Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 299 - 36: Extracurricular Reading
January 23, 2018
The members of the Li Family were completely stunned to see Wang Jiu stride forward and push the door open with such grandeur.
It was as if, while a group of young men were debating whether to use flowers or snacks to win over their beloved, someone directly dragged the goddess into the bushes. Such a simple and crude act seemed to insult everyone's intelligence.
"Wang Jiu, what are you doing!?" Shen Qingming exclaimed.
Wang Jiu said curiously, "As you can see, visiting Shen Ziqiong to persuade him to join us."
"No one gave you permission to go in!"
Wang Jiu said, "And no one stopped me, either."
"Huh?"
Seeing Shen Qingming's familiar bewildered expression, Wang Jiu had to patiently explain, "According to standard social etiquette, we formally submitted a visiting card and Shen Zicheng's letter of introduction. If Shen Ziqiong was unwilling to see us, he should have responded in kind. If he wanted to express his disdain for the Li Family, he should have responded like City Lord Shen Ruoshi with a 'humph' to clearly indicate his stance. But Shen Ziqiong hasn't responded at all, so I have reason to believe that he's ambiguously suggesting we can quietly enter."
"..." Shen Qingming was also dumbfounded by such a brazen logic.
Li Wanqing then advised her sister, "So remember, if a scumbag comes to harass you in the future, you must make your rejection as clear as possible, or else these men will delude themselves into thinking your ambiguous attitude means they can sneak in... "
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingming realized something, quickly pushed Li Wanqing away, and said, "Let me reiterate for the last time, there is no possibility between us!"
"..." Li Wanqing, having dug her own grave, felt a strong urge to hit her head on the ground.
By this time, Wang Jiu had already pushed open the gate to Shen Ziqiong's courtyard.
Unexpectedly, there were no loud alarms or three hundred guards with axes; instead, a secluded path appeared silently before them, like an unspoken invitation.
Could Wang Jiu have been right!?
With questions in mind, everyone followed Wang Jiu into the small courtyard, only to find the scenery along the way constantly changing and blurring, sometimes appearing as green mountains and waters, other times as pavilions and towers, but always veiled, making it impossible to see clearly. Trying to focus only made mist rise, obscuring the view.
Walking like this for a while, they found themselves as if in a quagmire, surrounded by blurred illusions in every direction, looking particularly eerie in the night.
However, just as someone began to feel noticeably uncomfortable, lights appeared ahead, as a bamboo cottage suddenly materialized at the end of the path, its door half open, like a silent invitation.
Beyond the door, a white-clad scholar held a scroll, silently reciting. Yet as his eyes skimmed over each line of text, it seemed as if the solemn grandeur of thousands chanting in unison resonated inside and outside the bamboo cottage.
Behind them was the vast night, but before them, it seemed an endless expanse of golden splendor, leaving one breathless with awe.
From Li Wanqing onwards, all four of the Li Family felt their breath catch, as the opulent scene ahead formed an invisible barrier, preventing them from moving a single step further.
Only Wang Jiu, firmly grasping the White Sword using the Shape Manipulation Array, passed through the scholar's crafted spectacle without hindrance, reached the bamboo cottage, and fully opened the half-closed door.
The scholar's gaze instantly shifted from the book, and simultaneously, all the illusionary sounds and sights vanished.
"Remarkable courage, remarkable skill," the scholar nodded in bland approval, "I thought with the courage of Li Family members, at most you'd babble like headless flies outside the courtyard before leaving in disgrace. I didn't expect you truly dared to enter my courtyard and even managed to break through my Book Realm. No wonder the Outer Courtyard was turned upside down by you, and it's no wonder my two unworthy sons have been in a daze these past few days, as they've finally learned there's always a higher mountain."
As he spoke, the scholar closed the book and stood up, revealing a tall, robust figure.
"I am Shen Ziqiong. I already know your intentions. Since you've passed my first two tests, please come in and enjoy some tea."
With a sweep of the scholar's sleeve, several cushions and tea cups appeared inside the bamboo cottage.
The Li Family members exchanged glances, then followed Wang Jiu into the bamboo cottage, where they sat down and began to enjoy the tea.
It was extraordinarily good tea, transforming into a light and delicate spiritual energy upon entering one's mouth, nourishing the entire body, loosening all the limbs and bones.
Shen Ziqiong remained silent, not explaining the origin or effects of the tea leaves. He merely watched as they emptied the small tea cups, then nodded and said, "Now that you've finished the tea, please take your leave."
Li Xinyu almost spat out the last sip of tea.
Already leaving!? We only just arrived, didn't we!? Were we really just invited here for tea!?
Shen Ziqiong said, "I can't help with your matters, nor do I want to. Yueying and Jinghai must have their own reasons for their actions, and I have no intention of opposing them. On the other hand, I don't think it's necessary to engage in a destructive conflict with the Li Family, so I can entertain you with the etiquette of a host but won't agree to your requests. So, please leave."
These words, so candid they were moving, frankly revealed his fence-sitting nature while also leaving the Li Family members speechless.
If they're shameless, what can we do?
"Additionally, within Shen City, no one will come to your aid again. Yueying and Jinghai have been Deputy City Lords for nearly twenty years; their reputation and influence are extraordinary. Anything decided jointly by them can only be overturned by the City Lord. Ordinary people wouldn't even have the audacity to go against these two."
After a pause, Shen Ziqiong said, "The idea of resolving the feud between the two families is good but unrealistic. Currently, the City Lord of Shen City and the two Deputy City Lords have no intention of resolving this enmity. Your wishful thinking would only bring humiliation upon yourselves. If you want to be rational, return to QingCyan Cloud yun City quickly. Whether or not the feud is resolved doesn't really matter. With the Saint Sect's presence, even a significant enmity wouldn't escalate into a life-or-death battle between the two families. And as long as it doesn't cross the line, a certain amount of hateful emotion may even help inspire motivation for cultivation."
This argument was logical and sincere, leaving Shen Qingming and the others speechless.
At this point, there was really nothing left to say.
Helplessly, Shen Qingming could only pin her hopes on Wang Jiu.
Wang Jiu actually nodded in agreement with Shen Ziqiong: "He's right. Some level of hatred can indeed further unleash human initiative. This is also the significance of market competition. To benefit both the Li and Shen families, maintaining a certain hostility could be beneficial."
"...How can you agree with him?!" Shen Qingming was utterly bewildered that Wang Jiu, with his honest appearance, would betray them first. "According to you, our long journey to resolve the two families' feud is actually poisoning the people of the two cities, becoming the root of all evil!?"
Wang Jiu looked at Shen Qingming and said, "Being the root of evil usually requires high charisma. As for you..."
"Am I not even qualified to be a femme fatale, being the idol of Cyan Cloud!?" Shen Qingming was increasingly furious, but soon lamented the current situation with frustration and grievance.
"Really, is all this hatred really so interesting? It's been decades, yet they still hold grudges so petty as to be etched in stone, and plan to pass the enmity down generations. If our ancestors acted this way, the Xiangzhou Continent would have long since collapsed!"
Shen Qingming, fuming, vented her grievances but found no response from those around her, leading her to feel disheartened once again.
"...Really, if I knew I'd encounter this in Shen City, I wouldn't have listened to Shen Ziyu's nonsense about meeting my grandfather. It's utterly absurd; even the recommendation letter he wrote was outright rejected!"
Before she finished speaking, the previously indifferent, white-robed scholar suddenly raised his eyelids, surprisingly asking, "Shen Ziyu? You were recommended by Ziyu?! Why didn't you mention it earlier?"
Then, the transformation from indifference to enthusiasm was just like ice melting in an oven.
Shen Qingming was also astonished by this change and replied, "We submitted his letter the first day we came, but there hasn't been any response." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Afterward, they briefly recounted the events of their first day.
Shen Ziqiong furrowed his brow: "Could it be that father still holds a grudge over past issues? I thought with the passage of decades, emotions would have eased somewhat. Apparently, it's not so simple... But then it doesn't make sense. If father was resolute enough, Shen Jinghai should have sent you back to Cyan Cloud at the start, rather than allowing you to the Shen Family Outer Courtyard. This is indeed peculiar."
Shaking his head, Shen Ziqiong simply stood up: "Very well, I'll go ask personally what's going on. Please wait here for a moment." With that, his figure flashed and vanished.
Shen Ziqiong's sudden enthusiasm and decisive actions were indeed baffling and even unsettling. Shen Qingming, Li Wanqing, and the others discussed several hypotheses, including angering a pigeon enough to fly all night, shutting the door to beat the dog, and Shen Qingming breaking into the White Tiger Hall overnight. The more they discussed, the more apprehensive they became.
Until Wang Jiu, with a hint of curiosity, picked up the book Shen Ziqiong left behind.
Surprisingly, it wasn't some Cultivation Scripture but a handwritten record.
The title was....
"Today's Shen Ziyu Observation Diary"
——
Meanwhile, Shen Ziqiong had already arrived at Deputy City Lord Shen Jinghai's residence.
"A rare visitor indeed." Shen Jinghai, still clad in his jet-black robes, greeted with an impeccably calm and flawless smile, "What brings you here?"
Shen Ziqiong got straight to the point: "What exactly are your plans for the Li Family?"
Shen Jinghai replied, "This matter is none of your concern, is it?"
Shen Ziqiong responded, "They came through Ziyu's recommendation, so it is my concern."
"True, then you should also be aware of the City Lord's stance on past matters."
"That was all in the past!"
Shen Jinghai nodded: "Exactly, which is why I tried to gauge the City Lord's intentions by placing them in the Shen Family Outer Courtyard. However, ten whole days have passed, and the City Lord hasn't mentioned a word about it. What do you think this means?"
Shen Ziqiong immediately frowned: "Could it be..."
"Precisely, the City Lord simply doesn't care!" Shen Jinghai concluded, waving his hand, "So if you've come for this matter, it's best to return. Unless the City Lord changes his mind, nothing will change here either."
