Chapter 25 025: Kind Face

Shen Tang threw the knife he was using to dig the hole onto the ground.

He said irritably, "What would I do in Xiaocheng? Walk right into a trap? Besides, what's so great about that lousy place?"

Let's respect her status as a fugitive!

"Young Master Shen, aren't you worried about your other relatives?"

Shen Tang hesitated upon hearing this.

Qi Shan's words hit the nail on the head.

Regardless, now that she's using this body, she should learn about the original owner's past to avoid being exposed by people the original owner knew, which would only cause more trouble. She wonders if the original owner had any relatives. If they survived the hardship of exile, she could secretly take care of them. If they didn't make it and died, she could at least find a place to collect their bodies so they wouldn't be left to rot in the wilderness.

Shen Tang's change in expression did not escape Qi Shan's notice, and the latter's eyes revealed a visible joy.

He was certain that Shen Tang's choice would be as he wished!

"I can see that Young Master Shen has extraordinary potential and may achieve great things in the future. I am but a humble scholar, and although I am not as accomplished as those renowned teachers who have taught countless students, I am more than capable of teaching Young Master Shen the basics..."

Shen Tang had a plan in mind, but she didn't say it.

She deliberately said, "I've memorized all of Yuanliang's books."

Qi Shan chuckled, pointed to his own head, and said confidently, "Young Master Shen, the truly valuable content is here. If you could master the control of literary mind just by reading a few books of Word Spirit, then stealing the master would be far too easy."

“Yuanliang’s words make sense, but Xiaocheng is such a place…” She went through so much trouble to escape, and now she’s running back there. What if she’s unlucky enough to run into the officials escorting her in Xiaocheng? How embarrassing would that be? “You have to give me some kind of guarantee.”

"For example?"

Shen Tang: "For example, the power of words that can change one's physical appearance."

Qi Shan: "..."

He really doesn't have such a thing here, and in his understanding, there is no such unorthodox way of using words—all the words in the world are used for power, strategy, and martial arts. Why is Young Master Shen's mind so peculiar?

Although he doesn't possess the power of words, he has something else.

"What's this?"

Shen Tang caught the small bottle he threw to her.

I opened the bottle, squinted inside, and saw a bottle full of fine, dark powder. I had no idea what it was for.

Qi Shan revealed the answer: "Soot from the bottom of the pot."

Shen Tang: "..."

"Put some on your face, or run around, get more sun, and sweat more. If you don't shower or wash for seven or eight days, who will recognize you?"

Shen Tang imagined herself sweating for seven or eight days without showering, and she could almost smell the indescribable, pungent, sour stench.

"You really have this terrible idea?"

"How can this be considered a bad idea?" Qi Shan's smile faded slightly, devoid of any emotion. "This is based on experience."

Shen Tang was slightly surprised.

Based on experience?

However, Qi Shan clearly didn't want to dwell on this point, and raised her voice again: "Young Master Shen, there's really no need to worry so much. Those escorting officials are far more 'negligent' than you. It's unlikely they'll report a fugitive's escape; the most likely scenario is that they'll cut off someone else's ear to fill your spot. Therefore, you don't need to worry about seeing your wanted poster at the gates of Xiaocheng."

Even if the officials didn't "negligently do their duty" and reported Shen Tang's escape, and the painter drew a wanted portrait, so what?

Given the abstract nature of the portraits drawn by those artists, unless the face has very distinctive features, even the mother wouldn't recognize her, let alone the city gates where people come and go every day. The possibility of Shen Tang's identity being exposed is extremely small.

After hearing this explanation, Shen Tang felt reassured.

"Okay, I'll go."

She dug a huge, deep pit, threw all the corpses in, and then filled it back in with soil. By the time she finished, the moon was high in the sky. Qi Shan lit a campfire and roasted the flatbreads that Chen Tang's spirit had conjured, so she could eat them hot as soon as she sat down.

"hot!"

I misjudged the temperature of the pancake and almost burned my tongue.

This kind of pancake has no flavor. Except for the slightly charred parts, it's the same everywhere else. The more you eat, the thirstier you get. You have to drink water after every two bites. It's very bland. She couldn't help but wonder why it couldn't be filled with something, like preserved vegetable stuffed with meat.

For some reason, Qi Shan went to bed unusually early tonight.

He neither read or studied the books nor practiced the power of words.

Shen Tang couldn't sleep and stared blankly at the campfire.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she heard the faint sound of grass and trees being trampled—someone was cautiously approaching her, but meant no harm, so she ignored it.

The man sat down not far away, and by the light of the fire, she could see that it was the foolish son of the Imperial Censor. He was staring at her intentionally or unintentionally, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, as if he wanted to confirm something.

She opened her mouth several times but didn't know where to start. Shen Tang was getting impatient, so she took the initiative to start the conversation.

"Has the Grand Secretary fallen asleep?"

The man was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Shen Tang to speak to him first: "Well... Father has fallen asleep, but he's not sleeping very soundly; he has a slight fever. He's suffered too many injuries on the journey, and his wounds are red. We'll have to find some herbs for him tomorrow..."

As he spoke, the man's eyes reddened slightly.

My father is in much better health than the average person, but his age is a factor, and he can't withstand much hardship or torment.

Shen Tang said, "There should be villages nearby. You can go and get some herbs from the villagers. Speaking of which, I haven't asked you your name yet, sir. How should I address you?"

"My name is Tian Zhong, courtesy name Shouyi."

Why was Shouyi staring at me like that just now?

“I feel that you look almost exactly like someone I’ve met, except for the gender. And, after hearing you talk to Mr. Qishan during the day, saying that you are…” Tian Zhong swallowed the word “fugitive”, “I assumed that you and she had some connection.”

Shen Tang: "..."

Good things don't come true, but bad things do.

Did she run into someone the original owner of the body knew?

Shen Tang asked, "Who is that person? Are you two very familiar with each other?"

Tian Zhong waved his hands repeatedly: "We're not close, we've only met once. In terms of relationship, she should be considered my niece-in-law."

Shen Tang was greatly shocked: "...Nephew, nephew's wife?"

“Strictly speaking, not really,” he explained. “Yun Chi’s father and I were classmates and born in the same year, so we became godparents. Yun Chi is my nephew, and if the two of us get married, he should call me ‘Uncle Tian’ according to our relationship.”

"And who is Yun Chi?"

“Gong Cheng, courtesy name Yunchi”.

Shen Tang: "..."

Good heavens!

She exclaimed, "Wow!"

This body is only eleven or twelve years old!

Why wasn't the ceremony completed?

"On the day of the wedding, before the three bows could even be completed and the ceremony was not finished, government officials broke into the Gong residence to arrest people. The entire household, including the bride, was taken away and thrown into prison. Within two days, they were exiled. I was a guest at the time... It's truly a pity."

He sighed after he finished speaking.

He had been busy running around for the Gong family's exile, but he never expected that just a few days later, his whole family would also suffer.

Shen Tang asked, "Where is Gong Cheng now?"

He smiled bitterly: "If I'm lucky, I'll probably be on my way to exile. If I'm unlucky, I'll probably be on my way to the underworld."

Suppressing the throbbing veins in her skin, Shen Tang continued to probe indirectly, trying to extract information: "Which family does Gong Cheng's new wife belong to?"

"She comes from the Shen family, but..."

"Just what?"

He said, "It's just that Shen was exiled to the Gong family only two days before Zheng Qiao ordered the extermination of her entire clan. It was truly tragic."

Shen Tang: "..."

Exterminate nine generations of relatives...

In other words, apart from Gong Cheng, whose fate is unknown, the original owner's current family relationship is that of a true orphan.

It took me an hour to write 500 words, damn it!

Gong Cheng is not the male lead, not the male lead, not the male lead!

Gong Cheng is six or seven years older than the female lead!

He's not the male lead!

A passerby, at most with a minor role.

The female lead is not married either!

The female lead is unmarried!

I won't get married in the future; at most, she'll marry me!

The male lead is six years younger than the female lead. Anyone in the story who is older than the female lead cannot be the male lead!

There is practically no romance in this story!

Just look at the career line.

After all, a boss can have a group of well-paid subordinates, and there's no limit to the number at the same time, but he can't have romantic relationships. What does this tell us?

They told us that doing business is more enjoyable than doing human business.

P.S.: It's not that I don't want to write side stories for the big shots, but look how long the Empress's chapter is! I'm rereading it, I'm going crazy!

(End of this chapter)