Chapter 45: Call Me Whatever You Want
Gong Cheng stared at Shen Tang's retreating figure.
Her lips trembled as she murmured, "I'm sorry about this..."
The massacre of the Shen family was inextricably linked to the Gong family.
They should have preserved the last bloodline of the Shen family, but they failed to do so.
This caused the straightforward young man to suffer inwardly when facing his "brother-in-law" Shen Tang, filled with unspeakable guilt and shame.
"What's the use of apologizing to me?" Shen Tang seemed to snap out of her daze, turned around, and looked indifferently at Gong Cheng, whose face was full of shame, with her dark eyes that seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words. "I know very well who my enemies are! What's the use of taking my anger out on you, who is also a victim?"
Gong Cheng was stunned.
A misty haze, carrying a blush, spread from the corners of her eyes.
He said, almost choking back tears, "Thank you."
In just two months, his life was turned upside down. From a once dashing and spirited scion of a noble family, he was reduced to a prisoner whose entire clan was exiled overnight. Forget about saving his clan; he was even saved by an old friend.
When he saw Shen Tang, he was mentally prepared to be grabbed by the collar and beaten and scolded, but he didn't expect that the other party would not blame him.
"It's Zheng Qiao who deserves to die!" Shen Tang paused, then added with a murderous glint in her eyes, "You don't need to apologize!"
She can't stand seeing others cry.
Especially those who are young and good-looking.
Her head aches whenever she cries, and she's afraid of being overwhelmed by her tears.
A single, resounding sentence, like a sharp blade, sliced through the confusion, despondency, and melancholy that had accumulated in Gong Cheng's heart over the past few days—yes, the current ruler of Geng Kingdom, the former sycophant "Nüjiao," Zheng Qiao was the culprit, the instigator—for a moment his wooden, lifeless eyes flickered, and the emotion called "hatred" sprouted a new driving force, spreading inch by inch throughout his body.
His hands, hanging by his sides, clenched into fists little by little as he repeated Chen Tang's words, one word at a time, as if speaking to himself.
"Yes, you're right... It's Zheng Qiao who's to blame!"
Seeing this, the official's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
Gong Cheng was dismissed from Danfu and spent more than a month walking in shackles. He witnessed his fellow travelers and relatives being humiliated by the escorting officials, some dying from serious injuries, some dying from illness, and some dying from hunger. Although he survived, he had little will to live.
When one's emotions are pent up, one's vital energy collapses, and with the foundation of one's body destroyed, even the best medicine can only keep one clinging to life.
He's willing to think positively, so he should recover soon.
Shen Tang: "..."
Okay ┓(`)┏
My brother-in-law is fine, as long as you like him.
Her gender is truly Schrödinger's gender; ordinary people call her "Little Lady," while those with both literary talent and martial prowess call her "Little Gentleman."
Everyone agreed that the other person had an eye problem.
The young man, who had been silent for a long time, glanced at Shen Tang out of the corner of his eye, as if he was pondering something, and asked her, "If I may ask, Zheng Qiao ordered the extermination of the Shen family. The action was swift as lightning and no word of it leaked out. How did Young Master Shen manage to escape?"
Shen Tang: "I wasn't there at the time, and I managed to escape with my life in the chaos."
The young man seemed thoughtful: "Oh?"
Shen Tang gave a cold sneer and retorted sarcastically.
"What? That fifth doctor from the Gong family was able to escape, but I'm not lucky enough to have escaped with my life?"
These words perfectly captured the meaning of "sarcasm and sarcasm," and also stabbed Gong Cheng in the heart. He quickly interrupted the young man, saying, "Mr. Gu, the Shen family are all loyal and brave, unafraid of power or death, and certainly not like what you guessed."
The young man's face darkened: "..."
Gong Yunchi knew what he was guessing.
He thought that he suspected that the young man in front of him was a coward who would run away faster than a rabbit at the first sign of trouble, abandoning his entire clan.
Questioning his character and morals?
shallow!
He clearly felt that there was something wrong with Gong Yunchi's "brother-in-law" in front of him! He had mentioned the extermination of the Shen family several times just now. With such intense hatred and hundreds of lives lost, even the best person would have a flaw in their control of their emotions. Yet, this person's mind was completely blank!
Is that a beaver?
This is unreasonable!
If she had used words to resist his mind-reading, that would have been one thing, but she didn't use her literary energy. In other words, this young master Shen deliberately emptied his mind, not thinking or reciting anything, and was always on guard against him.
With such caution, how could there not be ghosts?
The servant noticed a detail.
"Is the fifth physician of the Gong family on the run?"
Shen Tang nodded: "That's what I heard, but that was news from a month ago. I don't know if he's been arrested yet."
Gong Cheng's eyes suddenly lit up, and he excitedly grabbed the servant, saying, "Fifth Doctor... Weng Zhi, Mr. Gu, that must be Second Uncle!"
Don't underestimate the Fifth Rank Doctor just because he's only the ninth rank in martial arts. Gong Cheng's second uncle is still young, and his talent is widely recognized. He's a prime example of early success and has enormous potential for growth. If it weren't for this unexpected turn of events, he could easily have reached the fourteenth rank of Right Attendant!
This was the best news he had heard in many days.
As long as his second uncle is still alive, there is still hope for the future!
Shen Tang couldn't bear to dampen his spirits. The words she wanted to say rolled around in her throat several times, but she swallowed them back in the end.
"If there's nothing else, I won't bother you any longer."
That young man surnamed Gu could read minds, and she felt extremely uncomfortable being in the same space and breathing the same air as him.
Gong Cheng said, "Brother-in-law..."
Suppressing the throbbing veins and restless violence within him, Shen Tang forced a smile: "Since the three bows were not completed and she has passed away, let's just leave this title at that."
Gong Cheng's face turned pale instantly: "But..."
"My name is Shen Tang, courtesy name Youli. Call me whatever you like." Shen Tang's expression was blank. She could be called whatever she wanted, as long as he didn't call her "brother-in-law" anymore. There was no need to remind her repeatedly; it was too sad to be mistaken for a boy every day despite having a pretty girl's face.
Gong Cheng breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, Youli."
Shen Tang gave a perfunctory bow and said, "Farewell."
"Wait a moment!" Gong Cheng struggled to his feet and looked sincerely at Shen Tang, saying, "If there is any need for me in the future, I will do my duty without hesitation."
He had initially intended to suggest that Shen Tang could come to him if she had any trouble—this former brother-in-law of his wife was handsome and young, and who knew how many difficulties he would encounter while wandering alone? Aside from anything else, just finding food, clothing, and other necessities would be a headache—but then he thought about it, and realized he was even more destitute than the other man. His former brother-in-law at least had a healthy dantian, and even with a low literary talent level, he could barely make ends meet. In contrast, what about himself?
One of the wounded is still relying on the help and care of an old friend.
If trouble really comes, it's hard to say who will help whom.
Therefore, he could only offer a promise for the future.
Shen Tang paused, her expression complex.
"Okay, I've got your words in mind."
No sooner had she left than the young man asked, "Yun Chi, how much do you know about the Shen family? How many people are in the head of the family's lineage?"
With the help of the two men, Gong Cheng returned to the bed and lay down.
Why is Mr. Gu asking these questions?
"Your brother-in-law said that these paintings..." The young man said, handing the several erotic paintings that would make both men and women fantasize to the bewildered Gong Cheng, "They were all painted by the 'brother' your brother-in-law mentioned. So, how many children does the Shen family have?"
Gong Cheng took it and opened it without any warning.
The impact was overwhelming.
The next moment, his fingers felt as if they were being licked by tongues of fire, which startled him so much that he quickly threw the painting away, looking as if he had seen a ghost and was greatly shocked.
This is an early update too!
It will be available on September 1st. Have you all prepared your guaranteed monthly tickets? (#^.^#)
There was a bug in the previous chapter; the Shen family should have been exterminated along with nine generations of their clan, not three.
(End of this chapter)
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