Editor: Misty Cloud Translations
In the Xiao family guest courtyard.
Yue’er sat in the courtyard, her chin resting in her hands. She couldn’t fathom how, after all these years, she’d run into Shen Shiqi and his crew again.
But then again, so much ti had passed. She’d grown up now. He probably wouldn’t recognize her anyway, right?
"Little Qi." Xiao Junyan entered, walking slowly to the table in the courtyard and sitting down. "Why did you co back alone?"
"I ran into so people I used to tease. I was afraid they might recognize , so I ca back on my own." She smiled sheepishly, pouring him a cup of water as she asked, "Big Brother Xiao, do you know Shen Shiqi and his group?"
Hearing this, Xiao Junyan looked at her with mild surprise. "You an Shen Shiqi and his group? You knew them before?"
"Well, not exactly. I just ran into them on the road. I played a prank on them once, and they chased for a while, but I managed to shake them off. Never thought I’d run into them again after all these years."
Xiao Junyan chuckled. "Well, you’re quite sothing, daring to tease them. They’re all the pride of their families—not the young masters, but influential figures nonetheless. They’re here for the secret realm matter too."
"The Shen family Patriarch is Shen Shiqi. He’s ticulous and exceptionally skilled at handling matters. The Chen family Patriarch is Chen San—the third son of their current Patriarch, whose given na is Chen Tao. The other two are Zheng Yuan and Yang Hao. They’ll likely enter the secret realm on this trip too."
"Oh." Yue’er nodded, her mind already spinning with calculations. If they were entering, how likely was it they’d cross paths?
"Don’t worry," Xiao Junyan said. "They won’t cause you trouble. After all, it was years ago. They might have forgotten by now."
"Mhm, I understand," she replied with a nod, her smile brightening.
"Then get so rest early." He stood up, spoke, and then turned to walk out.
After watching him leave, Yue’er stretched her back and also returned to her room to rest.
The next day, after eating breakfast, she wandered around the Xiao family courtyard. She heard the servants say that the Shen family had arrived, so she followed the onlookers to the front to take a look.
In the front courtyard, two Shen family guards supported a youth who could barely stand, trailing behind Shen Shiqi.
"His cultivation was stripped, and he just endured thirty lashes. I brought him here for you to see. Soon he’ll be sent to the country estate," Shen Shiqi’s voice carried a hint of languor, as if the youth stripped of his cultivation and beaten were not one of his own Shen kin.
The Patriarch Xiao had heard of this incident from Xiao Junyan last night. He had been pondering how the Shen family would handle it. To have his cultivation stripped and be exiled—it was undeniably a severe punishnt.
Now, observing the youth being supported, a faint trickle of blood still seeping from his buttocks, his face pale and barely clinging to life, the family head felt a slight tremor within. To lay such hands upon one’s own kin...
Such stern thods of household discipline were truly beyond the reach of ordinary people. No wonder the Shen family earned thumbs-up from everyone they t outside. Such family traditions truly commanded solemn respect.
"I’ve long heard of the Shen family’s strict discipline," Xiao Junyan remarked, his gaze settling on Shen Shiqi. "Seeing it firsthand today, it truly commands respect."
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