Chapter 163: The Thief's Heart Never Dies

Huang Zhu was so angered by Ma Zijun that she had no appetite for breakfast; she paced back and forth in the room, growing more furious the more she thought about it.

But anger aside, Ma Zijun's words had still been somewhat effective.

She stayed in the hotel for the whole morning, and once she estimated that Ma Zijun had finished handling things on his end, she changed her clothes and decided to go home.

As it turned out, the moment she opened the door, she saw two burly men in black guarding the entrance.

"Madam, the young master said you cannot leave. If there is anything, we can relay it, or you can contact the young master yourself."

One of the burly men said with an expressionless face.

"Slap!"

Huang Zhu didn't speak, but instead swung her hand and slapped the man in black, then turned back into the room and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Huang Zhu hadn't expected that Ma Zijun would actually dare to place her under house arrest—to place his own biological mother under house arrest!

What was most infuriating was that he was doing it for the sake of his bastard sister and an outsider!

Huang Zhu stood with her hands on her hips, pondering how to leave this place.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The door was knocked upon at this moment.

Huang Zhu, acting out of spite, deliberately didn't go to open the door.

After a while, the sound of a key turning came from the doorway. The door opened, and the person who entered was not Ma Zijun, but Ma Yiren.

Seeing Ma Yiren, Huang Zhu was slightly surprised, but she still didn't give him a pleasant look and said in an unkind tone, "Why have you come?"

Ma Yiren closed the door and walked straight toward Huang Zhu, his expression very grim.

"Was it you who sent the second brother to kill Ma Menghan?"

Ma Yiren got straight to the point and asked directly.

Huang Zhu didn't feel surprised; even if Ma Zijun helped to clear the air, it wouldn't necessarily deceive Ma Yiren and Ma Youxiang.

The purpose of doing so was merely to provide a step down, a reason for Ma Youxiang to pretend he didn't know and thus not pursue the matter.

After all, Huang Zhu had the Huang Family behind her; to punish Huang Zhu, one had to consider the attitude of the Huang Family.

"Are you here to hold me accountable?"

Huang Zhu retorted, which served as an indirect answer to Ma Yiren's question.

"This is a matter between the two of us; why did you have to harm a child?"

Ma Yiren was angry, his voice rising a notch.

"Why couldn't I?!"

Huang Zhu also shouted, matching him tit for tat.

"If you really wanted revenge, you could have come to find me. You shouldn't have harmed Ma Menghan, and you especially shouldn't have let the second brother do it."

Ma Yiren stared at Huang Zhu and said:

"That fool, the second brother, has never been favored at home. I suspect you must have used the excuse of the Huang Family's support to cajole him into doing things for you.

To make our own family members kill each other, you are truly vicious. If it weren't for Zijun intentionally trying to hide it for you, Dad might have really disregarded the Huang Family's face and punished you."

Upon hearing Ma Yiren's words, Huang Zhu first let out a sigh of relief; ever since she had an affair with Ma Yishan, she always felt inexplicably guilty when facing the Ma family.

Even if she had done it flawlessly, she would still be stirred by a single sentence from Ma Yiren.

"Speak plainly, what do you want by coming to find me? A divorce? You know that's impossible."

Huang Zhu stood with her hands on her hips, looking shrewish.

Ma Yiren calmed down, shook his head, and said, "Ours is a family marriage; divorce is impossible. I only came to tell you that once Ma Menghan is discharged from the hospital, I will send her away. I was the one who wronged you before, and I apologize to you. As long as you no longer pursue this, we can return to how things were before."

"No need."

Huang Zhu refused decisively, "You wronged me, and I wronged you; we're even."

Ma Yiren didn't understand Huang Zhu's double entendre and frowned, saying, "Must you insist on harming Ma Menghan?"

"That's right! Only if she dies will what you just said hold true!"

Huang Zhu said resolutely.

"Since that is the case, then let us maintain the status quo."

Seeing that there was no reasoning with her, Ma Yiren didn't waste any more breath. He knew very well that who was right and who was wrong between them could no longer be clearly distinguished; all that remained was mutual torment.

Ma Yiren walked toward the exit, preparing to leave, but as he reached the door, he remembered something, stopped, turned his head to look back, and said, "There is one point I must remind you of: my not letting you harm Ma Menghan again is not just a warning, it is a reminder.

Ma Menghan and Chen Che have a very good relationship, and as for Chen Che's abilities, I don't need to say much more; the second brother is a cautionary tale. If you insist on causing trouble for Ma Menghan to achieve your goal of taking revenge on me, then it is very likely that you will end up harming yourself."

"I have said all I have to say; you should look after yourself."

Ma Yiren opened the door and left, also conveniently dismissing the people who were monitoring Huang Zhu.

Huang Zhu was furious and said viciously, "Then just wait and see! I will kill them all!"

………

Ma Zijun did not know that his parents had completely broken off; he didn't even have time to rest for a moment before he arrived at the hospital to visit Ma Menghan.

He had thoughtfully bought breakfast, but after walking into the ward, he found that the two of them were already eating, so he also grabbed a stool and ate with them.

"Ma Menghan, how are you feeling?"

Ma Zijun asked with a smile.

"Mm, much better."

Ma Menghan gave a sweet smile, then opened her mouth to eat the rice porridge Chen Che fed her, looking shy and happy.

Because both of her hands were in casts, Ma Menghan couldn't eat by herself and had to be fed by Chen Che.

Regarding this, Ma Menghan shyly expressed her refusal, but in reality, her heart was already blooming with joy, and she ate with great enthusiasm.

Seeing the intimate appearance of the two, a trace of relief and envy flashed in Ma Zijun's eyes.

"Chen Che, my second uncle has been confined by my grandfather, and the others have also been properly dealt with. My grandfather asked me to come and ask you: are you satisfied with this outcome?"

Ma Zijun looked toward Chen Che and asked cautiously.

Chen Che naturally knew that the "others" Ma Zijun spoke of included Huang Zhu, but Chen Che did not point it out; instead, he nodded and said, "I believe Ma Shao can handle it properly. As for the result, I have no objections."

Ma Zijun let out a sigh of relief. He knew very well that Chen Che had a vengeful nature, and that letting his mother off this time was entirely for his own sake.

Chen Che had said they were friends and was truly considering Ma Zijun's feelings, which moved Ma Zijun deeply.

Ma Menghan, the victim with the most right to speak, did not say anything or express an opinion, but instead ate the food Chen Che fed her in a well-behaved manner.

Regarding the incident where she was hit, she had originally been very angry and aggrieved, but Chen Che had already vented her frustration for her.

Now that she learned everyone involved had received punishment, the resentment in her heart dissipated, and at the same time, she felt extremely grateful toward Chen Che.

She did not want to worry about other things now; she only hoped she would recover slowly so that Chen Che would feed her a few more times.

"Menghan's injuries still need time to recover. As for your affairs, do you have any plans?"

After the three finished their meal, Ma Zijun placed Ma Menghan in a wheelchair and pushed her out for some fresh air, asking Chen Che who was accompanying them.

Chen Che caught a falling leaf and said, "My senior sister has a friend at the local Justice Inspection Bureau. I plan to go find her tomorrow to help me investigate Vermilion Bird of the Martial Arts Alliance."

"Alright, then if you need any help, remember to contact me."

Ma Zijun said.

"Rest assured, I definitely won't stand on ceremony with you."

Chen Che blew the leaf off his palm, looking carefree.

………

Huang Zhu left the hotel and did not return to her own villa, but instead went to the Ma Family Ancestral Hall.

At the Ma Family Ancestral Hall, she met Ma Yishan.

Ma Yishan had his left arm in a sling and was sitting on a rosewood chair, facing the spirit tablets of the Ma Family ancestors.

Even though not even a day had passed, his expression appeared extremely disheveled and haggard.

"What is my sister-in-law doing here? To see me make a fool of myself?"

Ma Yishan said with heavy resentment.

Huang Zhu did not get angry but instead smiled. She walked up to Ma Yishan, looked at him, and said, "What are you saying, Uncle? I know that you bore everything all by yourself, so I came specifically to thank you."

"That is all thanks to your good son."

Ma Yishan kept a straight face and said.

"I raised that unfilial son for nothing; at the critical moment, only you, Uncle, are reliable."

Huang Zhu crouched down to keep at the same height as Ma Yishan and said ingratiatingly.

Ma Yishan saw that Huang Zhu had a motive and said bluntly, "If you have something to say, Sister-in-law, just say it directly. There is no need for this. Besides, in my current state, I am afraid I cannot be of much help."

"Don't be discouraged, Uncle. As long as I am here, and the Huang Family behind me is here, the day you rise to prominence in the Ma Family is just around the corner."

Huang Zhu first dangled a carrot to comfort him, then casually stated the purpose of her visit, "But before that, we must properly teach a lesson to the person who caused you to end up like this, don't you think?"

Ma Yishan understood; Huang Zhu had come for information.

"Long Jiang and Shan Hu did indeed die at Chen Che's hands, but when Chen Che killed Long Jiang in the end, he did not use the methods of a Martial Artist. I do not understand the Martial Dao and could not make sense of it, but Long Jiang was shocked and willing to die."

Ma Yishan recounted the situation from that day.

Huang Zhu nodded and pondered, "Not the methods of a Martial Artist... then it is possible he used some obscure Secret Technique to forcibly boost his strength."

"I knew it; at his age, it is impossible for him to be a Martial Arts Grandmaster."

Huang Zhu felt reassured, and at the same time, an idea formed in her mind.

"Even if he isn't a Martial Arts Grandmaster, with a Secret Technique, he won't be easy to kill. What does Sister-in-law plan to do?"

Ma Yishan asked curiously.

"I have my own arrangements. Uncle, just wait for good news."

Huang Zhu said with full confidence.