Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King-Chapter 372: [DD2]:

Jing Hongchen coughed a few times before he barely managed to recover.

Seeing this, Su Yu stepped forward two paces and exclaimed, "Hall Master, what's wrong with you? You didn't... uh... pass away, did you~?"

Jing Hongchen took a couple of breaths, pointed a trembling finger at Su Yu, and suddenly felt his anger surge back.

This little rascal—he was deliberately provoking him!

"Grandpa, I heard Su Yu is back..."

A slightly joyful voice rang out—it was none other than Meng Hongchen and Xiao Hongchen, who had returned.

As soon as Meng Hongchen heard from others that Su Yu had returned, she rushed over without stopping for a moment.

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Su Yu turned around, and Meng Hongchen's figure appeared before his eyes.

Meng Hongchen was dressed in the Illustrious Virtue Hall uniform, her wine-red hair slightly curled and draped over her shoulders. Her delicate, beautiful face was as sweet and soft as ever.

Meng Hongchen also spotted Su Yu. Her eyes lit up instantly, and she instinctively wanted to leap into his arms.

However, as she reached Su Yu, she suddenly remembered that Jing Hongchen was still present and came to a screeching halt.

At this point, she and Su Yu were no more than 30 centimeters apart.

"Yu, you're back!"

Meng Hongchen's beautiful eyes sparkled with joy, and her entire being radiated happiness, as though she couldn't contain her delight.

Reuniting with her beloved after two years apart, every cell in Meng Hongchen's body brimmed with excitement.

Seeing the overjoyed and radiant Meng Hongchen, Su Yu's gaze softened. It had been nearly two years since he last saw her, and he had missed her deeply.

"Meng'er, I'm back."

Su Yu didn't care whether they were in the Illustrious Virtue Hall or not. He stepped forward and pulled Meng Hongchen into his arms.

Meng Hongchen's cheeks flushed, but she let herself rest in Su Yu's embrace.

Standing nearby, Wang Dong'er pouted, while Xiao Hongchen, who was walking in, clicked his tongue repeatedly.

Already fuming, Jing Hongchen's face darkened further.

This little rascal dared to act so brazenly in the grand hall of Illustrious Virtue Hall?

And his love-struck granddaughter! Jing Hongchen felt utterly exasperated.

"Ahem!"

"COUGH, COUGH!"

Jing Hongchen coughed forcefully, startling the two people embracing each other.

Meng Hongchen's face turned crimson, while Su Yu nonchalantly chuckled, "Hall Master, is your throat feeling unwell? Why are you coughing so much?

"I have some cough syrup here. Do you want it?"

"Want your damn syrup!" Jing Hongchen cursed angrily.

Su Yu raised an eyebrow and teased, "Hey, Hall Master, why are you cursing?

"We're all civilized people here. If you keep speaking so rudely, it's going to lower our collective moral standards."

"I—!"

Poked again and again by Su Yu's words, Jing Hongchen finally reached his breaking point.

He stood up, glanced left and right, and shouted, "Where's my sword?

"Today, this Hall Master is going to cut down this little rascal!"

"Grandpa, calm down!"

Xiao Hongchen rushed forward and hugged Jing Hongchen. "Grandpa, impulsiveness is the devil!

"Su Yu, hurry up and apologize to Grandpa!"

Still holding Meng Hongchen, Su Yu grinned and said, "Brother-in-law, don't worry. The Hall Master is fine—he's just joking around."

Joking around, my foot!

Jing Hongchen cursed Su Yu in his heart. This little rascal—did he come back just to mess with him?

He sat back down in a huff, glaring at Su Yu and Meng Hongchen with indignation.

"Look at the man you found, Meng. I think he's determined to drive your grandpa to an early grave."

Meng Hongchen argued softly, "Grandpa, Su Yu isn't like that."

It was as if an arrow had pierced his heart. Jing Hongchen raised his hand, pointing at Su Yu and Meng Hongchen, but he couldn't utter a single word.

This little sweetheart of his had turned traitor! She was no longer his!

Wide-eyed and speechless, Jing Hongchen finally calmed himself after a long while. He glared fiercely at Su Yu and Meng Hongchen.

Meng Hongchen shrank back timidly, while Su Yu chuckled, holding her and ruffling her hair.

Jing Hongchen's face darkened further as he glared at Su Yu, as if Su Yu owed him several million gold soul coins.

Su Yu, however, smiled cheerfully and met Jing Hongchen's gaze without flinching.

Given his current strength, Jing Hongchen might not even be his match anymore.

With his Diamond Body activated, Jing Hongchen would need a ninth-level soul-guided cannon just to scratch him.

He'd fought Tai Tan to a standstill using only 80% of his strength—Jing Hongchen couldn't possibly pose a threat to him anymore.

To put it bluntly, Jing Hongchen's strength wasn't particularly impressive; even fighting Yan Shaozhe or the original Xuan Zi would be a challenge for him.

Strength brings confidence.

Jing Hongchen's aura of intimidation no longer meant anything to Su Yu.

After staring at Su Yu for a while, Jing Hongchen finally looked away, snorted coldly, and said, "You brat, you're getting more and more arrogant."

Su Yu grinned and replied, "Hall Master, you're joking—I've always been arrogant."

Jing Hongchen: "..."

You even admit it?!

But when he thought back to how Su Yu had never acted properly around him, Jing Hongchen felt resigned.

This little troublemaker had always been irritating. His talent was exceptional, his background strong, and his sense of mischief... overwhelming.

Jing Hongchen knew Su Yu was well aware of Illustrious Virtue Hall's current difficulties and was deliberately stirring the pot.

"You said you could provide one billion gold soul coins in support—were you serious?"

Jing Hongchen sighed and asked.

Su Yu teased, "Hall Master, didn't you say Illustrious Virtue Hall isn't short on money?"

Jing Hongchen's face turned red. This little rascal—did he have to embarrass him like this?

He just wanted to show off a little—was that a crime?

This brat didn't give him any face at all.

Seeing Jing Hongchen's expression, Su Yu chuckled and said, "Alright, I won't joke with you anymore.

"I know about Illustrious Virtue Hall's difficulties.

"For Meng'er's sake, I can't sit idly by. I'll lend you one billion gold soul coins for now. Once Illustrious Virtue Hall recovers, you can repay it slowly."

"Now that's more like it."

Jing Hongchen breathed a sigh of relief. With Su Yu's support of one billion gold soul coins, Illustrious Virtue Hall's situation would become much easier.

The previous funding gap could be filled, and with a bit of effort, Illustrious Virtue Hall would be able to weather the storm.

Hearing this promise, Jing Hongchen's expression softened considerably.

Though Su Yu was mischievous and often annoying, he never let people down when it truly mattered.

One billion gold soul coins—this wasn't a small sum. Su Yu's willingness to lend it showed his sincerity.

"One billion gold soul coins, brother-in-law, you're amazing!"

Xiao Hongchen gave him a thumbs-up. In critical moments, family always came through.

"Yu, thank you."

Meng Hongchen was moved to tears. She knew Su Yu was doing this for her.

One billion gold soul coins—that was an astronomical amount.

Back then, even a hunder-thousand-year soul beast embryo only cost little more than 10 million gold soul coins.

"Why are you thanking me? Don't be silly."

Su Yu gently ruffled Meng Hongchen's hair and chuckled.

It wasn't a gift—it was a loan.

Illustrious Virtue Hall was very wealthy and profitable. Their current predicament was just a temporary setback.

Once they got back on track, they could repay the one billion gold soul coins within two or three years. Su Yu wasn't worried about them defaulting.

Not only was Jing Hongchen, not the type to renege on debts, but even if he wanted to, he wouldn't have the ability to.

There were few people on the Douluo Continent bold enough to owe Su Yu money and refuse to pay.

As Su Yu ruffled her hair, Meng Hongchen giggled happily.

At this moment, Jing Hongchen's mood had relaxed significantly, and he finally noticed Wang Dong'er.

Looking at Wang Dong'er, dressed in a light blue long dress with her pink-blue hair cascading over her shoulders, Jing Hongchen's lips curved into a teasing smile. He said, "Wang Dong, you're finally willing to meet people as your real self?"

Hearing this, Xiao Hongchen was startled. He pointed at Wang Dong'er with a look of shock. "She… she's Wang Dong?"

"Isn't she Wang Dong's elder sister, Wang Dong'er?"

Xiao Hongchen had seen Wang Dong'er before, but he had initially thought Su Yu's extraordinary charm had managed to win her over and bring her to the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.

Little did he expect that Wang Dong'er was Wang Dong?

This revelation shocked him to his core.

"There's no such thing as an elder sister," Su Yu said with a light laugh as he looked at Wang Dong'er. "That so-called 'elder sister' was just made up. From beginning to end, there's only been one Wang Dong'er."

Hearing this, Wang Dong'er let out a small humph and shot Su Yu a glare.

Su Yu chuckled, raising his hand to ruffle her hair.

Wang Dong'er scrunched her delicate nose and turned to Jing Hongchen with some embarrassment. "Hall Master, I'm sorry for hiding this from everyone for so long."

Jing Hongchen waved his hand dismissively. "It's nothing. I knew from the first day you enrolled."

Wang Dong'er's face turned red with embarrassment. Yet another person who had known she was a girl from the very start?

So… was the real fool her all along?

As if he could read Wang Dong'er's thoughts, Jing Hongchen explained, "Your martial soul is unique. The Bright Goddess Butterfly is quite well-known, you know.

"Although I'm not a Battle Soul Master, I'm still a Titled Douluo. I'm well aware of the Bright Goddess Butterfly's characteristics."

Wang Dong'er's face fell. Great—yet another person who figured it out from her martial soul.

She had thought her disguise was flawless!

But apparently, all these people had known all along.

Seeing Wang Dong'er's sulking expression, Su Yu reached out and pinched her cheeks, laughing softly. "Silly girl."

"Humph, you're the silly one," Wang Dong'er retorted with a humph, giving Su Yu a playful kick.

Su Yu grabbed her hand and effortlessly pulled her into his arms, holding her alongside another girl.

Watching Su Yu boldly embrace both girls right in front of him, Jing Hongchen felt his fists clench.

Showing off like this in front of him… so audacious!

Did Su Yu not know that he was Meng Hongchen's grandfather?

After glaring daggers at Su Yu, Jing Hongchen changed the subject. "You brat, it's good timing that you two returned now."

"There's a little more than half a year left until the next All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament."

"With plenty of time left, you can start preparing and coordinating."

Su Yu let go of the two women and looked at Jing Hongchen. "Hall Master, I heard this year's tournament is changing its format. Is it true that sects are allowed to participate this time?"

Jing Hongchen nodded. "Your information is quite up-to-date. Yes, that's correct."

"This time, the competition will be far more intense. It's nothing like the previous tournaments, which were just fights between academies."

"The sects on the continent have far more strong individuals than the academies do."

"I estimate that the number of teams participating this time will likely double compared to the previous tournament."

Su Yu nodded slowly. frёeωebɳovel.com

Xiao Hongchen, however, interjected nonchalantly. "Grandfather, there's no need to worry. With me and Su Yu here, victory is guaranteed."

Su Yu glanced at Xiao Hongchen and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh? I didn't notice earlier, but Big Brother-in-law, you've already broken through to the Soul Sage level?"

Xiao Hongchen's lips curved into a smug smile. He was delighted but still tried to act humble. "It's nothing, just a minor breakthrough. Nothing worth mentioning."

Though he spoke modestly, the upward curve of his lips betrayed his pride—it was practically impossible to suppress.

Su Yu and Wang Dong'er exchanged a glance, and both saw the fleeting amusement in each other's eyes.

This guy… still as over-the-top as ever.

"Su Yu, what level are you at now?" Xiao Hongchen asked, pretending not to be curious.

Su Yu smiled lightly. "Me? Not much progress. I've just barely reached level seventy-seven as a Soul Sage."

"Oh, level seventy-seven Soul Sage, huh? Well, you still need to—wait, WHAT?!"

Xiao Hongchen's face froze in shock as if he had just heard the most absurd thing imaginable.

"You… you're already a level seventy-seven Soul Sage?"

Xiao Hongchen stared at Su Yu as if trying to confirm this outrageous claim.

Su Yu shrugged. "Yeah, not much progress. I'm a bit embarrassed, honestly."

Clutching his chest with an expression of utter defeat, Xiao Hongchen felt as if Su Yu had just stabbed him in the heart.

You're at level seventy-seven already, and you call that "not much progress"?

What would count as significant progress, then? Were you planning to skip straight to Soul Douluo or even Titled Douluo?

Even Jing Hongchen and Meng Hongchen were visibly shaken.

While Jing Hongchen struggled to believe it, Meng Hongchen went from shock to admiration and pride.

As expected of her man—he was incredible!

"How did you reach level seventy-seven as a Soul Sage?" Jing Hongchen asked, unable to calm his emotions. If he remembered correctly, Su Yu was only sixteen years old.

Sixteen years old and already a level seventy-seven Soul Sage? What kind of monster was this?

"Did you use some kind of special medicine?" Jing Hongchen asked suspiciously.

Su Yu shook his head. "Medicine? Not really. My achievements are all thanks to my hard work." (dog head emoji)

Jing Hongchen: "…"

Do you think I'll believe that?

But as Su Yu released his soul power, the incredibly dense and solid energy left Jing Hongchen speechless.

The purity and solidity of this soul power were terrifying—it was even more condensed than that of someone who had trained diligently their entire life. It didn't have the slightest trace of artificial enhancement.

The more Jing Hongchen observed, the more shaken he became. He couldn't comprehend how Su Yu had achieved this.

If he remembered correctly, Su Yu had only been at level fifty when he took a leave of absence two and a half years ago.

And now, in just two and a half years, he had skyrocketed to level seventy-seven?

Jing Hongchen couldn't wrap his head around it. How on earth had Su Yu managed this?

Could it be through hard work alone?

Shaking his head, Jing Hongchen thought bitterly to himself, I'd sooner believe a pig could climb a tree than believe that nonsense.

This brat Su Yu must have stumbled upon some massive opportunity.