Chapter 239 - 236: Human Shield
Outside Tian Nan City,
at a certain hidden estate.
"That Shen Changchuan? He’s my son?"
As the sensational news from the outside world reached him, a flicker of surprise appeared in the eyes of Shen Fuxing, the portly Shen Clan Leader, who was reclining on a purple bamboo rocking chair.
His surprise wasn’t because the once-inconspicuous Shen Changchuan had accomplished something so great.
It was because,
he had a son named Shen Changchuan, and that son was actually so formidable!
That’s right.
He didn’t even remember Shen Changchuan’s existence!
He didn’t even remember having a son named Shen Changchuan!
This was not surprising.
After all, with sixty or seventy children, aside from the ten or so who were more important or had better aptitudes, the rest were merely insignificant figures in his memory, easily forgotten.
Shen Fuxing tried his best to recall.
He thought back to the New Year’s Eve dinners, when the entire large family gathered together.
’Who was Shen Changchuan?’
But he soon gave up.
He had never paid any mind to the ordinary sons and daughters born of his concubines.
He probably hadn’t even been the one to name him Shen Changchuan.
It was perfectly normal that he had no memory of him.
Soon, Shen Fuxing’s thoughts returned to the matter at hand.
’That wretched woman has been pressing harder and harder lately, almost leading to my son Yi Yun’s exposure not long ago.’
’That woman is vicious, but she’s certainly not stupid. Next, I’m afraid she’ll intensify her search for clues about my son Yi Yun... That’s unacceptable.’
’Now that the boy Shen Chong has vanished without a trace, that venomous woman has been left with nothing to do. It’s just my luck that this Shen Changchuan has now been exposed... Heaven is truly on my side. He’ll be the perfect shield for my son Yi Yun!’
’Having that kid Shen Changchuan keep her occupied for a while should be enough to divert her attention...’
At this moment, the eyes of this man—supposedly a weak, henpecked good-for-nothing in the eyes of many—squinted on his portly face, flashing with an incomparably shrewd light.
"Uncle Shao!"
Shen Fuxing suddenly called out.
An old, white-haired man who looked like a butler appeared before him.
"What are your orders, Master?"
"Leak the news about Shen Changchuan to the Madam... better yet, use some tricks, fan the flames a bit, and make that woman focus all her attention on him... You know what I mean. Just like with Shen Chong..."
"Ah! Master, that Shen Changchuan managed to kill a Soul Emergence Realm expert while only at the Qi Introduction Realm! He is an absolute prodigy of the Shen Family’s younger generation! Given the Madam’s temperament, if she learns of him, I fear the outcome will be disastrous! Why would you..."
"Isn’t that perfect? This way, we can draw more of the Madam’s attention and keep her from having so much energy to run around causing trouble... It would be best if the boy truly is as capable as the rumors say. He might be able to stall her for a good while..."
Shen Fuxing was completely unconcerned about Uncle Shao’s worries.
He even hoped Shen Changchuan could stall for a bit longer.
The old man, Uncle Shao, opened his mouth to speak but closed it again, finding the situation hard to comprehend.
’To think he killed a Soul Emergence Realm expert while only at the Qi Introduction Realm!’
’Any other family or branch that produced such a genius would be desperate to put him on a pedestal!’
’What in the world is the Master doing?’
’Throwing his own peerless, prodigious descendant out to be a shield?’
"That Shen Changchuan is decent, I suppose. But he was only able to kill a Soul Emergence Realm expert because he relied on the power of the Mingding Bell."
"I’m very familiar with the Mingding Bell. It’s an incredibly precious Treasure Artifact. Wielding it, it’s not impossible to kill a Soul Emergence Realm Cultivator. And what’s more, didn’t the rumors say the expert was already injured?"
"So, while Shen Changchuan might have some talent, that’s the extent of it. There’s absolutely no need to overstate his importance."
"Compared to him, my son Yi Yun has an Innate Spiritual Body! He’s a future Profound Pill Seed! It’s Shen Changchuan’s honor to be able to provide cover for my son. When Yi Yun is grown, I’ll just compensate him a bit, and that will be that."
Shen Fuxing seemed to have seen through Uncle Shao’s thoughts and offered a casual explanation.
"Oh, right. I remember the Mingding Bell was supposed to be in that woman’s possession. Now, it’s somehow ended up in Shen Changchuan’s hands... Uncle Shao, perhaps you can use this to completely draw her attention away..."
Hearing this, Uncle Shao reluctantly accepted the order, even though he still couldn’t quite understand it.
’True enough,’ he thought.
’Compared to someone with an Innate Spiritual Body, a future Profound Pill Seed, the feat of killing a Soul Emergence Realm expert while at the Qi Introduction Realm really didn’t seem all that remarkable.’
"Yes, Master."
In the end, Uncle Shao lowered his head and bowed, not arguing any further.
Having served the man before him for many years, he knew that his master’s decisions were not easily changed, especially when they were so "well-reasoned."
Uncle Shao took his leave.
As he reached the doorway,
"Daddy! I want a horsey ride! I want a horsey ride!"
A clear voice rang out from behind him.
An eight or nine-year-old boy, as exquisitely cute as a jade carving, came skipping out from behind the house.
"Whoa there, my little prince, be careful now, don’t fall... Alright, alright, horsey ride it is! Little Yi Yun is going for a horsey ride..."
Sunlight poured in from outside, draping the courtyard in a delicate veil.
The entire courtyard,
was for a moment filled with the tender warmth of a doting father and a filial son.
For some reason, however, as Uncle Shao walked out the gate listening to the sounds behind him, he had a faint premonition,
that in the future,
the Master might come to regret this day...
...
Shen Changchuan was unaware of the turmoil brewing in the outside world.
At this moment,
after killing Xu Ziming, he had sustained several injuries and was forced to spend half a day in seclusion to recover.
At the same time—
perhaps because the immense life-or-death crisis had squeezed out his potential—
after the battle, Shen Changchuan could faintly sense that he only needed to perform Refinement on enough Spirit Stones, Spirit Pills, or other items that replenished Spiritual Qi, and he would naturally break through to the Ninth Layer Peak Realm!
But Shen Changchuan was not in a hurry to immediately enter secluded Cultivation.
His current reality wouldn’t allow for it.
Following his instructions,
his grandfather, Han Qinhu, was already methodically packing their belongings to evacuate, just as they had planned long ago.
"Grandfather, I’m truly sorry. Because of me, I’m afraid you’ll have to live on the run for a while..."
Shen Changchuan said apologetically as he approached the busy Han Qinhu.
He was certain of one thing:
as news spread, the Madam would definitely come after him.
Shen Changchuan was already planning to change his name and leave for a while.
As his relatives, his grandfather Han Qinhu and his uncle Han Dayong naturally couldn’t stay in Dawan Village either.
"Hah, what’s all this talk for? If it weren’t for you, when would I have ever had the chance to become a Cultivator and witness the splendor of the Immortal Dao?"
"As the saying goes, ’To learn the Dao in the morning is to die content in the evening.’ I’ve struggled for most of my life and thought I’d just end up in a coffin. Who’d have thought that at my age, I could rely on my grandson to fulfill a dream of mine? And what’s this about ’living on the run’? When I was young and roaming the world, I slept on the streets! This is nothing..."
Han Qinhu’s voice was hearty.
He wasn’t concerned in the slightest; instead, he began to comfort Shen Changchuan.