For some reason, it started raining again outside, the soft drizzle making the house feel much colder. Consort Shen sent a few servants to call back Goldfish and then sat back at the desk, picking up her book to continue reading.
In her eyes, it was probably just the kids playing around.
Shen Tanqi ordered the servants to close the window, but then he heard Taro Ball on the couch, sulking. “It’s brother playing with water.”
Shen Tanqi paused, then thought for a moment, and whispered, “Is it because dragons playing in water cause rain?”
The child nodded, his face scrunched up in frustration, as if he was holding back his anger, and he bit out, “Yeah, he used to always call me to play with him.”
Brother really wasn’t playing with him anymore, not even inviting him to play in the water. Why was that?
Taro Ball couldn’t figure it out. He was on the verge of going crazy!
He knew it might be because he had promised his brother to play but got too engrossed in mechanical gadgets and broke his promise. But that reason alone wasn’t enough to make his brother angry.
His brother wasn’t that petty. What had he done wrong? The more Taro Ball thought about it, the worse he felt. He looked through the window at the light gray clouds not far away, knowing his brother was there, but he couldn’t go near.
Shen Tanqi sat beside him, peeling nuts and placing them by his hand, comforting him softly, “Don’t worry, Taro Ball. First, tell me why your brother is angry?”
Taro Ball didn’t know, so he had to recount the entire story, leaving out no details, telling Shen Tanqi everything.
Upon hearing Consort Shen praise Taro Ball for his intelligence, Shen Tanqi’s brow furrowed slightly, casting a discreet glance at Consort Shen.
Why did it feel like Consort Shen was grooming Taro Ball to become the Shen family heir?
Shen Tanqi rubbed the boy’s head and said softly, “I get it now. Your brother probably thinks you’re too smart and worries you’ll look down on him.”
He hit the nail on the head, and Taro Ball’s eyes widened. “When have I ever looked down on him? And if that’s the case, why wouldn’t he just tell me?”
“If you thought you were dumb, would you tell your brother something like that?” Shen Tanqi asked gently.
Taro Ball choked up, shaking his head. “But I’ve never thought that about my brother. Daddy, what should I do?”
The child was indeed smart, quickly grasping the point. Shen Tanqi pondered for a moment, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes suddenly brightening. He leaned in and whispered a few words into Taro Ball’s ear.
Taro Ball’s eyes lit up. “It’s that simple?”
Shen Tanqi nodded, smiling. “It’s that simple.”
With Shen Tanqi’s advice, Taro Ball nodded vigorously, clenching his fists. “Alright, I’ll go prepare now!”
As the child scurried out with his short legs, a servant hurried into the main hall.
“Reporting to the Seventh Madam, the Eldest Young Master.”
Consort Shen calmly looked up from her book, showing some reaction upon hearing this. “How did it go? Speak.”
The servant, seemingly a trusted confidant of Consort Shen, immediately knelt down and said, “Those people confessed as soon as they were put into the water dungeon, just as you predicted. It turns out it was Shen Han who bribed them to block the corridor outside the young master’s room to keep anyone from finding out about the young master and that daemon…”
Seeing the servant’s gaze shift towards him, Shen Tanqi cleared his throat, “Continue.”
“They wanted to ensure no one knew about the pregnancy incense inside. As long as the young master and the daemon were in the same room, just once would be enough for them to be affected. This would align perfectly with the doctor’s diagnosis of pregnancy.”
Consort Shen couldn’t contain her anger, throwing her book aside and cursing, “Fool! I thought he was clever, but such underhanded tricks? Does he really think he can deceive the head of the family?”
Ridiculous!
Her chest heaved with rage as she gritted her teeth, “Take Shen Han down and beat him!”
Hearing this, Shen Tanqi suddenly interjected, “Aunt, why not put Shen Han in the water dungeon first?”
His suggestion took both Consort Shen and the servant by surprise.
“The water dungeon?” Consort Shen was taken aback. “Are you serious, Young Master?”
Shen Tanqi: ?
What was so significant about the water dungeon? He had never been there and didn’t know much about it.
He paused, then smiled at Consort Shen. “Aunt, I mean we should take him to the water dungeon first, then I’ll go interrogate him in detail.”
Consort Shen gave him a curious look but quickly understood. It seemed Shen Tanqi was equally infuriated this time and wouldn’t rest until he dealt with Shen Han. The water dungeon was notorious—it involved repeatedly submerging a person until they were on the brink of drowning, only to pull them out and repeat the process once they regained some consciousness. It was the Shen family’s cruelest form of torture.
However, Shen Tanqi had something else in mind. The moment the servant mentioned the water dungeon, another person popped into his head.
—Yu Ce’s biological younger brother.
If he remembered correctly, Yu Ce’s brother was currently confined in the Shen family’s water dungeon. By imprisoning Shen Han there, Shen Tanqi could use the pretext of checking on Shen Han to locate Yu Ce’s brother.
Shen Tanqi’s expression grew serious. He had never mentioned this to Yu Ce, fearing that if he did, Yu Ce might act rashly. The Shen family was a den of vipers; Yu Ce wouldn’t be able to handle it.
However, the time had come. Both he and Yu Ce had gained the trust of the Shen family. It should be relatively easy to rescue Yu Ce’s brother.
With this in mind, Shen Tanqi turned to Consort Shen and said, “Aunt, I want to personally interrogate Shen Han.”
Consort Shen, assuming he wanted to ensure Shen Han understood his fate, responded casually, “Alright, I’ll have someone accompany you.”
The place was filthy, covered in blood. Shen Tanqi had never been there before, but Shen Han had truly met his match this time. It was a waste of her years of cultivation.
But, he was just a pawn.
Expendable, after all.
The Shen family dungeon.
Following the lead servant, Shen Tanqi opened a hidden door in a storeroom, descending a long, dimly lit staircase. As soon as they emerged from the stairs, the foul stench of blood and filth attacked him.
Covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief, Shen Tanqi frowned deeply, coughing as the stench hit him.
Before him were two rows of standard dungeon cells, holding prisoners with dull eyes. Most of them were criminals from the city. Due to the close ties between the Shen family and the city’s governor, many were transferred here. The Shen family’s methods of interrogation were far more brutal than those of Shuoxia City’s dungeon.
As they proceeded further, the regular cells gave way to square pits in the ground.
The square pits had brick and soil pumps above them, resembling pressure water wells, with long chains hanging down. Shen Tanqi couldn’t resist peeking in and discovered that the pits were bottomless, filled with dirty water.
What was this, vertical drainage channels?
Puzzled, Shen Tanqi walked past row after row of these pits. Finally, at one pit, the servant stopped and, with a fawning smile, introduced, “Young Master, this is the water dungeon where Shen Han is held.”
As soon as the words fell, Shen Tanqi’s eyes widened. He watched as the servant pulled on the chain, slowly raising something from the bottom of the pit.
With the metallic clink of chains, a small cage barely big enough for half a person was hauled up. Inside, the prisoner was in complete darkness, unable to breathe properly, with their nose filled with filthy water. Even those with cultivation wouldn’t die, but the cramped space forced them to curl up, suffering immensely and unable to take their own life.
Shen Tanqi was stunned. This device rivaled the most gruesome tortures.
This is brutal!
He quickly said, “Release him first and put him in a regular cell. I still need to interrogate him, and he can’t drown!”
The servant obeyed without hesitation, immediately freeing the unconscious Shen Han from the water dungeon and tossing him into a regular cell.
Shen Tanqi wiped the sweat from his forehead, silently knocking on a wooden fish in his mind.
One good deed, one good deed…
Seeing Shen Han gradually begin to breathe again, Shen Tanqi felt slightly relieved. He turned to the servant and asked, “By the way, I remember Aunt Fei mentioned that we have a dragon imprisoned here, right?”
As soon as he spoke, the servant’s face turned pale. He quickly leaned in and whispered, “Young Master, please keep your voice down. This matter is still a secret in the Shen family. Consort Shen had me bring you here with the intention of showing you the dragon.”
Shen Tanqi couldn’t figure out what was going on in Consort Shen’s mind.
But considering she had asked someone to bring him to see Yu Ce’s brother, Shen Tanqi suspected that Consort Shen intended for him to release Yu Ce’s brother. Otherwise, why keep it a secret?
She was calculating, but ultimately, she still had the Shen family’s interests at heart.
However, as Shen Tanqi looked at the rows of water dungeons in the distance, the thought of Yu Ce’s brother possibly being confined in such a narrow, suffocating space like Shen Han made his scalp tingle and his body feel icy cold.
If it were true, and Yu Ce found out… It might cause a rift within the Shen family.
The more Shen Tanqi thought about it, the more complicated it became. Clearly, he had nothing to do with this, it wasn’t something he wanted, but he still felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.
The dungeon grew colder as they delved deeper.
The chill was like the north wind on a snowy mountain, seeping into their clothes and piercing their skin. Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but wrap his coat tighter around himself, asking, “Are we almost there?”
The servant pulled out a small heater from his pocket and handed it to Shen Tanqi. “It gets colder inside. Young Master, recite the Heart Protection Spell in your mind and warm yourself up with this heater.”
Shen Tanqi was surprised. “Why is it so cold?”
Without turning back, the servant replied with disdain, “These dragon creatures are all the same, releasing cold air around this time of year. You may not know, Young Master, but it’s not even early summer yet. It will get worse in early summer, as if the whole Shen family is about to freeze…”
Before he could finish, he stopped abruptly. “Ah, we’re here. Please wait, Young Master, I’ll open the door.”
Trembling, the servant took out the key from his pocket and unlocked the door in front of them.
To Shen Tanqi’s surprise, Yu Ce’s brother was not confined in a filthy underground water dungeon like Shen Han, but—
The ‘water dungeon’ was a massive chamber, separated by thick, transparent lapis lazuli stones1
. The water inside was cobalt blue, resembling the depths of the ocean. Coiled in the depths of the dungeon was a gigantic white dragon, reminiscent of ancient whales in size. Its body was covered in pristine, jade-like scales, and with each breath, it exhaled a chilling frost. It was so immense, so awe-inspiring, that it struck fear into the hearts of those who beheld it.
Just one glance, and Shen Tanqi froze in place, suddenly understanding why dragons were revered as gods in ancient times. Things that couldn’t be explained or opposed instilled almost blind worship from the depths of the human soul.
At that moment, he also understood the true extent of Yu Ce’s vulnerability and helplessness when they had met in the cave. If Yu Ce were at his full strength now, he would likely be no smaller than the dragon before him.
As if sensing the movement of the opening door, the dragon slowly opened its eyes. Its golden pupils seemed to possess an enchanting power as they fixed upon Shen Tanqi’s stunned face.
Shen Tanqi instinctively trembled for a moment, attempting to step back, only to find himself backed against the solid stone wall.
A hoarse dragon’s roar echoed in his ears, and suddenly, the entire water dungeon was shrouded in thick mist. Shen Tanqi couldn’t see clearly, and he choked on the cold air. Just as he attempted to flee the dungeon, he heard a deep, low laughter coming from within the lapis lazuli.
“Shen Tanqi.”
The way the name was spoken was deliberate, with a hint of excitement creeping into the tone.
As the mist slowly dissipated, Shen Tanqi blinked in shock. Before him was a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar, bearing a striking resemblance to someone he knew, yet radiating a chilling aura that was completely different. This person’s eyes were filled with a bone-chilling malice.
“You know me.” Shen Tanqi tried to maintain his composure, feeling an immense threat emanating from the figure before him. He couldn’t fathom that Yu Ce’s brother would look like this. While they shared a striking resemblance, this person was far colder and more sinister than Yu Ce.
Seeing Shen Tanqi take a step back, the figure before him seemed to narrow his eyes ever so slightly.
“Of course, I know you.”
Suddenly, a frigid hand pierced through the thick lapis lazuli, shattering the water dungeon instantly. Without mercy, the hand ruthlessly grabbed Shen Tanqi’s collar, pulling him close with a faint smile.
“You were nurtured with my dragon ball. How could you not recognize me?”
The fingertips immersed in the water were almost translucent, as the figure tightened his grip around Shen Tanqi’s snowy neck, his voice tinged with amusement.
“It seems you’ve grown quite fat. It’s time for the slaughter.”
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)
