Chapter 318 - 315: Midway Ambush
For three days, the news spread like wildfire.
But the commotion in the outside world had little to do with Shen Changchuan.
He paid no mind even when he overheard passersby discussing whether he or Shen Chong would be a match for Zhou Lingyun.
During this time, Shen Changchuan only went to see Shen Tingchu.
After confirming that the man was alright, he remained reclusive.
The Shen Family didn’t seem to be fully aware of his return.
Not many people came to visit, either.
Perhaps they did know.
But seeing Shen Changchuan’s detached demeanor, they couldn’t figure out his intentions and decided not to visit rashly.
Moreover, the various branches of the clan had suffered a heavy blow to their reputations from the recent bout with Zhou Lingyun.
Although no one knew what was going on between Shen Changchuan and Shen Fuxing.
It was rumored that a few days prior, around the time of the bout with Zhou Lingyun, Shen Changchuan had apparently met with Shen Fuxing, and their meeting had ended on bad terms.
It seemed the father and son had already fallen out.
This wasn’t exactly surprising.
After all, there was Shen Chong before him.
Shen Fuxing was fortunate enough to have outstanding sons, but he utterly lacked the ability to raise them well and earn their filial piety.
But no matter what,
regardless of whether Shen Changchuan and Shen Fuxing had truly fallen out,
Shen Changchuan was still Shen Fuxing’s flesh and blood.
Who knew if the father and son were just putting on an act?
At a time like this,
the Elders from the other branches weren’t about to summon him and needlessly add to their rival’s prestige.
Of course,
what the worried and suspicious senior Elders of the clan didn’t know was,
even if someone had actually come to visit, or if the clan’s Elders had summoned him,
Shen Changchuan would have simply found an excuse to refuse.
’A small temple, yet plagued by ill winds; a shallow pond, teeming with vipers...’
Shen Changchuan shook his head as he glanced at the Shen Family Mansion.
The supposedly small Shen Family...
A lurking Shen Fuxing, the Elders of the various branches, Madam Yu who relied on the Zhou Family, and even Steward Lai—they all had their own little fiefdoms...
In Shen Changchuan’s eyes, the place was a massive quagmire.
If he were to get dragged into it,
he’d most likely have to waste a tremendous amount of time and energy.
Besides, even if he participated in their schemes and plots and came out on top, it would be meaningless to Shen Changchuan.
From the very beginning,
his goal had always been the higher Realms on the Path of Immortal Cultivation.
He wanted to see the vistas from the greater heights of the Immortal Dao.
Perhaps one day,
he could even attain the legendary state of becoming an Immortal!
In comparison,
things like the Clan Leader’s position and political power,
held no interest for him whatsoever.
After three days of getting things in order,
his mother, Han Yue’er, had finished packing their belongings,
settled all her affairs, and was ready to leave.
So, without any hesitation,
Shen Changchuan simply sent a Communication Talisman to inform the Ancestor,
and then quietly departed with his party.
At that moment,
the Shen Family Mansion,
and indeed all of Tian Nan City,
was still buzzing with heated discussion about Zhou Lingyun’s overwhelming display of power, where he had suppressed all of the Shen Family’s young geniuses.
As for the departure of Shen Changchuan’s party,
it seemed to have gone completely unnoticed.
...
「Half a day later.」
The party traveled discreetly. Behind them, Tian Nan City was a distant sight, about to vanish over the horizon.
At that moment,
Shen Changchuan stood on high ground, gazing back in the direction of Tian Nan City, and couldn’t help but murmur.
"Is that the Ancestor...?"
He vaguely sensed a somewhat familiar gaze from the direction of Tian Nan City, watching him depart.
If he wasn’t mistaken,
it had to be the Ancestor.
But...
’What does the Ancestor mean by this?’
Shen Changchuan found it strange.
’With all the turmoil within the Shen Family these past few days, there’s no way the Ancestor is unaware.’
’So why let events unfold this way? Why no reaction at all?’
At that moment,
a seed of doubt began to sprout in Shen Changchuan’s mind.
He wasn’t particularly astute when it came to power struggles.
Even so,
he could still roughly grasp how the Shen Family had changed after the commotion caused by Zhou Lingyun.
Before this incident,
the Shen Family’s understanding of the Zhou Family had been superficial at best.
They only knew that the Zhous were an Immortal Cultivation Family from the more prosperous Central State Immortal Cultivation World.
They knew the family was powerful.
But just how powerful?
Without seeing it for themselves, they couldn’t truly grasp it.
After all, the distance was immense.
It was said that even by using a Long-distance Teleportation Array, the journey would take at least two or three years.
Because of this,
the Shen Family’s attitude toward the First Madam, Zhou Yi, was lukewarm.
They respected the family backing her and generally wouldn’t offend her openly.
But behind the scenes? Who really cared?
After all, her family was so far away. No matter how powerful they were, their reach was limited.
The members of the Shen Clan in the Qi Introduction Realm were manageable,
but the Elders in the Soul Emergence Realm openly treated her as a joke, using her situation as ammunition to attack Shen Fuxing, claiming his virtue didn’t match his position as Clan Leader.
Therefore,
First Madam Zhou Yi’s actual power within the Shen Family Mansion was quite limited.
She could bully Shen Fuxing’s concubines, like the mothers of Shen Chong and Shen Changchuan.
But when a matter reached the level of the Soul Emergence Realm, she was almost completely powerless.
This was precisely why Shen Changchuan had been so desperate to advance to the Soul Emergence Realm in the first place—
to break free from these very shackles.
But now,
after the uproar caused by Zhou Lingyun,
the situation had changed completely.
Zhou Lingyun’s show of force was a direct declaration to every member of the Shen Family: the Zhou Family stood behind First Madam Zhou Yi!
He had made a clear and undeniable display of absolute martial might.
It forced the Shen Family to understand one thing:
The Zhou Family was still watching, and they would continue to send people to visit Zhou Yi.
And the Zhou Family that backed Zhou Yi...
...was an existence they could not afford to provoke!
The situation was analogous to this:
Imagine the main wife of a country Landlord. Years after she married into his family, her nephew, who studies at the academy in the Capital City, comes to visit the countryside. This allows the Landlord, who has spent his whole life tilling the fields, to witness the scholarly grace of a student from the Capital.
It would force them to remember that the main wife’s maiden family is a remarkable Official Family, holding positions at the center of the imperial Court!
One could easily imagine,
that from that day forward, the main wife’s authority in the country Landlord’s household would increase dramatically!
First Madam Zhou Yi’s situation,
was exactly the same.
In the days to come,
First Madam Zhou Yi would likely become the true matriarch of the Tian Nan Shen Clan, holding immense power in her hands!
But this outcome...
It could have been changed!
All it would have taken was for the Ancestor to intervene.
And yet, from beginning to end,
the Ancestor never made an appearance.
’I think I heard somewhere that the reason First Madam Zhou Yi married down, coming all the way to Tian Nan City to wed Shen Fuxing, had something to do with the Ancestor.’
’There’s a rumor in the clan that the Ancestor befriended the Zhou Family while traveling through the Central State years ago.’
’Could that be why?’
Doubt filled Shen Changchuan’s mind.
But he quickly shook his head.
’Forget it.’
’Why dwell on it?’
’Anyway, I’m taking my mother and leaving for a while.’
’Whatever happens in the Shen Family Mansion is no longer my concern.’
Shaking his head,
Shen Changchuan rejoined the convoy,
and they continued on their way.
「Five days passed in a flash.」
The party had traveled a thousand li.
The journey had been uneventful.
However,
just when Shen Changchuan believed the rest of their journey would continue smoothly,
an ambush struck without warning!