Chapter 4: Homecoming

“It's enough that you’ve come back, it’s enough. It’s just a shame… your godmother didn’t get to see you before she passed. Such a hard life, little Fan. After your parents died, your godfather and I discussed letting you and Yan come live with us, but who could have guessed you would disappear overnight.”

Looking at his godmother’s haggard face, even in her grave illness still thinking of him, Lin Fan could not hold back his tears.

“Godmother…” Lin Fan choked out, then fell silent, standing there with a thousand things he wanted to say but not knowing where to begin. In his mind, he saw again the memory from when he was ten—he’d twisted his ankle playing outside, and just then a large truck came hurtling toward him. At the last moment, it was Feifei’s mother who, disregarding her own safety, scooped him up and saved his life. That scene Lin Fan would never, could never, forget.

“You—you’re little Fan? Am I just seeing things?” Song Yashi had been entirely focused on her daughter, but Lin Fan’s call brought her attention to the young man in the room—someone who looked so much like the child she had worried about all these years.

“Mom, this is my brother. He’s come back. He came back to see you.” With her daughter’s words, and Lin Fan nodding heavily, Song Yashi forced a weak smile and said, “Good, good. You’re all back, you’re all back…”

“Godmother, what exactly happened to my godfather?” Sensing that Song Yashi’s spirits had improved since he entered, Lin Fan hesitated, then asked.

At the mention of Su Zhennan, both Feifei and her mother’s faces clouded with grief. Truthfully, Lin Fan felt the sadness no less keenly: first his own parents were murdered, now his godfather had suddenly died, and his godmother likely had little time left. But he showed none of this—he was a man, and a man must face hardship, must be strong, must bear responsibility.

“Let it go. The force behind all this is too powerful for us. If anything happened to you as well, Zhennan would never forgive me, not from heaven.” Song Yashi worried that if Lin Fan learned the truth, he might do something reckless, with consequences too terrible to imagine.

The power that seemed overwhelming to Song Yashi might be nothing in Lin Fan’s eyes, but she had no idea what he had endured these years. Instinctively, she still saw him as the orphaned child from nine years ago.

Lin Fan saw through her thoughts, and was quietly moved, deliberately answering in a calm tone, “Don’t worry, godmother. I’m just asking, I won’t cause trouble. I just want to know what kind of power could make a businessman like godfather an enemy.”

“No, knowing too much will only bring you harm.” Seeing her godmother’s insistence and her growing agitation, Lin Fan was even more certain the matter was complex.

“Little Fan, you’ve just come back, go see your sister. Feifei is here with me,” Song Yashi hurriedly changed the topic, clearly afraid Lin Fan would keep pressing for answers.

“I’ll stay with you a little longer.” Knowing that further questions would only bring pain and no answers, Lin Fan let the matter drop. But that did not mean he would give up on avenging his godfather. Anyone who dared harm his family—he would never let them go.

“Brother, go rest. You must not have slept last night. I’m here, don’t worry,” Feifei urged as well.

Though Lin Fan still had questions, there was no rush—this time, he planned to stay in the country for good.

After saying goodbye to his godmother, Lin Fan went to the attending physician’s office to learn more about Song Yashi’s condition. The result was bitterly disappointing: even if he could pay a hundred million, a billion, or ten billion, it would not save her. The cancer had spread throughout her body; there was simply no hope.

Some things must be faced bravely; that is how one grows. Taking a deep breath, Lin Fan left the hospital by taxi.

…

In a certain villa in T City, a woman wearing an apron was in the kitchen, carefully preparing one dish after another. If you looked closely, you’d see she looked a bit like Lin Fan—with almond-shaped eyes, rosy lips, and fair skin. Though she was already twenty-seven, she exuded the aura of a professional woman, a queen of the business world forged through years of striving. This woman was none other than Lin Fan’s elder sister, Lin Yan.

There was a knock at the door. Lin Yan quickly set down her knife and hurried over.

“Big sis, did you miss me?” Who else could it be but Lin Fan? With a mischievous wink, he pulled his sister into a big hug.

“You! Always issuing orders from afar. All these years, not once have you come to see me. Do you even care about your sister?” Lin Yan pretended to scold him, keeping her face stern.

Four years ago, while fleeing from pursuers during a mission, Lin Fan was rescued by Han Feng, former captain of Dragon Soul. After that, Lin Fan stayed with Dragon Soul and became a mercenary. Only two years ago did he contact his sister, instructing her not to reveal his whereabouts. All these years, the business left by their father was managed by Lin Yan, but the true boss behind the scenes was Lin Fan.

“What, not letting me in? Don’t tell me my future brother-in-law’s in there,” Lin Fan teased, easily reading his sister’s expression.

“Still as cheeky as ever,” Lin Yan retorted, rolling her eyes as she set the dishes on the table.

Lin Fan pulled a face at his sister—who would have thought that the ruthless leader of mercenaries could act so childishly?

“Big sis, what really happened to Uncle Su?” Lin Fan asked between mouthfuls, not even looking up. Lin Yan’s relationship with the Su family was cordial, but Lin Fan’s was much deeper. As a child, he had spent nearly every day at their house, playing with Su Feifei. It was Song Yashi herself who taught him to sing. Lin Yan called them uncle and aunt, but Lin Fan called them godfather and godmother.

“All I know is that some Japanese man came to see Uncle Su a while back, wanting to buy his family heirloom—the Blood Jade—at a high price. Uncle Su threw him out.”

When she mentioned the Japanese, Lin Fan’s brow furrowed. He held no fondness for them; during his days in the Falcon Special Forces, he’d carried out several missions in Japan, and after taking over Dragon Soul, he had not infrequently “paid them visits.”

Lin Yan continued, “A few days before Uncle Su died, Hong Tianxiong, head of the Soul Reaper Gang, also came to see him. My guess is it was also about the Blood Jade. Here’s the address of a bar run by the Soul Reaper Gang. You can start your investigation there.” She handed Lin Fan an address.

The Blood Jade, also called the Nine Orifices Jade, is formed in connection with a corpse. When a person is buried, a piece of jade is forced into the mouth as a burial rite. If the person has just died, the jade follows the last breath into the throat and enters the densely veined area. Over a thousand years, the dead blood soaks into the jade, the crimson threads reaching the very heart of the stone, forming the magnificent Blood Jade. Such a piece is often found beneath the skull, and among all burial jades, it is the most precious—utterly priceless in the modern era.

“How do you know all this?” Lin Fan asked, after memorizing the bar’s address.

“As soon as Uncle Su died, I knew you wouldn’t let his killers go. So early this morning, I had someone ask around at the police station,” Lin Yan said, clearing up the dishes as she walked back to the kitchen, leaving only her silhouette behind.