The scene at the Kaishan Tower was just a tiny fraction of the entire grand drama.
At the sa ti, across various parts of Shen City, an unprecedented law enforcent operation was sweeping through like thunder and lightning. Within a day, countless unscrupulous traders and scalpers were thrown into prison, and more than a hundred governnt officials were dismissed for taking bribes.
Throughout the history of Shen City, such sweeping operations were not uncommon; almost every City Lord would conduct a few purges during their term to reform Shen City’s governing structure. What was rare, however, was the astonishing efficiency and execution of this operation. From the Shen Family’s internal Elders who had reached the higher echelons of Shen City’s power, down to those so-called influential people among the lower echelons, all were captured without exception during the enforcent action, and every single one faced solid evidence. Remarkably, from arrest to trial to penalty, each ironclad case was resolved in less than half a day. Consequently, many Shen City residents who witnessed the day’s turmoil began to suspect, with trepidation, that this was all part of a conspiracy by the City Lord’s Mansion.
How could such resolute actions be carried out without prior planning?
However, when people learned that the person personally overseeing the enforcent was Vice City Lord Shen Yueying, who acted upon Vice City Lord Shen Jinghai’s request for help, these doubts gradually dissipated.
Vice City Lord Shen Yueying was indeed capable of such feats. In her day-to-day role, she was mainly responsible for the normal operation of the entire city, wielding great power. Dozens of large comrcial firms, as well as hundreds of large and small cultivation Sects and families inside and outside Shen City, were always at Shen Yueying’s beck and call. All those who had interacted with Shen Yueying were amazed by this Vice City Lord’s decisiveness and efficiency.
Once she decided to do sothing, she would achieve results in the shortest possible ti, never procrastinating.
Unlike Vice City Lord Shen Jinghai, who was more detail-oriented, Shen Yueying emphasized efficiency. Under her command, working overti late into the night was rare; she adhered to a nine-to-five schedule religiously, rarely deviating over the years. Consequently, the secretaries serving her had significantly less work pressure than those under Shen Jinghai, whose early graying hair bore testimony to the strain.
The only issue was, although the two Vice City Lords divided the labor and each had their focus, the total workload did not significantly differ. Therefore, with a fixed workload and limited working hours, the need to endlessly improve efficiency arose — achieving twice the results of others within an hour. This demanded an exceptional working capability, and failing to et the deadline would unquestionably slow down the whole team’s pace, leading only to rciless abandonnt.
Under Shen Jinghai’s command, one could rely on hard work to compensate for lack of talent. But working under Shen Yueying required outstanding aptitude and understanding; there was absolutely no room for muddling through during work hours, with every minute at work demanding full concentration. Compared to the work at the other Vice City Lord’s Mansion, it was hard to say which was better.
Many people were curious about how Shen Yueying cultivated her habit of never working overti. Like Shen Jinghai, this Vice City Lord was famously lacking in leisure activities. What did she do after work? Engage in secluded cultivation?
Shen Yueying’s extracurricular life had long been a mysterious riddle circulating within Shen City, remaining unsolved for decades.
——
That night, in the southern part of Shen City, a graceful woman silently walked through a long and winding alleyway, arriving at the Zao Hong Gate.
The heavy wooden door silently swung open, and the talisman that served as fire and theft prevention affixed to the door didn’t have the slightest chance to resist before being suppressed.
Beyond the courtyard gate, her steps appeared leisurely but were fast in reality, reaching under a large tree in the backyard in only two strides.
The large tree seed to be quite old, growing tall and sturdy, with lush branches and leaves. Standing under the tree, the bright moonlight overhead was completely obscured by the foliage, enveloping her entirely in shadow.
In the darkness, after a long silence, a sigh finally erged.
"Everything’s just as it used to be, even this tree maintains its old appearance... I still rember when I was little, I practiced the Fire Technique with you under this tree, almost burning the entire tree down. Look, the scars on the tree are still here."
"But you’re not here anymore..."
"Sister, when you left Shen City, turning against your sister, against your father, the two great families turned against each other, yet none of this could hinder you in the slightest. It’s been 20 years now, and I truly want to know, have you ever regretted it?"
"I have always regretted it, truly, truly regretted it, regretting my montary hesitation, letting you take the lead. Obviously, I t Fengyun first, but it was you who acted first, and ultimately, he chose you, willing to risk being suppressed or even killed by father, he chose you unhesitatingly, never looking back at again."
"Since then, I’ve often wondered, if I had been the one to make a move first, then even if Li Fengyun eventually chose you, could I have accepted it willingly?"
"And then, would I have avoided the mortification, cutting ties with you in a mont of sha and anger?"
"I really was a fool."
"Clearly, since I was young, I’ve been stealing your things — your toys, your new dresses, your Flying Sword. Anything you used, I wanted, and you always generously let have it... Then, only once did I fail to take sothing from you, and I flew into a rage out of humiliation."
"Sister, I’m sorry."
"I’m sorry."
"Truly, truly, I’m sorry..."
"I’ve always hoped you could co back so I could apologize to you in person, but you had been gone from Shen City for less than eight years before you passed away, and I didn’t even get to see you one last ti."
"Even though you never fully devoted yourself to cultivation, your True Essence and Body Refining were both top-notch, so you shouldn’t have died so young. Many people say you were unhappy in Cyan Cloud City, but I know that’s not true."
"Fengyun, although a bit capricious by nature, was certainly very good to you and would never do anything to make you sad. In fact, it was your own family who hurt you, like , your reckless sister..."
"In the blink of an eye, twenty years have passed, and I’ve never spoken these words to anyone, just kept them in my heart. As a result, everyone thought I always hated you, hated Li Fengyun, and then they joined in hating you two. This inexplicable hatred continued for twenty whole years out of so unfathomable inertia. It’s been twenty years, yet the Li Family and the Shen Family still have deep-seated estrangent. The topic of the Li Family is a highly sensitive subject in Shen City now, and no one dares to ntion it lightly. Once it’s brought up, the people of Shen City react with gritted teeth, as if there is so deep-seated vendetta, but the truth is they only know about the events from hearsay."
"However, these strange days are finally coming to an end. Thanks to your daughter, who broke the deadlock at father’s centennial birthday celebration, breaking the self-deceptions of hatred within each of us, and now, everything will return to normal."
"Sister, you truly have a wonderful daughter, although she doesn’t have your intelligence, your beauty, or your cultivation... but she’s dainty and lovable, truly endearing. When everything returns to normal, I’ll love her as if she were my own daughter, as a way to... atone for my wrongdoings."
"Sister, will you forgive ?"
"Yes, of course you will forgive . You’ve always forgiven . But it’s who cannot forgive myself. I certainly won’t forgive myself; I’ll spend the rest of my life to make ands for my wrongs."
Afterwards, there was a long silence under the tree. The woman finally shook her head, reached out to touch the old scars on the tree trunk, and said with a smile.
"So it feels so freeing to speak your mind. No wonder you always spoke straightforwardly back then, never hiding anything... But I can only express myself so openly when no one else is around."
With a touch of self-mockery, the woman’s figure flickered and she left this place of sorrow.
anwhile, in the rear courtyard bathroom, Shen Ying, soaking in a bath, was trembling.
"...Has my Void Clarity Body evolved to the point where even bathing by lamplight goes unnoticed?! And have you really forgotten whether anyone’s living in the Shen Garden?!"
For a mont, Shen Ying felt on the verge of tears, but just as she was about to stand up from the wooden tub, a sudden oppressive force descended from the sky, rendering her body rigid and immobile.
Soone else had arrived! And this person’s overwhelming presence far exceeded Shen Yueying’s... No, exceeded anyone Shen Ying had ever t.
Such an expert could only be found within Shen City.
In an instant, Shen Ying found herself with difficulty even breathing.
Monts later, that person also arrived under the tree, reaching out to feel the rough bark, and sighed heavily.
"So after all these years, I had completely misunderstood your sentints... Two daughters, one dying young, the other bearing grudges for life, and I, their father, am utterly powerless, truly derelict to the extre."
"However, at the very least, I as a grandfather, can prevent history from repeating itself. On the day of the centennial birthday celebration, I will certainly finalize Qingming’s marriage, so she won’t repeat Yue’e’s fate!"
—
anwhile, in the bathroom, Shen Ying was genuinely on the verge of tears.
I enjoy gossip, but I enjoy the kind of gossip about romance, not the kind of gossip that could get silenced! You masters of the Mountain-Overturning and Sea Overturning Realms really can’t be a bit more cautious!
Yet on the other hand, Shen Ruoshi’s words put her on high alert.
Finalize Shen Qingming’s marriage on the day of the centennial birthday celebration? And what does he an by not repeating past mistakes? Could it be that he intends to...
At that thought, Shen Ying broke into a cold sweat.
At this mont, she could no longer care about the risks. She quickly activated her Divine Sense, transforming the overheard information into a transparent thin slice, and sent it quietly out the door.
However, just as the slice slipped out from the door crack, it was crushed by an enormous force from above. Shen Ying’s head buzzed from the repercussion.
It’s all over...
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