Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 302 - 39: You Actually Did Such a Shameless Thing Behind My Back!

Shen Ziqiong really exhausted his efforts on this Ziyu Village theme.

The village was designed by Shen Ziqiong when it was established over thirty years ago, with every plant and tree poured with the painstaking efforts of this elder brother of the Shen Family. Over the years, it has been continually enhanced, ensuring every detail of the theme village tightly ties into the theme, being closely related to Shen Ziyu.

Just a single brunch opened Wang Jiu and Shen Qingming's eyes wide.

Apart from the original flavors of the dishes alongside illustrated notes, there were villagers specializing in arts performing music and dance, reciting poetry—all said to be artistic treasures personally participated in by Shen Ziqiong.

Objectively speaking, the quality of the brunch at the theme village was exceptionally high. Shen Ziyu was evidently someone who loved and knew how to eat, and his beloved meals boasted excellent quality. Shen Ziqiong spared no effort to recreate these historical tastes, scouring resources from Shen City to replicate in his family's abode the delicacies Shen Ziyu praised highly in the past.

But subjectively, Shen Qingming only found this meal tasting like chewing wax, especially when the poet reciting group of villagers collectively appeared to recite the lengthy commemorative poem "Li Sao," causing the young girl to almost lose control and vomit everything from her stomach.

After the meal, Shen Ziqiong, still relishing the experience, lamented, "It's been a long time since I've eaten so heartily. Truly, good food and good memories should be shared with others. So, after this meal, did you gain more insight into Shen Ziyu?"

Shen Qingming nodded repeatedly, "A sense of sympathy and compassion arises effortlessly."

Shen Ziqiong sighed solemnly, "Indeed, such an excellent person couldn't thrive smoothly in Shen City and took a detour through the Saint Sect, truly genius cursed by fate…"

Shen Qingming asked, "By the way, I have a question... With how much you care about your Uncle Ziyu's affairs, does Auntie have any objections?"

"You're talking about Shan Lan?" Upon mentioning his wife, Shen Ziqiong's eyes lit up, "She is the best woman I've ever met—understanding, gentle, virtuous—and has always been very supportive and understanding of me."

Shen Qingming found it simply incredible, "Supports you?! Really?"

Shen Ziqiong said, "Yes, really. Before she left home, she earnestly advised me, saying 'Since you like your brother so much, why not join him at the Saint Sect, and both live together!' To be able to say such insightful words, it shows her deep affection for me."

"...Did you really take her seriously!? Have you not thought she might be speaking in anger?"

Shen Ziqiong laughed heartily, "A woman like Shan Lan wouldn't speak in anger. Shortly after our wedding, she said to me, 'Someone from a family as humble as mine probably never has the right to be angry with the nobility of the Shen Family, no matter how great the grievance, it can only be swallowed.' With someone so rational, how could she speak in anger?"

Shen Qingming listened feeling utterly helpless, had to speak telepathically to Wang Jiu: "Ah Jiu, quickly say I'm smart! Quickly!"

Wang Jiu listened, puzzled, yet on the other side, felt admiration and respect for the mutual understanding and support between Shen Ziqiong and his wife.

"Although I've never been particularly interested in human marital relations, I think such mutual assistance and benefit should be deemed a model of a marital relationship."

Shen Ziqiong laughed heartily, "Indeed, marrying a virtuous woman like Shan Lan is the second greatest fortune of my life!"

Wang Jiu, with his intelligence, could of course guess that the greatest fortune was having a brother like Shen Ziyu.

"Kindred spirits, truly kindred spirits! Although you come from the Cyan Cloud Li Family, you understand me more than many in Shen City. Truly a rare chance! Come, let me take you to visit the Ziyu Theme Museum, which houses most things he's carried from birth to now, possessing great commemorative and sightseeing value."

Shen Qingming observed coldly, feeling Shen City really was beyond saving.

"Let's not rush to the museum; you said marrying such a good woman as Auntie is a life fortune, but now... she's run away from home?"

Shen Ziqiong said, "Yes, it's been some time, why?"

Shen Qingming asked, "Aren't you planning to chase her back?"

"Of course not!" Shen Ziqiong resolutely, "Husband and wife need to respect one another. She respects me for my thoughts about Ziyu and even encourages me to let go of everything and live with Ziyu in the Saint Sect. For such a woman, how can I ignore her will and forcibly bring her back home? I didn't marry to get a child-rearing machine."

This righteous yet absurd rhetoric almost left Shen Qingming dumbfounded.

Wang Jiu listened and nodded repeatedly, then asked Shen Qingming, "You just wanted me to say you're smart?"

"No, no, no, I've come to deeply realize my own shallow helplessness. Smart person should be left to the older uncle to be, I yield…"

Shen Ziqiong said, "But, these days since she left home, I really do miss her a bit. How about I start building the Shan Lan theme village once the 167th phase of expansion in Ziyu Village is completed?"

Shen Qingming felt utterly weak: You have the time for this, why don't you just honestly go find Aunt and apologize and confess, wouldn't that solve everything!? Instead of appreciating the living, you build a theme village to express your feelings, are you a necrophiliac!?

But how hard is it to correct these twisted values? Shen Qingming knew her abilities were limited. She and Wang Jiu had been living together for so long, yet that White Sword still couldn't understand human affairs. She didn't dare hope to correct Shen Ziqiong now.

"...I, I just wish you all the best then."

"Mm, thank you, I am sure it will go smoothly." Shen Ziqiong was evidently full of confidence in his future.

——

In the afternoon, after Shen Qingming and Wang Jiu left Shen Ziqiong's residence, their faces were already pale.

"This is the first time I discovered that visiting a museum can be so exhausting, the mental pressure is immense...How could that pervert Shen Ziqiong nonchalantly exhibit original intimate clothing in display windows?! I was about to explode at that moment!"

Wang Jiu said, "As the Immovable Tyrant Body realm gradually increases, Flesh and Blood Divine Techniques will gradually permeate into the Divine Sense, strengthening your mental resilience. Your current reaction shows that your recent training intensity is insufficient and needs to be remedied."

"...Thanks for the comfort, I feel much better."

As they spoke, they saw not far away Li Wanqing, Li Chaolu, and Li Xinyu waving to them.

After reuniting, they were greeted with face-on ridicule.

"Caught you sleeping in, didn't we." Li Chaolu chuckled, "How was the special VIP brunch and the all-day theme tour? Fun, wasn't it?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Shen Qingming shook her little head vigorously, truly finding the past unbearable to recall.

Wang Jiu then asked, "Did you find any useful clues in Shen City?"

In the early morning, while Shen Qingming was still asleep, these people woke up early, quickly discussed and decided to let Shen Qingming cover their retreat and then snuck outside Shen Ziqiong's estate before he came, to explore Shen City and seek clues to change Shen Yueying and Shen Jinghai's minds.

Did the exploration built on Shen Qingming's significant sacrifice yield enough rewards?

Li Wanqing nodded enthusiastically, "Of course, I found Shen City to be truly amazing, far beyond expectations. Outsiders might see Shen City, under the Shen Family, as a barbaric region for being warlike for two thousand years. But in reality, its economic and cultural prosperity is top-notch even within Xiangzhou, no less impressive than our Qingyun City. Especially the cultural phenomena derived from geographical characteristics, which are unique and inimitable."

These words piqued Shen Qingming's curiosity.

Although these contents didn't seem related to Shen Yueying and Shen Jinghai, anything that could earn Li Wanqing's admiration must have its own extraordinary points.

Li Wanqing explained, "Two thousand years ago, when the Shen Family came here to pioneer, this was at the edge of the Xiangzhou Continent, adjacent to Chaos, filled not just with countless Demon Essence but also Mountains full of Mountain Spirits and Wild Beasts."

The few of them nodded gently at this. Such basic historical knowledge, even if not originally from Shen City, had been seen in various books. As one of the few pioneering cities two thousand years ago, Shen City's history has always played a crucial role within the continent.

"At that time, each pioneering city faced its own difficulties, but undoubtedly, Shen City had the most challenging situation, with frequent wars. The Shen Family made great sacrifices yet could not completely clear the surroundings of Shen City in a short time. They had to exert all efforts to resist and suppress Chaos; as for the aboriginal Mountain Spirits and Wild Beasts' civilization, there was simply nothing they could do. And because the opponents had a basic civilization, not as ignorant as domesticated livestock, excessive slaughter would be against providence, hence even the warlike Shen Family had to use some conciliatory strategies."

Li Wanqing paused, omitting unnecessary details, and continued with the focus: "The result of those conciliatory policies is simple - racial fusion. Since they couldn't completely annihilate them, they turned them into part of us. At that time, the Shen Family employed many methods, including economic and cultural wars, propagation policies, etc. In two to three hundred years, Shen City assimilated and extinguished over ninety percent of the large Spirit Monster cultures around them, making them part of themselves. And among the people of Shen City, there were many non-human bloodlines."

This piece of history rather surprised the few members of the Li Family: "We never heard of this."

"Because it has been too long." Li Wanqing explained, "From about fifteen hundred years ago, there have been no native Spirit Monster cultures here, and the assimilated bloodlines gradually died out. Compared to humans, Spirit Monsters have much poorer bloodline inheritance abilities. A cat spirit and a human could produce a cat-eared, cat-pawed, whiskered kitten girl, but in the next generation, the characteristics of the Spirit Monster would be very faint, almost non-existent. However, culture lasts much longer than bloodlines; some cultural traditions from the racial fusion period have been passed down to this day and have been developed by later generations."

"Oh? What tradition?"

Li Wanqing seemed to have been waiting for this question, chuckled, "Maid café!"