Butler Fu manipulated the wheelchair, moving slowly forward.

The wheels crunched over the withered fallen leaves, making a soft rustling sound.

Zhou Huai looked at Zhou Ting's face, which was filled with shock, and a faint smile played on his lips.

"What, are you surprised to see me?"

His voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

"Do you really think I died in that attack?"

Zhou Ting's chapped lips moved, and he slowly shook his head.

He spoke hoarsely, "Of course I knew that attack didn't kill you."

"It's just very surprising that we'd meet this way."

The old man's cloudy eyes scanned Zhou Huai up and down, and a strange sense of relief actually flickered in his hollow gaze.

"You've really grown a lot."

"Between your brows, you're looking more and more like your father."

His eyes became somewhat distant, as if he was lost in distant memories.

"I still remember when you were little, you always liked to follow me to the training grounds behind the mountain."

"I found you annoying, so I casually carved you a wooden sword out of peach wood."

"But you treated it like a treasure, holding it in your arms all day, unwilling to let go even when you slept."

"You even swore to me that when you grew up, you'd be a great general, protecting the Zhou Family, protecting me."

Zhou Huai listened to these words and disdainfully curled his lips.

"You don't need to play the emotional card, old man."

"If you were truly someone who valued kinship, the Zhou Family wouldn't be in its current state."

The look of reminiscence on Zhou Ting's face instantly froze, and he could no longer speak.

He didn't retort.

A moment later, the old man let out a long, bitter laugh, filled with endless sorrow and regret.

"You're right, I was too conceited."

His body trembled violently, and his hollow eyes gradually filled with bloodshot veins.

"I originally thought everything I did would push the Zhou Family to become stronger, allowing the Zhou Family to reach an unprecedented height."

"The result... the result was pushing the Zhou Family into an abyss!"

"Hahahaha... it's all my fault..."

As the old man laughed, tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

He thought of his second son, Zhou Ming, and the tragic sight of Saito Mikado's Saber Qi piercing his heart.

He thought of his grandson, Zhou Xun, seeking revenge for his father, only to be easily cut down by a Saber Qi, filled with despair.

He thought of the clansmen who had always been respectful to him, only to die tragically under the blades of ninjas.

Familiar faces flashed before his eyes, one after another, finally freezing on their terrified and unwilling expressions just before death.

"Ah—!!!"

Zhou Ting let out a heart-wrenching roar!

He suddenly raised his hand, and with all his strength, slapped his own wrinkled old face hard!

Smack!

The crisp sound was particularly jarring in the quiet courtyard.

"It's all my fault!"

Smack!

Another slap!

"I'm sorry to the ancestors of the Zhou Family!"

Smack! Smack! Smack!

He seemed to have gone mad, slapping himself wildly, one slap after another, with both hands.

"I'm sorry to your father! It was I who caused his death!"

Soon, that already aged face became visibly swollen and red.

"Master! Please don't do this!"

Butler Fu watched this scene, extremely anxious, and was about to step forward to dissuade him, but was stopped by a hand.

Zhou Huai spoke calmly.

"Don't mind him."

"All of this is his own doing."

"Let him slap himself a few times, vent it out, and he might feel better."

Butler Fu opened his mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating.

"But... but..."

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to obey Zhou Huai's instructions and silently retreated behind Zhou Huai.

However, his eyes, as he looked at Zhou Ting, were filled with unbearable pity.

After a long time, the old man finally stopped his actions.

His cheeks were highly swollen, crimson blood seeped from the corners of his mouth, and snot and tears mixed together, making him look utterly disheveled.

Immediately after.

The old man buried his face in his hands, hunched on the long bench, and let out a series of sobs.

There was no longer any of the former dignity and demeanor of the Zhou Family Head, only a helpless old man drowning in regret.

Zhou Huai watched quietly, not interrupting.

After a long while, Zhou Ting's emotions finally gradually calmed down.

He roughly wiped his face with his stained sleeve, then raised his head again to look at Zhou Huai.

He slowly spoke, his voice hoarse beyond recognition: "Did you come today specifically to watch me make a fool of myself?"

"If so, your goal has been achieved."

"Please leave."

Zhou Huai shook his head.

"I certainly didn't come for that today."

"Regarding the Zhou Family, there are many things I don't understand, so I'd like to ask you to enlighten me."

Zhou Ting was first stunned by these words, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Now that the Zhou Family no longer exists, there's no point in keeping some secrets."

"Ask away."

"Anything I know, I can tell you."

Zhou Huai thought for a moment, his gaze sharpening, and asked directly: "The ruins beneath East Sea City are clearly a thousand meters deep underground, and even the military department was unaware of them."

"How did your Zhou Family know about them?"

Zhou Ting's expression was clearly somewhat surprised.

"You actually... know about the ruins too?"

He seemed to have suddenly thought of something, and a flicker of understanding passed through his cloudy eyes.

"Earlier, Liu Zi'ang of the Liu Family once warned me that besides the Radiant Alliance and the military department, there seemed to be a third force involved in the ruins."

Zhou Huai nodded sincerely, without any concealment.

"That's right, that third force is me."

"By the way, I am the Master of the Eternal Night Guild."

He trembled violently, and his entire body froze in place!

His eyes, narrowed into slits from swelling, suddenly widened at this moment, staring intently at Zhou Huai, filled with extreme shock and disbelief!

Eternal Night Guild!

That mysterious organization that stirred up trouble in East Sea City!

Recently, he had also heard that it was due to the existence of this organization that East Sea City was saved.

It was not swallowed by the beast tide.

And its Master...

Was actually his own grandson, who had been kicked out of the Family and regarded as a good-for-nothing by everyone?

How... how could this be?!

Zhou Ting looked deeply at Zhou Huai, as if he were seeing this grandson for the first time.

A moment later, he actually chuckled softly.

"Good..."

"Good..." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Hahahaha! This is truly good!"

He laughed until tears streamed down his face, his entire body trembling violently.

"I truly never imagined that this Eternal Night Guild was founded by you!"

"And the one who has been secretly opposing our Zhou Family is also you!"

"It's laughable that I prided myself on predicting things like a god, calculating my whole life, yet I never calculated that I would have such a grandson!"

"A grandson who could personally crush all my schemes completely!"

Zhou Huai's expression remained unchanged, he merely reminded calmly.

"You should still tell me, why was the Zhou Family able to know the location of the ruins?"

Zhou Ting's laughter abruptly ceased.

He seemed lost in thought.

A moment later, he slowly began to speak:

"We originally... didn't know either."

"Before this, our Zhou Family was just an inconspicuous small Family in East Sea City."

"Until one day, your father met your mother."