Chapter 6: Storm Descends on the Su Manor; Old Grievances Spark New Turmoil
2423 Words
Word of the chaos at Prosperous Grand Court spread across Jiangcheng in half a day, with every street and alley buzzing about the earth-shattering reversal.
The once untouchable Gu Clan had collapsed completely. Gu Jingchen drowned in staggering debts and was taken away by the courts for liquidation. The Su household plummeted to ruin overnight: their hundred-billion-yuan wellness project ground to a halt, debt collection calls poured in nonstop, and panic rippled through the entire clan.
Lu Chen had not gone far after leaving the gala.
The black Bentley glided smoothly through city streets. Qin Kun sat in the passenger seat, reporting subsequent developments in a low voice.
“Dragon Lord, all external support resources for the Su Clan have been severed. Banks and partners hound them daily; the Su Group’s accounts are drained dry. Liu Yuru and the rest of the kin are frantic, begging every contact for aid—but no business figure in Jiangcheng dares lift a finger to help them.”
“Additionally, Su Hao, detained yesterday, alongside several collateral relatives plagued by successive disasters, are trapped in legal disputes and can barely fend for themselves.”
Leaning back against the rear seat, Lu Chen closed his eyes to rest and only replied faintly.
“Let them be. They chose their own path, and they must swallow the bitter fruit it bears.”
He had married into the Su household solely to repay Old Man Su for saving his life years ago. Over three years, he had secretly intervened dozens of times to shield the Su Clan from hidden schemes and open threats. The debt of gratitude had long been repaid tenfold. Now that their bond was broken, he would show them no favor whatsoever.
“How fares the old master?” Lu Chen suddenly asked.
“Reporting to the Dragon Lord: Old Master Su’s health is steadily improving as he recuperates at the downtown central hospital. Layers of our medical staff guard his ward; no one dares disturb him,” Qin Kun answered.
Lu Chen opened his eyes, a faint stir crossing his gaze.
Among all the Su family, only the elderly man bore genuine kindness and sharp discernment. Out of regard for this sliver of warmth, he would not annihilate the Su Clan entirely—he merely withdrew all his protection, leaving them to face the ruin they had sown.
“Post men to watch over the old master discreetly. Ensure he recovers in peace, but do not reveal yourselves.”
“Understood, my lord.”
The vehicle slowly entered the old residential district, a short distance from the Su villa. Lu Chen planned to retrieve the few personal belongings he had left there, severing all ties permanently afterward.
As the Bentley pulled over to the curb and Lu Chen walked toward the standalone Su villa, wailing and shouting echoed from within the courtyard far off. The front gate hung wide open, the house thrown into utter chaos.
Liu Yuru sat sprawled on the living room floor, sobbing and cursing—yet she dared not utter a single harsh word about Lu Chen, venting her despair only to surrounding relatives.
“How could our good life crumble like this… The project is dead, all our money gone. What will become of our family now?”
A paternal uncle of the Su Clan sighed heavily. “We were blind as bats! We neglected a true deity under our roof, yet curried favor with a petty villain like Gu Jingchen. Now the Dragon Lord’s heart has turned cold, and he will never aid us again. The Su Clan is finished.”
“What good does lamenting do now?” Another woman’s face clouded with despair. “I reached out to old friends earlier, but the moment they heard we offended that great figure, they shut their doors and refused to answer our calls.”
The crowd chattered over one another, drowning in hopelessness.
Alone by the floor-to-ceiling window stood Su Qingyue, a frail, pale silhouette. She had not spoken a word since the gala, replaying Lu Chen’s unyielding declaration “Our marriage contract is void; we have no more ties” on a loop in her mind.
Regret coiled around her heart like thorny vines.
For three years of shared days and nights, she had let worldly judgment and others’ gossip blind her, treating him coldly and wounding his heart time and again. Only when the truth laid bare did she realize how foolish she had been.
Footsteps drew every head toward the courtyard gate. At the sight of Lu Chen standing there, the crowd fell silent instantly, scrambling to their feet. Awkward awe and shame washed over their faces—none of the arrogance of days past remained.
Liu Yuru scrambled upright, rubbing her hands together and creeping forward in extreme deference. “Lu… Mr. Lu, you’ve returned.”
She dared not address him by name, nor utter a word of disrespect. Witnessing the Gu Clan’s collapse and her own family’s cascading misfortune had shattered her courage completely.
Lu Chen swept his gaze across the living room, his tone calm. “I’ve come to collect my things. I’ll leave once I’m done.”
A single sentence drew a clear dividing line between them.
Su Qingyue shifted her feet and stepped half a pace forward. Bloodshot eyes glistened, her voice hoarse. “Lu Chen, can we… talk?”
“There is nothing to discuss,” Lu Chen refused flatly. “At yesterday’s gala, you demanded a divorce of your own will. At today’s engagement gathering, you tacitly accepted a new betrothal. The outcome is set; further words are useless.”
Tears welled in Su Qingyue’s eyes, her fingertips trembling faintly. “I know I was wrong. I misjudged you and listened to others’ slander. I owe you everything over these three years. Could you… grant me one more chance?”
She cast aside all pride and reserve. As the esteemed businesswoman of Jiangcheng’s Su Clan, she begged humbly for the first time in her life.
The other Su relatives chimed in, pleading alongside her.
“Mr. Lu, Qingyue truly repents. You two shared a marriage—why be so unforgiving?”
“Please, for the old master’s sake, give us another reprieve!”
Lu Chen’s expression stayed icy amid their begging.
“A chance?” He fixed his deep gaze on Su Qingyue. “When I endured endless humiliation in silence, did any of you offer me mercy? When I secretly defused crises to preserve the Su Clan, did any of you discern right from wrong?”
“Once a heart turns cold, it can never thaw again.”
With that, he ignored the crowd and walked straight to the second-floor room that had been his.
The Su clansmen exchanged bitter, helpless glances, yet none dared block his path.
Su Qingyue stood rooted to the spot as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew she had driven this man away with her own hands, and no amount of remorse could undo it now.
Lu Chen’s room held sparse furnishings; he had barely bought any possessions in three years. An old backpack and a few sets of clothing made up all he owned. He packed quickly and turned to head downstairs.
As he reached the staircase landing, chaotic footsteps boomed outside. Seven or eight burly men in black short-sleeves, menacing glares on their faces, burst into the villa.
The scar-faced ringleader scanned the room’s occupants with a vicious stare and roared gruffly: “Who’s in charge of the Su Group? You’ve dragged your feet on construction payments for months—settle up today, or don’t blame us for being harsh!”
These men were contractors for the wellness project’s infrastructure. After the Su capital chain snapped, hundreds of millions in construction fees remained unpaid. Repeated demands had gone unanswered, so they had brought men to the villa to pressure the family for repayment.
Liu Yuru paled with fright and stumbled backward. “We truly have no money right now—can you grant us a few more days?”
“More time?” The scarred man sneered. “We’ve delayed again and again. If we wait longer, dozens of my crew will starve! Pay us today, or we seize this villa as collateral!”
The toughs moved to drive the Su family out, throwing the room into pandemonium.
Su Qingyue stepped forward to shield her relatives, forcing composure into her voice. “The project is only temporarily suspended. We will settle all outstanding balances once cash flow recovers—please stay calm.”
“Don’t feed us that line!” Malice blazed in the scarred man’s eyes as he raised a hand to shove Su Qingyue.
Before his palm could touch her, a figure suddenly stepped between them.
Lu Chen stood quietly before Su Qingyue, backpack slung over one shoulder, his gaze cold as a blade.
“Debts must be repaid—that is only right. But those who resort to violence will face punishment.”
The scarred man sized Lu Chen up and down at the sudden intrusion. Seeing his plain clothes, he dismissed him as an irrelevant nobody from the Su household and scoffed. “Where did this punk crawl out of? Daring to meddle in my business? Scram while you still can, or we’ll beat you alongside them!”
The rest of the toughs cracked their knuckles and closed in around him. These street thugs acted recklessly, unaware of the identity of the man before them.
Liu Yuru gasped in terror. “Stop—don’t hurt him! He’s—”
She tried to warn them that Lu Chen was the great figure who had toppled the Gu Clan overnight, but conflict erupted before she could finish her sentence.
One brute threw a vicious punch straight for Lu Chen’s face.
Lu Chen did not shift his feet, dodging sideways effortlessly while tapping the man’s elbow with a fingertip.
A crisp c***k echoed, followed by a scream. The brute’s arm dislocated, and he crumpled to the ground wailing in agony.
The rest of the toughs paled and charged as one. Lu Chen moved with fluid, effortless grace, striking precisely at each man’s joints every time he lashed out. In mere seconds, all seven or eight vicious toughs lay writhing on the marble floor, every limb dislocated, stripped of all capacity to fight back.
The whole sequence unfolded seamlessly, without the slightest strain.
The scarred man seethed with rage yet trembled with fear, shouting hollow threats: “You dare injure my men! Do you know who backs us?”
“Whoever stands behind you matters not. Those who storm private homes and resort to violence must pay the price.” Lu Chen spoke evenly before lifting his phone and dialing a number. “Jiangcheng West District Construction Inspection Unit. A mob is gathering at the Su Villa to extort payment through intimidation. Conduct a full audit of this construction crew’s ledgers, construction permits, and records of safety violations while you’re here.”
Once the call ended, the scar-faced contractor’s face turned ashen.
His crew was riddled with safety breaches and fraudulent accounting. A full official investigation would not only cost them all unpaid construction fees but land every single man in legal trouble.
“Who… who exactly are you?” He stammered, overcome with panic.
“There is no need for you to know,” Lu Chen replied coolly. “The Su Clan does owe you payment, and I will not interfere with your legitimate claims. But your violent assault today warrants this punishment. Leave within half an hour, or legal consequences await you all.”
The fallen toughs sweated through their shirts in agony. Realizing Lu Chen wielded far more power than he could ever hope to oppose, the scarred man dared not linger a moment longer. He shouted for his crew, and they hobbled away supporting one another in humiliating defeat.
A crisis dissolved in an instant.
The Su family stared at Lu Chen’s back, a tangled whirl of emotions swirling in their hearts.
Though all gratitude and obligation were severed between them, he had still stepped in to protect the Su Clan in their hour of peril.
Su Qingyue walked forward, her gaze heavy with conflict. “Thank you.”
“I did not act for the Su Clan. I merely detest bullies preying on the weak.” Lu Chen lifted his backpack and headed for the gate. “I have collected all my belongings. From this day forward, our paths shall never cross again.”
He did not glance back once, walking out of the villa and vanishing down the street.
Watching his receding silhouette, Su Qingyue stood frozen as tears fell once more.
This time, she understood completely: everything between them was truly, irreparably over.
Outside the residential compound, Qin Kun waited beside the black Bentley.
“Dragon Lord, where shall we head next?”
Lu Chen climbed into the vehicle and gazed at Jiangcheng’s glittering skyscrapers in the distance, sharp resolve igniting in his eyes.
“Return to our headquarters. My three years of seclusion end now that this worldly turmoil has settled. It is time to rally my old subordinates and root out the traitors who betrayed me all those years ago.”
The ambush that nearly destroyed the Dragon Sect three years prior was no accident. The hidden mastermind behind the attack was his true mortal enemy. He had chosen forbearance to honor his marriage contract and repay his debt of gratitude—but now his earthly ties were cut, and reckoning would begin in earnest.
Qin Kun’s posture turned solemn. “I have secretly traced every lead and identified several suspicious figures. We await only your command to move.”
“Not yet.” Lu Chen raised a hand. “Our foe has hidden for three years and will remain highly vigilant. Hold our forces back to lure them out of hiding. Also, monitor all major factions across Jiangnan—my display of power will surely draw the curiosity and covetous eyes of many.”
The wind would not quiet, even if he sought peace.
His unshackled strength and the annihilation of the Gu Clan had already roused suspicion from noble clans, underground syndicates, and martial arts practitioners across the region.
The road ahead would never be calm.
The Bentley pulled away from the curb and merged into city traffic.
The tempests shaping Jiangcheng had only just begun to stir.
- Writer
