The Way of Restraint

Chapter 130: Family Traditions Differ

“Is it Zhang Hongqing?” Song Longhua seemed to understand some past events: “Brother Su, I think this matter can actually be settled. Your children are grown up; why bring up things from back then? Besides, let them handle their own affairs. It’s no longer in vogue for parents to dictate their children’s relationships.”

“My son is not an ordinary person,” Su Shilin said, crossing his legs. “Ma Fengnian and Luo Weiji have teamed up to take him as their disciple.”

“Is that so?” Song Longhua was taken aback. “Old Ma and Old Luo would team up? To snatch someone?”

“This kind of news is easy to find out,” Su Shilin replied. “Zhang Hongqing probably won’t allow his daughter to be with my son, because we have a pact; it’s uncertain who will die at whose hands.”

“I said it’s unnecessary,” Song Longhua shook his head repeatedly. “What era is this? You still play the game of challenges? Are you in a martial arts novel or with those ruffians? Everyone has settled down and is living honestly; isn’t that better?”

“You don’t understand our matters,” Su Shilin said. “Old brother, you just focus on your health. There’s no need to get involved in this killing and fighting, which shortens life. But if something happens to me, I need to make arrangements for the future and give you a big gift. That is, my pair of children. My son Su Jie goes without saying; my daughter is a troublesome matter. She works at the Feng family and can’t get out now.”

“With your abilities, getting your daughter out shouldn’t be too difficult,” Song Longhua said. “Actually, that girl Muchen is indeed impressive. It’s a pity I didn’t notice her earlier; otherwise, I would have brought her into the company to avoid all this trouble.” Song Longhua regretted, “Brother Su, this is your fault for not keeping an eye on your children.”

“It was my oversight,” Su Shilin said. “But they need to go through some trials. For example, my son, I never taught him anything. He somehow ended up at the Martial Arts Academy to learn martial arts and met some masters. Now he is gradually making a name for himself. If I had taught him, he might not have achieved what he has now.”

“Whatever you say goes,” Song Longhua replied. “If you need money or want me to help your daughter switch from Haoyu, I would be very willing.”

“I said I don’t want money. Every time you give me money, I end up in trouble,” Su Shilin reiterated. “Also, if my daughter switches from Haoyu to Zhonglong, it should be a huge profit for you. Why does it seem like I’m taking advantage of you?”

“Alright, alright…” Song Longhua seemed to be at a loss with Su Shilin. “Do you think I don’t want to poach the team from the Morning Dawn Studio? It’s not just Zhonglong; even other old foxes are eyeing that studio. I’ve had the team research it carefully; it’s not just a matter of money. There are significant troubles involved, and it could even lead to commercial leaks or crimes. If it were just about money, I would have acted long ago.”

“You’ve clashed with Haoyu multiple times, so you must know the loopholes,” Su Shilin stood up. “Alright, I just brought it up. Let the children handle their own matters. I need to focus on preparing for battle and confronting Zhang Hongqing. He has already made up his mind; one of us must die.”

“I know he has been secretly cultivating his strength over the years. He is very powerful. Meanwhile, you have been living aimlessly, smoking and drinking, without any exercise. Your physical abilities have deteriorated significantly; you are no match for him and would just be going to your death,” Song Longhua said. “Of course, to ordinary people, you are incredibly strong, but you and I both know how terrifying Zhang Hongqing is.”

“Old Song, you don’t understand what realms are,” Su Shilin laughed. “Don’t think that just because you invite health experts for massages, diet, and psychological advice, and practice health Qi Gong yourself, that you have grasped the true core of it.”

“What is the core?” Song Longhua asked.

“If you haven’t died, how would you know what it means to live?” Su Shilin replied. “There are ordinary people who smoke and drink yet live over a hundred years without illness, while those who are health-conscious and avoid smoking and drinking can die young. What is the reason? It’s all about one’s inner state.”

“Brother, I still hope you can reconcile, especially since you have a common enemy. An evil force has emerged, and I have been threatened as well. I suspect the Feng family is colluding with this evil force; it’s a transnational issue. If you both end up hurting each other, it might give others an opportunity to take advantage,” Song Longhua frowned.

“There can be no reconciliation,” Su Shilin waved his hand and walked out.

After Su Shilin left, a trusted assistant walked in. “Chairman, what is the background of that security guard? He was smoking here; please don’t let that happen again; it’s not good for your health.”

“He can smoke as he pleases from now on; don’t mind him,” Song Longhua smiled helplessly. “He is an old friend of mine. In the future, we might need to rely on him to solve our troubles.”

“Why not solve any troubles through regular channels?” the trusted assistant said. “Chairman, you have always taught us to abide by the law, haven’t you?”

“We do abide by the law, but abroad, in many places, if we want to sell our products, they don’t play by the rules and use illegal means against us. In that case, we can only fight back,” Song Longhua said. “For example, our mobile phones need to be sold in large quantities to other countries. Isn’t it true that things have been going poorly lately, with extortion happening everywhere?”

“That is true,” the trusted assistant nodded. “But he doesn’t look impressive; can he really handle these matters?”

“That’s not your concern,” Song Longhua said. “Just remind the team below not to offend him and let him do as he pleases.”

“Understood,” the trusted assistant walked out.

On the street not far from the Zhonglong Group building, Su Jie helped Song Qiong move boxes and bags down.

“You wait here,” Song Qiong said. “Sorry, I’ll move these in first and then come back to thank you properly.”

“No need,” Su Jie waved his hand.

“No way,” Song Qiong insisted. “If my grandfather finds out, he will punish me. Please!” There was a hint of pleading in her eyes.

“Alright,” Su Jie nodded. “Then I’ll wait for you here.”

Song Qiong struggled to drag the large bags and boxes into the Zhonglong Group building.

“This family discipline is really strict,” the rental car driver commented. “We also rely on Zhonglong’s ride-hailing app for our livelihood. The platform is indeed fair and often gives us subsidies. Such a company doesn’t go bad. Unlike before, Haoyu also had a ride-hailing app, and at first, they offered huge subsidies to attract us. But when they started losing money, they began cutting our pay and frequently had problems. In the end, they had to sell it off. I still have a few thousand yuan stuck in there; I might as well feed it to the dogs.”

“Haoyu has a terrible reputation,” Su Jie knew that in business, Haoyu was like a locust, leaving nothing in its wake, devouring everything, but one had to admit Feng Shoucheng’s sharp vision.

Especially his three sons, though arrogant and notorious, were extremely profitable and did not squander their family wealth.

Take the second son, Feng Qianzhang, for example; entertainment news was always about him being photographed with some female star at a hotel or vacationing with some female internet celebrity, his private life a complete mess, yet he would spend millions to book out a bar.

But every movie or TV series he invested in would become a hit.

Moreover, any industry he invested in would experience explosive growth, and at the peak of that growth, he would quietly withdraw, pocketing the last penny.

In this regard, he truly had a bit of luck and strength.

After waiting for half an hour, Song Qiong came out of the building, still in her sportswear. “There’s a leisure center opened by our company nearby. I have an employee card that gives a 50% discount. Can I treat you to sit there for a while?”

“No problem,” Su Jie said as he bid farewell to the driver.

“Thank you, driver, for taking us,” Song Qiong waved her hand, very approachable, showing no airs.

Then, the two walked two blocks and arrived at another building.

This building was quite upscale, with a shopping mall on the outside, offering food, drink, and shopping, while inside was a fitness area, also featuring coffee, desserts, and various snacks. The environment was quite nice, and most of the people inside were employees of Zhonglong Group, wearing employee badges.

Some even recognized Song Qiong, greeting her as they passed by, but everyone was busy with their own affairs, and there was no gossip or crowding around.

Su Jie then realized that the employees of Zhonglong Group were indeed of very high quality.

The two found a quiet seat inside, facing a large floor-to-ceiling glass window.

Across the glass was a Japanese dojo, where people were practicing judo, karate, and kendo, as well as archery. The divided areas were somewhat similar to Xingyao but had more cultural depth than Xingyao.

Most of the fitness practitioners here were not looking for fights but were experiencing martial arts culture.

The decor also had a subtle Zen quality to it.

“I heard you practice martial arts and have opened a club, but it’s only open internally,” Song Qiong said, knowing Su Jie well. “I also practiced judo and learned from a famous master, Master Hōshō from Japan, who mastered the highest judo technique, ‘Air Throw.’ I saw your video of defeating Zhou Chun. Do you know what level Zhou Chun is at now?”

“I haven’t kept track these days,” Su Jie replied.

“Yesterday, Zhou Chun won the championship at the He Shan Cup National Fighting Championship, defeating the domestic third-ranked Gao Jianhong. His ranking has now entered the top three in the country, and his strength is fierce and domineering; he has completely transformed into a different person,” Song Qiong took out her phone and opened a news article. “Look, this is a video of his match.”

Su Jie watched the video and noticed that Zhou Chun’s combination of punches and kicks, and his fighting style, indeed seemed to have changed. Almost every dodge was exceptionally precise, and during his attacks, he clearly exuded a fierce killing intent. This killing intent was not just a show of bravado but had a tangible bloody quality to it.

‘Zhou Chun has killed before. And not just one person,’ a fleeting thought crossed Su Jie’s mind.

Having returned from a war-torn area and learned about physiognomy, he could, on a certain psychological level, discern whether someone had killed before.

Killing is prohibited in any country; it is a psychological and moral shackle. Once someone breaks through this moral barrier, their mental and spiritual quality will subtly differ on some level.

Ordinary people find it hard to sense this difference, but Su Jie could clearly feel it.

Even when he faced attacks in war-torn areas, he had never killed anyone.

For example, “Gray Wolf” only injured, and “Hungry Wolf” also only injured, without ever harboring thoughts of killing.

In a way, Zhang Jinchuan said that his mercy would lead to great losses in the future.

Su Jie also believed he might suffer losses, but deep down, he still held onto the idea of maintaining a certain moral and civilized bottom line.

Zhang Jinchuan actually acknowledged that martial arts is a killing technique; ring fighting does not count as martial arts; it is merely a performance. Only by truly engaging in combat, having blood on one’s hands, can one break through certain psychological defenses and attain true martial arts.

Su Jie understood this principle, but he wanted to try something new.