Chapter 709: Chapter 709: 364 The Old Man (Midnight)

Chapter 709: 364 The Old Man (Midnight)

The scene in front of her was more like a palace than a villa. Ran Bowen, with his vast wealth and arrogance, believed himself to be the king of Jiangzhou and spared no expense in building this enormous palace for himself.

The building was designed in a European style, with towers at every corner, the porch and the hall rising high into the sky, forming a tiered skyline. The Baroque-style towers loomed majestically in the night.

The staircase leading to the living room was long, the ground beneath it covered in a soft red carpet. The hem of her skirt swayed gracefully over the stairs, the classical Corinthian colonnade seemed like solemn soldiers guarding this palace.

The reliefs on the porch complemented the golden dragons on the columns, creating a classical and mysterious ambiance.

After thirteen years, Ming Jing once again set foot on this familiar path.

Five feet from the left column was a dent where a bullet had been hidden.

Ran Bowen conducted his business with no regard for consequences, amassing numerous enemies, many of whom were desperate fugitives.

In the summer of the year Yu Jiang first joined him, as Ran Bowen prepared to leave his home, he was attacked, and a bullet narrowly missed his head.

It was Yu Jiang’s quick reflexes that saved Ran Bowen, pulling him aside just as the bullet grazed his ear and lodged itself into the column.

After that narrow escape, Ran Bowen further placed his trust in Yu Jiang.

Ran Bowen left the bullet in the column, never ordering it to be removed or the column fixed.

Could it be a real recognition of kinship?

Master Xiao was not someone who valued family bonds. In the Ran family, such things were the least necessary.

For a moment, the entire hall was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

“Little aunt, you’ve finally returned home.”

As Ran Tengxiao spoke, everyone’s hearts skipped a beat, their backs crawling with chills, feeling a sense of eerie unease.

Everything was in chaos, complete chaos.

The young girl stopped, smiling faintly, “Is this my home?”

“As the daughter of Grandpa Bo, this is naturally your home. Come, let me introduce you to some of the younger generation.”

Among the three brothers of the Ran family, they each had huge estates but only one child; Ran Boxue had a son, Ran Yang, who was the father of Ran Tengxiao and Ran Tenghui. Ran Bocai had a daughter, Ran Qing. However, after becoming wealthy, Ran Bowen brought the elders from his hometown and rebuilt the family tree, established ancestral temples, and built monuments. He even had a biography written about himself, full of praise and accomplishments.

Under Ran Bowen’s protection, these elders spent their twilight years in peace. His cousins and other relatives worked in the Qinglong Association, and at first, they knew their place. After Ran Bowen’s death, they ran amok for some time, trying to take control of the family and even attempted to assassinate Ran Yang, but they failed. After Ran Tengxiao took over, they were subdued through iron-handed methods, obediently doing their jobs without stirring up any more trouble.

“This person, by the order of seniority, should call you great-aunt.”

A man in his thirties stepped out from the crowd, looking rather ordinary but good-natured. He bowed to Ming Jing and respectfully said, “Hello, great-aunt; my name is Ran Lun, and I work in Master Xiao’s Xuanwu Hall.”