Chapter 609: 316 Hatred (First Update)

The weather had been rather gloomy these past few days, with a light drizzle falling.

The entire city was shrouded in the damp chills of the shadows, as if brewing a massive storm.

A few miles beyond the city of Jiangzhou, past the development zone, ramshackle buildings sprawled out. A desolate ruin waiting for revitalization.

Eighteen years ago, this had been a bustling village, where people led peaceful and contented lives. That was until one day someone came a knocking, suggesting a development project and proposed that the villagers relocate. Each family would be compensated based on the number of members and area of their land, and would also be provided with resettlement housing. They would not be left homeless, the man claimed.

Misled by his words, the villagers moved out. However, the promised compensation was late in coming, and the promised homes vanished without a trace.

By the time the villagers realized they had been conned, the bulldozers had razed the homes they had lived in for generations, turning them into ruins.

The villagers started their arduous battle for rights. When they found out that the boss behind the scenes was Ran Bowen, they descended into deep despair.

In Jiangzhou, the name Ran Bowen was known to all. People recoiled at its mere mention; even mere babes fell quiet upon hearing it.

Desperate, the villagers met Jiang Heng, a new official full of ambition and drive. New officials tend to be assertive, and since Heng was from out of town and unfamiliar with Bowen and his intimidating influence, he swore to challenge the wicked powers that be despite the villagers advising him to play it safe. But this young man, driven by a sense of justice and the sight of his fellow citizens suffering, decided to carry on regardless. The result was-

A month later, a highly decomposed body was found downstream in the Qujiang river, hundreds of miles away.

Following a DNA test, it was confirmed beyond doubt that the corpse was that of Jiang Heng.

At that time in Jiangzhou, it rained continuously for a month, as if the heavens themselves were mourning the untimely demise of this virtuous but unfortunate young man.

The rain back then felt just like the incessant showers today in Jiangzhou.

Eighteen years have passed, yet the sun and moon still shine over this land.

The ambitious young man, however, is forever trapped in the past, eighteen years ago.

Jiangzhou continues to flourish. In this era of rapid economic development, people bustle about busily, struggling for their daily bread, a roof over their heads and a future. New lives are born while some are extinguished, such is the natural succession of life. Times change; each day brings a flood of entertainment news with the growth of new media and short video platforms dominating people’s fragmented time. No one pauses to reflect on the past anymore.

No one remembers anymore – the righteous, fearless young man from eighteen years ago.

The car drove past the dilapidated buildings, coming to a halt by the abandoned road.

Zhou Xue opened the umbrella, approached the vehicle, and respectfully opened the rear door.

“Madam, we’ve arrived.”

A woman got out of the car, bending slightly.

She was wearing a black coat, cinched at the waist with a tie. Her gray fox-fur collar accentuated her snow-white, delicate face. Her hair, tied high up, framed her face beautifully, further highlighting her pale complexion, with lips as bright as fire.

She looked at the ruins shrouded in the gloomy rain. Her eyes swirled with complex emotions as she stood there, staring for a long time.

Then, she walked into the ruins in her high heels.

Two men in black led the way, following a path carved out of the ruins, walking deep into them.

After walking for a while, a grove appeared ahead. Winter had arrived, leaving the trees barren and devoid of life, the place exuded an atmosphere of decay and desolation.

The forest ground was soft, uneven, making it difficult to walk.

Her high heels sank into the soft ground, and the woman wobbled. Zhou Xue quickly steadied her, “Madam, please be careful.”

The filthy mud clung to her shiny, costly shoes, looking incredibly garish.

Unfazed, the woman pushed Zhou Xue’s hand away, used a dried-up tree stump as support, pulled her heels out of the mud, and continued walking.

Zhou Xue held the umbrella over her head and promptly caught up.

The grove was large and it took a considerable amount of time to traverse it; soon, a graveyard appeared.

The grave was located in the center of the grove – a simple gravestone and a raised burial mound were evidence of the care the builders had put into it.

Constructed from the finest white marble, immune to both wind and rain.

It, however, was a marker without an inscription.Yes, there were no names, no pictures on the gravestone.

Zhou Xue made a signal to the two men in black. The three of them silently retreated. They kept a distance to ensure that they could not hear any sound, but they could still see the woman’s figure, ready to rush up in case of any emergency.

The woman, holding an umbrella, slowly crouched in front of the grave, bending over and pulling out a bottle of alcohol from her jacket pocket.

“This is your favorite drink, I brought it for you today.”

She unscrewed the cap and poured the alcohol onto the open ground in front of the grave.

The rain water mixed with the alcohol, quickly blending together and seeping into the soil.

“I’m sorry, I let you down, it was my fault, wasn’t it? Did I hurt you?”

“Our son has grown up, looking exactly like you when you were young. Sometimes, I mistake him for you. Like you, he is a kind and righteous child. However, he is much smarter than you, knows how to be flexible, unlike you who naively threw your life away.”

“I didn’t let you go to Jiangzhou back then, but you didn’t listen. I could have arranged an easy and promising job for you in Jingzhou, so people wouldn’t insult you by saying that you’re a pretty boy living off his wife, but you stubbornly went to Jiangzhou, unaware of how treacherous this place could be…”

“After you left, I found out that I was pregnant. I wanted to surprise you, but you surprised me first…”

As the woman spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.

She does not shed tears easily in this lifetime, but if she does, she sheds them for her dearest love.

“Ran Bowen is a very cautious man. I’ve sent many people after him, but none have succeeded. Later, I changed my strategy. I chose the best undercover agent, spent two years infiltrating his organization, and finally won Bowen’s trust. I want him to watch his Qinglong Association crumble, betrayed by the person he trusts the most, turned against each other and ultimately be killed by his most trusted confidant…”

“Even if I skin him alive and tear him apart, I couldn’t erase the hatred in my heart, nor bring back your cheerful visage.”

“A Heng, when I found out that he still has an offspring remaining in the world, I was overjoyed. That poor child will take the place of his father, inheriting my hatred. It’s the only way I can feel that you are still by my side…”

“A Heng, I know you would blame me again. You were always so kind, unwilling to involve the innocent. But think about our son, is he not innocent? Born without a father, you didn’t even know he existed. So that child is not innocent. He carries Ran Bowen’s blood in him, and it is only right for the sins of the father to be visited upon the son…”

“A Heng, wait a while, it might be a little painful. Can you bear it? I’ve found a new good burial ground for you, so you can stay with me forever…”

The woman ran her fingers gently over the gravestone, as though stroking the face of her lover.

She talked and talked, as the rain seemed to pour even harder.

Finally, the woman stood up, her feet had been numb from squatting, she swayed and steadied herself against the gravestone.

She couldn’t help but bend down and hug the gravestone, throwing away her umbrella, letting the rain wash over her.

Zhou Xue, watching this scene from a distance, a knot formed in her heart.

She had been with the madam for seven years and began to understand many things.

The madam’s feelings for her deceased husband run deep. Though she doesn’t mention it often, her faint smiles or the dazing look when she looks at the young master, or the low whimpering in her midnight dreams tell that she has never forgotten, and the nostalgia only becomes stronger with time.

The greater the love, the greater the hatred.

She didn’t know if the madam was doing right or wrong, but she knew that only by passing on her hatred could the madam find the will to live on.

Poor innocent child.

But, isn’t the young master equally pitiable?

If the blood of an evil man flows in your bones, then you are not innocent.

The most pitiful one, however, was the child thirteen years ago. At that time when the madam failed to kill Bowen, her full of wrath had nowhere to vent. Coincidentally, that woman appeared…

The woman walked over with a blank expression, her face washed of any trace of tears by the rain.

Zhou Xue immediately regained her composure, held the umbrella up again over the woman’s head.

“Tell Night Hawk to see me in Jiangzhou immediately.” The woman left the cold remark and departed.

Zhou Xue looked to the horizon, heavy clouds hanging low, an even bigger storm was on the horizon.