The revelation hit Fang Wenxun like a ton of bricks, rivaling the shock he experienced when he first learned that Shen Tanqi, in a daring attempt to save someone, had plummeted off a cliff in search of spirit herbs. Inside the Rongyun Sect, this was common knowledge, known by all—Shen Tanqi harbored an intense resentment towards Yu Ce.
“Junior brother, you truly don’t remember anything?” Fang Wenxun’s fingers trembled as he got up to pour a cup of tea for Shen Tanqi. He spoke in a hushed tone, “You must be joking, right?”
Shen Tanqi shook his head, lightly tapping his fingertip on the long table, his gaze fixed on Fang Wenxun’s eyes. “Senior brother, I really don’t remember a thing. I need you to help me recollect.”
These events were unknown to Xia Qingyu, who joined the sect later. The only person who could shed light on this for Shen Tanqi was Fang Wenxun.
Fortunately, Fang Wenxun had always been wary of Shen Tanqi. With a slightly colder gaze, he managed to coax all the information out of him.
“When Junior Brother Yu first joined the sect…”
Back then, Yu Ce joined during the bitter winter of the ninth month, with the mountain covered in a thick layer of snow, resembling a heavy quilt.
New disciples trod one after another on the snowy path, climbing over more than nine thousand sincerity steps, reaching the front gate of the Rongyun Sect. By offering tea and showing respect to the elders, they were considered officially initiated.
However, when it came to Yu Ce, not a soul dared to speak up. This was because Shen Tanqi had long given orders; anyone uttering a single word towards Yu Ce would be going against the entire Shen family.
The influence of the Shen family was immense, with thirty-six branches extending across the cities of the East Land. Ordinary folks wouldn’t dare provoke them.
At that moment, Fang Wenxun stood on the outskirts of the crowd, observing from a distance. He only saw the solitary figure of Yu Ce, no one guiding him on what to do, no one telling him what to say. The snow fluttered in the air, and he was dressed in simple white.
The image of that slender youth lingered in Fang Wenxun’s memory for years. He watched as Yu Ce stooped to fetch tea, and Shen Tanqi’s scornful voice echoed in his ears.
“I won’t drink the tea of a beast.”
In front of all the sect brothers, Shen Tanqi swept away the tea offered by Yu Ce and even threatened, “If you dare call me senior brother, I’ll break your legs and snap your tendons.”
Such cruelty, such hatred.
Born into a prestigious family that prided itself on pure bloodlines, Shen Tanqi tolerated no blemish in his eyes, let alone the fact that Yu Ce was of daemonic descent. In Shen Tanqi’s eyes, those not of his kind were inherently different in their hearts.
After hearing Fang Wenxun’s words, Shen Tanqi seemed as if he had been hit by a petrification spell1‘Petrification Spell’ is a spell that freezes or petrifies the body of the victim, making it incapable of moving, except for the eyes and breathing., holding the teacup stiffly, his eyes unblinking. It wasn’t until Xiao Qingyu reached out, waving his hand in front of him, softly inquiring, “Senior brother, have you remembered something?”
Shen Tanqi wasn’t remembering anything; he was desperately trying to seize the system and make it send him back home. He initially thought that as long as he didn’t interact with the male lead, everything would be fine after transmigrating into the book. Now he realized that the original owner had already offended the male lead blatantly—isolating and ostracizing him, subjecting him to humiliation. It would be strange if the male lead didn’t hold a grudge!
No, he needed to find a way to clear his name. Otherwise, when his role in the story was about to end, the male lead would likely not let him off, and who knows, he might follow the original plot and stab him with a sword.
Shen Tanqi looked at Fang Wenxun, then at Xiao Qingyu. In an instant, a lightbulb went off in his mind. If he could clear his name among his sect brothers, when the male lead comes for him, maybe a few more people would stand in the way.
Just as he was about to say something, Shen Tanqi was abruptly interrupted by Fang Wenxun, who slapped his forehead, saying, “I got so caught up in chatting that I forgot I was just about to go out to greet the lady from your family who came to deliver congratulations.”
“No need to greet her.”
A deep, melancholic voice echoed from the entrance of the hall, and everyone looked up to see an elderly woman in a crimson sable fur coat. Leaning on a thick sandalwood cane, she slowly stepped into the hall, exuding an imposing presence.
Surrounded by guards whose cultivation levels were indiscernible, eight servants carried four sedan chairs, adorned with precious spiritual stones and treasures.
The servants respectfully placed the sedan chairs on the ground, and in unison, they spoke, “Greetings, Young Master.”
Shen Tanqi’s eyelid twitched. Ever since leaving Bai Long, his storyline had been non-stop, without a pause. He suddenly missed the leisurely days in the cave, snacking on melon seeds with someone by his side, serving him tea and water.
The system whispered in his ear, “This person is a direct concubine of the Shen family, Consort Shen. In the original book, you referred to her as Aunt Consort.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Tanqi relaxed a bit and greeted with a smile, “Aunt Consort, long time no see. Why bring so much stuff?”
Consort Shen, leaning on her cane, walked to his side, warmly shaking Shen Tanqi’s hand. “Young Master, how can you say that? Every year, we bring such gifts. Why find it excessive this time? I heard you were poisoned by the demonic clan’s venom. Everyone at home was worried to death. How are you now?”
She smiled affectionately, but Shen Tanqi couldn’t shake off an inexplicable chill. Recalling Bai Long’s description of the Shen family’s malicious deeds, he suspected that Consort Shen, now before him, was not an easy character to deal with.
He smiled and replied, “Thank you for your concern; everything is much better now.”
Seeing his humble tone, Consort Shen surprisingly had tears in her eyes, clutching Shen Tanqi’s hand tighter. She said, “You’ve truly grown up. Young Master now understands etiquette better than before, but also bears many responsibilities.”
Shen Tanqi: …Uh.
Just how arrogant was the original owner? He didn’t even regard his own aunt consort highly.
“Someone, open the gifts and let the Young Master have a look!” Though Consort Shen was of advanced age, her voice still carried authority. When she spoke, not a single person in the entire hall dared to make a sound. They held their breath, trying to minimize their presence.
Gifts from the sedan chairs were unpacked, revealing a variety of treasures that many hadn’t seen for decades.
“The Sacred Ruin Fruit from the secret realm in the eastern part of Shuoxia, the Qiankun Bagua Talisman presented by the 16th branch two years ago, and various top-notch elixirs specially refined by the master for you…”
Shen Tanqi was surprised. For the first time, he realized that his family seemed to be quite influential. Beside him, Fang Wenxun and Xiao Qingyu were equally shaken. The financial strength of the Shen family seemed to surpass that of the entire Rongyun Sect.
Consort Shen knew Shen Tanqi’s temperament and his love for extravagance. Therefore, she had the names of these gifts read aloud in public, emphasizing the Shen family’s importance and concern for Shen Tanqi.
After finishing the recitation of all the gift names, Consort Shen instructed someone to send everything to Shen Tanqi’s residence. He didn’t share living quarters with other sect brothers but had a secluded mountain peak with an attic all to himself.
“Young Master, coming here this time, the master has another matter to inform you about.”
Consort Shen glanced around at the disciples, her gaze finally landing on Shen Tanqi. She lowered her voice, saying, “I wonder if there’s a place here where we can talk more privately?”
Fang Wenxun quickly stood up, grabbing Xiao Qingyu, who still didn’t know what was happening. He cleared his throat and said, “Of course, since Junior Brother’s family has come, it’s a rare reunion. We won’t disturb you. Take your time chatting.”
With that, he whisked away with Xiao Qingyu.
Why were these two so timid? Shen Tanqi looked at their retreating figures and felt a bit uneasy. He turned to Consort Shen, who was left behind, and reached for a cup of tea, saying, “Aunt Consort, please have a seat. What’s the matter?”
Consort Shen picked up the tea, her brows furrowed. She pushed aside the foam on the surface, dissatisfied, “They actually gave Young Master such coarse tea. It seems that the Rongyun Sect has forgotten the support the Shen family provides them every year!”
This tea was what ordinary disciples like Fang Wenxun drank daily, naturally not as good as the tea from the Shen family.
Shen Tanqi said somewhat awkwardly, “It’s okay. We come up the mountain for cultivation, so as long as the tea quenches our thirst, it’s fine.”
Consort Shen looked at him with some surprise, as if she didn’t recognize the Shen Tanqi in front of her. She scrutinized him carefully before remarking, “Young Master, you’ve become even purer after recovering from your illness.”
Pausing for a moment, she set down her teacup and glanced around to ensure there were no bystanders. Then, in a hushed tone, she asked Shen Tanqi, “Young Master, has Yu Ce ever mistreated you?”
Yu Ce—whenever Shen Tanqi heard the male lead’s name, he got a headache. He waved his hand dismissively, saying, “Yu Ce has left the sect for travels and cultivation. I haven’t seen him in two years. There’s no talk of mistreatment.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Shen’s brow remained furrowed. She said, “Young Master, you must not underestimate this person. You need to find an opportunity to get rid of him quickly, or there will be endless troubles.”
No wonder the original owner disliked the male lead from the beginning. It turned out that this kind of thinking had been instilled in him by his family.
Shen Tanqi had to pretend to agree, nodding and saying, “Aunt Consort is right. By the way, what message did my father send with you?”
Getting to the main point, Consort Shen’s expression softened slightly. She cautiously took out a golden spirit bead from her sleeve. The bead emitted pure and vigorous spiritual energy, making it clear at a glance that it was an invaluable treasure.
Shen Tanqi thought it was another special gift from his father. He reached out to grasp the spirit bead in his palm but almost dropped it when he heard Consort Shen’s next words.
“This is the life spirit bead of Yu Ce’s biological younger brother.”
Shen Tanqi: ?
He looked at Consort Shen in disbelief, feeling as if the spirit bead in his hand had suddenly turned into a hot potato. He blurted out, “Life spirit bead?”
Consort Shen seemed a bit puzzled as she looked at him. “Young Master, why are you so surprised? I heard that several years ago, before you entered the sect, the master had already captured Yu Ce’s younger brother and kept him in the family’s water dungeon. They used this spirit bead to nourish your spiritual roots day and night.”
Shen Tanqi: ???
Save me!
Originally, the male lead was his martial sibling rival, but now it turned into a fratricidal feud!2‘Fratricidal feud’ refers to a conflict or enmity within a family or group, specifically involving the killing or attempt to kill one’s own brother or a member of the same tribe or group.
What does this mean? It means that originally, if he got stabbed with a sword, he might have taken a bit less blame. But now, his golden core had to be dug up to avenge the male lead’s brother. Then, the male lead would probably stab him a dozen more times and kick him into the Bloodthirst Abyss to feel satisfied!
Who designed this plot? Come out; he wants to strangle the author!
Shen Tanqi looked hopelessly at the life spirit bead in his palm and asked, “Um, if Yu Ce’s younger brother doesn’t have this spirit bead, is he already dead?”
Consort Shen didn’t appreciate his compassionate tone. She slightly frowned, tapping her fingertips on the table. “He won’t die if you take it out for a while. Just use it every now and then. We certainly can’t let him die; otherwise, this spirit bead is no different from a worthless stone. As for Young Master, why are you so hesitant now? Could it be that you’re afraid Yu Ce might stir up trouble under the Shen family’s nose?”
As long as he’s not dead, that’s good, that’s good. Shen Tanqi tried to calm down. He couldn’t care less about what Consort Shen was saying now. He was too busy thinking about the few methods to avoid getting killed by the male lead.
- Apologize to the male lead, actively admit mistakes, and then get stabbed to death with a sword.
- Return the male lead’s brother, strive for forgiveness, but with a high probability of not being forgiven, ultimately getting stabbed to death.
- Willingly become the male lead’s lackey, try to join the protagonist’s camp, then get discovered that he once used the male lead’s brother’s spirit bead to cleanse his spiritual roots, and get stabbed to death.
Why did all the methods end in death?
Shen Tanqi felt utterly defeated. It seemed like there was only one option left—
- Go all out, break the jar, directly walk a dark path, embrace the role of a villain, endure through the crucial plot points, and then immediately run away.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
