Chapter 99 How about I point out a clear path for Clan Chief Shen?
Shen Qingwu stepped over the threshold and went inside.
She had just stepped inside when the door slammed shut behind her, locking Shen Zhiheng out.
The windows were tightly closed and curtains were drawn, making the room dimly lit. Shen Qingwu still spotted the figure sitting behind the curtains at a glance.
"Didn't you want to see me? What, you're too scared to come?"
Shen Qingwu paused slightly, then raised her hand to lift the curtain, and at the same time saw the person inside.
Shen Qingying was once considered pretty and charming. More than a decade later, her face showed no signs of aging, but the sides of her face were covered with fine black scales that extended all the way to her neck. The distance between her eyes had widened considerably, making her look quite strange.
Shen Qingwu's gaze fell on the other person's hands again; they could no longer be called hands, but only claws.
She didn't say anything, but walked to the seat next to Shen Qingying and sat down.
"You didn't even scream and run out; you've grown quite bold." Shen Qingying's tone was sarcastic, and even her voice sounded unfamiliar.
"Have you forgotten that my daughter is also a half-demon? What is there to be afraid of?"
"Oh, I remember, that little good-for-nothing you gave birth to."
"And what makes you any better? You went to my father to report me, just so you could turn from a human into a monster?" Shen Qingwu immediately retorted sarcastically.
These words seemed to have touched a nerve with the other person. She heard heavy breathing, a sound that no human could make, as if Shen Qingying was angry.
Shen Qingying's face changed with anger; her skin hardened, her mouth bulged noticeably, and her sharp teeth bared out.
Fortunately, this change did not continue, and Shen Qingying seemed to have finally managed to control her emotions.
She suddenly leaned close to Shen Qingwu, and seeing the horror in the other's eyes, she said coldly, "Shen Qingwu, what right do you, a fool who would die for love, have to judge me? It's already a favor that I've done for you to be able to stand here and speak."
Shen Qingwu was unfazed by her humiliation and instead said, "I remember you used to hate the demon race the most. How does it feel to become a demon... a half-demon?"
Shen Qingying looked at her coldly without answering.
Even after many years, the two of them still know how to hit each other's sore spots.
"Shen Qingying, why don't you have a mirror here? Didn't you used to love looking good?"
With a "bang," the dressing table in the corner of the room suddenly shattered. Shen Qingwu only saw a dark shadow sweep past, like a tail.
"Shut up. Get out of here!"
Shen Qingwu stood up. She and Shen Qingying didn't have any old feelings to reminisce about; she was just looking for an excuse to come over.
But when I saw it, I felt inexplicably sad.
This is the Jiao Mu, her cousin, whom her father and elder brother painstakingly created to consolidate the power of the Shen family.
She couldn't tell whether she, who had been mentally unstable for over a decade after losing her lover, was more pitiful, or whether Shen Qingying was more pitiful.
As they reached the door, Shen Qingwu stopped and asked her, "Have you ever regretted it?"
Shen Qingying, who was sitting in a chair, suddenly appeared next to Shen Qingwu, startling her.
Seeing her body tremble involuntarily, Shen Qingying let out a low, hoarse, and piercing laugh: "You are really stupid and naive. What does appearance matter? I am willing to pay any price to have such a long life and incomparably powerful strength. How could I regret it? Only those who cannot have something will regret it."
Although she had to obey Shen Zhiheng and mate with different demons every year to produce offspring, it was all worth it, after all, she already had so much.
Shen Qingying looked at Shen Qingwu and repeated once more, "Any sacrifice is worthwhile."
Does she really have no regrets? But why can't I see even a trace of satisfaction on her face?
Shen Qingwu opened the door, and as she left, she couldn't help but turn back to look at Shen Qingying standing inside.
She refused to take a single step out.
"Get out of here and don't come back again."
Shen Qingwu turned around and heard the door slam shut. She stood quietly for a while before reaching out and pinching the sachet hanging on her belt.
With a little effort, the round bead shattered silently.
Nothing happened.
As she stepped out of the courtyard, Shen Zhiheng was waiting outside. Seeing her come out, he asked, "It's rare for you sisters to see each other. Did you talk about anything?"
"We only chatted casually for a few minutes, and since we didn't see eye to eye, her temper has become even more volatile," Shen Qingwu complained.
"Qingying's personality hasn't been very good these past few years."
Shen Qingwu frowned slightly: "And why...is her appearance so strange?"
Shen Zhiheng's expression hardened: "Don't say these things in front of her in the future. She became like this because of our Shen clan."
Looking at her elder brother's compassionate expression, Shen Qingwu suddenly felt like laughing.
They laughed at her ruthless father and hypocritical, shameless older brother. They probably will never realize they did anything wrong.
In this light, it's no wonder that I'm part of their family; they're ruthless and determined to go down a dark path.
The two walked towards the front yard, where they could faintly hear festive music. Before they even reached the main courtyard, Shen Qingwu saw the main character of the day, Shen Yingzhu, who walked quickly toward them, followed by Zhao Shi and several maids.
"Father, the young master is already at the door. Where did you go just now?" Shen Yingzhu complained to Shen Zhiheng before he had even stood still.
Upon seeing Shen Qingwu, she merely glanced at her indifferently, as if she had never seen her before.
“Go offer incense to our ancestors, what’s the rush? Where’s your older brother?” Shen Zhiheng remained relatively calm at this moment.
"Eldest brother and Xue Ying have gone to greet the Crown Prince. Let's hurry to the main courtyard."
Shen Zhiheng was about to agree when he suddenly saw his younger sister beside him and couldn't help but say, "Qingwu, come with us to the main courtyard."
"father!"
Shen Yingzhu, looking unwilling, suddenly interrupted Shen Zhiheng.
The father and daughter stared at each other silently, as if they were competing with each other.
Shen Yingzhu didn't want Shen Huixue and her daughter to show up and cause trouble on her engagement day, especially since she was a madwoman. Who knew if she had fully recovered? It would be so unlucky if she went crazy today.
In the end, Shen Zhiheng gave in, but before he could speak, Shen Qingwu said, "I won't go to the main courtyard. I've heard that the young master is handsome. I'll go to the gate first to take a look for my elder brother."
"Alright then." Shen Zhiheng breathed a sigh of relief, and then said to her, "You're at home, so make yourself at home. I'll come find you after I see the young master and Yingzhu out."
He hadn't forgotten the inner core, but right now, his daughter was the most important thing.
"Alright, brother, go ahead. I'll be waiting for you." Shen Qingwu smiled as she watched the family of three and their many maids hurriedly leave.
After everyone left, she slowly untied the sachet from her belt, threw it into the roadside bushes, and then walked towards the gate.
At the entrance of the old house, Shen Yingxiao, along with Xue Ying and many members of the Shen clan, had already greeted Bai Xiuming and his party.
Shen Qingwu stood in the crowd at the back, looking at Xue Ying standing next to her nephew, acting like the lady of the house, and couldn't help but think of the rumors her daughter had told her.
I heard that this Miss Xue came from the capital and married into the family. Although her background has some flaws, she comes from a noble family and is A Chan's half-sister.
Her words and actions certainly seemed very proper, suggesting she was a clever girl. It's a pity that she married into the Shen family; it was simply her bad luck.
Shifting her gaze from Xue Ying, Shen Qingwu finally noticed the protagonist of the day, the recently renowned Crown Prince of Xiling.
Just as Huixue had said, his aura was indeed somewhat intimidating. Even though everyone around him was congratulating him, he didn't react much. He didn't seem to be there to welcome his fiancée; he seemed more like someone seeking revenge.
After glancing at her from afar, the other person suddenly looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
Those around him seemed to think he had just glanced at her casually and didn't pay any attention, but Shen Qingwu was certain that the young master was looking at her.
What is he looking at?
Bai Xiuming withdrew his gaze from Shen Qingwu, having heard that this woman was the younger sister of the Shen family head and the mother of the half-demon.
He was curious about how Achan had persuaded her to take such a huge risk to attack the Dragon Mother and destroy the Shen family.
Bai Xiuming's mind stirred slightly. Perhaps he should investigate the fox demon that died at the hands of the Shen family?
"Your Highness, please." Shen Yingxiao politely led Bai Xiuming inside.
Xue Ying followed beside Shen Yingxiao, occasionally glancing at Bai Xiuming, a strange sense of pleasure welling up inside her.
No matter how entangled Ren Jichan was with this man, in the end he still chose to marry his sister-in-law.
How can one who uses their beauty to please others possibly compete with power and profit?
She had narrowly escaped death before, but now that Bai Xiuming is no longer protecting her, who in Xiling can save her life?
The Shen family members surrounded Bai Xiuming, Shen Yingxiao, and others, and happily walked into the mansion.
Shen Qingwu, on the other hand, strode out of the old house.
She walked faster and faster until she started running.
She didn't know how far she ran, until her chest began to ache slightly, before she finally stopped.
Shen Qingwu turned to look in the direction of the Shen family's ancestral home. After a moment of silence, a loud bang suddenly rang out, and the ground trembled. Then, a hoarse and piercing roar echoed through the sky, and a huge black dragon emerged from the Shen family's residence.
Pedestrians on the street were shouting that it was a monster and were fleeing in all directions in a panic.
Only Shen Qingwu stood by the street with her hands hanging down, looking up at Shen Qingying, who had spoken to her not long ago but had now completely transformed into a demon and lost all reason.
A faint smile graced her face. As a member of the Shen family, everyone should contribute to the family's downfall.
A moment ago, Bai Xiuming arrived at the main hall. Shen Zhiheng, accompanied by the meticulously dressed Shen Yingzhu, approached Bai Xiuming, intending to hand his daughter over to him.
The Shen family members watched this scene with great anticipation.
Just then, a dragon's roar, completely different from usual, came from outside, and the roof of the main hall suddenly collapsed and crashed down.
The people who were originally noisy and trying to squeeze in to watch the excitement panicked and ran out. Some of them had cultivation and ran very fast. However, before they could run far, they were slammed into the ground by the thick, scaled tail of the dragon and turned into a pool of blood and flesh.
When they looked up, they could see the enormous dragon dancing wildly above their heads.
Xue Ying screamed as Shen Yingxiao held her in his arms, repeatedly shouting, "Go! Go!"
Zhao asked Shen Zhiheng in a shrill voice, "Master, what exactly happened? How, how could a monster suddenly appear?"
"Shut up!"
Unfortunately, it was too late. The Dragon Mother seemed to have heard what Zhao said. It lowered its body, and saliva dripped from its mouth full of sharp teeth, falling into the room through the destroyed roof.
It continued to roar incomprehensibly, its eyes sweeping over the people in the room before finally settling on Shen Yingxiao.
He carries the scent of his kind.
Before the others could react, a claw reached in and grabbed Shen Yingxiao.
Xue Ying, who was in his arms, was taken to the roof, but he couldn't hold on and she fell back to the ground. However, no one cared about her life or death at this point.
"Master, that monster has captured Yingxiao! You'd better think of something quickly!"
"Get out of the way." Shen Zhiheng shoved Zhao Shi aside, making her stumble, and then ran into the courtyard.
Shen Yingxiao's body was currently being held in the claws of the Dragon Mother, swinging back and forth like a tattered sack.
It seemed to be wondering why this fellow clansman with the aura of a dragon was not quickly returning to its original form.
After waiting for a while, nothing changed. The mother dragon had lost her patience and opened her mouth full of sharp teeth to bite him.
"Shen Qingying, stop!" Shen Zhiheng shouted angrily. Although he stopped the dragon mother from continuing to bite, he completely enraged her.
She wriggled her tail, lashing it around wildly, and each time she struck, several screams rang out.
At this time, the Shen family's old residence was more like a slaughterhouse, bloody and terrifying.
Shen Zhiheng desperately urged the contract with Shen Qingying, trying to make her stop.
However, Shen Qingying, who used to be completely obedient to the contract, would rather endure the excruciating pain of breaking the contract than give him any feedback, and continued to frantically destroy everything around her.
Just as Shen Zhiheng was worried about his son's life or death and had nowhere to vent his anger at the current chaos, a voice rang out behind him.
"Is this the dragon mother that the Shen family raised with such difficulty?"
He turned his head sharply and saw that the person speaking was Bai Xiuming. He hurriedly said, "This place is dangerous. It would be best for you to avoid it, Your Highness."
Bai Xiuming ignored him and looked at the unconscious dragon, saying to himself, "Keeping a great demon from the four realms without permission is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. Patriarch Shen, you have quite the audacity."
Shen Zhiheng couldn't tell whether Bai Xiuming was serious or just joking.
He had to temporarily set aside his worries about his son and deal with the person in front of him: "Your Highness is joking. This was just an accident, and no one will know. After Your Highness and my daughter get married, this dragon mother will also be an asset to Your Highness."
Bai Xiuming remained noncommittal: "Does the King of Xiling know?"
"Of course Your Highness knows."
“There are accomplices too.”
Shen Zhiheng turned to look at Bai Xiuming, his eyes showing no trace of mockery, but clearly seriousness.
He suddenly realized, "What does the young master mean by this?"
"Since the dragon is causing trouble, how about I show Chief Shen a clear path?"
"What clear path?"
At this moment, another voice rang out: "Of course, surrender and let the Mingjing Division handle it, wouldn't you say, Lord Bai?"
After the sound rang out, a layer of gray mist quickly enveloped the Shen family's area, soon isolating this space from the outside world.
Shen Zhuo, accompanied by the Mingjing Guards, emerged from the mist and stood before Shen Zhiheng.
"Patriarch Shen, we meet again."
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