a fair fight. All it would take was one accident and he would lose his life here. He needed to escape; he had to escape.
All this flashed through Liu Zhongyu’s mind in an instant. He immediately made up his mind and, without hesitation, he followed through with his punch and ran.
Everyone was dumbfounded. It was one thing for Master Liu to shamelessly launch a sneak attack but it was another thing completely for him to run after the sneak attack failed. He lost all the dignity of the Liu family.
Even Ding Ning had not expected him to act so shamelessly. He stared with open-mouthed shock as he ran away. Ah, were all current martial artists like this?
Yu Qian’s face turned red and green by turns, he felt a deep shame about his senior brother’s escape from battle. He held a hand against his shoulder and turned to bow slightly at the red-faced Gu Fangran. Shamefully, he said, “Mr. Gu, I’m sorry. My skills were insufficient and are not worthy of your high salary. I will take my leave now.”
“Master Yu, don’t be like this. With you all gone, what am I going to do?”
Gu Fangran had also lost his earlier calm. Stunned, he just wanted to stop Yu Qian leaving.
Yu Qian shook his head in apology. “I am not a match for him, staying is just asking for humiliation. Apologies, you best pray for luck.”
“I... fed you and paid you, yet you’re all leaving before the battle. Do you think I’m a pushover? Get him, I’m going to make him spit up all the money I’ve spent on him.”
Humiliated, Gu Fangran roared and flew into a rage, and immediately turned against him.
“Yes, sir!”
Previously, the dozen or so normal bodyguards did not dare to attack Yu Qian but now seeing that his left arm was broken and with their boss’ order ringing in their ears, they immediately screwed up their courage and leaped toward Yu Qian.
Ding Ning happily watched the fight. Gu Fangran was an idiot, did he think the normal bodyguards would be able to do as they wished just because Yu Qian was injured?
Although he was a formidable person, he was, in the end, just an ordinary person and was not familiar with the martial world. Otherwise, he would not have done something so stupid.
Even when the tiger was dead, its prestige remained and how much more so when it was a trapped beast. The more desperate the wild beast, the more dangerous it was.
As expected, Yu Qian’s eyes widened and a murderous intent flashed unhidden across his eyes, causing Gu Fangran’s expression to change drastically. He backed up rapidly and cried out in alarm, “Kill, kill him.”
“Since you want to kill me, then I’ll just have to kill you first.”
Yu Qian shouted and, forcefully enduring his injury, he stepped quickly toward Gu Fangran. The punch that had not found any traction against Ding Ning earlier now exuded a shocking killing force.
Two loyal bodyguards, without a care for themselves, stood in front of Gu Fangran and were sent flying with a scream. When they landed, their rib cages were collapsed and were not breathing. Their eyes rolled up and died.
“He’s killed someone; he’s killed someone.”
The people happily watching the show earlier now let out piercing screams and fled in all directions.
The unfortunate Gu Tianqi lay on the ground, unable to move and was crushed to death.
Ding Ning frowned slightly and looked thoughtfully at the two graceful figures fleeing in a panic.
Yet it was the heavily beaten-up Chen Yuxi who managed to keep her life as she scrambled away.
“Stop him, quickly.”
Gu Fangran had never been so panicked. His legs were trembling with fear and he yelled with a hoarse voice.
But the bodyguards were not stupid. With the other two bodyguards as precedence, they would not try the impossible and seek their own death for the sake of salary.
They ignored Gu Fangran’s screams for help and ran as far and fast as they possibly could, terrified that they would be killed by the crazed Yu Qian.
“No one can save you, go die!”
Yu Qian’s face was flushed with a sickly redness. He grasped Gu Fangran’s neck and squeezed.
“Mercy...”
Gu Fangran struggled desperately and begged for mercy. However, the angry Yu Qian did not even give him an opportunity to speak. As if killing a chicken, he simply snapped his neck.
What a pity. Gu Fangran, the chairman of Hongda Real Estate, a wealthy man worth a billion dollars, and one of the formidable men in Ninghai’s underworld, died just like this.
“Let’s go!”
Ding Ning listened to the sound of the warning flute from far away and, without turning his head, he leaped after the figure of the escaping Yu Qian. He dragged Yehuan and her sister on to the vehicle and left abruptly.
He knew this matter would cause trouble in the future but no matter what, with the Gu father and son dead, Yehuan and her sister were safe.
Up to now, Yehuan and her sister still had not regained their wits. The evil-doing Gu father and son were dead? Just like that? And it was all because of a small disagreement? This was too unbelievable.
Even Ding Ning had not thought that this farce would end in such a way. He was suddenly struck by the fragility of human life.
After sending the overly shocked Yehuan and her sister home, Ding Ning did not know how to face Sun Lanying, whose life had entered the countdown phase. No matter what anyone said, there was no illness that traditional Chinese medicine could not cure. He did not have the skills to save her because he had not learned enough and so he was very ashamed and could barely stand entering the door.
The two beautiful sisters had not regained control over their emotions and they did not insist on having Ding Ning come in. After all, with so many witness, the police would certainly come to question them. Although he had told them to speak the truth and not be concerned, they were still uneasy and needed to sort out their thoughts so they could face what had happened. At least this saved him from having to find something to say.
“Sister, I want to tell you that I’m not going to the national auction.”
Ding Ning explained the situation to Murong Yanran. As his presence at the auction was not important and Murong Yanran knew that he had more important things to do, she naturally and generously expressed her understanding.
“Yun’er, did Aunt Chu go to the company today?”
After hanging up, Ding Ning called Ling Yun and asked about Chu Yunxiu’s work situation.
“Haha, my mom was ecstatic. Jia... my father made her Director of Financial Affairs, gave her a three bedroom, one living room fully furnished apartment, and bought her a Cadillac under the company’s name. Her annual salary is five hundred thousand dollars. My mom is almost crazy with happiness. The only thing is that she suspects that my father has ideas about her and says that she feels he looks at her weirdly.”
On the other end of the phone, Ling Yun was almost crying with laughter.
“Haha, Aunt Chu and Uncle Lin have been apart for more than 20 years. To be able to see each other now, naturally he has to be extra good to Aunt Chu. What about you? Have you had the courage to meet with Uncle Ling yet?”
Ding Ning asked with a low laugh.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. With some apprehension, Ling Yun’s voice came through. “I... don’t have any memories of my father. His face is only a figment of my imagination. I’m not ready yet, give me some time.”
Ding Ning could understand the confusion she was feeling, the sense of loss and gain. For a girl who grew up without a father but had always yearned for a father’s love, the word “father” carried special meaning.
In her twenty plus years of life, “father” was just a byword that was an accumulation of all sorts of wonderful things, a wonderful figure from her imagination. One that she wished to have but could not have.
But when this father truly appeared and was within reach, she instead felt confused, lost, nervous, scared...
She was afraid, afraid that this suddenly appearing father would overthrow the wonderful image she has always had about her father.
This was why she had still not met Uncle Jia and was still hiding, even though she had known for a long time that he was her father.
“Don’t think too much. There’s no rush; take it slow. Decide when you’re mentally prepared. Trust me, it’s not that complicated. Where are you right now?”
Ding Ning comforted her in a soft voice. Since she was not ready, she should wait. In any case, Uncle Ling was not going anywhere. It would not matter whether they met a day later or earlier.